Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons Podcast

It’s been a rough week or so for Apple products, in particular their new Macintosh operating system version called High Sierra. A horrendous security bug was released last week that would let anyone have full, unfettered access to your computer – possible even remotely. That’s about as bad as it gets, folks. I’ll tell you all about it, including how to fix it once and for all. We’ll also talk about some insidious HP computer software that is sending tracking information back to the mother ship without proper warning or consent, how some clever thieves have figured out how to steal cars by faking out your keyless entry system, and why now is the time to support Net Neutrality. For Further Insight: Fixing Apple’s horrible “root” bug: http://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/fixing-apple-root-bug/ Save Net Neutrality! https://www.battleforthenet.com/ John Oliver on Net Neutrality (includes adult language): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92vuuZt7wak Help me to help you! Visit: https://patreon.com/FirewallsDontStopDragons

In the era of mass surveillance, our communications are being hoovered up, searched and stored by both corporations and intelligence agencies, without a warrant and with almost zero transparency. While we should be fighting for our right to privacy, creating and amending laws is hard and can take years. Dr Andy Yen is the CEO of ProtonMail, a secure email service based in Switzerland. Today we discuss why it’s important for even regular, “uninteresting” people to use a truly secure and private email service. In the news this week, hundreds of top websites are tracking everything you do and Intel comes clean about a horrendous flaw in their secretive Management Engine that is part of every CPU they’ve made in the last 8 years. I’ll tell what you can do about it. Also, in the Tip of the Week, I’ll tell you about a new free service that can protect you from bad websites. Dr. Andy Yen is the CEO and Co-Founder of Protonmail. Andy has over 8 years of experience in distributed computing for demanding particle physics applications. Andy was a researcher at CERN from 2009 to 2015, where ProtonMail’s founding team met. He has a PhD in Physics from Harvard and a degree in Economics from Caltech. For Further Insight: Website: https://protonmail.com/ Twitter URL: https://twitter.com/ProtonMail LinkedIn URL: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-yen-03a9676 Quad9’s free DNS service protects you as you surf: http://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/evading-malware-quad9-dns/ Help me to help you! Visit: https://patreon.com/FirewallsDontStopDragons

In our next installment of the Castle Defense 101 series, I’ll help you to choose the web browser that will keep you safe and protect your privacy. We’ll talk about the big four (Safari, Internet Explorer, Firefox and Chrome) as well as some others you’ve never heard of. I walk you through the things you need to consider when comparing these browsers and explain why the choice can be tricky. In the end, I’ll share my personal browser strategy and recommend several free browser add-ons that will make you even safer! In the news: Facebook recommends that you upload your nude photos so that they can protect you and a cheeky New Zealand company has created a new automated service that enables some sweet revenge on all those spam emailers. For Further Insight: ExpressVPN Browser rankings: https://www.expressvpn.com/blog/best-browsers-for-privacy/ RE: Scam, spammer chatbot: https://www.rescam.org/ Help me to help you! Visit: https://patreon.com/FirewallsDontStopDragons

The law that enables the warrantless collection and searching of the communications of US citizens is set to expire at the end of 2017. In today’s show, David Ruiz and I discuss several bills in Congress that attempt to curb the rampant abuses of this legislation (Section 702 of the FISA law). These long-overdue reforms go a long way towards restoring the principles of the Fourth Amendment and reclaiming basic civil liberties that we let slip away in fear after 9/11. In the news this week, I’ll update you on the Reaper botnet and tell you about an effort to safeguard our elections systems before the next major election. I’ll also help you double-check your smartphone app permissions, making sure they don’t have any more access than they need to things like your camera, microphone, location, and contacts. David Ruiz is a writer covering NSA surveillance and federal surveillance policy for Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights non-profit. As 2017 closes, he is deeply involved in covering the multiple bills before Congress that seek to reform or reauthorize Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act, a law that is currently one of the U.S. government's most powerful surveillance tools. Previously, David worked as a journalist covering legal affairs for some of Silicon Valley's largest companies, including Google, Facebook, Twitter and Uber. He has also had his work featured in KQED, The East Bay Express, SFGate.com, The Sacramento Bee and KZSU Stanford 90.1 FM. Beyond writing, David also hosts a personal podcast called Death Knell, which explores the grieving process after death. For Further Insight: Website: www.davidalruiz.com Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/davidalruiz Additional Resources: Surveillance watchdog, Open Technology Institute: https://www.newamerica.org/oti/ End the Backdoor! https://www.endthebackdoor.com/ Lock Down Your LAN (IoT security): http://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/locking-internet-things-iot/ Protect yourself from nosy apps: http://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/smartphone-privacy-reining-nosy-apps/

We have a lot to catch up on! This week we discuss a Bad Rabbit, a grim Reaper, and some risky Russians. A new WannaCry-like ransomware is hitting Russia and Ukraine, Kaspersky Labs is dealing with a PR nightmare, and a new botnet is forming up that could make last year’s Mirai botnet that took down Netflix, Twitter and AirBND look like small potatoes. We also have some hopeful Android news and discuss how Bitcoin mining might save us from the ad-based web. For Further Insight: Before paying a ransom for your data, check this site! www.nomoreransom.org Full article on Reaper and securing your IoT devices: http://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/locking-internet-things-iot/ Help me to help you! Visit: https://patreon.com/FirewallsDontStopDragons

Web ads are the bane of our web-surfing existence, and yet people repeatedly reject the notion of paying for web content. How do we strike a balance? Today I speak at length with Ben Williams from Eyeo, the maker of one of the most popular web browser plugins of all time: AdBlock Plus. His company pioneered the notion of ‘acceptable ads’ and has returned some semblance of sanity to our web browsing experience, while preserving the revenue model that has allowed most web sites to remain free. We discuss the history and future of ads on the web, including the threat of ‘malvertising’ that can actually infect your computer. In the news, I’ll get you up to speed on the hideous KRACK WiFi bug that affects billions of devices worldwide and explain why it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Ben Williams is from the greatest commonwealth of them all, Kentucky, and has lived in Berlin, Washington, DC and now in Bonn, Germany. Before joining eyeo, the company that makes Adblock Plus and Flattr, as communications director, he worked in non-profits mainly. He likes cooking, cassettes, records, writing and hiking. For Further Insight: Website: https://adblockplus.org/ Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/B__e__n__w Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benpwilliams/ Help updating your wifi router: https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-upgrade-your-wireless-routers-firmware-2487671 Download AdBlock Plus: https://adblockplus.org/ Help me to help you! Visit: https://patreon.com/FirewallsDontStopDragons

In the second of my two-part interview with activist and author Cory Doctorow, we discuss how copy protection schemes (called “Digital Rights Management”) is trying to control how you watch, save, and share the digital movies, books and music you thought you owned. Cory explains how the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has caved into corporate interests and set the stage for serious future security issues with all web browsers. In the news this week are some serious bugs in both Microsoft and Apple products, an update on an important court case involving the First Amendment and DreamHost, and long-overdue updates to the accepted ‘best practices’ on creating passwords (and an apology from the guy who caused us all so much grief). My tip of the week will speed up your web browsing and help protect your surfing privacy. Listen to Part 1: The Mouse That Scored, How Copyright Went Wrong Cory Doctorow is a science fiction author, activist, journalist and blogger — the co-editor of Boing Boing (boingboing.net) and the author of WALKAWAY, a novel for adults, a YA graphic novel called IN REAL LIFE, the nonfiction business book INFORMATION DOESN’T WANT TO BE FREE, and young adult novels like HOMELAND, PIRATE CINEMA and LITTLE BROTHER and novels for adults like RAPTURE OF THE NERDS and MAKERS. He works for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, is a MIT Media Lab Research Affiliate, is a Visiting Professor of Computer Science at Open University and co-founded the UK Open Rights Group. Born in Toronto, Canada, he now lives in Los Angeles. For Further Insight: Website: www.craphound.com Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/doctorow Donate to the EFF! https://supporters.eff.org/donate Help me to help you! Visit: https://patreon.com/FirewallsDontStopDragons Book: Buy the Book: Walkaway: A Novel Additional Resources: Donate to the EFF! https://supporters.eff.org/donate Decentraleyes (privacy plugin for your browser): https://decentraleyes.org/

In the first of a two-part interview, activist and author Cory Doctorow explains how copyright law has failed to keep up with the realities of the modern digital world, potentially exposing consumers and researchers to crushing lawsuits and generally stifling innovation. Unlike physical books and LP records, every song or movie you stream, every eBook you read, every app you download is accompanied by long, arcane licensing agreements that we never read. Cory explains why this makes no sense and why we must update this body of law to protect consumers and unleash new products. In the news, I’ll tell you about some password bugs in macOS, new security measures coming in Android’s Oreo release, and update you on the Equifax debacle. My Tip of the Week will help you avoid some nasty wireless vulnerabilities affecting literally billions of device (including laptops and smartphones). Listen to Part 2: Do We Own Any Media We Buy Anymore? Cory Doctorow is a science fiction author, activist, journalist and blogger — the co-editor of Boing Boing (boingboing.net) and the author of WALKAWAY, a novel for adults, a YA graphic novel called IN REAL LIFE, the nonfiction business book INFORMATION DOESN’T WANT TO BE FREE, and young adult novels like HOMELAND, PIRATE CINEMA and LITTLE BROTHER and novels for adults like RAPTURE OF THE NERDS and MAKERS. He works for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, is a MIT Media Lab Research Affiliate, is a Visiting Professor of Computer Science at Open University and co-founded the UK Open Rights Group. Born in Toronto, Canada, he now lives in Los Angeles. For Further Insight: Website: www.craphound.com Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/doctorow Donate to the EFF! https://supporters.eff.org/donate Help me to help you! Visit: https://patreon.com/FirewallsDontStopDragons Buy the Book: Walkaway: A Novel

Just because you’re not paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not tracking you! And just because you feel that you have nothing to hide doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be worried about privacy. In today’s edition of my Castle Defense 101 series, I spell out why privacy matters and why companies and governments are hell bent on violating it. I’ll also explain the myriad ways by which your web habits are tracked and then give you several simple ways you can protect yourself. Have you ever used the CCleaner app on your computer? If so, you’ll want to hear about a recent hack of this app’s installer and how to fix it. For Further Insight:  Want to see what just one company knows about you? https://aboutthedata.com/ Why Privacy Matters: https://www.ted.com/talks/glenn_greenwald_why_privacy_matters How easy are you to track on the web? https://panopticlick.eff.org/ Help me to help you! Visit: https://patreon.com/FirewallsDontStopDragons

Will the robots rise up and take over? Or will Artificial Intelligence usher in a Utopian future? These concepts may have seemed like science fiction just 10-20 years ago, but visionaries like Elon Musk are warning us to take the notion of true AI very seriously. Like any powerful tool, the impact of AI will depend on how we develop and use it. In this week’s episode, I discuss the good, the bad and the ugly implications of AI and machine learning with technologist Albert Stepanyan. We’ve learned more about the Equifax debacle since last week – I’ll catch you up on everything you need to know, including another important tip on how to monitor your credit and protect yourself from identity theft. Albert Stepanyan is an A.I. Evangelist and Entrepreneur who loves code. He hasan entrepreneurial mindset with a passion for coding. Currently, he acts as the CEO and lead strategist at Develandoo, a software accelerator that is changing the way companies build products. His experience includes acting as CTO of a Munich-based Startup accelerator, lead engineer at various enterprises, and lead engineer or technical co-founder on more than 50 high-profile projects.. For Further Insight: Web site: www.cyberhulk.net Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/albertcyberhulk LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cyberhulk/ Further Reading: Equifax hack and response: http://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/equifax-hack-identity-theft/ Free annual credit reports: https://www.ftc.gov/faq/consumer-protection/get-my-free-credit-report Great article on what we need to do: https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2017/09/on_the_equifax_.html Help me to help you! Visit: https://patreon.com/FirewallsDontStopDragons