The Crisis of Legal Aid in the UK

In this week’s episode, Graham investigates the mysterious Iberian Peninsula blackout (aliens? toaster? cyberattack?), Carole dives in the UK legal aid hack that exposed deeply personal data of society's most vulnerable, and Dinah Davis recounts how Instagram scammers hijacked her daughter’s account - and how a parental control accidentally saved the day.

All this and more is discussed in the latest edition of the "Smashing Security" podcast by cybersecurity veterans Graham Cluley and Carole Theriault, joined this week by special guest Dinah Davis.

Warning: This podcast may contain nuts, adult themes, and rude language.

Episode links:

• 418 - I’m a teapot - MDN Web Docs.
• 2025 Iberian Peninsula blackout - Wikipedia.
• What could have caused the major power outage in Spain and Portugal? Experts weigh in - Euro News.
• Spain investigates cyber weaknesses in blackout probe - Financial Times.
• Report on Working Conditions at INCIBE, the company Investigating the blackout - El Cierre Digital.
• My Teen's Instagram Account was Hacked - Dinah Davis.
• We Got Her Account Back, Here’s What the Forensics Revealed - Dinah Davis.
• 'Significant amount' of private data stolen in Legal Aid hack  - BBC News.
• Civil legal aid: millions still without access to justice - The Law Society.
• Civil representation - Legal aid data - GOV.UK.
• Legal aid statistics England and Wales bulletin Oct to Dec 2024  - GOV.UK.
• Funding for justice down 22% since 2010 - Bar Council. 
• The Assembly - ITV.
• The Assembly review – this celebrity interview show is going to be massive - The Guardian.
• The Assembly: Inside the most groundbreaking TV show of the year - The Independent.
• David Tennant gets emotional from neurodivergent musicians - YouTube.
• OceanMan.
• All the Colours of the Dark by Chris Whitaker - Orion Books. 
• Smashing Security merchandise (t-shirts, mugs, stickers and stuff)

Sponsored by:

• Vanta – Expand the scope of your security program with market-leading compliance automation… while saving time and money. Smashing Security listeners get $1000 off!
• 1Password Extended Access Management – Secure every sign-in for every app on every device.
• MetaCompliance - MetaCompliance's Security Awareness Planner is your free 12-month roadmap to reduce risk and build a culture of cyber awareness.

SUPPORT THE SHOW:

Tell your friends and colleagues about “Smashing Security”, and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Podchaser.

Become a supporter via Patreon or Apple Podcasts for ad-free episodes and our early-release feed!

FOLLOW US:

Follow us on Bluesky or Mastodon, or on the Smashing Security subreddit, and visit our website for more episodes.

THANKS:

Theme tune: "Vinyl Memories" by Mikael Manvelyan.

Assorted sound effects: AudioBlocks.