Physical Phone Security
Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons Podcast
Intro
The host reflects on his recent trip to Portugal, focusing on port wine and the stunning Duro Valley, while also sharing details about an upcoming book signing at DEF CON in Las Vegas. Additionally, the chapter previews important news in technology and privacy, including VPN usage and app security breaches.
We take our phones with us everywhere. And they contain, or have cloud access to, pretty much all of our personal information and online accounts. While phone makers have made it difficult for thieves to resell a stolen phone, anyone with physical access to your device may be able to extract its data or access all your accounts. Thankfully, Apple (iOS) and Google (Android) have recently introduced several features that can significantly increase your device’s physical security and privacy. We’ll discuss some of them today.
In the news: VPN signups in UK spike after age verification law kicks in; Tea app data breach includes IDs; Amazon buys Bee AI wearable; your power meter is a surveillance tool; Amazon’s Ring returns to sharing video with police; startup sells hacked data to debt collectors; Gemini AI on Android to get third party app access; Brave blocks Windows Recall; UK backs down on Apple back door; Apple to make passkeys portable; two new AI chatbots that are truly open and private.
Article Links
- Proton VPN Signups in UK Surge 1,400% After Online Safety Act Comes Into Force https://cyberinsider.com/proton-vpn-signups-in-uk-surge-1400-after-online-safety-act-comes-into-force/
- I Knew the Viral ‘Tea’ App Was Trouble, but I Didn’t Expect a Data Breach https://lifehacker.com/tech/i-knew-the-viral-tea-app-was-trouble-but-i-didnt-expect-a-data-breach
- Amazon buys Bee AI wearable that listens to everything you say https://www.theverge.com/news/711621/amazon-bee-ai-wearable-acquisition
- When Your Power Meter Becomes a Tool of Mass Surveillance https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/07/when-your-power-meter-becomes-tool-mass-surveillance
- Amazon’s Ring goes full founder mode, taking the company back to its crime-fighting roots https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-ring-founder-mode-jamie-siminoff-crime-fighting-roots-2025-7
- A Startup is Selling Data Hacked from Peoples’ Computers to Debt Collectors https://www.404media.co/a-startup-is-selling-data-hacked-from-peoples-computers-to-debt-collectors/
- Unless users take action, Android will let Gemini access third-party apps https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/07/unless-users-take-action-android-will-let-gemini-access-third-party-apps/
- Brave blocks Windows Recall from screenshotting your browsing activity https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/brave-blocks-windows-recall-from-screenshotting-your-browsing-activity/
- UK backing down on Apple encryption backdoor after pressure from US https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/07/uk-backing-down-on-apple-encryption-backdoor-after-pressure-from-us/
- Passkey portability is finally here in iOS 26 and macOS Tahoe 26 https://9to5mac.com/2025/07/12/passkey-portability-is-finally-here-in-ios-26-and-macos-tahoe-26/
- Introducing Lumo, the AI where every conversation is confidential https://proton.me/blog/lumo-ai
- A language model built for the public good https://ethz.ch/en/news-and-events/eth-news/news/2025/07/a-language-model-built-for-the-public-good.html
- Tip of the Week: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/physical-phone-security/
Further Info
- Hacker Plants Computer ‘Wiping’ Commands in Amazon’s AI Coding Agent https://www.404media.co/hacker-plants-computer-wiping-commands-in-amazons-ai-coding-agent/
- My book: https://fdsd.me/book
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Table of Contents
- 0:00:00: Intro
- 0:00:47: DEF CON update
- 0:01:47: News preview
- 0:04:06: Proton VPN use surges in UK
- 0:08:13: Data breach at viral Tea app
- 0:19:36: Amazon buys Bee AI wearable
- 0:26:47: Using power meters for surveillance
- 0:30:48: Ring again sharing video with police
- 0:34:57: Startup selling hacked data to debt collectors
- 0:42:29: Android lets Gemini access 3rd party apps
- 0:48:31: Brave blocks Windows Recall
- 0:53:14: UK backs down on Apple back door
- 0:57:46: Apple to support passkey portability
- 1:01:41: Proton’s new AI: Lumo
- 1:07:20: A language model built for the public good
- 1:08:58: Tip of the Week
- 1:17:01: Looking ahead
- 1:17:55: Merlin’s Musing preview
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