Cybersecurity and the Icarus Myth

A GCHQ intern forgets the golden rule of spy school — don’t take the secrets home with you — and finds himself swapping Cheltenham for a cell. Meanwhile, an Australian hacker flies too close to the sun, hacks his way into a US indictment, and somehow walks free... only to get booted back Down Under.

Plus: flow states, Bob Mortimer, and the joys of pretending to carry an owl around on a cushion.

All this and more is discussed in the latest edition of the "Smashing Security" podcast by cybersecurity veterans Graham Cluley and Carole Theriault.

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

Episode links:

• The Cheltenham Doughnut - Wikipedia.
• Summer placements - GCHQ.
• Spy school dropout: GCHQ intern jailed for swiping classified data - The Register.
• Former GCHQ intern jailed for taking top secret files home - Crown Prosecution Service.
• United States government says it will deport Australian hacker David Kee Crees  - ABC News.
• Australian national known as “DR32” sentenced in U.S. federal court  – DataBreaches.
• ICE takes steps to deport the Australian hacker known as “DR32” – DataBreaches.
• Aussie Travel Cover has hundreds of thousands of records stolen in hacking, policy holders not informed - ABC News.
• Australian cybercriminal to be deported from US - Information Age.
• Government sites hit by Aussie Travel Cover hacker - ZDNET.
• Abdilo, Australia-based computer hacker, live streams attack on US education sites - ABC News.
• Bob Mortimer's Pet Owl - YouTube.
• And Away… by Bob Mortimer - Simon & Schuster.
• Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihaly -  HarperCollins.
• 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!
• Flare - Uncover the latest threats across the dark web and Telegram. Start your free trial today.
• Trelica by 1Password - Access Governance for every SaaS app. Discover, manage, and optimize access for any of your SaaS apps - whether managed or unmanaged.

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.