Security Now (Audio) SN 1048: Mic-E-Mouse - AWS Goes Down Hard
21 snips
Oct 22, 2025 Could your mouse be eavesdropping on you? Steve and Leo dive into startling research revealing that optical mice can pick up desk vibrations tied to speech. They also discuss the implications of unencrypted geosynchronous satellite traffic, highlighting security risks. The recent AWS outage raises concerns about Internet monoculture. Plus, updates on Texas's app age-verification lawsuit and NIST's new password guidelines. China's accusations against the NSA add a geopolitical twist to the tech landscape.
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Texas App Law Targets App Stores Broadly
- Texas SB 2420 mandates age verification and parental consent for mobile app downloads, broadly targeting app stores.
- Legal challenges argue the law is an overbroad prior restraint on speech and conflicts with First Amendment precedents.
Integrate App Store Age APIs Now
- Prepare apps to integrate platform APIs that provide age verification and supervision status for users in affected states.
- Follow platform trust-and-safety requirements for handling age-related signals and notify stores of significant app changes.
Switch To Long Passphrases, Not Complexity
- Favor long passphrases over forced complexity to improve real-world password strength.
- Stop scheduled resets; only require changes after confirmed compromise and use blocklists for known bad passwords.
