A gag order backfires, and a snail mail ransom demand
Smashing Security
Graham Cluley
4.7 • 579 Ratings
🗓️ 12 March 2025
⏱️ 33 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
What happens when a healthcare giant’s legal threats ignite a Streisand Effect wildfire… while a ransomware gang appears to ditch the dark web for postage stamps?
Find out about this, and more, 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:
- 'We wanted to help': Students arrested after exposing FreeHour security flaw - Times of Malta.
- Medusa ransomware gang demands $2M from UK private health services provider - DataBreaches.net.
- Medusa Unveils Another 50TB of Stolen Data from HCRG Care Group, Giving Greater Insight Into the Scope of the Breach - DataBreaches.net.
- HCRG Care’s lawyers claimed an injunction issued in a “private” hearing required us to remove two posts. We didn’t comply - DataBreaches.net.
- Security firm leaves more than five billion records exposed on unsecured database - Graham Cluley.
- After threatening me with legal action, Keepnet Labs finally issues statement over data breach - Graham Cluley.
- Sophos apologises for going legal on school techies - The Register.
- Mail Scam Targeting Corporate Executives Claims Ties to Ransomware - IC3.
- One of the nastiest ransomware groups around may have a whole new way of doing things - TechRadar.
- Snail Mail Fail: Fake Ransom Note Campaign Preys on Fear - GuidePoint Security.
- Severance - Apple TV+.
- Smashing Security merchandise (t-shirts, mugs, stickers and stuff)
Sponsored by:
- 1Password Extended Access Management – Secure every sign-in for every app on every device.
- Palo Alto Networks - Get the 2025 Unit 42 Global Incident Response report to discover emerging threat trends, attacker tactics and expert recommendations to safeguard your business.
- Tripwire Enterprise - Set up a demo of Tripwire Enterprise to see how you can simultaneously harden your systems and automate compliance.
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.
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacyTranscript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Originally, he was writing for a website. |
| 0:05.7 | Are you familiar with urinal.net? |
| 0:09.4 | Surprisingly no. |
| 0:20.0 | Smashing Security, episode 408, a gag order backfires, and a snail mail ransom demand, with Carol Terrio and Graham Cluley. |
| 0:30.3 | Hello, hello, and welcome to Smashing Security episode 408. My name's Graham Cluelly. |
| 0:34.6 | And I'm Carol Terrio. |
| 0:36.1 | How are you doing, Carol? |
| 0:37.3 | I'm doing very well, but I have a house packed with people with all in the other room told to hold their breaths while we record. |
| 0:46.5 | So I'd love to get the show on the road. Are you cool with that? |
| 0:48.9 | That's fine with me. |
| 0:51.3 | Okay, but first, let's thank this week's wonderful sponsors, |
| 0:54.7 | OnePassword, Tripwire, and Paulo Alto Networks. |
| 0:58.7 | It's their support that help us give you this show for free. |
| 1:01.6 | Now, coming up on today's show, Graham, what do you got? |
| 1:04.3 | I'm going to be talking about the cyberstrizen effect. |
| 1:07.2 | Okay, and I have snail mail with a twist. All this and much more coming up on this episode, Smashing Security. |
| 1:19.0 | Now, chums, chums, I'm a bit of a barber-strizen fan. I don't know if I've mentioned it on the podcast before. |
| 1:24.3 | Yes. Well, I've loved her since I saw her munching on a breadstick in WhatsApp, Doc, or flirting over a piano with Bert Baccarac. For many years, I had a picture of her on my wall until my girlfriend told me to take it down. Oh, really? Yes. Actually, I wouldn't like that. I don't know. It depends. Was it a saucy picture? No, no, of course not a saucy picture. No, it's the goddess Barbara. You don't defile |
| 1:46.9 | her with sauciness. Anyway, I lost the picture from my wall. To be honest, I should have kept the picture |
| 1:51.4 | and got rid of the girlfriend. But anyway, I am a fan of Barbara and I'm not the only one. Some people |
| 1:57.6 | can be a little bit obsessed with Barbara Streisand. I don't know if you're a funny girl. Well, she has had quite an effect on people over the years. I don't just mean |
| 2:08.1 | people getting a little bit trembly of the knee at her and a star is born or hearing her sing the way |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Graham Cluley, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Graham Cluley and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.