Whopper Hackers, and AI Whoppers
Smashing Security
Graham Cluley
4.7 • 579 Ratings
🗓️ 10 September 2025
⏱️ 45 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Ever wondered what would happen if Burger King left the keys to the kingdom lying around for anyone to use? Ethical hackers did - and uncovered drive-thru recordings, hard-coded passwords, and even the power to open a Whopper outlet on the moon.
Meanwhile, over in Silicon Valley, one AI wunderkind managed to turn a $7 million payday into a career-ending lawsuit by allegedly walking trade secrets straight out the door as he jumped ship for a rival.
All this and much more is discussed in episode 434 of the award-winning “Smashing Security” podcast with computer security veteran Graham Cluley, joined this week by special guest Lianne Potter. Hear them they chew over catastrophic fast-food security, insider threats with extra fries, and why even the biggest brains in AI can't stop themselves from doing something utterly stupid.
EPISODE LINKS:
- We Hacked Burger King: How Authentication Bypass Led to Drive-Thru Audio Surveillance - Internet archive wayback machine.
- DMCA notice - Bobdahacker.
- xAI sues former engineer, alleging he stole trade secrets after being paid $7M - San Francisco Standard.
- xAI vs Xuechen Li - Court documents.
- Classic Reload.
- Digger - Classic Reload.
- Kingdom of Kroz - Classic Reload.
- The Bad Movie Bible - YouTube.
- Shark Attack 3: Megalodon - YouTube.
- Smashing Security merchandise (t-shirts, mugs, stickers and stuff)
SPONSORED BY:
- Drata - The world’s most advanced Trust Management platform – making risk and compliance management accessible, continuous, and 10x more automated than ever before.
- Trelica by 1Password - Access Governance for every SaaS app. Discover, manage, and optimize access for any of your SaaS apps - whether managed or unmanaged.
- Vanta - Expand the scope of your security program with market-leading compliance automation... while saving time and money. Smashing Security listeners get $1000 off!
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THANKS:
Theme tune: "Vinyl Memories" by Mikael Manvelyan.
Assorted sound effects: AudioBlocks.
ENJOYED THE SHOW?
Make sure to check out our sister podcast, "The AI Fix".
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Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | And also, this one seemed really bizarre to me, how many times employees say you rule? |
| 0:11.2 | Because apparently that is an important business metric. |
| 0:16.0 | The BK menu makes sure my stomach prosperous, onion rings, chicken fries a whopper any food I think is proper |
| 0:21.8 | You're cool |
| 0:23.7 | Whoppers and A Wobr |
| 0:27.0 | Smashing Security Episode 434 Wper Hackers and AI Woppers, with Graham Cluley. |
| 0:44.6 | Hello, hello, and welcome to Smashing Security episode 434. My name's Graham Cluley. |
| 0:49.5 | And I'm Leanne Potter. |
| 0:51.4 | Leanne, welcome to the show. Lovely to have you back again. |
| 0:54.6 | Yes, indeed, very nice to be show. Lovely to have you back again. Yes, indeed. |
| 0:55.3 | Very nice to be back. |
| 0:56.8 | I am very excited about this. |
| 0:58.8 | Now, of course, regular listeners will know you from your past appearances. |
| 1:02.1 | You are the cyber anthropologist and the host of that tremendous podcast, compromising positions, |
| 1:10.7 | which isn't about awkward yoga |
| 1:13.0 | positions, is it? It's about something a bit different. Yes, it's a cyber security podcast |
| 1:18.8 | where we look at all the potential compromising positions in an organisation and how to prevent |
| 1:24.4 | that, thinking about it from an anthropological perspective. |
| 1:30.9 | So a little bit of a different take on cyber, I think. |
| 1:34.0 | And obviously, absolutely innuendos throughout, |
| 1:36.5 | because with a name like compromising positions, |
| 1:41.0 | which I do suggest you don't put that into your corporate laptop when you Google it. |
... |
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