Fake Susies, flawed systems, and fruity fixes for anxiety

A bizarre case of political impersonation, where Trump’s top aide Susie Wiles is cloned (digitally, not biologically — we think), and high-ranking Republicans start getting invitations to link up with "her" on Telegram to share their Trump pardon wishlists. Was it a deepfake? Or just someone with a halfway decent impression and access to a shady data broker?

Meanwhile, we take a worryingly familiar journey into the mental health crisis in the UK — and how TikTok is stepping in with advice like “eat an orange in the shower” to cure your anxiety. Spoiler: it won’t. But it might make your bathroom smell nice.

Plus: a nostalgic tech support tale involving a CRT monitor, a wooden door, and an unexpected shade of brown.

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:

• Federal Authorities Probe Effort to Impersonate White House Chief of Staff - Wall Street Journal.
• FBI probes effort to impersonate White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, sources say - CBS News.
• The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans - The Atlantic.
• The Trump campaign is still being hacked - Popular Information.
• The Big Mental Health Report - Mind.
• Mental Health Pressures - British Medical Association. 
• More than half of top 100 mental health TikToks contain misinformation, study finds  - The Guardian.
• ‘They thought they were doing good but it made people worse’: why mental health apps are under scrutiny - The Guardian.
• How to find therapy or counselling - Mind.
• Carole in the shower with an orange? - Twitter.
• Matter - modern read-later app for iPhone, iPad, and web.
• Techie fixed a ‘brown monitor’ by closing a door - The Register.
• Smashing Security merchandise (t-shirts, mugs, stickers and stuff)

Sponsored by:

• MetaCompliance - MetaCompliance's Security Awareness Planner is your free 12-month roadmap to reduce risk and build a culture of cyber awareness.
• Vanta – Expand the scope of your security program with market-leading compliance automation… while saving time and money. Smashing Security listeners get $1000 off!
• Harmonic - Let your teams adopt AI tools safely by protecting sensitive data in real time with minimal effort. Harmonic Security gives you full control and stops leaks so your teams can innovate confidently.

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/privacy