In this special holiday episode, Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte revisit their classic conversation about vitamin D—diving into the science, surprising updates, and practical tips for your health. Whether you've heard it before or are tuning in for the first time, this "blast from the past" is the perfect way to kick off 2026 with wisdom, laughs, and a little bit of eggnog recovery.

Read more at https://www.grc.com/health

Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte

Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now.

You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page.

For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6.

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What if your smart TV and Firefox extensions were secretly hijacking your security and privacy? This episode reveals the jaw-dropping discovery of a massive TV botnet and the surprisingly clever malware lurking behind innocent browser icons.

• North Korea's profitable fixation on cryptocurrency.
• Amazon uncovers a cryptomining sneaking into customer clouds.
• Insecure Docker API servers are also hosting cryptominers.
• A new and truly massive SmartTV-based botnet discovery.
• DNS Benchmark's 4th release.
• Who, besides Let's Encrypt, offers free automated certs.
• Some interesting listener feedback.
• And how a PNG Icon was used to infect 50,000 Firefox users

Show Notes - https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1057-Notes.pdf

Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte

Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now.

You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page.

For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6.

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Australia's nationwide social media ban has put tech's age verification tools under the spotlight, exposing the flaws and privacy risks in today's facial detection systems and sparking worldwide debate about what's coming for the rest of us.

• Home Depot's puzzling reluctance to close a bad hole.
• GNOME's shell extension manager is unhappy with AI.
• How attacks on open source repositories compares in 2025.
• China's researchers have taken aim at the US power grid.
• How bad has the React2Shell vulnerability turned out to be.
• More new React vulnerabilities.
• Apple moves to iOS 26.2.
• Let's Encrypt's crosses into one billion servers managed.
• A DNS Benchmark update.
• Some interesting listener feedback, then...
• How things going with Australia's social media ban and what we are learning

https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1056-Notes.pdf

Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte

Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now.

You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page.

For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6.

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A devastating new React vulnerability earned a "perfect 10" for risk, letting attackers remotely run code on a million-plus servers with a single HTTP request. Find out what happened, how fast attackers moved in, and why this bug changes everything for web security.

• France's VanityFair face a stiff fine over cookies.
• GrapheneOS pulls out of France over coercion worries.
• The EU adds to the pile-on over underage social media.
• India mandates the tracking of all smartphones.
• Apple says no.
• India abandons its smartphone tracking mandate.
• India requires all encrypted messaging to be SIM-tied.
• Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters --becomes--> SLH.
• AI demand has driven RAM pricing sky high.
• GRC's DNS Benchmark is finished and available.
• Cisco may talk a good game, but they're still Cisco.
• Browsers to ask users for local network access permission.
• React: The worst remote code exploit in a LONG time.

Show Notes - https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1055-Notes.pdf

Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte

Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now.

You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page.

For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6.

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Cisco has finally admitted it's time for real change and is vowing to build "secure by default" gear after decades of criticism. Steve Gibson reacts to a rare moment when a tech giant actually gets security right—and what it means for everyone running critical infrastructure.

• Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters strikes (Salesforce) again.
• Cisco actually (no kidding) sees the light.
• Next week, Australia bans all underage social media.
• The EU Parliament moves to replace US computer tech.
• When to use Passwords, Passkeys or Yubikeys.
• Do unpowered SSDs lose their data.
• How about a "Joy of Coding" podcast.
• A Bitwarden Passkeys integration glitch.
• XSLT is sneaky. It's where you don't expect it.
• We know where last week's picture came from.
• The long-awaited return of a new Stargate series.
• A simple test to check our networks for any bot infections.

Show Notes - https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1054-Notes.pdf

Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte

Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now.

You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page.

For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6.

Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!
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Could banning VPNs really become law in the US? This episode breaks down the jaw-dropping legislation in Wisconsin and Michigan that targets VPN access for everyone, not just kids—and what it means for your digital privacy.

• The EU finally comes to its "Chat Control" senses.
• Windows 11 to include SysInternals Sysmon natively.
• Chrome's tabs (optionally) go vertical.
• The Pentagon begins its investment in warfare AI.
• Members of the military are being doxed by social media.
• A look inside the futility of trying to corral AI.
• The surprising lack of WhatsApp user privacy.
• Exactly what happened last week to Cloudflare?
• Britain (over)reacts to the Jaguar Land Rover incident.
• Project: Hail Mary's second trailer released.
• US state legislatures want to ban VPNs altogether

Show Notes - https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1053-Notes.pdf

Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte

Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now.

You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page.

For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6.

Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!
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Think your cell phone is safe from tracking? Steve reveals how global networks let anyone pinpoint your location—no hacking required and no malware involved.

• Apple introduces a new Digital ID inside Wallet.
• Checkout.com refuses to pay a ransom demand.
• Google announces "Private AI Compute" in the cloud.
• Google backpedals on their "devs must register" demand.
• Win11 added a Passkeys API which 1Password & Bitwarden support.
• Russia tracks SIM card appearances to thwart drone usage.
• Google sues Chinese Phishing as a Service platform.
• Lots of interesting listener feedback.
• Global cellphone tracking is alive, well, malware free and a distressingly common commercial enterprise

Show Notes - https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1052-Notes.pdf

Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte

Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now.

You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page.

For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6.

Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!
Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

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Amazon is taking Perplexity AI to court over its agentic browser that shops on your behalf, raising urgent questions about who controls your online buying experience when bots do the heavy lifting.

• FFmpeg teaching assembly language for performance.
• The state of Nevada recovers after not paying ransom.
• A "rounding error" nets a clever attacker $128 million.
• Why would Chrome decide to start form-filling driver's licenses.
• The UK's six major telecom providers to block number spoofing.
• XSLT support being removed from browsers. Will anyone notice.
• Firefox introduced paid support options for organizations.
• Russia continues to fight against non-Russian Internet.
• Google acquires another Internet security company (Wiz).
• The EU to finally fix their cookie permission mistake.
• More countries drop Microsoft office for open choices.
• More countries question and examine Chinese made buses.
• Microsoft discovers some information leakage from LLMs.
• What does Amazon's lawsuit against Perplexity's agents mean for next-generation browsers

Show Notes: https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1051-Notes.pdf

Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte

Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now.

You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page.

For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6.

Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!
Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

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AI-powered web browsers are hitting the scene fast, but Steve and Leo unpack why these smart assistants could usher in an era of security chaos most users aren't ready for. Brace yourself for the wild risks, real-world scams, and the privacy questions no one else is asking.

• Secret radios discovered in Chinese-made busses.
• Edge & Chrome introduce LLM-based "scareware" blocking.
• A perfect example of what scareware blocking hopes to prevent.
• Aardvark: OpenAI's new vulnerability scanner for code.
• Italy to require age verification from 48 specific sites.
• Russia to require the use of only Russian software within Russia.
• Russia further clamping down on non-MAX Telegram and WhatsApp messaging.
• 187 new malicious NPM packages. Could AI help with that?
• BadCandy malware has infiltrated Australian Cisco routers.
• Github's 2025 report with the dominance of TypeScript.
• Windows 11 gets new extra-secure Admin Protection feature.
• A bunch of interesting feedback and listener thoughts.
• And why the new AI-driven web browsers may be bringing a whole new world of hurt

Show Notes - https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1050-Notes.pdf

Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte

Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now.

You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page.

For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6.

Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!
Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Sponsors:

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• canary.tools/twit - use code: TWIT
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Just when you thought DNS cache poisoning was a thing of the past, Steve and Leo reveal why this 17-year-old bug is making a dramatic comeback—and why most DNS resolvers still can't manage high-quality random numbers after all this time.

• The unsuspected sucking power of a Linux-based robot vacuum.
• Russia to follow China's vulnerability reporting laws.
• A pair of Scattered Spider UK teen hackers arrested.
• Facebook,Instagram and TikTok violating the EU's DSA.
• Microsoft Teams bringing user WiFi tracking bypolicy.
• You backed up. That's great. Did you test that backup?
• Coveware reports all-time lowransomware payment rate.
• Ransomware negotiator reports how the bad guys get in.
• Lots of listener thoughts and feedback about NIST passwords.
• And against all reason and begging credulity, it seems we still haven't managed to put high-quality random number generators into our DNS resolvers.

Show Notes - https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1049-Notes.pdf

Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte

Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now.

You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page.

For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6.

Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!
Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Sponsors:

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• 1password.com/securitynow
• veeam.com
• zscaler.com/security