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Security Now

Question:

“TechTV’s Leo Laporte and [Steve Gibson] take 30 to 60 minutes near the end
of each week to discuss important issues of personal computer security.
Sometimes we’ll discuss something that just happened. Sometimes we’ll talk
about long-standing problems, concerns, or solutions. Either way, every week we
endeavor to produce something interesting and important for every personal
computer user. “

I subscribe to a number of podcasts, as you might imagine. There are few –
very few – that get my attention nearly 100% of the time.

Security Now with Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte is one of
those podcasts.

And it’s not because the co-host’s name is also “Leo”.

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I’ve recommended Steve Gibson’s site grc.com before – he’s an internet security guru,
and as I’ve also said before, his site has come to be known as the place for
security tests and related utilities.

Leo Laporte is an internet columnist, TV and radio personality who’s been
making great use of podcast technology. From his weekly tech Q&A radio
show, to one of the most popular tech podcasts around, This Week in
Tech
, Leo Laporte is likely to be one of the most listened to
voices on the internet.

Putting Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte together works very well.

“Security Now is a easy and educational listen.”

Each week they discuss assorted security issues, tools, tips and techniques.
The discussion isn’t just about what the issues are, but why – how things work, or
don’t, and why it’s important.

Paraphrasing from a recent podcast, Security Now is for the curious. Over
the 50 podcasts that have been produced so far on topics include Spyware,
RootKits, VPNs, vulnerabilities, how the internet and networks work,
cryptography, buffer overflows, NAT routers, and more. Every fourth podcast is
dedicated answering listener questions.

Each podcast is archived with
both high and low bandwidth audio, and a full transcript.

I’ve been doing this “stuff” a long time – longer perhaps than the hosts
themselves – and yet with each podcast I pick up a bit of data, a tip or an
explanation that I hadn’t put yet together – each week there’s at least
something that makes me go “oh, yeah”.

Security Now is a easy and educational listen. If you’re curious at all
about security and technology, I highly recommend it.

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6 comments on “Security Now”

  1. I am looking to expand the home network and need an 8 port router. A security DVR, webcam, and four other computers will be connected to the router. What should I be looking for in a quality wired router?… dont need wi-fi. I have fios high speed for ISP.

    Thanks
    Noid Wilson
    Tampa

    Reply
  2. Dear Steve & Leo

    I am writing to you with a rather unfortunate story. Only you might be able to investigate this but I am afraid it may be too late.

    I just finished watching Democracy Now! and there was an interview that you MUST watch. Apparently there are allegations purporting to a man in the middle attack on the US voting system.

    I am not American but this is HUGE concern, if I were American I would practically plead on my knees that you look into this.

    Democracy Now! interviewed Mark Crispin and the bulk of the interview concerns Mike Connell in Ohio testifying in a court room. Mike Connell has been name a computer guru and a high IQ Forest Gump.

    I can not tell you how truly important of a security issue this is and quite frankly I am surprised that you have not talked about this.

    Please consider talking about this to your high IQ audience.

    Kindly Yours

    I am not Leo Laporte, and I seriously doubt whether he or Steve Gibson read this blog. You need to leave your comment out at http://grc.com/feedback

    – Leo (Notenboom)
    04-Nov-2008
    Reply
  3. Leo:
    As I type this I am trying to access GRC.com, which I have tried for several days now. It has been over two minutes now, and the site will not load. I fact it just disappeared (the whole window!)Is it mm PC, or is there a problem with Steve’s site?

    It’s working for me, as I write this.

    – Leo
    03-Dec-2008
    Reply
  4. Your comments about the podcast are dead-on, but a bit dated. Thee are currently close to 250 podcasts, they average closer to an hour each, and the Q&A programs are now every other week (not every 4th)

    Reply
  5. Steve Gibson’s site, grc.com, is both educational AND fun. I really enjoy “Shields Up!” and run it once a month, just in case something alters my configuration and exposes me to the “unwanted”. I also keep a desktop shortcut to GRC’s “ultra-security password generator”.

    Reply

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