It’s time once again for cybersecurity professionals to make the pilgrimage to the scorching desert of Las Vegas, Nevada for a week of tech conferences that we lovingly refer to as Hacker Summer Camp. Today I’ll bring you my on-the-ground reporting from BSides and DEF CON. I’ll also bring you part 2 of my series on Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) and how to purge your personal data from the web.

In the news this week: Vegas hotels search hacker’s rooms; Apple and others fix old but important browser bug; NFL rolls out more facial recognition at stadiums; Ford looks to patent car surveillance tech; automakers sold your data to brokers for pennies; border agents can no longer search your smartphone without a warrant; judge rules that Google is a monopoly.

Article Links

1. [404media.co] Hotel to Search Rooms During DEF CON Hacking Conference https://www.404media.co/hotel-to-search-rooms-during-def-con-hacking-conference/


2. [AppleInsider] Apple has closed an ancient macOS Safari security hole https://appleinsider.com/articles/24/08/07/apple-has-closed-an-ancient-macos-safari-security-hole


3. [therecord.media] NFL to roll out facial authentication software league-wide https://therecord.media/nfl-to-roll-out-facial-authentication-league-wide


4. [therecord.media] Ford wants patent for tech allowing cars to surveil and report speeding drivers https://therecord.media/ford-seeks-patent-cars-surveil-speeders-report-to-police


5. [The New York Times] Automakers Sold Driver Data for Pennies, Senators Say https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/26/technology/driver-data-sold-for-pennies.html


6. [9to5Mac] Border agents cannot search smartphones without a warrant, rules federal court https://9to5mac.com/2024/07/29/cannot-search-smartphones-without-a-warrant/


7. [AppleInsider] Judge rules Google is a search and advertising monopoly https://appleinsider.com/articles/24/08/05/judge-rules-that-google-is-a-search-and-advertising-monopoly


8. Tip of the Week: OSINT Remediation https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/osint-remediation/ 

Further Info

• BSides Las Vegas: https://bsideslv.org/ 


• DEF CON 32: https://defcon.org/html/defcon-32/dc-32-index.html


• UnDisruptible27:  https://securityandtechnology.org/undisruptable27/


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Table of Contents

Use these timestamps to jump to a particular section of the show.

• 0:01:26 : Summer Camp Highlights


• 0:10:25 : Hotel to Search Rooms During DEF CON


• 0:15:14 : Apple has closed an ancient macOS Safari security hole


• 0:20:00 : NFL to roll out facial authentication software league-wide


• 0:26:25 : Ford wants patent for tech allowing cars to surveil and report speeding drivers


• 0:29:38 : Automakers Sold Driver Data for Pennies, Senators Say


• 0:32:46 : Border agents cannot search smartphones without a warrant,


• 0:36:44 : Judge rules Google is a search and advertising monopoly


• 0:40:52 : Tip of the Week: OSINT Remediation


• 0:54:25 : EFF Tech Trivia update