Letters from the Mailbag

It’s been too long since I’ve dipped into the listener mailbag, so today I’m going to answer a small selection of your questions on the air! Topics include privacy-respecting baby monitors, the “IoT network” on some Orbi routers, why you can’t really use a computer monitor as a “dumb” TV, and whether browser privacy plugins work on first party tracking. We’ll also cover some news stories: why you shouldn’t upload medical images to AI chatbots; the Fancy Bear “nearest neighbor” attack; Google’s new website link overlays; the curious case of cutting undersea internet cables; Microsoft’s new Windows Resiliency Initiative; mobile pay apps coming under regulatory scrutiny; iPhone’s new tool to strip metadata from shared photos; and Google now warning you about suspicious apps. Article Links [techcrunch.com] PSA: You shouldn’t upload your medical images to AI chatbots https://techcrunch.com/2024/11/19/psa-you-shouldnt-upload-your-medical-images-to-ai-chatbots/ [darkreading.com] Fancy Bear ‘Nearest Neighbor’ Attack Uses Nearby Wi-Fi Network https://www.darkreading.com/cyberattacks-data-breaches/fancy-bear-nearest-neighbor-attack-wi-fi [9to5google.com] Google’s iOS app now injects links on third-party websites that go back to Search https://9to5google.com/2024/11/25/google-ios-app-link-annotations-search/ [newsweek.com] Chinese Vessel Allegedly Drags Anchor, Severs Undersea Cable Links https://www.newsweek.com/chinese-vessel-allegedly-drags-anchor-severs-undersea-cable-links-1992580 [dw.com] Hybrid warfare on the seabed? https://www.dw.com/en/baltic-sea-underwater-cable-damage-highlights-hybrid-warfare-on-critical-infrastructure/a-70853706 [theverge.com] Microsoft’s new Windows Resiliency Initiative aims to avoid another CrowdStrike incident https://www.theverge.com/2024/11/19/24299873/microsoft-windows-resiliency-initiative-crowdstrike-incident [lifehacker.com] Venmo, Apple Pay, and Other Payment Apps Are About to Be More Regulated https://lifehacker.com/money/payment-apps-are-about-to-be-more-regulated [lifehacker.com] Your iPhone Can Now Automatically Remove Location Data From Photos You Share Online https://lifehacker.com/tech/your-iphone-can-now-automatically-remove-location-data-from-photos-online [lifehacker.com] The Google Play Store Will Soon Warn You Before You Download a Bad App https://lifehacker.com/tech/the-google-play-store-will-warn-you-bad-app Further Info ExifTool: https://exiftool.org/  Help me reach more people! https://fdsd.me/awareness2 Send me your questions! https://fdsd.me/qna  Check out my book, Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons: https://fdsd.me/book  Subscribe to the newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter  Become a patron! https://www.patreon.com/FirewallsDontStopDragons  Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch  Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons  Table of Contents Use these timestamps to jump to a particular section of the show. 0:00:51: Holiday PSA 0:02:12: News preview 0:03:59: PSA: You shouldn’t upload your medical images to AI chatbots 0:07:22: Fancy Bear ‘Nearest Neighbor’ Attack Uses Nearby Wi-Fi Network 0:12:59: Google’s iOS app now injects links on third-party websites that go back to Search 0:15:10: Chinese Vessel Allegedly Drags Anchor, Severs Undersea Cable Links 0:18:17: Hybrid warfare on the seabed? 0:27:19: Microsoft’s new Windows Resiliency Initiative aims to avoid another CrowdStrike incident 0:33:11: Venmo, Apple Pay, and Other Payment Apps Are About to Be More Regulated 0:36:30: Your iPhone Can Now Automatically Remove Location Data From Photos You Share Online 0:42:23: The Google Play Store Will Soon Warn You Before You Download a Bad App 0:46:20: Finding a private, secure baby monitor 0:50:44: IoT Network on Netgear Orbi routers? 0:52:50: Using a computer monitor as a dumb TV? 0:55:47: Can browser plugins prevent first party tracking? 0:59:23: The plan for the rest of the year