PEBCAK Podcast: Information Security News by Some All Around Good People

Chris Louie

Weekly Information Security News. Stay up to date on what’s going on in the InfoSec world in about 40 minutes. Join us for InfoSec news and stay for some friendly banter, guest interviews, gadget reviews, tech interview tips, and hilarious dad jokes! New episodes every Monday.

  1. 9h ago

    Episode 279 - Hot Fridges, Binance Cold Wallets, Ransomware Apology, France Internet Tax, Halloween Stories

    Welcome to this week's episode of the PEBCAK Podcast!  We’ve got four amazing stories this week so sit back, relax, and keep being awesome!  Be sure to stick around for our Dad Joke of the Week. (DJOW) Follow us on Instagram @pebcakpodcast   Please share this podcast with someone you know!  It helps us grow the podcast and we really appreciate it!   Support the hosts by buying a copy of our book: https://www.amazon.com/Sales-Engineering-Unfiltered-What-Someone/dp/B0HLWSJ448   Check our $PEBCAK on Pump Fun: https://pump.fun/coin/2y78YR8VrmV1LCwPcLmxFVFFGZWFvz9ra6FtCMRopump   Hackers turned European supermarket fridges into ovens, remotely flipping refrigeration controls into a 50°C defrost loop across Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden and Estonia, weeks after a similar wave hit France. https://securityaffairs.com/202260/security/another-fridge-cyberattack-hits-european-supermarkets-this-time-in-belgium-luxembourg-sweden-and-estonia.html   A fake job interview and a booby-trapped coding test led to the biggest crypto heist ever: $6.3B drained from Binance, which the FBI pins on North Korea’s TraderTraitor. https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/binance-says-fake-job-interview-led-to-63-billion-crypto-heist/ https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/binance-links-63-billion-crypto-theft-to-compromised-devops-laptop/ https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/fbi-links-63-billion-binance-crypto-heist-to-north-korean-hackers/   Ransomware crew BYOD knocked UNM Hospital, New Mexico’s only Level I trauma center, onto ambulance diversion, then “apologized,” offered free decryptors and promised patients up to $2,500 each. UNM warns the offer may be a scam. https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/hackers-insist-they-have-morals-after-hospital-cyberattack-and-offer-victims-2500-3422948/   France’s National Assembly narrowly backed a €0.055-per-gigabyte tax on companies that send data to French users, and nonprofit VideoLAN says it could cost VLC over €1M a year. https://x.com/intcyberdigest/status/2116243714209124557 https://www.trendingtopics.eu/france-gigabyte-tax-vlc/   Halloween costume roundup and the best tales from the trick-or-treat trenches.   Dad Joke of the Week (DJOW)   Find the hosts on LinkedIn: Chris - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chlouie/ Brian - https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandeitch-sase/ Glenn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/glennmedina/ Ben - https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamincorll/

  2. 1d ago

    Sales Engineering, Unfiltered Chapter 5: Find Your Fuel

    In this job, you will get knocked down. You’ll lose deals you poured your soul into, and customers will blame you for things outside your control. Chapter 5 is about the difference between good Sales Engineers and exceptional ones: knowing what drives you, so you can keep going when everything else wants to put the fire out. In this chapter: Two kinds of fuel: the internal drive to make a difference, and the external push from everyone who bet against you The quarter when three of the largest deals the company had ever seen died one by one, and what happened four months later Why a family photo on the desk is more than decoration, and the coworker who keeps the 1980 Miracle on Ice team by his monitor Why managers hire for resilience and clear motivation, and how sharing your motivation helps your manager coach you and advocate for you The daily difference journal: a morning intention and an evening review Next week: Chapter 6, It’s Your Stage. A free audiobook, one chapter a week, on Season 3 of The PEBCAK Podcast. 📘 Get the paperback, hardcover or Kindle edition: https://www.amazon.com/Sales-Engineering-Unfiltered-What-Someone/dp/B0HLWSJ448 ⭐ If it helps you, an Amazon review helps us more than you’d think. 🎙️ More from the PEBCAK Podcast: chrislouie.net

  3. Nov 2

    Episode 278 - PHP Phail, Phished Rings, Fake Encryption, Wedding Crashers

    Welcome to this week's episode of the PEBCAK Podcast!  We’ve got four amazing stories this week so sit back, relax, and keep being awesome!  Be sure to stick around for our Dad Joke of the Week. (DJOW) Follow us on Instagram @pebcakpodcast   Please share this podcast with someone you know!  It helps us grow the podcast and we really appreciate it!   Support the hosts by buying a copy of our book: https://www.amazon.com/Sales-Engineering-Unfiltered-What-Someone/dp/B0HLWSJ448     Phished Rings, Fake Encryption & Wedding Crashers A researcher chained PHP out-of-memory crashes into cookie-leaked pointers and full RCE to win the "Steal My Bitcoin" challenge, only to find the recovered key didn't match the prize wallet. -https://github.com/KillaBoi/StealMyBitcoin-PoC -https://x.com/jamespavur/status/2114501212313653696?s=46   The Knicks' parent company MSG phish-tested staff with a fake "free championship ring" email, then admitted the lure was a mistake and announced $3.7M in real rings. -https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/new-york-knicks-phished-staff-with-fake-email-over-nba-championship-rings-3421260/ -https://x.com/sulloreport/status/2113457529267380575?s=46   Lenovo's "AES-256 encrypted" ThinkPlus fingerprint USB stick was a plain, unencrypted SD card inside, and AI-assisted reversing cracked four more "secure" drive brands in minutes. -https://hackingpassion.com/lenovo-thinkplus-encrypted-usb-sd-card/ -https://x.com/intcyberdigest/status/2115898968597012674?s=46   A new site lets total strangers pay $25 to $160 for a seat at someone else's wedding, with ID-plus-selfie checks and couple approval required. -https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/this-website-lets-you-buy-tickets-to-weddings-of-complete-strangers-3418782/   Dad Joke of the Week (DJOW)   Find the hosts on LinkedIn: Chris - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chlouie/ Brian - https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandeitch-sase/ Glenn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/glennmedina/ Ben - https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamincorll/

  4. Oct 31

    Sales Engineering, Unfiltered Chapter 4: The Unseen Hours

    The best Sales Engineers approach every product like the kid who took apart the family remote just to see how it worked. Chapter 4 is about the hours nobody sees: the lab time and the “what happens if I do this?” testing that let you speak with authority when the stakes are high. In this chapter: Why the real education comes from your own testing, not from training modules or sales kickoffs The demo prep at headquarters that took down a service, and the zero byte UDP packet behind it Why finding a limitation yourself lets you handle objections with real data instead of dodging them Learning by doing the Cal Poly way, and why every experiment belongs in your “all about me” folder A customer whose correct password kept getting rejected, and how lab testing closed the deal The traps that keep new SEs from experimenting Next week: Chapter 5, Find Your Fuel. A free audiobook, one chapter a week, on Season 3 of The PEBCAK Podcast. 📘 Get the paperback, hardcover or Kindle edition: https://www.amazon.com/Sales-Engineering-Unfiltered-What-Someone/dp/B0HLWSJ448 ⭐ If it helps you, an Amazon review helps us more than you’d think. 🎙️ More from the PEBCAK Podcast: chrislouie.net

  5. Oct 26

    Episode 277 - Key = 4, Spy Chips, Dodgers Lose, Dirty Dishes

    Welcome to this week's episode of the PEBCAK Podcast!  We’ve got four amazing stories this week so sit back, relax, and keep being awesome!  Be sure to stick around for our Dad Joke of the Week. (DJOW) Follow us on Instagram @pebcakpodcast   Please share this podcast with someone you know!  It helps us grow the podcast and we really appreciate it!   Support the hosts by buying a copy of our book: https://www.amazon.com/Sales-Engineering-Unfiltered-What-Someone/dp/B0HLWSJ448   One of eMudhra's CA private keys was literally the number 4, so Mozilla, Google, and Apple are now blocking eight intermediate certs anyone could have used to forge trusted HTTPS. -https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/mozilla-google-apple-block-compromised-emudhra-ca-certificates/   Ledger confirms a spy chip with its own LTE modem and eSIM was hidden inside hardware wallets sold through reseller CryptoBilis, with on-chain sleuths tracking $86M+ drained. -https://x.com/vanshikarsharma/status/2112758601685356549?s=46  -https://x.com/bitcoinnewscom/status/2112703091426406739?s=46 -https://x.com/katexbt/status/2108606937902493909?s=46&t=NHTQV_QQ9nHAc6r3d92fZg -https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/ledger-confirms-hardware-wallet-spy-implant-behind-crypto-thefts/   An LA bar group with 25 locations bet $60K on Kalshi that the Dodgers would miss the World Series, and the hedge nearly doubled when they did. -https://www.reuters.com/sports/la-restaurant-group-used-60000-dodgers-bet-hedge-playoff-risk-kalshi-says-2026-10-16/   Airbnb is banning hosts from making guests wash dishes, strip beds, or start laundry at checkout starting November 20. -https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/new-airbnb-rules-ban-hosts-from-making-guests-wash-dishes-do-laundry-other-checkout-chores-3420832/ -https://x.com/dexerto/status/2112955939292676436?s=46   Dad Joke of the Week (DJOW)   Find the hosts on LinkedIn: Chris - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chlouie/ Brian - https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandeitch-sase/ Glenn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/glennmedina/ Ben - https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamincorll/ Nick - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickbaumhardt/

  6. Oct 24

    Sales Engineering, Unfiltered Chapter 3: The Windshield Test

    Before you can sell software, you have to sell yourself. After every Sales Engineer interview panel, the team asks one question: if we had to drive three hours together to a customer meeting, would the time fly by or would it feel like a root canal? Chapter 3 of Sales Engineering, Unfiltered covers how to pass the windshield test and the rest of the SE interview loop. In this chapter: Why likability and coachability beat a perfect resume The technical screen as a Kobayashi Maru, and what interviewers watch for when you hit a question you don’t know Two candidates: one froze, regrouped and went on to win President’s Club year after year; the other made up terms about packet flow How to research a company like your commission depends on it The typical SE interview flow, from recruiter call to offer The answer that works when you’re stumped, and the catch that comes with it Next week: Chapter 4, The Unseen Hours.   A free audiobook, one chapter a week, on Season 3 of The PEBCAK Podcast. 📘 Get the paperback, hardcover or Kindle edition: https://www.amazon.com/Sales-Engineering-Unfiltered-What-Someone/dp/B0HLWSJ448 ⭐ If it helps you, an Amazon review helps us more than you’d think. 🎙️ More from the PEBCAK Podcast: chrislouie.net

  7. Oct 19

    Episode 276 - Defrost and Destroy, Bugged Boardrooms, Flying Cars Before GTA 6

    Welcome to this week's episode of the PEBCAK Podcast!  We’ve got three amazing stories this week so sit back, relax, and keep being awesome!  Be sure to stick around for our Dad Joke of the Week. (DJOW) Follow us on Instagram @pebcakpodcast   Please share this podcast with someone you know!  It helps us grow the podcast and we really appreciate it!   Support the hosts by buying a copy of our book: https://www.amazon.com/Sales-Engineering-Unfiltered-What-Someone/dp/B0HLWSJ448   Freezers Into Ovens: Supermarket Sabotage, a Spy Bug at OpenAI & Tesla's Flying Roadster Hackers hijacked Danfoss refrigeration controllers at hundreds of French supermarkets, running defrost at 50°C (122°F) and spoiling food worth tens of millions of euros. - https://thehackernews.com/2026/10/attackers-heat-french-supermarket.html - https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/france-fridge-hack-smart-devices-food-system-9.7379613 - https://claroty.com/team82/research/freeze-the-controller-defrost-the-food-uncovering-vulnerabilities-in-danfoss-refrigeration-controllers   A cyber incident at Ahold Delhaize knocked Albert Heijn's apps, deliveries, and distribution centers offline, leaving Dutch shelves short on fresh food. - https://nltimes.nl/2026/10/14/albert-heijn-recovery-underway-cyberattack-damage-likely-tops-eu10-million - https://www.dutchnews.nl/2026/10/albert-heijn-begins-restocking-as-hack-traced-to-foreign-servers/    An OpenAI engineer was arrested for allegedly hiding a toilet-paper-wrapped recording device behind the TV in an executive conference room. - https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/pr/saudi-national-arrested-installing-surreptitious-audio-recording-device-openai-san - https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/artificial-intelligence/openai-engineer-arrested-for-allegedly-planting-spy-device-in-office/   Tesla finally unveiled the Roadster, complete with SpaceX cold-gas thrusters that let it hop over other Teslas, with production promised for 2028. - https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/15/tesla-reveals-spacex-powered-roadster-that-flies-and-falls-with-style/   Dad Joke of the Week (DJOW)   Find the hosts on LinkedIn: Chris - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chlouie/ Brian - https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandeitch-sase/ Glenn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/glennmedina/ Ben - https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamincorll/

  8. Oct 17

    Sales Engineering, Unfiltered Chapter 2: Twenty Percent Demos

    A compliance-heavy customer, a quarter-end deadline, and a stock answer from the knowledge base that wasn’t going to cut it. Chris spun up a proof of concept on his own credit card and walked the customer through it live. Six months later, that account expanded into the largest commercial deal in company history.   Chapter 2 of Sales Engineering, Unfiltered covers what a Sales Engineer actually does, and why the demo is only about twenty percent of it: Why the job title has two words, and what happens when an SE is missing either half Being “coin operated”: the three questions to ask before you commit time to any request Why “I don’t know, but I’ll find out” builds more trust than bluffing   Every chapter ends with an action plan you can start this week. New chapters drop every week. Find the full audiobook under Season 3 of this feed. Next week: Chapter 3, The Windshield Test. 📘 Get the book (paperback and Kindle): https://www.amazon.com/Sales-Engineering-Unfiltered-What-Someone/dp/B0HLWSJ448 ⭐ If it helps you, an Amazon review helps us more than you’d think. 🎙️ More from the PEBCAK Podcast: chrislouie.net

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Weekly Information Security News. Stay up to date on what’s going on in the InfoSec world in about 40 minutes. Join us for InfoSec news and stay for some friendly banter, guest interviews, gadget reviews, tech interview tips, and hilarious dad jokes! New episodes every Monday.

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