The Host Unknown Podcast

Hosted by Host Unknown, Javvad Malik, Andrew Agnes, Thom Langford

Technology Entrepreneurship ComedyExplicit

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Episodes

230

Latest episode

Mar 2026

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About the show

Host Unknown is the unholy alliance of the old, the new and the rockstars of the infosec industry in an internet-based show that tries to care about issues in our industry. It regularly fails. With presenters that have an inflated opinion of their own worth and a production team with a pathological dislike of them (or “meat puppets” as it often refers to them), it is with a combination of luck and utter lack of good judgement that a show is ever produced and released. Host Unknown is available for sponsorship, conferences, other web shows or indeed anything that pays a little bit of money to keep the debt collectors away. You can contact them at contact@hostunknown.tv for details

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60 recent

March 4, 202640 min

233: Doorbell surveillance, Audits, and Office Space

19th February 1999: The movie "Office Space" was released. With a budget of $10 million, it grossed a measly $13 million worldwide, but became a cult classic with its homage to Superman III's salami slicing and Jennifer Aniston's rant against 37 pieces of flair. Now where's my stapler? It's a masterclass in a fraud , a segregation of duties failure, or a monitoring gap — but back in 1999, it was just a comedy plot. Leaked Email Suggests Ring Plans to Expand ‘Search Party’ Surveillance Beyond Dogs Ring’s controversial, AI-powered “Search Party” feature isn’t intended to always be limited only to dogs, the company’s founder, Jamie Siminoff, told Ring employees in an internal email obtained by 404 Media Just found out we’re being audited by our cyber insurance provider Industry news Tweet of the weekhttps://x.com/whoaish/status/2024344477465456936 Come on! Like and bloody well subscribe!

February 17, 202642 min

232: Back with the glass smash

This week in Infosec reminds us of the real reason we click on linksRant of the week is going to put a lot of Parisien street artists out of workBilly Big Balls proves that on the internet nobody knows you are a dogIndustry News brings us the latest and greatest security news stories from around the worldAndTweet of the Week makes Thom wonder when Fat Thursdays are coming to the UK Come on! Like and bloody well subscribe!

January 15, 202643 min

Episode 231: A teeny weeny bit late on this one

Same format. Banter, lame jokes, inside jokes, lame inside jokes. This week in infosec A weak rant.A billy big balls Industry newsSome tweet of the week.And closing thoughts Come on! Like and bloody well subscribe!

November 18, 202538 min

Episode 230: A number we all agree upon

5th November 1993: Bugtraq was created by Scott Chasin as a full disclosure vulnerability reporting mailing list at the dawn of the World Wide Web. Bugtraq had an enormous influence on how orgs responded to vuln disclosure and paved the way for a shift which led to bug bounty programs.https://x.com/todayininfosec/status/1986164925039841770 24th October 2002: The worm-like Friendgreet propagated by emailing all Outlook contacts from each computer where it was installed. But THERE WAS A TWIST!The software presented a EULA stating it would do that!They gave fair warning, right!?(EULA = End User License Agreement)https://x.com/todayininfosec/status/1981885412374114601 CyberSlop — meet the new threat actor, MIT and Safe SecurityCybersecurity vendors peddling nonsense isn’t new, but lately we have a new dimension — Generative AI. This has allowed vendors — and educators — to peddle cyberslop for profit.Earlier this year, MIT released a working paper and made a webpage around 80% of ransomware attacks using Generative AILaw passed for scammers, mules to be caned after victims in Singapore lose almost $4b since 2020SINGAPORE – Scammers will get at least six strokes of the cane, with the punishment going up to 24 strokes depending on the severity of the offence.Those to be caned will include syndicate members and recruiters, and those who help them, such as money mules who provide their bank accounts, SIM cards or Singpass credentials.These mules will face discretionary caning of up to 12 strokes.Tweet of the week: https://x.com/phl43/status/1985841184141689196 Come on! Like and bloody well subscribe!

October 6, 202545 min

Episode 229: The Rapture One

This week in InfoSec is a Mitnick/Android double acthttps://www.computerhistory.org/tdih/september/27/#hacker-mitnick-indicted-on-chargeshttps://thisdayintechhistory.com/09/23/the-first-android-introduced/ Rant of the Week is the future of the UK, the future I tell you…New digital ID will be mandatory for workers in the UKBilly Big Balls gives the best reason ever to go full speed ahead with AISilicon Valley’s latest argument against regulating AI: that would literally be the Antichrist Industry News is the latest and greatest security news stories from around the worldTweet of the Week is valuable fitness advice from infosechttps://bsky.app/profile/secure-ics-ot.bsky.social/post/3lzpgdl7dts2u Come on! Like and bloody well subscribe!

October 1, 202538 min

Episode 228: Legal and MFA delays

18th September 2014: Home Depot disclosed that its data breach was estimated to impact 56 million unique payment cards.Home Depot disclosed that its data breach was estimated to impact 56 million unique payment cards.https://x.com/todayininfosec/status/196887046940830928518th September 2001: The Nimda worm was released. Utilizing 5 different infection vectors, it became the most widespread virus/worm ever after only 22 minutes.Why "Nimda"?$ echo "admin" | revnimdahttps://x.com/todayininfosec/status/1968721441836134825 Rant of the week Google stuffs Chrome full of AI features whether you like it or not Billy big balls Former Facebook policy lead Niamh Sweeney appointed DPC commissioner Tweet of the week https://bsky.app/profile/jwgoerlich.bsky.social/post/3lz4qt5a64k2p Come on! Like and bloody well subscribe!

September 1, 202554 min

Episode 227: The Coup

The notes go here. I really can't go and look for them right now. This week in InfoSec is a sticky pickleRant of the Week will have you guessing at who it could possibly be, again…Billy Big Balls is why british men need to take their passport to the bathroom these daysIndustry News is the latest and greatest security news stories from around the worldAndTweet of the Week is well... Thom got it wrong. Come on! Like and bloody well subscribe!

July 18, 202543 min

Episode 226: The Prime Episode

8th July 2008: Several DNS vendors released patches to mitigate an attack method discovered by Dan Kaminsky which could be used to cause DNS cache poisoning. Kaminsky had discovered the vulnerability 6 months prior and reported it to vendors privately so they could address it. RIP, Dan.https://x.com/todayininfosec/status/194269569127019321110th July 1999: Cult of the Dead Cow (cDc) member DilDog debuted the program Back Orifice 2000 (BO2k) at DEF CON 7. It was the successor to Back Orifice, released by cDc a year prior. DilDog proclaimed it "a remote administration tool for corporate America". https://x.com/todayininfosec/status/1943440335608385876Outsourced Trust: How Coinbase's $400M Problem Started in an Indian Call CenterThe GPS Leak No One Talked About: Uffizio’s Silent ExposureHundreds of Malicious Domains Registered Ahead of Prime DayM&S Chair Details Ransomware Attack, Declines to Confirm if Payment Was MadeChinese State-Sponsored Hacker Charged Over COVID-19 Research TheftQantas Confirms 5.7 Million Customers Hit by Data BreachTribunal Ruling Brings ICO’s £12.7m TikTok Fine CloserFour Arrested in Connection with April UK Retail AttacksTikTok's Handling of EU User Data in China Comes Under Scrutiny AgainLLMs Fall Short in Vulnerability Discovery and ExploitationMPs Warn of “Significant” Iranian Cyber-Threat to UK https://x.com/krezae/status/1943463109173338558 Come on! Like and bloody well subscribe!

July 10, 202547 min

Episode 225: The finding a job episode

27th June 2007: Live Free or Die Hard was released. Cop John McClane partners with hacker Matt Farrell to stop cyberterrorists trying to take down the US's infrastructure. Traceroute (1337!) is used to find the ringleader's location, then McClane kills him by shooting HIS OWN shoulder.https://x.com/todayininfosec/status/1938731279937057144 1st July 2003: California's data breach notification law went into effect. California became the first US state to require disclosure of breaches of personal information.https://x.com/todayininfosec/status/1940220561080332760 Meta calls €200M EU fine over pay-or-consent ad model 'unlawful' Meet Soham Parekh, the engineer burning through tech by working at three to four startups simultaneously https://x.com/nickvangilder/status/1940110830085054891 Come on! Like and bloody well subscribe!

June 30, 202547 min

Episode 224: Where we argue about Cyber Essentials

17th June 1995: Spyglass goes publicWorld Wide Web software producer Spyglass Inc. went public, the year after it had begun distributing its Spyglass Mosaic software, an early browser for navigating the Web. With previous year's earnings at $7 million, Spyglass was founded by students at the Illinois Supercomputing Center, which also inspired Netscape Communications Corp.https://www.computerhistory.org/tdih/june/27/#spyglass-goes-public 26th June 1989: Robert Tappan Morris (who released the Morris worm in 1988) became the first person to be indicted under the US's Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), enacted by Congress 3 years earlier. He was later sentenced to three years of probation and fined $10,050https://x.com/todayininfosec/status/1938292354965770278Visiting students can't hide social media accounts from Uncle Sam anymore Meta’s AI training on copyrighted content is ‘fair use’, US judge sayshttps://x.com/filip_dragovic/status/1937932750415086010 Come on! Like and bloody well subscribe!