Your VPN Extension Might Be Watching You Right Now

Description

This week on The Awareness Angle, Anthony Davis and Luke Pettigrew unpack the latest mix of cyber weirdness, policy drama, and awareness lessons—from fake law firm emails dropping malware to pro-Russian hackers playing with dam floodgates. It’s a week of scams, slips, and security culture stories you’ll want to hear.

🇬🇧 Age Verification Laws – UK and Texas push mandatory ID scans for adult sites. We break down the privacy pitfalls, weak safeguards, and why VPNs only complicate things.

🍏 Apple vs. UK Backdoors – Reports say the UK quietly dropped its iMessage backdoor push. We look at privacy pressure, government demands, and why the crypto wars never end.

📩 “Noodle-o-file” Infostealer – Malware dressed up as copyright takedown notices. Fake law firms, DLL sideloading, and another reason not to trust scary attachments.

💳 15.8M PayPal Credentials? – A threat actor claims to be selling plaintext logins. Likely infostealer loot, not PayPal itself—but a sharp reminder for MFA and unique passwords.

📊 Workday Breach – Social engineering exposed employee data. We unpack the follow-on risks when attackers weaponise stolen contact lists.

📱 iOS & Android Messaging Security – Could iOS 26 finally encrypt RCS end-to-end? We look at global habits—and why iMessage, WhatsApp, and SMS all carry different risks.

💧 Norway Dam Hack – Pro-Russian attackers briefly hijacked hydropower floodgates. A stark warning on hybrid cyber campaigns hitting critical infrastructure.

🛑 Malicious VPN Extension – “Free VPN.1” hit 100k+ Chrome installs while screenshotting users. How does malware this blatant slip past Chrome’s checks?

🌐 Google Chrome Zero-Day – Google’s AI tool “Big Sleep” spotted a critical V8 flaw. Emergency patches are out for Chrome and Edge—update now.

📒 SANS 2025 Awareness Report – From 1,000+ pros: small teams, social engineering still top risk, AI as an assistant (not replacement), and a rebrand to “Workforce Security & Risk Training.”

⚽ NowTV’s Anti-Piracy Ad – Lag, pop-ups, and missed goals used to mock illegal streams. We explore how entertainment risks mirror security awareness.

If you want the week’s biggest cyber stories distilled into actionable insights—with a side of human behaviour and tech nostalgia—this episode has it all.

🕒 Timestamps

00:00:00 — Episode Introduction

00:03:48 — Porn Censorship: Internet Impact

00:07:36 — UK Government Demands Apple Backdoor

00:11:24 — Noodle-o-file: Emerging InfoStealer Threat

00:20:47 — PayPal Credential Dump: Security Risks

00:24:07 — Workday Breach: Social Engineering Tactics

00:26:33 — Potential Messaging Security Upgrades

00:30:41 — The Evolution of Communication Tools

00:32:08 — Cyber Threats to Critical Infrastructure

00:34:30 — VPN Risks and Privacy Concerns

00:39:30 — Google AI’s Role in Cybersecurity