About this episode
A bizarre case of political impersonation, where Trump’s top aide Susie Wiles is cloned (digitally, not biologically — we think), and high-ranking Republicans start getting invitations to link up with "her" on Telegram to share their Trump pardon wishlists. Was it a deepfake? Or just someone with a halfway decent impression and access to a shady data broker?Meanwhile, we take a worryingly familiar journey into the mental health crisis in the UK — and how TikTok is stepping in with advice like “eat an orange in the shower” to cure your anxiety. Spoiler: it won’t. But it might make your bathroom smell nice.Plus: a nostalgic tech support tale involving a CRT monitor, a wooden door, and an unexpected shade of brown.All this and more is discussed in the latest edition of the "Smashing Security" podcast by cybersecurity veterans Graham Cluley and Carole Theriault.Warning: This podcast may contain nuts, adult themes, and rude language.Episode links:Federal Authorities Probe Effort to Impersonate White House Chief of Staff - Wall Street Journal.FBI probes effort to impersonate White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, sources say - CBS News.The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans - The Atlantic.The Trump campaign is still being hacked - Popular Information.The Big Mental Health Report - Mind.Mental Health Pressures - British Medical Association. More than half of top 100 mental health TikToks contain misinformation, study finds - The Guardian.‘They thought they were doing good but it made people worse’: why mental health apps are under scrutiny - The Guardian.
