Podcast Episode 9: The Jon Brown Interview and Vulnerabilities, The Dark Web, Scams, Oh My!

We cover quite a few news stories this week, including two plugins requiring immediate updating due to disclosed vulnerabilities, what we can expect from WordPress version 5.2 and a dark web marketplace that appears to have exit scammed users. We follow up on Google Sensorvault, a great interview with Richard Stallman about Facebook and JetBlue’s use of facial recognition technology. We take a look at GoDaddy’s removal of 15,000 spam subdomains, the Docker breach and Slack’s upcoming IPO and their dire warning to investors.

This week, I chat with Jon Brown, CEO of 9seeds, a digital agency. We chatted at Chris and Katie Bayer’s Black Mountain Coffee Roastery in Idyllwild, California. Jon and I talk about running an agency, remote work, being a digital nomad and of course, WordPress. We had a great conversation, and I think you’ll enjoy it.

Here are approximate timestamps in case you want to jump around:
1:15 WordPress plugin WooCommerce Checkout Manager vulnerabilities
3:40 Buddy Press vulnerabilities disclosed
4:42 WordPress 5.2 expected release
9:27 Dark web marketplace exit scammed
12:20 Congress asking questions about Google Sensorvault
14:39 Richard Stallman on Facebook
21:10 JetBlue facial recognition
26:17 GoDaddy spammy subdomain
29:25 IoT devices with P2P component flaws vulnerable
32:12 Docker breach
37:33 The Slack pre-IPO SEC disclosure
41:39 The Jon Brown Interview

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This week in the news we cover:

• Vulnerabilities found and patched in the WooCommerce Checkout Manager plugin that provides customization of fields on checkout pages.
• BuddyPress release version 4.3.0 contains a number of security patches.
• WordPress version 5.2 will contain a number of improvements to Gutenberg, Site Health dashboard, and accessibility for wp-admin dashboard. A new fatal error recovery mode will create fewer problems for site owners if a plugin or theme update if there is a problem.
• The dark web marketplace Wall Street Market (WSM) has exit scammed with over $14.2M in user funds.
• Congress is asking for details about the Google Sensorvault program we previously discussed on the podcast.
• Richard Stallman, founder of the Free Software Foundation and author of the GPL, was interviewed about Facebook the surveillance monster feeding on our personal data.
• JetBlue is leveraging use of facial recognition software and a Homeland Security database which is concerning to those who were unaware of its use.
• GoDaddy has taken down over 15,000 subdomains that have been used for online scams after a Palo Alto Network two-year research project.
• Over two million IoT devices are vulnerable because of P2P component flaws.
• Hackers have breached Docker Hub, a programming tool used by developers, compromising keys and tokens for over 190,000 accounts.
• In preparation for their IPO, Slack warns investors that they’re a target for nation-state hacking as well as other hackers.

You can find me on Twitter as @mmaunder and Kathy as @kathyzant, and Jon Brown at @jb510 or at 9seeds.com. Please don’t hesitate to post your feedback in the comments below.