Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? A company in Hong Kong suffers a sophisticated deepfake duping, be one your guard from pig butchers as Valentine's Day approaches, and spare a moment to feel sorry for poor ransomware gangs.

All this and much much more is discussed in the latest edition of the "Smashing Security" podcast by cybersecurity veterans Graham Cluley and Carole Theriault, joined this week by Lianne Potter from the "Compromising Positions" podcast.

Warning: This podcast may contain nuts, adult themes, and rude language.

Episode links:

• ‘Everyone looked real’: multinational firm’s Hong Kong office loses HK$200 million after scammers stage deepfake video meeting - South China Morning Post.
• Countdown’s Rachel Riley is deepfaked by HSBC - Vimeo.
• Scameter - Cyber Defender HK.
• Warning as scammers fake police Scameter app - The Standard.
• Ransomware payment rates drop to new low – now 'only 29% of victims' fork over cash - The Register.
• New Ransomware Reporting Requirements Kick in as Victims Increasingly Avoid Paying - Coveware.
• Romance scam reports rose by a fifth in 2023, says Lloyds Bank - The Independent. 
• What is a ‘pig-butchering’ scam – and why is it on the rise? - BBC. 
• Pig butchering mining scams: What they are and how to stop them - SC Media.
• No love for romance scammers in 2024 - Consumer Advice.
• Romance scammer reveals how he tricks women after failing to fool Go Public reporter - CBC.
• Sudoku Exchange.
• Learn Improv at Laugh at Leeds.
• Mr Mercedes - Disney+.
• Smashing Security merchandise (t-shirts, mugs, stickers and stuff)

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THANKS:

Theme tune: "Vinyl Memories" by Mikael Manvelyan.

Assorted sound effects: AudioBlocks.