Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons

Just attended a barn-burner #Privacy talk from @naomibrockwell.bsky.social at DEF CON... VERY inspiring talk about how the hacker community can fight back against surveillance and help people understand that privacy is not just a me thing, it's a we thing.

Quick notes about today's FINAL book signing...

1) CASH ONLY (OK maybe Monero)
2) Raffle for indie badge still going!
2) I have a firm 4pm stop time, maybe even a little before. DON'T BE LATE!
3) I REALLY don't want to ship any books back... Spread the word!!

🚨 SECOND BOOK SIGNING!! 🚨

I still have some books to sell and they had a slot open... so let's do this one more time - with feeling!

📖✍️
BOOK SIGNING, Take Two:
Saturday @ 3pm
Vendor area, Table 2
🐉🔥🏰

Okay folks... the book signing is officially over. I still have some copies left and I *really* don't want to have to ship them home. If you missed the book signing and still want one, DM me somehow and we'll figure it out. I'm here through Sunday night.

I'm getting a little unofficial overtime... but hurry if you still want a copy...

This is where you'll find me at noon...

🚨🚨 #DEFCON attendees - TODAY IS THE DAY! 🚨🚨

Come buy a signed copy of my book and register to win a rare and kick-butt indie badge, the #AmuletOfEntropy! It's mere hours away!

📖✍️ - TODAY @ NOON, Vendor space - 🔥🔥🔥

$40, cash only
#badgelife

🚨🚨 BOOK SIGNING + GIVEAWAY 🚨🚨

I'm signing copies of my book tomorrow @ DEF CON! If you buy a book, you can enter to win one of only FOUR remaining HackerBoxes.com #80 badge kits on the planet, the #AmuletOfEntropy!!

(Note: cash only!) #badgelife

📖✍️
FRIDAY @ NOON (Vendor area, table 2)
🐉 🔥🏰

And in case it's not obvious... I would love to interview any OG hackers. DM me!

Amulet of Entropy

More info on the indie badge - a fantastic collaboration with @hackerboxes.bsky.social !

amuletofentropy.com

This is the one, folks ... please share this one far and wide, particularly with folks you know will be at DEF CON this week. I really do NOT want to have to ship any of these books back home. :-)

books, signs, hacker box, stickers

🚨🚨 I'm doing a BOOK SIGNING at @defcon.bsky.social! If you buy a signed book, you can enter to win one of only FOUR remaining @hackerboxes.bsky.social #80 badge kits on earth, the #AmuletOfEntropy!! (Please note: cash only!) #badgelife

📖✍️
FRIDAY @ NOON (Vendor area, table 2)
🐉 🔥🏰

So relieved to actually SEE and FEEL the books I ordered for Friday's book signing at @defcon ... See my other recent posts for full info, but you can buy a signed copy in the Vendor area Fri @ noon. AAAAND I'm giving away a very rare and super cool indie badge... #badgelife

Tariffs vs IP Law - Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons Podcast Cory Doctorow has garnered a lot of needed attention to the decline of modern online platforms, including Google Search, Facebook and Twitter. Much of...

Today, Cory Doctorow will explain how countries could be leveraging IP laws to respond to trade tariffs. We'll also discuss the state of #Enshittification and how #AI is threatening the power of tech workers.

@pluralistic.net.web.brid.gy

podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2025/08/04/t...

I made it! I'm here! I even managed to get to @joshcorman.bsky.social 's keynote for @iamthecavalry.org . Important stuff...

Hacker History - Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons I'm on a mission to capture the hacker history and ethos in my podcasts, helping my audience understand that hacker isn't a bad word. Here are some top shows.

As I get ready to fly out to @defcon.bsky.social and @bsideslv.org I decided to create a single blog post with links to some of my top #infosecurity / #hacker podcast interviews. Enjoy! (and share!!)

firewallsdontstopdragons.com/hacker-histo...

Amulet of Entropy

🔥🔥 Okay folks...

I've decided I'm going to give away one of my killer Amulet of Entropy indie badge kits at my DEF CON book signing (Friday @ noon). There are only THREE of these kits left on the planet!!

amuletofentropy.com
@hackerboxes.bsky.social

The boxes of books have arrived at my hotel. I'm making up some placards for the signing booth. I'll have stickers to give away, too.

COME GET A SIGNED BOOK!!

📖✍️ Friday at 12pm at Vendor table 2

Spread the word!!!

Podcast - Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons I have a weekly podcast called Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons. The show is a mix of cybersecurity news and interviews of prominent people in the industry. But like the book, the shows are targeted squar...

On Monday I'll be chatting with none other than Cory Doctorow, making him my most-interviewed guest of all time (6 times)! We'll talk about DRM and tariffs and (of course) #enshittification.

@pluralistic.net.web.brid.gy

Subscribe here:
firewallsdontstopdragons.com/podcast/

How to Backup Cloud Data - Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons Much of our personal data is now primarily stored in the cloud. We should maintain a local backup of the important, irreplaceable data.

Another one bites the dust. #Dropbox is shutting down its Passwords app.

Just a reminder to back up your important cloud data on a regular basis (and to choose services that allow you to do so). Services come and go all the time.

firewallsdontstopdragons.com/how-to-backu...

Trump administration is launching a new private health tracking system with Big Tech's help The initiative will focus on diabetes and weight management, conversational artificial intelligence that helps patients, and digital tools such as QR codes and apps that register patients for check-in...

HARD no.

apnews.com/article/trum...

iOS 18.6 Includes Over 20 Security Fixes The iOS 18.6, iPadOS 18.6, and macOS Sequoia 15.6 updates that Apple released today address dozens of vulnerabilities, according to Apple's...

Time to update your Apple devices.

www.macrumors.com/2025/07/29/i...

Humble Tech Book Bundle: Security by Apress Identify a phishing attack or security breach with our latest Humble Tech Book Bundle—protect your systems with the best in cybersecurity.

My book is once again a part of a Humble Bundle! I love these deals and have soooo many books that I still need to read... But for almost half the list price of my book alone, you can get my book and 24 more!!

www.humblebundle.com/books/securi...

One week to BSides & DEF CON! Got my book signing all set up!

🚨🚨 Friday @ 12pm (Vendor table 2) 🚨🚨

Books were delivered to the hotel today. I've done 5 editions of this book, but this is the first time I've ever done a book signing - I'm pumped! Hope to see you there...

Physical Phone Security - Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons Podcast We take our phones with us everywhere. And they contain, or have cloud access to, pretty much all of our personal information and online...

Today we'll talk about how to deter phone theft. Also: UK VPN use spikes; Tea app exposed user data; Amazon buys Bee AI; power meter spying; Gemini to access 3rd party apps; UK backs down on Apple back door; new private, open AI chatbots, more!

podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2025/07/28/p...

The most important standard in development today Update on 29 January 2025: P7012 draft is now nicknamed MyTerms (much as 802.11 is nicknamed Wi-Fi) moving toward completing the IEEE process and should be a working standard . In the meantime, the…

I've said this myself: the wrong people are writing the privacy policies. And the policy elements should be standardized to avoid euphemistic loopholes.

Sadly, I don't see this happening without regulations. But I love the idea.

doc.searls.com/2022/10/11/p...

I have the official date & time for my book signing at @defcon.bsky.social! Find and bookmark it on HackerTracker!

Fri @ 12pm (Vendors area, Table 2)

fdsd.me/book

His talk influenced the podcast, but we covered more topics and took it to a bit of a 'meta level', too.

It was a LOT of fun having you on the show! We'll definitely have to do this again...