Is Voice Phishing the Next Big Cyber Threat?
This week, The Awareness Angle hits its 30th episode milestone—and we’re marking it with a deep dive into the latest in cybersecurity, awareness, and digital risk:
🎉 30 Episodes In – A huge thank you to our growing community! We reflect on how far we’ve come and why your feedback keeps this show thriving.
💥 £300M Cyber Hit for M&S – We unpack the staggering cost of the retailer’s recent breach—and what it signals for cyber resilience in retail.
🧠 The Rise of Social Engineering – Forget firewalls—humans are the target. We explore how attackers are using trust, urgency, and voice phishing to break in.
📍 O2’s Location Leak – A major privacy flaw exposed users' whereabouts. The fix is in, but the questions around data handling remain.
🧩 One Parking App to Rule Them All? – The UK government plans a single solution for public parking. We discuss the potential risks (and benefits) of centralised services.
🧯 Fake Chrome Extensions – These silent threats steal data and spread malware. We look at what users can do to protect themselves.
📚 Billions of Discord Messages Scraped – Researchers hoovered up massive amounts of user content. We examine the ethics and implications of academic surveillance.
🖥️ Legacy Tech Still Lurking – From NHS infrastructure to XP-powered systems, outdated tech continues to expose critical services to modern threats.
🗣️ Deepfakes & Voice Scams – AI is enabling more convincing fraud. We break down how realism is raising the stakes for impersonation attacks.
💡 Why Awareness Still Matters – From the classroom to the boardroom, education remains the best defence. We highlight how organisations can move from reactive to resilient.
Thanks for joining us—whether you’re here for episode one or thirty. Let’s keep learning, sharing, and staying one step ahead together.
Timestamps
00:00 – Intro and episode milestone
03:20 – Interview plug: Amy Stokes-Waters on Cyber Escape Rooms
04:08 – European Cybersecurity Blogger Awards (vote now!)
05:32 – Monday newsletter reminder
Main Stories
06:13 – M&S cyber attack update: £300m cost and third-party access
10:02 – Tesco & Sainsbury’s supplier ransomware incident
12:59 – 3AM ransomware: fake IT calls and email bombing
15:37 – HSBC CEO: “Cyber threats keep me up at night”
18:19 – O2 bug leaking mobile user location (now patched)
22:18 – UK govt to unify parking apps, reduce QR code risk
24:37 – 100+ fake Chrome extensions stealing data
29:30 – Researchers publish 2 billion Discord messages
Awareness & Community
32:30 – Future of Cybersecurity event (June 12)
34:27 – SANS 2025 Security Awareness Survey
Comments & Community Reactions
36:36 – TikTok/Instagram virality, OneDrive sync backlash, NHS tech
39:43 – Spam call surge after M&S breach – or Baader-Meinhof effect?
Bonus Deep Dives
41:54 – Ancient Windows still running in 2025 (BBC Future article)
47:10 – Live demo of Vishr.ai – AI-powered vishing simulator
52:15 – Deepfake investment scam featuring fake Anthony Bolton
57:04 – Google Veo AI video generation with audio
01:04:18 – Notebook LM: Generate podcast-style conversations from transcripts
💬 Check Out This Episode's Discussion Points
📧 [email protected]
🔗 riskycreative.com
🎵 Our Intro & Outro Song (© 16! by falling forever)
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The Awareness Angle: Cyber News Weekly
The Awareness Angle makes cybersecurity make sense. Hosted by Anthony and Luke, we break down the biggest cyber stories of the week. From phishing scams and AI fraud to major data breaches and the sneaky ways people get hacked, we explain what’s going on and why it matters.
But this isn’t just another tech podcast. We focus on the human side of cybersecurity. How scams actually work, why people fall for them, and what we can all do to stay safer online.
You’ll get practical tips, real-world examples, and relatable stories that show how cyber threats affect everyday people, not just big busin
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