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{{Short description|Technology podcast}}

[[Image:securitynow_logo.gif|right]]

{{Multiple issues|

'''Security Now!''' is a weekly [[podcast]] (Internet radio show) hosted by [[Leo Laporte]] of [[This Week in Tech|TWiT]] (This Week in Tech) and [[Steve Gibson]] of [[Gibson Research Corporation|GRC]] (Gibson Research Corporation).

{{Notability|Web|date=October 2021}}

{{Self-published|date=October 2021}}

}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2013}}

{{Infobox Podcast

|title = Security Now!

|image = Security Now cover art.jpg

|host = [[Steve Gibson (computer programmer)|Steve Gibson]]<br>[[Leo Laporte]]

|url = {{url|https://twit.tv/shows/security-now}}

|status = Weekly

|audio format = [[MP3]]

|began = {{start date and age|2005|08|19}}

|ended =

|genre = [[Computer Security]]

|language = English

|ratings =

|license = CC-BY-NC-SA<ref name="twit.tv archived 2015-04-09 2am">{{cite web|url=http://twit.tv/ |title=TWiT |access-date=8 April 2015 |quote=These netcasts are released under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share-Alike license. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150409013843/http://twit.tv/ |archive-date=April 9, 2015 }}</ref><small> (before 2015-04-09)</small><br/>CC-BY-NC-ND<ref name="twit.tv archived 2015-04-09 11pm">{{cite web|url=http://twit.tv/ |title=TWiT |access-date=9 April 2015 |quote=All TWiT streams and on-demand shows are released under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No-Derivatives 4.0 International license. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150409220017/http://twit.tv/ |archive-date=April 9, 2015 }}</ref>

}}

'''''Security Now!''''' is a weekly [[podcast]] hosted by [[Steve Gibson (computer programmer)|Steve Gibson]] and [[Leo Laporte]]. It was the second show to premiere on the [[TWiT.tv|TWiT Network]], launching in summer 2005. The first episode, “As the Worm Turns”, was released on August 19, 2005.<ref>{{cite web|title=Security Now! Episode Archive 2005 |url=https://www.grc.com/sn/past/2005.htm|date=August 19, 2005|access-date=September 13, 2013}}</ref>

The podcast lasts between 20 and 60 [[minute]]s and consists of a discussion between Gibson and Laporte of important issues of personal [[computer security]]. Issues include recent security news, [[Firewall (networking)|firewalls]], [[password]] security, [[spyware]], [[rootkit]]s, [[WiFi]] and [[VPN]]s (Virtual Private Networks).

''Security Now!'' consists of a discussion between Gibson and Laporte on issues of [[computer security]] and, conversely, [[computer insecurity|insecurity]]. Covered topics have included security [[security vulnerability|vulnerabilities]], [[Firewall (computing)|firewall]]s, [[password]] security, [[spyware]], [[rootkit]]s, [[Wi-Fi]], [[virtual private network]]s, and [[virtual machine]]s.

Available via the [http://leo.am/podcasts/sn podcast feed] or on the web site of [http://grc.com/SecurityNow.htm Security Now!], in high quality 64kbps MP3 and in lower quality 16kbps MP3 for dialup. The web page includes supplementary notes and transcripts, in simple text format and printable [[PDF]] (Adobe Acrobat). There is also a [http://frappr.com/securitynow Frappr! map] available for people to put their pin in.

==Podcast feed==

This podcast is one of many new tech podcasts that include past and present [[TechTV]] employees. Other TechTV-offspring podcasts include [[this WEEK in TECH]], [[From the Shadows]], [[Diggnation]] and [[Systm]].

''Security Now!'' is distributed via its main podcast [[RSS (file format)|RSS feed]] and on the GRC ''Security Now!'' page. In addition to audio, text transcriptions are published, along with Gibson distributing a low-bandwidth 16&nbsp;kbit/s version of the show on his own for those with low-bandwidth sources such as satellite internet or dial-up.

The podcast runs for approximately two hours, typically starting with security news. Then Gibson reads a testimonial for his software [[SpinRite]]. The remainder of the show is spent on a particular theme. During the show some advertisements for 3rd party commercial products or services are read out, by co-host Leo Laporte.

== Episodes Popularity==

In August 2007, ''Security Now!'' won in the People's Choice [[Podcast Awards]] Technology/Science category.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.podcastingnews.com/2007/08/16/peoples-choice-podcast-award-winners-announced/ |title = People's Choice Podcast Award Winners Announced|date = August 17, 2007}}</ref> In August 2006, ''Security Now!'' ranked fourth in the "Top 40" of all podcasts listened to via the [[Juice (aggregator)|PodNova]] service.<ref>{{cite web

This show currently (as of 1/19/2006) has 23 full-length episodes, and a special (short) edition concerning the [[Windows Metafile vulnerability]].

| url = http://www.podnova.com/index_top40.srf

These episodes are:

| title = PodNova Top 40

| access-date = 2007-01-12

|date=August 2006

| publisher = [[PodNova]]

| quote = 4. Security Now!

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070326195908/http://www.podnova.com/index_top40.srf

|archive-date = 2007-03-26}}</ref> ''Security Now!'' averaged around 100,000 downloads per episode throughout 2006.<ref>{{cite web

| url = http://www.twit.tv/2006/07/19/june_numbers

| title = June Numbers

| access-date = 2007-01-12

| author = Leo Laporte

| author-link = Leo Laporte

| date = 2006-07-19

| work = Leo Laporte's blog

| publisher = TWiT.tv

| quote = Security Now: 103,034}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Pentex |url=https://pentexsec.com |access-date=22 May 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite web

|url = https://twit.tv/posts/inside-twit/october-numbers

|title = October Numbers

|access-date = 2007-01-12

|author = Leo Laporte

|author-link = Leo Laporte

|date = 2006-11-21

|work = Leo Laporte's blog

|publisher = TWiT.tv

|quote = Security Now 61: 99,751

|url-status = live

|archive-url = https://archive.today/20120913060819/http://www.twit.tv/2006/11/20/october_numbers

|archive-date = September 13, 2012

|df = mdy-all

}}</ref>

At the end of 2015, Security Now was number 4 on the Top 40 US Technology Podcasts, making it the highest weekly [[TWiT.tv]] podcast.<ref name=itunes>{{cite web|url=http://www.itunescharts.net/us/charts/podcasts/technology/|title=iTunes Charts Top 40|publisher=iTunecharts.net|access-date=18 December 2015}}</ref> In October 2021 it was #6 on Apple Podcasts — US tech news,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://chartable.com/charts/itunes/us-tech-news-podcasts-6e902e97-576f-429f-8322-372aad6c8de0|title = Apple Podcasts : United States of America : Tech News Podcast Charts - Top}}</ref> and #330 of global all podcasts.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://chartable.com/podcasts/security-now-mp3|title = Security Now (Audio) Podcast - Listen, Reviews, Charts}}</ref>

==Windows Metafile controversy==

1. As the Worm Turns — the first Internet worms of 2005

{{further|Windows Metafile vulnerability}}

In January 2006, Steve Gibson accused [[Microsoft]] of intentionally putting a [[Backdoor (computing)|backdoor]] into the [[Windows Metafile]] processing code in [[Windows 2000]] and [[Windows XP]]. Gibson claimed that while [[reverse engineering]] the Windows Metafile format, he could run [[arbitrary code]] by using a "nonsensical" value in the metafile, and concluded Microsoft had intentionally designed Windows this way so it could run code on Windows computers without the user's knowledge.<ref>{{cite episode |transcript=The Windows MetaFile Backdoor? |series=Security Now

|credits=Hosts: [[Leo Laporte]] and [[Steve Gibson (computer programmer)|Steve Gibson]]

|transcript-url=http://www.grc.com/sn/SN-022.htm

|number=22

|airdate=January 12, 2006

}}</ref> Microsoft's Stephen Toulouse responded in a Microsoft Security Response Center blog post the next day, saying the behavior was not intentional.<ref>{{cite web | last=Toulouse |first=Stephen | title=Looking at the WMF issue, how did it get there? | date=January 13, 2006 |url=http://blogs.technet.com/msrc/archive/2006/01/13/417431.aspx | work=Microsoft Security Response Center Blog | publisher=[[Microsoft]] | access-date=March 18, 2006 }}</ref>

==References==

2. " HoneyMonkeys "

{{Reflist}}

==External links==

3. NAT Routers as Firewalls

* [http://grc.com/SecurityNow ''Security Now!'' page at grc.com]

{{TWiT podcasts}}

4. Personal Password Policy

[[Category:Technology podcasts]]

5. Personal Password Policy — Part 2

[[Category:2005 podcast debuts]]

6. Mechanical & Electromagnetic Information Leakage

7. SPYaWAREness

8. Denial of Service (DoS) Attacks

9. Rootkits

10. Open Wireless Access Points

11. Bad WiFi Security (WEP and MAC address filtering)

12. Sony's "Rootkit Technology" DRM (copy protection gone bad)

13. Unbreakable WiFi Security

14. Virtual Private Networks (VPN): Theory

15. VPN Secure Tunneling Solutions

16. Listener feedback Q&A #1

17. PPTP and IPSec VPN Technology

18. "Hamachi" Rocks!

19. VPNs Three: Hamachi, iPig, and OpenVPN

20. A SERIOUS new Windows vulnerability — and Listener Q&A

* A special (short) edition Concerning the [[Windows Metafile vulnerability|WMF]] vulnerability.

21. The Windows MetaFile (WMF) Vulnerability

22. The Windows MetaFile Backdoor?

[[Image:Mice logo.gif|thumb|100px|left]]

23. Mouse Trap

24. Q&A

== Windows Metafile Vulnerability ==

In episode 22 of this podcast, Steve Gibson made a serious accusation[http://www.grc.com/sn/SN-022.htm] that [[Microsoft]] intentionally put a backdoor into the Metafile Processing code of [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] 2000 and XP. Steve claimed that while he was reverse engineering the files he could not get the vulnerability to run. To trigger it, he had to intentionally enter a 1 byte code sequence into the header of the file. Gibson claimed that this was a nonsensical value, and that Microsoft intentionally put such a trigger into the metafile interpreter.

{{see|Windows Metafile vulnerability|http://www.grc.com/sn/SN-022.htm Gibson's Podcast Transcript}}

== External links ==

=== GRC links ===

*[https://grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2 ShieldsUP!] - GRC's port scannerWMF vulnerability hotfix

*[http://grc.com/nat/nat.htm NAT Router Security Solutions] - NAT router technology descriptions

*[https://www.grc.com/pass Perfect Passwords] - GRC's Ultra High Security Password Generator

*[http://www.grc.com/sn/notes-020.htm WMF exploit patch and temporary fix]

=== Other links ===

*[http://www.smoothwall.org/ Smoothwall Express] - GNU/Linux based open source firewall

*[http://www.m0n0.ch/wall/ m0n0wall] - FreeBSD based open source firewall

*[http://www.sysinternals.com/utilities/rootkitrevealer.html RootkitRevealer] - System Internal's rootkit finder

*[http://www.f-secure.com/blacklight/ BlackLight] - F-Secure's rootkit finder (currently in beta)

*[http://www.hamachi.cc/ Hamachi] - Virtual secure network between two or more computers

*[http://openvpn.net/ OpenVPN] - Open Source SSL VPN

*[http://www.iopus.com/iPig/ iPig] - Private internet gateway with 256-bit AES encryption

*[http://www.hexblog.com/ WMF vulnerability hotfix] (Hexblog)

[[category:Podcasts]]