Well I’ve crawled out of my hobbit hole after a few days of disconnecting.
This week was full of brand new threats that are affecting a wide number of users across multiple platforms and devices but one thing remains unchanged.
There’s something funny about how normal all this looks on the surface.
A routine iOS update. Just another Chrome extension in the store. A few sketchy emails. Another pile of logins for sale somewhere shady. None of it screams “emergency.” But underneath, it’s a different story.
Apple quietly fixed a security hole that could be triggered just by previewing the wrong image. Not clicking. Not opening. Just… seeing it. You updated, right?
As if I haven’t been shouting at the top of my lungs long enough about Google, they made it even easier for me to dislike them with 2 huge threats.
A Chrome extension posing as a VPN was spying on your tabs—while wearing a verified badge. That little blue check? Turns out it doesn’t mean what you think it does.
Then there’s the Gmail phishing wave. Better copy, sharper timing, less obvious red flags. It’s riding the tail of recent credential leaks and looks cleaner than most people expect. I’ll show you what makes this one different—and how to shut it down without getting paranoid.
And finally the PayPal dump heard round the world. Even if half of it’s recycled, that doesn’t matter to whoever logs in and drains your balance while you're trying to remember which email you used in 2017. We’ll walk through how I handle this kind of threat when it hits people I work with.
I’m also spotlighting a tool this week that goes beyond watching your credit score. It tracks where your info is floating around online—and actually helps take it down.
Plenty to unpack. Let’s start with the Intelligence Snapshot.
Before we do I’d like to quickly mention a sale I have going on over at my digital store. Right now until August 31st get 50% off all of my bestselling products when you use code AUGUST50 at checkout.
Also if you haven’t upgraded yet and want full access to all the Beyond The Firewall has to offer
Intelligence Snapshot
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Beyond The Firewall to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.