What many people don't realize is that public charging stations — especially those with USB ports — can be a gateway for cybercriminals. These aren't ...
On October 16 and 17, the ScatteredLAPSUS$Hunters Telegram channel repeatedly violated Telegram’s TOS by leaking personal information on people — and in this case, information on employees of the Department of Justice (DOJ/FBI), U.S. Attorneys Office (DOJ/USAO), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA). DataBreaches did not report on it...
The following are just a few of the pictures I took today at a “No Kings” protest held in Nassau County, New York. It was a peaceful protest. There was a larger-than-expected turnout, with minimal and respectful police presence. As I anticipated in my post explaining why I was going, there were a lot of...
The following is a personal statement. Today is a day of national protest against the authoritarian regime being imposed by a narcissist and those who are afraid to stand up to him. Today is the day when my husband — an arch-Conservative who has never participated in a political protest in his life — is...
Hey there, cyber-folks! It’s your pal Rod here, dishing out the week’s wildest security shenanigans in full cartoon glory. Picture this: hackers as bumbling villains with oversized capes, firewalls as grumpy bouncers, and data breaches as pies in the face. We’ve scoured the digital dumpster for the top security scoops from October 10-16, 2025, and turned ‘em into laugh-out-loud sketches. Grab your popcorn—let’s roll the reels!
Airport Announcements Gone Rogue – “The PA Pranksters Strike!”
Imagine a bustling airport terminal, where the overhead speakers suddenly blare like a bad karaoke night: “All hail Hamas! Boo to Trump!” That’s right, sneaky hackers hijacked PA systems at airports across Canada and the US, turning routine flight updates into political puppet shows. In our cartoon, the hackers are cartoon mice with tiny laptops, squeaking commands into the mic while pilots facepalm and passengers drop their pretzels. Moral? Next time your gate change sounds suspicious, it might be a cyber-saboteur’s mixtape!
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The $15 Billion Crypto Heist Bust – “Blockchain Bandits Get Busted!”
Zoom in on a shadowy lair where cyber-crooks are swimming in a pool of virtual coins like Scrooge McDuck—until Uncle Sam swoops in with a giant vacuum! The US government seized a whopping $15 billion in Bitcoin from a Southeast Asian scam syndicate running on slave-like operations. Our animated version? The scammers are goofy goblins stacking crypto towers that topple when the feds burst in on rocket-powered skates. Add in satellite spying shenanigans and billion-dollar smishing scams (that’s SMS phishing for the uninitiated), and you’ve got a villainous variety show. Who knew cybercrime paid so well... until it didn’t?
Adobe’s AEM Forms Fiasco – “The Form-Filling Fiends!”
Enter the world of Adobe Experience Manager, where a critical bug (CVE-2025-54253, scoring a perfect 10/10 on the ouch scale) lets hackers waltz in and run wild code like it’s a free-for-all buffet. CISA flagged it as actively exploited, with proof-of-concepts floating around since August. In cartoon land, the vulnerability is a leaky dam, and hackers are beavers with dynamite, chomping through forms while Adobe engineers scramble with plungers. Patch up, folks, or your digital paperwork turns into a hacker’s playground!
F5’s Big Breach Blues – “Nation-State Ninjas Nab Source Code!”
Picture a high-tech fortress (F5’s network) infiltrated by stealthy spies who snag the crown jewels: BIG-IP source code and secret vuln deets. Blamed on a Chinese nation-state crew, this August-detected hack had ‘em lurking for ages before the DOJ said “spill the beans.” Our funny take? The attackers are invisible ink ninjas doodling on blueprints, while F5 guards chase ghosts with butterfly nets. Bonus: Governments patched related Big-IP flaws, but the spies already had their loot. Sneaky, sneaky!
Microsoft’s 2025 Digital Defense Report drops like a bombshell: Over half of cyberattacks are extortion or ransomware gigs, with AI supercharging both bad guys and good. Nation-states like China, Iran, Russia, and North Korea are expanding ops, hitting everything from NGOs to shipping. In our toon, ransomware is a greedy octopus squeezing data vaults, while AI is a mad scientist mixing potions for faster hacks. Hospitals and govs get the worst ink—delayed surgeries? Canceled classes? It’s like a villain’s to-do list. Time to beef up those defenses, or get tentacled!
Cisco’s SNMP Snafu – “Rootkit Rodeo on Routers!”
Hackers exploit a fresh Cisco zero-day (CVE-2025-20352) to plant Linux rootkits on old-school switches, turning them into zombie puppets. Dubbed “Zero Disco,” this campaign hits SNMP flaws for eternal DoS parties. Cartoon style: Routers as bucking broncos with rootkit cowboys riding ‘em wild, while Cisco wranglers lasso patches. Pro tip: Update those ancient 3750Gs before they throw you off!
North Korean EtherHiding Shenanigans – “Blockchain Booby Traps!”
North Korea’s hackers go full crypto-caper, hiding malware in blockchain smart contracts via EtherHiding—first state-sponsored use! They pose as recruiters on LinkedIn, luring victims into fake job tests loaded with stealers. In the animation, it’s a treasure chest on the blockchain that pops open with virus dragons, breathing fire on wallets. Meanwhile, other crews compromise WordPress sites for similar tricks. Job hunting just got spy-thriller vibes!
Discord’s ID Photo Oopsie – “Selfie Slip-Up Spectacle!”
Discord fesses up: 70,000 users’ ID photos leaked in a data whoops. Add in Azure outages tied to Kubernetes kerfuffles and ransomware arrests from the Kido Education hit, and it’s a week of “d’oh!” moments. Our sketch? Users as cartoon cats whose selfies escape the bag, scampering across the net while Discord chases with a giant net. Privacy? More like “purr-vacy” gone wrong!
Whew, what a whirlwind week in the cyber-cartooniverse! From PA pranks to blockchain bandits, it’s clear the bad guys are getting creative—but so are the heroes patching and busting. Stay safe out there, update your stuff, and tune in next Saturday for more funnies. Got a tip? Drop it in the comments. Rod out!
Rod’s Blog is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
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