Episode #254: Edwin Kwan: Malicious “Red Alert” App Spying on Israelis; Ian Garrett: 10 Hidden Costs Draining CISO Security Budgets (Part 2); Hillary Coover: Threat Posed by Chinese Espionage and Social Engineering; Marcel Brown: This Day in Tech History

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The stories we’re covering today.

Marcel Brown: October 19th, 1979. According to Dan Bricklin, one of the co-creators of VisiCalc, the first "real" release of VisiCalc was completed and packaged for shipment. VisiCalc was the first commercially available spreadsheet software and quickly became the first killer app of the personal computer market.

Edwin Kwan: Malicious version of the Israeli incoming airstrike warning app has been found distributed over the internet. The fake site serving the malicious software was created on October 12th, 2023 and provided download options for both iOS and Android versions.

Hillary Coover: In light of recent warnings from intelligence agencies, we have to consider our own readiness to face insider threats. The MI5 head's statements regarding over 20,000 covert online approaches by Chinese spies in the UK should serve as a sobering reminder of the evolving landscape.

Ian Garrett: Security budgets can be tricky to manage, and often hidden costs can erode these budgets. Understanding these hidden expenses, negotiating for fair pricing, and aligning security strategies with business priorities can help optimize budgets.