This episode digs into Iran's use of Telegram bots to control surveillance malware, Cisco's emergency zero-day patch for compromised email gateways, and a hacker who just cashed in on bug bounties using AI-written exploits. Adrian North walks through 2026's biggest breaches so far and what it means when everyday infrastructure becomes the weapon.
Show Notes
This episode digs into Iran's use of Telegram bots to control surveillance malware, Cisco's emergency zero-day patch for compromised email gateways, and a hacker who just cashed in on bug bounties using AI-written exploits. Adrian North walks through 2026's biggest breaches so far and what it means when everyday infrastructure becomes the weapon.
Stories covered:
- Iranian Hackers Use Telegram-Controlled Malware to Spy on Dissidents and Journalists (The Hacker News) - https://thehackernews.com/2026/09/iranian-hackers-use-telegram-controlled.html
- Leaks, data breaches, and ransom notes: The worst hacks of 2026 so far (TechCrunch) - https://techcrunch.com/2026/09/15/the-worst-hacks-and-breaches-of-2026-so-far/
- Cisco patches Secure Email Gateway zero-day exploited in attacks (BleepingComputer) - https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/new-cisco-secure-email-zero-day-exploited-to-execute-commands-as-root/
- Exclusive: AI-written malware helped a hacker cash in on bug bounty programs - Axios (Axios) - https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMigAFBVV95cUxNVzZqVnlJM0s0SktKaVpvZjBHRktKaXBIT2YybndFMjRvXzlfdzFXT3RyeFBFY29KNjJtcDBZcGVwRHY1UEt1Rk9QNENYZmlzT2tXeU0tSGpWci1aSDhFNk16Z284ck9YVXRScENxNXNkb3UzUDBUZERlSWdHMnZCZA?oc=5
- 6 Running Form Tips for Beginners — and Everyone Else (iRunFar) - https://www.irunfar.com/six-running-form-tips-for-beginners-and-everyone-else
- The Roman telescope has enough gas for 22 years, double NASA's expectations (Ars Technica) - https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/09/the-roman-telescope-has-enough-gas-for-22-years-double-nasas-expectations/
What is Signal Check?
Tech, hacking, security, running, climbing news all in one podcast cause.. why not?