November 20, 2025 01:16:33 S:E1

A.I. Transcription Startup Was Just A Guy Taking Notes- 2025-11-17

Summary

Register for FREE Infosec Webcasts, Anti-casts & Summits – https://poweredbybhis.com00:00:00 - PreShow Banter™ — The Way the Community Rumbles00:08:21 - A.I. Transcription Startup Was Just A Guy Taking Notes - BHIS - Talkin’ Bout [infosec] News 2025-11-1700:09:01 - Story # 1: New data shows companies are rehiring former employees as AI falls short of expectations00:18:06 - Eric & Whitney’s “Podcast” [webcast] on training your own LLM00:22:12 - Story # 2: Founder Admits His “AI Transcription” Startup Was Just Him Joining People’s Meetings and Taking Notes by Hand00:26:20 - Story # 3: Five Plead Guilty in U.S. for Helping North Korean IT Workers Infiltrate 136 Companies00:37:35 - Story # 4: Google is easing up on Android’s new sideloading restrictions!00:43:44 - Story # 5: Google is collecting troves of data from downgraded Nest thermostats00:44:58 - Story # 5b: Hackers are saving Google’s abandoned Nest thermostats with open-source firmware00:51:34 - Story # 6: FFmpeg to Google: Fund Us or Stop Sending Bugs01:00:40 - Story # 7: Teens are Hacking School Systems. Let’s Teach Them to Protect Communities Instead01:05:55 - Story # 8: Disrupting the first reported AI-orchestrated cyber espionage campaign01:14:58 - Discord CTF Winners

https://poweredbybhis.com

00:00:00 - PreShow Banter™ — The Way the Community Rumbles

00:08:21 - A.I. Transcription Startup Was Just A Guy Taking Notes - BHIS - Talkin’ Bout [infosec] News 2025-11-17

00:09:01 - Story # 1: New data shows companies are rehiring former employees as AI falls short of expectations

00:18:06 - Eric & Whitney’s “Podcast” [webcast] on training your own LLM

00:22:12 - Story # 2: Founder Admits His “AI Transcription” Startup Was Just Him Joining People’s Meetings and Taking Notes by Hand

00:26:20 - Story # 3: Five Plead Guilty in U.S. for Helping North Korean IT Workers Infiltrate 136 Companies

00:37:35 - Story # 4: Google is easing up on Android’s new sideloading restrictions!

00:43:44 - Story # 5: Google is collecting troves of data from downgraded Nest thermostats

00:44:58 - Story # 5b: Hackers are saving Google’s abandoned Nest thermostats with open-source firmware

00:51:34 - Story # 6: FFmpeg to Google: Fund Us or Stop Sending Bugs

01:00:40 - Story # 7: Teens are Hacking School Systems. Let’s Teach Them to Protect Communities Instead

01:05:55 - Story # 8: Disrupting the first reported AI-orchestrated cyber espionage campaign

01:14:58 - Discord CTF Winners

(00:00) - PreShow Banter™ — The Way the Community Rumbles
(08:21) - A.I. Transcription Starup Was Just A Guy Taking Notes - BHIS - Talkin' Bout [infosec] News 2025-11-17
(09:01) - Story # 1: New data shows companies are rehiring former employees as AI falls short of expectations
(18:05) - Eric & Whitney's "Podcast" [webcast] on training your own LLM
(22:12) - Story # 2: Founder Admits His “AI Transcription” Startup Was Just Him Joining People’s Meetings and Taking Notes by Hand
(26:20) - Story # 3: Five Plead Guilty in U.S. for Helping North Korean IT Workers Infiltrate 136 Companies
(37:34) - Story # 4: Google is easing up on Android's new sideloading restrictions!
(43:43) - Story # 5: Google is collecting troves of data from downgraded Nest thermostats
(44:58) - Story # 5b: Hackers are saving Google's abandoned Nest thermostats with open-source firmware
(51:33) - Story # 6: FFmpeg to Google: Fund Us or Stop Sending Bugs
(01:00:39) - Story # 7: Teens are Hacking School Systems. Let’s Teach Them to Protect Communities Instead
(01:05:55) - Story # 8: Disrupting the first reported AI-orchestrated cyber espionage campaign
(01:14:58) - Discord CTF Winners

Episode Video

Creators and Guests

Host

Bronwen Aker

Bronwen Aker is a BHIS Technical Editor who joined full-time in 2022 after years of contract work, bringing decades of web development and technical training experience to her roles in editing pentest reports, enhancing QA/QC processes, and improving public websites, and who enjoys sci-fi/fantasy, Animal Crossing, and dogs outside of work.

Host

Corey Ham

Corey Ham has been with Black Hills Information Security (BHIS) since 2021 delivering red teaming and OSINT services. Currently, Corey leads the ANTISOC team at BHIS, providing subscription-based continuous red teaming to BHIS clients. Outside of his time at BHIS, you can find him out in the woods or up on a mountain somewhere.

Host

Wade Wells

Wade Wells has been working in cybersecurity for a decade, focusing on detection engineering, threat intelligence, and defensive operations. Wade currently works as a Lead Detection Engineer at 1Password, where he helps build and mature scalable detection programs. Outside of his day-to-day work, Wade is deeply involved in the security community through teaching, mentoring, podcasting, and running local events

Guest

Aisling nic Lynne "siriciryel"

Aisling nic Lynne is a cybersecurity practitioner with strong interest in privacy and forensics, all the way back to setting up GPG inside her AOL IMs in college. Her broad technical background includes being a sysop for a top-20 supercomputer, high-energy particle physics experiments, and aero engine engineering. She is a second-generation ttrpg player, handyma'am, and would collect more Star Wars LEGO sets if only she had a place to put them. Some people want to see the world burn; she wants to see people's eyes alight with understanding.

Guest

Andy Pettit "Nerf"

Andy Pettit is a cybersecurity practitioner and lifelong builder with a hacker’s mindset, driven by deep curiosity and a desire to understand how systems truly work. He began coding in C at age 12 building custom MUDs and has been pulling systems apart ever since, focusing on gaps between design and real-world behavior. Andy brings a whole-business perspective from over a decade as managing partner of Clown Shoe Motorsports, shaping his views on risk, reliability, cost, and people. He volunteers with Black Hills Information Security and Antisyphon Training as a Nerd Herder and is a top 5% MetaCTF competitor, endurance racer, and HPDE instructor with NASA Texas Region.

Guest

MaryEllen

MaryEllen Kennel has held numerous roles in CyberSecurity, and is currently ranked top 1% in MetaCTF. MaryEllen has spoken at several conferences, including Magnet Forensics, KringleCon, and most recently, Wild West Hackin’ Fest in Deadwood, SD. MaryEllen grew up Mennonite, and treasures spending time with family.

Producer

Meagan Bentley

Guest

Michael "Shecky" Kavka

Shecky, as he is commonly called, has been in the professional world of IT for nearly 30 years the last 11 as a blue team security engineer. He is focused on detection engineering, threat intel and analysis. Outside of his day to day he is involved in Bsides312, Hak4Kidz and Burbsec (Chicago's cybersecurity meetup conglomerate).