Smashing Security Podcast Takes on Right to Repair (And Stinky Cheese)

I went on The Smashing Security podcast this week. We dug deep on the right to repair issue and how arguments about cybersecurity and privacy risks are used to defeat right to repair legislation.

What do stifling monopolies, anti-competitive behavior and the right to repair have to do with the Brits’ inexplicable mania for “aromatic” cheeses like “Stinky Bishop” and “Mature Blue Stilton”? Absolutely nothing…except that both were the subject of animated discussion when I visited The Smashing Security Podcast last week.

Smashing Security is one of my favorite info-sec podcasts. The hosts, Graham Cluley and Carole Theriault are old friends from the infosec community and have deep knowledge of the space. They find a way to tackle tough topics and also have a lot of fun doing it.

This episode is a great example. We start off with a detailed discussion of the varieties of stinky English cheese by way of talking about the recent arrest of a drug dealer in the UK, who police tracked and identified by his penchant for posting photos he took of expensive cheeses (revealing his fingerprints, in the process).

You can hear my right to repair here, or using the button below. I talk about what a “right to repair” is, why it’s important and why I felt the information security community needed to speak with one voice on the issue of repair to defuse vendor FUD.