Soaring RAM prices are about to hit your security gear where it hurts, and the fallout could change what's protecting your network. Find out who's about to pay and why the AI gold rush is reshaping more than just your server specs.

• RAM pricing to affect enterprise firewall equipment.
• Anthropic provides sizeable support to Python Foundation.
• The FTC clamps down on GM's secret sale of driving data.
• "ANCHOR" replaces "CIPAC" for industry-government sharing.
• Germany planning to legislate total access to global data.
• Grubhub becomes the latest ShinyHunters extortion victim.
• Let's Encrypt's 6-Day certs are available to everyone.
• Iran planning to permanently take itself off the Internet.
• HD Tune before and after a SpinRite Level 3 refresh.
• Some great listener feedback, and
• More trouble from GhostPoster malicious browser extensions

Show Notes - https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1061-Notes.pdf

Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte

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You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page.

For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6.

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Rumors are starting to pick up in 2026, with more information emerging about the upcoming iPhone 18 and M5 MacBook Pros. Could we finally see new Studio Displays this year? And end-to-end encryption for RCS messages could finally be coming to iOS.

• iPhone 18 Pro: Dynamic Island may move to top-left screen corner.
• Some MacBook Pro configurations see up to a two-month delay ahead of possible next-gen M5 MacBook Pro release.
• The icon history of various Apple software.
• New Studio Display or Pro Display XDR spotted in regulatory database.
• Google Gemini-Powered Siri will reportedly have these 7 new features.
• Apple Watch blood sugar monitoring a step closer as new tech launches.
• The Smartlet dual watch band is the most ridiculous Apple Watch accessory yet.
• Apple Vision Pro owners will get a great assortment of classic arcade games in VR soon.
• Red Bull's 2026 Formula 1 launch puts Apple hardware front and center.
• Civilization VII is coming to Apple Arcade.
• As pressure mounts for Apple to pull the X app, xAI says Grok will stop undressing people.
• In case you ever doubted it, Apple Car was real -- reveals Airbnb.
• End-to-end encryption for RCS messages surfaces in iOS 26.3 beta.
• Apple is fighting for TSMC capacity as Nvidia takes center stage.
• Apple testing new App Store design that blurs the line between ads and search results

Picks of the Week

• Andy's Pick: Dolly Parton & Trio, with Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt
• Stephen's Pick: Aqara U400 Smart Lock UWB
• Jason's Pick: Also the Aqara U400 Smart Lock, but UWB locks in general.

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Andy Ihnatko, and Jason Snell

Guest: Stephen Robles

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Claude isn't just the hottest name in AI right now—it's quietly ushering in a wave of ultra-personalized, vibe-coded software that could transform how we build and use tech in 2026. Find out why coders and normies alike are obsessed and what's coming next.

• Claude Cowork Exfiltrates Files
• Behind the Curtain: The AI future has arrived
• Our Algorithmic Grey-Beige World
• Musk wants up to $134B in OpenAI lawsuit, despite $700B fortune
• Elon Musk's Grok 'Undressing' Problem Isn't Fixed
• I asked Grok's AI to undress me after X's new limits. It's still easy on the app.
• Senate passes Defiance Act for a second time to address Grok deepfakes
• Instagram says it fixed the issue that sent password reset emails
• Instagram AI Influencers Are Defaming Celebrities With Sex Scandals
• French Court Orders Popular VPNs to Block More Pirate Sites, Despite Opposition
• Nearly 5 Million Accounts Removed Under Australia's New Social Media Ban
• TikTok has quietly launched a new micro drama app called PineDrama as the category picks up steam in the US
• Creator income inequality is rising as top influencers rake in big paydays from brands
• Managers on alert for "launch fever" as pressure builds for NASA's Moon mission
• Senate passes minibus bill funding NASA, rejecting Trump's proposed cuts
• Pentagon Device Linked To Havana Syndrome
• Zuck#: A programming language for connecting the world. And harvesting it
• Amazon is buying copper harvested by bacteria for its data centers
• 'Are You Dead?' is now the top paid App Store app in China
• Danish dev delights kid by turning floppy drive into easy TV remote
• Cinemark will fill almost anything with popcorn this weekend—but there's a catch
• Happy Birthday, Wikipedia: We need you now more than ever
• Pluralistic: The world needs an Ireland for disenshittification (17 Jan 2026)

Host: Leo Laporte

Guests: Harper Reed and Abrar Al-Heeti

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Disinformation expert Craig Silverman joins the crew to break down why AI makes scams and fake news easier, faster, and nearly impossible to spot—while Big Tech quietly profits. If you think spotting digital deception is tough now, wait until you hear how deep the rabbit hole goes.

• Claude Code
• Indonesia and Malaysia block Grok over non-consensual, sexualized deepfakes
• Apple taps Google to power a new Siri and future AI tools
• Introducing Cowork
• "In China, driverless delivery vans have become a total meme, they plow through crumbling roads, fresh concrete, motorcycles, anything. Nothing stops them." : r/SelfDrivingCars
• Meta refocuses on AI hardware as metaverse layoffs begin
• Creepy Link
• Matthew McConaughey has secured eight trademarks of himself from the USPTO in the past several months to protect his likeness and voice from unauthorized AI use
• Senate Passes a Bill That Would Let Nonconsensual Deepfake Victims Sue
• X says Grok will no longer edit images of real people into bikinis
• Newsom Vows to Stop Proposed Billionaire Tax in California
• J.R.R. Tolkien, Using a Tape Recorder for the First Time, Reads from The Hobbit for 30 Minutes (1952) | Open Culture
• Digg launches its new Reddit rival to the public
• Postal Arbitrage
• New protein tests
• The Traitors Season 4
• WikiFlix
• MTV REWIND - 33,000+ Music Videos • Zero Ads • Zero Algorithms
• 'A bombshell': doubt cast on discovery of microplastics throughout human body

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Jeff Jarvis, and Paris Martineau

Guest: Craig Silverman

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Satya Nadella gave up much of his CEO duties in 2025. Are we on the cusp of a new CEO? And does some money manager/political duo like Amy Hood and Brad Smith actually make more sense in this role than an engineer-type for the modern Microsoft?

Microsoft is trying to win our hearts and minds on AI

• After spending three years trying to jam AI down our collective throats, Microsoft has only met resistance. Now, the real marketing begins
• Governments and regulators: Microsoft will build out its AI infrastructure by actually paying for it and respecting the communities in which this happens
• Customers: Satya Nadella is blogging, and he wants us to stop complaining about AI. He's the wrong messenger

Windows 11

• First Patch Tuesday of 2026 brings security and bug fixes but no new features
• First update of 2026 brings Copilot-powered image descriptions in Narrator, new IT policies for Copilot, other changes to Dev & Beta
• Dev is about to switch to 26H1
• IDC says that PC sales rose 8.1 percent in 2025, warns again about 2026
• The good & bad of Paul's Panther Lake laptop
• Dell doesn't sell any PCs to consumers so it obviously has opinions about why consumers don't buy PCs for AI
• Microsoft will soon retire its Lens mobile app

AI

• Apple predictably partners with Google to bring Gemini to Siri
• Samsung correctly points out we're all using AI already so there's no reason to complain about it
• We can't trust AI, so Microsoft is letting Copilot go shopping with our credit cards
• We can't trust AI, so OpenAI is giving ChatGPT access to our private health data
• Gmail is getting more AI because email is the low-hanging fruit of data collection

Xbox and gaming

• Developer Direct returns on January 22 with Fable and Forza 6 gameplay
• Microsoft to bring Avowed to PS5 in February

Tips and picks

• Tip of the week: Kick off 2026 with a security checkup
• App pick of the week: Microsoft Local Foundry
• RunAs Radio this week: Azure in 2026 with Jeremy Winter
• Brown liquor pick of the week: Don Julio 70

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell

Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

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Why are code signing certificates suddenly so expensive, short-lived, and tangled in red tape? Leo Laporte and Steve Gibson dig into Microsoft's "three-day certificates," the hidden costs for developers, and the security tradeoffs no one saw coming.

• A look at Microsoft's Azure cloud code signing.
• California implements DROP, global data broker opt-out.
• Where's the town of "Whata Bod" Idaho.
• iOS built-in Mail app worked itself out of a job.
• A 30-minute tutorial for non-coders about AI coding.
• Claude Code appears to be winning over the AI coding world.
• Various listener musings on code signing.
• A bit of Magnesium feedback.
• What use are 3-day code signing certs?

Show Notes - https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1060-Notes.pdf

Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte

Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now.

You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page.

For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6.

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Apple & Google enter a multi-year collaboration to integrate Apple's AI with Google's Gemini model. Apple unveils its Apple Creator Studio app collection. And JPMorganChase will become the new issuer of the Apple Card.

• Joint statement from Google and Apple.
• Introducing Apple Creator Studio, an inspiring collection of creative apps.
• Some first thoughts about live immersive basketball.
• Apple: You (still) don't understand the Vision Pro.
• Chase is taking over Apple's credit card.
• Apple loses Safari lead designer to The Browser Company.
• Removing Tahoe's unwanted menu icons.
• iOS 26 shows unusually slow adoption months after release [updated].
• Global smartphone shipments grew 2% YoY in 2025; Apple emerged as market leader.
• Exclusive: India proposes forcing smartphone makers to give source code in security overhaul.
• Verizon no longer needs to unlock phones after 60 days, thanks to FCC.
• Apple scores at the 83rd annual Golden Globe Awards with Best Comedy and Best Actor wins for record-breaking hit "The Studio," alongside a Best Actress win for "Pluribus".
• Legendary classic Macintosh game 'Dark Castle' is coming back to the Mac.
• Texas man discovers 2.09-carat brown diamond at Arkansas State Park after asking Siri for mining tips.
• Lego iMac G3 clears key hurdle, moves closer to release.

Picks of the Week

• Doc's Pick: Corsair Xeneon Edge 14.5" LCD Touchscreen
• Leo's Pick: Insta360 Link 2 & 2CPro
• Jason's Pick: xteink x4
• Andy's Pick: Dark Castle on Internet Archive

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Andy Ihnatko, and Jason Snell

Guest: Doc Rock

Download or subscribe to MacBreak Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/macbreak-weekly.

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Is putting a camera in your toilet the future of health, or have tech companies lost the plot? This episode's panel digs into what's truly innovative versus what's just over the top, as industry leaders spar over privacy concerns and the real impact of AI in everyday devices.

• We tried to get humanoid robots to do the laundry
• Boston Dynamics unveils production-ready version of Atlas robot at CES 2026
• Hair Drying Robot
• Jensen Huang Says Nvidia's New Vera Rubin Chips Are in 'Full Production'
• AMD's Ryzen AI 400 series includes the first Copilot+ desktop CPU — Team Red refreshes Zen 5 APUs and Strix Halo
• Meta's EMG wristband is moving beyond its AR glasses
• Lego's Smart Brick Gives the Iconic Analog Toy a New Digital Brain
• The Alexa Plus website is now available to everyone in early access
• Throne, from the co-founder of Whoop, uses computer vision to study your poop
• The Verge Awards at CES 2026
• These are the smart home gadgets that impressed me at CES 2026

Host: Leo Laporte

Guests: Fr. Robert Ballecer, SJ, Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, and Jason Hiner

Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech

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