669: Adam Engst (TidBITS): Slack Impersonation Malware, Anthropic's Mythos, and Why You Need a Personal AI Defender
Command Control Power • Apple Tech Support & Business Talk
Release Date: 05/12/2026
690: AI-Powered PowerShell, and Carrier Trade-In Traps
Command Control Power • Apple Tech Support & Business Talk
Joe and Jerry discuss using iPhone built-in Background Sounds (rain/white noise) and Joe’s reliable Shortcuts automation: when power connects, if the time is after 9:55 PM or before 6:15 AM and audio isn’t already playing (checked via the third-party Actions app), set rain sound and volume and enable it; Siri’s shortcut generation was buggy, while Gemini helped produce working logic. They swap notes on using white noise at home and while traveling, and Joe recounts encountering a bear at night and ideas for a “bear alert” automation. They note Apple Notes lacks version...
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689: Stitches, Switches, and Sketchy Devices: A Podcast Nose Dive
Command Control Power • Apple Tech Support & Business Talk
Jerry describes having basal cell carcinoma removed from his nose and urges regular dermatology checkups, then shares how iOS 27 repeatedly warned him before sharing a “sensitive” stitched-and-bloody photo, even suggesting he consult a “trusted adult.” Joe discusses costly RV maintenance and how machines (including hard drives) can fail when left idle, leading into Mac maintenance routines. They debate slang like “cooked,” then talk Apple’s new iPhone lineup, including Jerry’s iPhone 13 Pro Max purchase and their mixed expectations for the first-gen iPhone Duo (weight,...
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Best Of CCP: Backblaze to the Future & Proofpoint Pandemonium
Command Control Power • Apple Tech Support & Business Talk
Sam Valencia, Jerry Zigmont and Joe Saponare discuss working with Apple technology and clients. Drawn from their combined experience of over 20 years in the Apple Consultants Network, thaey discuss technical support issues both with the technology and working with clients.
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687: Haircuts, Apple Upgrades, and UniFi Networking Lessons
Command Control Power • Apple Tech Support & Business Talk
Joe and Jerry chat about haircuts, travel plans to Yosemite via Reno and Lake Tahoe amid fires and crowds, and recent wildlife encounters. They discuss upgrading iPhones and frustrations about promised Apple Intelligence features, plus recurring complaints about changing chargers and Apple hardware quality, including deteriorating Apple cases and notoriously poor pre‑M1 MacBook Airs. Joe shares an anecdote about helping an elderly client set up a new Apple account on an M4 iMac while a clock loudly recited affirmations and the Lord’s Prayer during an Apple support call. They cover...
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686: North Korean Remote Job Infiltration, Apple Threat Alerts, and Stopping Gift Card Scams
Command Control Power • Apple Tech Support & Business Talk
Joe and Sam discuss a Wall Street Journal documentary on North Korean operatives using stolen identities, AI tools, and U.S. accomplices to gain remote jobs at American companies, including schemes where U.S.-based helpers host shipped laptops for overseas workers, raising financial and data-leak risks. They note interview red flags, AI face/voice masking, and an email pitch offering a U.S. partner for a 50/50 split. Sam updates on trying FDA-approved Closee eye drops for age-related vision issues, finding partial improvement but stopping due to itching/burning and concern over past side...
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685: Recovered MacBook, Client Trust, and Preparing for Rosetta 2’s Phaseout
Command Control Power • Apple Tech Support & Business Talk
Recovered MacBook, Client Trust, and Preparing for Rosetta 2’s Phaseout In this episode of Command Control Power, Sam and Joe discuss being short-staffed while covering client onboarding and ticket work, and how client relationships shift when a different technician becomes the main contact. Joe recounts a new small boutique client raising concerns about him having passwords, leading to credential changes and enabling MFA, plus a quick non-technical win fixing a poorly positioned VoIP phone stand. They address HomePod/Apple Music use in a business and disabling personal content requests,...
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684: Resetting AirTags, Beta Bugs, and Vibe-Coded Mac Health Checks
Command Control Power • Apple Tech Support & Business Talk
Resetting AirTags, Beta Bugs, and Vibe-Coded Mac Health Checks The hosts discuss how to reset an Apple AirTag by inserting and removing the battery five times until a different sound plays, noting newer AirTags may require pressing down. They share issues seen on iOS 27 and macOS betas, including missing app icons in search, slow contact searching, Contacts app odd behavior, Apple Configurator on iPhone failing to enroll devices until using a non-beta phone, and a Control Center white-noise toggle bug requiring reboots. They debate installing macOS 27 “Golden Gate” on production machines,...
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Best Of CCP: 158: Balanced Billing the Partner Plan with Richard Wingfield of Envision Design
Command Control Power • Apple Tech Support & Business Talk
Recorded on may 31, 2016 TOPICS: Richard B. Wingfield - Head Geek, Envision Design, LLC of Houston Texas:"I have been using Mac's in business since original Macintosh in '84 and Envision, as a consulting firm, has been around since 1993. Started part time as sole proprietor and 20+ years later we are now a firm of 5 full time consultants here in Houston. I tell people I am a "recovering architect" as I got my start in technology practicing architecture and being the "tech guy" in every firm I ever worked for. I even helped manage a DEC vax/vms system for a firm in Austin soon after...
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682: Using Claude for IT Fixes: Printer Pools, Chrome Log Sleuthing, UniFi IoT Wi‑Fi, and iPhone Protection Tips
Command Control Power • Apple Tech Support & Business Talk
The hosts discuss confusion caused by Microsoft’s email warning that Publisher will end in October 2026 and urging users to convert files to PDF. Jerry shares how he’s been using AI—especially Claude (and sometimes ChatGPT)—to speed up IT work: creating an Addigy printer pool by assigning static IPs to flaky Brother network printers, analyzing Mac logs with Claude to find a runaway Chrome render process causing memory pressure, and using the Quitter app to auto-quit Chrome as a workaround for battery and performance issues. He also describes fixing a weak UniFi doorbell connection by...
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Best Of CCP - 540: Interview With Mike Bombich of CEO and Developer of Carbon Copy Cloner
Command Control Power • Apple Tech Support & Business Talk
-We are pleased to welcome Mike Bombich, creator of -He tells a story of losing data that inspired his creation of Carbon Copy Cloner. -Mike spent 8 years as a creative with Apple. -CCC was initially donation-ware. -He never wanted to put any barrier between you and your data. -macOS Big Sur started the downfall of bootable backups. -Mike talks about how that affected CCC and his customers. -We talk about Time Machine’s reliability and alternatives to built in solutions. -Mike is not a fan of backing up to disk images. -Jerry talks about the new Quick Updates feature of CCC. -Mike talks...
info_outlineAdam Engst (TidBITS) discusses a malware incident in a long-running public “Slack Bits” group where a bad actor impersonated Glenn Fleishman via a duplicate Slack display name, tricking him into downloading an info-stealer, prompting Engst to consider shutting down the 1,400-member community. The conversation shifts to Anthropic’s Mythos and Project Glasswing (as covered by TidBITS security editor Rich Mogull), which reportedly found long-standing bugs (including in OpenBSD and FFmpeg), raising concerns about AI-accelerated vulnerability discovery, defender/attacker asymmetries, costs and compute barriers, and impacts on zero-day markets. They also cover Apple’s iOS signing and update/upgrade distinctions, why Apple supports macOS differently than iOS, broader distrust in institutions, social media’s advertising/algorithm problems (including Section 230), bots and AI-driven phishing, and the idea of local, user-controlled AI agents to help protect individuals online.
00:00 Welcome Back Adam Engst
00:20 Slack Impersonation Scare
02:15 Cleaning Up a Public Slack
03:40 Mythos and Glasswing Explained
05:19 AI Bug Hunting Reality Check
08:25 Red Team Blue Team Asymmetry
09:50 Compute Costs and Access Barriers
12:19 Trust Ethics and Regulation
17:50 Personal AI Security Agents
23:34 Zero Day Markets and Exploit Kits
25:40 iOS Signing and Update Windows
27:13 Why Macs Get Longer Support
32:06 Scams Incentives and Pig Butchering
34:02 Life Offline and Misinformation
35:41 Social Media Hot Garbage
36:43 Addiction By Design
37:46 Advertising Model Flaw
38:47 Infinite Scroll Limits
39:39 Dunbar Number Reality
40:54 Platform Power Responsibility
42:46 AI Influencers And Slop
43:37 Bots And Fake Accounts
46:33 AI Phishing And Passkeys
49:21 Closed Communities Trust
53:25 CAPTCHAs And Human Help
56:08 Section 230 And Algorithms
57:46 Chronological Feed Fix
59:35 Two Week News Rule
01:02:41 Ads In Maps Backlash
01:04:10 Wrap Up And Next Part