Command Control Power: Apple Tech Support & Business Talk

Adam 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

In this Command Control Power episode, host Joe and guests discuss standards, policies, certification, and compliance with Michael Thomsen of Origin 84 in Sydney, continuing an ISO 27001 deep dive. Michael explains how policies are written to solve specific control problems (e.g., MFA) and can be reusable, while areas like data classification require tailoring based on a client's industry, legislation, contracts, and workflows; key discovery questions include where data is stored and shared, and what obligations contracts impose. The conversation contrasts frameworks (NIST, Essential Eight) and notes auditors verify that policies drive processes and are followed, emphasizing continual improvement through audits, risk/incident tracking, and iterative remediation. Jerry and Sam share healthcare/SOC 2 experiences and discuss shifting solo consultants from tactical support to higher-value strategic advisory/account management, using fractional roles and partners. Michael outlines Origin 84's fractional model (financial controller, HR, strategy officer, plus legal/CFO) and sourcing via professional networks, LinkedIn, and conferences like ACEs, where Michael will present on account management

CCP welcomes returning guest Michael Thomsen of Origin 84 from Sydney, Australia and discusses how he prepares to leave his business for long travel by relying on organizational design, documentation, and clear accountability, using Confluence and EOS-style role success criteria to prevent gaps and duplication. They explore perfectionism versus "good enough," emphasizing repeatable standards a team can deliver, protecting integrity, and avoiding preventable mistakes. The conversation shifts to why SOC 2, HIPAA, and ISO 27001 matter as clients face more vendor-risk questions, and how policies differ from procedures by enabling decentralized decisions. Michael explains Origin 84's fixed-fee, services-first model and a "magic quadrant" approach that moves from help desk and IT admin to account management and strategy, using root-cause fixes across all clients. He details standardizing on Microsoft-first tooling (including Entra SSO for Google), vendor-risk concerns, and how certification frameworks drive continual improvement and practical, auditable policies.
 
00:00 Welcome Back Michael
00:35 Travel Rituals Offline
01:14 Leaving the Business
03:23 Planning Like Military
04:47 Runbooks EOS Accountability
07:22 Perfection Versus Good
13:53 Standards And Certifications
16:32 Policy Versus Procedure
17:56 Building Sticky Services
20:14 Magic Quadrant Strategy
23:16 Fix Root Causes
26:21 Flat Rate Incentives
27:45 Strategy Alignment Limits
29:13 Listening Before Pushing
30:08 Pricing Pushback Story
31:52 Standardize Security Baselines
34:33 Paying for Certification Proof
36:10 Cut Costs via Account Management
36:50 Client Owned Subscriptions
39:21 Microsoft as North Star
41:10 Vendor Risk and Contingencies
47:37 Entra SSO for Google
50:46 ISO 27001 Policy Reality Check
54:57 Part Two Wrap Up

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.

The hosts revisit early Apple and Mac experiences and discuss first keyboard shortcuts, focusing on "Command Control Power" after a photographer client referenced it while troubleshooting a MacBook Pro that died on location from a drained battery. They debate the proper shortcut key order versus Apple's conventions, recall Apple II shortcuts like Control–Open Apple–Reset, and reflect on floppy-drive workflows and multi-disk backups. The conversation shifts to Apple's attempts to break into business hardware, Steve Jobs' impact and management style, and a perceived reversal where hardware fit-and-finish improved while macOS feels buggier, with annual OS releases and settings moving cited as problems. They note Rapid Security Response/Background Security Improvements placement changes, praise Apple Watch and AirPods, share audience photos and Apple memorabilia, and close with gratitude to Apple, colleagues, and listeners.
 
00:00 Apple 50th Kickoff
00:27 Shortcut Origin Story
01:08 Photo Shoot Panic
02:17 Shortcut Order Debate
03:27 Open Apple Keys
05:16 Save Changes Shutdown
07:33 Floppy Boot Days
09:02 Apple In Business
12:22 Jobs Magic And Myth
14:03 Modern OS Buggy Era
19:27 Settings Search Problem
23:17 Yearly OS Cadence
26:04 Planned Obsolescence Talk
27:46 Software Sells Hardware
28:07 Mac CPU Transitions
29:12 Snow Leopard Lessons
31:37 Intel Era Reality Check
33:11 Security Updates Moved
34:22 Throwback Mac Photos
35:52 Daily Delight Devices
40:12 Old iPhones and iPods
42:29 Apple Employee Card
44:37 Startup Office Memories
46:13 50 Years of Apple