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The PS5 Key Leak: Why This One’s Different
Sony just hit a wall. The root encryption keys for the PlayStation 5 — the hardware-level “master keys” that decide what the console trusts — have leaked. That means hackers now have access to the PS5’s BootROM , the lowest layer of its security system. This isn’t a normal software exploit. It’s not something Sony can patch with an update next week. These keys are literally baked into the silicon. They’re part of the chip. And once they’re out, they’re out. What That Actuall

Rich Washburn
Jan 44 min read


The QR Code Hacker and the Arms Race of Tiny Things
I have just witnessed a masterpiece. A man with a printer, a dream, and apparently way too much free time has done what most cybersecurity professionals spend decades trying to achieve: he hacked the human condition — with stickers. Here’s the play:He prints QR codes — just generic black-and-white codes — and pastes them perfectly over existing ones in the wild. You know, menus, vending machines, parking meters, those tiny “scan me” squares that have become the universal doo

Rich Washburn
Nov 14, 20254 min read


The Deepfake Dilemma: Why AI Literacy Is the New Digital Survival Skill
Let’s start with a hard truth: most people have no idea what AI can do — and that’s a problem. A big one. Every day, I see new scams pop up online that look completely legitimate — professional-looking websites, polished videos, believable voices, and glowing reviews. The twist? None of it’s real. The people don’t exist. The products don’t exist. The business itself? Fabricated entirely by artificial intelligence. We’ve crossed a line. AI isn’t just automating tasks anymore;

Rich Washburn
Oct 16, 20253 min read
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