Haunted Networks: Possessed Printers, Phantom Texts, and the OG Computer ‘Bug’ #cybersecurity

Tonight’s Halloween special gets deliciously weird. 🦇 Dustin and Frank unpack four true tech “hauntings”:

• The Ghost in the Printer—Why old JetDirects spit hieroglyphics at night.

• Laughing Alexa—The infamous 2018 bug that creeped out the world.

• #GhostText—When delayed SMS messages arrived from the… beyond.

• Grace Hopper’s Moth—The first literal computer “bug,” preserved in a logbook.

We translate spooky glitches into plain-English cyber hygiene: broadcast storms, wake-on-LAN, noisy IoT, always-listening assistants, SMS spoofing, and why physical world failures (heat, humidity, insects!) still crash modern stacks.

🎤 Media & interview requests: admin@legitimatecybersecurity.com

🎧 Audio listeners: subscribe on any platform via https://legitimatecybersecurity.podbean.com/

💬 Drop your own “haunted tech” stories in the comments—we may read them on-air!

Chapter Breaks

00:00 – Cold open: “Possessed” printers in Portland

01:21 – Halloween setup + how we’ll demystify “paranormal” tech

02:14 – Case #1: The Ghost in the Printer (broadcast storms + wake-on-LAN)

05:01 – Why vulnerability scans make printers spit gibberish

08:32 – Broadcast packets 101 (and why Frank hates wake-on-LAN)

12:15 – Case #2: Alexa’s bone-chilling laugh (2018 trigger bug)

16:55 – Smart speakers as always-listening risk (home & remote work)

18:31 – Agentic AI + voice triggers = future home-automation threats

23:16 – Case #3: #GhostText—delayed SMS from the “afterlife”

27:42 – “HauntLater.com” (Frank’s dubious startup idea)

32:59 – Case #4: Grace Hopper and the first literal computer “bug”

36:45 – Physical world vs. digital systems (heat, humidity, pests)

39:45 – Wrap & CTA: Share your creepy tech stories

#legitimatecybersecurity #cybersecurity #halloweenspecial #ghostinthemachine #infosec #smarthome #iot #gracehopper