E116 - Mobile Security and Privacy

In this episode, Brian and Milou speak with Mark Kreitzman, a cybersecurity veteran and evangelist at Efani, about how a SIM swap attack took over his phone number and led him to build a mobile-security business. They unpack warning signs, the risks of SMS-based account recovery, practical ways to reduce exposure, and why Mark believes security now matters more than the increasingly elusive promise of privacy.

Mark on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kreitzman

Learn more and get a $99 discount coupon here! http://efani.com/socializingsecurity

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
04:03 A personal SIM-swap attack sparks a security startup
06:19 The warning signs: lost signal and sudden password resets
09:01 How carrier verification and social engineering failed
12:26 Who carries out SIM swaps, and how scam operations work
15:13 Bitcoin losses, arbitration, and the limits of recourse
17:10 Why carriers and banks accept weaker verification tradeoffs
20:26 Practical ways to reduce SIM-swap and phishing risk
24:12 Email aliases and separating financial accounts
28:20 AI, data breaches, and exposed business security gaps
32:04 Slow down: social engineering targets people, not just systems
34:23 Why Mark says security has overtaken privacy
38:04 Data poisoning and the future of personal information
39:23 Efani offer and closing reflections
41:20 Reflections
45:17 Outro