High-speed train hacks and homicidal lawnmowers
From Smashing Security by Graham Cluley
May 20, 2026 · 56 min · Episode 468
About this episode
This episode discusses a young hacker who halted high-speed trains and the vulnerabilities of robot lawnmowers, featuring an interview on AI in penetration testing.
A 23-year-old radio enthusiast spent £300 on a piece of kit from the internet, and used it to bring four packed high-speed trains to a screeching halt. His defence in court? Possibly the most creative excuse we've heard all year. Meanwhile, owners of $4,000 robot lawnmowers are discovering that their gadget can be hijacked over the internet, redirected at journalists who foolishly lie down in front of it, and used to harvest Wi-Fi passwords, email addresses, and GPS coordinates. Change the default password? Sure - until the next firmware update silently resets it back. Plus - don't miss our featured interview with XBOW's Brendan Dolan-Gavitt about how AI is transforming penetration testing. All this and more in episode 468 of the "Smashing Security" podcast with cybersecurity expert and keynote speaker Graham Cluley, and special guest Geoff White. EPISODE LINKS: Open source tool maker Grafana Labs says hackers stole its code, refuses to pay ransom - TechCrunch. Man accused of stealing Beyoncé’s unreleased music takes guilty plea - ABC News. Shai-Hulud code drop: Open season for supply chain attacks - ReversingLabs. Student hacked Taiwan high-speed rail to trigger emergency brakes…
People in this episode
Host: Graham Cluley
Guest: Geoff White
Topics covered
- cybersecurity
- hacking
- AI
- penetration testing
- robotics
- train safety
Keywords
- hacking
- high-speed trains
- robot lawnmowers
- AI
- penetration testing
- cybersecurity
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: XBOW, Grafana Labs, TechCrunch, ABC News, ReversingLabs, BleepingComputer, The Register, WIRED, The Verge
Products: robot lawnmowers, high-speed trains
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