No Mac Is Safe...

No Mac Is Safe... delivers a rapid-fire look at several tech topics packed into a single episode. It opens with a quick segment on USB instability affecting AMD 500-series motherboards, noting reports that both X570 and B550 boards experience random USB disconnects, especially after Ryzen 5000-series CPUs launched. The hosts discuss a workaround that some users report helps: setting PCI Express mode to 3.0 rather than Auto, while poking fun at the frustration of dealing with hardware quirks. The segment then pivots to a pre-built PC angle, highlighting that Dell is offering Ryzen 7 5800 non-X configurations in the Alienware Aurora R10, a choice positioned as a cheaper path to a capable 8-core/16-thread system, with a Canada-only first look. Throughout this portion, the hosts mix light banter about supply concerns and pricing with occasional quips about the packaging and marketing around CPUs, illustrating how supply constraints can influence consumer decisions. In the Silver Sparrow Mac malware segment, the hosts explain that approximately 30,000 Macs across 153 countries were affected by a sophisticated worm-like malware set called Silver Sparrow, which checks in with a command server hourly but has not yet demonstrated broad damaging behavior. They note that Apple has taken countermeasures, such as revoking certificates from compromised developer accounts, while acknowledging that the threat could persist due to robust CDN usage by the malware’s command infrastructure. The episode closes with a Quick Bits roundup sponsored by Private Internet Access VPN, highlighting features like multiple servers, no bandwidth caps, a kill switch, and MACE malware-blocking, followed by a handful of quick news bites on data caps, Apple vs Samsung sales, Spotify HiFi, Intel packaging, and a California school board Zoom debacle, all delivered in a high-energy, humorous tone. The overall takeaway is a lighthearted but informed tour of ongoing hardware quirks, security vulnerabilities, and notable industry shifts, with practical reminders like software and privacy considerations and a nudge toward using VPNs for online privacy.

Topics · technology · cybersecurity · consumer_electronics · macos · processors · hardware