IT Horror Stories with Jack Smith

Two critical PHP vulnerabilities. Emergency patches. Government websites going offline. And IT teams around the world suddenly discovering just how much forgotten infrastructure they're responsible for. But the real horror story isn't PHP itself. It's the years of technical debt, unsupported software, missing documentation, and Shadow IT that turn a security update into a business crisis. Because you can't patch a server you don't know you have. Want even more info ? Read our show notes and related blog post related to this episode : https://blog.ithorrorstories.eu/jacks-rant-php-panic-and-technical-debt/ Sources and further reading : https://www.php.net/supported-versions.php https://thephp.foundation/blog/2026/10/21/todays-php-security-release-and-how-were-strengthening-php-security/ https://openai.com/index/coordinated-disclosure-of-critical-vulnerabilities/ https://www.php.net/supported-versions.php 00:22 Introduction 00:39 PHP Security Flaw 02:00 RCE Dangers 02:35 Patch Release Chaos 05:01 Identifying Vulnerable Systems 06:54 Widespread Impact 09:04 AI in Discovery 09:15 GitLab Joins Chaos 09:32 Addressing Technical Debt 11:22 Possible Exploits 11:58 Emergency Wrap-up 12:48 The Real Horror 14:26 Conclusion

Companies complain that they can't find the right technical people. Technical people complain that companies have no idea who they're actually looking for. This time, Jack crosses to the other side of the table with Ashley Randall to find out why both might be right. We look at how organizations turn operational problems into job descriptions, why they search for impossible unicorns, and what happens when the person they hire has the right skills for a job that doesn't actually exist as advertised. From HR screening and mismatched expectations to KPIs, management workshops, organizational silos, and the eternal question of whether HR is really there for you, we explore what happens when technical specialists and the business speak very different versions of the same language. Sometimes the problem isn't the person you hired. It's the job you thought you were hiring them for. To find out more about Ashley Randall and Aspiring Redirection, visit: Ashley Randall: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-randall7/ Aspiring Redirection: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aspiring-redirection/ Want even more info ? Read our show notes and related blog post related to this episode : https://blog.ithorrorstories.eu/episode-27-wrong-person-right-skills/ 00:00 Introduction 00:43 Business Perspective 02:03 Hiring Challenges 04:48 Evaluating Talent 07:02 Structural Issues 08:52 Role Mismatches 13:24 Miscommunication Effects 17:15 Improving Processes 24:00 Culture and Metrics 33:43 HR and Employee Relations 39:23 Conclusion

Jack talks with Harvey Scolnick about his years working with air traffic control technology and the failures that came with it. From construction work accidentally cutting a critical cable and knocking an air traffic control facility offline, with systems unavailable and aircraft still in the sky, to the people on the ground having to fall back on procedures, neighboring facilities, and some very human problem-solving. In addition, we look at the redundancy behind air traffic control, what recovery looks like when safety-critical infrastructure fails, and why even carefully designed systems can still be brought down by something remarkably mundane. Want even more info ? Read our show notes and related blog post related to this episode : https://blog.ithorrorstories.eu/episode-26-cleared-for-disaster/ Find out more about Harvey Scolnick : https://www.scolnickatc.com/ 00:00 Introduction 00:55 Harvey's Journey 02:13 Becoming ATC 05:34 Airways and Radar 07:03 Separation Standards 11:21 Busy JFK 14:33 Iconic Aircrafts 21:12 Technology Upgrades 29:27 Preventative Measures 38:10 AI and Future 41:27 Weather Challenges 43:57 Conclusion

Someone asked us why we weren't on MeshCore yet. First we had to establish that it wasn't a new kind of thrash metal. Then we discovered an off-grid messaging network built from little radios, antennas, repeaters, and licence-free spectrum. So we started digging. How does it route messages ? How private is it ? What happens when repeaters disappear ? And haven't we built something suspiciously similar before ? MeshCore turns out to be considerably more interesting than just another messaging app. Want even more info ? Read our show notes and related blog post related to this episode : https://blog.ithorrorstories.eu/jacks-rants-meshcore/ MeshCore documentation used : - FAQ : https://docs.meshcore.io/faq/ - Packet Format : https://docs.meshcore.io/packet_format/ - Payloads : https://docs.meshcore.io/payloads/ - Companion Protocol: https://docs.meshcore.io/companion_protocol/ - CLI Commands : https://docs.meshcore.io/cli_commands/ MeshCore Map : https://meshcore.co.uk/map.html 00:00 Introduction 00:46 Discovering Mesh Core 02:09 Radio and Repeaters 05:19 Free Radio Insights 10:35 Encryption and Privacy 14:26 Old Meets New 15:19 Infrastructure Challenges 18:16 Conclusion

IT may run on the same protocols everywhere, but the people operating it certainly don't. Put teams from different countries, companies, and working cultures onto the same project and apparently simple questions about responsibility, communication, deadlines, and escalation can suddenly have very different answers. This episode looks at what happens when those differences become part of the technical problem. From assumptions that nobody realised they were making to communication styles that work perfectly well locally but collide spectacularly across borders, we discuss how international IT teams get themselves into trouble — and what years of working across cultures can teach you about avoiding it. And no, the solution isn't another mandatory cultural-awareness PowerPoint. Want even more info ? Read our show notes and related blog post related to this episode : https://blog.ithorrorstories.eu/episode-25-cultural-differences-in-it/ 00:00 Introduction 00:41 Cultural Intricacies 03:12 Sales Challenges 06:02 Engineering Insights 10:32 Crisis Management 14:10 Data Center Differences 16:00 Luxembourg's Unique Edge 17:52 European Culture Wrap-up