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Welcome to your Saturday, friend. You know that classic "buy now, cry later" cheap product philosophy? Picture this: You're Morgan Stanley in 2015, and you have thousands of retired bank hard drives, all stuffed with deeply private info (SSN, account numbers, financial records) of 15 million customers, and one very important assignment to destroy the equipment securely. |
Easy, but someone decided to get creative to try to save $100,000 by hiring a moving and storage company with zero experience in data destruction. It ended up costing Morgan Stanley $155 million. Nice. |
😳 Can you guess what happened to the bank's hard drives after they hired the wrong company to destroy them? A) Melted down in an industrial furnace, B) Crushed and buried securely, C) Auctioned off online with the data still on them or D) Shipped overseas and never recovered? Read on, the answer is lurking at the end. |
📻 My national radio show is on this weekend. All weekend. More than 510 stations across the country, which means there's almost certainly one near you. Find it fast with our station locator map. Or skip the dial entirely and listen commercial-free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also watch on YouTube. Your call. I'll be there either way. — Kim |
📬 Someone forwarded this to you? Smart friend. Want it in your own inbox instead of waiting on them? Sign up here. It's free, and I promise not to spam you. |
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TODAY'S DEEP DIVE |
Browser trap |
 | Image: Gemini |
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⚡ TL;DR |
Saving passwords in your browser is convenient. It is not secure. One compromised account, and every password you own goes with it. A real password manager costs less than $2 a month. That's less than a pack of gum to lock down your entire digital life.
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📖 Read time: 3 minutes |
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"Kim, I use Google to save all my passwords, and it works fine. My wife uses Apple's built-in thing. We've never had a problem. Why would we pay for a separate password manager?" — Joe, Phoenix, AZ |
Joe, I love this question. And you're not wrong. Browser password savers work. But "works fine" and actually secure are two very different things. |
Here's where the gaps are. They're the kind you don't notice until the day everything goes sideways. |
🔓 You're trapped inside their world |
Google's password manager works beautifully in Chrome. Open Safari or Firefox, and your passwords vanish. Apple's Keychain is seamless on iPhone and Mac. Pick up an Android or a Windows laptop? Good luck. |
Those aren't bugs. That's their business model. Corporations built these tools to keep you inside their ecosystem. A real password manager lives on every browser, every device, every operating system. Your passwords go where you go. Full stop. |
👁️ Google sees your passwords |
Here's the part most people don't know. Google's password manager is not zero-knowledge. Zero-knowledge means the company encrypts your vault on your device before it ever touches their servers. Even they can't see what's inside. |
Google doesn't do that. They say they don't look. But "trust us" is not a security architecture. It's a pinky promise. |
🚨 One account down, everything down |
Your Google password manager lives inside your Google account. Your Apple passwords live inside your Apple ID. If either of those accounts gets hacked, every single password you've ever saved goes with it. One breach. One bad click. Everything. |
A dedicated password manager is its own separate lock with its own separate key. Not tied to your email. Not tied to your phone. Its own fortress. |
Browser password tools save passwords. That's it. |
🙌 The right tool for 2026 |
A real password manager tells you which of your passwords are weak, which ones you've reused across sites (dangerous) and which ones are floating around on the dark web after a breach. It generates genuinely strong passwords you'd never come up with yourself. And it alerts you the moment a site you use gets hacked. |
Joe, you've never had a problem. I honestly hope you never do. But I'll tell you this: Almost everyone who gets cleaned out online says the exact same thing right before it happens. |
I use NordPass.* I recommend NordPass. And I want to tell you why. |
It's zero-knowledge, which means not even NordPass can see your passwords. Military-grade encryption. Works on every device and every browser, iPhone to Android to Windows to Mac. And in all its years of operation, it has never had a security breach. Not once.
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✅ Right now, you can lock down every password you own for $1.43 a month, that is 52% off. |
Less than a pack of gum. Less than a single song on iTunes. For the thing standing between a hacker and every account you have. Joe, this is the one. Get it here now. |
Share this now: |
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WEB WATERCOOLER |
🎮 Trade credit takeover: I didn't have GameStop possibly buying Best Buy on my bingo card, but analysts are floating the idea. Best Buy jumped about 4% on the rumor without anything even happening. GameStop set aside a giant pile of $700 million for unspecified reasons. So yeah, the company that offers you $4 for a controller might be trying to buy the store where you go to just look and leave with a $2,400 TV. |
Snitching leaked: If you're one of those people who send in crime tips thinking your name stays between you, the police and maybe God, I've got bad news. Hackers claim they stole 8.3 million records from P3 Global Intel, which runs tip systems used by Crime Stoppers, schools, the Secret Service and the IRS. No confirmation yet from P3, but the haul reportedly includes names, addresses, Social Security numbers, license plates, plus info on the people getting reported. Some records may date back to 1987. This can't be good. |
Amazon's latest buy: Looks like Amazon really wants to be in the robotics space. They bought Fauna Robotics, the New York startup behind Sprout, a 3.5-foot humanoid that costs about $50,000. The founders are ex-Meta and Google, which feels right if your instinct is putting software on legs. This comes after Amazon grabbed the stair-climbing delivery bot startup Rivr. It already runs giant warehouse robot fleets, and now it's eyeing your house. |
💪🏻 Over 40? That's the age your body stops making as much collagen as it used to. Joints ache. Skin loses its bounce. Energy takes a hit. Hair thins. I take NativePath Collagen every single morning because it's clean, pure and actually backed by science. Two scoops. That's it. Right now, you can get 45% off plus free shipping and bonus gifts. Your body will thank you.** |
I called it. Apps are dying. The CEO of Nothing (the phone company) said what I've been saying for years. AI agents are coming for your entire app drawer. Instead of tapping through little branded squares, one AI assistant handles everything directly. No downloading. No updating. No moving apps into folders you'll never open. OpenAI, Google and Apple are already building it. The tap-swipe-download routine that's ruled smartphones for 18 years and propped up a $180 billion app store machine? It's on borrowed time. |
🌸 Totally buzzed: This one's for pure joy. Scientists say some flower nectar naturally ferments, so hummingbirds and bees may be microdosing alcohol all day while they eat. And they still fly straighter than most people back out of a Costco parking spot. They show no signs of intoxication, suggesting a surprising evolutionary adaptation. No sloppy landings, no missed flowers, no late-night texts. Just tiny airborne drinkers taking the edge off a hard day's work. Meanwhile, I have one glass of wine and need a nap. |
| | KIM'S DAILY DEALS | 🔐 Big Spring Sale security steals | Lock it up before trouble goes down (and prices go up). |
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🚪 Eyes on your porch: 2K video doorbell (63% off, $49)
4.2 ⭐ 2,600+ reviews | Porch pirates hate this thing. Smart alerts catch people, cars and packages fast. Talk through the app without opening your door. Night vision keeps watch 24/7. Hooks up wired or wirelessly, your call. |
|  | Arlo |
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📍 Track it, find it: These Apple AirTags (39% off, $60, four-pack) help stop that "where is it?" panic. Android folks, grab a Tile tracker (24% off, $19). | Ready for the worst: Think of these fire-resistant document bags (38% off, $20, two-pack) as lightweight safes for birth certificates, passports and more. | 🚨 Early warning system: This solar driveway alarm (20% off, $40) has a massive half-mile wireless range. No Wi-Fi, apps or camera needed. | Guard your cards: RFID-blocking cards (20% off, $8, six-pack) protect your whole wallet or purse from digital pickpockets. Cheap peace of mind. | 🔊 Hear me, hear me: Great sound, no cords, no excuses. Raycon delivers premium earbuds without the premium price. They come in great colors, too! On sale right now (20% off, $63.99).* | | Prices and deals were accurate at the time of publication. |
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DEVICE ADVICE |
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Your music app thinks you have terrible taste. You trained it that way. The algorithm sees silence as approval and keeps going. But every major streaming app has controls most people never touch. On Spotify, hit the three dots next to any song and tap Exclude from your taste profile. Gone. On Apple Music, press and hold the track and select Suggest Less. On YouTube Music, tap the thumbs down. Do it ruthlessly, do it consistently, and within two weeks, your recommendations will sound like a totally different app. The algorithm isn't broken. It's undertrained. You're the one who can fix it. |
iOS 26.4 finally shows you who's been eating your hotspot data: Go to Settings > Personal Hotspot > Data Usage, and you'll see a breakdown by device, name and gigabytes. Your MacBook. Your kid's phone. Your partner's tablet that was "checking something." No more mystery charges on your bill. (No more plausible deniability either.) Check it before your next billing cycle closes. |
📘 AI moving faster than you can keep up? You're not alone. If your revenue tops seven figures and you're still figuring out where AI fits, download NetSuite's free "Demystifying AI" guide. Simple, practical, no buzzwords. Won't cost you a dime.* |
Instagram is turning your photos into video, whether you asked for it or not: Soon you'll head to Story > AI Transition, pick a few photos and Instagram will stitch them into a moving clip automatically. Fake depth, fake motion, fake cinematographer energy, zero effort. Look, I've made my peace with Instagram's video obsession. (Kicking and screaming, but still.) At least now you can fake a Reel without actually making one. |
🍏 Spotlight on macOS Tahoe lets you filter out the junk: Open System Settings > Spotlight, scroll to Results from System, find Files and tap the i icon. Toggle off movies, music, spreadsheets, PDFs, anything you never want cluttering your results. You can even drag specific file types in to block them permanently. Search results that show you what you're looking for. Neat. |
🖥️ Windows has been showing you ads on your lock screen, though you never agreed to that: Click one by accident, and Edge opens a sponsored tab the moment you log in. (Rude.) Kill it permanently: Settings > Personalization > Lock screen > Lock screen status and set it to None. While you're there, swap that generic background for something you like. Thirty seconds. Much better. |
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🎙️ CLICK. LISTEN. WATCH. 🎬 |
👂 Listen up! Tune into my award-winning radio show, airing this weekend on 510+ stations. Find yours via our awesome station finder. You can also listen commercial-free on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart or wherever you get your podcasts. |
📞 You could be next: I talk to callers every week for my national radio show and podcast. Have a burning tech question? Send it to me here. |
Love the show? Tell your local station! Hit their Contact Us page or send a social media shout-out. Your 30 seconds keeps the tech talk coming to your city. Thank you! |
🧬 DNA tests don't lie. But people do. When Shelly's dad died in a plane crash in 1984, she thought that chapter was closed. Then she tried 23andMe. Three women have since come forward, all claiming to be her half sister. Shelly needs to know: Can this be faked? My answer to her is a must-hear. |
Don't just listen! Check out the show on my YouTube channel. You get to see how I react to all the stories and calls. So cool. |
👇 Use the links below to listen on your schedule. |
🎧 Or search "Komando" wherever you get your podcasts. I'm everywhere. |
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WHAT THE TECH? |
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 | Image: @umrfts via Instagram |
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🍓Trauma farm |
AI-generated videos are turning pasta, fruit and chicken nuggets into full-blown soap opera characters, complete with abandonment, betrayal and, yes, screaming as they're cooked alive. These clips are made in minutes using prompt tools like Object Talk and video AI, then blasted into your feed at industrial scale. Watch more here. |
It's as if Pixar raised its sadness quota and made daytime TV. While real news gets ignored, you're locked in watching a meatball family fall apart. |
Here's something you should know. What do you get when you mix a broccoli and a melon? The saddest vegetable known to man: a melonccoli. |
Share this now: |
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LOGGING OUT … |
🔜 Tomorrow: Maps was supposed to help you get from Point A to Point B. Instead, it somehow became a showcase for giant earth symbols, fake islands, eerie doll villages and mysteries you can zoom into yourself. This one is weird in the best way. Don't miss it. |
The answer: C) They were auctioned off on the internet with the data still on them. Yep, the moving company hired by Morgan Stanley sold thousands of hard drives and servers to a third party. That third party auctioned them online. Unwiped. Unencrypted. Wide open. |
A consultant in Oklahoma bought some, found they were full of Morgan Stanley customer data and emailed the bank. Morgan Stanley bought the drives from him, but the vast majority of the others were never recovered. The SEC called the failures astonishing, and the bank paid a $35 million fine. Plus another $120 million fine. All to avoid spending an extra $100,000 on proper data destruction. |
🚚 The NSA requires classified drives to be shredded to particles smaller than 2 millimeters, degaussed with a powerful magnetic field or incinerated at over 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit. Morgan Stanley hired movers. |
A little geek humor for the road: Two FBI agents search an office and find a hard drive with "KGB" on it. One of the agents asks the other, "Why didn't they just write '1 TB' instead?" |
🌅 The best time to get curious was yesterday. The second best time is right now. I see that twinkle in your eye and love it. — Kim |
Kim Komando • Komando.com • 510+ radio stations • Trusted by millions daily |
🏆 THE KIM CHALLENGE: Forward this to ONE person who needs to hear it today. Pick the person who popped into your head while reading. You know who it is. |
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HOW'D WE DO?What did you think of today's issue? |
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Photo credit(s): Gemini, Arlo, @umrfts via Instagram |
Companies and products denoted by an asterisk (*) within this publication are paid sponsors or advertisements. As an Amazon Associate, the publisher earns from qualifying purchases. Statements regarding products denoted by a double asterisk (**) have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration; such products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This newsletter is provided for informational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, medical, or professional advice of any kind. Readers should consult with a qualified professional before making any decisions based on this content. The publisher disclaims all liability for any loss, damage, or injury resulting from the use of or reliance on the information contained herein. |
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