If your iPhone or Mac has started acting like it’s possessed – specifically, if the Apple Podcasts app keeps popping open on its own to play random shows you’ve never heard of – you aren’t crazy.

Users have been reporting this for months. One minute their device is idle, and the next, the Podcasts app launches itself and loads up bizarre, obscure shows. These aren’t top-chart hits; they are often random religious sermons, empty audio files, or shows with titles full of gibberish code.

Ghost Podcasts and Auto-Launches Recommended Videos

Security researcher Patrick Wardle dug into this and found something unsettling: a website can force your Podcasts app to open and load any show the site owner wants, all without asking for your permission. On a Mac, most apps ask before launching from

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