Posts by storner

Cloudflare suffers second outage in as many months during routine maintenance

Re: Cloudy with a chance of errors

Because you have a choice between being downed by massive DDoS attacks or suffering an Cloudflare/Akamai outage.

(Yes, I've seen both).

Zoomers are officially worse at passwords than 80-year-olds

"One glimmer of hope from the global data, taken from recent breaches and dark web repositories, was that the use special characters is on the rise."

Bollocks. Special characters add no extra security - the NIST password guidelines have detailed this for years.

Length is all that matters, hence the recommendation for passphrases instead of passwords.

Everybody's warning about critical Windows Server WSUS bug exploits ... but Microsoft's mum

Re: It doesn't have to be open to the Internet...

My thoughts exactly. If you have any kind of foothold inside, then there is nothing like the ability to install your own software if you want to do lateral movement and persistence.

Techies tossed appliance that had no power cord, but turned out to power their company

Re: However...

My Operations teamlead calls this "fear-driven Operations" and will have nothing of it.

If you don't know what it is, ask everyone who might know.

If nobody knows, raise a change to decom it.

Disconnect network cables and wait 6 weeks.

If no complaints, power it off but leave it in the rack for 4 weeks.

Still no complaints? Throw it in the bin.

Client defended engineer after oil baron-turned tech support entrepreneur lied about dodgy dealings

"Has new management made your life miserable?"

Is that a trick question???

I mean - I wouldn't know where to start about all of the times management has made my life miserable ...

Energy drink company punished ERP graybeard for going too fast

Re: Oh really ?

For starters, HR should stop using the term "resources" which makes the employees comparable to water coolers and printers.

One token to pwn them all: Entra ID bug could have granted access to every tenant

If I were the NSA, I would say it was very competently done.

Too bad some schmuck discovered it.

Techie ended vendor/client blame game by treating managers like toddlers

Treating managers as toddlers

is always a good starting point.

I have been surprised, but those events are rare.

The White House could end UK's decade-long fight to bust encryption

EU "chat control" directive

For once it sucks to be on the EU side of the Channel - my prime minister (currently leading the Union) is dead set on giving snoops access to all encrypted message services.

Here's to the german chancellor for blocking it on the basis of their bad history with Stasi etc.

Users left scrambling for a plan B as Dropbox drops Dropbox Passwords

Re: Here's a great alternative

Try using that to fill a login form on your mobile phone... no thanks.

It's Bitwarden for me.

Debian isn't waiting for 2038 to blow up, switches to 64-bit time for everything

Re: Best of luck

Then it makes a lot of sense that commands using the wtmp, utmp and lastlog files have been eliminated from Debian 13.

https://www.debian.org/releases/trixie/release-notes/issues.da.html#the-last-lastb-and-lastlog-commands-have-been-replaced

Nuclear reactors smaller than a semi truck to be tested in Idaho

Re: the average US home only consumes around 30 kWh of electricity per day

I was thinking the same - to reach 30 kWh per day I would need two electrical cars and permanent WfH. My normal use for cooking, laundry, lights etc is 10 kWh per day, and my electric car adds 6 kWh per day (on average). This includes one person permanently at home, and a 5-disk NAS running 24/7 in the basement.

Thanks for contributing to our current CO2-apocalypse.

'Elevated' moisture reading ignored before Heathrow-closing conflagration, says NESO

Re: Heathrow not blameless

"The CEO was fast asleep with his phone on silent and they couldn't raise him. Why someone wasn't dispatched to wake him up, who knows... Which meant it fell to the Operations Director to handle the incident"

As it should.

In the old days when I worked in IT operations, any major incident would inevitably lead to multiple C-level nitwits huddling around the one poor sysadmin tasked with getting things up and running. The first thing our new Operations Director did was to throw them all out. I think he would have liked to revoke their door passes for the IT department as well.

After that, the number of "high business impact" incidents has plummeted.

The 'End of 10' is nigh, but don't bury your PC just yet

A friend of mine - aged 76, but still going strong - received a mail from his local Pensioners Association. "If you run Windows 10, we will help you install Linux Mint instead". All 20 seats were booked in a day!

So of course I did the install for him, on a new disk so he could try if it would work for him. Thats is 5 weeks ago, and he is quite happy with it. The biggest challenge was to find a photo editor with enough features to do what he needed, but not so big as to be targeted at professionals. GIMP and DarkTable are not really intuitive, unless you have worked a lot with digital photo editing before.

BOFH: The Prints of Darkness pays a visit

I also hate printers

Problem is my 88-year old mum insists on printing all of the emails, she receives. Guess who gets to fix it when the printer does not work?

I actually bought a new printer for her - well, an old model since it has to work with her Windows 7 laptop - which worked flawlessly for 10 days, but now refuses to connect to her wifi.

So ... printers. Spawn of the devil.

Panic averted: It was just a bug in Atop after all

I routinely use 'top' (and might have used 'atop' had I known about it) to diagnose what is causing systems to slow down. And I might do so while being root. I know - shouldn't do that, but it is convenient to be able to kill the offending process right from the top-display.

So lacing 'atop' with a security hole ... Potential security issue + running as root = bad things happen.

Museum digs up Digital Equipment Corporation's dusty digital equipment

My first job was at DEC

Thanks to some family I got a part-time job with DEC in Denmark in 1983. I was only in my first year at Comp.Sci. at the university. Worked on a VAX 11/780 and a 11/750, with a network (ha! dialup) connection via DECnet to the rest of the world. Was hired to do some programming using the FMS ("Forms Management System") library for an internal asset management system.

Good times, then...

Developer wrote a critical app and forgot where it ran – until it stopped running

Re: Serious OOPS!

I'll bet you one of these -->

that laptops are standard equipment, whereas a workstation is a special request requiring forms to be filled out, budgets to be allocated etc.

Junior techie rushed off for fun weekend after making a terminal mistake that crashed a client

Not entirely a mistake, but ...

Just as "security" had begun sneaking into the minds of IT people - 1998 - I was working for a very young start-up doing security testing. We had a bunch of tools to perform various tests trying to wriggle information from systems, send mails via systems that shouldn't, work around firewall rules (if there were any) etc.

And a few tools to perform destructive tests like shutting down systems. We didn't use those unless the client specifically asked us to do so and authorized it - in writing.

One day I was working on-site at a customer with a large dinosaur of an IBM system, trying to make my way in. The sysadmins were quite smug about this "security test", and I was supposed to run the full set of tests - including the potentially destructive ones. So late in the afternoon I dig into that section of the toolbox and begin poking around the network interfaces using SNMP. The server joyfully provides all sorts of interesting info - the configuration, IP-adresses of systems it is connected to etc. Okay, let's see what else is possible - we had been authorized to try the potentially destructive tests, so I fired off the SNMP "write" command with the default password to switch off the primary network interface.

Which it did.

Quite a bit of frantic activity followed to get the system back online. I just leaned back and pulled out the (virtual) popcorn.

Another big-iron experience - mid 1990's - was when connecting one of those newfangled "unix" systems at a branch office to the REAL mainframe computer via an X.25 connection. All went well until we should try sending some data: The mainframe crashed hard enough that a full IPL (reboot) was needed. Turned out there was a bug in the mainframe X.25 comms stack which the unix system accidentally triggered.

Glitchy taxi tech blew cover on steamy dispatch dalliance

Re: Ones Mind Broadens...

> Became a lot more particular in general about what I did not log

Discretion. The hallmark of good IT admins everywhere.

Hey, remember iPads? Those fondleslabs? Apple still does

Re: SLABS!

Nonsense. They are perfect for reading newspapers, viewing photos when travelling, doing my home banking etc. All of the stuff I do where a computer/laptop is too big and clunky, and the phone screen is too small.

And they are very low maintenance devices, which is a good thing when used by the IT-indifferent folks in the family.

One stupid keystroke exposed sysadmin to inappropriate information he could not unsee

Re: Confidential.....

Nostalgia, indeed.

Brought back memories of me implementing a filedistribution system for the Royal Greenland trading company based on exchanging files via Kermit - over some very dodgy and unstable phone connections with fairly high latency (often satellite-based). Back in the 1980's.

Gawd I am getting old ...

Apple warns 'extremely sophisticated attack' may be targeting iThings

Re: Burner code instead of burner phone

You'll be jailed for obstruction of justice, destruction of evidence, and all sorts of other nice legal trapdoors.

Early mornings, late evenings, weekends. Useless users always demand support

Dual SIM phone

I have ALWAYS kept my personal phone number secret from employers, colleagues (except very trusted ones), and all other sorts of insensitive twats.

End of workday, the company SIM gets switched off. Same procedure when on holidays.

As for Teams, disabling the "update in the background" and/or turning off notifications works wonderfully.

China claims major fusion advance and record after 17-minute Tokamak run

Re: Sounds really good...

"tokamak" is indeed a russian word

Short-lived bling, dumb smart things, and more: The worst in show from CES 2025

Re: making an essential appliance too damn complicated

Why bother setting the time? I am sure you have plenty of other reliable sources for your time information.

Microsoft holds last Patch Tuesday of the year with 72 gifts for admins

Re: "this Patch Tuesday, with just 72 fixes"

Show me an operating system that doesn't get 100+ updates in a year, and I am sure it is no longer supported.

Ubuntu 22.04 has published about 500 security notices in 2024 for their LTS 22.04 version. https://ubuntu.com/security/notices?release=jammy&offset=500

Software is crap. Patching is tedious. Automate it and move on.

iOS 18 added secret and smart security feature that reboots iThings after three days

Re: Anything that makes life harder for companies like Cellebrite

"I'd set it to 1 hour anytime I was crossing a border"

In that case, you should either turn it off completely before crossing the border, or use a burner phone instead of your own.

Sysadmins rage over Apple’s ‘nightmarish’ SSL/TLS cert lifespan cuts plot

Nope, the choice of browser is entirely in the hands of the user. Who couldn't care less and therefore uses whatever browser comes with the device, which will be Chrome, Edge (aka Chrome), or Safari.

Making your website unavailable to +90% of your customers because of sysadmin complaints is unacceptable to your business.

Python script saw students booted off the mainframe for sending one insult too many

Re: Python script in the early 1980's?!

Pfui - not a problem unless you try to use those newfangled visual editors. 'ed' works fine on 75 baud.

Privacy features lose their way in latest Firefox update

The good thing about all the Chrome derivatives

The good thing about all the Chrome derivatives is that you can have one browser for Facebook, another for LinkedIn, and a third for work-related stuff.

And then Firefox for all of the important, personal stuff.

I didn't touch a thing – just some cables and a monitor – and my computer broke

Re: Crows

Oh yes - the "cast-off" is often better than the new and shiny stuff.

Only this week my company dumped a large number of excellent Logitech keyboards in the bin labelled "take one if you like it". These were nice keyboards, backlit keys, not a lot of use. In other words much better than the keyboard I was provided with recently, which has a new shiny "knob" in the top left corner. A knob which I constantly hit due to my being left-handed with the mouse, so spontaneously windows got rearranged, new email windows popped up etc. And the battery life is crap.

The cast-off keyboard is now my primary keyboard. At least until the Internal IT police comes banging on the door and confiscates it.

Microsoft slammed for lax security that led to China's cyber-raid on Exchange Online

Re: But the Cloud is more secure

At least Microsoft does patch their cloudservers. A lot of people don't. https://www.theregister.com/2024/03/28/germany_microsoft_exchange_patch/

Supermium drags Google Chrome back in time to Windows XP, Vista, and 7

Yeah - our Palo Alto firewall also deems it as "malware". Bet that is Google and Microsoft doing their thing to push us to upgrade :-)

Watchdog calls for more plugs, less monopoly in EV charging network

Re: Meh... Either way

Fast-charging stations use cables that are firmly bolted onto the charging station, so nicking those means robbing the entire charger. Good luck with that, given the power it is connected to.

Low-power cables (your typical 11k-22kW or less cable) are usually locked to the car. You can probably (given enough force) rip them from the connector of the car, but it is not something that you just pick up when passing by.

Airline puts international passengers on the scales pre-flight

Happened to me in the 1990's

Before boarding a flight from Boston to Marthas Vineyard, I was asked how much I weighed. That was in my younger days when I was quite fit and normal weight.

The reason was that they needed to distribute tthe weight evenly. The Marthas Vineyard airport had such a short runway that the flight was operated with a 1950's DC-3, so balancing the weight was important. Rumor has it that the local oligarks refused to extend the runway, because it worked very well with their private jets, and they preferred not to have too many tourists.

It is the oldest plane I have ever flown.

CPH uses full body scans.

Fresh GDPR ruling says even 'minor anxiety' could mean payouts for EU folks

Re: Can I sue the EU

Sue the website for requiring you to hand over your personal data. Don't shoot the messenger.

Working from home could kill career advancement, says IBM CEO

Re: Metrics for success

Indeed.

The number of working hours here in Denmark has decreased from 60 hours/six days per week around 1900 to 37 hours/5 days per week in 1992. Mandatory (by law) required holidays has gone from 1 week to 5 weeks per year, and 99% has an extra week as part of their contract.

Need I say that productivity and wealth has increased immensely over the past 125 years? Or just over the past 25 years?

Requiring that you are physically present in the office when working is just plain dumb. But I guess that is a fine description of lots of middle-layer management, and a fair share of C-level as well.

Microsoft Defender shoots down legit URLs as malicious

Yes, but ...

can anyone come up with a better alternative for endpoint protection? Which is easy to install, does not cost a fortune, works across Windows, Mac, and Azure, and has *zero* false positives?

--> see icon

For password protection, dump LastPass for open source Bitwarden

Re: Why not share via Bitwarden?

Completely agree - there are lots of password I want to share with a limited set of users. Like the password for the online newspaper subscription, passwords for various accounts at webshops that the whole family uses etc.

Not correct. They use a pre-shared key (some 30-odd mix of letters and numbers) which is generated when you setup the 2FA - this key is combined with the current time to give you the 6-digit token.

There's an RFC for that, if you want the details.

Oh, no: The electric cars at CES are getting all emotional

Re: "buttons replaced with touchscreens"

No need for buttons, just use voice recognition and talk to your car. Allows you to keep your eyes looking at traffic and your hands on the steering wheel.

Microsoft 365 faces more GDPR headwinds as Germany bans it in schools

Re: What about Google's stuff?

Danish schools have been using Google Chromebooks and Google tools for several years. Then the Danish Data Protection Agency (which is definitely not very eager to tread on anyones toes) came up with a ruling saying "you cannot use Google in schools" after a parent complained that their kids' personal data ended up in the US.

It's just the same as the german Office 365 decision.

And of course all of the schools and local governments are up in arms about it.

Australia to 'stand up and punch back' against cyber crims

So the Aussies have a bullet-proof way of determining who is behind an attack, and are completely ready to go after the evil-doers in Russia, China and North Korea. Sounds like a plan ...

May I suggest that the government sanctions the companies who have such lax protection of their citizens' highly sensitive data? Eg fine them so hard that it actually pays off to really protect data instead of merely doing checkbox-compliance meaningless "audits".

Swiss Re wants government bail out as cybercrime insurance costs spike

It's a scam

Cyberinsurance doesn't work. 1) it will never cover the actual cost; 2) it gives companies an incentive to just pay up instead of fixing their rotten security; and 3) it simply tells the criminals to increase their demands because someone else is paying.

Adding state funds to the pot just makes the whole thing worse (except for the insurance companies, obviously).

I know from personal experience that you can get a *lot* of real security for the cost of cyberinsurance. So drop the insurance, and use the funds for something better.

Rookie programmer's code goes up in flames ... kind of

Re: Is this me or not?

Management calls it "thinking outside of the box" ...

You've heard of the cost-of-living crisis, now get ready for the cost-of-working crisis

Re: Email remains the most used communication method for work

"warm office"?? Dream on - here in Denmark, there is a government mandated max of 19 C at all offices during the winter.

Officially, it only applies to government and municipality offices. But of course every penny-pinching beancounter will jump on it.

So the only place I have a warm office is when working from home. Which is what I plan to do as much as possible.

Major IT outage forces UK emergency call handlers to use 'pen and paper'

They need not be. Only takes one bad click on an email and your internal network is exposed.

Most cyber incidents these days happen that way - attacking from the outside is a lot more work unless you have *really* poor security.

Wash your mouth out with shape-shifting metal

Re: While the prospect of toothpaste that DOESN'T taste like mint is appealing

There are toothpastes which are not mint-flavored. Google 'boiron homeodent toothpaste anise' if you would like something else.