Posts by MrReynolds2U

Sorry Pat, but it's looking like Arm PCs are inevitable

Sitting at the desk is part of the sales process.

EPA flushes water supply cybersecurity rule after losing legal fight with industry, states

Seems like they are on board... for a price

OK, so the statement from the CEO of the utility company roughly translates to:

"We're happy to put minimum cyber-security requirements in place if you get this through Congress."

"Because if it goes through Congress, additional money will be provided for us to do so."

NB: a whole load of amendments will be added that funnel some of that money into member's districts so they agree to vote for the proposal.

Mixin suspends deposits and withdrawals after $200m cryptocurrency heist

"We will try our best to minimize the losses and deeply apologize for this,"

Roughly translated: "Our customers will take a loss. Us, not so much."

Make it so

I feel like that should be the definition in the Urban Dictionary.

There's a pint waiting for you on Friday from me.

How TCP's congestion control saved the internet

Thanks Bruce

Always a pleasure when we get to read articles by those who helped create or contribute to what we use everyday.

Thousands of Juniper Junos firewalls still open to hijacks, exploit code available to all

Exactly, but a lot of cloud-controlled or centrally-controlled firewalls use this method.

So when your new firewall turns up with "manage from the cloud," just say no!

Alternatively, set up IP restriction (because you can - it's a firewall) if you absolutely need to be able to access the HTTPS interface remotely.

Scientists trace tiny moonquakes to Apollo 17 lander – left over from 1972

In which case, shouldn't we be using degrees Kelvin?

Elon Musk has beef with Bill Gates because he shorted Tesla stock, says biographer

Re: Tesla, the company doing the most to solve climate change

I think you missed the sarcasm indicator there

PEBCAK problem transformed young techie into grizzled cynical sysadmin

ID 10 T error, is my personal favourite (spaces added for clarity).

Right to repair advocates have a new opponent: Scientologists

Re: Expose

ha ha absolutely, my mistake, but I retain the right to re-post the joke if we ever discuss the Mormons.

Re: Expose

Of course they need to make money.

Golden tablets don't grow on trees... Sorry, under trees

Microsoft calls time on ancient TLS in Windows, breaking own stuff in the process

Re: OK - you curse the beancounters

Perhaps, but the IT industry includes the managers and bean-counters.

I presume a cost-benefit analysis was carried out on providing updated firmware and it didn't indicate a profit.

You can make a lot more from up-selling new kit over supporting legacy hardware.

Re: Our experience: Problems are rare

Add old versions of ILOs (base management interface), networking hardware etc, plus a lot of computer controlled industrial and commercial equipment

Most of us don't have the luxury of working only with up to date kit. I provide support for certain devices that are still tied to security standards common in the IE era. They aren't public facing but still critical. Unfortunately there's never the budget to rip and replace apparently, since they "still work".

There's a reason we commonly curse out management and bean-counters on here.

Sure, give the new kid and his MCSE power over the AS/400. What could possibly go wrong?

Re: Ah, MCSE

I've worked with a few "crash course" graduates. They used to spend a few thousand on a two week course and then get jobs because they had the quali. Even meant they were hired as my boss at once place.

They were completely out of their depth if something didn't go by the book. And as you all know, it rarely did.

FBI-led Operation Duck Hunt shoots down Qakbot

Re: $48M losses ... $8.6M recovered

also, what was the cost of this operation?

Health, payment info for 1.2M people feared stolen from Purfoods in IT attack

Are you serious?

Why is anyone storing these details in the clear in 2023. Why is this data not securely encrypted? If there are payment card details, are they not completely in contravention of PCI-DSS?

Pack of GM Cruise robo-taxis freeze, snarl up Friday night traffic amid festival crowds

Not dangerous, Ford?

I'm pretty sure if someone could turn your stereo on full blast when you're driving it would distract you and could cause an accident.

Plus access to the ICE system could compromise phone contacts, messages, connected apps and potentially be used to compromise traffic through MITM attacks.

Asus blames 'thermal stress' for fried SD card readers in Ally handhelds

Call of Duty is well over 100GB on XBox. It's updates are the same size too instead of using incremental patching.

It's 2023 and memory overwrite bugs are not just a thing, they're still number one

Re: Buffer overrun? still?

Yep, not just the copy-and-paste stuff on Stack Overflow but also examples on instructional websites and videos.

They all say something like "remember to add exception handling" or "sanitise input" leaving the implementer to do this without providing good advice on the subject.

It's easy to write memory safe C and C++, but people don't. Too busy making something work and forgetting to make it safe.

Users complain over UK state-owned bank's services as Atos eyes the exit

Nest website

Since they mentioned Nest in the article. Thought I would mention something about their website that bugs me.

They didn't recognise my password, so I went to change it.

However, for some absurd reason they've blocked copy and paste on the password fields. Like many of you, I use a password manager. So forcing you to type in a password can only encourage poor passwords.

In the end I used the Dev tools and set it via JavaScript.

Re: MeToo...

Have you tried using a plugin to spoof your Linux browser user agent so it looks like Chrome? Might allow you to avoid using a Windows-based browser.

I managed to sign in earlier including getting an SMS. Was running in Opera with usual no script and UBlock. Only annoying thing for me was that every page load it brought up the cookie question and failed to store my selection to reject everything.

Parisians say au revoir to shared e-scooters

Re: Corrugated pavements

In the UK, the pavement is what you would call the sidewalk.

Re: Spin class ...

I seem to remember another consultative vote a few years back that was implemented as a mandate.

(Waits for down votes)

Fresh models of Framework modular laptops in the works

Expansion card issues

I think the expansion slot idea for connectors is a nice idea, but badly implemented.

e.g. on the 13in you get 4 expansion slots, so say you want USB-C (so you can charge it), another USB-C or A, ethernet and HDMI. Then that's it. Want a card reader? Sure, just swap out one of the others.

Combined expansion cards with multiple USB or HDMI+DispayPort would be better. Without combinations, it feels a bit sparse.

I don't want to have to carry around an USB-C expansion hub when the laptop should have these common features built in. Why is everything a compromise, except the price?

The UK's bad encryption law can't withstand global contempt

Re: One rule for them, another for the rest of us.

I come across a lot of people who are set in their beliefs and won't listen to an alternative argument. I don't think any particular part of the political spectrum evades this. Perhaps it's just when we see people with vastly differing views, we're more aware of it. People in general are stuck and the echo chambers we chose only make that more prevalent.

It happens to us all to a certain extent. We just need to keep learning and challenging both others and ourselves.

British industry calls for regulation of autonomous vehicles

Nope. Those records are kept separately in government storage and only ever used together to investigation potential fraud and even then, a high court judgement would be required to unseal the records.

In theory this could be done, but in practice, it just isn't. It would be illegal. Obviously where the security services are involved, YMMV.

Chipmakers threaten to defect to US, EU if UK doesn't get its semiconductor plans sorted

Re: Clarksons Farm

On a related note, Nursing is one of the professions where there are different titles for males and females in the same role.

i.e. Sister is, I think, known as Charge Nurse.

New IT boss decided to 'audit everything you guys are doing wrong'. Which went wrong

This. Absolutely this.

Time to buy a phone as shops use discounts to clear out inventories

Re: A maze of twisty little phones ... all alike

The price difference between mid-range and high-end is huge. Unfortunately things like NFC and wireless charging tend to be only on the more expensive models and the cameras tend to be better on them too.

My latest Chinese random brand phone doesn't have any of those unfortunately (camera is appalling) but I can't justify the expense of a top-end model so if there's any recommendations for a phone I should look at, let me know.

Why would a keyboard pack a GPU and run Unreal Engine? To show animations beneath the clear keys, natch

Re: Type here

Yeah It's hardly full size of there's no numpad

SystemRescue 9.06 is here with the shiny new Xfce 4.18

Question

I use a version of this and often find I need to apt install chntpw to reset Windows admin passwords. Is it possible to update the image once I've installed this so I don't need to keep doing this?

Researchers smell a cryptomining Chaos RAT targeting Linux systems

That would set a dangerous precedent. The Internet is meant to exist without borders (although some countries are quite adept at blocking access to information).

Can you expand a little

I feel like this article is lacking information: like how to identify infections and remove. Links are fine but a little more info is always welcome considering how many of us run Linux systems. Also, some information as to how infection is achieved would be useful.

Obviously I'll do some research of my own too.

Job 1: Get the boss on the network. Job 2: Figure out why Job 1 broke the network for everyone else

Re: I hope it was only the WiFi

Always use MAC restrictions on private WiFi (even though you can spoof your MAC address) and if you can, on any internal network. At home I run a private WiFi network with MAC allow list and a separate guest WiFi via voucher code for when visitors ask "What's your WiFi password?".

Twitter engineer calls out Elon Musk for technical BS in unusual career move

Re: The Hospital versions..

Back in my in-person support days we used to do things like clean the foo-foo valves and degauss the warp drive when fixing a PC. Even got the boss with a few of them.

Go ahead, be rude. You don't know it now, but it will cost you $350,000

Re: You get what you order

For the UK...you must stop and exchange details if there is damage to property (not necessarily insurance if you are handling it privately) and you must inform the police if there is suspicion of injury or a driving offense. Anything else is just bluster.

From the Met:

"You don't need to report a collision to the police if you've exchanged details, nobody was injured and there are no allegations of driving offences.

You must report the collision to the police if you were unable to exchange details at the scene, if anyone was injured, or if you suspect that the other person may have committed a driving offence."

https://www.met.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/rs/road-safety/collisions/

Unlucky for some: Meta chops 13% of global workforce

Re: Zuck and metaverse

When I was driving to work today (I have to, there isn't a viable public transport option if I want to sleep past 5am) I noticed a another vehicle with more than 1 person in*. First time I've seen that in ages.

*Excluding trades vans which usually have 2-3 people in.

The hub and spoke public transport model means I would need to take 2 buses and a train to get to work. It would cost at least twice as much and take twice as long (if I was lucky and the train wasn't cancelled). Oh, and I probably wouldn't have a seat. When you add in that I drive my daughter to college on my way to work, that cost for public transport becomes more than triple my car-based costs.

If there was a viable public transport option, I would use it, but TPTB need to wake-up and plan a system where cars are no-longer a necessity if they want wider adoption and a lower environmental impact. Instead they are just focused on electric car ownership and banning non-EVs which will limit personal transport options for the poorer in society (there isn't a reasonably-priced 2nd hand market for EVs).

Euro clouds lodge another complaint against Microsoft over anti-competitive licenses

I'm running virtual Win10 on Hyper-V on-prem and although it's a fight to understand the correct licensing, I'm pretty sure that just having 365 Enterprise subscription allows this. Unfortunately the software we're using only works with MS Office, otherwise I would have used an alternative. Could utilise EXSi or Xen, but I'm just more familiar with Hyper-V.

I had an MSP recently try and sell us a rather convoluted cloud-based, locked-down, virtual desktop and server solution utilising VMWare. I advised TPTB that for an initial CapEx equivalent to 3 months of their quoted cost, we could run our own on-prem solution and retain control of our own data. There's still a bit of push-back from those who think "cloud" is best but I've got plenty of horror stories to drop on them when the time comes.

LG debuts thin malleable screens made from contact lens material

Re: Visors

Yep, I immediately thought of this Black Mirror episode: The Entire History of You

Hot, sweaty builders hosed a server – literally – leaving support with an all-night RAID repair job

Re: Bathroom vent fan

While I applaud your re-use of the heat throughout the premises, having the air-gap at the bottom could lead to ingress of dust and other material. Obviously the air is cooler at the bottom, but you've got to factor in the air quality too. You might be better off with a small wall vent close to the floor with a replaceable/cleanable filter.

The world was promised 'cloud magic'. So much for that fairy tale

Re: The Cloud

That reminds me of the BT to ComputaCentre fiasco. I contracted for CC at one point and was amazed at the extortionate costs and work they were able to bill BT for; who happily paid out. It was part of their restructure when they sold off buildings to rent them back and TUPE'd a bunch of engineers over to CC.

Elon Musk shows what being Chief Twit is all about across weird weekend

Re: Quality Review

Gotta keep your WoW guild page up-to-date mate /s

(obvs not in a pro capacity except in maybe time spent)

Cisco AnyConnect Windows client under active attack

On Win10 or 11 you've got SSTP, PPTP, IKE2 (IPSec) along with good-old L2TP/IPSec (PSK\Cert) and I'm pretty sure Win7 had the same options and they were available on all editions.

For more advanced options, if you want to direct specific traffic down different tunnels, then it can be done but requires a little fiddling.

Win VPN doesn't support MFA yet which you may get with VPN clients from firewall vendors and they also may have better methods of sharing PSKs and credentials.

I personally don't really understand why people use 3rd party VPN clients on Windows so if anyone has a decent reason, please share it.

Oops, web trackers may have leaked 3 million patients' info

Re: Google is all seeing

In reference to cunts... sometimes that's the only word that really conveys how you are feeling.

With all the changes recently, thank fuck we can still swear on here.

"AAH's... robust technology vetting process"

Doesn't seem to be living up to that claim so far.

Why are PC webcams crap? Lenovo says it knows the reason

Re: Fair, physics.

Agreed on the ethernet jack front. It feels like I'm breaking something when I try to prise it open for use.

(Lenovo Thinkbook user)

To make this computer work, users had to press a button. Why didn't it work? Guess

Re: Manual is optional,

Amen to that.

I don't need your life story, just tell me or show me exactly what the title of the video says.