Posts by sev.monster

US House Rep on cyber committees tweets Gmail password, PIN in Capitol riot lawsuit outrage

Re: Criminal Trespass

It's right there in Amendment 49: "Thou shalt not go faster than 50 feet per second on yonder horse-drawn carriage, else God smite ye."

Ohio Attorney General asks courts to declare Google a public utility

Re: Change of paradigm

I feel this way about a lot of laws, but the moment I bring anything up that is not staunchly aligned with the drivel spouted by the recipient's political party, I am told how immoral and stupid I am.

And specifically for this situation, people seem to equate "this needs to be regulated" with "now da rebublicans will have all da powaa" which is mere distraction.

Seven-year-old make-me-root bug in Linux service polkit patched

Re: Pictures something not unlike xkcd...

"What are you?!"

"A... a polkit sandwich!"

Re: Linux Alternatives

The D is very real, as it's what you will be taking when your distro's developers drink the Poettering Koolaid(tm).

FBI drops subpoena to identify readers of USA Today article about shootout with agents

Re: I've been banging the same drum...

I don't disagree with you, just playing Devil's advocate. I find logs very useful when I need them, but the problem is you often don't know they're needed until it's too late, which makes it safer just to keep them on hand. Unfortunately all the valid reasons to keep and process logs lend themselves well to the nefarious ne'er-do-wells that infest the world.

Re: I've been banging the same drum...

For performance tracking, analytics, security, auditing, compliance, and advertising purposes.

Examples:

• Performance tracking: Some page request keeps hanging, so you look at the logs to see when that started happening so you can start to pin down potential causes.
• Analytics: How many unique users visited this site? What kinds and how many device types were used? Many platforms allow logs to be ingressed, either when requested (logs must be present) or into a database (logs can be deleted). There's also good 'ol grep.
• Security: Some cockroach keeps spamming your form. Checking the logs shows they are using different IPs, but the user agent seems to be the same.
• Auditing: Confirm with your ISP how much actual page requests/traffic you get to negotiate a different price. This has happened to me at a job before.
• Compliance: Some laws or regulations may require keeping logs depending on what you're hosting. Being able to sell out your users to the man also helps quickly free you from liability.
• Advertising: You know this one.

I'm sure there are more valid reasons.

NB: As an end user, fuck tracking and logging.

And people wonder why I block stuff in my browsers on all devices; spoof my phone's IMEI, Android device ID, phone number, and other information for all apps; use a paid VPN most of the time; and don't use Windows for anything but gaming.

"I have nothing to hide," you say jubilantly, but you wouldn't like it if some rando walked up behind you and started writing down everything you were doing on a notepad, would you? You wouldn't like it if they took that notepad and sold it to the highest bidder, would you? Be honest.

There is always someone watching, and while being paranoid is not conducive, there are relatively easy, straightforward steps you can take to minimize your digital footprint—just enough to not make you stand out.

Uncle Sam recovers 63.7 of 75 Bitcoins Colonial Pipeline paid to ransomware crew

Re: Not your keys, not your crypto

There are cryptos with much less open but still cryptographically verifiable transaction schemes, like the Monero I mentioned above. There are ways to cover your tracks with crypto, just seems the crims here didn't bother.

Re: Not your keys, not your crypto

They were probably getting ready to turn them into fiat, or had already turned some of it into fiat—hence the partial recovery. I'm surprised that the crims didn't immediately mix it ten ways from Sunday and convert it to other coins before trying to cash out. At least, that's what I would do. I'd also use Monero as an initial unit of exchange, since it's much harder to track.

Hold on, someone's knocking at my door.

Remember Anonymous? It/they might be back, and it/they are angry with Elon Musk

I get your point but it's still not a ponzi scheme.

Keep in mind the original stated intention of Bitcoin was to have a fiat currency without the baggage of eg. banks and governments, for all the positive and negative that brings with it. It's like I said earlier: The people support the value, so if the people say it's less valuable, there is no government or bank to prop up the price with their reserves or promises. However, hardware and energy prices also have a lot to do with costs associated with crypto mining, which puts a heavy incentive on miners to raise they price they sell at—so at the end of the day, there is an underlying link between the cost of Bitcoin (and other proof-of-work coins) and the cost of mining them.

Also, there are cryptocurrencies that do have some kind of intrinsic value, eg. Etherium smart contracts. (To put it simply it's a way to put an immutable, cryptographically secure transaction on the blockchain with some kind of data attached, which can be used for verification, authentication, data storage, etc...)

You can make money as long as you can keep finding a greater fool than you who will pay more than you did.

I'd say that about most casual stock traders.

Re: Coward

I just bought one that reads Down With Big T-shirt. I'm helping the cause with public advertising!

Re: I thought ...

I'm a computer hacker (jargon file definition, not media definition) and cuddle AK variants, is that good enough?

Those Israelis sure can make a good rifle.

Re: I thought ...

I don't understand why people continue to think of "Anonymous" as a tangible group of specific people. The original "group" was just a bunch of like-minded posters; there was no authentication, no membership requirements, it was all communal. After the original group stopped doing things many different people have come forth using the title of "Anonymous". It's an idea and culture that cannot be easily quantified, and anyone can take up the mantle, as we see here.

While I disagree on the "ponzi scheme" claim, people need to understand that unregulated, decentralized currencies are given value by and large by the people/groups that use them, and as such are really in no place to be upset if those people/groups use their platforms to sway the value of their assets. If people want more stability they should invest in stable assets. In other words, they invested poorly.

Biden expands Chinese tech and military blocklist to 59 companies

Re: A figleaf

You ignore the fact that after the US announced its intentions, non-government investors pulled out of many of the affected companies, with Huawei being hugely impacted. Joe Public also lost a lot of trust not just in Huawei and others on the list, but all Chinese companies in general, which grealy affected sales.

But yeah, until substantive legislative actions bigger than sanctions hit China, I don't think anything will truly come of this. Just a bunch of angry kids kicking in the sandbox.

Re: Mr. Biden, Tear Down This Wall !

You act like Trump wasn't considered by many to be The Orange Menace. Just because the ball is now in (I assume) your party's court does not somehow invalidate the fact that the exact same tactics were used by Trump detractors, often very much so by those of opposing political parties.

There are children on both sides. Don't pretend there isn't.

PS: In defense of my own childlike whimsy, and in a completely apolitical fashion, Biden's nicknames have been much funnier and varied compared to the overused Orange Man Bad. Yes, we get it, he had a terrible spraytan. I want something funnier!

Tiananmen Square Tank Man vanishes from Microsoft Bing, DuckDuckGo, other search engines – even in America

Re: DDG protects the user from

Quick correction that DDG uses Yahoo among other partnerships (but mostly Yahoo) for its results. Yahoo now uses Bing. So it's a cascading sort of effect, APIs on top of APIs.

Specifically, DDG runs its own small amount of search indexing, but to save on costs they make use of other engines.

Re: Chinese / Cheese

There is a time and place for such humor, friend.

Unihertz Titan Pocket: Like asking Mum for a BlackBerry and she tells you 'but we've got a BlackBerry at home'

Re: physical keyboard

HOW DID I NOT HEAR ABOUT THIS.

IT'S EVERYTHING I WANT.

PLANET ASTRO SLIDE.

Re: New Blackberry phone coming soon

Link to the Astro Slide: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/astro-slide-5g-transformer

I am working on a PCB for an ortholinear split keyboard with a layout based on Workman...

Re: physical keyboard

Slidey chocobar phones were peak design. No compromise on screen realestate, can be used as a fondleslab without interruption, srill have full physical keyboard. I would pay ten times the price they are asking for the Titan Pocket if it had those features.

China reveals plan to pump out positive news about itself. Let's see what happens when that lands with social media fact-checkers

Re: Pushback against decades of propaganda might be futile

Everything you said was absolutely true.

But yet managed to ignore the countless amount of blood that was spilled. Nor how much the PRC likes to steal and recreate the West's technology for its own financial and economic gain. Nor how much power and influence they have over a significant amount of the world by leveraging that. Nor how they reeducate and brainwash those that speak out. Nor the massive surveillance network that covers the entire country that can tell if you sneeze in an un-Chinese way, and dock you for it. Nor the foreign prisoners they routinely hold to help bolster political power as bargaining chips. Nor the near constant meddling in foreign policies and governace via espionage.

The country was able to build so fast because the government forced the people to, and no one stopped them. Let's not forget the massive amount of Chinese land that is used by co-op farm projects, filled with the poor and the old, with no intention of uplift from the government, because their output is too needed. Where are their skyscrapers and infrastructure? Where is peace and land for the Uyghurs and other minorities that were conquered? Hong Kong? Belt and Road? What about these things?

Yes, China is a marvel, an example of a shining paragon of technical prowess and authority. All of it built on lies, theft, control, and the backs of an unwilling workforce.

Re: It'll take more than that

"What a wonderful morning. Let's get coffee." — Xi Jinping while running over children in his tank

Xiaomi touts Hypercharge 200W charging tech, claims 4,000mAh battery goes from 0 to full in 480 seconds

Re: Is this really useful for anyone?

I don't see 200W charging to be useful for anything else than requiring a battery swap every year, and with how restrictive and anti-repair companies are, I doubt the production model they include this feature on will allow it without voiding your warranty, and nor will battery health be included in the warranty... Like was already stated, just carry a second battery, just like the smart tech user has already been doing since the era of "dumb" flip-phones. I carry one with me to help prop up the dying battery in my smartmobe, and I will continue to carry it when I get my new device...

Speaking of new device, I'm getting one of these, something with a real defining feature: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/astro-slide-5g-transformer

The preproduction unit is almost fully functional. I joked when I saw it that it could replace my trusty X220T for my ultra-portable computing needs, and I think that may actually come to be.

ASUS baffles customer by telling them thermal pad thickness is proprietary

Re: At TeeCee, re: rocks.

When is the manga adaptation releasing? I want 4koma Torg!

Re: This sounds like ...

Watch out bro, you're gonnq get sued for sharing that info...

LG intranet leaks suggest internal firesale of unsold, unreleased smartphones as biz exits the mobile market

Re: WebOS on LG Tvs, tell me about it!

And if they do have a lot of ports, they tend to come in vast excess, with that excess touted on the box as a feature...

Re: WebOS on LG Tvs, tell me about it!

Unless you want cable or satellite, the modern smart TV is a standalone device, with online streaming and audio outputs built in.

The larger top-end monitors tend to be more pricey, often prohibitively so, compared to even middle of the road shart (Freudian slip) TVs. Otherwise not much, just has different features tacked on. For example, most computer monitors either don't feature audio outputs or they're a mere afterthought—not that I'd be using it anyway.

Re: WebOS on LG Tvs, tell me about it!

It's shockingly difficult to find non-smart TVs (affectionately "dumb TVs") that have decent picture quality and features. No, I don't want the latest in HBO Disnetfluhu Plus Max Prime built-in, I don't want image smoothing or post-processing, I don't want a camera and microphone, I don't want to pay inflated rates for buggy software that will inevitably reach EOL in a few months with a terrible unintuitive Wiimote-like remote that makes using the trite somehow more painful—I just want a good OLED screen with the latest HDMI or DP, in a frame more durable and thicker than my fingernail, so that I can immediately plug something else into it to make it "smart" that actually works reliably and not worry about the panel shattering the second I look at it wrong, respectively.

I unironically have investigated industrial-grade, no frills, ultra-durable televisions, but unfortunately they usually skimp on the "television" part and have terrible cheap panels, while costing 3 to 4 times more. Despite that, I still can't help but think they are superior.

NHS-backed org reacted to GitHub leak disclosure with legal threats and police call, complains IT pro

Re: I smell a rat here.....

FOI requests are there to ensure companies uphold their integrity and dedication to their customers and users, by ensuring that those customers and users are able to inquire about the operations of that company. If the dude wants to ask questions, then what is the harm? If you have legitimate concerns about how the situation was handled, take your evidence to the courts. Otherwise, it's just pointless libel.

In any case, it isn't his fault that Apperta left their private repos published in the open on a third-party site. And if he really wanted to do something nefarious, wouldn't it be smarter to... y'know, not admit to keeping the data??

Re: I smell a rat here.....

You're god-damn right. Keep up the good work. -------->

Re: I smell a rat here.....

I personally don't give a hoot what someone's gender, sex, dangly bits, or grey matter consist of. If your post is good and the banter is fun then I have no complaints. The person that jumps to the conclusion that something is somehow about gender or race is, in my experience, usually the sexist or racist one in the room...

In particular I find it funny that Lilly is assuming that we are assuming their gender, when it was never stated. Assuming "Lilly" is a feminine name is quite offensive for those following the latest in gender theory and politics, right?

Also, keep in mind, dear Lilly is not a female, they are femaie. They also did not state their pronouns so do not use "she" unless you are told otherwise! You might hurt them! Don't misgender!!

Re: I smell a rat here.....

This just in, newposter found to be employee of Apperta, news at 11...

Quantum computing: Confusion can mask a good story, but don't take anyone's word for it

Re: It's just marketing

Imagine being so full of your own pomp that you "leak" information that you youself came up with, already with the intention to release it. And it's not just the Golden Sacks, a number of media empires and other sensationalist outfits do it regularly. Frankly I don't see how such havens of scum and villainy can exist, nor how they can make money, as what I'd think to be "common sense" would immediately turn people away from such conduct...

Re: Quantum Computing

I can't wait to pop off some fusion cells at a Super Mutant using my fancy new quantum targeting neuralink wrist muscle interface.

Stealthy Linux backdoor malware spotted after three years of minding your business

Re: Yet another reason why systemd sucks

systemd unit files are just configurations that tell how systemd should run a script or binary. Traditional rc scripts are actual scripts that often handle both the configuration and the functionality. Understanding rc scripts only require understanding traditional Bourne shell, while understanding systemd requires more intricate knowledge to even begin to know what the fuck is going on. I still can't read unit files and I have no desire to learn until I am forced against my will to administrate a systemd-powered server.

Anyway...

You're telling me you don't read your service scripts? I do.

And if you for some reason have "hundreds" of services running under systemd or whatever else, in my opinion, you're doing something wrong...

Re: What backdoor?

The way I look at it, the malware isn't the only bullet dodged...

Re: Disguising it as Systemd is cunning

Alpine Linux represent!

Belgian parliament halts China Uyghur 'genocide' debate after DDoS smashes ISP offline

Re: Not a bot

Actually, after you're done brainwashing them into good little citizens, they do.

'Millions' of Dell PCs will grant malware, rogue users admin-level access if asked nicely

Re: Editor action requested

I personally feel "undetected" carries the implication of the good guys not detecting it. Like how an antivirus might detect a virus, it could be going along undetected but still carrying out its nefarious deeds.

Then you don't have Dell's proprietary driver packs installed.

Re: No Dell Update app, no firmware update?

Microsoft partners with vendors to push firmware and other low-level updates, so I can imagine this will see the light of day via Windows Update. The article also hinted at it.

Bitcoin is ‘disgusting and contrary to the interests of civilization’ says famed investor Charlie Munger

Re: If not crypto...

I regret even attempting to engage in discourse with you elsewhere in this thread. You are clearly very biased and not at all open to other people's opinions or ideas.

Continue living in your bubble where large masses of reincarnated Nazis walk the street praising Hitler.

Re: Insert meme here

If you're dealing with gangsters, I think you have bigger problems than using crypto.

And if you are truly engaging in "nefarious activities", you use a wallet that isn't connected to any company or institution and does not have any personal transactions in it, and use a mixing service or two before you make your withdrawal into fiat.

If privacy is a concern, here are some links about Monero I think you should read:

https://cryptoticker.io/en/how-anonymous-is-monero/

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-crypto-currencies-altcoins-explainer-idUSKCN1SL0F0

Re: Insert meme here

"bitcoin is deliberately designed to prevent that ever happening."

...How? There are crypto ATMs in various communities globally (a family associate owns some), there are tens to hundreds of crypto marketplaces to facilitate trading between private sellers and/or between the business and the user, transactions are fast for large sums/across borders and do not require lengthy authentication and verification processes (which can be a con for some, I understand), more and more online businesses are beginning to accept crypto, and there are even some major chains that accept it. Here's the first Google result.

What "money" is is determined by a number of factors, and one of the big ones is ubiquity. Bitcoin is getting there. One thing it will likely never have or at least will not excel at is its stability, but that can be expected for what amounts to a fiat currency with only proof of work and the will of the people backing it. If you're going to decry Bitcoin, that should be your platform.

And of course no one says they will go to an ATM to 'buy some banknotes', because it's commonly understood that you go to an ATM to withdraw money from your account with a financial institution. You aren't buying anything, since that implies a transfer of value in return for (non-fiat) goods or services. The money was already yours, you just let the bank hold on to it. Due to how crypto works and its digital nature, crypto banks are not something that have a need to exist, though the financial sectors are certainly trying (cf. PRC launching its own national crypto).

Re: If not crypto...

Why must people inject Hitler into every situation as if it somehow makes sense? If anything the Russians are better at espionage and the cultivation of propaganda than the Germans.

I want to crawl in your noggin just to follow the synapses that were responsible for creating that particular thought.

How do you think promisary notes got any value to begin with? Your analogy is dishonest, because back in the days of yore, the governments printed their notes with the express purpose to immediately turn around and "sell" them, specifically as IOUs for services and materials, like labor and rare metals. All fiat is just trading one promise of value for another promise of value. The analogy wouldn't even make sense if you replaced dollars with coins, since they often have some intrinsic value, unlike Bitcoin or promisary notes.

The government promised to give out an amount of gold as stated on their fancy IOU, while people buying bitcoin desire to buy it at a particular price because they choose to give it value for one reason or another (cost associated with mining, investment in the community, andi-government sentiment...). Both situations offer a valid medium of exchange, like it or not. The real difference here is that the latter is not currently a reliable store of value, and that the ink used to print it is much, much more expensive.

Re: Insert meme here

If you think no one has ever made that argument you need to go outside more. I've heard it personally.

Re: Insert meme here

FYI, Bitcoin is not anonymous, unless you consider writing a fake name in the hotel check-in log while you are watched by crowds of people "anonymous". No precautions are taken to obfuscate the Bitcoin ledger.

While it is possible to set up a twisty-turny trail of transactions, all of them are still out in the open, and if your wallet has ever seen a transaction to or from a managed wallet or exchange owned by a large company that requires sign up with your full name and address... well, you can see how that would be incredibly easy to track.

Appeals court nixes online blueprint sharing ban on 3D-printed 'ghost guns'

Re: 3D-printed aren't what you should worry about

I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not, but I know of at least two places not too far from me (one being right next to a church funnily enough) where I could buy an illegal firearm. I know of them only due to observation; I can occasionally see people dealing as I drive past. More reliably, one of my parents has deep ties with the city from her wild youth, including numerous potential contacts for hard drugs and bigger weapons.

"Untraceable" only means it doesn't have a serial or other distinguishing regulatory [or otherwise] mark that can be traced back to you personally. Buy from some random hoodlum where there are no cameras around, and even if the dude gets busted and talks, the worst the investigators will get is a rough description. Throw it in a lake and no one will ever be able to prove you owned it if you were careful enough when it was in your posession. And while firearm forensics can reliably be used to match a bullet to a rifled barrel, the most that can be proven is that a specific firearm was used to fire some specific bullets. Unless you manage to fuck up all of those steps, one should be able to feel at least somewhat confident that they will be able to get away with it.

I am not a criminal.