trelane @trelane@librem.one

Since the #xz incident started, I've been maintaining an FAQ/living document on what we know at https://gist.github.com/thesamesam/223949d5a074ebc3dce9ee78baad9e27.

I think most people in my extended circle either already seen it but posting about it given there's likely to be a lot more questions as we go into the working week.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed tips, suggestions, and edits. Thanks especially to @cadey who has helped a lot with editing.

This is the best timeline I've seen so far on what we know about the Xz backdoor. Some good info here for researchers: https://boehs.org/node/everything-i-know-about-the-xz-backdoor

My story about how telematics data from people's cars unexpectedly raised their insurance rates is on the front page today...

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/11/technology/carmakers-driver-tracking-insurance.html?unlocked_article_code=1.b00.DzhQ.GXkvg-kgWebx&smid=url-share

... and this is where it started: me lurking on car forums and seeing comments like this.

If this story doesn't convince lawmakers we need a strong federal privacy law, I'm not sure what will.

Blogged: “I don’t think the cheapest APC Back-UPS units can be monitored except in Windows”
https://strugglers.net/~andy/blog/2024/02/23/i-dont-think-the-cheapest-apc-back-ups-units-can-be-monitored-except-in-windows/

Another Chrome 0-day patched

https://therecord.media/google-chrome-zero-day-patch-webrtc

36 years ago today was the Max Headroom TV STL hijacking. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Headroom_signal_hijacking

I regard this incident as the best and purest hacking prank in modern history. The combination of sophisticated, meticulous technical planning and execution, utterly juvenile content, essential harmlessness, lack of financial motive, and never getting caught or identified (or later taking credit) remains, in my opinion, unmatched to this day.

Pure art.

Remember when over the air digital TV came in and unless you had a new TV you needed a converter box to watch the digital channels as analog channels went dark? Did you know it's happening again? But worse.

While the FCC just recently extended the required time for the existing (ATSC 1.0) system to stay operational, the new ATSC 3.0 system is loaded with encrypted DRM even on basic channels in many cases.

And get this, it appears that the external converter boxes currently available for this that can actually deal with that DRM reportedly require an Internet connection to work!

You read that right. To receive an over the air ATSC encrypted channel -- even a basic broadcast channel -- reportedly appears to currently require an Internet connection.

Now you might be asking, what the bloody hell is the point of over the air TV if you need a damned Internet connection to watch it?

And the answer is: I don't have a clue.

Stay tuned. No pun intended.

To understand Musk's renewed obsession with X and focus on financial services, you REALLY need to understand the X/Confinity merger that became PayPal.

And, particularly, the Peter Thiel-led coup that kicked Musk out as CEO/Chief Strategist.

Here's how that happened. 1/🧵 #history #technology