ReHacked vol. 316: Encryption Is Not a Crime, Strongest evidence yet of life on an alien planet and more
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Encryption Is Not a Crime - Privacy Guides #privacy #longread
Contrary to what some policymakers seem to believe, whether naively or maliciously, encryption is not a crime. Anyone asserting encryption is a tool for crime is either painfully misinformed or is attempting to manipulate legislators to gain oppressive power over the people.
Encryption is not a crime, encryption is a shield.
Encryption is the digital tool that protects us against all sorts of attacks. It is the lock on your digital door preventing harmful intruders from entering your home. Encryption is also the door itself, protecting your privacy and intimacy from creepy eavesdroppers while you go about your life.
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Consider again that dot. That's here, that's home, that's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives ... on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
Carl Sagan's comment on Voyager 1's image of Earth
Honest and Elitist Thoughts on Why Computers Were More Fun Before | datagubbe.se #computers #history
It's simple but controversial: Computers were more fun when they weren't for everyone.
K2-18b and detection of biosignature dimethyl sulfide | BBC Sky at Night Magazine #nature #space
Astronomers say they've found "the most promising signs yet" of chemicals on a planet beyond our Solar System that could indicate the presence of life on its surface.
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, the team found a possible 'biosignature' – the potential fingerprint of life – within its atmosphere, although they say they're remaining "cautious", and that this isn't a confirmed detection.
The chemicals detected are the same as those produced by marine-dwelling organisms on Earth.
The Magical World of Japanese Printers: Convenience Store Copiers Explained #culture #japan
Japan’s love affair with paper runs deep, from traditional washi paper crafts to the modern-day bureaucracy that still heavily relies on physical documents and hanko (personal stamps). While the country may be known for robots and bullet trains, many aspects of daily life still depend on tangible paperwork.
This cultural preference for physical documentation explains why the multifunction printers found in Japanese convenience stores have evolved to offer such a wide range of services. These machines serve as a crucial bridge between the digital and analog worlds, allowing residents and visitors to transform virtual files into something they can hold in their hands.
EU Vulnerability Database #security
Microsoft researchers claim they’ve developed the largest-scale 1-bit AI model, also known as a “bitnet,” to date. Called BitNet b1.58 2B4T, it’s openly available under an MIT license and can run on CPUs, including Apple’s M2.
Steve Blank How the U.S. Became A Science Superpower #science #history
Prior to WWII the U.S was a distant second in science and engineering. By the time the war was over, U.S. science and engineering had blown past the British, and led the world for 85 years.
It happened because two very different people were the science advisors to their nation’s leaders. Each had radically different views on how to use their country’s resources to build advanced weapon systems. Post war, it meant Britain’s early lead was ephemeral while the U.S. built the foundation for a science and technology innovation ecosystem that led the world – until now.
Słupcio: A 6,000-year-old amber 'gummy bear' that may have been a Stone Age amulet | Live Science #history
The figurine is 4 inches (10.2 centimeters) long and 1.65 inches (4.2 cm) tall and may date to Europe's Mesolithic period (12,000 to 5,000 years ago). At this time, people were mostly hunter-gatherers, so archaeological evidence of their settlements is rare. But in the area of Pomerania on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea, archaeologists have found Stone Age sites with artifacts, such as pottery, tools and weapons, along with objects made from amber that washed ashore. This type of amber comes from marine sediments.
New Vulnerability in GitHub Copilot and Cursor: How Hackers Can Weaponize Code Agents #security
Pillar Security researchers have uncovered a dangerous new supply chain attack vector we've named "Rules File Backdoor." This technique enables hackers to silently compromise AI-generated code by injecting hidden malicious instructions into seemingly innocent configuration files used by Cursor and GitHub Copilot—the world's leading AI-powered code editors.
By exploiting hidden unicode characters and sophisticated evasion techniques in the model facing instruction payload, threat actors can manipulate the AI to insert malicious code that bypasses typical code reviews. This attack remains virtually invisible to developers and security teams, allowing malicious code to silently propagate through projects.
Unlike traditional code injection attacks that target specific vulnerabilities, “Rules File Backdoor” represents a significant risk by weaponizing the AI itself as an attack vector, effectively turning the developer's most trusted assistant into an unwitting accomplice, potentially affecting millions of end users through compromised software.
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