November 2018 - cypherpunks - lists.cpunks.org

root "login" xterm to increase security?
by Zenaan Harkness 20 Mar '20

20 Mar '20

So someone cracking into one's local user account via browser sploit, one of the first acts would likely be to plant a password capture script, e.g. wrapping sudo or something otherwise requiring password entry. Once a password is obtained, via brute force or trojan, sudo gives the entire system away. A convenience is some do "useradd me disk" - but again, any crack of local account (even without password), now gives away all disks. Convenience vs security. So what to do? 1) delgroup me disk "Important" data such as keyfiles ought be stored with no "primary user account access", so group "disk" ought not be part of "primary user"'s groups. Are there any other groups that "really ought" be removed from the local primary user account? 2) Disable sudo and disable su su (as well as sudo) again has the problem of password capture if su or sudo is run from the primary user account after a sploit + trojan planted. So, obviously, we need "clean" root logins, i.e.: - separate root account for admin/disk tasks - clean login, i.e. not via primary user account but using a clean "login" process outside any user account And so logically, the immediate test is as follows (does not work for me, gives me a .profile/.bashrc shell, not a login prompt): xterm -ls Note man xterm: -ls This option indicates that the shell that is started in the xterm window will be a login shell (i.e., the first character of argv[0] will be a dash, indicating to the shell that it should read the user's .login or .profile). The -ls flag and the loginShell resource are ignored if -e is also given, because xterm does not know how to make the shell start the given command after whatever it does when it is a login shell - the user's shell of choice need not be a Bourne shell after all. Also, xterm -e is supposed to provide a consistent functionality for other applications that need to start text-mode programs in a window, and if loginShell were not ignored, the result of ~/.profile might interfere with that. If you do want the effect of -ls and -e simultaneously, you may get away with something like xterm -e /bin/bash -l -c "my command here" Finally, -ls is not completely ignored, because xterm -ls -e does write a /var/log/wtmp entry (if configured to do so), whereas xterm -e does not. QUESTIONS: a) anyone know how to make xterm -ls give a 'clean' login prompt? b) is any presumption of a "clean" login prompt inside xterm, when launched from a primary account xterm session, a folly? c) is there any other option for root in X, which could be considered "resonably secure" in the face of a cracked local X using account? 3) Qubes. Isolate each activity into its own VM. Notwithstanding hardware/CPU level firetruckery (another problem which as grarpamp reminds us requires OpenFabs, OpenHW, OpenCPU etc), isolating each activity, especially public facing activity such as web browsing, appears to be a very reasonable proposition - this way a browser crack means root access in the browser's VM, and not automatically into the rest of the system (VM sploits notwithstanding).

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[MINISTRY] word of the day⦂ “pettifoggery” - Muller scrambles to limit evidence as indicted Russians actually appear in "electshun interference" case
by Zenaan Harkness 17 Mar '20

17 Mar '20

Ministry - pettifoggery - USA government's bullshit being called ... ... by Mueller-charged actual Russian company "Concord". (I was just -so- sure that was meant to be Concordski, but hey, what do I know?) Ironic winning has never seen such levels — seriously off the chartski: Mueller Scrambles To Limit Evidence After Indicted Russians Actually Show Up In Court https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-06-12/mueller-scrambles-limit-evidence-… So at least some of these wicked nasty interfering Russians decided to have a little fun with Mueller, Russkie style. ‼ dang ‼ yeah baby, bring it on :D They wants their evidence of course (this -is- an axshual case in an actual court with a looming actual trial after all) and Mueller is now scrambling to hide his sorry arse from an embarrassing "in Soviet Russia, evidence charge you, Mr Mueller" :) Read it but do NOT chuckle, for in Russia, joke laugh you, da¿ The indictment accuses the firm of producing propaganda, pretending to be U.S. activists online and posting political content on social media in order to sow discord among American voters. … Mueller also accused Concord of "knowingly and intentionally" conspiring to interfere with the election by using social media to disparage Hillary Clinton and support Donald Trump. And Concord Management decided to fight it... Mueller probably didn't see that coming [no shirt, Shirlock] And the judge: In a mad scramble to [now] put the brakes on the case, Mueller's team tried to delay the trial - saying that Concord never formally accepted the court summons related to the case… The Judge, Dabney Friedrich - a Trump appointee, didn't buy it - denying Mueller a delay in the high-profile trial. So sad... so many salty, salty red tears for Mueller.

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[MINISTRY] capitalism v fascism/ corporatism - what are we (the West) living under?
by Zenaan Harkness 11 Feb '20

11 Feb '20

This is a write up which some whom you might consider sending it to, could find easy to read, which is the utility of this piece. https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-01-22/destroying-capitalism-has-failed-… Destroying The "Capitalism Has Failed" Narrative Authored by Jeff Thomas via InternationalMan.com, http://www.internationalman.com/articles/capitalism-has-failed Today, more than at any time previously, Westerners are justifying a move toward collectivist thinking with the phrase, “Capitalism has failed.” https://www.zerohedge.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/20180122_cap.jpg In response to this, conservative thinkers offer a knee-jerk reaction that collectivism has also had a dismal record of performance. Neither group tends to gain any ground with the other group, but over time, the West is moving inexorably in the collectivist direction. As I see it, liberals are putting forward what appears on the surface to be a legitimate criticism, and conservatives are countering it with the apology that, yes, capitalism is failing, but collectivism is worse. Unfortunately, what we’re seeing here is not classical logic, as Aristotle would have endorsed, but emotionalism that ignores the principles of logic. If we’re to follow the rules of logical discussion, we begin with the statement that capitalism has failed and, instead of treating it as a given, we examine whether the statement is correct. Only if it proves correct can we build further suppositions upon it. Whenever I’m confronted with this now oft-stated comment, my first question to the person offering it is, “Have you ever lived in a capitalist country?” That is, “Have you ever lived in a country in which, during your lifetime, a free-market system dominated?” Most people seem initially confused by this question, as they’re residents of either a European country or a North American country and operate under the assumption that the system in which they live is a capitalist one. So, let’s examine that assumption. A capitalist, or “free market,” system is one in which the prices of goods and services are determined by consumers and the open market, in which the laws and forces of supply and demand are free from any intervention by a government, price-setting monopoly, or other authority. Today, none of the major (larger) countries in what was once referred to as the “free world” bear any resemblance to this definition. Each of these countries is rife with laws, regulations, and a plethora of regulatory bodies whose very purpose is to restrict the freedom of voluntary commerce. Every year, more laws are passed to restrict free enterprise even more. Equally as bad is the fact that, in these same countries, large corporations have become so powerful that, by contributing equally to the campaigns of each major political party, they’re able to demand rewards following the elections, that not only guarantee them funds from the public coffers, but protect them against any possible prosecution as a result of this form of bribery. There’s a word for this form of governance, and it’s fascism. Many people today, if asked to describe fascism, would refer to Mussolini, black boots, and tyranny. They would state with confidence that they, themselves, do not live under fascism. But, in fact, fascism is, by definition, a state in which joint rule by business and state exists. (Mussolini himself stated that fascism would better be called corporatism, for this reason.) In recognizing the traditional definition of fascism, there can be no doubt that fascism is the driving force behind the economies of North America and Europe. In addition, the concept of any government taking by force from some individuals the fruits of their labour and bestowing it upon others is by no means free-market. It is a socialist concept. And, in any country where roughly half of the population are the recipients of such largesse, that country has, unquestionably, settled deeply into a socialist condition. However, this is by no means a new idea. As Socrates asked Adeimantus: Do not their leaders deprive the rich of their estates and distribute them among the people; at the same time taking care to preserve the larger part for themselves? So, which is it? Are we saying here that these countries are socialist or fascist? Well, in truth, socialism, fascism, and, indeed, communism are all forms of collectivism. They all come under the same umbrella. So, what we’re witnessing is liberals, rightfully criticising the evils of fascism, but failing to understand it for what it is—a form of collectivism. Conservatives, on the other hand, do their best to continue to operate under their countries’ socialist laws, regulations, and regulatory bodies, whist continuing to imagine that a remnant of capitalism remains. And so we return to the question, “Have you ever lived in a country in which, during your lifetime, a free-market system dominated?” Such countries do exist. It should be pointed out, however, that even they tend to move slowly toward collectivism over time. (After all, it’s in collectivism that they gain their power.) However, some countries are “newer,” just as the US was in the early nineteenth century and, like the US, the governments have not yet had enough time to sufficiently degrade the economies that have been entrusted to them. In addition, some citizenries are feistier than others and/or are less easy to convince that, by allowing themselves to be dominated by their governments, they’ll actually be better off. Whatever the reasons, there are most certainly countries that are far more free-market than the countries discussed above. But, what does this tell us of the future? What can be done to turn these great powers back to a more free-market system? Well, the bad news is that that’s unlikely in the extreme. To be sure, we, from time to time, have inspired orators, such as Nigel Farage or Ron Paul, who remind us what we “should” do to put these countries back on track, so that they serve the people of the country, rather than its leaders. But, historically, such orators have never succeeded in reversing the trend one iota. History tells us that political leaders, in their pursuit of collectivism, never reverse the trend. They instead ride it all the way to the bottom, then bail out, if they can. However, it is ever true that, in some locations in the world, there have always been free-market societies. Over time, they deteriorate under the hands of their leaders and, as they do, others spring up. The choice of the reader is to look upon the world as his oyster - to assess whether he is more or less content with the country he’s in and confident that it will continue to be a good place in which to live, work, invest, and prosper, or, if not, to consider diversifying, or even moving entirely, to a more rewarding, more capitalist jurisdiction.

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CIA agents sell 20 tonnes of plastic explosive to Libya, nearly decade before discotheque bombing
by Ryan Carboni 22 Jan '20

22 Jan '20

https://wikispooks.com/wiki/Arms_for_Libya The Arms for Libya case ensued when a gang of CIA deep state operatives were caught shipping a huge amount of weapons and explosives to Libya. Edwin Wilson was hung out to dry by Ted Shackley and the rest of the cabal. After a FOIA request revealed the CIA knew perfectly well what he was doing, he was released after about 17 years in jail. He was never given compensation and those responsible for the cover up were never brought to justice. Before his 1980 retirement, the CIA Inspector General John H. Waller produced an internal investigation which exonerated Theodore Shackley and his "career-long deputy and sidekick" Thomas Clines. This was the CIA's official story for about 20 years, endorsed by Waller's successor, the #3 man in the CIA, Charles A. Briggs who was called on to testify in Edwin Wilson's court case. The CIA had blocked the defense from gaining access to any contradictory paperwork, so the jury apparently believed the (perjured) 'Briggs Declaration' which said that Edwin Wilson has independently collected almost the entire US stockpile of C-4 (plastic explosive) and arranged to fly it to Libya, all without CIA knowledge, following up by sending US troops to train of Muammar Gaddafi's military in bomb making, and sold them a bunch of other weapons. This official narrative fell apart about 20 years later when an internal document surfaced which proved that the CIA Inspector Generals had been lying. Frank Terpil was tried and found guilty in absentia. Douglas Schlachter plead guilty to two charges in a plea deal, after providing testimony directly linking Wilson to "senior Central Intelligence officials" (presumably Ted Shackley and his sidekick Thomas Clines, who in 1981 both admitted that they had kept in touch with Wilson, though they denied knowing anything about the arms deals). Edwin Wilson was hung out to dry and charged as the main culprit. CIA officer, Edwin Wilson, brokered a number of weapons deals to Libya. Michael Ruppert wrote that Wilson lived in Libya "for extended periods between 1977 and 1981". The most extraordinary of these deals was in 1977, when a 42,000 pound load of C-4 plastic explosive (an amount which represented almost the entire US domestic supply) was flown out of Houston International Airport to Muammar Gaddafi's Libya, followed by training in bomb making by US Green Berets. Subsequent deals involved handguns and other weapons. A scheme to ship more than a thousand M16 rifles to Gaddafi put the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms onto Edwin Wilson back in late 1977. After about 17 years in jail, FOIA requests by Edwin Wilson came across some internal paperwork which proved that those involved in the case knew that the "Briggs Affidavit" was a lie. These sufficed to allow Wilson to successfully appeal his conviction. In October 2003, his conviction on the explosives charge was overturned and Wilson was released from prison on September 14, 2004. He launched a legal claim for compensation against those who perjured evidence against him, and those who knowingly stayed silent on the matter, but they were granted legal immunity and he never received compensation. Copyright https://wikispooks.com/wiki/Wikispooks:Licensing The CIA did a lot of dirty things. If Snowden was a Russian agent, not a CIA agent, why was he insistent on protecting the CIA? The CIA did a lot of dirty things. All the Russians have to do is expose them. What the CIA did would bring down the American government ten times over. I have no doubt hundreds of US government employees spent innumerable man-years dealing with the aftermath of Snowden, but it served no real point. I personally find it mysterious that the Russians would invent the idea that AIDs was the product of the CIA when there are just so many horrible... https://www.counterpunch.org/2015/03/02/citizen-four-the-making-of-an-ameri… To quote: You will see it only as a blow against surveillance state, and not as a propaganda film that, on the one hand, protects the CIA at Snowden’s behest while, on the other hand, exploiting him and turning him into the celebrity he did not want to be.

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Animals - sometimes better vehicles for love than humans
by Zenaan Harkness 22 Jan '20

22 Jan '20

A Soul cookie for any in need, A Poodle’s Mothering Aug 19, 2018 https://www.animalsaresoul.blog/2018/08/19/a-poodles-mothering/

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The heart of a Scotsman - George Galloway, The Chilcot Report: What Next?
by Zenaan Harkness 06 Jan '20

06 Jan '20

The wheels of "democracy" when it works, when someone with heart, patience, tenacity and a strong sense of justice (a mighty lot to ask, so we can be very grateful for this man of principal) such as George Galloway, is an event worth witnessing, given how rare such events are. George Galloway you have been vindicated. Thank you for speaking so clearly. "Mr Blair: This Is For Iraq (Video)" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVNmy5-2va8 (Youtube link also here: http://russia-insider.com/en/politics/mr-blair-iraq/ri15485 )

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you can safely bet the 1933 USD fix did not apply to Rothschild - Executive Order 6102 "no personal gold ownership" - [PEACE]
by Zenaan Harkness 13 Nov '19

13 Nov '19

A little history for the uninitiated: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-09-29/how-executive-order-6102-doomed-a… Here's the thing, the uber-elite, such as Rockefellers, Rothschilds etc, have been hoarding (using that term loosely - the Fed's reserves are in serious question, as was the tonnes under the WTC towers, each of which apparently "disappeared", more facts required) gold using fiats. The fiat system has been designed to cyclically collapse (you thought the Federal Reserve was constitutional/lawful?), and those fiats are used for more generalised systematized hoarding, such that when the collapse happens, and the mathematical reset trigger is pulled, those holding the gold are the same old Goldbergs, Silversteins, Rothschilds and the rest. So a reset is not useful in and of itself. What is required is a systemic change. There are simple solutions, but they do require a general consciousness - the unwashed sheeple need to become a little more washed/ aware. Good luck,

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[WAR] the Pentagon's "White Helmets" "moderate head choppers" descend to depths unheard of
by Zenaan Harkness 11 Nov '19

11 Nov '19

Horrific. Trigger warning. * DISTURBING IMAGES: White Helmets BUSTED killing babies in PR stunt to start war in Syria http://theduran.com/warning-disturbing-images-white-helmets-busted-killing-… White Helmets have been caught faking rescues and doctoring dead children. ** Qatar-owned Al Jazeera reports Assad is bombing Idlib with White Phosphorus http://theduran.com/qatar-owned-fake-news/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Al-Jazeera headquarters Doha, Qatar. More fake news: Al Jazeera, reported that Syrian jets have bombed the town of Idlib using White Phosphorus. ** Michael Savage: complete “false flag in Syria.” No sarin gas, most likely phosgene gas http://theduran.com/michael-savage-complete-false-flag-in-syria-no-sarin-ga… ------------------------------------------------------------ Michael Savage: complete “false flag in Syria.” No sarin gas, most likely phosgene gas Savage: “How is is this an ‘America first’ decision?” ** The human cost of Donald Trump’s war crime (VIDEO) http://theduran.com/the-human-cost-of-donald-trumps-war-crime/ ------------------------------------------------------------ widow The widow of a slain Syrian soldier speaks about her loss. ** Hezbollah condemns the ISIS massacre of Egyptian Christians http://theduran.com/hezbollah-condemns-the-isis-massacre-of-egyptian-christ… ------------------------------------------------------------ Hezbollah urged Muslims to unite in order to protect Christians from violence. ** John McCain blasts the Trump administration–the honeymoon is over http://theduran.com/john-mccain-blasts-the-trump-administration-the-honeymo… ------------------------------------------------------------ U.S. Senator McCain arrives on a visit at a migrant center near the village of Adasevci John McCain wants more war...lots more. ** Fake news story in mainstream AND alt-media slanders Russia and Iran http://theduran.com/exclusive-fake-news-story-in-mainstream-and-alt-media-s… ------------------------------------------------------------ The story says that Russia and Iran threatened to attack US forces if a 'red line' was crossed. This is an outright lie. ** Iranian President Rouhani telephones Vladimir Putin–united front on Syria is strengthened http://theduran.com/iranian-president-rouhani-telephones-vladimir-putin-uni… ------------------------------------------------------------ Both leaders pledged their commitment to aid Syria in the fight against terrorism and to work together to stabilise the volatile region.

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Re: [From xorcist offlist] Cloudflare & NoDAPL again w/ a ROTF
by Razer 05 Nov '19

05 Nov '19

Fwiw, for those who aren't aware... The point of trolls like this one, 'xorcist', and cyberpiggie et all is to stalk individuals posts on lists with garbage so people start to think, whenever the one being targeted posts, "Oh fuck that means I'm gonna see all that shit from xxx(a)xxx.xxx again and wish the targeted person would stop posting and just lurk. Stupid... Simple... Social engineering. Rr

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Sim Theory
by grarpamp 05 Nov '19

05 Nov '19

So many people have proposed we're simulated... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simulation_hypothesis Now why would such an extremely advanced civilization / collective want to simulate us? Is this an unanswered question? Certainly they have long since - solved biology, live forever, down/up load their brains against trauma - solved life and mobility throughout their universe - lost and forgotten their prehistory - etc They could sim anything they want. So why sim us? Because something happened to them, something very big, something serious and existentially threatening. And now they're *desperately* trying to learn about death, life, humanity, the individual... something they lost but is still encoded in them just enough to let them think of making the sim...

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