December 2021 - cypherpunks - lists.cpunks.org

KrakenSDR - Holiday Season Update
by coderman 23 Dec '21

23 Dec '21

https://www.crowdsupply.com/krakenrf/krakensdr/updates/holiday-season-update [Holiday Season Update](https://www.crowdsupply.com/krakenrf/krakensdr/updates/holiday-seas… byKrakenRF Inc [View previous update](https://www.crowdsupply.com/krakenrf/krakensdr/updates/kraken-campa… Firstly, we’d like to wish all our backers and followers a happy holiday season! In this update we’ll describe some progress we’re making on the code base, and some updates about manufacturing. Core KrakenSDR Code We have now released a beta version of the Direction Finding Code which can be tested right now by owners of our previous hardware version, the KerberosSDR. To make installation easy, a SD card image is provided for the Pi 4. Relevant instructions can be found on the latest ‘clientside-graphs’ branch of the krakensdr_doa GitHub Readme at https://github.com/krakenrf/krakensdr_doa/tree/clientside_graphs. As this is a beta image, there is no automatic WiFi hotspot connection, so you’ll need to follow the instructions to connect to your WiFi network first, and to run the script. If you have any suggestions, bug reports or questions, please use the [Github issues](https://github.com/krakenrf/krakensdr_doa/issues) feature. For those interested, the latest code updates optimize CPU usage and improve the update rates through various code optimizations, and use of the ‘numba’ numpy Python JIT compiler. For beta testers, we also now recommend installing your Python environment via Conda, which allows easy installation of the latest and fastest Python 3 versions, and easy management of the dependencies. If that all sounds complicated, don’t worry, as once the code is officially released, all the end user will need to do is burn the SD card, boot up the Pi, and connect to the web GUI on a browser. In terms of features, the new code adds fast spectrum graph updates, which makes checking on the spectrum and tuning much easier. Intermittent signal handling has also been improved. (For the nitty gritty technical followers, we have moved squelching from a time-domain based squelch to frequency domain-squelch. Time resolution down to about 1 ms has been maintained via windowed FFTs with overlapping.) Right now the squelch feature will automatically lock and tune to the strongest active signal within the decimated bandwidth, and will prevent updates if there are no active signals. In the next few updates in early 2022 we will be looking to add channelization features, allowing users to set specific channels in the decimated bandwidth that can be monitored. This will allow multiple direction finding bearings to be output to the multi-platform mapping software that is being worked on now. We have also added an easier way to control parameters relating to the DAQ. Instead of needing to worry about complicated decimation factors, and buffer, CPI sizes, you can just enter the desired data integration time and the desired bandwidth. Advanced users can still access these parameters via the Advanced checkbox. Mapping Code Updates Our mapping software dev, Manuel, has been working hard on the multi-platform network capable mapping software which will allow multiple distributed fixed and mobile KrakenSDR direction finding stations to work together by uploading direction finding bearing data to a central server for data fusion. This code is being built in Flutter for multi-platform use, with the use of Mapbox for mapping, just like in the Android app. The first stage is replicating the capabilities of the existing mobile Android App which is now close to completion. We expect to see more development on this feature in early 2022, with a beta hopefully ready by the time we ship hardware to customers. As this code is multi-platform, we expect this code to eventually replace our Android only solution in time. Passive Radar We’ve also started work on the passive radar code. Currently we’ve replicated the features of the KerberosSDR passive radar code under the new KrakenSDR codebase. The new codebase allows us to achieve much higher passive radar "processing gain" (aka integration), which results in better resolution and weaker detections showing up stronger at the expense of some time resolution. In the previous KerberosSDR code, the amount of processing gain possible was tied to the RTL-SDR input buffer, which if set too large could cause sample loss and high CPU usage issues. We’ve also worked on optimizing the passive radar code, and introducing numba, resulting in much faster update rates on the Pi 4. The Pi 4 is still not capable of running passive radar code at the maximum update rate however, and for advanced users that require the maximum possible update rate, we will be looking at creating GPU accelerated code for alternative single board computer solutions such as NVIDIA Jetson, or for standard PCs with GPUs. A quick test of the passive code was completed recently and below is an range-Doppler graph showing some results. (The setup was the same as in the passive radar video on the main campaign page). Some interesting points are that you can see the multiple Doppler returns coming from a helicopter, due to the helicopter blades producing multiple Doppler signatures. Some individual roads can also quite easily be differentiated. In early 2022, we will release this code on the GitHub for beta testing. In 2022, our lead developer, who works on the advanced passive radar features, will be back and he will be working on implementing methods to direction find passive radar returns, and plot them on a map. Then, for example, in the above image we could then see exactly which roads on the map are causing the returns on the graph, allowing for easy traffic monitoring. Manufacturing Progress We finished the pre-production PCB design several weeks ago. We are building 20 prototypes so we have enough KrakenSDRs to send to alpha testers. As we mentioned in the past, all of the long-lead components have already been acquired, so that part of the supply chain that is holding up much of the electronics industry won’t impact us in the same way. However, we do have a few custom-built parts, and those are currently slowing things down, such as the SMA connector. In order to maximize automated assembly, we specified a connector which could be soldered in a reflow oven, rather than by hand. Since we required a longer barrel than what is commonly available, a custom part is currently being made for us. It should be delivered to our contract manufacturer immediately after the first of the new year. Once the SMA is available, the 20 pre-production KrakenSDR will be assembled. Immediately after we confirm the latest PCBA (printed circuit board assembly), we will produce another 1000 PCBA. As long as there are no hitches, we will follow up with an additional ~1000 KrakenSDR shortly thereafter. We purchased enough components to manufacture a bit over 2000 KrakenSDRs. During our testing of the KrakenSDR that was featured in the campaign, we found that the enclosure could become too hot to touch in hot (30 C+) ambient environments with no airflow. In this hot ambient environment, the enclosure reaches about 60 C, which is a reasonable in-spec temperature for the electronic components, but given that there is significant thermal mass in the enclosure, touching the enclosure could be painful. In order to reduce heat, a cooling fan is being integrated onto the top of the device. It will sit where the logo currently is, and blow air through the fins. The fan will then be covered with a protective perforated logo plate. We’ve already conducted preliminary tests with a fan and have seen very positive results. We are now validating a specific fan and are modifying the enclosure design to accommodate it. Happy Holidays! We will be taking a break from updates over the holiday season, but will be back in January 2022 with fresh updates! Wishing everyone happy holidays!

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It is not cute to be a computer criminal.
by professor rat 23 Dec '21

23 Dec '21

Privacy, and even freedom, are not the be-all and end-all of cypherpunk revolution since the famous cryptic anarchist, Mikhail W. Bakunin hath said that " Freedom to break into computers, without anarchism, is privilege, injustice and scumbag entitlement " Maximizing righteous degrees of freedom means c-punks are all about ' privacy for the poor and transparency for the powerful '. So powerful figures that preen, pose and posture as pacifists in public while hiring hitmen in private must have no place in our counsels since their position may be summarized as ' Crypto-anarchism without living, breathing freedom is brutal genocide and slavery " ( Bakunin again ) Anti-social criminals can't hide as guerilla's in our midst - they will be doxxed, ddossed and driven out with deadly blows. The cyphernomicon is our constitution - its not a suicide pact. Here endeth the sermon.

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BleepingComputer: 2easy now a significant dark web marketplace for stolen data
by jim bell 23 Dec '21

23 Dec '21

BleepingComputer: 2easy now a significant dark web marketplace for stolen data. https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/2easy-now-a-significant-dark…

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Gizmodo: Walk-Through Metal Detectors Can Be Hacked, New Research Finds
by jim bell 23 Dec '21

23 Dec '21

Gizmodo: Walk-Through Metal Detectors Can Be Hacked, New Research Finds. https://gizmodo.com/walk-through-metal-detectors-can-be-hacked-new-researc-…

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MyDr.co
by Gunnar Larson 23 Dec '21

23 Dec '21

https://www.mydr.co/ Now in 16 languages! World’s Higher Education Virtual Health Leader We transform collegiate University healthcare access, improving overall student outcomes and empower University campus health, wellness and counseling care at the highest standard -- *Gunnar Larson - xNY.io <http://www.xNY.io> | Bank.org <http://Bank.org>* MSc <https://www.unic.ac.cy/blockchain/msc-digital-currency/?utm_source=Google&u…> - Digital Currency MBA <https://www.unic.ac.cy/business-administration-entrepreneurship-and-innovat…> - Entrepreneurship and Innovation (ip) G(a)xNY.io +1-646-454-9107 New York, New York 10001

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OCC Report Shows JPMorgan Chase Owns 62 Percent of all Stock Derivatives Held at 4,914 Banks in the U.S.
by Gunnar Larson 23 Dec '21

23 Dec '21

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the regulator of national banks that operate across state lines, released a report on Monday <https://www.occ.gov/publications-and-resources/publications/quarterly-repor…> that details the quantity and variety of derivatives held by commercial banks, savings associations and trust companies as of September 30. (According to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, there were 4,914 commercial banks, savings associations and trust companies <https://www.fdic.gov/analysis/quarterly-banking-profile/statistics-at-a-gla…> operating in the U.S. with FDIC insurance as of September 30.) The striking detail in the OCC report is that one taxpayer-backstopped, federally-insured bank, JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A., is for some unfathomable reason sitting on 62 percent of all stock (equity) derivatives held at all 4,914 federally-insured banks in the United States. The second striking detail is that this federally-insured bank’s holdings of stock derivatives come to a notional amount (face amount) of $3.3 trillion. (Yes, trillion with a “t.” See above chart.) And the third striking detail is that 74 percent of JPMorgan Chase’s stock derivatives are not centrally-cleared but instead are opaque, over-the-counter (OTC) contracts – highly likely beyond the scrutiny of bank regulators. Why is any taxpayer-backstopped bank in the United States allowed to own anything near a trillion dollars in stock derivatives, let alone a bank like JPMorgan Chase that has admitted to an unprecedented five criminal felony counts brought by the Justice Department in the past seven years, with three of those felony counts for rigging markets. The Dodd-Frank financial reform legislation of 2010 promised Americans two things pertaining to derivatives. First, it promised that federally-insured banks would no longer house the derivatives that blew up much of Wall Street and the U.S. economy in 2008. This was known as the “push-out rule” where derivatives were to be pushed out to other parts of the bank holding company which could be wound down in case of insolvency, without impacting the federally-insured bank – or so the theory went. That promise was derailed in December 2014 when Citigroup (the recipient of the largest bailout in U.S. history during the 2008 financial crisis and its aftermath) was able to get its pawns in Congress to repeal the push-out rule by attaching an amendment to a must-pass spending bill to keep the government running. (See our report: Meet the Two Congressmen Who Facilitated Today’s Derivatives Nightmare at Wall Street’s Mega Banks <https://wallstreetonparade.com/2021/08/meet-the-two-congressmen-who-facilit…> .) The second promise pertaining to derivatives in the Dodd-Frank legislation was that opaque over-the-counter derivatives would be phased out and transparency and financial stability would be brought to derivatives by making them centrally-cleared. That has obviously not happened when JPMorgan Chase is allowed to own $3.3 trillion of stock derivatives with 74 percent of that amount not centrally-cleared. Another alarming aspect of the $3.3 trillion in stock derivatives at the federally-insured bank at JPMorgan Chase is how exponentially the stock derivatives have grown in a short span of time. The OCC’s report for September 30, 2014 shows JPMorgan Chase holding just $481 *billion* in stock derivatives. That’s an increase of 586 percent since the third quarter of 2014. JPMorgan Chase is the same bank that paid its various regulators a total of $920 million in fines in January of 2013 for its infamous London Whale derivatives scandal. The bank had used deposits in its federally-insured bank to gamble in derivatives in London and lose $6.2 billion of depositors’ money along the way. Its consent decree with the OCC <https://www.occ.gov/news-issuances/news-releases/2013/nr-occ-2013-7a.pdf> said this: “The OCC’s examination findings establish that the Bank has deficiencies in its internal controls and has engaged in unsafe or unsound banking practices and violations of 12 C.F.R. Part 3, Appendix B (Market Risk Management Amendment) with respect to the credit derivatives trading strategies, activities and positions employed by the CIO on behalf of the Bank. The deficiencies and unsafe and unsound practices include the following: “(a) The Bank’s oversight and governance of the credit derivatives trading conducted by the CIO were inadequate to protect the Bank from material risks in those trading strategies, activities and positions; “(b) The Bank’s risk management processes and procedures for the credit derivatives trading conducted by the CIO did not provide an adequate foundation to identify, understand, measure, monitor and control risk; “(c) The Bank’s valuation control processes and procedures for the credit derivatives trading conducted by the CIO were insufficient to provide a rigorous and effective assessment of valuation; “(d) The Bank’s internal audit processes and procedures related to the credit derivatives trading conducted by the CIO were not effective; and “(e) The Bank’s model risk management practices and procedures were inadequate to provide adequate controls over certain of the Bank’s market risk and price risk models.” The overarching question is why is this federally-insured bank still allowed to trade *any* derivatives by its banking regulators, let alone $3.3 *trillion* in stock derivatives? The same man sitting at the helm of the bank at the time of the London Whale fiasco, Jamie Dimon, remains the Chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase. https://wallstreetonparade.com/2021/12/occ-report-shows-jpmorgan-chase-owns… -- *Gunnar Larson - xNY.io <http://www.xNY.io> | Bank.org <http://Bank.org>* MSc <https://www.unic.ac.cy/blockchain/msc-digital-currency/?utm_source=Google&u…> - Digital Currency MBA <https://www.unic.ac.cy/business-administration-entrepreneurship-and-innovat…> - Entrepreneurship and Innovation (ip) G(a)xNY.io +1-646-454-9107 New York, New York 10001

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First swallow of spring
by professor rat 23 Dec '21

23 Dec '21

https://www.coindesk.com/business/2021/12/23/banks-swift-messaging-system-t… Crypto " Dangerous " sez Donald Dumbfuck. For once he could be right.

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Taking a fifth not taking the Fifth
by professor rat 23 Dec '21

23 Dec '21

Keep your spirits up through the Humbug season https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHP6DtrXIAA-4bJ?format=jpg&name=900x900 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHOVMfhWQAEv1R7?format=jpg&name=900x900 Always thinking. That's why I like you, Butch.

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Frozen Tardigrade becomes first quantum-mechanically entangled animal
by professor rat 23 Dec '21

23 Dec '21

Oh, wait . . . no, sorry . . . that was just Jim Dumbell shitposting about REASON magazine. My bat.

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Reason Video.
by jim bell 23 Dec '21

23 Dec '21

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