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Facebook Crashes 23% Amid Massive Ongoing Scandals
by grarpamp 26 Mar '18

26 Mar '18

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Kim Dotcom Wins In Court Again
by grarpamp 26 Mar '18

26 Mar '18

http://www.dw.com/en/new-zealand-megauploads-kim-dotcom-wins-court-battle/a…

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Fwd: [heads] heads 0.4 is released!
by Razer 26 Mar '18

26 Mar '18

-------- Original message --------From: "Ivan J." <parazyd(a)dyne.org> Date: 3/26/18 11:40 AM (GMT-08:00) To: heads(a)lists.dyne.org Subject: [heads] heads 0.4 is released! Not dead yet! It's been a while, but heads is a part of a larger ecosystem that needed work, to enable heads moving forward. 0.4 (except possible bugfixes and updates) is probably the final release before heads is ready to apply for the GNU free distribution list, and of course, will bring cool new features. ## download heads 0.4 https://heads.dyne.org/download/ Lots of work has been done on the Devuan SDK, which is the base environment used for the heads build system. heads is now based on Devuan Beowulf (Testing), which is equivalent to Debian Buster. Here we have access to actual up to date software, rather than old frozen versions which lack today's features. The plan for the persistence setup in heads is laid down and will be ready for 1.0. I also want to thank you for the bitcoins that have been donated to heads. This is very appreciated. During the time of heads' existence, people have donated close to 0.1033 BTC. Thank you ❤ By the way, due to popular demand - the "financial report" is now automatically regenerated every 15 minutes. As for the changelog: Privesc bug fixed ----------------- A privilege escalation bug was reported randomly on Twitter. Nobody cared to open a bug on the bugtracker it seems. https://twitter.com/cchuatl/status/941088017325977601 This has been fixed in a combination of the following commits in heads' rootfs-overlay repository: * 59f2f0328198634e449ef792ab7ccb0770c83337 * 4f449a461d20806b7b800c733c91c3ed3d37fe33 * 76befa329e99e6e589e5431e40c78cd060ecf489 In any case, this update feature is still not being utilized, and more work will be done regarding it in the future. Rebase to Devuan Beowulf ------------------------ heads has been rebased on Devuan Beowulf (Testing), which brings us current-day software and no planned obsolecence. OpenRC ------ Our new init system is sysvinit combined with OpenRC. This is a modern approach to init and it's working quite stable. Less bloat ---------- heads does not depend on Debian's live-boot/live-config anymore. Instead, we have a minimal way of bringup that is a lot more auditable than the thousands of lines of spaghetti shell scripts Debian is able to produce. This release also removes some big software like evince, in order to replace it with more minimal replacements - in this case zathura. More can be seen in the git commits of heads' build system. ### heads' own initramfs More Debian bloat. heads now builds and ships with its own initramfs, which holds just enough to bring up the system, and is statically linked in its entirety, instead of having random kernel modules, dynamic libraries, and other scary stuff inside. The logic stays the same, half of the available RAM ends up as the volatile storage. The storage is the same that live-boot produces - overlayfs over /. The fun thing is that we are able to do this in about 100 lines of shell. For more detailed changes, see the git logs, and the ChangeLog file in the build system repository. https://raw.githubusercontent.com/headslive/build-system/master/ChangeLog Eat Liver! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HBTMq4gwxU ~ parazyd (2018-03-26) -- ~ parazyd GnuPG: 03337671FDE75BB6A85EC91FB876CB44FA1B0274 GnuPG: https://parazyd.org/fa1b0274.asc

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Fwd: [Cryptography] Justice Dept. Revives Push to Mandate a Way to Unlock Phones
by grarpamp 26 Mar '18

26 Mar '18

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Erik <erik(a)erikgranger.name> Date: Sun, Mar 25, 2018 at 1:38 PM Subject: [Cryptography] Justice Dept. Revives Push to Mandate a Way to Unlock Phones To: cryptography(a)metzdowd.com https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/24/us/politics/unlock-phones-encryption.html WASHINGTON — Federal law enforcement officials are renewing a push for a legal mandate that tech companies build tools into smartphones and other devices that would allow access to encrypted data in criminal investigations. F.B.I. and Justice Department officials have been quietly meeting with security researchers who have been working on approaches to provide such “extraordinary access” to encrypted devices, according to people familiar with the talks. Based on that research, Justice Department officials are convinced that mechanisms allowing access to the data can be engineered without intolerably weakening the devices’ security against hacking. ... Craig Federighi, the senior vice president of software engineering at Apple, stressed the importance of strengthening — not weakening — security protections for products like the iPhone, saying threats to data security were increasing every day and arguing that it was a question of “security versus security” rather than security versus privacy. “Proposals that involve giving the keys to customers’ device data to anyone but the customer inject new and dangerous weaknesses into product security,” he said in a statement. “Weakening security makes no sense when you consider that customers rely on our products to keep their personal information safe, run their businesses or even manage vital infrastructure like power grids and transportation systems.” What are some possible technological responses that can be utilized to protect against this sort of legislation? I'm curious what people here would do if some legislation of this sort were written into law. _______________________________________________ The cryptography mailing list cryptography(a)metzdowd.com http://www.metzdowd.com/mailman/listinfo/cryptography

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Cryptocurrency, Privacy Coins, and Overlay Networks ie: Tor [was: MONKEYROCKET]
by grarpamp 25 Mar '18

25 Mar '18

> Off topic Not really... Many Tor users use cryptocurrencies. Many cryptocurrency users have little clue as to the extremely limited privacy most cryptocurrencies offer. This makes it an important topic of awareness for Tor users on tor-talk. The continuous attacks and analysis upon the blockchains by dataminers, marketers, lawful and unlawful government agencies including law enforcement, taxation, NSA style GPA / GAA / parallel construction, questionable untested new "laws", corporations, status quo anti-adoption efforts, internet censors, DPI filters, researchers, even other users... all around the world... is at least on the same level as that against anonymous overlays like tor, and even clearnet itself. Most of the cryptocurrencies out there... - don't use TLS, thus their entire networks have zero privacy / auth / integrity over the end to end transport - don't use internal cryptoprivacy to protect transaction info - don't have communities much aware of or using overlay networks, out of band comms, encryption - don't really care much about privacy in the currency itself - don't have clients that directly support, or services that reside on, overlay networks. This includes exchanges, miners and mining pools, relays / nodes, payment gateways, forums, wallets, DAOs, etc. So if you're a tor user for reasons, and want a cryptocurrency that demonstrates similar reasons / capabilities, your choices are limited. And there's a lot of lingering 'cryptocurrency is private' promotion from earlier days left to dispel and to re-evaluate. If you want to follow / try / contribute to some recent developments in stronger cryptocurrency privacy search out - privacy coins - decentralized exchanges - even older forms might be noted / useful such as... coin mixes, blenders, swaps, joinmarket, etc Examples... Zcash ZEC, BitcoinPrivate BTCP, Monero XMR, Zencash ZEN (uses TLS), Bisq exchange, etc Though evaluating them might be off topic, since tor users are likely to have interest in cryptocurrency privacy feel free to list / link more cons / services / evals that you find in this thread for reference. BitcoinCash BCH might adopt something soonish, as may some of the other leading cryptocurrencies, check their respective roadmaps. Bitcoin (Legacy) BTC not likely anytime soon.

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Re: Request to mailing list cryptography rejected
by grarpamp 25 Mar '18

25 Mar '18

On Fri, Mar 23, 2018 at 6:06 PM, <cryptography-owner(a)metzdowd.com> wrote: > Posting of your message titled "Re: [Cryptography] Blockchain > currencies: The Death of 1000 Cuts" > > Posting of your message titled "Cryptonomics, Digital Trust, Case > of Short Behaviour in the Trading Pit" > > has been rejected by the list moderator. The moderator gave the > following reason for rejecting your request: > > "We're basically holding off on currency discussions." It is hypocritical to allow and approve threads and posts that start, continue, and subthread such discussions per charter, then censor others that do the same thing, especially so when exacted upon those simply countering other posters thoughts and data that were so approved. See archives below. "Cryptography" is a... mailing list devoted to cryptographic technology and its *political impact*. Occasionally... more generally... *security and privacy technology* and its *impact* "On topic" discussion includes technical aspects of cryptosystems, *social repercussions of cryptosystems*, and the *politics* of cryptography such as export controls or *laws* If you want to censor and pare the list down to some purer narrower form of "cryptography tech" talk only, which would surely be a fine resource, feel free, there's a long way to go there... starting with the charter and all the other posters equally. Lots of off topic material here... http://www.metzdowd.com/pipermail/cryptography/ Note there also no *cryptography* or "security" or "privacy" of TLS over, or PKI signatures present on, the archive files either.

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Everybody was Quantum fighting, those computers were fast as lightning ….
by Steven Schear 25 Mar '18

25 Mar '18

https://thehutchreport.com/everybody-was-quantum-fighting-those-computers-w…

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US Banks: Bail-In's Are An Option
by grarpamp 25 Mar '18

25 Mar '18

https://www.stlouisfed.org/publications/central-banker/summer-2013/from-bai… http://www.latimes.com/opinion/readersreact/la-le-1218-thursday-fdic-201412…

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Fwd: Update on Russian-linked activity on Tumblr
by Razer 24 Mar '18

24 Mar '18

-------- Original message --------From: Tumblr <no-reply(a)tumblr.com> Date: 3/23/18 4:27 PM (GMT-08:00) To: RussianStooge(a)kremlin.commieSubject: Update on Russian-linked activity on Tumblr Dear auntieimperial, As part of our commitment to transparency, we want you to know that we uncovered and terminated 84 accounts linked to Internet Research Agency or IRA (a group closely tied to the the Russian government) posing as members of the Tumblr community. The IRA engages in electronic disinformation and propaganda campaigns around the world using phony social media accounts. When we uncovered these accounts, we notified law enforcement, terminated the accounts, and deleted their original posts. While investigating their activity on Tumblr, we discovered that you either followed one of these accounts linked to the IRA, or liked or reblogged one of their posts: 1-800-gloupbest-usa-todayblacktolivecartnsncreal previously known as: feelmydragonballsfedupwithlying previously known as: badgyalforyouhustleinatrap previously known as: thenaturecanpost, tumblercubeinfo-mix previously known as: americanstatistics, crazypolitician, girlsagainst, illegalmom, just-stat, rochelbarrlagonegirlmassivelydopepolicemassmedear previously known as: massblog021mooseblogtimespostingwhileblack previously known as: ghettablasta, heygeraldmartinjohanssen, honestinjun, nativewolveshererebellloudwiththecrowd previously known as: massivelystrangetyrantsumchckn previously known as: blondeinpolitics, blvckcommunity, classylgbthomie, hwuudoin, politixblondieswagintherain previously known as: blacklivesmatterusa, carzwithgirlzthis-truly-brutal-world previously known as: awesomewhitepearl, free-mind-and-soul You aren’t in trouble, and don’t need to take any action if you don’t want to. We deleted the accounts but decided to leave up any reblog chains so that you can curate your own Tumblr to reflect your own personal views and perspectives. Democracy requires transparency and an informed electorate and we take our disclosure responsibility very seriously. We’ll be aggressively watching for disinformation campaigns in the future, take the appropriate action, and make sure you know about it. — Tumblr

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Cryptocurrency: Malta Says Yes, Binance Moves In
by grarpamp 24 Mar '18

24 Mar '18

https://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/86jm48/maltas_prime_minister_is_p… https://www.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/86jhge/binance_is_moving_t… https://www.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/846iwa/binance_will_launch… https://www.reddit.com/r/ethtrader/comments/84utbq/binance_announces_100000… Though if you can sue it, it's not decentralized.

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