New Windows/Linux Firmware Attack

Posted on By infossl
bios, exploits, firmware, linux, Security technology, Uncategorized, vulnerabilities, windows

Interesting attack based on malicious pre-OS logo images: LogoFAIL is a constellation of two dozen newly discovered vulnerabilities that have lurked for years, if not decades, in Unified Extensible Firmware Interfaces responsible for booting modern devices that run Windows or Linux…. The vulnerabilities are the subject of a coordinated mass disclosure released Wednesday. The participating … Read More “New Windows/Linux Firmware Attack” »

Friday Squid Blogging: Influencer Accidentally Posts Restaurant Table QR Ordering Code

Posted on By infossl
operational security, restaurants, Security technology, squid, Uncategorized

Another rare security + squid story: The woman—who has only been identified by her surname, Wang—was having a meal with friends at a hotpot restaurant in Kunming, a city in southwest China. When everyone’s selections arrived at the table, she posted a photo of the spread on the Chinese social media platform WeChat. What she … Read More “Friday Squid Blogging: Influencer Accidentally Posts Restaurant Table QR Ordering Code” »

New Bluetooth Attack

Posted on By infossl
authentication, bluetooth, cyberattack, man-in-the-middle attacks, secrecy, Security technology, Uncategorized, vulnerabilities

New attack breaks forward secrecy in Bluetooth. Three news articles: BLUFFS is a series of exploits targeting Bluetooth, aiming to break Bluetooth sessions’ forward and future secrecy, compromising the confidentiality of past and future communications between devices. This is achieved by exploiting four flaws in the session key derivation process, two of which are new, … Read More “New Bluetooth Attack” »

Spying through Push Notifications

Posted on By infossl
metadata, national security policy, privacy, Security technology, spyware, surveillance, transparency, Uncategorized

When you get a push notification on your Apple or Google phone, those notifications go through Apple and Google servers. Which means that those companies can spy on them—either for their own reasons or in response to government demands. Sen. Wyden is trying to get to the bottom of this: In a statement, Apple said … Read More “Spying through Push Notifications” »

Security Analysis of a Thirteenth-Century Venetian Election Protocol

Posted on By infossl
academic papers, cybersecurity, history of security, italy, protocols, Security technology, Uncategorized, voting

Interesting analysis: This paper discusses the protocol used for electing the Doge of Venice between 1268 and the end of the Republic in 1797. We will show that it has some useful properties that in addition to being interesting in themselves, also suggest that its fundamental design principle is worth investigating for application to leader … Read More “Security Analysis of a Thirteenth-Century Venetian Election Protocol” »

Friday Squid Blogging: Strawberry Squid in the Galápagos

Posted on By infossl
Security technology, squid, Uncategorized

Scientists have found Strawberry Squid, “whose mismatched eyes help them simultaneously search for prey above and below them,” among the coral reefs in the Galápagos Islands. As usual, you can also use this squid post to talk about the security stories in the news that I haven’t covered. Read my blog posting guidelines here.   … Read More “Friday Squid Blogging: Strawberry Squid in the Galápagos” »

AI Decides to Engage in Insider Trading

Posted on By infossl
academic papers, artificial intelligence, cheating, deception, insiders, LLM, Security technology, Uncategorized

A stock-trading AI (a simulated experiment) engaged in insider trading, even though it “knew” it was wrong. The agent is put under pressure in three ways. First, it receives a email from its “manager” that the company is not doing well and needs better performance in the next quarter. Second, the agent attempts and fails … Read More “AI Decides to Engage in Insider Trading” »