today's leftovers

• Elkhart Lake powers mini-ATX with up to 6 2.5GbE ports

  The MI05-00K is a Mini ITX board specialized for embedded networks applications and developed by Jetway. This motherboard comes with an Elkhart Lake Quad-processor enabled with support for SSD storage, LTE and WIFI.

  The processor found in this motherboard is the Intel Celeron J6412 Elkhart Lake quad-core processor (4C/4T) which features a base frequency of 2.0 and a max frequency of 2.6GHz. The motherboard only provides one DDR4 SODIMM slot (up to 16GB @3200MHz.).

• Automation Kit packs RPI2040 chip and supports 5Km LoRa

  Yesterday, SB Components Ltd launched an Automation Kit platform based on the Raspberry Pi Pico with Long Range support. This LoRa based platform can be used in embedded applications that require long-range connectivity and low power such as smart agricultural apps, smart homes, etc.

  The Automation Kit Platform consists of four products, an 4-channel relay board based on Lora and RP2040 MCU, an 8-channel relay board based on LoRa and RP2040 MCU, an USB Dongle based on LoRa and RP2040 MCU and a Raspberry Pi HAT based on LoRa. 

• GSoC’22 – File Highlighting in Thunar

  This feature is possible with the support by Thunar's lead developers - Alexander Schwinn (alexxcons), Sergios - Anestis Kefalidis (SKefalidis) and Yongha Hwang (MShrimp4).

• Kernel now 5.15.60 with RTLXXXU driver

  I have had email communications with Muthukrishnan, Realtek wifi not working, but it does work on a different Linux distribution. He has investigated firmware, but narrowed the problem down to a missing kernel driver. This is part of one of his emails: The issue appears to be that CONFIG_RTL8XXXU is not set in the kernel config setting. Since the firmware for my laptop is RTL8723BU, it appears to be not loading it at the time of booting.

• 393 – Quantum of Solus – mintCast

  First up in the news: Vanessa is finally here, so is the Linux kernel version 5.19, which was published from an M1 Mac by Linus Torvalds In security and privacy, Sale of over a billion Chinese users’ data found, DuckDuckGo is (finally) blocking Microsoft trackers, and Linux 6.0 to have run-time verification for running on safety critical systems Then in our Wanderings, Bill is hearing things, Moss is losing power, Joe is soldering on, and Norbert is taming the fox

• How SQLite Helps You Do ACID

  The rollback journal is a simple trick to simulate atomicity and isolation and to provide durability to a database. Simple tricks are the best kind of tricks when you write a database so it's a great place to start.

• Level up your HTML document with CSS | Opensource.com

  When you write documentation, whether that's for an open source project or a technical writing project, you should have two goals: The document should be written well, and the document should be easy to read. The first is addressed by clear writing skills and technical editing. The second can be addressed with a few simple changes to an HTML document. HyperText Markup Language, or HTML, is the backbone of the internet. Since the dawn of the "World Wide Web" in 1994, every web browser uses HTML to display documents and websites. And for almost as long, HTML has supported the stylesheet, a special addition to an HTML document that defines how the text should appear on the screen. You can write project documentation in plain HTML, and that gets the job done. However, plain HTML styling may feel a little spartan. Instead, try adding a few simple styles to an HTML document to add a little pizzazz to documentation, and make your documents clearer and easier to read.

Proprietary Software and Security

• Microsoft Sues Activation Key & Token Sellers For Enabling Customers' Piracy

  Software sold by market leaders tend to be primary purchases for regular consumers. Brand comfort is important but so too is affordability, especially when pirate copies are available for free. Some find a middle ground with purchases of discounted activation keys but, as a new Microsoft lawsuit shows, that can amount to copyright infringement for buyers and sellers alike.

• No, you cannot trust third party code without reading it first

  For more than a decade I have been thundering against a lot of the bad practices that have permeated the software development industry, one such practice is to blindly trust code when using third party libraries, frameworks or packages. For about the same amount of time I have listened to all the reasons why time is money and we need to build something quickly, and we haven't got the time to do security or X, Y and Z. But alas, now such companies are beginning to pay the price, a very costly and extremely damaging price!

• Database Integrity Vulnerabilities in Boeing’s Onboard Performance Tool | Pen Test Partners

  Security gaps in older, unprotected Windows desktop versions of Boeing’s Onboard Performance Tool (OPT) could make certain Electronic Flight Bags (EFB) more susceptible to attack. In particular, OPT’s use of plain text configuration files and SQLite databases, means an attacker with physical access to an EFB could modify files directly on the device. While the likelihood of exploiting such gaps is low given existing regulations governing the use and employment of EFBs and Crew Resource Management procedures, if data modification occurs, and the resulting miscalculations are not detected during the crew’s required cross check or verification process, an aircraft could land on a runway too short or take off at incorrect speeds potentially resulting in a tail strike or runway excursion. Boeing released OPT version 4.70 and issued a service bulletin to operators to enhance the application’s security features and minimize the potential for manipulating OPT data. It is important that operators employing EFB solutions, including those that contain OPT, harden their devices and implement physical access controls in accordance with relevant aviation regulations.

• Sounding the Alarm on Emergency Alert System Flaws

  The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is urging states and localities to beef up security around proprietary devices that connect to the Emergency Alert System — a national public warning system used to deliver important emergency information, such as severe weather and AMBER alerts. The DHS warning came in advance of a workshop to be held this weekend at the DEFCON security conference in Las Vegas, where a security researcher is slated to demonstrate multiple weaknesses in the nationwide alert system.

• Leaked NSO Group Presentation Details Malware’s Ability To Turn On Cameras, Mics To Surveil Targets

  Israel’s foremost purveyor of malware, NSO Group, has undergone nearly a yearlong reckoning. A leak last summer appeared to show NSO customers were routinely targeting journalists, activists, members of opposition parties, and, in one case, the ex-wife of a Dubai ruler.

• Local Simulation Feature To Be Removed From All Autodesk Fusion 360 Versions

  The removal of features from Autodesk products would appear to be turning into something of a routine at this point, with the announced removal of local simulations the latest in this series. Previously Autodesk had severely cut down the features available with a Personal Use license, but these latest changes (effective September 6) affect even paying customers, no matter which tier.

• Ransomware attacks are hitting small businesses. These are experts' top defense tips [iophk: Windows TCO]

  However, sometimes companies struggle with understanding or feeling fully protected by those policies. According to a recent study from Blackberry and Corvus Insurance, a high percentage of companies said they would hesitate to get into business with organizations that aren't covered by cyber insurance, recognizing its importance. However, just 14 percent of small and medium-size businesses have policies that cover over $600,000, restrictions that led more than half of respondents to say they hoped for more financial assistance from the government, particularly when attacked by a nation state. Many companies said there's a lack of transparency from some firms about what is actually covered by their policies, which are constantly getting more expensive.

• Researcher Finds Russian Cybersecurity Far Shittier Than The Mythology Suggests

  For much of the last decade, Vladimir Putin has attempted to compensate for various shortcomings (like a less sophisticated real world military) by launching cyber and propaganda attacks on much of the world. And while this, for a while, resulted in a mythology that Russia was in a league of its own when it comes to hacking and cybersecurity, the reality isn’t nearly that exciting.

10 Great Linux websites for beginners and everyday users

Many websites related to Linux and open source software have high technical content and often have less attention for the actual use and the things you can do with this operating system. But some of us just have other expectations. As a beginner or every day user in the Linux and Open Source world, you have different information needs than an experienced, highly skilled Linux user or developer. But also Linux users who use their computer for example for content creation, are less interested in the technical backgrounds, and have mostly different needs. In this artcle I give my thoughts on 10 great Linux websites for beginners and everyday users. Read on