Security Leftovers

• Apple patches zero-day kernel hole and much more – update now!

  All still-supported flavours of macOS (Monterey, Big Sur and Catalina), as well as all current mobile devices (iPhones, iPads, Apple TVs and Apple Watches), get patches. [...] Kernel-level code execution holes could grant an attacker control over the entire system, including the parts that manage the security of the rest of the system.

• JFrog Launches Blockchain Project to Secure Open Source Software

  At its swampUP event, JFrog today launched Project Pyrsia, an open source project that uses a blockchain platform and Sigstore Cosign and Notary V2 cryptographic signature software to secure software packages. In addition to JFrog, other contributors to the project include Docker, Inc., DeployHub, Futureway and Oracle.

• Codenotary Adds Background Vulnerability Scanning

  In its latest move, Codenotary has added free background vulnerability scanning service to its free and open source Community Attestation Service (CAS) code signing and attestation service to further secure open source supply chains. This new service uses hashes to identify known security vulnerabilities. Then if the scans find any it alerts you to the untrustworthy packages. CAS can then be used to “untrust” any problematic artifacts. This new scanning service is also continuously self-updating so it can help you stay ahead of would-be attackers.

• Screencastify fixes bug that would have let rogue websites spy on webcams

  Screencastify, a popular Chrome extension for capturing and sharing videos from websites, was recently found to be vulnerable to a cross-site scripting (XSS) flaw that allowed arbitrary websites to dupe people into unknowingly activating their webcams. A miscreant taking advantage of this flaw could then download the resulting video from the victim's Google Drive account. Software developer Wladimir Palant, co-founder of ad amelioration biz Eyeo, published a blog post about his findings on Monday. He said he reported the XSS bug in February, and Screencastify's developers fixed it within a day. But Palant contends the browser extension continues to pose a risk because the code trusts multiple partner subdomains, and an XSS flaw on any one of those sites could potentially be misused to attack Screencastify users. The Screencastify page on the Chrome Web Store says that the browser extension has more than 10 million users, which is the maximum value listed by store metrics. As Palant points out, the extension is aimed at the education market, raising some unpleasant possibilities.

GNOME Development Outline and Google Summer of Code (GSoC) 2022

• #45 Timeout! · This Week in GNOME

  Update on what happened across the GNOME project in the week from May 20 to May 27.

• Selected for GSoC'22

  I'm pleased to share that I'm accepted for Google Summer of Code (GSoC) 2022 under GNOME Foundation umbrella on the Pitivi project. This summer I will be updating the project from GTK3 to the latest GTK4 toolkit. To anyone that wants to be a part of GSoC, I have only one piece of advice, just go for it. Don't think if you can do it or not, don't assume failure before attempting, and don't overthink. I always felt that it is for the best of the best, and I won't be able to clear it, all the big organizations on the GSoC page overwhelmed me, but instead of making it a dream, I made it a life goal. And well, now I'm enjoying it.

Top 10 GNOME Themes for Your Ubuntu Desktop

A list of nice and clean GNOME themes with screenshots for your Ubuntu desktop in 2022 which you can download and install.