An audit of Homebrew, a critical package manager for macOS and Linux, revealed non-critical security issues that could allow unexpected code execution and compromise CI/CD workflows.
Key findings included vulnerabilities in the brew CLI, such as sandbox escapes and privilege escalations, and issues in CI/CD workflows like shell injection vulnerabilities.
The audit, sponsored by the Open Tech Fund, aimed to secure critical internet infrastructure, highlighting the importance of Homebrew's security given its extensive use.
Trail of Bits conducted a comprehensive security audit of Homebrew, a popular open-source package manager for macOS, revealing several security concerns and areas for improvement.
The audit has sparked discussions about the inherent supply chain security issues in open-source package management platforms, emphasizing the need for better vetting processes and quicker responses to untrusted sources.
The audit findings have led to increased interest in alternative package managers like Nix, which some users find more secure and flexible, despite its complexity.
Running macOS in QEMU within Docker is feasible but has limitations, particularly with GPU acceleration, as newer Intel and NVIDIA GPUs are unsupported.
Docker-OSX enables running macOS virtual machines in Docker, which is beneficial for iOS builds using tools like Unity or React Native.
Redistribution of macOS images may breach Apple's End User License Agreement (EULA), which restricts macOS to Apple hardware, yet the project is popular for development and testing.
The claim that using find and mkdir commands is Turing complete has been retracted due to a flawed proof.
The discussion involves technical details about file systems, directory entries, and the Master File Table (MFT) in Windows, as well as debates on the Turing completeness of various systems like C and Python.
The conversation also explores theoretical aspects of Turing machines, Rule 110, and functional completeness, with an update promised if the proof is corrected.
Meta has introduced the Segment Anything Model 2 (SAM 2), a segmentation model for precise object selection in images and videos using clicks, boxes, or masks as input.
SAM 2 excels in zero-shot performance, real-time interactivity, and efficient video processing, outperforming existing models in object segmentation.
Meta is releasing a pretrained SAM 2 model, the SA-V dataset, a demo, and code to the research community, promoting open innovation and further research.
Meta has launched the Segment Anything Model 2, generating significant interest in its potential impact on AI research and the tech industry.
Some experts suggest Meta is surpassing Google in AI advancements and community contributions, which could lead to new innovations and business value.
The discussion also includes Meta's open-source efforts and the broader implications of AI technology, as well as the competitive dynamics between major tech companies.
The author argues that applying systems to creative pursuits, such as DJ transitions and humor patterns, enhances creativity by internalizing knowledge and patterns.
They advocate for a learning method that involves memorizing patterns and exposing oneself to various cases, which can be applied beyond academics to fields like sports and sales.
The author suggests that mastering fundamentals through systems allows for higher-level innovation and creativity, as seen in cross-domain expertise in startups and music.
Creativity is often linked to internalized knowledge, which can be a result of memorization.
There is a debate on whether rote memorization is essential for creativity, with some arguing for the importance of understanding and context over mere repetition.
Internalizing concepts through repeated exposure can help develop heuristics and patterns useful for creative applications.
The user experienced significant lag when opening xterm on a Windows 11 machine compared to a Fedora Linux workstation, with Windows taking around 1600ms initially.
Profiling and debugging revealed that disabling window effects and certain xterm features, such as the toolbar and Tektronix emulation, improved performance.
Implementing a server mode with deferred mapping using an LD_PRELOAD library further reduced the startup time to approximately 366ms on Windows, making it nearly as fast as on Fedora.
The article discusses troubleshooting terminal lag, specifically focusing on the Microsoft Console Debugger (cdb) and its commands to modify function behavior.
It highlights the use of the eb win32u!NtUserSetLayeredWindowAttributes c3 command to disable a function by replacing its first byte with a ret instruction, making it return immediately.
The discussion includes various user experiences and methods to measure and reduce terminal startup time, such as using the hyperfine benchmarking tool and different terminal emulators.
The post explores calling Rust from Go to replace assembly code, aiming for near-zero overhead without requiring deep Rust or compiler knowledge.
Rust is chosen for its high optimizability and readability compared to assembly, and the approach shows better performance than using cgo for small, hot functions.
Benchmarking indicates that calling Rust from Go is nearly as fast as a native Go function call and significantly faster than cgo, making it suitable for performance-critical tasks.
Rustgo is a tool that allows calling Rust code from Go with near-zero overhead, which is significant for performance-sensitive applications.
The discussion highlights the complexities and potential pitfalls of using Foreign Function Interface (FFI) between different programming languages, particularly Go and Rust.
Comparisons are made with other languages like C# and Python, emphasizing the trade-offs in FFI performance and the importance of choosing the right tool for the job.
The author has released "Logic for Programmers v0.2," featuring epub support, constraint solving, and formal specification content.
The author prefers reStructuredText (rST) over Markdown due to its superior customization and extensibility, particularly useful for complex documentation needs.
A custom exercise extension in rST was created for the book to handle different rendering requirements for HTML, epub, and PDF formats.
reStructuredText (rST) is favored for technical books due to its extensibility and semantic capabilities, especially when combined with Sphinx.
Markdown is simpler and more readable, making it ideal for quick notes and everyday documentation.
rST's features like custom text objects and guaranteed internal link resolution are crucial for complex documentation projects, but Markdown's simplicity and support make it more popular for general use.
Activision has released a Call of Duty®: Warzone™ Caldera data set for academic use, as indicated by the page metadata.
The release is significant for researchers and academics interested in game data analysis and could foster new studies and insights in the gaming industry.
The data set is accessible through Activision's blog, highlighting the company's support for academic research and data transparency.
Activision has released a Call of Duty: Warzone Caldera data set for academic use on GitHub, including game level assets and player movement data.
The data set is useful for graphics research, engine development, defining strategic locations, and testing ray tracing algorithms, with potential applications in AI development and cheat detection.
The release is viewed as beneficial for academic and research purposes, though some see it as a recruiting tool due to its non-commercial license.
Building static binaries with Go on Linux involves specific flags and considerations, such as using -tags sqlite_omit_load_extension for SQLite if no extensions are used.
The discussion highlights the use of WebAssembly (WASM) for SQLite, which offers better performance and maintainability compared to traditional methods like modernc transpile.
There are challenges and performance issues associated with using different allocators and libc implementations, such as musl, when building static Go binaries, as experienced by companies like Tailscale.
A 2.5 GHz superconducting microprocessor prototype has been developed, using 80 times less energy than traditional semiconductor microprocessors, even when accounting for cooling.
The MANA microprocessor, based on Adiabatic Quantum-Flux-Parametron (AQFP) technology, contains over 20,000 superconductor Josephson junctions.
This is the first adiabatic superconducting microprocessor, marking a significant advancement in energy-efficient computing technology.
Researchers in Japan are developing ultra-efficient superconducting microprocessors that operate adiabatically, theoretically avoiding energy loss or gain during computation.
This technology challenges Landauer's principle, which states that erasing information requires energy, by using reversible computing with special logic gates like the Toffoli gate to minimize energy expenditure.
Despite its promising efficiency, practical implementation faces significant challenges, particularly in cooling and scaling for practical use, and still requires energy to set initial bits and manage environmental noise.
On July 19th, a configuration bug in CrowdStrike Falcon, an endpoint monitoring software, caused catastrophic failures in Windows systems, severely impacting the banking sector and other industries.
The bug led to widespread operational disruptions, including idling tellers and bankers, and even caused some banks to run out of physical cash, highlighting vulnerabilities in financial infrastructure.
U.S. banking regulators indirectly influenced the adoption of such security tools, which, while intended for protection, can introduce significant vulnerabilities due to their high privileges and widespread use.
The Cheshire ATT facility, built in 1966, is an underground complex designed for critical military communications, featuring a hardened analog L4 carrier cable and an AUTOVON 4-wire switch.
The facility includes extensive infrastructure for air filtration, power generation, and blast protection, ensuring operational continuity during nuclear events.
The site also served as a metropolitan junction for Hartford and New Haven, connecting to various other critical communication paths and facilities.
The AT&T Long Lines "Cheshire" underground site was an AUTOVON switching center, built to endure a nuclear war using Western Electric's 1ESS technology.
These centers were strategically located away from major cities and military targets, featuring redundant links, hardened structures, and cooling and contamination protection for workers.
The infrastructure, developed during the Cold War, included extensive microwave point-to-point links and used both 1ESS and Number 5 Crossbar switches, highlighting its resilience and complexity.
Scientists are uncertain when Earth's atmosphere had enough oxygen to support early animal life, despite extensive research.
New findings from Rio Tinto, Spain, suggest that sufficient oxygen for animal evolution might have been present nearly 2 billion years before animals appeared.
Recent research indicates that fluctuating ocean oxygen levels, food scarcity, or genetic development time, rather than oxygen levels, might have delayed animal evolution.
The Great Oxidation Event (GOE) marked a significant rise in Earth's atmospheric oxygen due to photosynthetic microbes over at least 400 million years.
This increase in oxygen enabled the development of complex life forms and the possibility of fire but caused a mass extinction of anaerobic organisms.
The GOE is crucial for astrobiology, as high oxygen levels on exoplanets can indicate potential biological activity, with ongoing research continually refining our understanding.
FakeTraveler is a mock location app for Android that allows users to fake their phone's location.
The app is open-source and available on F-Droid, a repository for free and open-source Android apps.
Despite its functionality, some users note that it may not bypass certain app restrictions, such as those in banking apps or Pokémon Go, without additional measures like rooting the device.