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🌊 SURF 'N TURF 🏝️ -THE BORACAY ISLAND LIFE- image Self-Sufficient Living 101. Self-sufficiency is a noble and empowering goal. The idea that you can live independently and free from all the costs and limitations of the outside world is both attractive and encouraging. But it comes with a price. Self-sufficiency is a significant responsibility. It essentially means you’re on your own to provide for everything you need to live safely and comfortably. How self-sufficient you become can vary, but total self-sufficiency takes planning and a careful analysis of everything you'll have to do along with how to do it. Throughout this article, we’re going to share links to more detailed information and checklists for items to stockpile or assemble. Self-sufficiency isn't easy, but once you understand some of the basic concepts, it gets easier. Here are the basics: Power Generation Solar Generator and Panels Most people who live self-sufficiently are off the grid. They usually use solar power to generate electricity, but some also use wind power and even small-scale hydroelectric power. They also set up systems to store the power they generate, whether through lead-acid batteries, lithium batteries, or solar power banks. Getting off the grid is a giant step towards self-sufficiency, but you have to do your homework to assess how much power you need, how you’ll store it, and how to use it efficiently. Water Without power you are going to need alternative solutions for water collection and storage. A had pump drilled into the ground is a simple solution. So are rainwater collection systems, RAM pumps on a creek or river, and even snow and ice in winter. When there’s no power to deliver water, you have to find ways to find, harvest, purify, and store your own. Combining solutions can help, but here again, you’re on your own. Just as important is proper filtration and purification. It’s not just about collecting water but properly treating it so it’s safe to drink. Boiling for at least 3 minutes is fairly foolproof, but water treatment tablets for immediate purification and long-term storage are just as important. Gardening is an obvious solution, and anyone pursuing a self-sufficient lifestyle is an avid gardener. In fact, a truly self-sufficient lifestyle results in gardens stretching across a property, from vertical gardens to barrel gardens to potato towers. If there’s a bare plot of land, there’s something growing there that you can either eat or use for medicinal purposes. Chicken Coop and Chickens Animal husbandry is another hallmark of a self-sufficient lifestyle. Chickens are a good place to start (especially when you consider the price of eggs these days.) But rabbits, ducks, turkeys, and even pigs and goats can join the homestead to bring protein to the plate. Goats are popular with many homesteaders as a source of goat milk and ultimately goat cheese. Sheep are a possibility as a food source and source of wool, and if you have the space and the inclination, you can step up to cattle or dairy cows. Once again, this depends a lot on your location, but even suburban yards can be a source for wild foraging. Dandelions, plantains and even clover have micronutrients on par with spinach and kale, and any fruit trees you plant will always give you a late summer and early fall harvest. If there are local lakes and rivers, you can always go fishing. And if you're in a forested area, hunting is always a possibility. Even that rabbit that raids your vegetable garden is fair game. Food Preservation The ability to properly and safely preserve the foods you grow or raise is another critical skillset for self-sufficiency. It starts with basic canning to drying and dehydrating, smoking, and fermenting. The ability to stockpile and safely store the food you grow and raise is a crucial step toward the self-sufficient lifestyle. Wood Stove Up Close Most of us live in an area subject to winter temperatures. Wood fired heat from a stove is the obvious self-sufficient solution, but it assumes you have access to a reliable and steady supply of firewood. If you don’t, a pellet stove is an alternative, but you’ll need to buy pellets to keep it going. On average a ton of pellets totaling 50 forty-pound bugs runs about $250 or more depending on your location. A bag usually lasts two days in cold weather. Propane is another option but once again you’re buying the propane. Wood heat from firewood you chop and split is the pure self-sufficient solution but not all of us are lucky enough to live in or around a deep forest. Refrigeration We take it for granted but without electricity, refrigeration is a challenge. Refrigerator/freezers are power hogs and while propane refrigerators offer a solution it also puts us back to a dependence on a supply of propane. Root cellars are the traditional solution and can keep many fruits, vegetables and canned goods safely cool. It’s not so good for meat and seafood and they should either be canned, dried or smoked. Winter months offer some free opportunities for refrigeration and freezing and many self-sufficient homesteads have a “cold room: where a window is always open to keep the temperatures cool. It’s a balancing act but it’s self-sufficient. Cooling Air-conditioning is the biggest power hog off-grid. Fans are the simplest solutions especially if they are solar powered. There are also clever ventilation solutions inviting cool air in and venting hot air out. How far you go with any cooling solutions depends a lot on your location and the local temperatures in summer. Tools Nothing gets done without tools and a battery-operated tool that can be recharged with a solar panel is a great idea. Then again, traditional hand tools are always a steady option and anyone pursuing a self-sufficient lifestyle should have traditional hand tools in their workshop. This would include axes, saws, carpentry tools, plumbing tools, and all of the conventional wrenches, pliers, screwdrivers and assorted hammers and sledges. And don’t forget to collect and stockpile hardware wherever you find it. Medical Supplies This is where things get serious. Many people pursuing a self-sufficient lifestyle live remotely. That can mean that conventional medical services are at a distance or even unavailable. What’s critical is to anticipate possibilities. A good first step is an expedition level first aid kit. It has just about everything you need to manage a medical emergency including a range of diagnostic equipment. Another consideration is related to medicines. A large and full stock of over-the -counter medicines makes a lot of sense. You never know what’s going to show up so anticipate. Prescription medications are another story. There are Canadian pharmacies where you can buy prescription meds in bulk, or you can ask your doctor for a script for a 90-day supply. Most medical plans will cover a 90-day prescription refill. There’s also an extreme option using veterinary meds as a substitute for traditional prescription medications. Medicinal Herbs When there is no pharmacy, you have to improvise. That’s what self-sufficiency is all about and for centuries people have used natural cures to treat a variety of conditions. It also makes sense to plant a medicinal herb garden and not only understand which herbs to use, but how to prepare them. Most have the same benefits of over-the-counter medications and some even provide the relief of pharmaceuticals. Transportation It’s hard for most of us to imagine life without our car or truck. But the Amish have found solutions and it’s not just about horses and buggies. Bicycles are a common form of transportation for many Amish families including bikes with a carriage attached to the back to transport both goods and people. Some of these setups are bicycles built for two to add horsepower or “leg-power” for transport. This gets back to a fundamental definition of self-sufficiency. It’s the ability to compensate for things using yourself as the source of inspiration, action and power. Repairs Everything breaks. Eventually. What’s important is to stockpile and assemble the things you need to just basically fix it. This goes beyond tools to salvaging and stockpiling hardware, assembling and saving materials like scrap wood and roofing shingles. It’s not about hoarding but it comes close. If it has value and you might need it someday -find a place to keep it and store it. This applies to any vehicles as well. Change your own oil, fix your own tires, know how to maintain a car battery, assemble the basics to keep your vehicles running even if it’s that bicycle built for two. Sanitation This is a complex challenge, It’s not just about bathing, but human waste management, laundry, and general cleaning. And if there’s no garbage service you need to figure out how to deal with anything you have to throw away. Here are the sanitation subsets: Bathing All you really need is a bucket of water, some soap and a towel to take care of some general bathing needs, but there are solar shower setups that can let you take a warm shower outdoors and there’s always that big washtub as an option. Many wood-stoves have a reservoir attached to the side that can hold and heat up to 30 gallons of water to not only help with bathing but laundry as well. How to Stay Clean Without Tap Water Outhouses and Composting Toilets Many people who live off-the-grid have both an outhouse outdoors and a composting toilet indoors. The composting toilet is nice to have in winter. If you’ve ever sat in an outhouse in January, you know why an indoor toilet option is a good idea. Laundry Drying on Line There are a variety of ways to do laundry, and most involve nothing more than a wash tub and a washboard. You also need soap and maybe a second tub or 5-gallon bucket for rinsing. Drying is done on clothes lines but once again, winter presents some challenges. You can make an indoor drying rack that will not only give you a place to dry your clothes. But add humidity to the very dry wood-fired heat. General Cleaning A self-sufficient lifestyle is both active and a bit dirty. Eventually you have to wash the floors, do the dishes, and just wipe down counters and cabinets. A bucket and mop is a good place to start but remember that vinegar is a great, natural disinfectant on floors and countertops. A dish rack to allow dishes to dry also makes sense. Garbage and Composting You have a few options to consider with garbage. You can burn it, bury it, recycle it or compost it. How you manage garbage depends a lot on where you live, but if you don’t have garbage service you need to improvise. Recycling aluminum, plastic and other metals is a good idea. If there’s a local store or location that pays you for recycled metals you’re in luck. Worst case scenario is to bury it but few people like the idea. It all depends on your situation and location. Communication If you have a way to generate power and a satellite Internet connection, you’re in luck. That not only lets you use a laptop to communicate via email and social media, but gives you access to a wealth of information about anything. A cell-phone of wireless mobile device also makes sense. Whether it’s just keeping in touch with family and friends or having the option to contact emergency services – a cell phone makes sense. HAM radio is also highly recommended and has historically been the self-sufficient survival communication platform of choice. You need to take some classes and get licensed, but it’s one of the ultimate self-sufficient communication options. Simpler and more basic solutions fall in the category of CB radios and other two-way radios. If you live on a large property with multiple family members or friends, it makes sense to think about two-way radios as an option. They’re pretty cheap, easy to use and try to power them with solar rechargeable batteries. That just makes sense. Security Many off-grid and self-sufficient homesteads are in remote locations. That helps as wild locations present more natural options related to water, firewood, fishing, foraging and hunting. But living in the middle of nowhere has a downside and while out of sight, out of mind is a good idea -remote areas are sometimes vulnerable to trespassers, poachers and others. Good locks on doors and windows make sense, and a fence can at least discourage trespassing. A chain across the front of long-driveway is standard police recommendation, and having something as basic as a dog in the house can not only deter trespassing but alert you to something going on outside. Perimeter lighting that’s motion activated and solar powered is another effective security deterrent as well as audible alarms and even motion activated video cameras. How far you go with personal and property security has a lot to do with your location, the local situation and your personal feeling about security. Here are some links to various subjects related to security for a self-sufficient lifestyle: Self-Sufficiency for The 21st Century You can stockpile all of the equipment and supplies you can think of but what sets apart someone who is self-sufficient is their knowledge and skills. The Internet is a good source of information and there’s no shortage of YouTube videos covering many subjects in depth. Take the time to learn more, and it also may be wise to put together a library of books on various self-sufficient subjects. If you ever find yourself without power or Internet access it’s good to have a reliable fallback like a good book. Self-sufficiency seems to be defined by stockpiling and a good bit of preparation, but it’s really about a way of thinking, Our motivations for self-sufficiency vary. Some of us just are tired of over-paying for utilities and products. Others are genuinely concerned about the lack of goods and services. Regardless of the reason, a self-sufficient mindset is a source of independence. It's reassuring to know that no matter what may occur, you have the will and the wherewithal to survive and thrive in the best and worst of times. These days it’s hard to know which way things will turn, but if you can keep a focus on self-sufficient behaviors and actions it just makes sense to continue to think and act that way. "Pure signal, no noise" Credits Goes to the respective Author ✍️/ Photographer📸 🐇 🕳️
@MacRumors image Samsung has officially unveiled the Exynos 2600, the world's first 2 nanometer mobile system-on-a-chip (SoC), built on the company's Gate-All-Around (GAA) process. The 10-core ARM-based design aims to deliver improved performance and efficiency for flagship devices like the upcoming Galaxy S26 series. The chip uses Arm's latest cores and supports new instructions for improved CPU speed and on-device AI, with Samsung claiming up to a 39 percent boost in CPU performance and 113 percent faster NPU performance, enabling larger and more efficient AI workloads. Its GPU is based on the latest Xclipse design, which Samsung says doubles previous graphics performance and boosts ray tracing by up to 50 percent. Earlier Exynos processors earned a poor reputation for running hot and throttling performance, particularly when compared with competing chips from Apple. To address those shortcomings, Samsung has introduced a new thermal approach called Heat Path Block (HPB). The technique uses a High-k EMC material to improve heat dissipation, enabling the Exynos 2600 to maintain higher performance levels for longer periods, even under sustained heavy workloads, claims Samsung. Apple is widely expected to adopt the 2nm process node for several devices in 2026, albeit using TSMC's 2nm (N2) process. Apple has reportedly secured a significant portion of TSMC's initial N2 production capacity, with the A20 and A20 Pro chips for the iPhone 18 lineup expected to be the first Apple silicon built on this node. The N2-based processors would succeed Apple's A17 Pro through A19 Pro chips, fabricated using TSMC's series of 3nm processes. Compared to current 3nm chips, TSMC's 2nm process promises up to 15 percent higher performance at the same power level, or 25 to 30 percent lower power consumption at the same performance level. The process also achieves approximately 15 percent higher transistor density, allowing more functionality to be packed into the same physical space. Apple's first 2nm chips are likely to debut in iPhone 18 Pro models and Apple's first foldable iPhone, all of which are expected to launch in late 2026. Beyond iPhones, Apple's M6 series for future Macs could also use TSMC's 2nm process, although we haven't heard any specific rumors that this will be the case. Tags: 2nm, SamsungThis article, "Samsung Announces World's First 2nm Mobile Chip Ahead of Apple" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums https://www.macrumors.com/2025/12/19/samsung-exynos-2600-chip-2nm-process-apple/
https://unherd.com/2025/12/zoomer-politics-is-doomed-to-fail/ There is no reason to believe that Zoomers will succeed where their predecessors failed. Their documented deficiencies, from ingrained asocial behaviour and threadbare attention spans to plummeting literacy and organisational skills, are only likely to lead to graver defeats and regressions. The younger and more plugged-in you are, the farther away you are from that antiquated paradigm. Gen Z’s revolutionary energies, therefore, are likely to be diffused into spectacle and simulacra before any meaningful institutional expression can be found. The Zoomer mind may believe it’s engaged in political acts; it may even precipitate big in-person rallies, the overthrow of a leader, or the radicalisation of a party. But so long as politics is accessed primarily through screens, much like the Millennials, the new generation will find that their “movements” have about as much longevity and impact as a trend on X or TikTok. With their basic associative powers severely impaired, the young generations are now apparently so dependent on digital mediation that they can no longer engage in small talk. The famous “Gen Z stare” is an actual sociological symptom; they also have a deep-seated aversion to commitment (personal and institutional), and are thus prone to “ghosting” as a way of life. The same problem applies to their political affiliations. One need only to track the fate of such factions as the “vitalist Right” or the “post-Left” or “Effective Altruism” or “Postrationalism” to see how susceptible these are to debasement and dissipation. What we see today, Zoomers swinging between cynical nihilism and performative extremism and aestheticism, is the logical endpoint of our decades-long abdication of the real-world focal points of politics. And what makes this turn particularly pernicious is the material context: the anti-politics of self-expression may have been decadent from the start, but at least it made some sense when the Boomers were young and the West still had industrial growth and an upwardly mobile middle class. Zoomer (and Millennial) living standards have been in dramatic decline relative to what their parents had: in other words, post-scarcity is over, inequality is resurgent, and the case for a return to a sober, practical materialist politics has never been more urgent. https://archive.ph/w8KE2
Apple opens up its App Store to competition in Japan submitted by https://pawb.social/u/tonytins Apple announced it will allow alternative app stores in Japan and will permit developers to process payments for digital goods and services outside of its own in-app purchase system in iOS. The iPhone maker is not making these changes because it wants to be more open; it’s being forced — in this case, to comply with the country’s Mobile Software Competition Act (MSCA), which is now going into effect. With this update, Apple’s App Store revenues are being impacted in another major market due to anticompetition laws and regulations. The company already has to comply with Europe’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which previously required the tech giant to allow for alternative app stores and other changes. https://techcrunch.com/2025/12/18/apple-opens-up-its-app-store-to-competition-in-japan/ https://lemmy.world/post/40381770
I created this prompt for the video client. It is a little longer and I hope I didn't forget anything. _____ Create a video client. Use NIP-71 as well as the custom NIPs at and View Event →, which are two older versions of NIP-71, for best possible compatibility. Mark each event with the version of NIP-71 that was used for it. Make the client look similar to YouTube (but do not use YouTube as a name!). Portrait format videos are shown in a side-scrollable section. Landscape format videos are shown in a grid on big screens, one below the other on mobile. Show the video URL on each post. When logged in, implement a global and a following feed. Implement profile pages for viewing a profile's video. As for thumbnails, when no thumbnail is present, either generate one procedurally based on the event id, or try to extract a thumbnail from the first frames of a video. This client shall enable anonymous posting without the need for logging in. For this, a new keypair is generated for each post. This keypair is also used to authenticate against the blossom server. Implement NIP-25 reactions and NIP-36 content warning as well. As for reactions, show three buttons on each post: one for "+" reactions, one for "-" reactions and one for custom reactions. When logged in, make it possible to react and to delete reactions. Also when logged in, make it possible to edit your videos if they use the custom NIPs, and to delete them in any case.
@MacRumors image Apple and Amazon are facing a new UK opt-out class action seeking more than ÂŁ900 million ($1.2 billion) over claims that the companies struck an unlawful deal that pushed independent Apple and Beats sellers off Amazon and kept prices higher for consumers. The claim centers on an agreement from October 2018, from which point it is alleged that Amazon restricted third-party sellers from offering Apple products on Amazon's marketplace, while Apple gave Amazon better wholesale terms for Apple products sold directly by Amazon as a retailer. The lawsuit claims that by January 2019, most independent Apple resellers had effectively disappeared from Amazon, reducing discounted listings and leaving consumers paying closer to full price. The proposed class includes UK consumers who bought new Apple products since October 2018, whether from Amazon or other retailers, on the basis that the alleged conduct affected prices more broadly. It covers Apple hardware and Beats products, plus accessories, but it excludes Apple products bought as part of mobile network contracts. This is not the first attempt at a case over the same issue. A similar case was triggered in the United States in 2022. Collective action was brought forward in the UK in 2023, but the tribunal did not allow it to proceed. The new filing argues the core competition allegations remain strong and should be heard with a different proposed class representative and structure.Tags: Amazon, Apple Antitrust, United KingdomThis article, "Apple Hit With Another Lawsuit Over Alleged Collusion With Amazon to Keep Prices High" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums https://www.macrumors.com/2025/12/16/apple-hit-with-lawsuit-over-collusion-with-amazon/
Mozilla's New CEO Bets Firefox's Future on AI Mozilla has named Anthony Enzor-DeMeo as its new chief executive, promoting the executive who has spent the past year leading the Firefox browser team and who now plans to make AI central to the company's future. Enzor-DeMeo announced on Tuesday that an "AI Mode" is coming to Firefox next year. The feature will let users choose from multiple AI models rather than being locked into a single provider. Some options will be open-source models, others will be private "Mozilla-hosted cloud options," and the company also plans to integrate models from major AI companies. Mozilla itself will not train its own large language model. "We're not incentivized to push one model or the other," Enzor-DeMeo told The Verge. Firefox currently has about 200 million monthly users, a fraction of Chrome's roughly 4 billion, though Enzor-DeMeo insists mobile usage is growing at a decent clip. He takes over from interim CEO Laura Chambers, who led the company through a major antitrust case and what Mozilla describes as "double-digit mobile growth" in Firefox. Chambers is returning to the Mozilla board of directors. The new CEO has outlined three priorities: ensuring all products give users control over AI features including the ability to turn them off, building a business model around transparent monetization, and expanding Firefox into a broader ecosystem of trusted software. Mozilla VPN integration is planned for the browser next year. <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Mozilla's+New+CEO+Bets+Firefox's+Future+on+AI%3A+https%3A%2F%2Ftech.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F25%2F12%2F16%2F1359204%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftech.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F25%2F12%2F16%2F1359204%2Fmozillas-new-ceo-bets-firefoxs-future-on-ai%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a> https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/12/16/1359204/mozillas-new-ceo-bets-firefoxs-future-on-ai?utm_source=rss1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed at Slashdot. https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/12/16/1359204/mozillas-new-ceo-bets-firefoxs-future-on-ai?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed
Continuing the #nationalId debate, here’s the key part of the #digitalId experience in #Poland core mobile application called mObywatel. When I want to log in to any government website, they display a QR code which I scan with the app. What then happens you see on the screenshot below (in Polish, sorry) and it’s the critical part. The app tells me what personal details the website is requesting from me, and I am explicitly approving this share. In this case, I was logging in to Polish social insurance insurance. The only details they need from me is name, surname and unique id number (think NINo) which binds to my insurance account. That’s it. Why this is important? Because this explicit share approval provides you with full transparency on what data you’re sharing and with whom. Of course, the social insurance already has all of my details since I’ve started university, but then mObywatel also integrates with commercial institutions, like banks. Then it becomes useful, because you can literally open a bank account online using mObywatel, in which case you will have to authorise much more details - which you’d normally be required to fill in a paper form in the bank branch. But it will be always you to see and approve what you share with whom. image
God Mode On: how we attacked a vehicle’s head unit modemIntroduction Imagine you’re cruising down the highway in your brand-new electric car. All of a sudden, the massive multimedia display fills with Doom, the iconic 3D shooter game. It completely replaces the navigation map or the controls menu, and you realize someone is playing it remotely right now. This is not a dream or an overactive imagination – we’ve demonstrated that it’s a perfectly realistic scenario in today’s world. The internet of things now plays a significant role in the modern world. Not only are smartphones and laptops connected to the network, but also factories, cars, trains, and even airplanes. Most of the time, connectivity is provided via 3G/4G/5G mobile data networks using modems installed in these vehicles and devices. These modems are increasingly integrated into a System-on-Chip (SoC), which uses a Communication Processor (CP) and an Application Processor (AP) to perform multiple functions simultaneously. A general-purpose operating system such as Android can run on the AP, while the CP, which handles communication with the mobile network, typically runs on a dedicated OS. The interaction between the AP, CP, and RAM within the SoC at the microarchitecture level is a “black box” known only to the manufacturer – even though the security of the entire SoC depends on it. Bypassing 3G/LTE security mechanisms is generally considered a purely academic challenge because a secure communication channel is established when a user device (User Equipment, UE) connects to a cellular base station (Evolved Node B, eNB). Even if someone can bypass its security mechanisms, discover a vulnerability in the modem, and execute their own code on it, this is unlikely to compromise the device’s business logic. This logic (for example, user applications, browser history, calls, and SMS on a smartphone) resides on the AP and is presumably not accessible from the modem. To find out, if that is true, we conducted a security assessment of a modern SoC, Unisoc UIS7862A, which features an integrated 2G/3G/4G modem. This SoC can be found in various mobile devices by multiple vendors or, more interestingly, in the head units of modern Chinese vehicles, which are becoming increasingly common on the roads. The head unit is one of a car’s key components, and a breach of its information security poses a threat to road safety, as well as the confidentiality of user data. During our research, we identified several critical vulnerabilities at various levels of the Unisoc UIS7862A modem’s cellular protocol stack. This article discusses a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability in the 3G RLC protocol implementation (CVE-2024-39432). The vulnerability can be exploited to achieve remote code execution at the early stages of connection, before any protection mechanisms are activated. Importantly, gaining the ability to execute code on the modem is only the entry point for a complete remote compromise of the entire SoC. Our subsequent efforts were focused on gaining access to the AP. We discovered several ways to do so, including leveraging a hardware vulnerability in the form of a hidden peripheral Direct Memory Access (DMA) device to perform lateral movement within the SoC. This enabled us to install our own patch into the running Android kernel and execute arbitrary code on the AP with the highest privileges. Details are provided in the relevant sections. Acquiring the modem firmware The modem at the center of our research was found on the circuit board of the head unit in a Chinese car. Circuit board of the head unit Description of the circuit board components:Number in the board photoComponent1Realtek RTL8761ATV 802.11b/g/n 2.4G controller with wireless LAN (WLAN) and USB interfaces (USB 1.0/1.1/2.0 standards)2SPRD UMW2652 BGA WiFi chip355966 TYADZ 21086 chip4SPRD SR3595D (Unisoc) radio frequency transceiver5Techpoint TP9950 video decoder6UNISOC UIS7862A7BIWIN BWSRGX32H2A-48G-X internal storage, Package200-FBGA, ROM Type – Discrete, ROM Size – LPDDR4X, 48G8SCY E128CYNT2ABE00 EMMC 128G/JEDEC memory card9SPREADTRUM UMP510G5 power controller10FEI.1s LE330315 USB2.0 shunt chip11SCT2432STER synchronous step-down DC-DC converter with internal compensation Using information about the modem’s hardware, we desoldered and read the embedded multimedia memory card, which contained a complete image of its operating system. We then analyzed the image obtained. Remote access to the modem (CVE-2024-39431) The modem under investigation, like any modern modem, implements several protocol stacks: 2G, 3G, and LTE. Clearly, the more protocols a device supports, the more potential entry points (attack vectors) it has. Moreover, the lower in the OSI network model stack a vulnerability sits, the more severe the consequences of its exploitation can be. Therefore, we decided to analyze the data packet fragmentation mechanisms at the data link layer (RLC protocol). We focused on this protocol because it is used to establish a secure encrypted data transmission channel between the base station and the modem, and, in particular, it is used to transmit higher-layer NAS (Non-Access Stratum) protocol data. NAS represents the functional level of the 3G/UMTS protocol stack. Located between the user equipment (UE) and core network, it is responsible for signaling between them. This means that a remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability in RLC would allow an attacker to execute their own code on the modem, bypassing all existing 3G communication protection mechanisms. 3G protocol stack The RLC protocol uses three different transmission modes: Transparent Mode (TM), Unacknowledged Mode (UM), and Acknowledged Mode (AM). We are only interested in UM, because in this mode the 3G standard allows both the segmentation of data and the concatenation of several small higher-layer data fragments (Protocol Data Units, PDU) into a single data link layer frame. This is done to maximize channel utilization. At the RLC level, packets are referred to as Service Data Units (SDU). Among the approximately 75,000 different functions in the firmware, we found the function for handling an incoming SDU packet. When handling a received SDU packet, its header fields are parsed. The packet itself consists of a mandatory header, optional headers, and data. The number of optional headers is not limited. The end of the optional headers is indicated by the least significant bit (E bit) being equal to 0. The algorithm processes each header field sequentially, while their E-bits equal 1. During processing, data is written to a variable located on the stack of the calling function. The stack depth is 0xB4 bytes. The size of the packet that can be parsed (i.e., the number of headers, each header being a 2-byte entry on the stack) is limited by the SDU packet size of 0x5F0 bytes. As a result, exploitation can be achieved using just one packet in which the number of headers exceeds the stack depth (90 headers). It is important to note that this particular function lacks a stack canary, and when the stack overflows, it is possible to overwrite the return address and some non-volatile register values in this function. However, overwriting is only possible with a value ending in one in binary (i.e., a value in which the least significant bit equals 1). Notably, execution takes place on ARM in Thumb mode, so all return addresses must have the least significant bit equal to 1. Coincidence? Perhaps. In any case, sending the very first dummy SDU packet with the appropriate number of “correct” headers caused the device to reboot. However, at that moment, we had no way to obtain information on where and why the crash occurred (although we suspect the cause was an attempt to transfer control to the address 0xAABBCCDD, taken from our packet). Gaining persistence in the system The first and most important observation is that we know the pointer to the newly received SDU packet is stored in register R2. Return Oriented Programming (ROP) techniques can be used to execute our own code, but first we need to make sure it is actually possible. We utilized the available AT command handler to move the data to RAM areas. Among the available AT commands, we found a suitable function – SPSERVICETYPE. Next, we used ROP gadgets to overwrite the address 0x8CE56218 without disrupting the subsequent operation of the incoming SDU packet handling algorithm. To achieve this, it was sufficient to return to the function from which the SDU packet handler was called, because it was invoked as a callback, meaning there is no data linkage on the stack. Given that this function only added 0x2C bytes to the stack, we needed to fit within this size. Stack overflow in the context of the operating system Having found a suitable ROP chain, we launched an SDU packet containing it as a payload. As a result, we saw the output 0xAABBCCDD in the AT command console for SPSERVICETYPE. Our code worked! Next, by analogy, we input the address of the stack frame where our data was located, but it turned out not to be executable. We then faced the task of figuring out the MPU settings on the modem. Once again, using the ROP chain method, we generated code that read the MPU table, one DWORD at a time. After many iterations, we obtained the following table. The table shows what we suspected – the code section is only mapped for execution. An attempt to change the configuration resulted in another ROP chain, but this same section was now mapped with write permissions in an unused slot in the table. Because of MPU programming features, specifically the presence of the overlap mechanism and the fact that a region with a higher ID has higher priority, we were able to write to this section. All that remained was to use the pointer to our data (still stored in R2) and patch the code section that had just been unlocked for writing. The question was what exactly to patch. The simplest method was to patch the NAS protocol handler by adding our code to it. To do this, we used one of the NAS protocol commands – MM information. This allowed us to send a large amount of data at once and, in response, receive a single byte of data using the MM status command, which confirmed the patching success. As a result, we not only successfully executed our own code on the modem side but also established full two-way communication with the modem, using the high-level NAS protocol as a means of message delivery. In this case, it was an MM Status packet with the cause field equaling 0xAA. However, being able to execute our own code on the modem does not give us access to user data. Or does it? The full version of the article with a detailed description of the development of an AR exploit that led to Doom being run on the head unit is available on ICS CERT website.
Sicurezza Wi-Fi Multilivello: La Guida Completa a Segmentazione, WPA3 e Difesa Attiva Con l’espansione dell’Internet of Things (IoT), il numero di dispositivi connessi alle reti wireless è in continua crescita, sia nelle case che nelle aziende . Questo scenario rende la sicurezza delle reti wireless una priorità assoluta, poiché tali dispositivi rappresentano un bersaglio ideale per attacchi informatici . Nei precedenti capitoli di questa rubrica abbiamo esplorato il lato offensivo della sicurezza Wi-Fi . Abbiamo visto quanto sia disarmante la semplicità con cui un attaccante, armato di strumenti open-source come Airodump-ng e Wireshark, possa mappare una rete, intercettare handshake crittografici e manipolare il traffico tramite attacchi Man-in-the-Middle . Tuttavia, comprendere l’attacco è solo la metà dell’opera. La vera sfida per i CISO, i Network Administrator e i professionisti IT è costruire un’infrastruttura capace di resistere a queste intrusioni . Non stiamo parlando di una “soluzione magica” o di un singolo dispositivo hardware da installare nel rack, ma di un cambiamento radicale di mentalità . Dobbiamo abbandonare il concetto di “sicurezza perimetrale” (il classico muro che separa il “dentro” sicuro dal “fuori” insicuro) per abbracciare modelli più evoluti come la Defense-in-Depth (difesa in profondità) e le architetture Zero Trust . In questo approfondimento, analizzeremo come segmentazione, crittografia avanzata e intelligenza artificiale convergono per creare le moderne reti autodifensive . La Segmentazione: Fermare i Movimenti Laterali Se immaginiamo la nostra rete come un sottomarino, la segmentazione è l’equivalente dei compartimenti stagni. Se uno scafo viene perforato (un dispositivo viene compromesso), l’acqua (l’attaccante) deve rimanere confinata in quella sezione, senza poter affondare l’intera nave . Nel contesto Wi-Fi, la tecnica regina per implementare questa logica è l’uso delle VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network) . Oltre la rete piatta In molte implementazioni domestiche o di piccole imprese, la rete è “piatta” (Flat Network) . Questo significa che tutti i dispositivi – dal server con i dati finanziari, al laptop del CEO, fino alla lampadina smart da 10 euro – condividono lo stesso dominio di broadcast . Ricordate l’uso di netdiscover o nmap che abbiamo analizzato nell’articolo precedente? https://www.redhotcyber.com/post/anatomia-di-una-violazione-wi-fi-dalla-pre-connessione-alla-difesa-attiva/ In una rete piatta, una volta che l’attaccante ha violato la password Wi-Fi (o ha trovato una porta Ethernet libera), ha visibilità immediata su ogni host . Può lanciare attacchi ARP Spoofing contro chiunque . Creare “Zone di Fiducia” La segmentazione permette di suddividere l’infrastruttura in sezioni logiche isolate, riducendo drasticamente la superficie di attacco . Una configurazione professionale standard prevede almeno tre macro-segmenti: VLAN Corporate (Blindata): Qui risiedono i dipendenti e gli asset critici . L’accesso è protetto da protocolli 802.1X (WPA-Enterprise) che richiedono certificati digitali o credenziali di dominio, non una semplice password condivisa . VLAN Guest (Isolata): Destinata a visitatori e fornitori. Questa rete deve fornire solo accesso a Internet (spesso limitato in banda e filtrato nei contenuti) e deve essere completamente isolata dalla LAN interna . I dispositivi connessi qui non devono potersi vedere tra loro (Client Isolation) . VLAN IoT (Zero Trust): Questa è oggi la frontiera più critica . I dispositivi IoT (telecamere, sensori, smart TV) sono spesso non aggiornabili e intrinsecamente vulnerabili . Isolarli in una VLAN dedicata impedisce che un sensore termico compromesso diventi il “ponte” per attaccare il server aziendale . Esempio di architettura segmentata: le VLAN separano logicamente i dispositivi IoT e Guest dalle risorse critiche, impedendo movimenti laterali non autorizzati. L’immagine sopra illustra come un gateway centrale gestisca il traffico tra VLAN diverse applicando regole di firewalling rigorose: il traffico dalla VLAN IoT verso la VLAN Corporate deve essere bloccato di default . Defense-in-Depth: L’architettura a Cipolla La segmentazione, per quanto potente, non è sufficiente da sola . Un attaccante determinato potrebbe trovare modi per saltare da una VLAN all’altra (VLAN Hopping) se gli switch non sono configurati correttamente . Qui entra in gioco la strategia di Difesa Multilivello (Defense-in-Depth) . Questo approccio si basa sulla ridondanza dei controlli di sicurezza. Se una barriera fallisce, ne subentra un’altra immediatamente successiva . Possiamo visualizzare questa strategia come una serie di strati concentrici: Livello Perimetrale: Firewall Next-Generation (NGFW) che filtrano il traffico in ingresso e uscita, bloccando connessioni verso botnet note . Livello di Rete: Sistemi di crittografia (WPA3/VPN) per proteggere i dati in transito e IDS (Intrusion Detection Systems) per monitorare il traffico interno . Livello Endpoint: Soluzioni EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response) installate sui singoli laptop e server, capaci di bloccare processi malevoli anche se la rete è stata superata . Livello Inganno (Deception): L’uso di Honeypot (che vedremo più avanti) per attirare gli attaccanti . La forza della difesa multilivello sta nella sua resilienza . Mentre un firewall tradizionale opera con regole statiche (“Blocca porta 80”), un sistema integrato multilivello sfrutta l’Intelligenza Artificiale per correlare eventi apparentemente slegati tra i vari strati, reagendo in modo dinamico . Protocolli e Sfide: WPA2, AES/TKIP e WPA3 Se la segmentazione protegge l’interno della rete, la crittografia è il guardiano del cancello . Protocolli di Sicurezza Attuali: WPA e WPA2 La maggior parte delle reti wireless utilizza protocolli di crittografia come WEP, WPA e WPA2, con WPA e WPA2 che dominano per la loro robustezza . WPA/WPA2: Considerati altamente sicuri grazie all’utilizzo di algoritmi avanzati come AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) e TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) . La sicurezza si basa sulla difficoltà computazionale di risolvere complesse equazioni matematiche . Tuttavia, con l’avanzamento tecnologico, anche questi protocolli potrebbero essere vulnerabili . La debolezza principale del WPA2-Personal (quello con la password condivisa) risiede nel “4-Way Handshake” . Come abbiamo dimostrato nell’articolo sugli attacchi, un hacker può catturare questo handshake e tentare di indovinare la password nel proprio laboratorio, testando milioni di combinazioni al secondo senza che la rete bersaglio se ne accorga . WPA3 e SAE: La Nuova Frontiera Oggi, WPA3 (standardizzato dalla Wi-Fi Alliance ”wi-fi.org/”)rappresenta la scelta obbligata per qualsiasi nuova implementazione . Risolve il problema alla radice introducendo il protocollo SAE (Simultaneous Authentication of Equals), basato sul metodo di scambio chiavi “Dragonfly” . I vantaggi tecnici del SAE: Resistenza ai dizionari offline: Con WPA3, un attaccante non può portare via i dati per crackarli offline . Ogni tentativo di indovinare la password richiede un’interazione attiva con l’Access Point . Questo significa che l’attaccante deve essere fisicamente presente e che la rete può rilevare e bloccare i tentativi ripetuti . Forward Secrecy: Anche se un attaccante riuscisse a scoprire la password della rete in futuro, non potrà decifrare il traffico catturato nel passato . Ogni sessione ha chiavi effimere uniche . Tabella di ConfrontoIl rischio della “Transition Mode” e la vulnerabilità “Dragonblood” Nonostante la superiorità tecnica, l’adozione di WPA3 affronta ostacoli: Hardware Legacy: Molti dispositivi (vecchie stampanti, terminali di magazzino, sensori medici) non supportano WPA3 . Transition Mode: Per ovviare a ciò, i produttori hanno introdotto la modalità WPA3-Transition, che permette la connessione sia via WPA2 che WPA3 . Attenzione: Questa configurazione è un compromesso di sicurezza. Un attaccante esperto può eseguire un attacco di Downgrade, forzando un client moderno a disconnettersi e riconnettersi utilizzando il protocollo WPA2 più debole . Vulnerabilità Dragonblood: Il protocollo WPA3 stesso, sebbene più sicuro, non è perfetto . Vulnerabilità come l’handshake Dragonblood possono essere sfruttate . Si tratta di una debolezza nell’implementazione dell’handshake che potrebbe essere utilizzata per aggirare le protezioni di WPA3 . Minacce Emergenti: AI e Quantum Computing Il panorama della sicurezza sta cambiando a causa di due fattori rivoluzionari. L’Impatto dell’Intelligenza Artificiale (IA) L’uso dell’intelligenza artificiale (IA) e del machine learning (ML) sta trasformando il panorama della sicurezza informatica, sia per i difensori che per gli attaccanti . Per gli aggressori: IA e ML possono ridurre il costo computazionale necessario per eseguire attacchi di forza bruta . Il cracking delle password potrebbe diventare più veloce ed efficiente . Il Potenziale dei Computer Quantistici Sebbene i computer quantistici siano ancora in una fase di sviluppo iniziale, il loro potenziale è significativo . Capacità: Possono eseguire calcoli complessi in tempi significativamente più brevi rispetto ai computer classici . Minaccia ai Protocolli: Rappresentano una minaccia per la sicurezza di protocolli come WPA/WPA2, che si basano su problemi matematici difficili da risolvere con i computer tradizionali . È quindi fondamentale sviluppare protocolli di crittografia post-quantistici . L’obiettivo è garantire che i dati rimangano sicuri anche contro attacchi basati su capacità computazionali avanzate . La ricerca è in corso, ma questi protocolli non sono ancora ampiamente implementati . Gestione Identità: MFA e AI Comportamentale Anche la crittografia più robusta fallisce se la chiave d’accesso viene rubata tramite phishing o social engineering . Per questo motivo, la gestione dell’identità (Identity Management) è diventata una componente critica . Oltre la password: L’MFA L’autenticazione a più fattori (MFA) non è più un optional . Nelle reti aziendali (WPA-Enterprise), l’accesso non dovrebbe mai basarsi solo su username e password . È necessario integrare un secondo fattore: Una notifica Push su app mobile . Un token hardware (chiavetta FIDO2) . Un certificato digitale installato sul dispositivo . AI Comportamentale (UEBA) Qui entra in gioco l’Intelligenza Artificiale, trasformando la gestione accessi da statica a dinamica . I moderni sistemi di UEBA (User and Entity Behavior Analytics) creano un profilo base per ogni utente e dispositivo . Esempio pratico: Il sistema sa che l’utente “Mario Rossi” si collega solitamente tra le 08:00 e le 19:00, dall’ufficio di Roma, utilizzando un laptop Dell e scambiando circa 500MB di dati . Se improvvisamente le credenziali di Mario vengono usate alle 03:00 di notte, da un indirizzo IP associato alla Russia, per scaricare 10GB di dati, il sistema riconosce l’anomalia comportamentale . In una rete autodifensiva, l’AI reagisce istantaneamente: non si limita a loggare l’evento, ma blocca la sessione o mette il dispositivo in quarantena (VLAN limitata) richiedendo una ri-autenticazione forte . Limiti Hardware e Architetture Ibride (Edge/Cloud) Implementare crittografia avanzata, ispezione profonda dei pacchetti e analisi AI in tempo reale richiede risorse. Questo ci porta a un nodo cruciale: l’hardware. I router consumer o di fascia bassa (SOHO) hanno CPU e RAM limitate. Chiedere a questi dispositivi di decifrare traffico WPA3 ad alta velocità e analizzarlo con algoritmi di Machine Learning porterebbe al collasso della rete (collo di bottiglia). La risposta dell’industria è l’adozione di architetture ibride Edge-Cloud. L’Edge (Il Bordo): Gli Access Point e gli switch moderni diventano più intelligenti. Eseguono un’analisi preliminare “leggera” direttamente sul traffico per decisioni immediate (es. bloccare un attacco DDoS o un ARP spoofing palese). Questo riduce la latenza a zero. Il Cloud: I metadati del traffico (non i dati sensibili) vengono inviati al cloud, dove cluster di server potentissimi eseguono l’analisi comportamentale pesante, confrontando i dati con le minacce globali (Threat Intelligence) e aggiornando le regole di sicurezza degli apparati Edge. Architettura ibrida Edge-Cloud: l’elaborazione avviene vicino alla fonte dei dati (Edge) per ridurre la latenza a zero, mentre il Cloud gestisce l’analisi storica e pesante. Tuttavia, questo modello introduce la sfida della latenza. Ogni “salto” verso il cloud introduce millisecondi di ritardo. La progettazione della rete deve quindi bilanciare accuratamente cosa viene elaborato localmente e cosa in remoto. Difesa Attiva: Honeypot e IDS Finora abbiamo parlato di difese preventive. Ma cosa succede se l’attaccante è già dentro? Qui passiamo alla “Difesa Attiva”, utilizzando sistemi che non solo osservano, ma ingannano. IDS e IPS: Le sentinelle Gli Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) e Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS) sono la naturale evoluzione di strumenti come Wireshark. Invece di richiedere un analista umano che guardi i pacchetti, l’IPS analizza il flusso 24/7. Grazie all’AI, gli IPS moderni hanno superato il problema storico dei “falsi positivi”. Riescono a distinguere un trasferimento file legittimo massivo da un tentativo di esfiltrazione dati low-and-slow (lento e basso), progettato per sfuggire ai controlli tradizionali. Honeypot: La trappola Una delle tecniche più affascinanti della difesa multilivello è l’uso degli Honeypot (letteralmente “barattoli di miele”). Un honeypot è un sistema (un server, un PC, o anche un finto sensore IoT) deliberatamente vulnerabile e non protetto, posizionato in una VLAN isolata e monitorata. La logica è spietata: Poiché nessun dipendente legittimo ha motivo di connettersi a quella macchina, qualsiasi traffico diretto verso l’honeypot è, per definizione, ostile. Vantaggio: Genera allarmi ad altissima fedeltà (zero falsi positivi). Intelligence: Permette di osservare l’attaccante mentre crede di agire indisturbato, raccogliendo dati sulle sue tecniche (TTPs) per blindare il resto della rete. Strategie di Autodifesa Proattiva Per contrastare le minacce emergenti e proteggere le reti wireless, è necessario adottare strategie diversificate e proattive: Adattatori di rete avanzati: Migliorare l’hardware per rilevare vulnerabilità in tempo reale. Modelli di elaborazione affidabile: Integrare meccanismi adattivi che rispondano automaticamente a tentativi di dirottamento. Educazione e consapevolezza: Formare gli utenti su buone pratiche di sicurezza, come la scelta di password complesse e l’aggiornamento regolare del firmware. Conclusioni e Futuro La sicurezza ha inevitabilmente un costo. Richiede investimenti in hardware (AP WPA3, Firewall), software (licenze AI/Cloud) e competenze umane. Per le piccole imprese, questo può sembrare un onere insostenibile. Tuttavia, la democratizzazione delle tecnologie cloud sta rendendo le reti autodifensive accessibili anche alle PMI. La domanda che ogni manager deve porsi non è “quanto costa la sicurezza?”, ma “quanto costa fermare l’azienda per tre giorni a causa di un ransomware?”. L’adozione massiccia della tecnologia wireless, alimentata dall’IoT, richiede una sicurezza delle reti wireless all’avanguardia . Mentre IA, ML e computer quantistici possono potenzialmente compromettere i protocolli di sicurezza esistenti, è essenziale continuare a sviluppare soluzioni resistenti e strategie di autodifesa proattive . La sicurezza nelle reti wireless non è un obiettivo statico, ma un processo dinamico che richiede innovazione continua per stare al passo con le minacce emergenti. Guardando all’orizzonte, la convergenza tra Wi-Fi 7 e 5G porterà a scenari ancora più evoluti. Con tecnologie come il Multi-Link Operation (MLO) del Wi-Fi 7, la rete potrà spostare dinamicamente i flussi critici su frequenze non congestionate o non sotto attacco, garantendo una resilienza operativa mai vista prima. La rete del futuro non sarà solo un tubo per trasportare dati, ma un sistema immunitario digitale capace di rilevare, isolare e neutralizzare le minacce autonomamente. L'articolo Sicurezza Wi-Fi Multilivello: La Guida Completa a Segmentazione, WPA3 e Difesa Attiva proviene da Red Hot Cyber.
Verizon Refused To Unlock Man's iPhone, So He Sued the Carrier and Won A Kansas man who sued Verizon in small claims court after the carrier refused to unlock his iPhone has won his case, scoring a small but meaningful victory against a company that retroactively applied a policy change to deny his unlock request. Patrick Roach bought a discounted iPhone 16e from Verizon's Straight Talk brand in February 2025, intending to pay for one month of service before switching the device to US Mobile. Under FCC rules dating back to a 2019 waiver, Verizon must unlock phones 60 days after activation on its network. Verizon refused to unlock the phone, citing a new policy implemented on April 1, 2025 requiring "60 days of paid active service." Roach had purchased his device over a month before that policy took effect. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Henry ruled in October 2025 that applying the changed terms to Roach's earlier purchase violated the Kansas Consumer Protection Act. The court ordered Verizon to refund Roach's $410.40 purchase price plus court costs. Roach had previously rejected a $600 settlement offer because it would have required him to sign a non-disclosure agreement. He estimated spending about 20 hours on the lawsuit but said "it wasn't about" the money. <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Verizon+Refused+To+Unlock+Man's+iPhone%2C+So+He+Sued+the+Carrier+and+Won%3A+https%3A%2F%2Ftech.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F25%2F12%2F15%2F190217%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftech.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F25%2F12%2F15%2F190217%2Fverizon-refused-to-unlock-mans-iphone-so-he-sued-the-carrier-and-won%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a> https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/12/15/190217/verizon-refused-to-unlock-mans-iphone-so-he-sued-the-carrier-and-won?utm_source=rss1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed at Slashdot. https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/12/15/190217/verizon-refused-to-unlock-mans-iphone-so-he-sued-the-carrier-and-won?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed
Verizon Refused To Unlock Man's iPhone, So He Sued the Carrier and Won A Kansas man who sued Verizon in small claims court after the carrier refused to unlock his iPhone has won his case, scoring a small but meaningful victory against a company that retroactively applied a policy change to deny his unlock request. Patrick Roach bought a discounted iPhone 16e from Verizon's Straight Talk brand in February 2025, intending to pay for one month of service before switching the device to US Mobile. Under FCC rules dating back to a 2019 waiver, Verizon must unlock phones 60 days after activation on its network. Verizon refused to unlock the phone, citing a new policy implemented on April 1, 2025 requiring "60 days of paid active service." Roach had purchased his device over a month before that policy took effect. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Henry ruled in October 2025 that applying the changed terms to Roach's earlier purchase violated the Kansas Consumer Protection Act. The court ordered Verizon to refund Roach's $410.40 purchase price plus court costs. Roach had previously rejected a $600 settlement offer because it would have required him to sign a non-disclosure agreement. He estimated spending about 20 hours on the lawsuit but said "it wasn't about" the money. <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Verizon+Refused+To+Unlock+Man's+iPhone%2C+So+He+Sued+the+Carrier+and+Won%3A+https%3A%2F%2Ftech.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F25%2F12%2F15%2F190217%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftech.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F25%2F12%2F15%2F190217%2Fverizon-refused-to-unlock-mans-iphone-so-he-sued-the-carrier-and-won%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a> https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/12/15/190217/verizon-refused-to-unlock-mans-iphone-so-he-sued-the-carrier-and-won?utm_source=rss1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed at Slashdot. https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/12/15/190217/verizon-refused-to-unlock-mans-iphone-so-he-sued-the-carrier-and-won?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed
In 1973, Penrose conjectured a lower bound on the mass M of a black hole as a function of its area A: M ≥ sqrt(A/16π) This is called the Penrose inequality, and it's resisted proof for a long time, though in 2001 Huisken-Ilmanen and Bray proved a special case. In December this year, Da Xu from China Mobile Research Institute came out with a paper that claims to prove the Penrose inequality. It's 449 pages long! I've only skimmed through it, and this sort of technical work on general relativity is not my field, so I have no opinion regarding its validity. I've heard claims that it was prepared with the help of AI. Do any experts on the math of general relativity have an opinion? https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.04137
"As for the drug-pushing websites, I believe we are in the presence of evil. They’re damaging children and ruining lives. The people behind them belong in jail." A case of online grooming with support from a school keeping secrets. Where can parents turn?" https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/12/15/son-gender-changing-hormones-help-boarding-school My son tTeachers knew he was buying cross-sex drugs but didn’t tell us because it was a ‘private medical matter’. Now he’s cut off contact with us took gender-changing hormones behind my back, with the support of his boarding school" "It was during lockdown that I first became aware that my 14-year-old son Jonathan* was apparently “struggling” with his gender identity. Sitting in his bedroom at home on his phone for hours on end, I had no idea who he was talking to or what he was doing, which is a huge, huge regret now. As a child, he had always been a little bit nerdy. He enjoyed computer games and I knew that he was playing a lot of chess online. But I thought that was fine. I had been nerdy as a teen too. What I didn’t realise was that behind these chess games, he was chatting to strangers who were encouraging him to transition. They were the men who first told him that he might be suffering from gender dysphoria. I only discovered all this when – like a dutiful parent – I checked his WhatsApp messages one day. I found he had been added to a group with his older sister and some of her friends. Some of these friends were trans-identifying and were giving him “advice”. “You need to get drugs before your hips fuse,” someone in the group told him. Alarm bells rang immediately. His mother and I, though separated, confronted him straight away. She had already given permission for Jonathan to change his name to an androgynous one at his school, believing in good faith that if we didn’t come across as in any way “transphobic”, he would listen to us more when it came to the more serious issues of gender identity, like drugs or surgery. We were gentle with Jonathan. We explained that he was too young to even be thinking about these drugs; that if he was serious, he could take them when he was older. He appeared to agree. We locked down his mobile phone so he could only access calls and no websites. What I didn’t realise was that his school would completely betray us. He was attending a prestigious boarding school in the Home Counties and, even though he was on a scholarship, it was costing us over £20,000 a year. We thought he would be given the best education possible and, more importantly, we thought he was safe. How wrong we were. When Jonathan returned to school after lockdown, aged 15, he told the school GP that if he didn’t get cross-sex hormones – drugs that would “feminise his appearance” – he would kill himself. She immediately checked him into the local hospital and his mother and I went up to collect him. It was terrifying. After the summer holidays, in September 2021, Jonathan was still demanding these drugs. We continued to say no. What I didn’t find out until much later was that the school was aggressively affirming him as female – providing him with a girl’s uniform and even putting him on the girls’ sports team. I took extra measures, linking his laptop to mine and telling him that I could monitor every website he visited and every chat he had. I wasn’t taking any chances. Still, we were so worried that he would do something stupid medication-wise that we asked for written confirmation from the school that they would not help him to obtain any drugs and would alert us if he tried to, which they agreed. However, later that year, when he was 16 – and bypassing the computer that was linked to mine and instead using a school computer – he contacted a website which provides these drugs, even to youngsters. I’ve since seen the emails between him and this “clinic”, which is based abroad. One of the questions they asked him was whether he wanted breasts. Of course he said “Yes”. I firmly believe that what drives a lot of these teenage boys is sexual urges. And they’re being groomed by older men online, like the men he was chatting to through the chess game. The clinic told Jonathan that he needed to have counselling first (we later learnt it was a one-hour session) before they would send him a box full of cross-sex hormones and blockers. Unbelievably, it was paid for by the clinic itself with something they call a “scholarship fund”. He had pleaded poverty, so they sent him the drugs for free." Archived: https://archive.ph/vHv4e #IrreversibleDamage #ListenToDetrans #GenderAffirmingCareIsGayConversionTherapy #BanPediatricTransition #Groomers #MedicalMalpractice #MedicalQuackery #Fraud #Skeptic #Education #Teachers #Protest #ParentalRights #GenderIndustrialComplex #Activism #LeaveTheKidsAlone #TransCult #ChildAbuse #GenderCritical #TeamTERF #TransCult #PeakTrans #GenderIsHarmful #GenderIdeology #GenderAtheist image
@Engadget https://o.aolcdn.com/images/dims?image_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fd29szjachogqwa.cloudfront.net%2Fimages%2Fuser-uploaded%2Fsmartglasses-are-the-next-big-thing.jpg&resize=1400%2C840&client=19f2b5e49a271b2bde77&signature=e669ad7b5dfd121b5cde20a4d36a76734c198a06 There's a growing sentiment that gadgets have gotten boring. And while I don't fully agree, I understand why people might feel that way. Just think about some of the novel device types that companies have tried to push since the original iPhone came out. 3D TVs were a massive flop and tablets still feel like extra-large smartphones despite Apple's efforts to prop them up as laptop replacements. Meanwhile, even with huge technological advancements over the last decade, VR headsets remain relatively niche due to factors like high prices and a lack of compelling content. And although big names like Google, Microsoft, Meta and others continue to dump billions into AI development, the first wave of dedicated AI devices was an abject failure. When you think about it, the only new(ish) class of gadget that has made major inroads to the mainstream market is smartwatches. That said, because they've evolved into wearable health and fitness sensors instead of the wrist-based computers that many once thought they would be, they haven't really disrupted our lives like the personal computer and smartphone did. But that seems poised to change because the tech giants have decided that smart glasses are going to be the next big thing. Headsets versus smart glasses, what’s the difference?Google is planning to support both smart glasses and headsets with Android XR, though the increased size and weight of devices like the Galaxy XR means it's not a great choice for all-day functionality. Sam Rutherford for EngadgetAt this point, you might be saying, "Wait, hold on. Aren't VR headsets and smart glasses kind of the same thing?" Well, yes and no. Both types of gadgets require similar software and hardware, but they utilize them in very different ways. Not only are VR goggles typically much bigger and heavier, they also provide a more isolated experience that can make it feel like you've been transported to another world. Sure, most modern headsets have exterior cameras that support some level of mixed reality (blending virtual graphics with physical objects) or let you peek quickly into meatspace (passthrough view) for when you need to get a drink or acknowledge other humans in the room. But in many respects, that closed-off feeling is the goal because it creates the ideal environment for playing games, taking virtual meetings or modeling 3D objects without real-world distractions. Furthermore, while many headsets like the Vision Pro and the Meta Quest 3 can function as standalone systems and support accessories like controllers or other motion trackers, they can also be tethered to a nearby PC for enhanced functionality. On the other hand, the default use case for smart glasses is a mixed reality environment where the spectacles can overlay helpful info or messages while you stay active and aware of your surroundings. Notably, while smart glasses might come with lenses or clip-on attachments that allow them to get darker or serve as sunglasses when you're outside, there typically isn't a way to completely block out the world like you can with a headset, mostly because that's simply not the point. And even though most smart spectacles can be paired with a phone to get access to mobile data or notifications, they're generally not meant to be tethered to a PC full-time (though there are some exceptions). The goal for smart glasses is more to provide a mobile-first heads-up display that augments what you see with your eyes instead of replacing things entirely with a digital environment. OK, but what makes you so sure that smart glasses are "it?"Now that we've discussed what separates smart glasses from headsets, what makes it so obvious that they are going to be the next big thing? This one is a bit easier to answer because we can simply look at the sheer number of companies that have released smart glasses or are planning to do so in the future. If we skip past the Google Glass from 2013 as forward-thinking specs that were ahead of their time, the most well-known example of modern smart glasses is the Meta Ray-Ban (or the even earlier Ray-Ban Stories from back when Facebook was still Facebook). While they are a bit chunky, the Meta Ray-Ban Display are some of the most sophisticated smart glasses on the market right now due in large part to their single full-color screen. Karissa Bell for EngadgetEven though they don't have built-in displays, the ability to capture photos and videos and play audio via built-in speakers brought the idea of smart glasses into the mainstream without making the concept look or feel completely ridiculous. Those earlier models then paved the way for even more sophisticated iterations like the Meta Ray-Ban Display from earlier this fall, which features a stunning RGB HUD (though only in the right lens) that has gotten us tantalizingly close to a true wearable display that doesn't make you look like a cyborg. Of course, Meta isn't the only game in town: there's a rapidly growing number of competitors from companies like Even Realities, Rokkid, TCL, Xreal, Viture and more. But for an even clearer sign of where the tech giants are heading, we can just look at Meta's two biggest competitors: Apple and Google. While Apple hasn't publicly announced plans to make its own smart glasses, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman — who is one of the company's most reliable analysts — provided inside info earlier this fall that Tim Cook and Co. are planning to pivot away from a proper follow-up to the Vision Pro in favor of more lightweight spectacles with greater mass appeal. This shouldn't really come as a major surprise, as sales of Apple's $3,500 headset have been lackluster. But more importantly, for a company that's extremely cautious about entering new product categories (foldable iPhone anyone?), it feels very telling to hear that Apple is shifting to smart glasses instead of abandoning the idea of wearable displays entirely. This is a company that doesn't swing and miss very often, so the idea of two flops in a row seems preposterous. If this pivot is real, there must be some Apple execs who are big believers that glasses and not goggles are the right choice for future development. Here are two of Google's reference design smart glasses. The one in the front features dual RGB waveguide displays while the one in the back relies on a single monocular screen.Sam Rutherford for EngadgetMeanwhile, Google is taking a two-pronged approach. In addition to releasing a new mixed reality OS — Android XR — on Samsung's Galaxy XR headset in October, the company has also teased upcoming smart glasses along with a handful of partners including glasses makers Gentle Monster and Warby Parker. Just this week, the company also added a number of new features to Android XR designed to support a wide range of upcoming devices while simultaneously making it easier for developers to port existing apps over to smart glasses and headsets. And if you still need additional evidence regarding Google's desire to get into smart glasses, consider that even with its ongoing collaboration, the company also spent $100 million to acquire a 4 percent stake in Gentle Monster. Regardless of who is making them though, the big draw for these companies is the idea that smart glasses will become a new piece of core personal computing, similar to how people rely on smartphones and laptops today (or to a lesser extent wireless headphones and smartwatches). If true, that could become a trillion-dollar market in the next 10 to 15 years (or sooner, who knows), which not only makes it a natural avenue for expansion but possibly a future existential crisis for certain companies. After all, none of these organizations want to be the next Microsoft after it failed to develop a successful smartphone or mobile OS.Fine, the smart glasses trend is real, but why would we even want them?At this point, I hope it's clear that the push for smart glasses is very real and very serious. But so far, we've only addressed why companies are betting big on them. So what's in it for us, the people who might actually buy and use them? Well, to answer that, we need to separate the current models into three main categories.A great use case for smart glasses would be to provide heads-up mapping without the need to constantly look down at your phone as seen in this demo clip of Android XR. GoogleFirst, there are the most basic smart glasses that don't come with built-in displays and typically rely on cameras and built-in speakers for enhanced functionality. The best example of this class of devices is the Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses (or the original Ray-Ban Stories) along with rivals like the Bose Sound Frames, which, believe it or not, have been on the market since 2019. However, before anyone gets attached to these early models, the simplest smart glasses already kind of feel like dinosaurs and will probably, in the not-too-distant future, go extinct. They were an interesting attempt to add things like music playback or photo and video capture to regular-looking sunglasses, but their limited feature set puts a clear ceiling on what they can do. Plus, if this is what people really wanted, they would have taken off already. Waveguides like the ones built into the Even Realities G2 project images directly onto their lenses allowing for super sleek glasses featuring a heads-up display. Sam Rutherford for EngadgetThis brings us to more recent offerings like the Meta Ray-Ban Display, Even Realities G2, the Halliday glasses and others which add some type of built-in display to the mix. Most often, these models rely on waveguide displays as they enable thinner and lighter designs while propagating images onto the glasses' lenses. Currently, most of these smart glasses feature single-color optics (usually green) to reduce complexity and power draw, but there are others like the Meta Ray-Ban Display and both the TCL RayNeo X2 and X3 that support full color.In this day and age when everyone is surrounded by screens, the idea of yet another display mounted inches away from your eyeballs might sound like the last thing you want. However, because modern smart glasses are much more discreet and less awkward-looking, I find that they can actually help cut down on distractions. That's because instead of having to peek down at your phone or smartwatch to check notifications, reply to messages or look up directions, you can do many or all of these things using smart glasses — all in the middle of a conversation without anyone noticing. Not only does this keep your focus where it should be — on people instead of gadgets — the glasses are also just as easy to wear as a smartwatch and far more comfortable than bulky VR headsets. Then, when you consider some other features of modern smart glasses like on-the-fly translation, the ability to function as a teleprompter hidden in plain sight or additional support from AI, suddenly you have a wearable that allows you to keep all of your other devices neatly stashed away. In many respects, smart glasses could be the portable displays that people might not even know they want.Compared to rivals with waveguides, glasses featuring "birdbath" optics are often significantly thicker and bulkier. Sam Rutherford for EngadgetSpeaking of portable displays: If you recall, I mentioned above how most smart glasses generally don't need to be tethered to other devices. The exception to that comes from a subclass of specs that are primarily designed to function as wearable monitors capable of supporting one or more virtual screens that can be in excess of 100 inches in size, relatively speaking. The most well-known smart glasses in this category come from Xreal and Viture, with both companies offering a range of models with varying levels of performance. One interesting thing to note is instead of waveguides, some of these smart glasses rely on birdbath optics. This means instead of projecting an image into the lens itself, they use a beamsplitter and mirror to reflect images into your eye. The benefit of this is that you get good image quality from components that cost less than an equivalent waveguide setup, with the downside being increased light loss, potentially lower brightness and a much thicker design. This results in chunky frames that often look like they are sitting too far away from your face, which might not be immediately apparent if you see someone using them from afar. But up close, they don't look quite right. Or at least they don’t look like a pair of "normal" glasses.Another issue is that due to more light loss, birdbath smart glasses require darker lenses (similar to sunglasses), which means they aren't great for wearing all day in a variety of environments. And because we still don't really have a great protocol for wireless displays (though it looks like Valve may be cooking up something with the Steam Frames), most of these need to be connected by wire to a nearby PC. So you plug them in, put them on, get your work done and then you take them off. Project Aura is Xreal's next-gen smart glasses and they feature a large 70-degree field of view and fancy electrochromic lenses. Sam Rutherford for EngadgetThat said, for those who need a ton of screen real estate, this type of smart glasses can be a very attractive alternative to traditional portable monitors. On top of being smaller and more portable, they provide additional privacy when working in public spaces like a cafe or plane, which is what prompted a doctor friend of mine to get a pair instead of going with a portable display. And for the gamers out there, because they can be connected to a phone or even a portable PC or Switch 2 (with the proper dock, of course), they're great for people who might not have room for or access to a big screen TV.So where do we go from here?Ultimately, I think all three types of smart glasses will merge into one as engineers perfect the tech and steal ideas from one another, though there will surely be plenty of room for more niche designs. But more importantly, if we consider the types of gadgets most people carry around today, it boils down to just a handful of devices: a smartphone, some type of wireless audio (either earbuds or headphones) and maybe a health and fitness tracker of some kind (typically a smartwatch or smart ring). Even tough they didn't have a built-in display, the Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses from 2023 raised a ton of awareness for the category.Sam Rutherford for EngadgetSmart glasses have the potential to really round out that kit by allowing us to keep most of those devices in our pocket while the wearables serve up helpful info when we need it, but without being overly intrusive or distracting. In the short term, you'll still need a laptop for work, but smart glasses may have a role to play there too, as they can provide way more screen space than a traditional physical display (even the new-fangled flexible ones). It might never happen, but I wouldn’t rule out a future scenario where your next employer gives you a company-issued phone and a pair of smart glasses and that's it. Before that happens though, there are still a bunch of other things that need to be figured out. Without help from a mouse or keyboard, navigating a virtual display is a bit of a challenge. AI combined with hand and eye tracking can help, but no one has really nailed that combo yet. Not even Apple could do so on the much bulkier Vision Pro. To address this, Meta created a bracelet (they call it a neural band) that pairs with the Ray-Ban Display that can detect subtle movements so you can type or navigate menus practically anywhere. Even Realities opted for a ring accessory that does some basic health monitoring and comes with a tiny touchpad. In the more distant future, this hurdle may be solved by BCIs (brain-computer interfaces), but even the most optimistic view suggests that those aren't going to be mainstream for a long time.Even though we're still a long ways away, one day everyone might be able to have something like Tony Stark's E.D.I.T.H. smart glasses from the Marvel Universe. MarvelThe issue for Meta is that it's pretty obvious that its wristband really ought to be incorporated into a smartwatch. The idea of a single-purpose bracelet that doesn't track your health or do anything else sort of feels like a step backwards. And there's the problem of Meta's glasses being largely tied down to its own platforms (i.e. Instagram, Whatsapp and Facebook), which may end up being a major hindrance after rivals like Google and Apple catch up.And then there's the cost. Right now, a pair of Meta Ray-Ban Displays (which thankfully come with the wristband) costs $800. That's a lot for what is basically a publicly available beta test. But when you consider that an Even Realties G2 and an R2 ring costs even more at $850, it's clear that wearing smart glasses is going to be a very expensive hobby for at least the next few years. And while more single-purpose smart glasses from Xreal and Viture are a bit more affordable, with models ranging from $400 to $550 or $600, they still aren't cheap. On top of that, getting prescription lenses for smart glasses can often be a major pain in the ass and may not even be an option for people with more limited eyesight. But those are problems for another day. And just because tech giants are pouring billions into the development of smart glasses doesn't mean they will be a guaranteed hit. If you care about tech, alongside AI and possibly EVTOL aircraft (aka flying taxis), pay attention to the advancements in smart glasses. Otherwise, you could miss out on what might be the next major wave in sci-fi gadgetry made real.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/in-2025-tech-giants-decided-smart-glasses-are-the-next-big-thing-163000812.html?src=rss https://www.engadget.com/wearables/in-2025-tech-giants-decided-smart-glasses-are-the-next-big-thing-163000812.html?src=rss