Security Leftovers

• An Average IT Org

  Supply chain attacks are a known issue, and also lately there was a discussion around the relevance of reproducible builds. Looking in comparison at an average IT org doing something with the internet, I believe the pressing problem is neither supply chain attacks nor a lack of reproducible builds. The real problem is the amount of prefabricated binaries supplied by someone else, created in an unknown build environment with unknown tools, the average IT org requires to do anything. [...] Yes some of that is even non-free and might contain spyw^telemetry. [...] In the end the binary supply is like a drug for the user, and somehow the Debian project is also just another dealer / middle man in this setup. There are probably a lot of open questions to think about in that context. Are we the better dealer because we care about signed sources we retrieve from upstream and because we engage in reproducible build projects? Are our own means of distributing binaries any better than a binary download from github via https with a manual checksum verification, or the Debian repo at download.docker.com? Is the approach of the BSD/Gentoo ports, where you have to compile at least some software from source, the better one? Do I really want to know how some of the software is actually build?

• NSA and FBI warn that new Linux malware threatens national security

• Critical vulnerabilities in Quiz And Survey Master WordPress Plugin

  Quiz and Survey Master is a WordPress plugin for creating quizzes and surveys easily on WordPress sites. It is installed on over 30,000+ websites. Recently WordFence‘s Chloe Chamberland discovered two critical vulnerabilities in Quiz and Survey Master plugin version 7.0.

• Pros & Cons of WordPress Plugins Auto-updates

  WordPress has released a major update yesterday with some big changes. One of the features is the ability to apply all the plugins and themes updates automatically. Earlier plugins updates could be automatically applied with the help of additional plugins. One popular plugin is Jetpack that can apply available updates automatically. Now WordPress 5.5 core supports auto-updates out of the box. In this article, we will discuss the auto-update feature of WordPress. For many websites, this feature can be a lifesaver but for some, there may involve some risks.

howtos and learning

• How to Install Flectra on Ubuntu 20.04 with Nginx as a Reverse Proxy

• A Cloud Guru Launches New Flagship Cloud Learning Platform as Cloud Adoption Accelerates

• A Cloud Guru's New Cloud Training Integrates Linux Academy Catalog

• Install Multiple Linux Distributions Using PXE Network Boot on RHEL/CentOS 8

• Introduction to the Systemd journal

• How to Clear Cache on AWS Cloudfront

• Running a Container Registry Behind Apache HTTPD

Open Hardware: Folding@Home ARM64 Linux Beta , Jetson, Arduino

• Folding@Home ARM64 Linux Beta Release for COVID-19 Vaccine Research

  A few months ago, we reported that Rosetta@Home supported 64-bit Arm SBC’s and Servers in the Fight against COVID-19. But Folding@home did not support Arm hardware just yet, but thanks to work from Nercotix, Linaro, Arm, miniNodes, and Packet.com, we now get support for Foldering@home on ARM64 meaning you can help researchers studying SARS-CoV-2 virus and help them develop a COVID-19 vaccine with Raspberry Pi 3/4 boards, or other 64-bit Arm SBC’s and servers. The solution relies on Neocortix Cloud Services Platform allowing the unused capacity of large numbers of individual mobile phones or other connected nodes to be harnessed into a single, unified computational engine.

• Xavier NX and Nano carriers include six-cam board and a dual Jetson system

  Auvidea has launched several carrier boards and systems for the Jetson Xavier NX and Nano: a JN34 with 6x FPD-Link III CSI-2 interfaces, JNX22 and JNX30 boards with PoE support, and a ES-JNX80/ES-J180 system for dual, mix-and-match Jetson modules. Back in February, we covered Auvidea’s JN30A and JN30B carriers for Nvidia’s Jetson TX1, TX2, and AGX Xavier along with some Jetson-powered boards from other vendors. Then in April, we posted a roundup of new Jetson Xavier NX carriers from D3, Diamond, and ConnectTech, Inc. In that story we mentioned some upcoming Auvidea Jetson carriers in passing. Auvidea has informed us that these and other boards are now available for order.

• DIY Solar Powered LoRa Repeater (with Arduino)

  In today's video I be built a solar powered LoRa signal repeater to extend the range of my LoRa network. This can easily be used as the basis for a LoRa mesh network with a bit of extra code and additional repeaters. Even if you're not into LoRa networks all of the solar power hardware in this video can be used for any off-the-grid electronics projects or IoT nodes!

       

• Keep your pool under control with ARDUPOOL

  Having a pool can be a great way to relax during the summer, but keeping the water crystal clear and safe to swim in can be a challenge. To help, engineer Diego Gomez has developed the Arduino Mega-powered ARDUPOOL, which is now crowdfunding on Kickstarter. This modular, open source device is capable of controlling up to four peristaltic pumps for dosing chlorine and other chemicals, as well as the filtration system. Programming is done via a simple LCD screen on the front, along with three buttons.