I’m loving mastodon and I’m huge fan. With everyone comparing it to Twitter it makes describing it more challenging. You have to forget the idea of Twitter to really understand it. This video does a great job of quickly describing it.
Category: In the News
ChatGPT Learning Possibilities
…and ways people can take advantage of this new artificial intelligence.
I’ve been hearing a lot about ChatGPT and I wanted to explore more of what it can do. I wanted to see how easy it was to use myself. I created a user account and typed in my prompt:
write an information article about software bill of materials in easy to understand terms
I published what I got as a post on this website. This strikes me as interesting initially in two ways. First, I can type in questions and have this AI produce short and easy to understand articles for me to learn more about whatever topic I want, probably cybersecurity for the moment.
Secondly, I could also have it write lots of content for this blog or any other along with google adwords or anything else. All I’m doing is posting content, and I don’t even have to write it anymore. ChatGPT comes up with the content about a subject I want it to write about and people visit the site to read the content. I mean it’s not horrible content after all. Nothing really wrong with it.
This could flood the internet with many useless sites that are written by the same AI. Yes, I’m well aware that the internet is already flooded with lots of useless content, but not all of it is generating revenue for the owners. Just an idea. This is pretty neat, but getting a little scary quickly too!
Software Bill of Materials (SBOM)
A software bill of materials (SBOM) is a comprehensive list of all the individual components that make up a piece of software. This list includes both the source code and any external libraries or other dependencies that are necessary for the software to function properly.
Having an SBOM is important for several reasons. First, it allows developers and other stakeholders to easily see exactly what is included in a piece of software, making it easier to identify any potential security vulnerabilities or other issues. It also makes it easier to track down and fix bugs, as well as to keep the software up to date with the latest versions of its components.
Additionally, an SBOM can help organizations comply with various regulations and industry standards that require them to disclose the components that make up their software. This is especially important in industries such as healthcare and finance, where the use of certain components may be restricted or prohibited due to security concerns.
Creating an SBOM can be a time-consuming process, as it requires developers to carefully review and document all of the individual components that make up their software. However, there are tools and frameworks available to help automate this process, making it easier to create and maintain an SBOM.
Overall, a software bill of materials is a valuable tool for any organization that develops or uses software. It allows developers to easily see and manage the components that make up their software, and helps organizations comply with regulations and industry standards.
*This article was written using ChatGPT.
Cybersecurity Articles | Week of October 24, 2022
- TechCrunch, Inside TheTruthSpy, the Stalkerware network spying on thousands by Zach Whittaker (Oct 26) | A database containing about 360,000 unique android devices exposed.
- TechCrunch, Hive Ransomware gang leaks data stolen during Tata Power cyberattack by Carly Page, Jagmeet Singh (Oct 25) | Tata Power, which serves more than 12 million customers through its distributors, confirmed on October 14 that it had been hit by a cyberattack.
- Bleeping Computer, Medibank now says hackers accessed all its customers’ personal data by Tom Toulas (Oct 26) | All customers’ personal data and significant amounts of health claims data downloaded.
- Bleeping Computer, Dutch police arrest hacker who breached healthcare software vendor by Tom Toulas (Oct 25) 19 year old hacker being held by police while they investigate him. 19!
- CSO Online, Iran’s nuclear energy agency confirms email server hacked by Apurva Venkat (Oct 24) | Iranian hacking group Black Reward has claimed responsibility for a breach at the email server of the country’s Bushehr nuclear power plant, in support of nationwide protests over the death of a young woman in police custody.
- Wall Street Journal, ‘Deepfakes’ of Celebrities Have Begun Appearing in Ads, With or Without Their Permission by Patrick Coffee (Oct 25) | Digital simulations of Elon Musk, Tom Cruise, Leo DiCaprio and others have shown up in ads, as the image-melding technology grows more popular and presents the marketing industry with new legal and ethical questions.
- Dark Reading, Stress Is Driving Cybersecurity Professionals to Rethink Roles by Staff (Oct 24) Burnout has led one-third of cybersecurity staffers to consider changing jobs over the next two years, potentially further deepening the talent shortage, research shows..
Great Recent Articles
- Nature: Why scientists are turning to Rust by Jeffrey M. Perkel (Dec 11, 2020)
- Why this is interesting. RUST is seen as more secure than other older programming languages.
- The Trade Secrets Network: Struggles with Insider Risk Program Stakeholders by Stacey Champagne (Sep 9)
- Bleeping Computer: Web browser app mode can be abused to make desktop phishing pages by Bill Toulas (Oct 3)
- CSO Online: Lessons of the Sarah Palin e-mail hack by Roger A. Grimes (Sep 19, 2008)
- Dated, but an excellent example of just how easy it is to hack an poorly secured email password.
Recycling Doesn’t Work
While Shelbizlee, is just a YouTuber, I was able to find a Columbia University article that backs up what she talks about in this video. So, please watch and consider recycling a last-ditch effort not a solution. Most importantly, cut out all plastic usage that you can.
Ebike Intrest Spikes
People are finally starting to get interested in ebikes and electric bikes according to google trends and this article from bikebiz.
This is very encouraging. With more people on bikes that means less people in cars, which in turn equals better air quality and health for everyone!
QUARANTINE BLUES
Unforeseen Impacts of COVID-19
I’ve been thinking about all the secondary impacts that we may see from this new time we find ourselves in. Already, some are coming to light.
Video Conferencing – Zoom made a good business decision to give away time on its platform, but it has had privacy consequences for them. However, they have also positioned themselves as the household name for video conferencing especially with a younger set of people as they have been the choice for teachers and education since the price is right.
To go along with this video conferencing topic could we see more acceptance of the working from home or remote working arrangement? I know that it differs from leader to leader, as to if they are accepting of this arrangement or not. It also differs from person to person. Some like to go into the office, some just like the flexibility and some don’t want to go in at all. Of course, there are people who will take advantage of this newfound flexibility, but that happens everywhere for everything.
Air pollution – With traffic declining so much there has been a noticeable difference in the air quality. We have seen many pictures of this already on social media.
Does air pollution really matter to society? Will things change now that we know if we stop driving we will see a measurable and visible clearing of the skies? Will electric vehicles gain popularity even faster than they have been?
Indoor fitness – This one is especially close to my heart as I am an avid Zwifter. Zwift has seen a huge explosion in signups. Even only a fraction of these new members continues it will mean great gains for this business. Not to mention the potentially better recognition of esports since so many events, including the Olympics, has been pushed back. All these athletes need to stay in shape, so they are turning to online alternatives.
Food – It’s been difficult to buy certain things at the grocery stores and services like Instracart and Amazon Fresh are having difficulty keeping up with the demand to deliver food to those who can afford not to venture out. Which is another topic entirely, the divide as it’s called is very visible in those getting sick and those able to stay at home and get deliveries.
We have been trying new products that don’t normally appear in the grocery isles at our go-to markets, because now everything that Amazon has is available. Some of those reviews of new food are appearing here.
Will people turn towards vegan foods more? From what we currently understand this outbreak occurred from a food market where dead animals where kept in unsanitary conditions. An article on VegNews stated that there is renewed interest in egg alternatives now.
There are many more here and I may add to this post as time goes on. Stay healthy out there!
Climate Apocalypse
September 8, 2019
I just finished reading What If We Stopped Pretending? by Jonathan Frazen in the September 8, 2019 issue of The New Yorker. I think you should read it too.
Today, the scientific evidence verges on irrefutable. If you’re younger than sixty, you have a good chance of witnessing the radical destabilization of life on earth—massive crop failures, apocalyptic fires, imploding economies, epic flooding, hundreds of millions of refugees fleeing regions made uninhabitable by extreme heat or permanent drought. If you’re under thirty, you’re all but guaranteed to witness it.
Psychologically, this denial makes sense. Despite the outrageous fact that I’ll soon be dead forever, I live in the present, not the future. Given a choice between an alarming abstraction (death) and the reassuring evidence of my senses (breakfast!), my mind prefers to focus on the latter.
To fail to conserve a finite resource when conservation measures are available, to needlessly add carbon to the atmosphere when we know very well what carbon is doing to it, is simply wrong.
Jonathan Frazen