Look at me, I'm the adblocker now

from here and here (source tweet)

If you're technical enough you might be able to save your expensive smart TV from the clutches of advertisers, but I tend to think it will be easier for most people to just download their TV shows from the Internet, and then what's the point of paying for a fancy smart TV? Viewers are going to take whatever path gives them the better user experience, and filling the top half of a navigation screen with ads is not a good user experience.

Unfortunately, that solution only works for smart TVs. It's not going to save you from ads on smart fridges or other smart devices. The Internet of Shit is rapidly becoming the Internet of Shitty Ad Players.

And if that doesn't work he can add spikes

found on Izismile

I hope the signage works as a deterrent, because the spikes are going to be a problem for him too.

Cream got creamed

from here

How Cream Finance manages to remain in business after so many loses is beyond me, but it certainly calls into question the judgement of their users.

How to crack a Dudley dial combination lock

Watch on YouTube

I've seen so much information about how to crack a Master lock, but that's not much use to us up here in Canada where Dudley reigns supreme. This video also seems to confirm what I suspected from my own failed attempts at applying non-Dudley techniques against a Dudley lock - you seemingly cannot shim them. I guess in that regard at least they're better then the Master locks as shimming is a technique I've frequently heard mentioned for quickly opening a Master lock.

Gonna need help to get those special characters

from here and here (image source)

If your password is big enough you don't actually need the special characters, which is nice, but if it's that big AND it has special characters that's even better.

Just have to be stealthier than the guy next to you

found on Izismile

Similar to the old adage about only having to be faster than the guy next to you when trying to outrun a bear, but in this case it's the one that blends in better that has the advantage.

(The original photo, sans caption, appears to have come from this Reddit post, at least according to The Dodo)

At least it won't wander off on it's own

from here (image source)

This kind of thing may work for horses, but it doesn't really make sense for bicycles.

Exploit Wednesday mug

Product Page

What's the day that comes after Patch Tuesday? That's right, Exploit Wednesday. The day when the information contained in the patches starts being used against people who haven't applied the patches yet.

Too bad it wasn't Bobby Tables

from here and here (image source)

It's hard to take automated surveillance seriously when it gets things so hilariously wrong. Never the less we should take it seriously because it won't be this dumb forever. We also have to consider if being subject to algorithmic incompetence is any better than having information about us competently misused by an intelligent entity.

When children figure out replay attacks

found on Reddit

In the past the mom might have suggested leaving today's newspaper on the counter, but I guess print newspapers are a thing of the past. It would have been better than leaving out crackers or other items in specified locations, though. I'm pretty sure there are a limited number of combinations of that before she starts repeating herself, and I suspect she's going to need to motivate those kids for years. 

Why not both?

from here and here (image source)

If you want to lose a megabike of information, this seems like the way to do it.

"Security Monitor"

found on Reddit

Wow. It's hard enough putting clothes on a dog or cat. I can't imagine putting a security hoodie on a monitor lizard.

Tricks AND Treats

from here and here

Ransomware can disrupt the gasoline industry, the meat industry, and even hospitals, but apparently it's no match for candy corn. 

TimTom : Learning to Hack as a Kid

Watch on YouTube

This is a very relatable story. Almost too relatable. Did he hack my brain? It's also very well told

They each could use a taste of their own medicine

from here and here

Both Russia and China have a reputation for hacking others. It's nice to see one or both of them on the receiving end for a change. 

No access for Sweaty McClammyHands

found on Funny Junk

Generally this would be an annoyance, but if the reason your fingers were sweaty was because the cops were interrogating you then maybe this works out in your favour.

So much for serving and protecting

from here

It's not just that they let this one bad apple into the police, it's that if this is the the standard of care that was taken when vetting police officers, how many more bad apples are there in there? 

If you say you don't trust the police, well I can't say that I'd blame you. Under the circumstances it's hard to imagine anyone trust them.

Anti-Face-Recognition-Surveillance shirt

Product Page

It appears that this pattern is a highly modified version of Hyperface (which is apparently not for sale anywhere). I have no idea if it's still effective after all the modifications, but if it makes surveillance cameras freak out then I'm all for it.

How protective instincts get used against us

from here and here

In news that's sure to surprise exactly no one, European governments already had plans to misuse the CSAM scanning technology Apple was going to release. Somehow, I think that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Uhh... Who's going to tell him?

found on Funny Junk

I'm certainly not going to tell that bear that he's not blending in. Let the cat do it. 

Governor find the Internet

from here and here (image source)

Missouri Governor Mike Parson has decided that a journalist reporting a security flaw in a state website must be a hacker and that the paper that published the story did so to embarrass the state. I guess by making him open his mouth they succeeded. 

Don't always trust what's on the label

found on Imgur

This looks exactly like the kind of sign a lazy serial killer would leave by the body they wanted disposed of.

"Suspicion", you're doing it wrong!

from here and here

It appears that Facebook Marketplace is a trash fire with too many scams and too little oversight. Banning people who volunteer their time and effort to help is just the tip of the iceberg.

Cat vs Bear

Watch on YouTube


Watch on YouTube

I think we all know that if the bear stood it's ground it would win in a fight against the cat. There's really no contest there, regardless of how chunky that particular cat may be. However, neither the cat nor the bear seem to understand the size difference between them, and by putting on a good show the cat managed to scare the bear off (the ground). 

Many deterrents have a similar element of bluff in them. Those beware of dog signs, for example, don't always have a corresponding attack dog nearby waiting to pounce.

When it comes to protecting your data, this won't cut it

from here and here (image source)

While there is room for both physical security and logical security when protecting your data, this isn't how it's accomplished. If anything, this is going to make it harder to stop a remote attack because you'll no longer be able to see what's going on or effectively issue commands to thwart the attack. It won't do much against a physical attack either because they can just take the hard drive. 

Dueling Decoys

found on Funny Junk

Imagine the kind of statement this makes. Not only did the allied forces go to the trouble of producing a fake wooden bomb, they used real fuel to fly over and deliver it to it's target. They were so well informed about what the enemy was up to and so well prepared that they could afford to troll the enemy in such a demoralizing way. I bet this made the Germans think twice about using this tactic again.

Homework could get a lot more secure

from here

Banning backpacks really doesn't seem like an effective countermeasure to prevent gun violence. If you try to ban everything that a student might hide a gun inside then pretty soon kids will have to come to school naked.

Camouflage Mailbox Cover

Product Page

I suppose this is one way to avoid bills, however avoiding bills might not be a great idea.

Woofie cushion

from here and here (image source)

There are so many ways camouflage can backfire, but this one isn't the dog's fault, it's the fault of the dog's owners. They should know better than to colour coordinate their pets and their furniture. I'm sure this is going to come back to bite them on the ass sooner or later.

"Privacy" settings

found on eBaum's World

If the microphone were actually disabled, it wouldn't be able to respond to your question by saying the microphone is disabled because it wouldn't have heard your question in the first place. 

If you have a device that does this, it's lying to you when it says it's disabled.

Don't make me use the force shutdown

found on Reddit

Do you think Microsoft realizes Windows Update is being compared to a villain now? Do you think they care? Maybe they're the real villains in all this.

They say security is a game of cat and mouse

from here and here (image source)

If you have to ask, yes, YOU are the mouse, so don't get out of line.

Tom Scott : How The First Ever Telecoms Scam Worked

Watch on YouTube

It's amazing that telecommunications networks have been used for illicit purposes for that long. Also, hiding messages in plain sight as errors is an excellent example of steganography.

Maybe this will appease the BGP gods

from here and here (image source)

After the global outage on Monday, I'm sure there's a lot more prayers and crossing fingers going on at Facebook these days. They do not want a repeat performance.

More like "Oh My Gawd!" level security

found on Izismile

I don't know who starboy98 is but I don't think they'll be using that password for much longer, either because the account owner will change it or because account "ownership" will change and then the new owner will change it. 

One interesting side effect of this uniqueness constraint on passwords is that you should be able to find out who was the first person on the site to use "password" as their password.

Single Point Of Faceb^H^H^H^H^H Failure

from here

I think it's safe to say that when even the doors are affected by your networking mishap, it's time to rethink having everything go through the same servers.

Phishing shirt

 

Product Page

Don't get caught unaware by a phishing attack, or if you do, don't be wearing this shirt when you report it to your IT department (they will not appreciate the irony)

Foreign adversaries buying ninja costumes in 3...2...1...

from here and here

It seems to me that if you're part of an elite military force you probably should be skilled enough to deal with a lone kook with sword and a costume. Otherwise your enemies abroad are going to get ideas.         

The answer is "yes"

found on Cats Are Silly

Cats can have privacy as soon as they start respecting ours.

Automated tellers tell too much

from here and here (image source)

I feel like Mary Poppins would have been able to protect her banking information on her own using an umbrella over the shoulder.

Never underestimate your adversary

found on Izismile

Bet you've never heard of trained cockroaches before. I know I hadn't.