For quite a while now, I’ve been annoyed by the system notification
volume going to 100% on my Debian systems, regardless of my attempts to
set it to a lower level. For example, when I open the KDE System
Settings app, change something, then try to close the window, the sound
that accompanies the save/discard/cancel alert is always startlingly
loud.
I think I have finally found a fix: in your /etc/pulse/daemon.conf,
put in a line saying
flat-volumes = no
(You should find an existing comment “; flat-volumes = yes” that
indicates the default.)
You can make this new setting take effect in the current session
immediately without having to logout or reboot, by executing the
following as the currently-logged-in user:
pulseaudio -k
(This kills and restarts the PulseAudio daemon for your user session.)
There are several discussions of the pros and cons of this issue online,
going back some years. For example, here
<https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1265267>. Also a mention
about the “flat-volumes” setting in the ever-reliable Arch Linux Wiki
here <https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/PulseAudio>.
Seems the Wi-Fi Alliance is having yet another crack at coming up with
a really secure protocol, this time to be called WPA3
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/01/09/wi_fi_wpa3/>.
Does anybody care? Remember that on the Internet, security is
implemented between the endpoints, the protocols are designed not to
care that everything in-between might be pawed through by
eavesdroppers, or even active attackers trying to inject fake data.
'"DEVUAN.ORG HAS BEEN PWNED" reads a new message at the home page for
Devuan (a fork of Debian without systemd) -- which re-redirects to a
new page named pwned.html, reports Slashdot reader DevNull127:
In all capital letters, its carefully-indented message (complete with
an ascii-art logo) now informs visitors that "the web sucks --
JavaScript sucks -- browsers suck." Posting the URLs to several gopher
sites, it adds that "Gopher is the way -- gopher is the future."
"Kiss port 80 goodbye. Join the revolution on port 70."
The attackers identify themselves as "Green Hat Hackers," a term
generally understood to mean ambitious newbie hackers who want to
improve their skills. "Stop the madness," continues their message,
which appeared just hours before the first day of April.
"Get yourself a gopher client."'
-- source: https://idle.slashdot.org/story/19/03/31/212227
Cheers, Peter
--
Peter Reutemann
Dept. of Computer Science
University of Waikato, NZ
+64 (7) 858-5174
http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/http://www.data-mining.co.nz/
HOW TO TRANSFER FILES FROM ANDROID-PDA TO LINUX-LAPTOP
======================================================
I'm running Android 7.1 on an OPPO A73 phone/PDA, and sometimes
need to transfer photos and other files to a laptop running Linux Mint 19.1.
Steps required on the PDA:
1) install termux from Android PlayStore
2) install rsync (in termux, type: pkg install rsync)
3) install perl (in termux, type: pkg install perl)
4) in termux, type: termux-setup-storage (also automatically creates links)
5) in termux, type: cd storage, then type: ls to see the following directories:
dcim: photos/videos taken with the PDA
downloads: stuff you downloaded
movies:
music:
pictures:
shared: everything (includes the above directories)
In the following examples we will use /dcim/ and /downloads/:
oppopictures.prl
================
In termux, type: perl system "rsync -av /sdcard/DCIM/
username_on_laptop\@1.2.3.4:/oppo_pictures/"
This will transfer photos (*.jpg) and videos (*.mp4) to /oppo_pictures/Camera/,
and screenshots to /oppo_pictures/Screenshots/. Directory
/oppo/pictures/ must exist on
the laptop and grant world-access (chmod 777). Ignore rsync
error-messages regarding
file-attributes.
oppodownloads.prl
=================
In termux, type: perl system "rsync -av /storage/downloads/
username_on_laptop\@1.2.3.4:/oppo_downloads/"
This will transfer files to /oppo_downloads/. Directory /oppo_downloads/
must exist on laptop and grant world-access (chmod 777). Ignore rsync
error-messages
regarding file-attributes.
NOTE: REPLACE the numbers 1.2.3.4 in the above examples with your laptop's
IP-address (as provided by your IP-router). Get them using ifconfig.
Theoretically you could do the above using the /shared/ directory to
get a copy of Android-files.
'A group of academics from South Korea have identified 36 new
vulnerabilities in the Long-Term Evolution (LTE) standard used by
thousands of mobile networks and hundreds of millions of users across
the world. The vulnerabilities allow attackers to disrupt mobile base
stations, block incoming calls to a device, disconnect users from a
mobile network, send spoofed SMS messages, and eavesdrop and
manipulate user data traffic. They were discovered by a four-person
research team from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and
Technology Constitution (KAIST), and documented in a research paper
they intend to present at the IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy
in late May 2019.
The Korean researchers said they found 51 LTE vulnerabilities, of
which 36 are new, and 15 have been first identified by other research
groups in the past. They discovered this sheer number of flaws by
using a technique known as fuzzing --a code testing method that inputs
a large quantity of random data into an application and analyzes the
output for abnormalities, which, in turn, give developers a hint about
the presence of possible bugs. The resulting vulnerabilities, see
image below or this Google Docs sheet, were located in both the design
and implementation of the LTE standard among the different carriers
and device vendors. The KAIST team said it notified both the 3GPP
(industry body behind LTE standard) and the GSMA (industry body that
represents mobile operators), but also the corresponding baseband
chipset vendors and network equipment vendors on whose hardware they
performed the LTEFuzz tests.'
-- source: https://it.slashdot.org/story/19/03/28/2035257
Cheers, Peter
--
Peter Reutemann
Dept. of Computer Science
University of Waikato, NZ
+64 (7) 858-5174
http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/http://www.data-mining.co.nz/
'ASUS may have inadvertently pushed malware to some of its computers
through its update tool, but it at least it has a fix ready to go. The
PC maker has released a new version of its Live Update software for
laptops that addresses the ShadowHammer backdoor attack. It also
promised "multiple security verification mechanisms" to reduce the
chances of further attacks, and started using an "enhanced end-to-end
encryption mechanism." There are upgrades to the behind-the-scenes
server system to prevent future attacks, ASUS added.
The company simultaneously reiterated the narrow scope of
ShadowHammer, noting that the malware targeted a "very small and
specific user group." It's believed to be an Advanced Persistent
Threat -- that is, a state-backed assault against organizations rather
than everyday users. Other ASUS devices weren't affected, according to
a notice. While the fix is reassuring, it also raises questions as to
why the systems weren't locked down earlier. Update tools are prime
targets for hackers precisely because they're both trusted and have
deep access to the operating system -- tight security is necessary to
prevent an intruder from hijacking the process.'
-- source: https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/19/03/26/2025229
Cheers, Peter
--
Peter Reutemann
Dept. of Computer Science
University of Waikato, NZ
+64 (7) 858-5174
http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/http://www.data-mining.co.nz/
I have written up some thoughts about those horrible happenings in
Christchurch today. You can read them here
<https://default-cube.deviantart.com/journal/Refuse-To-Be-Terrorized-Christc…>.
I hope we learn the right lessons from others who have been here before
us, and not repeat too many of their mistakes.
'If you're a Firefox true believer, or even just a Firefox user, your
password struggles just got a little easier with the release of
Firefox Lockbox for Android devices. From a report:
The password manager, based on login information already in Firefox,
makes it easier to sign into apps as well. It integrates with login
autocomplete systems in both Apple's iOS and Google's Android
software, Mozilla said. It's not as fancy as password managers like
LastPass, BitWarden, 1Password and Dashlane, and the only browser it
works with is Firefox. On the other hand, if you're already in the
Firefox world, it's basically already set up for you. There's no
migration process as with dedicated password managers.'
-- source: https://news.slashdot.org/story/19/03/26/1559243
Cheers, Peter
--
Peter Reutemann
Dept. of Computer Science
University of Waikato, NZ
+64 (7) 858-5174
http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/http://www.data-mining.co.nz/
'Google today officially launched AMP for Email, its effort to turn
emails from static documents into dynamic, web page-like experiences.
>From a report:
AMP for Email is coming to Gmail, but other major email providers like
Yahoo Mail, Outlook and Mail.ru will also support AMP emails. It's
been more than a year since Google first announced this initiative.
Even by Google standards, that's a long incubation phase, though
there's also plenty of backend work necessary to make this feature
work.
The promise of AMP for Email is that it'll turn basic messages into a
surface for actually getting things done. "Over the past decade, our
web experiences have changed enormously -- evolving from static flat
content to interactive apps -- yet email has largely stayed the same
with static messages that eventually go out of date or are merely a
springboard to accomplishing a more complex task," Gmail product
manager Aakash Sahney writes. "If you want to take action, you usually
have to click on a link, open a new tab, and visit another website."
With AMP for Email, those messages become interactive. That means
you'll be able to RSVP to an event right from the message, fill out a
questionnaire, browse through a store's inventory or respond to a
comment -- all without leaving your web-based email client.'
-- source: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/19/03/26/1838254
Cheers, Peter
--
Peter Reutemann
Dept. of Computer Science
University of Waikato, NZ
+64 (7) 858-5174
http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/http://www.data-mining.co.nz/
