OSINT
Espionage
From Trench Coats to QR Codes: The Unfashionable Death of Spy Elegance
Once upon a time, spycraft was elegant. Picture a trench coat, a hollow brick wall, maybe a microdot hidden behind a postage stamp. You’d whisper secrets in a Vienna park, then melt into the fog like a mysterious bout of indigestion. It was classy, it was clever, and more
Security
TCP SYN Cookies: Because Your Server's Not a Daycare (Or a Dorm Kitchen)
Ah, networking. That beautiful, terrifying realm where packets fly, ports open and close like drama-club relationships, and everything breaks just when you say, “It’s finally working.” Welcome, first-year undergrad. Let’s talk about one of the internet’s most passive-aggressive defense mechanisms: the TCP SYN cookie. You’ve probably
Surveillance
Study of the Week: 'Academia: Now Serving Mass Surveillance with Extra Citations and a Side of Denial'
Remember when we thought academia was the conscience of society? The wise old owl watching over ethics while Silicon Valley played with its shiny new toys? Well, it turns out that owl was actually busy writing code to help cameras track your face across a crowded street. This week’s
Your Data’s on Vacation, Hosted by a Foreign Spy
How nation-states offload surveillance like global CDNs - redundant, invisible, and without your consent. You’ve got nothing to hide, right? You use Signal. Your Wi-Fi boasts a 20-character password. You even skimmed a privacy policy once. But somewhere along the way, you clicked “accept cookies” on a website that
Surveillance
Alexa, Are You a Union Buster?
It starts, as all minor dystopias do, with a coffee machine. A cheerful new addition to the warehouse break room, chrome finish, touch screen, responds to voice commands. “Flat white, extra hot,” says Lisa from loading. The machine chirps and whirs obediently. Somewhere in the fine print (a laminated A4
OSINT
The Pentagon Pizza Index: Because Nothing Screams “Incoming Air-Strike” Like 21 Large Pepperonis
The next time you see a war break out, don’t bother doomscrolling or turning on CNN. Just check the Google Maps heatmap around the Pentagon’s nearest Domino’s. If it’s glowing red at 10 p.m., congratulations: you may be witnessing the digital aroma of geopolitics heating
Surveillance
Study of the Week: Your Grandma's Smart Home: Now with Extra Surveillance (Because We Care, Obviously)
Ah, the future! It's bright, it's connected, and apparently, it involves a deep learning algorithm listening intently to your grandma's every cough, creak, and the subtle thud of her nightly glass of warm milk hitting the bedside table. I'm talking, of course,
Books
The Digital Underbelly: Where Cyber Wars, Oligarchs, and Phantom Sheep Collide
Buckle up and pour something strong—because the world we’re living in isn't the tech utopia we were promised. Forget the glossy speeches of Silicon Valley founders and their libertarian dreams of "disruption." What we're seeing unfold is a digital arms race: billionaires
Security
Red Carpet & Red Flags: How Our Establishment Became an Unlikely Counter-Intelligence Hub
Alright, fellow enthusiasts and connoisseurs of chaos, picture this: The International Film Festival. The air is thick with the scent of ambition, expensive perfume, and maybe just a hint of desperation. Our venerable establishment, usually a bastion of quiet luxury, transforms into a glittering zoo. Every hallway teems with A-listers,
Linux
Sealed Secrets: Why Append-Only Logs Are Your Best Defence
You're in for a treat, fellow Linux enthusiast! Let's talk about a concept as vital to your system's security as a perfectly aged cheese to a connoisseur: Immutable Logs (Append Only). Forget the digital equivalent of a chef's special that mysteriously vanishes
Study of the Week: Who Knew Banks and Bistros Had So Much in Common? (Besides My Credit Card Bill)
Ever thought about what a high-flying banker and a hardworking hotelier have in common? Beyond the obvious fact that they both probably deal with a lot of spreadsheets, it turns out their industries face a surprisingly similar threat: the "insider." And no, I’m not talking about a