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A walkthrough on patching Dell UEFI firmware at the SPI flash level to disable pre-boot DMA protection — bypassing the BIOS password entirely. The interesting part: the UEFI UI still reports the setting as enabled, and TPM measured boot doesn't detect the NVRAM change, so BitLocker unlocks normally. The patch also persists through official Dell BIOS updates. From there it's DMAReaper to kill IOMMU + PCILeech for a SYSTEM shell. Significant measured boot policy gap. https://www.mdsec.co.uk/2026/03/disabling-security-features-in-a-locked-bios/
Disabling Security Features in a Locked BIOS - MDSec

Overview This post explores how modifying a Dell UEFI firmware image at the flash level can fundamentally undermine platform security without leaving visible traces in the firmware interface. By directly...

MDSec

Security firm Cybereason has open-sourced owLSM, an EDR-like agent for Linux, an eBPF LSM agent to run Sigma rules

https://github.com/Cybereason-Public/owLSM

GitHub - Cybereason-Public/owLSM: Sigma Rules Engine inside the Linux Kernel using eBPF. Focusing on prevention capabilities

Sigma Rules Engine inside the Linux Kernel using eBPF. Focusing on prevention capabilities - Cybereason-Public/owLSM

GitHub

RE: https://dair-community.social/@emilymbender/116234671310732558

So yeah, the next time someone says "How dare you say LLMs are useless, they even helped cure a dog's cancer!"

... point them to this:

2. If it is "nuts" to dismiss this experience, then it would be "nuts" to dismiss mine: I have seen many, many high profile people in tech, who I have respect for, take *absolutely unhinged* risks with LLM technology that they have never, in decades-long careers, taken with any other tool or technology. It reads like a kind of cognitive decline. It's scary. And many of these people are *leaders* who use their influence to steamroll objections to these tools because they're "obviously" so good

@delta_vee @gooba42 @davidgerard On the other hand, I *have* heard tell of people who claimed to write the code themselves but get the robot to write the tests

which is

disturbing, to me, because to me the tests are the spec. so basically you're deliberately introducing noise into your program's specification

It’s so depressing how quickly as a society we crossed the Rubicon from “plagiarism is bad” to “mass everyday use of the plagiarism machine is good and inevitable and if you don’t get with the program you’re worthless.”

It’s so hard to be a person attempting to live with integrity in this world at this time. The grind is just constant.

In prep for the Windows 12 rollout, now is a good time to get your town's Linux Install Parties planned and advertised.

Here's my town's https://fxbginstall.party/

Here's a quick how-to guide to spinning one up in your town:

Goals:
- Install Linux on your neighbors' laptops. This preserves older laptops ( #permacomputing #ewaste prevention). This removes people from one part of the surveillance economy. And it saves people money.
- The party should be geared towards NON-TECHIES. This is NOT a Linux Users Group. This is not for enthusiasts. This for folks who just want their computer to work and let them do the basics. Bend the tech to the people, not the people to the tech.

Date and Time:
- Shoot for monthly parties. Try for a specific day of the week. Say the "First Saturday" or "Second Sunday" of every month.
- Easy for folks to remember and if they miss one month, they'll be there the next month
- Try for between two hours to four hours for the event.
- Be consistent. Show up for the full time even if no one shows up. Some times it takes two or three meetings before people start to come regularly.

Location:
- Shoot for a public community area
- The best bet is your local library if they have rooms or conference areas.
- City community centers are good, too
- Also look for religious institutions, civic orgs, or fraternal orgs if need be. It needs to be open to
the public, though, with no requirements to push other agendas on to visitors.

Linux Distro:
- Shoot for a single distro that caters to folks who are new. I usually go for Linux Mint, but go with what you like. Focus on ease of use and familiarity for folks who arent used to Linux or various Desktop Environments.

Waivers & Backups:
- Everyone should sign a waiver. You keep the signed waiver. They can have a copy of the waiver
- Explain that while you and other volunteers will make your best attempt to install Linux, you make no guarantees. You may brick their machine accidentally. And no files that were on the harddrive will remain. Everything will be deleted.
- They should make backups of their files before you start the install process (either online/cloud, or local on a USB)
- Some folks want you to try for a dual-boot, but thats up to you if you want to offer it. Still let them know that you might brick the machine even (especially?) if you try for a dual boot install.
- Example Waiver: https://tldp.org/HOWTO/Installfest-HOWTO/legalprotection.html

Advertisements:
- Create a simple brochure website and fliers with info and time and date
- Use words like "Update to a modern, private, and fast operating system. No monthly subscription. No cost. Volunteers will install for you." Appeal to folks whose laptops cant upgrade. "Can't install Windows 11 or 12? Don't throw your laptop away, install Linux. It's free, up to date, and secure" Etc etc.
- Use your town's local social media (eg Town Subreddit, Online/Offline Classifieds, Library Announcements, Town Events Page)
- Post fliers in various coffee shops, libraries, bars, restrooms, and community centers
- Tell other similar groups (hacker spaces, maker spaces, linux groups, etc) both to spread the word and get volunteers
- Word of Mouth: Just tell everyone you run into. And tell them to tell everyone they know.

What to bring:
- Multiple install media/USBs with your Distro on it to install on the laptops
- A couple "Demo Laptops" with your distro of choice installed for people to try out (install games, office suites, common programs for folks to try it out - aim for what people use so various browsers including Firefox and Chrome, Zoom / Teams, LibreOffice, MS Office on browser, browser games, desktop games, etc)
- Your own laptops to do internet lookups and specialized downloads (weird stuff happens - its good to be prepared)
- Extension cables and power strips
- Cheap USBs for last minute backups prior to installation that folks can take home with them
- Some screwdrivers or tools to open up laptops for light repair if you like

What to do:
- Greet folks as they come in and invite them to try out the demos
- Encourage questions and discussions (AVOID DISTRO FLAME WARS OR WHICH WINDOWS MANAGER BEATS WHAT DESKTOP ENVIRONMENT FOR FUCKS SAKE! THESE ARE NORMAL PEOPLE DONT SCARE THEM AWAY WITH YOUR NERD SHIT!!!!)
- If folks brought laptops for installation explain and have them sign their waivers, make sure they know all files will be deleted, ask if they've made backups, and then install!
- Help folks troubleshoot issues or install programs for those that already have Linux installed and need community support

That's it. Make it a regular occurrence and you'll get folks coming in for fresh installs monthly and to ask for help with previous installs. Also a really chill way to meet other folks and have a lovely afternoon.

If you have any questions, post up in this thread.

If you have any suggestions or tips and tricks that have worked at your own Linux Install Party, share with us as well!

Edit to add: The Windows 12... scare?... seems to be a hoax brought upon by AIslop. But there will be a Win12 at some point, and a 13, and so on. And the recent Win11 forced upgrade is what spurred my group to create a Linux Install Party in the first place. It's always best to have a place for folks to land, one that is already running and well established. So, honestly, still in prep for the Windows12 rollout, whenever it comes, get a Linux Install Party going now.

#ewaste #linuxinstallparty #installparty #solarpunk #windows12 #windows11 #linux

FXBG Install Party

We'll install Linux on your laptop for free! Join us at the FXBG Linux Install Party!

FXBG Install Party

The new AirTags 2 just arrived!

Time to take them apart 🧵

PSA: Evan Chen’s “Infinitely Large Napkin” has gotta be one of the most important math books out there. It makes higher math incredibly accessible.

I can’t overstate how much it enabled me to do things that would otherwise only be reachable through years of studying pure mathematics at university.

https://web.evanchen.cc/napkin.html

The Napkin project is a personal exposition project of mine aimed at making higher math accessible to high school students. The philosophy is stated in the preamble:

I’ll be eating a quick lunch with some friends of mine who are still in high school. They’ll ask me what I’ve been up to the last few weeks, and I’ll tell them that I’ve been learning category theory. They’ll ask me what category theory is about. I tell them it’s about abstracting things by looking at just the structure-preserving morphisms between them, rather than the objects themselves. I’ll try to give them the standard example Gp, but then I’ll realize that they don’t know what a homomorphism is. So then I’ll start trying to explain what a homomorphism is, but then I’ll remember that they haven’t learned what a group is. So then I’ll start trying to explain what a group is, but by the time I finish writing the group axioms on my napkin, they’ve already forgotten why I was talking about groups in the first place. And then it’s 1PM, people need to go places, and I can’t help but think:

Man, if I had forty hours instead of forty minutes, I bet I could actually have explained this all.

This book is my attempt at those forty hours.

Evan Chen • Napkin (v1.6)

Their astronomy outreach program is AMAZING (despite only having 1 astro prof). Paid staff run a modern telescope with perfect equipment, people use a virtual queue to get a turn at the big telescope, and the local RASC amateur astronomy chapter set up their own telescopes around the outside for everyone to look at while waiting. There's scientific art scattered around, and great student volunteer opportunities. It's amazing! Anybody have a few million $ for my university to do this too?