/cyb/ - Cyberpunk Fiction and Fact

So, on this fine day, I set out to explore what it would take to add mlpol.net support to, for example, KurobaEx.
Well apparently not that much - most of the site parsing code seems neatly organised (https://github.com/K1rakishou/Kuroba-Experimental/tree/develop/Kuroba/app/src/main/java/com/github/k1rakishou/chan/core/site). Surely it shouldn't be too difficult to hack something together to parse /mlpol/ too and add it into the supported sites.

Well no because it's an android fucking app and that means gradle and that means java and worse that means the shitty android tools that are never packaged in a way that's installable unless you jump through five hoops to get them running. Also apparently the kuroba nigger may or may not(?) have left the code in a state that fails to build, it's not even clear to me - not that it matters because I haven't even managed to start a build yet. Well maybe I shouldn't have started at 1:30am, that's on me, but still. Also the only alternatives are blue clover that hasn't been in development for years, chance which is fucking flutter, and maybe dashchan which also hasn't been in development for even more years, which is why I wanted to try messing with kurobaex first.

Anyway, with /g/ dead and me not even able to vent to /dpt/ (or ask if anyone has messed around with a fork), I guess a rant here is the next best thing. If I mess around with it more in the coming days and get anything going, I'll blogpost here I guess, also obviously anyone else with actual mobile dev experience (or without, really) welcome.
If I abandon this thread without any further posts forevermore then rip.

Do you use any? I jumped from Nobara after it started dropping framerates after updating and now I am on Cachy. Pretty fast so far, may stick with it.

>No Edgerunners thread
How did you enjoy what was unequivocally the best anime of 2022, /cyb/?
I personally loved it. True to the aesthetic, great dystopian/tragic theme, a compelling story, and spectacular character design.

What does /cyb/ think about artificial intelligence? What role could it play in the future of our society?
Also, Tay thread.

Peer review was supposed to be the gold standard of science. Instead, it turned out to be a fraud that polluted the knowledge base, corrupted the profession, and destroyed confidence in the method.

It’s very important to remember that most people neither know or understand anything about science, so the idea that science is not only less than perfectly reliable, but is, in fact, reliably false is extremely foreign to them. They have no idea that reliable science is called “engineering”, and in fact, their grasp of the credibility of the two fields is usually inverted.

But if you are an independent thinker capable of processing information on your own, it should not be too difficult to grasp that science is intrinsically flawed due to several unavoidable factors that boil down to the absence of any controlling factor for the human element.

Peer review was never that missing factor. As I pointed out years ago, peer review doesn’t even rise to the level of editing, much less auditing, it is more akin to slush-file reading by volunteers. The great irony of the primary defense of peer review is that it is a concept based on nothing more than pure logic utilized to justify an activity specifically conceived to replace the use of pure logic.

This is an excerpt from:
https://voxday.net/2023/05/15/the-failure-of-modern-science/

What's your opnion on Haiku OS?

https://haiku-os.org

A tech I keep preciously for an eventual SHTF situation and alternate ways of communication outside internet remains radio, IDK how many others have like, a Retevis or a Baofeng, but I'm glad to have these small, handled talkies.

I have a thing for that UV-K5, the reception range makes it more a scanner than just a talkie, especially with hacked firmware, which is starting to be a thing now, plus the radio is under 20 bucks on ali.

Our failing infrastructure and erosion of professional engineering society is threatening to implode our country's engineering capabilities to the point of national security risks.
https://dailycaller.com/2023/09/18/us-coast-guard-forgot-build-ships-arctic-defense/
This is how civilizations collapse.

What do you think will be the next industry/technology to go to hell due to malpractice, apathy and corruption?

Many people feel like their smartphones may feel like indispensable lifelines, connecting everyone everywhere in real-time, but can you trust it? I never did. As reliant as we are on these devices for everything from banking to personal communication, the GSM network, along with its successors from the 3G that emerged almost 20 years ago already, now 4 and 5G carries with it a number of critical flaws that hackers or (especially) governments can easily exploit using tools. Tools which I confirm being readily available on the dark web. We always knew about the flaws of GSM being left in place to facilitate eavesdropping. Now it’s not about just listening but using a phone to deceive or intercept information, and it’s easier than anyone thinks.

Here are some definitions. Regardless if it’s some Nokia or Ericsson brick or the newest Samsung Galaxy S30, mobile phone’s identity on the network are two crucial pieces of data: the IMSI and the IMEI.
>IMSI: (International Mobile Subscriber Identity)
This unique identifier ties a subscriber to your SIM card and mobile network, see this as the phone's IP, or a code allowing the network to recognize and authenticate the user. However, an attacker with the right tools can spoof an IMSI, essentially tricking the network into thinking they are someone else. This opens up the possibility of interception, call hijacking, or even location tracking.

>IMEI: (International Mobile Equipment Identity)
Similarly, the IMEI is a unique code that identifies your physical device. A bit like a MAC address. Just as with IMSI, software available on the dark web allows an attacker to spoof an IMEI, making it possible to assume the identity of another device, evade blacklists, or bypass security features designed to lock lost or stolen phones.

The creepy fact is that spoofing either of these identifiers isn’t theoretical; it’s shockingly easy if you manage to get the right software, although requires know-how since it’s mainly based on command line. It’s trivial to alter these identifiers and launch attacks on mobile networks. Hackers are out there exploiting these flaws, and most people don’t even realize how exposed they are.

SMS and roaming vulnerabilities with TPDUs

While many people assume that SMS is a secure form of communication, it’s actually a relic from a time when security was an afterthought. I mean I'm trying to resurrect an old pager for fun and sending ASCII codes via radio to it. The GSM standard is a bit like pagers, relies on something called Transfer Protocol Data Units (TPDU), which handle the sending and receiving of SMS messages and more. These messages pass through a series of vulnerable network components, each one a potential point of attack.
The handshake process, where the network authenticates a roaming phone, is particularly vulnerable. Hackers can intercept these signals during the handshake and manipulate them, giving them access to your phone. Once they have control over the TPDU, attackers can not only read SMS messages but also modify or send spoofed messages as if they were the legitimate user.

What’s worse is that this flaw isn’t limited to domestic attacks. When you roam, you’re more exposed because your phone relies on SS7 to communicate with foreign networks. This outdated protocol is widely known for its insecurities, allowing attackers to intercept calls, read messages, and even track a device’s location across the globe. For hackers who know how to exploit this, roaming opens up a world of potential targets.
Let’s imagine a theoretical scenario: Voice spoofing. As if the vulnerabilities in GSM and SMS systems weren’t enough, we’re now facing a new kind of threat: synthetic or altered voice attacks. Imagine a scenario where a hacker has spoofed your phone number using one of the techniques mentioned above. They then use some AI voice synthesis software to impersonate your voice or the voice of someone you know.

For example, a hacker could call your family or coworker, and using some AI-generated voice based on some samples, say something like: “Hey, it’s me. I’m in trouble and I need you to send me money. My phone is broken, so I can’t text. I'll pay you twice, you trust me bro” This type of scam is already becoming a reality with fake SMS which dumb people fall for. In fact, a friend of mine recently received a fake message that said, “Hi mom, my phone is broken, I need money.” It’s only a matter of time before these attacks become widespread. These attacks are common from Nigeria, Gabon, Mali etc. since it’s a common scam, now with the same number and a voice, I assure you 100 % of the people will fall for it if it's done right enoug.

With the ability to clone voices, fake phone numbers, and hijack SMS messages, you see where I'm going. It was not an issue a while ago but with machine learning being more and more accessible and these exploits at the fingertips of manipulative beings, it is about to happen, if not, already been used. Your phone is becoming a tool for sophisticated attackers to manipulate and deceive, and the terrifying part is that most people are completely unaware.

It’s hard to call these devices “smart.” Sure, smartphones are jack of all trades, GPS, media, gaming all that crap, but when it comes to security, they remain the same as dumb phones unless you use some enterprise's VPN or some VOIP services and messaging, a bit like those on Blackberry's BES, now there's similar solutions, even Whatsapp or Telegram. But no standard.

They operate on networks built decades ago with virtually no thought for the types of threats we can get today. Despite the introduction of newer technologies like 5G, which also have vulnerabilities since it’s essentially IP over radio, the underlying architecture remains flawed. Basically the frequencies and spectrum changed to have more bandwidth but the secu remains the same. You can have like, a banking ‘app’ that is secured as fuck yet rely on the SMS verification.

Cite danger of Americans becoming reliant on CCP-controlled tech along with China's plan for world humanoid robot domination by 2027.
https://nypost.com/2024/08/05/business/chinese-made-humanoid-robots-raise-alarms-in-congress-stealth-army-on-our-land/
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3240259/china-says-humanoid-robots-are-new-engine-growth-pushes-mass-production-2025-and-world-leadership