UK Solves IoT Security Issues

Yes, the UK has come through for its citizens, and the citizens of the world, with legislation that IoT devices cannot have default passwords. No longer will they have any IoT issues!

Government never met a thing they couldn't make worse with legislation.


In a race with Microsoft, Sprint exposed their support portal to the world.






LINUX


How to encrypt partitions with VeraCrypt on Debian 10


Basic network troubleshooting with nmap


Kali first release of 2020  (ethical hacking OS)


CBS All Access serves ads, but not content, to linux users.
What's that phrase?  "Perhaps a hot poker up the old wazoo will help them see reason."


32 bit linux will keep going, into the future
I just resurrected an old laptop with 32 bit. This is good news.





Everybody has problems. Even blog authors. Even me!
One of my old laptops was so old (how old was it?) it was so old, it had a dual boot with linux and Win XP. I made an account for Mrs lefty and it was 'her' laptop. After noticing it gathered more dust than my tech gadgets, I decided to update it and make it ready to act as a spare, for the next time something stupid happened to my other laptop. And by something stupid, I mean something I did.

It booted with its usual efficiency and I noticed the boot option screen was very much Not There. Then I noticed it booted into a GRUB rescue prompt. I decided right away that I didn't like this and rebooted. Like all bad news, it repeated itself.

Naturally, I cannott remember a single GRUB rescue command.
The internet had several suggestions, or rather several hundred suggestions. Most were based upon the same 2 suggestions: use a very confusing set of command line inputs, or some other thing I probably should've written down. I tried 'Some Other Thing,' largely because it required much less typing.  It failed miserably, making assumptions about what I wanted. Method #1, with tons of input and 2 variations was tried. It was a boot repair, so it looked pretty good, and I was advised it was safe - I couldn't hurt anything. They obviously don't know me.  The results were not correct and not even predictable: the machine booted right into XP. This was not handy, convenient, or even correct. It was the least important thing on the entire hard drive.

Another option was this BOOT REPAIR image, which I downloaded and put on a usb stick. Booted up, hit the SAFEr option, and rebooted. It guessed completely wrong. The 2nd time, it was even more wrong. People raved about this option, so I guess they, like me, just like to see the world burn.

Speaking of hard drives, I had about 7 partitions and needed to remember what they all contained. XP was not helping, and I still didn't have my boot choice screen. To make things even more amusing, my bootup partition was different from my root partition, which did not exist in any help document or suggestion. I am a very special person, with very special options.

So I typed more commands and reinstalled GRUB. This actually worked!
And when I say 'worked,' I mean it installed a fresh copy of GRUB, which merely booted to the GRUB (not rescue) prompt. Some would scream. Some would pull out their own hair. Some would pull out someone else's hair. I laughed maniacally.

If this were Windows, I'd put in an install cd, do a REPAIR, and be done with it.
Since this is a multi-boot system, they would nuke every partition that wasn't Windows. I'm having a good time here.

I decided on the high yield nuclear option (no, not to reinstall each OS): I'd get out my linux install disk and bloody fix it that way. I'd be up to date, and I could spend the next 10 hours setting it up, hopefully undisturbed.

Install I did. gparted helped me remember which partition was which, and off I was. Really far off. I use a different partition for HOME, so I made sure Xubumtu knew it was the HOME partition. When I rebooted, there was the bloody GRUB selection menu! I could boot into whatever I wanted! The sun had come out. I could hear the cherubim singing outside, warbling horribly out of tune on some current song I've never heard. Supermodels kept calling and coming to the door.

So there I was, with a current laptop, needing just a short 10 hours to customize it to my liking. I had to look through the Xubuntu archives for a 32 bit version, as this laptop must be from 1975 and had an unthinkable amount of RAM (2G). Fortunately 32 will continue, per the above.

As my 10 hours uninterrupted started, I discovered there would be a slight modification to uninterrupted, this being Wife, who had all the sudden gotten chatty, and needed to be reminded ever hour or so that this was Uninterrupted Time.

"HI how are you did I tell you about my day Guess where I went - guess Wrong HAHA - I went to visit your mother She's in rare form, but at least she tried to cook her steak before eating it cuz you remember what happened last time What are we having for dinner No, I'm not hungry now but what if I need to get something from the store I stopped at a major anchor store and looked at shoes but it was only a look because I already have most of them The sales staff all liked my jewelry like normal I really have to get some new jewelry Since most of it came from Arizona anyway we should take a trip OMG they won't let the dog sit with us shes too big to fit under the seat and if we tell them she's a helper dog, she'll probably bark the entire plane flight and you know you can't stop her when she starts....

Hi. Hello. HELLO. HHHHEEELLLLOOOOO???

Oh, I'm sorry, was I talking too much?

Only when your mouth was moving. Why do you speak in paragraphs?

My mom does that It's not the first time anybody said that to me Are you working on my laptop What happened What's wrong Why did it happen Do you mean your MAIN laptop..

HELLOOOOOOOOO????

Oh, sorry.

Remember I said I was configuring the laptop?

Why?

I said I needed some quality, uninterrupted time with it.

Oh, I'm sorry. I'll shut up now [tv turns on]

[5 minutes]

Do you need anything from the store I'm going food shopping later What are you doing Why...

UNINTERRUPTED.

Oh, sorry.

[5 minutes]

Oh I love this show What did you want for dinner I thought of a good slaughterhouse we can tour tomorrow...

STILL uninterrupted.

I'm sorry (makes zipping up lip motion)

[5 minutes]

I'm going on the back steps I have to pay some bills.

STILL uninterrupted.

I know, I'm just saying..

You're ALWAYS just saying.

Well, I'm just saying...

STOP saying. I really need to get this done. If I don't, the zombies will eat me.

OOH! I love those zombie movies I know I said I would be quiet but just one thing My favorite Z-level movie is coming on at 8:30 You don't mind missing all your shows tonight so I can watch it I'm going to visit my mom this weekend No you can not have Emilia Clarke babysit you so don't ask You think you're so funny...

When I die, will you still be talking? Will you dig my body up and regale it with what you found on sale today? We can get you permission to dig me up regularly. Yes, they'll let you run the Caterpillar. Yes, you can put your 8' pink Barbie flag on it.