iPhone, Security, Software, technology, Web

New security updates overtake jailbreak advantages.

March 30, 2019April 1, 2019 | be3n

There are just so many privilege escalation fixes in the latest iOS 12.2 update. I finally removed the jailbreak from my primary device and updated. Privilege escalation is when an unprivileged or user process (like an app from the app store or even a web page*) gets root or even kernel authority. This is when bad turns to worse because it can do and see anything with any of the device’s data or sensors. Since even the big trusted apps have been caught tracking or stealing data, I simply couldn’t leave myself unprotected any longer.

I’ll still of course keep a development device jailbroken on 12.1.2 for all of the reasons. It was a wonderful experience, only slightly beta. I appreciate all the hard work by everyone in the scene. I think i am going hate seeing the home bar again the most.

* web pages are often sandboxed separately from the app itself. Some might argue that a webpage would first have to escape the sandbox before it could escalate privileges. this is true, but i would respond that sandbox escape is just another form of privilege escalation, only one level down. There are also over a dozen webkit fixes in this update.

pointless

That last post was number 500!

February 26, 2019February 26, 2019 | be3n

Hard to imagine that i have made 500+ posts on this site. I guess that’s what happens when you post self-indulgently for a decade! There are still piles of drafts that might be useful if i ever get around to finishing them. Not no bad, only 72 out of 501 posts are pointless.

hardware, iPhone, Software, technology

Open source artisanal iOS Jailbreak released using only grass fed locally sourced exploits.

February 26, 2019March 2, 2019 | be3n

A long time in the works, this is the first completely open source jailbreak to be released for an almost current version of iOS (11-12.1.2). This is an interesting jailbreak. It is semi-tethered, but unlike previous jailbreaks, this can at least be untethered from the device itself. Using Cydia Impactor, you can side load the unc0ver app and install the jailbreak directly from the app. it also allow the easy rejailbreak upon reboot or battery drain. Great work all around despite the remaining bugs and instability (it is still beta. Huge thanks to the efforts of @pwn20wnd and @sbingner). To be honest, there are very few tweaks and apps that are ready for iOS 12, but i am excited to see the tradition of jailbreaking continue. I have cydia again! For the first tine since I closed down my own cydia repo. C’mon developers, do you thing!

In truth, i never got it going on my phone, only my iPad. I get a crash on my phone immediately after this dialogue comes up. It took a few passes to get a picture (this one extracted from a screen record). Not sure exactly what went wrong, but “Unexported kernel task port” is my best clue. With my phone cashing as soon as it becomes untethered, i am never actually able to run Cydia. On my iPad, instead of rebooting, it resprings. either way, it is very hard to read the final message.

UPDATE: This problem was resolved in b38.

hardware, Media, technology

2019 Storage upgrade phase 2 begins!

February 25, 2019February 26, 2019 | be3n

Now the waiting truly begins. fingers crossed against additional failures. On the next upgrade i’ll be able to test to see if the Drobo Pro (the original Drobo 8 bay) supports disks greater than 4TB. Apparently, no one has tested that. I honestly wonder how many of these are still in use? I have now replaced every drive in my Pro.

Update: I have been informed by @mistacabage that the Drobo Pro will not accept drives larger then 4TB. The official documentation just said it was untested.

hardware, pointless, Raspberry Pi, retro, technology

Cleaning out my office I found an ancient Asterisk Box!

February 22, 2019February 22, 2019 | be3n

Originally my router/PBX this Dell P4 was installed with some of the earliest Digium PCI analogue cards. This card supported both FXS and FXO modules, and i used them both in various configurations. One of the FXS modules is what allowed my housemate’s old rotary phone to connect to the house phone system. I loved testing the system by ringing his phone. The ringing of its actual bell, was a delight. That dell survived the infamous flood (by already being decommissioned). I think I paid over $200 for this card alone. Now i run Asterisk off my Raspberry Pi with a total hardware cost considerably less than that.

hardware, technology

Waiting for new backups to complete before repurposing old backup drives.

February 22, 2019February 22, 2019 | be3n

After installing the new backup disks, i must wait the interminable delay for the new backup to complete. Every step in this upgrade is going to take forever! In the end, it will upgrade 3 different arrays with new life and storage capacity.

art, Culture, Food, movies, music, Recreation, Travel

Chinese New Year celebrated in Los Angeles!

February 9, 2019February 12, 2019 | be3n

We missed the parade, and even worried that the celebration might be winding down. Luckily it turned out that the celebration was not even slowing. Confetti cannons continued to fire, gathering so much on the ground that children were playing in it like snow. Confetti angles, confetti ball fights, there were even some industrious youths that managed to relaunch a massive pile back into the air and onto the heads of celebrants. Amazing food, performers, music and art. Not to mention the typical chinatown fair. I watched performances by dragon dancers, contortionists, martial artists, traditional chinese music as well as contemporary chinese pop music. It was a great way to bring in the year of the Boar!

art, Culture, Literature, movies

More photos from Stan Lee tribute

January 30, 2019January 31, 2019 | be3n

Incredibly, we were provided with a seemingly endless supply of White Castle Burgers. These delicious tiny devils were a delight. I ate too many. #noregrets

Amazing art was on display prominently featuring Stan. The honors kept coming. The army provided a color guard with taps. Celebrity panels and pre-recorded messages from people across the spectrum of entertainment media. Even the mayor of Los Angeles presented POW Entertainment with a specially produced key to the city. The documentary and other videos offered incredible insight into the history of Stan and his many many creative endeavors. I probably watched 45 minutes of Stan Lee cameos. In fact, I am grateful that I had watched Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse before coming to this event. I teared up during Stan’s particularly moving cameo. I doubt it would have had the same impact seen out of context. I met many incredible people. From fans to speakers and even the event staff were all comic (or comic based movie) lovers. This was an experience I will never forget.

art, Culture, Literature, movies

I’m at the Stan Lee Tribute in Hollywood!

January 30, 2019January 30, 2019 | be3n

This is an amazing crowd. Everyone here was inspired by the worlds and characters created by Stan. Many have even made careers out of his creations. More.

Culture, hardware, Media, retro, revolution, technology

Visiting iFixit and finally fixing my laptop!

January 13, 2019January 13, 2019 | be3n

I got the full tour, the place is amazing and far tidier then any workshop I have been in. They have pieces for nearly everything and almost everything in pieces. I got to try out their tools. I even touched their flame thrower!

It turns out this little bugger was the cause of all my problems or at least my technical ones. Once I got this guy replaced, my 2011 MacBook Pro was back kicking ass. Thanks Daniel you are awesome!

I brought this gift to show my appreciation, I hope you like it. It is TechStep diagnostic tool from Apple for testing and diagnosing vintage Macs. I don’t even remember what i traded it for nearly 20 years ago, but i never once used it. I hope you enjoy it and maybe even do something cool with it. I cannot wait to come back.