NFCdrip: Data Exfiltration Research in Near Field Communication

Near-field communication (NFC) is a set of protocols that enables two electronic devices to establish communication by bringing them very close together. Usually the devices must be within less than 4cm. Contactless payment systems use NFC devices, inc… Continue reading NFCdrip: Data Exfiltration Research in Near Field Communication

Bitcoin’s Double Spending Flaw Was Hush-Hush During Rollout

For a little while it was possible to spend Bitcoin twice. Think of it like a coin on a string, you put it into the vending machine to get a delicious snack, but if you pull the string quickly enough you could spend it again on some soda too. Except this coin is worth something like eighty-grand.

On September 20, the full details of the latest fix for the Bitcoin Core were published. This information came two days after the fix was actually released. Two vulnerabilities were involved; a Denial of Service vulnerability and a critical inflation vulnerability, both covered …read more

Continue reading Bitcoin’s Double Spending Flaw Was Hush-Hush During Rollout

Bitcoin’s Double Spending Flaw Was Hush-Hush During Rollout

For a little while it was possible to spend Bitcoin twice. Think of it like a coin on a string, you put it into the vending machine to get a delicious snack, but if you pull the string quickly enough you could spend it again on some soda too. Except this coin is worth something like eighty-grand.

On September 20, the full details of the latest fix for the Bitcoin Core were published. This information came two days after the fix was actually released. Two vulnerabilities were involved; a Denial of Service vulnerability and a critical inflation vulnerability, both covered …read more

Continue reading Bitcoin’s Double Spending Flaw Was Hush-Hush During Rollout

Explaining Efail and Why It Isn’t the End of Email Privacy

Last week the PGPocalipse was all over the news… Except that, well, it wasn’t an apocalypse.

A team of researchers published a paper(PDF) where they describe how to decrypt a PGP encrypted email via a targeted attack. The research itself is pretty well documented and, from a security researcher perspective, it’s a good paper to read, especially the cryptography parts.

But we here at Hackaday were skeptical about media claims that Efail had broken PGP. Some media reports went as far as recommending everyone turn off PGP encryption on all email clients., but they weren’t able to back this recommendation …read more

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3D Printed WiFi Reflectors Custom Designed for the Building

Are you a wizard at antenna design? Chances are you’ve never even given it a try, but this tool could change that. Most home-made WiFi signal boosting antenna plans around the Internet share one feature: they are directional antennas or reflectors. But WiPrint is a tool for designing custom WiFi reflectors that map to the specific application.

If we want to increase the signal strength in two or three different locations the traditional solution is an omnidirectional antenna. The problem is, although a good omnidirectional antenna increases the signal power in those locations we want, it also increases the signal …read more

Continue reading 3D Printed WiFi Reflectors Custom Designed for the Building

3D Printed WiFi Reflectors Custom Designed for the Building

Are you a wizard at antenna design? Chances are you’ve never even given it a try, but this tool could change that. Most home-made WiFi signal boosting antenna plans around the Internet share one feature: they are directional antennas or reflectors. But WiPrint is a tool for designing custom WiFi reflectors that map to the specific application.

If we want to increase the signal strength in two or three different locations the traditional solution is an omnidirectional antenna. The problem is, although a good omnidirectional antenna increases the signal power in those locations we want, it also increases the signal …read more

Continue reading 3D Printed WiFi Reflectors Custom Designed for the Building

Is Intel’s Management Engine Broken yet?

Our own [Brian Benchoff] asked this same question just six months ago in a similar headline. At that time, the answer was no. Or kind of no. Some exploits existed but with some preconditions that limited the impact of the bugs found in Intel Management Engine (IME). But 2017 is an unforgiving year for the blue teams, as lot of serious bugs have been found throughout the year in virtually every fields of computing. Researchers from Positive Technologies report that they found a flaw that allows them to execute unsigned code on computers running the IME. The cherry on top …read more

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Super Low Tech Mario

Browsing around the depths of the Internet we came across a super low tech version of Super Mario from [Sata Productions]. The video presents a complete tutorial on how to make a playable, cardboard version of the famous Super Mario game. If you are a fan, you probably going to like this.

You basically need cardboard, a hot glue gun, a ball bearing, a couple of DC motors, some iron BBs, some magnets, batteries, some wires… it sounds just like shopping list for a MacGuyver episode. But it works and it’s playable. It has a wired remote control, you control …read more

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Skynet will have Bobcats

There are so many autonomous devices nowadays that can run Skynet Inside(TM) that it’s hard to keep track. But one was still missing: the versatile Bobcat. When we say “Bobcat”, we mean track loader — it’s just one of those things that the name and the brand stoke together so strongly that it’s hard to actually recall the technical name. A company by the name of Built Robotics is betting on autonomous track loaders as being a big part of the future of construction.

The tractor can navigate, excavate, and carry a 1,000 pound load with 1 cm precision …read more

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About That Giant Robot Battle Last Night

Two years ago we wrote about a giant robot battle between the USA and Japan. After two years in the making, MegaBots (team USA) and Suidobashi (team Japan) were finally ready for the first giant robot fight. If you are into battle bots, you probably did not miss the fight that happened around 7:00 pm PST. If you missed it, you can watch the whole thing here.

There were two duels. First it was Iron Glory (MkII) vs. Kuratas, and after that it was Eagle Prime (MkIII) vs. Kuratas.

Be warned, spoilers ahead.

Or not that much. The first combat …read more

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