Comment Re:F*ck the BSA (Score 1) 40
Nah they are created by Microsoft and Adobe and are not much more than a mob-like organization trying to get more sales for it's sponsor members.
Comment General solution (Score 1) 23
I made this general solution: blacklist all modules except the obvious ones and those loaded on your specific system. ModuleJail. One script which generates one file: /etc/modprobe.d/modulejail-blacklist.conf Easy to understand and manage. GPLv3. Enjoy the upcoming kernel module security discoveries from your lazy chair while the world burns ;)
https://github.com/jnuyens/mod...
Submission + - Sysadmin Creates "ModuleJail" to Automatically Blacklist Unused Kernel Modules
internet-redstar writes: After the recent wave of Linux kernel privilege escalation vulnerabilities like “Copy Fail” and “Dirty Frag”, Belgian Linux sysadmin and Tesla Hacker "Jasper Nuyens" got tired of the idea of manually blacklisting dozens or even hundreds of obscure kernel modules across large fleets of Linux systems in the near future.
So he wrote ModuleJail, a GPLv3 shell script that scans a running Linux system and automatically blacklists currently unused kernel modules, reducing kernel attack surface without requiring a reboot. The idea is simple: many modern Linux privilege escalation bugs target obscure or rarely used kernel functionality that is still enabled by default on servers that do not actually need it. ModuleJail works across major distributions including Debian, Ubuntu, RHEL, Fedora, AlmaLinux and Arch Linux, generating 1 modprobe blacklist rules file while preserving commonly used modules. Nuyens argues that the increasing speed of AI-assisted vulnerability discovery will likely turn kernel hardening and attack surface reduction into a much bigger operational priority for sysadmins over the next few weeks and months.
Submission + - SaaS Apocalypse could be OpenSource's Greatest Opportunity (hackernoon.com)
internet-redstar writes: Nearly a trillion dollars has been wiped from software stocks in 2026, with hedge funds making billions shorting Salesforce, HubSpot, and Atlassian. At FOSDEM 2026, cURL maintainer Daniel Stenberg shut down his bug bounty program after AI-generated slop overwhelmed his team. A new article on HackerNoon argues that most commercial SaaS could inevitably become OpenSource, not out of ideology but economics. The author points to Proxmox replacing VMware at enterprise scale and startups like Holosign replicating DocuSign at $19/month flat as evidence. The catch, the article claims: maintainers who refuse to embrace AI tools risk being forked, or simply replicated from scratch, by those who do.
Comment OpenSource LLMs are getting better every day (Score 1) 112
The current state of OpenSource LLMs gets better every day. Where commercial ChatGPT was beaten by Gemini half a year ago, and since a few months, Claude is the king, the battle between these giants is the high profile one. And it is remarkable how good it has become. But in the mean time, the OpenSource LLMs are getting better too. Maybe commercial LLMs will keep on being ahead. And now there's a substantial difference in productivity and practical difference in code generation quality and advanced reasoning which justifies that cost for many users. It is my feeling that this might not remain true. Intelligence will become cheaper and cheaper. Just as all software will become cheaper and cheaper till only OpenSource software remains. I wrote an article about it: "The SaaS Apocalypse is OpenSoure's Greatest Opportunity". Maybe the future will be not that dark after all!
Comment I made a song to go with the story :) (Score 1) 21
I made this song to go with the story, CC-BY licensed for your enjoyment: "The Fuse and the Flame".
Happy hacking!
Comment Re:AI? (Score 1) 3
The lyrics and compositions are mine.
Some production tools (including Linux AI-assisted ones) were used in the process, but the intent and authorship are fully human.
The album is released under CC-BY specifically so people can reuse, remix, and even critique it, tooling is less important to me than openness and reusability. If AI assistance disqualifies work, we should probably also revisit compilers, DAWs, and digital cameras.
Submission + - Linux-Inspired Album Released Under Creative Commons License (thefreelantern.com) 3
internet-redstar writes: An independent musician has released a full-length album inspired by Linux, GNU, and Free Software culture, making all tracks available directly from the project website under a Creative Commons CC-BY license.
The album can be downloaded in open formats including FLAC, MP3, and Opus, and is explicitly intended to be reused for talks, videos, streams, and remixes with attribution.
"Free by Design" will appear on major streaming platforms at the start of FOSDEM, but it was intentionally released first outside of closed platforms to encourage direct access and reuse.
The album can be downloaded in open formats including FLAC, MP3, and Opus, and is explicitly intended to be reused for talks, videos, streams, and remixes with attribution.
"Free by Design" will appear on major streaming platforms at the start of FOSDEM, but it was intentionally released first outside of closed platforms to encourage direct access and reuse.
Submission + - FBI Accessed Encrypted PCs Using Microsoft Recovery Keys (reclaimthenet.org)
alternative_right writes: Federal investigators obtained access to encrypted computers for the first time through Microsoft’s own recovery keys, a move that has intensified long-standing concerns about how much control the company retains over user data.
The development emerged from United States v. Tenorio, a fraud case in Guam tied to alleged misuse of pandemic unemployment funds. Investigators believed three laptops contained evidence of the scheme. When they discovered the machines were protected with BitLocker, the encryption system built into Windows, they turned to Microsoft.
Microsoft confirmed that it complied with the FBI’s warrant, saying it provides recovery keys only when required by law. “While key recovery offers convenience, it also carries a risk of unwanted access, so Microsoft believes customers are in the best position to decide how to manage their keys,” a spokesperson said.
The development emerged from United States v. Tenorio, a fraud case in Guam tied to alleged misuse of pandemic unemployment funds. Investigators believed three laptops contained evidence of the scheme. When they discovered the machines were protected with BitLocker, the encryption system built into Windows, they turned to Microsoft.
Microsoft confirmed that it complied with the FBI’s warrant, saying it provides recovery keys only when required by law. “While key recovery offers convenience, it also carries a risk of unwanted access, so Microsoft believes customers are in the best position to decide how to manage their keys,” a spokesperson said.
Submission + - New Project Announcement: Brax Open_Slate - Android/Linux Tablet (braxtech.net)
walterbyrd writes: Open_Slate is a powerful and private 2-in-1 tablet.
It’s designed as a multipurpose platform that can serve different roles depending on how it’s configured and used:
- A consumer tablet for everyday use
- A productivity device for work and development
- A Linux-capable workstation on ARM
- A privacy-focused alternative to locked-down tablets
Rather than forcing users into a single ecosystem, open_slate is built around choice and control — from hardware design to operating system support.
It’s designed as a multipurpose platform that can serve different roles depending on how it’s configured and used:
- A consumer tablet for everyday use
- A productivity device for work and development
- A Linux-capable workstation on ARM
- A privacy-focused alternative to locked-down tablets
Rather than forcing users into a single ecosystem, open_slate is built around choice and control — from hardware design to operating system support.
Submission + - Code.org Lays Off 18 Employees "To Ensure Long-Term Sustainability"
theodp writes: Tech-backed K-12 CS+AI education nonprofit Code.org (revenue) confirmed that it has laid off 18 employees, or about 14% of its staff. Following the cuts, Code.org’s staff now numbers 107. "Code.org has made the difficult decision to part ways with 18 colleagues as part of efforts to ensure our long-term sustainability," the organization said in an emailed statement. "Their contributions helped millions of educators and students around the world, and we are grateful for their efforts."
Launched in 2013 with a mission to expand computer science education to K-12 students, the organization partnered with donors Microsoft, Google, and Amazon in December to "switch hats" in a pivot from coding to include AI literacy, replacing its flagship annual event the Hour of Code with the new Hour of AI.
Launched in 2013 with a mission to expand computer science education to K-12 students, the organization partnered with donors Microsoft, Google, and Amazon in December to "switch hats" in a pivot from coding to include AI literacy, replacing its flagship annual event the Hour of Code with the new Hour of AI.
Submission + - TikTok Is Now Collecting Even More Data About Its Users (wired.com)
An anonymous reader writes: When TikTok users in the US opened the app today, they were greeted with a pop-up asking them to agree to the social media platform’s new terms of service and privacy policy before they could resume scrolling. These changes are part of TikTok’s transition to new ownership. In order to continue operating in the US, TikTok was compelled by the US government to transition from Chinese control to a new, American-majority corporate entity. Called TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, the new entity is made up of a group of investors that includes the software company Oracle. It's easy to tap “agree” and keep on scrolling through videos on TikTok, so users might not fully understand the extent of changes they are agreeing to with this pop-up.
Now that it’s under US-based ownership, TikTok potentially collects more detailed information about its users, including precise location data. Here are the three biggest changes to TikTok’s privacy policy that users should know about. TikTok’s change in location tracking is one of the most notable updates in this new privacy policy. Before this update, the app did not collect the precise, GPS-derived location data of US users. Now, if you give TikTok permission to use your phone’s location services, then the app may collect granular information about your exact whereabouts. Similar kinds of precise location data is also tracked by other social media apps, like Instagram and X.
[...] Rather than an adjustment, TikTok’s policy on AI interactions adds a new topic to the privacy policy document. Now, users' interactions with any of TikTok’s AI tools explicitly fall under data that the service may collect and store. This includes any prompts as well as the AI-generated outputs. The metadata attached to your interactions with AI tools may also be automatically logged. [...] This change to TikTok’s privacy policy may not be as immediately noticeable to users, but it will likely have an impact on the types of ads you see outside of TikTok. So, rather than just using your collected data to target you while using the app, TikTok may now further leverage that info to serve you more relevant ads wherever you go online. As part of this advertising change, TikTok also now explicitly mentions publishers as one kind of partner the platform works with to get new data.
Now that it’s under US-based ownership, TikTok potentially collects more detailed information about its users, including precise location data. Here are the three biggest changes to TikTok’s privacy policy that users should know about. TikTok’s change in location tracking is one of the most notable updates in this new privacy policy. Before this update, the app did not collect the precise, GPS-derived location data of US users. Now, if you give TikTok permission to use your phone’s location services, then the app may collect granular information about your exact whereabouts. Similar kinds of precise location data is also tracked by other social media apps, like Instagram and X.
[...] Rather than an adjustment, TikTok’s policy on AI interactions adds a new topic to the privacy policy document. Now, users' interactions with any of TikTok’s AI tools explicitly fall under data that the service may collect and store. This includes any prompts as well as the AI-generated outputs. The metadata attached to your interactions with AI tools may also be automatically logged. [...] This change to TikTok’s privacy policy may not be as immediately noticeable to users, but it will likely have an impact on the types of ads you see outside of TikTok. So, rather than just using your collected data to target you while using the app, TikTok may now further leverage that info to serve you more relevant ads wherever you go online. As part of this advertising change, TikTok also now explicitly mentions publishers as one kind of partner the platform works with to get new data.
Submission + - Cheap green tech allows faster path to electrification for the developing world (japantimes.co.jp)
Mr. Dollar Ton writes: According to a new report from a think tank, "Ember", the availability of cheap green tech can have developing countries profit from earlier investment and skip steps in the transition from fossil to alternatives.
India is put forward as an example. While china’s rapid electrification has been hailed as a miracle, by some measures, India is moving ahead faster than China did when it was at similar levels of economic development. It’s an indication that clean electricity could be the most direct way to boost growth for other developing economies.
That’s mainly because India has access to solar panels and electric cars at a much lower price than China did about a decade ago. Chinese investments lowered the costs of what experts call "modular technologies” — the production of each solar panel, battery cell and electric car enables engineers to learn how to make it more efficiently.
India's per-capita consumption of oil for road transport is 60% lower than when China hit that milestone. As a result India’s peak road-oil consumption per person will likely never reach Chinese levels.
India is put forward as an example. While china’s rapid electrification has been hailed as a miracle, by some measures, India is moving ahead faster than China did when it was at similar levels of economic development. It’s an indication that clean electricity could be the most direct way to boost growth for other developing economies.
That’s mainly because India has access to solar panels and electric cars at a much lower price than China did about a decade ago. Chinese investments lowered the costs of what experts call "modular technologies” — the production of each solar panel, battery cell and electric car enables engineers to learn how to make it more efficiently.
India's per-capita consumption of oil for road transport is 60% lower than when China hit that milestone. As a result India’s peak road-oil consumption per person will likely never reach Chinese levels.
Submission + - Poll Suggestion 2
nuckfuts writes: I would be interested in a poll that asks: If you could change one thing about the Constitution of the United States, what would it be? (1) Citizenship Requirements, (2) Supreme Court Structure, (3) Electoral System, (4) Executive Branch Powers?
Submission + - DeVry is turning AI into a general education requirement (nerds.xyz)
BrianFagioli writes: DeVry University plans to embed AI literacy and skill-building into every course by the end of 2026, effectively turning artificial intelligence into a general education requirement for all students. The career-focused school says AI skills will no longer be limited to tech majors, but taught across business, healthcare, and other programs as a basic workplace competency, similar to email or spreadsheets. DeVry has been building toward this since 2020, gradually expanding automation and machine learning coursework before making AI part of its core curriculum.
The move also leans heavily on AI inside the classroom itself. Every course will include an AI learning assistant for 24/7 support, and students will have access to AI-powered advising and administrative tools. While DeVry frames this as freeing faculty to focus on higher-value teaching, the shift raises questions about how much instruction is being automated. It also highlights a growing divide in higher education, where career schools are moving fast to embrace AI while traditional universities are still debating whether students should be allowed to use it at all.
The move also leans heavily on AI inside the classroom itself. Every course will include an AI learning assistant for 24/7 support, and students will have access to AI-powered advising and administrative tools. While DeVry frames this as freeing faculty to focus on higher-value teaching, the shift raises questions about how much instruction is being automated. It also highlights a growing divide in higher education, where career schools are moving fast to embrace AI while traditional universities are still debating whether students should be allowed to use it at all.
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