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Rapid7 cybersecurity expert Chrstiaan Beek has written proof-of-concept code for ransomware that can attack your CPU firmware – and warns of future threats that could lock your drive until a ransom is paid.

Google‘s Security Team previously identified a security vulnerability in AMD’s Zen 1 to Zen 4 CPUs that allows users to load unsigned microcode patches. It later emerged that AMD Zen 5 CPUs are also affected by the vulnerability. It can be fixed by a firmware update, but leaving a hole that allows the loading of unsigned microcode seems…like a very unfortunate laps of security.

Links:

• https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/cpus/worlds-first-cpu-level-ransomware-can-bypass-every-freaking-traditional-technology-we-have-out-there-new-firmware-based-attacks-could-usher-in-new-era-of-unavoidable-ransomware#xenforo-comments-3879481

I used to ride a mean mountain bike years ago – but I never got this crazy. We also didn’t have such epic full-suspension bikes back then either!

You can fix software that has bad code. You can’t fix working for a bad manager.

Did you know SSDs will lose data after a period of time if they are simply left unplugged? They do. This means you might want to seriously re-consider using SSD drives for long term storage.

How long before they start losing data? It depends on a number of factors, but it is between 1-2 years.

HTWingNut has been doing SSD endurancing testing. SSD’s endurance rating is calculated based on how long it can store data if left unplugged after a certain amount of data had been written to the drive (‘well-worn’ or ‘fresh’).

Summary: year-one fresh and well-worn drives had no issues. However, the year-two heavily worn SSD had file corruption and performance was poor. The so-called fresh drive was still good after 2 years, but ECC figures still raised concern.

Links:

• https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/storage/unpowered-ssd-endurance-investigation-finds-severe-data-loss-and-performance-issues-reminds-us-of-the-importance-of-refreshing-backups#xenforo-comments-3877903

There’s a LOT of truth to this. Tech jobs are imploding and people are starting to go 6-12 months between roles with hundreds of jobs applied too and dozens of reject interviews.

If you happen to be active or former military, you might just find yourself a 5070, 5080, or 5090 GPU – at retail pricing.

Tomshardware notes if you head over to TheNavyExchange – or drop into one of their retail stores, you might find some in stock. They’re not always there, but some folks have had very good luck.