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Schrödinger's Catgirl (Joyce)

@sleepyowl@chaos.social

mastodon 4.6.9

CTO at Hyan Technologies (@hyantechnologies@fosstodon.org). Science and tech nerd. DMs open. Views are my own and not of any organization. RT/Likes != Endorsements. She/they 🏳️‍⚧️ Nyaaa~ Also known as bitowl.

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10 Posts

Joined April 26, 2022

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/quantumcatgirl

Schrödinger's Catgirl (Joyce) @sleepyowl@chaos.social

· 6mo ago

Have no fear, 'cause I iz here.

Unfortunately, this disappearance was not a false alarm. A few of us were arrested on the evening of 16 March, and all but one person was released on bail on the 18th. I am doing alright myself, although some were traumatized by the experience.

We will need some time to rest, decompress and consider our legal options. I will provide more details about what transpired when we are able to do so.

Thank you all for your concern & support!

With love,
Joyce/BitOwl

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Schrödinger's Catgirl (Joyce) @sleepyowl@chaos.social

· 7mo ago

Replying to

This is why GiovanH's blog article is a must-read. People assume that accessible hacks of invasive systems will always exist, and users hacking their devices is to be expected. THIS SHOULDN'T BE A NORM. THIS IS AN ARMS RACE AND WE'RE OUTMATCHED. /7 https://blog.giovanh.com/blog/2025/10/14/a-hack-is-not-enough/

blog.giovanh.com

A Hack is Not Enough

Twisted Sister's "there ain't no way we'll lose it" political theory has not held up

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Schrödinger's Catgirl (Joyce) @sleepyowl@chaos.social

· 7mo ago

Replying to

Go on, circumvent these measures & keep our tech open and free. But know that many hackers find basic hardware hacking tools too costly and out of reach. WE'RE OUTRESOURCED. PUSH BACK BEFORE THESE POLICIES BECOME NORMALIZED. DON'T RELY ON HACKING ALONE TO SAVE US. /END

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Schrödinger's Catgirl (Joyce) @sleepyowl@chaos.social

· 7mo ago

Replying to

People who think "oh we'll just buy Chinese motherboards and chips" or "just use open source hardware" WHO FABRICATES THE BOARDS AND CHIPS FOR OSHW? DO YOU BELIEVE STATES LIKE CHINA AREN'T INTERESTED IN SIMILAR MEASURES OF CONTROL? This is the tech equivalent of tankie-ism. /8

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Schrödinger's Catgirl (Joyce) @sleepyowl@chaos.social

· 7mo ago

Replying to

Since the late 2000s, computer chipsets have shipped with security processors like Intel Management Engine and AMD Platform Security Processor. Part of their job is to verify that the UEFI firmware is from the computer OEM and has not been tampered with or comes from a 3rd party. /2

Schrödinger's Catgirl (Joyce) @sleepyowl@chaos.social

· 7mo ago

Replying to

Again, no one assumes that any system can be made 100% bulletproof. But that was never the point is it? The end game is for manufacturers to harden their devices against cheaper tools and raise the barrier to entry such that it costs a fortune for hackers who might even try. /6

Schrödinger's Catgirl (Joyce) @sleepyowl@chaos.social

· 7mo ago

Replying to

For now, these functions are not strictly enforced or turned on in a lot of consumer devices. But is there anything stopping nation states from forcing hardware manufacturers and OEMs to do so? What options do you have in such a case? /4

Schrödinger's Catgirl (Joyce) @sleepyowl@chaos.social

· 7mo ago

Replying to

How do these security processors verify the firmware integrity? Through a set of cryptographic keys and their hashes, which are used to verify the cryptographic signature of the UEFI firmware. These keys or hashes are *burned* into the processor and cannot be changed. /3

Schrödinger's Catgirl (Joyce) @sleepyowl@chaos.social

· 7mo ago

Replying to

There have been vulnerabilities in ME and PSP, and there MAY BE a way for users to bypass these checks.

But this assumes:

Someone out there will put in labor to circumvent these things and release it freely, even at great expense.
A simple, user doable hack even exists.