#security clocking software

[foone]

Have you heard about the Polish Train company, Newag, and the bullshit it turns out they got up to?

So, the regional rail operator Koleje Dolnośląskie bought some Newag Impuls back in 2016 . In late 2021, some of them need to have major maintenance done, as they've been in service a while. So the company SPS (Serwis Pojazdów Szynowych) gets the contract to fix them. They basically take the train apart, replace a bunch of it, following all the rules in the documentation Newag gave them, and... it won't move. The train says everything is fine, the brakes are off, there's plenty of power, but you push the throttle up and it won't move.

SPS spends a while trying to figure out what the fuck is wrong, with no luck. So they hire some hackers from the Polish security group Dragon Sector. Dragon Sector figures out how to get into the code of the computer system that runs the train, and OH MY GOD.

So it turns out there's a secret train-lock system. If it's on, the train won't move. This will be triggered in some situations you might think are normal: the clocks are wrong, the serial numbers of the various parts have changed, and a firmware mismatch between the main computer and the power system. Now, the fact that it makes sense to not run the train in these situations until someone can check it? that doesn't extend to the fact the train uses a SECRET lock system, rather than just popping up an error message telling you what's wrong. There's also the problem that while these are all potential error problems, they can't be cleared by anyone with the technical manuals, which are supposed to cover everything about how to run these trains. Only Newag themselves can reset this system.

Which, you know, keeps SPS from properly fixing them. Only Newag can fix them now, but not because SPS lacks any technical ability, but because Newag sabotaged their own trains. But don't worry: it gets worse.

So now that Dragon Sector knows what's happening, they get to look at other trains. It turns out the trains aren't all running the same software, and there are other tricks in there.

One of them is a "how long has the train been stopped?" check. If the train hasn't hit 60 km/h in 10 days, the train locks itself and won't move until Newag can clear it. So, like, if a train is ever out of service, like it's going to a repair place... it'll break itself. Unless the repair place is owned by Newag.

But two of the trains go further: See, these trains have GPS built in, right? You may be able to guess where this is going...

THEY JUST MAKE THE TRAIN CHECK IF IT IS PARKED AT THEIR COMPETITORS' REPAIR YARD AND BREAK ITSELF IF IT WAS.

The sheer audacity of this move. This is frighteningly bullshit anti-competition self-sabotage.

This has, obviously, made some parts of the Polish government to start investigating this. Newag may be (and hopefully will be) in a lot of trouble.

For more info, there's a great video of a presentation by the three people from Dragon Sector who did the hacking, which was presented at the 37th Chaos Communication Congress in Germany.

Ars Technica also has an article on it, but it predates the presentation so it doesn't have some of the later details.

Anyway, the good news is that in the end the hackers at Dragon Sector were able to unlock most of the trains: A few had additional trickery that they didn't want to hack around, because it might break the train's certification. For the others, they discovered undocumented "cheat codes" in the software that they could use to bypass the secret lockouts... presumably the same ones that Newag would have used when they "repaired" trains.

[mariacallous]

When the claims representative, whom I’ll call Steven, sat down at his computer around 7:15 A.M. last week, he had already been awake for an hour and a half. The morning routine for him and his family is best described as “fend for yourself,” he said. That day, he waited for his older son to shower before taking his turn; neither he nor his wife had time for breakfast. He had joined the Social Security Administration two decades ago, and came to specialize in one of its more complex and lesser-known functions: providing a form of welfare called Supplemental Security Income, or S.S.I., to people who are disabled or extremely poor. But the S.S.A. is so understaffed that Steven does a bit of everything. “My job is to be kind of like an octopus,” he said. The agency’s administrative budget had not kept up with its rising workload as more people aged into retirement. Now news outlets were reporting that President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, via Musk’s DOGE outfit, planned to fire up to half of the agency’s sixty-thousand-odd employees. (The S.S.A. later said that its goal was to lose seven thousand.) DOGE had also gained access to S.S.A. databases. “We don’t know how long we’ll be here,” Steven said. “Some people are really pissed. Others are sad and emotional. Others are making plans.” A couple days earlier, Trump had delivered a long self-congratulatory speech to Congress, in which he accused the S.S.A. of “shocking levels of incompetence and probable fraud.”

Steven lives in a Midwestern town near where he was born and raised, which means that he occasionally recognizes a relative or a family friend in a case file and has to recuse himself. Three days a week, he’s at a cubicle in a regional field office, one of twelve hundred across the U.S. The other two days, he works from home, at a plastic folding table in the corner of his bedroom. He was on the early shift. His laptop was propped up on a neon-green bin, the kind typically used to store Legos or crayons. It was flanked by two large monitors, creating a triptych. All around him were piles of kids’ clothes and books. Near his left foot was a tiny metal car; he had taped yellow notecards reading “clock,” “fan,” and “shelf” to a clock, fan, and shelf for the benefit of his youngest child, who was learning to read. Steven’s wife made drop-offs at kindergarten and day care, then came home. She has her own office setup downstairs.

The day officially started when Steven logged on to a dozen software programs. One had a blocky monochrome interface that looked like it was from the late nineties. Another was labelled “Workload Action Center,” in a light-brown, slanted font of a similar vintage. Steven kept a list of his passwords, which he had to routinely update, on a scrap of paper next to his keyboard. He scanned something called a “Tickle List” that highlighted urgent cases. His primary task was to conduct nonmedical “redetermination” interviews (code: “RZ”)—part of the S.S.A.’s process for insuring that current recipients are still eligible to receive benefits. More than seven million Americans of all ages count on S.S.I., and sixty-eight million seniors receive earned retirement payments. Social Security is the largest government program in the country and most recipients’ main source of income. It was envisioned by Frances Perkins during the Great Depression. “Redeterminations are the highest priority,” Steven said. “We should have three to five people on them at every office. Sometimes there’s only one.”

He put on a wireless headset that connected to his laptop and an online phone system. The first redetermination call was with a parent who was receiving S.S.I. on behalf of a disabled child. “Hi, this is Steven, from Social Security Administration,” he said. “I’m just calling to see if you’re able to do the redetermination appointment.” His stomach growled. The bottom-right corner of his center screen flickered with notifications. He stayed with the caller. Date of birth? Marriages? Job placements? He clicked “yes” and “no” bubbles and typed in numbers. He had much of the script memorized. “Any items held for potential value?” he asked. “Promissory notes, real property or business property, or ABLE accounts?” S.S.I. is allocated based on an applicant’s income, assets, family size, and other factors. It often takes a year, and the help of a lawyer, to get a decision. (Earlier in Steven’s career, the time frame had been three to six months.) If an application is rejected, the case can be appealed to an administrative-law judge, and the wait for those hearings is around two years.

“That was the last amount verified,” Steven continued. “Has that changed?” While waiting for the program to advance to the next screen, he glanced at e-mails on his rightmost monitor. There were more from headquarters and human resources and the employees’ union than usual. Since November, three S.S.A. commissioners or acting commissioners had come and gone: Martin O’Malley, Carolyn W. Colvin, and Michelle King. The guy in charge now was Leland Dudek, whom Trump had elevated from a middle-management role for his eagerness to help DOGE access S.S.A. files, a vast library of individual medical, housing, family, and financial records. Dudek announced plans to eliminate six out of ten regional headquarters; several directors left the agency. In an all-staff e-mail, Dudek wrote:

Criticism, contempt, stonewalling, and defensiveness are the four forces that can end any relationship and weaken any institution. . . .

Elections have consequences. . . .

Now, under President Trump, we follow established precedent: we serve at the pleasure and direction of the President. Only the Courts or Congress can intervene.

The latest e-mail from headquarters stated that, “effective today,” employees were prohibited from engaging in “Internet browsing” of “general news” or “sports” on “government-furnished equipment.”

Steven was almost done with the redetermination. Hard cases, like an overpayment that needed to be clawed back, could “make the conversation longer, vulgar.” This one was easy; the payments, of around a thousand dollars per month, would continue. “You will receive a summary statement regarding the information that we discussed,” he said. He moved on to a second call. This one, too, involved a young adult whose caretaker—in this case, a nonprofit organization—was the payee. “Hello. This is Steven from Social Security. How are you?” His cellphone buzzed. Since Trump’s reëlection, he had been in a prolific, darkly humorous group chat with fellow S.S.A. workers in the Midwest. He referred to them as his sisters and brothers. The incoming message was a link to a news story about the imminent closure of S.S.A. field offices in the area. One man in the chat, who voted Republican but had grown skeptical of Trump, wrote, “Fucking unbelievable. . . . This would devastate our agency’s ability to serve the public.”

Meanwhile, the redetermination call was getting tricky. A new source of income seemed to be complicating the calculation of resources. Steven put the nonprofit on hold and logged into Equifax. He walked across the room to grab a plastic bottle of water and took a swig. “I’m trying really not to go off the deep end,” he said. If his office closed, and the neighboring offices closed, many people would have no way of getting benefits. For one thing, applications for Social Security cards and certain forms of S.S.I. had to be submitted in person.

Steven worried about his own well-being, too. His kids were on his health insurance. He and his wife had to take care of his father. S.S.A.’s human-resources division had sent an e-mail titled “Organizational Restructuring—Availability of Voluntary Reassignment, Early Out Retirement, and Separation Incentive Payments to ALL ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEES—No Component or Position Exceptions,” which seemed to pressure workers to leave. “A lot of this stuff is intentionally degrading,” Steven said. “They’re trying to do whatever they can to get people to resign.” Recently, he and other field-office staff were told that their jobs were safe because they were “mission critical.” That was reassuring, but only “a little bit.”

When the Equifax search proved inconclusive, Steven told the nonprofit, “I’ll have to put this on the back burner for a bit until I can get some info.” All three of his screens were noisy. In Microsoft Teams, a supervisor was asking for updates on specific cases. Another window showed the names of people waiting in the lobby of the field office, in real time. He stared at a name in the queue. “This one, I’ve been playing phone tag with her,” Steven said. He opened a chat to alert a colleague at the office.

The work is surprisingly personal. A Social Security file contains a lot of intimate information. From a quick glance, Steven can tell where a recipient was born, what language they speak, whether they’d been involved in the child-welfare system, if they are married, whether that marriage had ended as a result of divorce or death. He has some colleagues whose “attitudes suck to high heaven,” caused by a mix of stress and a suspicion of the poor. “I love helping people,” he said. “You’re the first contact for them.”

Next, Steven had to get “on the phones.” Fielding random calls on the S.S.A. hotline isn’t technically part of his job, but he didn’t question the assignment. For several weeks, everyone had been required to help out. “Good morning. Social Security. This is Steven,” he said. “What is your Social Security number, please? All right, starting with your name and date of birth . . .” He wrapped up his first few calls rather quickly. He sent out a missing tax document, scheduled a father for an in-person appointment to get a Social Security card for his baby, and confirmed bank information for a recipient’s direct deposit. A fourth call, involving a lost check, was more complicated. He rubbed his forehead with his thumbs and forefingers.

Steven later received two mass e-mails. The first reminded all S.S.A. employees to send their “mandatory weekly assignment”—the “What Did You Do Last Week” e-mail, with five bullet points summarizing what they had worked on—directly to the government’s Office of Personnel Management, not to anyone in their actual agency. The second one was yet another plea for workers to quit or take early retirement. It warned that some who opted to remain in “non-mission critical positions” might be reassigned to S.S.A. call centers. No definition of “non-mission critical” was offered.

“I just keep wondering, How long can I be doing this?” Steven said. Many years before Trump and DOGE, there was a period when he could not sleep. “The job would cause me to wake up in the middle of the night,” he said. “You know how your brain can’t shut stuff off, or you’re just dreading going in the next day?” He was troubled by certain cases—a girl who had been abused in foster care, only to end up with a grandmother who stole her S.S.I. checks. He was also haunted by the need to reach case quotas, never explicitly stated but often implied. “Cutting corners happens in this industry, when representatives are trying to just get something off their list,” he said. “So then it’s like, ‘I got that done.’ But did you really help the person?” His latest sources of worry were a news article in which O’Malley, the former S.S.A. commissioner, predicted “system collapse and an interruption of benefits” within “thirty to ninety days” and an affidavit by a former agency official that described DOGE’s violation of privacy protocols and the likelihood of “critical errors that could upend SSA systems.”

Steven has never been a zealot for anything except his favorite football team, but now he believes that he and his co-workers are part of an “underground movement” to prevent the destruction of Social Security. Trump and Musk, and more conventional Republicans, talk obsessively about rooting out fraud at the S.S.A. Mistakes and overpayments do occur, but the agency’s inspector general recently found that less than one per cent of benefits distributed between 2015 and 2022 were improper. Steven believes that mass layoffs will result in vulnerable Americans not getting the money they’re entitled to. “We service people at their best and worst times,” he said. “People heading into retirement, surviving spouses, widows, widowers. It used to be we’d get complaints from the public. We’d start off a call by apologizing. ‘We’re understaffed!’ ” Now, he went on, “people are apologizing to us.” ♦

[princess-of-the-corner]

Speaking of the fitness tracker genuinely hate how annoying plot hole is, to clarify, i'm not referring to the tracker itself (personally loved the idea of it really smart on gabriel's end) just how the only reason it was such a big factor in the two-parter was because Marinette & Tikki lost their brain cells regarding it.

Like both of them knew since Jubilation that the tracker still works even when a miraculous user is transformed, hell that was the reason Marinette turned it down when Sabine bought her one.

Tikki: Why'd you refuse it, Marinette?

Marinette: Because of that ring, Socqueline almost found out that I was Ladybug. It would be too dangerous to wear it.

Yet neither of them informed ANYONE of that major security risk.

HERE'S THE THING

This doesn't bother me because of the thing that /does/ bother me:

While Marinette knows the tracking info is a risk if anyone happens to look at her Alliance and connect the dots, she doesn't know that it's legitimately tracking software designed to alert Monarch if anyone's tracker goes batshit. She's just thinking 'huh if anyone takes a peek at what i'm doing they might figure it out!'

They don't know that this is why Darker Owl/Monarch thought that Socqueline was Ladybug. They don't know that this is how Monarch clocked Scarabella and Kitty Noire's identities like an hour after their first appearance and was able to know exactly where they both were when they went to transform again.

So no. Marinette might have some reservations about using it because there's the off-chance someone might look at her info and connect the dots. But she has no idea it's an active threat.

No one does. No one questions it. No one finds out and has it lead to the Gabe=Monarch reveal.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

January 1, 2025

Heather Cox Richardson

Jan 01, 2025

Twenty-five years ago today, Americans—along with the rest of the world—woke up to a new century date…and to the discovery that the years of work computer programmers had put in to stop what was known as the Y2K bug from crashing airplanes, shutting down hospitals, and making payments systems inoperable had worked.

When programmers began their work with the first wave of commercial computers in the 1960s, computer memory was expensive, so they used a two-digit format for dates, using just the years in the century, rather than using the four digits that would be necessary otherwise—78, for example, rather than 1978. This worked fine until the century changed.

As the turn of the twenty-first century approached, computer engineers realized that computers might interpret 00 as 1900 rather than 2000 or fail to recognize it at all, causing programs that, by then, handled routine maintenance, safety checks, transportation, finance, and so on, to fail. According to scholar Olivia Bosch, governments recognized that government services, as well as security and the law, could be disrupted by the glitch. They knew that the public must have confidence that world systems would survive, and the United States and the United Kingdom, where at the time computers were more widespread than they were elsewhere, emphasized transparency about how governments, companies, and programmers were handling the problem. They backed the World Bank and the United Nations in their work to help developing countries fix their own Y2K issues.

Meanwhile, people who were already worried about the coming of a new century began to fear that the end of the world was coming. In late 1996, evangelical Christian believers saw the Virgin Mary in the windows of an office building near Clearwater, Florida, and some thought the image was a sign of the end times. Leaders fed that fear, some appearing to hope that the secular government they hated would fall, some appreciating the profit to be made from their warnings. Popular televangelist Pat Robertson ran headlines like “The Year 2000—A Date with Disaster.”

Fears reached far beyond the evangelical community. Newspaper tabloids ran headlines that convinced some worried people to start stockpiling food and preparing for societal collapse: “JANUARY 1, 2000: THE DAY THE EARTH WILL STAND STILL!” one tabloid read. “ALL BANKS WILL FAIL. FOOD SUPPLIES WILL BE DEPLETED! ELECTRICITY WILL BE CUT OFF! THE STOCK MARKET WILL CRASH! VEHICLES USING COMPUTER CHIPS WILL STOP DEAD! TELEPHONES WILL CEASE TO FUNCTION! DOMINO EFFECT WILL CAUSE A WORLDWIDE DEPRESSION!”

In fact, the fix turned out to be simple—programmers developed updated systems that recognized a four-digit date—but implementing it meant that hardware and software had to be adjusted to become Y2K compliant, and they had to be ready by midnight on December 31, 1999. Technology teams worked for years, racing to meet the deadline at a cost that researchers estimate to have been $300–$600 billion. The head of the Federal Aviation Administration at the time, Jane Garvey, told NPR in 1998 that the air traffic control system had twenty-three million lines of code that had to be fixed.

President Bill Clinton’s 1999 budget had described fixing the Y2K bug as “the single largest technology management challenge in history,” but on December 14 of that year, President Bill Clinton announced that according to the Office of Management and Budget, 99.9% of the government's mission-critical computer systems were ready for 2000. In May 1997, only 21% had been ready. “[W]e have done our job, we have met the deadline, and we have done it well below cost projections,” Clinton said.

Indeed, the fix worked. Despite the dark warnings, the programmers had done their job, and the clocks changed with little disruption. “2000,” the Wilmington, Delaware, News Journal’s headline read. “World rejoices; Y2K bug is quiet.”

Crises get a lot of attention, but the quiet work of fixing them gets less. And if that work ends the crisis that got all the attention, the success itself makes people think there was never a crisis to begin with. In the aftermath of the Y2K problem, people began to treat it as a joke, but as technology forecaster Paul Saffo emphasized, “The Y2K crisis didn’t happen precisely because people started preparing for it over a decade in advance. And the general public who was busy stocking up on supplies and stuff just didn’t have a sense that the programmers were on the job.”

As of midnight last night, a five-year contract ended that had allowed Russia to export natural gas to Europe by way of a pipeline running through Ukraine. Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky warned that he would not renew the contract, which permitted more than $6 billion a year to flow to cash-strapped Russia. European governments said they had plenty of time to prepare and that they have found alternative sources to meet the needs of their people.

Today, President Joe Biden issued a statement marking the day that the new, lower cap on seniors’ out-of-pocket spending on prescription drugs goes into effect. The Inflation Reduction Act, negotiated over two years and passed with Democratic votes alone, enabled the government to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies over drug prices and phased in out-of-pocket spending caps for seniors. In 2024 the cap was $3,400; it’s now $2,000.

As we launch ourselves into 2025, one of the key issues of the new year will be whether Americans care that the U.S. government does the hard, slow work of governing and, if it does, who benefits.

Happy New Year, everyone.

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[psiroller]

youre like the pam to my jim (preview)

im on my office romcom au bullshit folks. itll be a oneshot and basically pwp but here's the lead in to wet ur whistle.

dunmeshi/chilaios/dom!laios/eventual bdsm club shenanigans/2.2K

cw: blue collar blues, language, not so unresolved sexual tension, questionable workplace romance between a superior (chilchuck) and his subordinate (laios). this is not used for leverage (laios is actually the dom in this scenario, inverting the power imbalance) but i thought id mention it. they keep it professional on the clock (USUALLY)

Though he’d rocked up to the office less than an hour ago, Chilchuck’s workday had already run long. All the printers had gone offline, and he had to spend a few hours troubleshooting with Kuro how to get them operational; there had been a software update, apparently, that rendered the very outdated inter-office network unusable. Of course, this meant an hour on the phone with the district manager trying to get their network updated to the company-wide standard, something that had been blown off for a year and a half; the way she reacted to his request, Chil might as well have asked her for her firstborn. All he could get for his trouble was a tepid “I’ll look into it”. This meant running around handing out USB sticks like holiday cards so his employees could get something done, and lots of lines at the printers into the foreseeable future, and naturally their budget for office supplies had been cut, so it all came out of his pocket.

The whole department was behind on their calls, but Chilchuck fought back the urge to go around crabbing at people to catch up. It served him well, as Marcille approached him in the afternoon and informed him that the phone lines were down, and the voice mailbox wasn’t functioning, and there were angry customers on the line. Another call to Kuro, who was really stretching the limits of his contract, and it turns out that the phones had also been pushed a software update that made them incompatible with the inter-office network, and they would have to take every call in two rings or they would be automatically parked on a line that no longer existed and be summarily hung up on.

Mr. Tims announced he would be taking a lunch. He blasted a cigarette in the parking lot and returned to his desk to sulk, face in hands, dreaming of days when their lines were all directly connected and they didn’t have to go through the song and dance of software updates, firmware updates, network security updates, OS updates, wireless headsets, broken wireless headsets, lost wireless headsets and keycards and lost keycards and broken keycards and daily performance numbers and corrective action reports and work smartphones with keylogging software in them and mouse movement monitoring and—

Chilchuck went back to work. He used his personal cell to call up the DM and informed her of the raging clusterfuck that had become his department—and probably the whole branch—now that the office network was effectively obsolete. She sounded on the verge of tears—apparently her other branches had also fallen victim to the endless onward march of the digital millennium, and she was at her wit’s end trying to fix them all at once. Every stress-deadened neuron in his withering brain proclaimed: serves you right. If you had fixed this when I first asked, we’d all be stressed out at the usual operating baseline. He wished her the best and hung up. He stared blankly at his desktop calendar, seeing that the next district meeting was in three days. His vision briefly fuzzed over and he fantasized about leaping onto the table and screaming, just screaming until his throat was raw and his face was purple and they had to have the orc from the main branch’s operational compliance department drag him out.

 Chilchuck went for coffee. He was risking time theft, but his DM had bigger problems, and there wasn’t much he could do. The frantic calling died down, Marcille having performed some kind of forbidden ritual to pacify their frothing customer base. During his walkaround he saw most of the floor taking calls, even folks who normally ducked phone duty, so she must have gone around recruiting people to her cause. Chilchuck made a note of that; he’d have to compensate her somehow for taking on what should have been his job.

Laios, however, was nowhere to be seen. This rankled Chilchuck; Laios rarely missed a day except for the handful of times Chilchuck had to send him home for being deathly ill, so of course the day he had to miss, there was catastrophe. His cubicle was empty, he wasn’t in the break room, he wasn’t in the parking lot putting out an engine fire on his piece of shit motorcycle, not at the watercooler. Nothing. He checked with Marcille if he’d called out, and she quirked an eyebrow up at him.

“No? He’s in the server room, with Kuro.”

“Kuro?”

“Yeah, he said he went to help.”

Mr. Tims ground his teeth. “That’s not his—I’ll go talk to him.”

Marcille smirked. “Sure you will.”

Chilchuck glowered at her, but Marcille faced his evil eye with insufferable smugness. He remembered all too soon that she saved his ass this morning, and he had to close his open mouth and walk away.

“We’re even now,” he growled.

“Nope! Still getting that Starbucks gift card!”

She was right, but he wouldn’t be admitting it. Chilchuck stormed out of his department and down the hall, sliding smoothly into a closing elevator with a few other disgruntled employees, taking a frankly infuriating number of stops at basically every floor until he could ride it all the way down into the basement. When the doors parted, hot, stuffy air flooded in. Chilchuck winced and loosened his tie and waistcoat as he stalked the rows of servers, the heat only getting worse the longer he lingered, until he found Kuro kneeling with his arms in the guts of the worst cable management imaginable, Laios helping him separate out the lines to keep track of each spaghettified clump of wires.

“Chil!” Laios said, getting a growl from Kuro that probably meant be quiet in Western Kobold. “Oh, uh, sorry. Mr. Tims! How is it up there?”

“Bad,” Chilchuck ground out. “Of course. We could really use a hand with the calls up there, you know.”

“Oh, are the lines working again?”

“Enough to receive them, but not enough to park them, so it’s a disaster for customer satisfaction,” Chilchuck said, trying to manage his volume. “So what are you doing down here? I don’t recall you being in IT.”

Laios slopped some sweat off the back of his neck with the palm of his equally sweaty hand. His dragon-patterned tie had been loosened enough to nearly slip off his neck, just enough to stay in code, and he’d tucked the end of it into his pocket to keep it out of the way, having forgotten his clip again. The heat in their dilapidated, poorly ventilated server room made his business casual button-up cling nicely to the curves of his chest and solid core, the one bright point in Chilchuck’s day so far.

“Oh, well, I wasn’t getting anywhere with my work… I mostly had a bunch of bills to print and mail out today, so naturally that was going nowhere. I had my personal USB on me, so I tried to get it done manually, but Namari was hogging it for her shipment printouts because apparently their system is kaput in the warehouse… and when I checked again everyone was using it. Some of the newer printer models don’t come with USB ports, so some of the more up-to-date departments were mooching off ours.”

“I thought the lines seemed a little excessive,” Chilchuck grumped. “I don’t think I’ve seen those things used more rigorously than they have been today.”

“Yup, that’s why. So I caught Kuro running between the floors trying to troubleshoot his latest Band-Aid fix, so I’ve been doing all the stuff that doesn’t require a tech degree, heh.”

“Laios okay with software,” Kuro chimed in. “Break hardware.”

“Yeah,” Laios said with a frown. “But the part was replaceable!” He beamed, cutting off a lecture. “Good thing Kuro hangs onto spare parts.”

Chilchuck’s eyes narrowed, and he turned to the real IT technician of the pair. “Is he actually helping, Kuro? Or are you humoring him?”

“Nice to have extra hands.” His tail wagged loosely, bushing the cuffs of his slacks. “He runs up to other floors. Checks employee access and network strength in offices. Saves time.”

“Alright then. Keep up the good work.” Chilchuck met Laios’ eye. Laios winked at him. Chilchuck blushed and ignored him, heels clacking on the cheap linoleum as he walked away.

Chilchuck hopped on call duty, having found everyone in their place and doing what all could be done. His customer service voice got a workout that left him feeling tense and jittery, every call opening with a frustrated sigh or straight up yelling. After a few quick resolutions and a handful of longer, 20–30-minute stretches of troubleshooting and over-the-phone customer cocksucking, the landline made a happy little beep, the flashing lights next to every line dying out one by one as they were parked. A dialogue box popped up on his PC: Connected to HP-5669964.

“Hey, Chil!”

Laios strode into Chilchuck’s office, startling his boss for a second as he rounded the desk in a few long strides. A big hand clapped down on Chil’s shoulder, jostling his arm and spilling coffee on the crisp collar of his shirt. Chilchuck grimaced.

“What.”

“We fixed it!”

Chilchuck eyed Laios suspiciously and set his mug down.

“How the hell did you…?”

“Don’t get too excited, it’s a temporary fix,” Laios chuckled. “But we narrowed down the problem to some kinda software incompatibility. Shuro rolled back the servers to an earlier restore point, so it’s like the update never happened! Of course, the update’s going to get forced on us again once the clock rolls over, but we can just do that tomorrow, too. If you want, I can come in early to-“

Mr. Tims raised a finger. “No. We’ll take care of it tomorrow when we usually punch in. Not everyone’s a morning person like you, Laios. It’s going to be 10 AM before anyone’s awake enough to do any work, so that’ll cover the time it takes for the servers to spin up.”

Laios leaned forward on the desk, hanging over Chilchuck’s high-backed ergonomic chair, one he had to shill out for himself. “What?” Chilchuck hissed, glowering up at him.

“I’m not hearing a ‘thank you’.”

Chilchuck scoffed. “For doing your job? You’re not doing this just for me. You’re being paid.”

Laios’s cupped Chilchuck’s cheek, hand engulfing half his face, which flushed and burned in Laios’ palm.

“Watch it, Touden,” he growled, arms crossed. Laios’ thumb stroked his cheekbone; Chilchuck didn’t swat him away. “We’re both on the clock.”

“Chil,” Laios said, in that honey-sweet tone that meant Chilchuck was about to be nagged. “You’re burnt out.”

Chilchuck blinked up at him, dark eyes shadowed by dark rings that Laios traced, up to his subtle, deepening crow’s feet. “Huh? No I’m not. This has just been a frustrating—” Laios’ fingers pushed into Chilchuck’s hair, shaking it out, raking blunt nails against his scalp. “—day. I’m not… you don’t have to…” He slumped into Laios’ big, warm palm, calloused but gentle in handling him. “… what was the question again?”

Laios chuckled. “Nothing. I got it handled.”

Chilchuck snapped back into reality and bit into the meat of Laios’ thumb to try to get him to unhandle it. Laios took it like a champ, pulling his hand out of Chilchuck’s mouth and cradling the whole of Chilchuck’s head in his palm, raking it back and forth, mussing up his hair, which Chilchuck reached up to fight off; his arms disobeyed him, flopping around like limp noodles until he gave up and relaxed into it.

“I can see you through your office windows, y’know. You looked like you weren’t having a great time. So I figured I’d help take care of it, ease your mind a little.” Laios’ smile had a sad quirk to it. “You look a little pale. You didn’t have cigarettes for lunch again, did you?”

Chilchuck grimaced. “None of your business.”

Laios sighed. “That’s a yes.”

“It’s just a rough week, Laios,” Chilchuck said. “I’ll be alright.”

Laios’ hand trailed down, framing Chilchuck’s chin with his thumb and forefinger.

“You’re coming home with me tonight,” Laios said, meeting Chilchuck’s eyes with that relentless force, gold boring into him. Sometimes Chilchuck wondered if Laios’ eyes ever got dry; he hardly ever blinked.  “We’re getting food into you, and a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow, we’re going to the club to work some of that tension out of you. Understood?”

Chilchuck’s pupils blew wide. His thick eyebrows pinched and he grimaced, unable to look away. Laios’ body curled over him, blocking out the office, the noise, the chaos. Chilchuck sighed, dropped his arms into his lap, and let Laios carry the weight of his skull.

“Oh, right,” Chilchuck realized, his eyes bright. “It’s Friday.”

Laios grinned and patted Chil’s cheek. “See? The fact that you forgot means you’re burned out. See you at six.”

Chilchuck threw paperclips at Laios until he left his office. At 6 PM, they met up on top of the hood of Chilchuck’s old Mustang; his tongue tasted like black coffee. Laios smiled, making it hard to kiss him deeply; Chilchuck got impatient and started biting. Marcille speedwalked past the car and neither of them noticed or cared.

[slayerdurge]

Secure Your Soul: A Cyberpunk 2077 Fanfiction

This fic was previously published under the title “Before the Event Horizon.”

Summary: Six months ago, V’s boss at Arasaka ordered her to assassinate his rival. Instead, with the reluctant but invaluable help of her old friend Jackie Welles, she pushed them both off their thrones and claimed one for herself. Now the new Director of Arasaka Counter Intel has a problem. She’s uncovered information that indicates that Yorinobu Arasaka, the heir apparent to the Arasaka dynasty, is a traitor. But without solid proof, she’s forced to take matters into her own hands. An AU in which Corpo!V never leaves Arasaka.

CHAPTER EIGHT: THE PACKAGE

[read on ao3]

“Thus far, the biggest problem with braindance has been its expressive limitations… Laughter means comedy, horror means fear… It’s the same as movies that rely on genre tropes…”

Oshima’s words washed over V in fragments, without fully sinking in. Translation software was notoriously finicky when it came to nonnative fluency, and V was fluent enough in Japanese that hers didn’t automatically kick in when she heard it, which meant, counterintuitively, that she actually had to focus harder to understand Japanese than any other language. Normally, this wasn’t a problem. If someone at NCHQ was speaking to you in Japanese, it was usually someone you wanted to pay attention to anyway. But tonight, she was too preoccupied by what she’d learned from the drunk at the bar to focus on Oshima’s speech.

Still, she had to put in time at the conference or her alibi would never stand up to scrutiny. She tapped her fingers impatiently on the side of her leg. For all she knew, Saburo Arasaka was confronting his son about the Relic right now. Or maybe he wasn’t even aware of what Yorinobu had planned. She had no way to be certain. But she knew that if she could help maintain Arasaka’s integrity, then it was her utmost duty to do so. And she had to admit that this was the most exciting thing to ever happen to her. 

The clock on her optics switched to 8:20pm. Finally. V stood up silently and, as discreetly as possible, walked out of the conference room. She mentally thanked Oshima for being popular enough that his large audience could reasonably ensure that no one paid attention to her exit. 

She stepped out into the main hallway of Floor 98. Only two floors away. So close she could almost taste it. 

The hallway was mostly empty. A Konpeki Plaza employee, typing rapidly on her computer keypad, occupied a nearby desk. She didn’t even look up as V walked past her. She could see a well-dressed couple smoking on a balcony outside, and two more employees talking to each other around the corner, but other than that, the area was free of witnesses. 

V had rotated the options through her mind several times now and identified only three realistic methods of getting to the 100th floor—the elevator, the fire escape, or the ventilation shafts.

The elevator was the fastest and most straight-foward method. If she could hack it or steal an access card, it could take her directly to the penthouse suite. It was also the most carefully guarded method, the most expected, and the easiest to counter—if she were caught, all security would have to do would be to lock the elevator down, and she would be instantly stranded.

The fire escape was less obvious, and it couldn’t be locked down entirely the way the elevator could. It also spanned all 100 floors of Konpeki Plaza, which would give her tons of options if she had to escape that way. On the other hand, it was likely that the doors between each level were individually locked and alarmed, so she’d have to stop and access each one separately, which would be extremely time-consuming.

The ventilation shafts were the stealthiest option—they were out of sight, and they bypassed the primary security measures. But crawling through them would be physically demanding and slow, and any loud accidental noise could alert nearby security. The limited visibility would also make it harder to navigate, and getting lost in the walls of Konpeki Plaza would be dangerous. Not to mention embarrassing.

Each method had benefits and flaws, but V had decided that one of the three had flaws that were easiest for her to mitigate: the ventilation shafts. Most of her cyberware was geared towards improving her strength, agility, and perception. She could handle the physical demands of crawling without making too much noise—she knew she could even climb up a vertical shaft if she needed to—and her optics would allow her to keep track of her environment even when she wouldn’t have been able to see it through natural means.

As she strolled leisurely down the corridor past the Sapphire Conference Room, she looked for an access point into the ventilation shafts that was out of the way of both witnesses and cameras.      

A flicker in her optical HUD alerted her to a potential option—a small, barely noticeable point of entry situated at the far end of the hallway, just beyond a decorative indoor plant. 

She approached it casually, as if merely taking a detour to avoid passing too closely to the workers around the corner. Once she was sure no one was watching, she crouched down, using the plant as cover, and inspected the grate. There were no unexpected security measures, as far as she could see. 

She activated her optical camo. The world around her warped slightly as her body shimmered and vanished from sight. The effect wouldn’t last long, so she moved quickly, displacing the grate with efficiency. Once it was loose, she slipped inside, pulling the grate back into place behind her. The camo flickered off as she became visible again, by then already safely out of sight.

Cool, recycled air brushed against her skin as she began to crawl forward. She was glad she didn’t suffer from claustrophobia—the shaft was quite narrow. Anyone much bigger than her likely wouldn’t have been able to squeeze through. 

She used her optical scanner to enhance her field of vision. It would allow her an early warning of any upcoming environmental hazards—sharp turns, sudden drops, or, worse, automated security measures that might be lurking within the shaft itself. She also opened a map of Konpeki Plaza and placed it in the corner of her HUD. They didn’t include their vents in their map, but it would still help her make sure she was heading in the right general direction. Finally, she called Counter Intel’s new Head of Technology and Netrun Operations, Carter Smith. 

He’d received his promotion about four months after her. V had cautioned against the selection, but she was only the interim Department Head at the time, and one whose rise had been marred by controversy and suspicion. She’d been overruled. She did understand the reasoning—he had the sort of raw intelligence that could be extremely useful. Now that he held the position, she found it was convenient that they were already on good terms. He could make for a valuable ally. But only if she could correct the irresolution that held him back. 

It wasn't a simple task. It was crucial that he didn't notice the true degree of her influence. He had to believe any change in his mentality was his own doing, or he might reject it. But he’d done quite well, better than she'd initially hoped for. 

“Hey, V,” he answered. “What’s going on?”

“I need your help,” she replied in a barely audible whisper, knowing her voice would come through clearly on Carter’s end. That was the benefit of a mic built directly into one’s body. “Neutralizing security measures in a particular location. Cameras, turrets, whatever they've got.” 

“Okay. What's the location, and when do you need it done?”

“Konpeki Plaza’s penthouse suite. And right now. I’m about to head there. Already in the vents.”

He didn't respond immediately. V had expected that. She’d considered letting him in on the plan earlier, but knowing Carter, if she gave him too much time to consider, he might decide this was a bad idea. Better to spring it on him at the last moment, when the natural time-induced sense of urgency would force him into decisive action. 

She let him have a few moments of silence, enough to let the tension build but not enough for it to overwhelm him. Then she spoke up again. “Can you do it?” she asked. 

She knew he could. Konpeki Plaza was owned by Arasaka, and as such, it was part of the same Net Zone as Arasaka Tower. Most netrunners would need direct access to do what she was asking, but not one who already had access to the Tower. 

Another slight hesitation, then, “If anyone at Arasaka can, it's me.”

She chuckled softly. Confidence was a good look for Carter. She wondered if he appreciated how much he’d grown under her leadership. “Excellent. Thanks, Carter. Keep me updated. Going silent.”

“Affirmative,” he replied, “Going silent as well.” 

Her progress was slow but steady. The sounds of the hotel outside the shaft became muffled. All she could hear was the faint hum of the ventilation system and her own controlled breathing. And… something else… a repetitive scraping noise, so quiet that she wasn’t sure that she hadn’t imagined it. 

She paused, listening carefully, but it was hard to hear anything that subtle over the sudden fear-induced thumping of her own heart. She breathed deeper and slower, willing her body to obey her and calm itself. After a few moments, her heartbeat slowed down, and she could hear something scrabbling down the vent ahead of her.

It sounded like an animal, something with more than two legs, but, even though she extended her optics to their maximum range of vision, she couldn’t see anything. She switched to thermal mode. Still nothing. So whatever it was didn’t produce heat or had a method of cloaking it. Something mechanical, then, mostly likely a drone. A Konpeki Plaza security measure? 

Whatever it was, it was heading away from her. V stayed still, listening as the sound grew fainter and fainter. From the trajectory of the noise, she could tell it had begun heading upwards. A vertical shaft, then, the exact kind she was looking for to take her up the last two floors between herself and her target. She continued waiting for several minutes after the noise had faded entirely.  

She unmuted her mic and was just about to mention it to Carter, when he spoke first. “V,” he said warily. “All security measures in the penthouse suite are already disabled.”

“Already?” she repeated, not at all surprised. She was starting to suspect that Yorinobu’s deal with NetWatch had a lot of interested parties. “How long ago? Any idea who did it?”

“About three minutes ago,” Carter replied. “And no, not exactly. Another netrunner. Someone with local access, most likely.” 

“There was something in here with me around that time. Made a noise almost like a large spider, likely mechanical. I couldn’t see it, though.”

“Sounds like a surveillance bot. They’d have camouflage armor.”

“That was my first thought, yes. I figured it might be Konpeki’s, but… based on the new developments, that no longer seems most likely.”

“V, what are you doing there?” His tone was tense now, nervous. “What’s the mission?”

“You know we can’t get into that right now,” V responded, deliberately injecting as much patient authority as she could into her voice. “I’ll fill you in later. When there’s time.”

“Fine,” he said. There was something almost petulant about the way he said it. Despite his timidity, Carter had a rebellious streak that was as dangerous as it was exploitable. He sighed. “Just be careful, all right?”

“I know.” She was trying not to dismiss him out-of-hand, but the warning was a waste of time. He needed to learn to cope with necessary danger. “I’ll be careful. Going silent.”

—

When she reached the exit that stood over the penthouse suite of Konpeki Plaza, she paused, pressing her ear to the grate. Nothing stirred below. Carefully unsealing the grate, she reactivated her optical camo at the last possible moment and slid through the opening. 

Her fortified ankles allowed her to crash to the floor without pain, and she landed soundlessly on her lynx paws. Her ripperdoc at Arasaka had warned her against installing lynx paws and fortified ankles at the same time—there were known potential complications from the combination—but V’d judged it worth the risk. She was glad she had. 

She’d landed inside a maintenance shaft, concealed in a wide pillar in the center of the apartment. From this vantage point, V surveyed the penthouse. No occupants nearby that she could detect, and no signs of her mechanical friend. If someone else was trying to get into the penthouse, it looked like she’d beaten them to it. For now. 

V brushed her hand along the wall to open the hidden door and stepped out, gazing around now that she had an unobstructed view. V knew that Konpeki’s style had been largely inspired by Arasaka’s, so it didn’t surprise her to find that she was partial to it. But this was even nicer than the lower-level suites she’d stayed at in the past. 

Mostly black, with gold accents lining nearly every surface. Jungle plants placed in aesthetically strategic spots around the space. Climbing vines cascading down decorative structures on the walls, and, bewilderingly, a large trunk of a tree on display underneath them. She didn’t understand that design choice at first, until she noticed an iguana nesting inside it. A pet of Yorinobu’s, she ventured to guess.

Her initial survey complete, V considered her next move. Her original mission objective had been to obtain proof of Yorinobu’s treachery, not to retrieve the Relic. But if someone else was after it, she couldn’t risk letting cutting-edge Arasaka tech fall into the wrong hands. She had to find it first.  

She didn’t understand the details of how the Relic worked—not her department—but she was familiar enough with its basic design to know it needed regulated temperature conditions to remain operational. She switched yet again to thermal mode. 

She scanned every edge of the suite methodically. It wouldn’t do to allow carelessness to make her miss her target. There were a few false hits that lined up with the proper temperature conditions. A mini-fridge, a champagne bowl with a built-in cooling function… and then, there it was. A rectangular patch on the floor that radiated an unexpected coldness. 

She took a closer look. It’d have been hard to notice without her thermal vision painting the boundaries of the mechanism, but on the floor, designed to blend in with the tile pattern that surrounded it, was a small touchpad. She pressed it lightly. A soft whirring filled the air as a large safe gradually emerged from beneath the floor. Jackpot.  

Her moment of celebration was cut short by the sound of the elevator opening and a booming, enthusiastic voice flowing into the penthouse. If she were a less seasoned agent, the jarring familiarity of that voice might have frozen her in her tracks. But V had been doing this a long time. She didn’t hesitate.

“I'm here, Bug. You should see this place. Even fancier than the lower levels. Do you think—” His speech cut off abruptly as he saw V and the gun she had pointed at his forehead.

“Hello, Jackie,” she said calmly. 

“What the hell?” She watched his face go through several emotions in sequence—first shock, followed by recognition, then finally confusion. They were the same reactions she herself was feeling, only she didn't show it. Jackie had always been exceptionally easy to read. He was wearing a corpo disguise—a black suit, V noted, well-crafted and perfectly inconspicuous for the venue—but she didn’t believe he’d ever be able to pass as one for long. He used too much streetslang, he was too crude in his mannerisms, and, most of all, he was too sincere. He stared at her in open bafflement. “V? What are you doing here?” 

“You should know that's not how this works.” As she spoke, she scanned his body with her Kiroshi. It didn’t seem like he had a weapon on him. He’d likely been subjected to Konpeki’s no-firearms restriction. Most visitors to the Plaza were, unless you happened to know the right people. She motioned slightly with her free hand. “First, put your hands where I can see them.”

A new emotion flickered across his face—hurt, as if she were the one that was betraying him. Slowly, he raised his hands above his head, upturned palms facing her. 

“Good,” she said. “Now. I think it makes more sense for me to ask you that question. What are you doing here?”

“How’d you know?” he muttered. His gaze flicked rapidly from her face to the safe and back, but not so fast that she didn’t notice it.   

She hadn’t known. But it wasn’t hard to make an educated guess. The bot in the vents, the corpo suit, that telling movement of his eyes. It was patently obvious—he and whomever he’d been speaking to when he entered were after the Relic. Better to make him think she’d been on to him all along. “That’s my job, Jackie. To be aware of threats to Arasaka.”

“Threats to Arasaka? Me?” His hands were twitching. V could tell he wanted to gesture but knew he shouldn’t. “Por Dios, V, you think I’m the threat?”

She cocked her head slightly to one side. “Aren’t you?”

He scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief. “He robbed it in the first place. Yorinobu. El hijo pródigo. Only he’s not so remorseful after all. Did you know that?” 

She frowned at him, eyes narrowing. “What do you know about Yorinobu?”

“Put your gun down, V,” he growled. “If you want to talk, show me some respect.”

“What goddamn audacity.” She glared at him, not moving an inch. “As if you didn’t known damn well that fucking with Arasaka was off limits. As if that wasn’t a basic fucking tenet of our agreement.”

“Our agreement?” he parroted. “That’s all it is to you? After all this time?” 

Not quite, she had to admit. At first, it had been. In the early days, they’d met up frequently, in noisy clubs or unkempt bars, but only if one of them had a job to offer the other, or information to sell, or some other kind of deal to strike. She’d been friendly to him in those days, but she was always friendly. Her work went smoother when people liked her. For his part, Jackie was naturally charismatic. She didn’t think he analyzed himself the way she did, reading other people’s reactions and perfecting the phrases and behaviors that would charm them. He didn’t have to work to make other people like him. He was just likeable. 

And so it was easy, between the two of them, to fall into a steady rhythm. To build up the kind of synergy that allowed two people to collaborate successfully on the most lucrative opportunities—the sort where your partner’s missteps could get you both killed. To trust each other not to fuck up frequently, and to know how to pick up the other’s slack when the occasional fuck up inevitably occurred. Until she found that, when she ambled into her apartment near midnight on a Friday before a rare full weekend off, he was the person she wanted to call—not to talk logistics about some upcoming plan, but just to tell him about all the crazy shit that had happened to her that day. She couldn’t even pinpoint the exact moment the change had occurred. It had felt natural. 

And yet. And yet. Her terms had been clear. She’d laid it out for him on that very first day. Don’t fuck with Arasaka. If she couldn’t trust him to keep his word, nothing else meant shit. 

“Of course that’s what it is to me,” she stated coldly. “What else did you expect?” 

He leaned forward and spat on the floor in front of her. She didn’t twitch, just kept her eyes locked on him. He pulled his head up and met her gaze again. “Fine, then. I’ll speak your language, V. You owe me.”

It was shrewd of him to leverage that against her. Her life, her job, all of it—she only had it because of his actions. Because he’d held up his end of the bargain when she’d needed it the most. 

“Fuck,” she exclaimed sharply. She glared at him for a long moment, finger wrapped around the trigger so tightly that the slightest twitch would have set it off. He was right. She owed him. Reluctantly, she lowered her gun and, after another moment of consideration, even holstered it. 

He exhaled, lowering his hands only to raise them again immediately to wipe the sweat off his brow. He was nervous. So he knew. He realized she would've shot him if he hadn’t found the exact right thing to say. Good.

Before either of them could say anything further, however, they were interrupted by two large AVs hurtling past the penthouse’s expansive floor-to-ceiling windows. Both their heads whipped towards them.

“Bug, we’ve got winged visitors,” Jackie said. “Can you ID ‘em?”

V couldn’t hear whatever response Jackie was receiving, but a click in her ear alerted her that her own voyeur had unmuted himself. “Get out of there,” Carter told her. “He’s coming.”

She would have done just that, but Jackie obviously had other plans. He made straight for the safe, crouched down beside it, and plugged in his personal link. “Do it, Bug,” he exclaimed.

“You have to delta,” V urged him. “Yorinobu’s coming.”

“I know,” he grunted in frustration. She could see the veins popping in his forehead, still glistening with sweat. He pounded his free hand against the surface of the safe. “Fuck him. Open the safe, Bug!”

Whoever Bug was, they were fast. The safe popped open only a moment later. 

Jackie pulled the Relic’s case from the inside of the safe and leaned down to read something on its side. Checking the bioshard’s integrity, she assumed. He pressed the touchpad to lower the safe, hoisted the case into a better position in his hands, and rose abruptly. “Let’s go,” he told her. “We can talk about this later.”

“No arguments here,” she replied, but Jackie didn’t seem to hear her. He had a faraway glaze in his eyes, presumably listening to a message relayed by his techie friend. From the look on his face, the news was dire. 

“Fuck!” he said. “We’re too late.”

“The pillar!” V said instantly, pointing in its direction. Of the possible hiding places in the apartment, the maintenance shaft she’d initially dropped into was the best. “Get inside.” 

“Are you fucking kidding?” Jackie exclaimed. 

She didn’t answer, just ran towards it, pressed the touchpad on the side, and hopped in before the door was even fully opened. She looked back, relieved to see that he’d followed her, squeezing in beside her just as she shut it again. 

It was a tight fit. The space clearly wasn’t designed to hold more than one maintenance personnel at a time, and Jackie was a big guy. But she didn’t have much time to feel discomfort because, through the one-way transparent surface of the maintenance shaft, she could see the elevator doors open, and she was hit with an overwhelming wave of fear and awe. 

Yorinobu Arasaka strode purposefully into the penthouse, and behind him at a slight distance, towering over him with the inhuman height of the mostly mechanical, was Adam Smasher.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Reuters Exclusive: In an authoritarian power grab, Musk aides lock government workers out of computer systems at US agency, sources say

Tim Reid at Reuters:

WASHINGTON, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Aides to Elon Musk charged with running the U.S. government human resources agency have locked career civil servants out of computer systems that contain the personal data of millions of federal employees, according to two agency officials. Since taking office 11 days ago, President Donald Trump has embarked on a massive government makeover, firing and sidelining hundreds of civil servants in his first steps toward downsizing the bureaucracy and installing more loyalists.

Musk, the billionaire Tesla (TSLA.O), opens new tab CEO and X owner tasked by Trump to slash the size of the 2.2 million-strong civilian government workforce, has moved swiftly to install allies at the agency known as the Office of Personnel Management. The two officials, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation, said some senior career employees at OPM have had their access revoked to some of the department's data systems. The systems include a vast database called Enterprise Human Resources Integration, which contains dates of birth, Social Security numbers, appraisals, home addresses, pay grades and length of service of government workers, the officials said. "We have no visibility into what they are doing with the computer and data systems," one of the officials said. "That is creating great concern. There is no oversight. It creates real cybersecurity and hacking implications." Officials affected by the move can still log on and access functions such as email but can no longer see the massive datasets that cover every facet of the federal workforce. [...]

MUSK INFLUENCE

A team including current and former employees of Musk assumed command of OPM on Jan. 20, the day Trump took office. They have moved sofa beds onto the fifth floor of the agency's headquarters, which contains the director's office and can only be accessed with a security badge or a security escort, one of the OPM employees said. The sofa beds have been installed so the team can work around the clock, the employee said. Musk, a major donor to a famously demanding boss, installed beds at X for employees to enable them to work longer when in 2022 he took over the social media platform, formerly known as Twitter. "It feels like a hostile takeover," the employee said. The new appointees in charge of OPM have moved the agency's chief management officer, Katie Malague, out of her office and to a new office on a different floor, the officials said. Malague did not respond to a request for comment.

The moves by Musk's aides at OPM, and upheaval inside the Treasury building caused by other Musk aides that was reported on Friday, underscore the sweeping influence Musk is having across government. David Lebryk, the top-ranking career U.S. Treasury Department official, is set to leave his post following a clash with allies of Musk after they asked for access to payment systems, the Washington Post reported on Friday. The new team at OPM includes software engineers and Brian Bjelde, who joined Musk's SpaceX venture in 2003 as an avionics engineer before rising to become the company's vice president of human resources. Bjelde's role at OPM is that of a senior adviser. The acting head of OPM, Charles Ezell, has been sending memos to the entire government workforce since Trump took office, including Tuesday's offering federal employees the chance to quit with eight months pay. "No-one here knew that the memos were coming out. We are finding out about these memos the same time as the rest of the world," one of the officials said. Among the group that now runs OPM is Amanda Scales, a former Musk employee, who is now OPM's chief of staff. In some memos sent out on Jan. 20 and Jan. 21 by Ezell, including one directing agencies to identify federal workers on probationary periods, agency heads were asked to email Scales at her OPM email address.

Elon Musk, along with Donald Trump, are helping to destroy the US government one power trip move at a time.

[imageits-blog]

Preventative IT Maintenance: Keeping Your Business Running Smoothly

With technology moving forward so fast, your business can’t operate without it. Computers, servers, cloud systems and software platforms have to be running smoothly to keep your team productive, defend confidential information and make sure customers receive a good experience.

Unfortunately, IT systems don’t manage themselves without attention.

This is why we need preventative IT maintenance. Regular car servicing makes sure your car avoids breakdowns and preventative IT support does the same for your systems. Here at Image IT, we know that companies who focus on IT before issues arise benefit a lot. We’ll now look at what preventative maintenance means and understand why it helps your business run smoothly.

What Does Preventative IT Maintenance Mean?

Taking care of your IT infrastructure ahead of time is called preventative maintenance. With preventative maintenance, you take action to make sure your systems are in good shape all the time, so you don’t have to rush to solve emergencies.

Such tasks refer to:

Tracking how the system is running

Putting security patches and new versions of the software into use

Regularly using antivirus and malware software

Testing the use of backup options

Updating both your device’s drivers and firmware

Checking the configurations for firewalls and networks

Exchanging ageing equipment to prevent any breakdowns

At Image IT, we set up specialized maintenance services that guarantee your technology remains in top condition and reduces the chance of risks and downtime.

Why Taking Care of Problems in Advance Is Crucial for Companies in Ireland

1. Minimize any time when your business is not working effectively.

Problems with your IT systems such as servers failing, networks breaking or bugs in software, may bring your work to a halt and cost you in both time and money. Doing preventative maintenance lets you catch and manage issues early and this means your business avoids the stress of dealing with major problems.

If a server begins to overheat, it’s possible to handle the issue before it crashes, so you won’t have to deal with expensive downtime and loss of data.

2. Prevent or Stop Cyber Attacks

More and more, businesses in Ireland are facing cyberattacks, most often small and medium-sized companies. Many attackers use old software, unpatched versions and networks that have not been properly set up.

Ongoing upkeep of security tools such as firewalls, antivirus software and system updates, makes it much less likely for your system to become a victim of ransomware, phishing or a data breach.

3. Increase the Lifespan of IT Assets

Just as changing the oil in your car lengthens its engine’s lifespan, looking after your IT equipment in the same way will help it work longer. Regularly taking care of computers stops them from wearing out and prevents too many replacements.

4. Raise the effectiveness of your staff.

This kind of slow work is frustrating and influences how your team feels about their work. If technology runs smoothly, your team won’t have to worry about systems or spend time finding IT solutions.

5. With time, the cost of IT will decrease.

Though it might feel like a pricey addition, upfront maintenance helps save money and prevents serious IT problems. One data breach, meeting replacement or lasting period of downtime can often be more expensive than all your ISP’s services put together.

Important Parts of a Well-Made IT Maintenance Plan

We create preventative maintenance strategies for your business that fit its individual requirements at Image IT. The method we use is:

We watch your systems around the clock.

We watch over your systems around the clock, spotting problems early and fixing them so they don’t impact your work.

Timely Updates and Patch Upgrades

We make sure your operating systems, applications and antivirus are always running on the latest versions.

Test the backup and recovery of your data.

We ensure your backups are properly configured and we regularly perform tests to see how fast you can recover data.

You can do a Network Health Check here.

We examine your network for good speed, serious security flaws and technology issues to confirm your system operates safely and properly.

Managing Assets and Deciding on Their Life

We watch over your equipment and make sure you can update your technology before it starts causing issues.

Support from the users and helpdesk

If your team has any IT questions or concerns, our friendly team is there to lend a non-technical helping hand.

Why Is Image IT a Great Solution?

Operating out of North Dublin, Image IT has been supporting company’s in Ireland for about 15 years. Our knowledgable team delivers helpful, consistent and friendly IT assistance to the companies here in New Zealand.

We are dedicated to forming long-term relationships with clients so we can do more than just address issues; we can help avoid them.

You will gain the following benefits when you work with us:

Transparent pricing

A quick response from the team

Customized maintenance services

Expert opinions offered in a personal way

If you have just a few devices or a complex IT structure, our solutions are designed to match your requirements and your budget.

Benefits You Can See in Life: An Example

There were many issues at one of our clients, a small financial services firm in Dublin, involving downtime in the network and software that was past its update. Following their sign up for our preventative maintenance, we set up a monitoring system, cleaned their network and ran scheduled updates.

The result? A 90% drop in IT issues reported by staff, faster systems, and peace of mind for their management team knowing their data and systems were protected.

Your Next Step: Secure Your Business with Preventative IT Support

Don’t wait for a system failure, data breach, or productivity drop to remind you of your IT vulnerabilities. Preventative maintenance is one of the smartest investments you can make in your business.

Let Image IT take the stress out of managing your technology — so you can focus on what you do best.

[cleverdominionlegend]

Exploring the Innovative Technologies of AMD's Ryzen Processors

Are you curious about the cutting-edge technologies behind AMD's Ryzen processors? In this in-depth article, we will delve into the innovative features that set AMD apart from the competition. From advanced AI capabilities to superior GPU performance, AMD is revolutionizing the world of computing. Let's take a closer look at what makes AMD's Ryzen processors so special.

Introduction to AMD's Ryzen Processors

AMD has been Learn more making waves in the tech industry with its Ryzen processors, which offer a powerful combination of performance and efficiency. These processors are designed to meet the demands of modern computing, whether you're a casual user or a hardcore gamer. With features like simultaneous multithreading (SMT) and precision boost technology, AMD's Ryzen processors deliver exceptional speed and responsiveness.

What Sets AMD Apart from the Competition?

When it comes to performance, AMD stands out from the competition with its Ryzen processors. Compared to other brands, AMD offers higher core counts and better multitasking capabilities. This means you can run multiple applications simultaneously without experiencing lag or slowdowns. Additionally, AMD's processors are known for their overclocking potential, allowing users to push their systems to the limit for maximum performance.

AMD's Innovations in GPU Technology

In addition to its impressive CPU performance, AMD is also a leader in GPU technology. With its Radeon graphics cards, AMD delivers stunning visuals and smooth gameplay for gamers and content creators alike. Whether you're playing the latest AAA titles or editing high-resolution videos, AMD's GPUs provide the power you need to get the job done.

The Role of AI in AMD's Ryzen Processors

AI is becoming increasingly important in modern computing, and AMD is at the forefront of this trend. By integrating AI capabilities into its Ryzen processors, AMD is able to deliver smarter and more efficient performance. From predictive algorithms that optimize power usage to voice recognition software that enhances user interaction, AI plays a crucial role in enhancing the overall user experience.

Key Features of AMD's Ryzen Processors

Let's take a closer look at some of the key features that make AMD's Ryzen processors stand out:

Simultaneous Multithreading (SMT): SMT allows each processor core to run two threads simultaneously, maximizing multitasking capabilities. Precision Boost Technology: This feature dynamically adjusts clock speeds based on workload demands, ensuring optimal performance at all times. Infinity Fabric Interconnect: The Infinity Fabric interconnect provides high-speed communication between processor cores and other components for seamless operation. Enhanced Security Features: With built-in security measures like Secure Memory Encryption and Secure Boot Support, AMD ensures that your data stays safe and protected. FAQs About Exploring the Innovative Technologies of AMD's Ryzen Processors

Q: How does AMD's precision boost technology work? A: Precision boost technology monitors workload demands in real time and adjusts clock speeds accordingly for optimal performance.

[digitalessencevoid]

Exploring the Innovative Technologies of AMD's Ryzen Processors

Are you curious about the cutting-edge technologies Go to this site behind AMD's Ryzen processors? In this in-depth article, we will delve into the innovative features that set AMD apart from the competition. From advanced AI capabilities to superior GPU performance, AMD is revolutionizing the world of computing. Let's take a closer look at what makes AMD's Ryzen processors so special.

Introduction to AMD's Ryzen Processors

AMD has been making waves in the tech industry with its Ryzen processors, which offer a powerful combination of performance and efficiency. These processors are designed to meet the demands of modern computing, whether you're a casual user or a hardcore gamer. With features like simultaneous multithreading (SMT) and precision boost technology, AMD's Ryzen processors deliver exceptional speed and responsiveness.

What Sets AMD Apart from the Competition?

When it comes to performance, AMD stands out from the competition with its Ryzen processors. Compared to other brands, AMD offers higher core counts and better multitasking capabilities. This means you can run multiple applications simultaneously without experiencing lag or slowdowns. Additionally, AMD's processors are known for their overclocking potential, allowing users to push their systems to the limit for maximum performance.

AMD's Innovations in GPU Technology

In addition to its impressive CPU performance, AMD is also a leader in GPU technology. With its Radeon graphics cards, AMD delivers stunning visuals and smooth gameplay for gamers and content creators alike. Whether you're playing the latest AAA titles or editing high-resolution videos, AMD's GPUs provide the power you need to get the job done.

The Role of AI in AMD's Ryzen Processors

AI is becoming increasingly important in modern computing, and AMD is at the forefront of this trend. By integrating AI capabilities into its Ryzen processors, AMD is able to deliver smarter and more efficient performance. From predictive algorithms that optimize power usage to voice recognition software that enhances user interaction, AI plays a crucial role in enhancing the overall user experience.

Key Features of AMD's Ryzen Processors

Let's take a closer look at some of the key features that make AMD's Ryzen processors stand out:

Simultaneous Multithreading (SMT): SMT allows each processor core to run two threads simultaneously, maximizing multitasking capabilities. Precision Boost Technology: This feature dynamically adjusts clock speeds based on workload demands, ensuring optimal performance at all times. Infinity Fabric Interconnect: The Infinity Fabric interconnect provides high-speed communication between processor cores and other components for seamless operation. Enhanced Security Features: With built-in security measures like Secure Memory Encryption and Secure Boot Support, AMD ensures that your data stays safe and protected. FAQs About Exploring the Innovative Technologies of AMD's Ryzen Processors

Q: How does AMD's precision boost technology work? A: Precision boost technology monitors workload demands in real time and adjusts clock speeds accordingly for optimal performance.

[savagemammothhaven]

Exploring the Innovative Technologies of AMD's Ryzen Processors

Are you curious about the cutting-edge technologies behind AMD's Ryzen processors? In this in-depth article, we will delve into the innovative features that set AMD apart from the competition. From advanced AI capabilities to superior GPU performance, AMD is revolutionizing the world of computing. Let's take a closer look at what makes AMD's Ryzen processors so special.

Introduction to AMD's Ryzen Processors

AMD has been making waves in the tech industry with its Ryzen processors, which offer a powerful combination of performance and efficiency. These processors are designed to meet the demands of modern computing, whether you're a casual user or a hardcore gamer. With features like simultaneous multithreading (SMT) and precision boost technology, AMD's Ryzen processors deliver exceptional speed and responsiveness.

What Sets AMD Apart from the Competition?

When it comes to performance, AMD stands out from the competition with its Ryzen processors. Compared to other brands, AMD offers higher core counts and better multitasking capabilities. This means you can run multiple applications simultaneously without experiencing lag or slowdowns. Additionally, AMD's processors are known for their overclocking potential, allowing users to push their systems to the limit for maximum performance.

AMD's Innovations in GPU Technology

In addition to its impressive CPU performance, AMD is also a leader in GPU technology. With its Radeon graphics cards, AMD delivers stunning visuals and smooth gameplay for gamers and content creators alike. Whether you're playing the latest AAA titles or editing high-resolution videos, AMD's GPUs provide the power you need to get the job done.

The Role of AI in AMD's Ryzen Processors

AI is becoming increasingly important in modern computing, and AMD is at the forefront of this trend. By integrating AI capabilities into its Ryzen processors, AMD is able to deliver smarter and more efficient performance. From predictive algorithms that optimize power usage to voice Click here for more recognition software that enhances user interaction, AI plays a crucial role in enhancing the overall user experience.

Key Features of AMD's Ryzen Processors

Let's take a closer look at some of the key features that make AMD's Ryzen processors stand out:

Simultaneous Multithreading (SMT): SMT allows each processor core to run two threads simultaneously, maximizing multitasking capabilities. Precision Boost Technology: This feature dynamically adjusts clock speeds based on workload demands, ensuring optimal performance at all times. Infinity Fabric Interconnect: The Infinity Fabric interconnect provides high-speed communication between processor cores and other components for seamless operation. Enhanced Security Features: With built-in security measures like Secure Memory Encryption and Secure Boot Support, AMD ensures that your data stays safe and protected. FAQs About Exploring the Innovative Technologies of AMD's Ryzen Processors

Q: How does AMD's precision boost technology work? A: Precision boost technology monitors workload demands in real time and adjusts clock speeds accordingly for optimal performance.

[mariacallous]

In an eleventh-hour scramble before a key contract was set to expire on Tuesday night, the United States Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency renewed its funding for the longtime software-vulnerability-tracking project known as the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures Program. Managed by the nonprofit research-and-development group MITRE, the CVE Program is a linchpin of global cybersecurity—providing critical data and services for digital defense and research.

The CVE Program is governed by a board that sets an agenda and priorities for MITRE to carry out using CISA's funding. A CISA spokesperson said on Wednesday that the contract with MITRE is being extended for 11 months. “The CVE Program is invaluable to the cyber community and a priority of CISA,” they said in a statement. “Last night, CISA executed the option period on the contract to ensure there will be no lapse in critical CVE services. We appreciate our partners’ and stakeholders’ patience.”

MITRE's vice president and director of the Center for Securing the Homeland, Yosry Barsoum, said in a statement on Wednesday that “CISA identified incremental funding to keep the Programs operational.” With the clock ticking down before this decision came out, though, some members of the CVE Program's board announced a plan to transition the project into a new nonprofit entity called the CVE Foundation.

“Since its inception, the CVE Program has operated as a US government-funded initiative, with oversight and management provided under contract. While this structure has supported the program’s growth, it has also raised long-standing concerns among members of the CVE Board about the sustainability and neutrality of a globally relied-upon resource being tied to a single government sponsor,” the Foundation wrote in a statement. “This concern has become urgent following an April 15, 2025, letter from MITRE notifying the CVE Board that the US government does not intend to renew its contract for managing the program. While we had hoped this day would not come, we have been preparing for this possibility.”

It is unclear who from the current CVE board is affiliated with the new initiative other than Kent Landfield, a longtime cybersecurity industry member who was quoted in the CVE Foundation statement. The CVE Foundation did not immediately return a request for comment.

CISA did not respond to questions from WIRED about why the fate of the CVE Program contract had been in question and whether it was related to recent budget cuts sweeping the federal government as mandated by the Trump administration.

Researchers and cybersecurity professionals were relieved on Wednesday that the CVE Program hadn't suddenly ceased to exist as the result of unprecedented instability in US federal funding. And many observers expressed cautious optimism that the incident could ultimately make the CVE Program more resilient if it transitions to be an independent entity that isn't reliant on funding from any one government or other single source.

“The CVE Program is critical, and it’s in everyone’s interest that it succeed," says Patrick Garrity, a security researcher at VulnCheck. “Nearly every organization and every security tool is dependent on this information, and it’s not just the US. It’s consumed globally. So it's really, really important that it continues to be a community-provided service, and we need to figure out what to do about this, because losing it would be a risk to everyone.”

Federal procurement records indicate that it costs in the tens of millions of dollars per contract to run the CVE Program. But in the scheme of the losses that can occur from a single cyberattack exploiting unpatched software vulnerabilities, experts tell WIRED, the operational costs seem negligible versus the benefit to US defense alone.

Despite CISA's last-minute funding, the future of the CVE Program is still unclear for the long term. As one source, who requested anonymity because they are a federal contractor, put it: “It's all so stupid and dangerous.”

[sanguinezenithmeteor]

Exploring the Innovative Technologies of AMD's Ryzen Processors

Are you curious about the cutting-edge technologies behind AMD's Ryzen processors? In this in-depth article, we will delve into the innovative features that set AMD apart from the competition. From advanced AI capabilities to superior GPU performance, AMD is revolutionizing the world of computing. Let's take a closer look at what makes AMD's Ryzen processors so special.

Introduction to AMD's Ryzen Processors

AMD has been making waves in the tech industry with its Ryzen processors, which offer a powerful combination of performance and efficiency. These processors are designed to meet the demands of modern computing, whether you're a casual user or a hardcore gamer. With features like simultaneous multithreading (SMT) and precision boost technology, AMD's Ryzen processors deliver exceptional speed and responsiveness.

What Sets AMD Apart from the Competition?

When it comes to performance, AMD stands out from the competition with its Ryzen processors. Compared to other brands, AMD offers higher core counts and better multitasking capabilities. This means you can run multiple applications simultaneously without experiencing lag or slowdowns. Additionally, AMD's processors are known for their overclocking potential, allowing users to push their systems to the limit for maximum performance.

AMD's Innovations in GPU Technology

In addition to its impressive CPU performance, AMD is also a leader in GPU technology. With its Radeon graphics cards, AMD delivers stunning visuals and smooth gameplay for gamers and content creators alike. Whether you're playing Go to this website the latest AAA titles or editing high-resolution videos, AMD's GPUs provide the power you need to get the job done.

The Role of AI in AMD's Ryzen Processors

AI is becoming increasingly important in modern computing, and AMD is at the forefront of this trend. By integrating AI capabilities into its Ryzen processors, AMD is able to deliver smarter and more efficient performance. From predictive algorithms that optimize power usage to voice recognition software that enhances user interaction, AI plays a crucial role in enhancing the overall user experience.

Key Features of AMD's Ryzen Processors

Let's take a closer look at some of the key features that make AMD's Ryzen processors stand out:

Simultaneous Multithreading (SMT): SMT allows each processor core to run two threads simultaneously, maximizing multitasking capabilities. Precision Boost Technology: This feature dynamically adjusts clock speeds based on workload demands, ensuring optimal performance at all times. Infinity Fabric Interconnect: The Infinity Fabric interconnect provides high-speed communication between processor cores and other components for seamless operation. Enhanced Security Features: With built-in security measures like Secure Memory Encryption and Secure Boot Support, AMD ensures that your data stays safe and protected. FAQs About Exploring the Innovative Technologies of AMD's Ryzen Processors

Q: How does AMD's precision boost technology work? A: Precision boost technology monitors workload demands in real time and adjusts clock speeds accordingly for optimal performance.

[swiftartificermedallion]

Exploring the Innovative Technologies of AMD's Ryzen Processors

Are you curious about the cutting-edge technologies behind AMD's Ryzen processors? In this in-depth article, we will delve into the innovative features that set AMD apart from the competition. From advanced AI capabilities to superior GPU performance, AMD is revolutionizing the world of computing. Let's take a closer look at what makes AMD's Ryzen processors so special.

Introduction to AMD's Ryzen Processors

AMD has been making waves in the tech industry with its Ryzen processors, which offer a powerful combination of performance and efficiency. These processors are designed to meet the demands of modern computing, whether you're a casual user or a hardcore gamer. With features like simultaneous multithreading (SMT) and precision boost technology, AMD's Ryzen processors deliver exceptional speed and responsiveness.

What Sets AMD Apart from the Competition?

When it comes to performance, AMD stands out from the competition with its Ryzen processors. Compared to other brands, AMD offers higher core counts and better multitasking capabilities. This means you can run multiple applications simultaneously without experiencing lag or slowdowns. Additionally, AMD's processors are known for their overclocking potential, allowing users to push their systems to the limit for maximum performance.

AMD's Innovations in GPU Technology

In addition to its impressive CPU performance, AMD is also a leader in GPU technology. With its Radeon graphics cards, AMD delivers stunning visuals and smooth gameplay for gamers and content creators alike. Whether you're playing the latest AAA titles or editing high-resolution videos, AMD's GPUs provide the power you need to get the job done.

The Role of AI in AMD's Ryzen Processors

AI is becoming increasingly important in modern computing, and AMD is at the forefront of this trend. By integrating AI capabilities into its Ryzen processors, AMD is able Click here! to deliver smarter and more efficient performance. From predictive algorithms that optimize power usage to voice recognition software that enhances user interaction, AI plays a crucial role in enhancing the overall user experience.

Key Features of AMD's Ryzen Processors

Let's take a closer look at some of the key features that make AMD's Ryzen processors stand out:

Simultaneous Multithreading (SMT): SMT allows each processor core to run two threads simultaneously, maximizing multitasking capabilities. Precision Boost Technology: This feature dynamically adjusts clock speeds based on workload demands, ensuring optimal performance at all times. Infinity Fabric Interconnect: The Infinity Fabric interconnect provides high-speed communication between processor cores and other components for seamless operation. Enhanced Security Features: With built-in security measures like Secure Memory Encryption and Secure Boot Support, AMD ensures that your data stays safe and protected. FAQs About Exploring the Innovative Technologies of AMD's Ryzen Processors

Q: How does AMD's precision boost technology work? A: Precision boost technology monitors workload demands in real time and adjusts clock speeds accordingly for optimal performance.

[astralautomatonstranger]

Exploring the Innovative Technologies of AMD's Ryzen Processors

Are you curious about the cutting-edge technologies behind AMD's Ryzen processors? In this in-depth article, we will delve into the innovative features that set AMD apart from the competition. From advanced AI capabilities to superior GPU performance, AMD is revolutionizing the world of computing. Let's take a closer look at what makes AMD's Ryzen processors so special.

Introduction to AMD's Ryzen Processors

AMD has been making waves in the tech industry with its Ryzen processors, which offer a powerful combination of performance and efficiency. These processors are designed to meet the demands of modern computing, Check over here whether you're a casual user or a hardcore gamer. With features like simultaneous multithreading (SMT) and precision boost technology, AMD's Ryzen processors deliver exceptional speed and responsiveness.

What Sets AMD Apart from the Competition?

When it comes to performance, AMD stands out from the competition with its Ryzen processors. Compared to other brands, AMD offers higher core counts and better multitasking capabilities. This means you can run multiple applications simultaneously without experiencing lag or slowdowns. Additionally, AMD's processors are known for their overclocking potential, allowing users to push their systems to the limit for maximum performance.

AMD's Innovations in GPU Technology

In addition to its impressive CPU performance, AMD is also a leader in GPU technology. With its Radeon graphics cards, AMD delivers stunning visuals and smooth gameplay for gamers and content creators alike. Whether you're playing the latest AAA titles or editing high-resolution videos, AMD's GPUs provide the power you need to get the job done.

The Role of AI in AMD's Ryzen Processors

AI is becoming increasingly important in modern computing, and AMD is at the forefront of this trend. By integrating AI capabilities into its Ryzen processors, AMD is able to deliver smarter and more efficient performance. From predictive algorithms that optimize power usage to voice recognition software that enhances user interaction, AI plays a crucial role in enhancing the overall user experience.

Key Features of AMD's Ryzen Processors

Let's take a closer look at some of the key features that make AMD's Ryzen processors stand out:

Simultaneous Multithreading (SMT): SMT allows each processor core to run two threads simultaneously, maximizing multitasking capabilities. Precision Boost Technology: This feature dynamically adjusts clock speeds based on workload demands, ensuring optimal performance at all times. Infinity Fabric Interconnect: The Infinity Fabric interconnect provides high-speed communication between processor cores and other components for seamless operation. Enhanced Security Features: With built-in security measures like Secure Memory Encryption and Secure Boot Support, AMD ensures that your data stays safe and protected. FAQs About Exploring the Innovative Technologies of AMD's Ryzen Processors

Q: How does AMD's precision boost technology work? A: Precision boost technology monitors workload demands in real time and adjusts clock speeds accordingly for optimal performance.

[sl33py-g4m3r]

Debian 12 w KDE Plasma let's go~~~

I've got no idea why I didn't like KDE before tbh.... cause trying it now, its kinda nice~~~ last time I tried it was idk how long ago.... when I started messing around with linux to begin with.

It, unlike xfce, has a software updater so I don't need to use the terminal on debian~~~ it looks really snazzy tbh.

last time I used it was idk how long ago..... a decade ago? and I guess now it's just Plasma and not KDE anymore? ??

annoying problem that I fixed~~~~ also for some reason the icons and stuff on my second hard drive have reverted back to dev/sda for my main OS partition and dev/sdb for where all the rest of my data is... and idk why~~~ but the lock icons on everything in that drive is gone~~ and idk what fixed it......

also time.... the date and time was incorrect and i had no idea why given I've selected the proper time zone.... I was just really confused and idk why.... but now I did and it's fixed~~ I had to change the BIOS time to UTC

and since there's no "sync w internet" and you need EXACT SECONDS now the time is slightly off cause I didn't time it down to the second.... but putting my BIOS time into UTC instead of local time fixed it~~~

also still don't know exactly why I can and could get debian to boot and install perfectly fine on my machine even with secure boot and the like from a windows install still on. when linux mint debian edition just.... wouldn't......

stupidly simple fix but I'm happy to have figured it out myself~~~ hope I like KDE more than I did a decade ago. idk why I didn't like it that far back... maybe it was worse? or there was too many customize options and it paralyzed me?

but now I like it so far~~~~ wonder if I can do it up like windows xp/95? lol. throw myself into customize options of KDE and be lost here forever :)

slowly figuring stuff out and my preferences in the linux world~~ idk why I liked xfce..... the KDE log in screen is nicer and more sleek and modern~~~

will gnome stuff work with kde? if I install gnome games? I always install gnome games and then never play any of them lol I mean I'd assume they would but idk~~

idk why I'm documenting my journey with trying different distributions or desktop environments here..... cause I feel no one really cares..... but I got no one around me to talk linux to... even if I am still (in my own eyes) a newbie at it....

welp~~~ back to system config~~ :) hope that's fun~~ and to find accessibility settings~~

what was up with the clock tho? why did I have to set my BIOS time to UTC to get it to be local time? how does linux configure time? never noticed that before~~~

I distro hop a lot I think~~~~

and would ya believe it my function keys STILL WORK~~~~ WOOOO~~

edit: there are swipe gestures to go back on browser?? gonna like KDE I think~~~

yet another edit: double check bios cause I'm a doofus sometimes~~ secure boot is still on but now greyed out and can't toggle it off, fast boot and something below fast boot are disabled~~

still have no idea why pure debian is able to load with secure boot on (permanently now I guess) and linux mint wasn't able to despite it being debian as well.... but debian 12 works so neat~~~~

bad thing tho about the "swipe to go back" is that I keep almost doing that while trying to scroll down~~ could just use the arrow keys but got so used to using the touchpad to scroll ...