Bitwarden finally brings 2FA logins to free users

Previously, you had to pay for Bitwarden’s premium plan to add 2FA for your stored logins. Bitwarden is claiming they are the only password manager to now include 2FA logins for free.

As a paying customer, I’ve long been using Bitwarden’s 2FA for logins, and it is pretty seamless. Bitwarden places the 2FA number ready in the device’s clipboard, to just paste in straight after completing the login screen process.

Today, 2FA is absolutely essential for any login security, until passkeys are the norm. It sounds like Bitwarden’s own passkey management for logins, will go live during October, and their own passkey access to Bitwarden, a while after that. It is not clear to me yet whether free tier users now also have 2FA login into Bitwarden itself. I’m using a Yubikey device for my 2FA when logging into Bitwarden, and that may still be for the paid service only.

I also noted when last renewing my Bitwarden subscription that they forced us to up our vault encryption iterations to 600,000. This was also a lesson learnt after the LastPass hack, where it was found the encryption iterations were way too low.

I’m eagerly awaiting to see how Bitwarden implements passkeys in October, as I’m dead set against using passkeys that tie me to any particular device or operating system. I have too many passwords to just lose or have to change.

See https://www.androidpolice.com/bitwarden-2fa-free-passkey/
#Blog, #2fa, #bitwarden, #security, #technology

The Fediverse may become flooded with billions of new users over the next six months after the @EU_Commission declared that six major tech companies have less than a year to comply or face fines based on global revenues.

Image: from Pixabay, discovered on Fediverse Party.

The European Commission has today designated, for the first time, six gatekeepers – […]

https://darnell.tv/2023/09/07/billions-fediverse-europe-dma/

darnelltv

2023-09-07 05:14:21

The Fediverse may become flooded with billions of new users over the next six months after the @[url=https://social.network.europa.eu/users/EU_Commission]European Commission[/url] declared that six major tech companies have less than a year to comply or face fines based on global revenues.

Image: from Pixabay, discovered on Fediverse Party.

The European Commission has today designated, for the first time, six gatekeepers – […]

https://darnell.tv/2023/09/07/billions-fediverse-europe-dma/

If the Socialverse (social networks online) were the Star Trek universe, then the Fediverse would be The Federation: a union of multiple applications founded on the principles of liberty, equality, peace, justice & progress (ok, so maybe your’s truly borrowed some text from Star Trek).

Image Credit: From Star Trek, Deep Space Nine (image discovered via Memory […]

https://darnell.tv/2022/12/11/tumblr-dominion-fediverse-automattic/

darnelltv

2022-12-11 05:16:49

If the Socialverse (social networks online) were the Star Trek universe, then the Fediverse would be The Federation: a union of multiple applications founded on the principles of liberty, equality, peace, justice & progress (ok, so maybe your’s truly borrowed some text from Star Trek).

Image Credit: From Star Trek, Deep Space Nine (image discovered via Memory […]

https://darnell.tv/2022/12/11/tumblr-dominion-fediverse-automattic/

Linux Desktop Operating System Market Share in South Africa has more than Doubled this last Year

I still don’t place a lot of faith in stats around Linux desktop OS market share from web browser visits (because mine, for example, are “Other” and on a VPN that exits outside of SA, and our Linux computers in the home are behind one public IP address that can’t be counting them separately, etc).

But be that as it may, it was still interesting to see a quite noticeable uptick in the Linux share in the South African market. It has been around 1.6% for quite a long while, but over just these few months in 2023 it has shot up to 4.5% showing quite consistent growth. That is also much higher than the current global average of 3.2%.

There is no real reason that I know of for this change. It may just be that Linux users in SA are browsing the Internet more. It may be that the high inflation rate and cost of living is driving more computer users in SA to use Linux. Or it may be that some saw the light and realised they can buy bare-bones computers cheaper, and just the latest up-to-date Linux on it for free.

I’d like to have thought it was because of a roll-out across schools, or government departments, to spark better innovation and cost-savings, but I know that won’t be happening any time soon, even if there is a budget deficit right now. We” raise taxes before we cut costs…

See https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/desktop/south-africa/#monthly-202209-202308
#Blog, #linux, #southafrica, #technology

"Intelligente" Videoüberwachung:
Polizei Hamburg will ab Juli Verhalten automatisch scannen

"...Die Videoaufnahmen sollen automatisch ausgewertet werden, um verdächtige Bewegungen zu erkennen. Das sind „Liegen, Fallen, Taumeln, Treten, Schlagen, Schubsen, Anrempeln, Aggressive Körperhaltung und Defensive Körperhaltung“....
[...]
Die Technologie bringt neue Probleme mit sich. Die Algorithmen sind nicht transparent: Welches Verhalten genau als verdächtig gilt und ein Eingreifen der Polizei mit sich ziehen kann, ist für Betroffene unklar. Matthias Marx, Sprecher des Chaos Computer Club (CCC), kritisiert gegenüber dem Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland, dies führe dazu, dass Menschen sich bewusst oder unbewusst angepasst verhalten würden, aus Angst, einen Alarm auszulösen, weil sie etwa schnell liefen oder sich auf den Boden setzten. Das treffe vor allem marginalisierte Gruppen wie Obdachlose."

https://netzpolitik.org/2023/intelligente-videoueberwachung-polizei-hamburg-will-ab-juli-verhalten-automatisch-scannen/?s=35

#Videoüberwachung #Überwachung #KI #Technology #Antireport #Staat #herrschaft #Digitalisierung #Autoritarisierung #stopScanningMe

#Taiwan is using generative #AI to fight Chinese #disinfo

Source: https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2023/09/taiwan-using-generative-ai-fight-chinese-disinfo/390573/

Enter generative #AI tools such as large language models, which power some of the big breakthrough online AI tools such as #ChatGPT. “This year, because gen AI is just so mailable, they just fine-tuned a language module together that can clarify such disinformation…adding back a context and things like that. So we're no longer outnumbered,” she said. It also allows the citizen-run venture to remain as such, as opposed to run by the #government, which is important for its credibility.

That sounds very naive to me. I've learned so far from #Trump's "war on truth" that when someone has dived too deep into the right rabbit whole, no more fact checking or credibility helps. The opponent can always produce #fake and #propaganda via AI faster than you can refute. In the end, #conspiracy ideologues don't care about the #truth.

#china #technology #fakenews #news #future #politics #military #war #terror #problem #rabbitWhole #conflict #society

The #US wants to spend $13 billion to build Arctic #icebreakers, in order to compete with #Russia and #China. Except, the US seems to have "lost" the technology to do so.

"U.S. officials are racing to procure new polar icebreakers because one of only two that the Coast Guard now sails has reached the end of its life, and the one assigned to the Arctic is out of service for maintenance every winter."

"Delivery of the first new icebreaker has slipped to 2028 from 2024 as designers, engineers and welders grapple with something the U.S. hasn’t done in decades: reliably shape hardened steel that is more than an inch thick into a curved, reinforced ship’s hull."

"The Coast Guard hasn’t launched a new heavy icebreaker since 1976. Out of practice, U.S. shipbuilders have had to relearn how to design and build the specialized vessel, say officials in the industry and the government."

"By comparison, Russia has three dozen national icebreakers suitable for the Arctic, according to the U.S. Coast Guard, and China has four, including two icebreaking research ships that regularly appear at high latitudes."

"The machinery and skills to build the hulls of most oceangoing vessels aren’t sufficient for the specialized icebreakers. The hull plates need a bespoke alloy and specialized heat-treatment, with a process to form and weld massive curved plates."

“Higher-strength steels require very skilled people,” said Jeff Moskaluk, senior vice president at SSAB Americas.... “It’s not like you just treat it the same as any other piece of steel. It takes a beating—that’s exactly what the steel is designed for.”

"In addition to the technical challenge, American yards are reckoning with a shortage of shipwrights. Employment in ship and boat building totaled just 154,800 in July after peaking at 1.3 million during World War II, according to data from the Federal Reserve."

'“One of the challenges is the workforce—getting qualified welders,” said Bob Merchent, retired former chief executive of VT Halter Marine, since acquired by Bollinger Shipyards. '

So many people seem to think that because we are the US, we have the best technology in the world, and the most skilled workers.

That used to be true. It hasn't for a long time now, though, and the situation is getting worse, jeopardizing national security in multiple ways.

We don't have the designers or experienced engineers. We don't have the shipwrights or welders. We are having trouble with basic execution, because investment bankers don't understand #technology, and think blue collar workers are interchangeable.

It isn't just our inability to build super-sophisticated #hypersonic #missiles, while Russia and China can.

We can't even build an icebreaker, while "poor, pathetic, backward" Russia has 36 in service.

https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/to-build-ships-that-break-ice-u-s-must-relearn-to-cut-steel-da8c797f