#snakeoil — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #snakeoil, aggregated by home.social.
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New quantum snake oil just dropped: "HNDL detection" products and services.
In my new piece I call out "HNDL detection" market for what it is: exfiltration detection rebranded with a quantum label.
The core physics, passive collection (fiber splitter, receive-only RF, satellite dish) generates no observable event inside the victim's network. Zero. Your firewall, IDS, EDR, SIEM, NDR, and ML behavioral analytics all operate inside a boundary the collection never crosses. There is no packet to inspect because no packet was generated. There is no behavioral anomaly because the victim's traffic is identical whether or not a copy was made.
Every "HNDL detection" solution I've examined monitors NetFlow telemetry for outbound volume anomalies, unusual destinations, off-hours transfers, and encrypted tunnels to unexpected endpoints. That detects breaches and exfiltration. Useful, not new, and not what HNDL means.
The article covers the physics in depth: fiber tap insertion loss (0.002 dB per tap, per US Patent 4,802,723, below OTDR noise floor), the detection boundary problem (even where physical-layer detection is theoretically possible, the entity that can detect is the infra owner, not the data owner), LO leakage as the one genuine RF edge case (Ghostbuster, MobiCom 2018: 5m reliable, 14m best case, defeated by Phantom Eavesdropping LO whitening), and the historical record (Ivy Bells, Room 641A, Tempora: every major passive tap exposed by a human, never a detector).
Also covers the intent gap: even after a confirmed breach, no technical control can tell you the adversary plans to store data for future quantum decryption. You can confirm a theft. You cannot confirm a timeline.
The defense is ML-KEM (FIPS 203) on your long-lived confidentiality flows. Not a dashboard.
https://postquantum.com/post-quantum/cannot-detect-harvest-now-decrypt-later/
#infosec #cybersecurity #cryptography #PQC #postquantum #quantum #SIGINT #snakeoil
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Web-based cryptography is always snake oil
https://www.devever.net/~hl/webcrypto
#HackerNews #webcryptography #snakeoil #cybersecurity #techdebate #cryptosecurity
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CW: OK boomer
@Heterokromia
I’m a boomer. I’m not tired of #LLMs. What I am tired of is the pitches and platforming of #SnakeOil merchants and the #ChatBot tech those #Grifters like to call #AI. That, and the gullibility of executives and politicians championing #GenAISlop because they are drunk on the #KoolAid served up to make them believe that #TextRegurgitator machines will pay big dividends.That’s what I’m tired of seeing/hearing.
How that particular slice of the AI tech revolution got to this is testament to the ingenuity of those sob #TechBros using smoke and mirrors and duping the #speculative #FinancialMarkets.Hunker down for a stupefying #GenAIBubble busrt folks, ‘cause it’s coming.
#CoryDoctorow saw all this coming a long while ago and has been a clear voice in the brouhaha we are living through…
@pluralistic
#Antifa #noMoreBillionaires #Trillionaires are anti-social aberrations best erradicated. -
Wow – pure SnakeOil, those so-called anti-virus or anti-malware scanners! "we are unable to proceed with the whitelisting request unless the application is available on the Google Play Store"?!? WTF?!? 🤯
And yes, that's part of a real response a dev got.
So they claim: your app is malware, as long as it is not at Google Play. I'd say we've heard it the other way around, too…
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Hmm, if the site protecting VISA "3d auth" (MFA for online card transactions) can't be bothered to get an EV certificate, what's the point of them at all...?
issuer=C = CA, O = Entrust Limited, CN = Entrust OV TLS Issuing RSA CA 2
subject=C = US, ST = Massachusetts, O = Outseer LLC, CN = www.rsa3dsauth.co.uk
SHA1 Fingerprint=11:03:1E:D7:49:67:61:46:A4:B3:85:2A:D6:46:FE:76:1F:21:D5:93 -
We humans havent evolved since the time of snake-oils and (fake) miracle cures as much as people would like to imagine. We have the same mental capacities as the people in the past - just less starved, more distracted, and absolutely exhausted by capitalism and not natural ways of living.
So next time you see a video about this ONE THING THAT CURES IT ALL - don't follow the footprint and get scammed. Be smart. Be vigilant. And if you fell for it - just avoid it next time.
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Remember 2 - IF THEY ARE SELLING SOMETHING TO YOU, THEY ARE BIASED TO LIE!
Ever wondered why people fell to snake oils back in the day? Because of this exactly same "oh this person *sounds* SO convincing and is saying stuff so CONFIDENTLY, so it MUST be true!
Confidence + wild claims + "buy my stuff/course/this an AD" + no verified peer reviewed studies LINKED (you need to check it isn't just Chat GPT crap if there are links, be vary of links though...) = SCAM
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Remember - scammers will claim that one thing heals everything. For example: Taking D-vitamin is great for you, especially when you lack it, but it is NOT a cure-all, and lack of it is NOT the cause for every damn ailment.
(This example brought to you by a short form video I saw by a "doctor" who started to claim that Bipolar, LONG COVID, and tons more ailments were all caused by lack of D-vitamin. All "trust me bro", no links - exept to his supplements.)
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And people ask why I've given up on Mel Gibson ...
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🐍✨ Ah, the epic #saga of snake oil: from promising cure-alls to... wait, is this an error message or an avant-garde art piece? #JavaScript, the true hero of this tale, valiantly attempts to untangle the digital spaghetti. 🍝🔧
https://www.historytoday.com/archive/history-matters/rise-and-fall-snake-oil #snakeoil #digitalart #errorhandling #webdevelopment #HackerNews #ngated -
In this week’s email newsletter: the rise and fall of #snakeoil
📬 Sign up for Miscellanies at https://buff.ly/eNZqHsB, and we’ll send it to you on Thursday.
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In this week’s Miscellanies: the rise and fall of #snakeoil
📬 Sign up for our email newsletter at https://buff.ly/eNZqHsB, and we’ll send it to you on Thursday.
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Is This Anything?
Meet Dr. X. F. J. Widdershin, DMin, ThD, NWAR, MEM, MBA, J.D., LL.M., DVM, DC, DDS, BSYD, MD, PhD, DPT, EMD, EMT-P, RN, CRTT, DD, ASA, FSA, CAE, IAEE, PE, APSS, CMP, MS, (Ret.) (Vet.) (Esq.) And Notary Public!
The good doctor always seems to be right where he's needed, right when he's needed. The townsfolk will insist he's always been there, but the townsfolk across the county line say the same.
His tinctures work, his inventions function, even the snake-oil seems to have a potency to them. And that one thing the party has been needing to finish the collection? It's right there, for sale, right next to a bottle of rat poison and three loose trinkets from a board game.
And if the party needs to ask any follow-up questions? He's already packed up and gone. The townsfolk will swear they've never heard of him.
(And he'll also notarize anything. He has a stamp.)
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Do your players need a lead on that relic? The Doctor has one. Do they need an antidote before sundown? He mixed a batch this morning, funny they should ask. Do they need a reason to go left instead of right? He's got something for sale that'll sort that right out. Whatever your party needs to keep the adventure moving, Dr. Widdershin has it, has done it, or knows someone who has, and he's fully credentialed in all three. He's already set up in the next town! He's been expecting them!
#iTA #isThisAnything #DnD #TTRPG #Homebrew #NPC #Salesman #SnakeOil
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I'd been an Adobe user/lover/advocate since I learned Photoshop in 1994. No longer. I bailed on them 2 years ago for Affinity, who now also shoves AI in your face but still offers a full and free version without it. #AI #SnakeOil
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:pgppxekvpklq6smlilrxg7ke/post/3mk3hgnusbc2r -
Are NFTs the future of event marketing? I don't think so! Why? Because of serious sustainability and purchase complexity concerns.
https://www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/marketing-2/2021/05/nfts-event-marketing
#events #marketing #NFT #SnakeOil #sustainability #eventprofs
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« My patient is refusing a drug studied in 170,000 people because of side effects that a 124,000-person analysis just confirmed do not exist — while injecting a compound studied in 14 humans, from unregulated sources, based on the recommendation of someone who profits from selling it. »
https://www.statnews.com/2026/04/03/peptides-statins-research-trust-bpc-157/
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#WTF ?! - From #MIT #Techonology Review: "Inside the stealthy startup that pitched brainless human clones"
https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/03/30/1134780/r3-bio-brainless-human-clones-full-body-replacement-john-schloendorn-aging-longevity/ -
Because human gullibility is forever...
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1DotHPxNib/
#marketing #snakeoil #fake #influence #diamonds #oranges #birthstones
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😱 OMG, 224k #OpenClaw servers have decided to show off their #vulnerabilities like a reality TV show! 🎉 Instead of fixing the leaks, they've opted for a passive-aggressive list to *gently* remind admins that maybe, just maybe, #security is important. 🚨 In other news, Vivgrid is here to sell you some snake oil for your #AI woes. 🐍🔧
https://openclaw.allegro.earth/ #SnakeOil #Awareness #HackerNews #ngated -
Are NFTs the future of event marketing? I don't think so! Why? Because of serious sustainability and purchase complexity concerns.
https://www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/marketing-2/2021/05/nfts-event-marketing
#events #marketing #NFT #SnakeOil #sustainability #eventprofs
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Gibt es jemanden in meiner timeline der #Linux Desktops/Laptops im Firmenumfeld betreibt? #compliance Anforderungen verlangen von mir eine proprietäre #snakeoil Software aka End-Point-Security Software auf solchen Geräten zu installieren.
Am Ende ist das ein umbenannter Virenscanner der zusätzlich erlaubt die Maschinen remote zu isolieren. Da letzteres ja sogar einen gewissen Sinn ergibt: Gibt es eine Linux-Software mit der man remote passende Firewall-Regeln setzen kann? -
And so the snake starts eating itself... the #Ouroboros!
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An interesting history of snake oil:
https://www.iflscience.com/snake-oil-was-once-a-real-cure-and-it-probably-actually-worked-82476
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Da ich gerade wieder mit Technik zu tun habe, die vermutlich snake oil ist, habe ich nach der Herkunft des Begriffs gesucht. Hier ist ein umfangreicher Artikel dazu:
