Wednesday, November 04, 2026

What to expect (dread).

https://www.bespacific.com/things-are-going-to-get-ugly/

Things Are Going to Get Ugly

The Atlantic gift article: “…[Trump] holds hundreds of millions of dollars in his MAGA super PAC and related entities. Whatever remains after the races this year could then go toward sustaining the Trump family’s political power—conceivably backing a future presidential bid by one of Trump’s children. If the Democrats take the House and subpoenas start arriving, Trump will still retain control of the U.S. military and U.S. security services. He can indict people, he can invade nations, he can invoke emergency powers. He will get angrier, noisier, and crazier. He doesn’t care about the future of his party. He doesn’t care about the future of the country. He will want to punish a nation that, in his view, has ungratefully rejected him. Corruptly obtained money never feels secure. Trump, his children, and his inner group of close friends and sycophants most enriched in the past two years have a lot to worry about as the minutes of Trump’s presidency tick down…”





It won’t end with the fridges..

https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/news/cyber-chief-uk-facing-ai-powered-attacks-on-critical-infrastructure-in-two-years

Cyber chief: UK facing AI-powered attacks on critical infrastructure within two years

… The NCSC's State of the Cyber Nation warns that within the next two years, AI adoption by hostile actors is “highly likely” to increase the scale and efficiency of their operations, including ransomware attacks, social engineering, and vulnerability exploitation.





Creating an artificial environment for students? How will they learn to deal with the real world?

https://pogowasright.org/elementary-school-children-using-laptops-schools-gain-direct-control-over-google-ai-search-tools/

Elementary School Children Using Laptops Schools Gain Direct Control Over Google AI Search Tools

Jesse Jacobs reports:

K-12 school district administrators now have the ability to restrict artificial intelligence features directly within Google Search across student devices.
Digital safety company Lightspeed Systems introduced Google Search AI Controls within its web-filtering platform, enabling schools to block Google AI Overview summaries and its conversational AI Mode.
[…]
Under the new tool, districts can route student searches directly to traditional web link results, bypassing the standard default landing page where AI Overviews are displayed. Administrators can also restrict specific categories such as shopping, images or video tabs, as well as embedded widgets and browser games.

Read more at Campus Security.



(Related)

https://x.com/NewsFromGoogle/status/2117714815477059722

News from Google

We want to clarify what we announced today about our education services. Today’s announcements give schools more choice, not less. Here’s what we announced:

- Gemini, Gemini Notebook, and Search will be OFF 🔴 by default. This is based on K-12 schools asking for more control over student use of AI services.

- Schools are in control: They can choose to turn ON 🟢 one, two, or all of these services individually.

- We are also updating Search for schools to make it better for learning. Specifically, AI Mode and AI Overviews will offer step-by-step guided learning through problems, so that students don’t get quick answers to schoolwork.





Nerds with guns?

https://taskandpurpose.com/news/space-force-special-operations-command-activated/

Special operations guardians must ‘maneuver with their SOF counterparts,’ commander says

… “As we look to assign guardians to this component, especially as we look to assign them to the space special warfare teams for employment attached to other [special operations force] units around the world, we’re looking for those guardians who are expert at their craft — whether that’s operations, intel, cyber — and that they are able to maneuver with their SOF counterparts,” Norsky said.



Tuesday, November 03, 2026

It could never happen here. (And I’ve got some bottom land for sale…)

https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2026/11/ais-hacking-the-law.html

AIs Hacking the Law

In both a 2021 essay and my 2022 book, A Hacker’s Mind, I talk about AIs finding vulnerabilities and exploits—hacking—the legal system.

Here’s some demonstrations of this from Germany:

Legal systems encode the foundations of social order in natural language. Similar to computer systems, the written law can contain vulnerabilities that invite exploitation.1 Courts absorb most exploits through interpretation, and such vulnerabilities rarely surface in the first place. With highly capable AI systems enabling the discovery of vulnerabilities at unprecedented scale, we believe the latter could change.
In testing this hypothesis, we have identified a substantial number of vulnerabilities in the German legal system using LLMs. To our knowledge, none of these have been previously recorded. We share a selection of vulnerabilities below, and present potential exploits for each. We share only those vulnerabilities whose exploitation we believe would not cause serious harm.
We believe that with cheap legal reasoning proliferating, AI systems could jeopardize the functioning of today’s legal systems. In such a world, lawmakers would need to significantly harden the process of legislation, for example by leveraging advanced AI themselves.

Still in its early stages, but definitely something that’s coming.





Something seems wrong. The US Navy missed a tanker? (Huge ship in a narrow strait) Was this another Trump oil deal?

https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Sanctioned-Iranian-Tanker-Slips-Past-US-Blockade-Delivers-Cargo-to-China.html

Sanctioned Iranian Tanker Slips Past U.S. Blockade, Delivers Cargo to China

A sanctioned Iranian tanker carrying about 500,000 barrels of liquefied petroleum gas slipped past the U.S. naval blockade and delivered its cargo to China, according to United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), which says it filmed the ship at a Malaysian anchorage along the way.



Monday, November 02, 2026

Trust us, we know everything there is to know about AI… (Does that make them more vulnerable to lawsuits after an AI failure?)

https://www.theinformation.com/briefings/trump-administration-refuses-release-information-ai-testing-framework

Trump Administration Refuses to Release Information on AI Testing Framework

The Trump administration declined to produce key documents related to its voluntary AI testing framework, despite an agreement struck in September with the nonprofit Protect Democracy Project after a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. In a letter sent to the nonprofit on Friday by the White House’s Office of the National Cyber Director and shared with The Information, the Trump administration’s FOIA office cited national security and commercial exemptions to argue that it did not have to share a full draft of the framework, as well as related documents including records of companies and other organizations allowed early access to frontier AI models. The letter did provide some details on the White House’s “trusted partner” program, as well as the scope of the framework.





Toward a safer Internet? Only if patching keeps pace…

https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2026/11/ai-vulnerability-finding-2.html

AI Vulnerability Finding

A comment:

3% of ‘critical’ software security bugs, in all of recorded history, have been found in the last month. This is on pace to find another ~100,000 bugs this year alone, adding ~26% more vulnerabilities to the all time total. Do you realize how fucking insane that is?

Yes. It is a new world out there.





A human failure. The freezer models are known, all you had to do was disconnect the Internet.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq1kd1nee80eo

Shop freezers in six European countries hit by suspected cyber-attack

Dozens of supermarkets across six European countries have been hit by a suspected cyber-attack affecting their refrigerators and freezers.

Around 40 Delhaize supermarkets in Belgium and Luxembourg were affected, while a smaller number of shops were hit in Sweden, Ireland, the Netherlands and Estonia.

Sabcobel, a Belgian company that manufactures some of the affected refrigerators, said the units' evaporators were switched to defrost mode causing them to warm up, in what is believed to be the same method used in last month's incident that hit hundreds of French supermarkets.



Sunday, November 01, 2026

It’s cheap and somewhat deniable.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2026-10-27/russia-linked-hackers-are-turning-cyberattacks-into-a-physical-threat?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc5MzI5NTc0NywiZXhwIjoxNzkzOTAwNTQ3LCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJUTkw0NTNLR1pBSVYwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiJENTY5QzIyNzE4NUM0NkM4OTgxMjBGMUI2QTBFNDIwQSJ9.ZsPKeMVARRn7ayeTBSLo-FlCJ4yJhExizj_0dCtnLq4&leadSource=article-gifting

Inside the Cyber Sabotage Campaign Waged by Russian Supporters

Cyberattacks causing physical damage are on the rise in NATO countries, and the hackers carrying them out don’t always understand what they’re doing.





Tools & Techniques. (For your amusement?)

https://www.makeuseof.com/amazon-has-a-hidden-about-you-page-that-knows-your-interests-how-to-find-yours/

Amazon has a hidden 'About You' page that knows your interests

… On your About You page, Amazon lets you review personal details and preferences relating to your account, including activity such as purchases, searches, product reviews, Lists, and interactions with Alexa. It then uses this data to tailor product recommendations and create other shopping experiences. You can even help it along by entering your hobbies and interests into About You.



Saturday, October 31, 2026

Imagine North Korea with superior AI hacking tools…

https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/expert-warns-ai-hacking-bloodbath-following-massive-binance-cryptocurrency-theft

Expert warns of 'AI hacking bloodbath' following massive Binance cryptocurrency theft

… "I look at this as one of the world's greatest thefts of all time, and it's sad," Schiffer said.

Schiffer warned that this week's incident could be an early sign of a broader wave of increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks, particularly as artificial intelligence becomes more powerful.

"I think the bloodbath of AI hacking is to come," he said. "And there's going to be a lot more pain."

He cautioned that businesses can no longer afford to treat cybersecurity as a problem they can address after an attack occurs.





Settlements are cheaper than failing at trial. And faster. And sooner forgotten.

https://www.theregister.com/security/2026/10/30/gm-cracks-the-petty-cash-box-for-multistate-driver-tracking-settlement/5306721

GM cracks the petty cash box for multistate driver tracking settlement

$220 million? For all of you? Yeah, we can probably dig that up ...



Friday, October 30, 2026

Willy Sutton robbed banks because “that’s where the money’s at.” Law firms is where the data is at.

https://www.bespacific.com/researchers-warn-of-surging-law-firm-cyber-attacks-fueled-by-ai/

Researchers warn of surging law firm cyber attacks fueled by AI

Reuters – no paywall: “Cyberattacks on law firms and other legal industry entities have doubled since 2023, according to new research from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike released on Wednesday, amid growing concerns that threat actors are using agentic AI technology to conduct increasingly sophisticated and efficient attacks. CrowdStrike’s 2026 Legal Threat Landscape Report, ‌covering a one-year period up to August 2026, said cyber adversaries named 455 legal entities on websites used to post hacked materials, up 39% from the prior year. Law firms hold corporate client communications, merger and acquisition details, intellectual property, government matters and financial records, making them attractive to adversaries seeking financial gain and strategic intelligence. “What we’re seeing across the broader threat landscape, more and more threat actors are using agentic technology to democratize hacking,” said Adam Meyers, CrowdStrike’s senior vice president for counter adversary operations. “It’s going to get a lot worse before it gets better.” Reuters has reported that a growing number of law firms were hit with cyber breaches in recent months, including Quinn Emanuel, WilmerHale and Seyfarth. The Crowdstrike report does not name any specific law firm, legal department or legal industry vendor that was exploited…”





Treat AI like human authors?

https://www.bespacific.com/how-to-cite-artificial-intelligence-in-court-filings/

How to Cite Artificial Intelligence in Court Filings

Christopher, Catherine Martin and Davis, Chandler and McFall, Loryn, How to Cite Artificial Intelligence in Court Filings (May 15, 2026). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=7410698 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.7410698

Little advice exists on when and how responsible, ethical lawyers should cite AI in court filings. This Article provides common-sense guidance to litigation parties about when citations to artificial intelligence are necessary in court filings, and if so, what those citations should contain. Throughout the Article, we argue that the novelty of generative AI technology does not require development of brand-new citation practices. Rather, AI is a new generation of existing technologies and practices, and AI-citation principles can and should be extrapolated from familiar practices.

Part II explains why parties generally do not need to cite AI for its assistance in legal research.

Part III explains why AI generally need not be cited when it assisted with drafting, revision, or proofreading, but probably should be cited when it was used to create visual images. Many courts are now requiring certifications when parties used AI, confirming that those parties have verified the AI output, and

Part IV discusses these certifications. In particular, Part IV encourages courts to evaluate whether such certifications are reducing the amount of AI “slop” they receive, and if so, to require AI certifications from all parties on all filings.  The Article also makes ancillary suggestions to courts and Bluebook editors as our profession continues to incorporate AI into daily workflows.





This too is automatic…

https://fpf.org/blog/fpf-submits-comments-to-inform-colorado-automated-decision-making-adm-act-rulemaking/

FPF Submits Comments to Inform Colorado Automated Decision-Making (ADM) Act Rulemaking

On October 26, 2026, the Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) submitted comments in response to the Colorado Department of Law’s (the Department’s) formal rulemaking process for the Colorado Automated Decision-Making Technology Act (SB 26-189). FPF’s comments address the Department’s October 6 interim draft rules, focusing on clarifying the scope of covered automated decision-making technology (ADMT) and aligning developer disclosure requirements with deployer obligations. FPF’s recommendations seek to promote interoperability, clarify compliance obligations, and support meaningful transparency and human oversight in consequential decisions.





Diplomacy isn’t a skillful as it used to be.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/putin-war-europe-russia-threat-ukraine-b3075952.html

Putin says Russia is ‘ready for war’ with Europe in chilling threat

Vladimir Putin has said that Russia is prepared ‌for a potential war with Europe in his latest sabre-rattling threat against the continent, though ‌he claimed Moscow does not ‌want one.



Thursday, October 29, 2026

I often ponder the economics of my lunch...

https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/who-put-tariffs-in-my-20-burrito/

Who Put Tariffs in My ($20!) Burrito?

… Start with the wrapper. Aluminum foil carries a 50 percent tariff imposed on imported metals under Section 232. So does the steel can that holds the chipotles. When the Can Manufacturers Institute asked the White House to exempt filled food cans, the request was, in the institute’s words, “completely denied.” So before you take your first bite, tariffs have already taken theirs.

Next, the filling. In July 2025, the Commerce Department imposed a 17 percent duty on Mexican tomatoes, which account for roughly 90 percent of American tomato imports. Tomato prices this spring ran 40 percent above their level a year earlier, rising faster than any other grocery store staple. One sandwich chain reported that the price for a case of tomatoes rose from $27 to $93.

Then there’s the beef itself. Ground beef reached $6.89 a pound in July, up 57 percent from five years ago.





Same servers? Article does not say.

https://www.reuters.com/technology/pentagon-treating-military-base-freezer-malfunctions-suspected-cyberattack-2026-10-29/

Pentagon treating military base freezer malfunctions as suspected cyberattack, officials say

The Pentagon is treating the spate of mysterious freezer malfunctions that spoiled food at military bases across the United States in August as a suspected hack, according to four officials familiar with the matter.

One of the ‌officials said the military investigators were in touch with their French counterparts about a similar cyberattack on commercial freezers that disrupted supermarkets there earlier this month.

… The root problem was that controllers that were initially conceived as isolated interfaces that would be serviced by an in-person technician were increasingly being connected to the internet, said Bill Moore, the chief executive of industrial cybersecurity firm Xona Systems. Concerns about online exposure were not unique to cooling systems, he said, but they could have particularly serious consequences there.





Some will, some won’t. None should.

https://www.theregister.com/security/2026/10/29/shortlist-of-age-checks-for-the-uks-under-16-social-media-ban-is-out-some-adults-will-need-verifying/5306282

Shortlist of age checks for the UK's under-16 social media ban is out, 'some' adults will need verifying

The UK’s comms watchdog has put forward four methods of checking netizens aren't kids – dubbed highly effective age assurance (HEAA) – as it prepares for the proposed under-16 social media ban.

The regulator says some adults may not need to prove their over-16-ness to social media platforms that will make inferences about their age based on previous activity, but confirmed that "many" are likely to have to undergo the same verification process.