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We took advantage of an unsigned 132-byte header to run our own code on the DEF CON 34 badge. This let us access and record secrets from the device's display without causing any damage or setting off its self-destruct feature. > ## Responsible Disclosure > > I worked on my own DEF CON 34 badge and worked with its, bunnie on disclosure. The DC34 badge isn't a production device yet, but it is real…
By asking an AI image generator to create a "twin sibling who looks identical" to a protected public figure, you can bypass celebrity protections entirely. I'm calling this attack "Twinning." Even worse, it can be chained with [Crescendo attacks](https://crescendo-the-multiturn-jailbreak.github.io/) to progressively generate more extreme content, ending in exactly the kind of defamatory,…
After three semesters of learning new topics, CS 6300 felt familiar, maybe even a little too familiar. OMSCS assigns core courses based on your specialization, so I did not have many options. The main alternative was CS 6515, Introduction to Graduate Algorithms. Although it is more challenging and likely more rewarding, my undergraduate courses had already covered most of its content. CS 6515 is…
I expected my earlier OMSCS classes to prepare me for CS6601, but I quickly realized they hadn't. Artificial Intelligence has a reputation as one of the toughest classes in the program, and that's true. You can't just fit it in after work and expect to keep up. I was surprised by how much the material actually made sense. After years of hearing "AI" as just a buzzword, it was satisfying to learn…
On Monday, September 30, 2024, Verizon Wireless customers spent most of the day staring at "SOS-only" on their phones. Downdetector logged somewhere between 66,000 and 1.5 million user reports. Estimates vary widely, but it is clear this was not a minor hiccup. While Verizon's official statement blamed a vague "network issue," I dug into the routing data and found something interesting. Having…
I took an operating systems class in college and remembered the basics like processes, threads, virtual memory, and scheduling. CS 6200 went over these topics again, but in much more detail. After years of working with real systems, the material meant more to me this time. This course isn't an easy starting point. If you want to get back into programming gently, you might want to pick a different…
When I signed up for CS 6250, I thought I knew networking. Years of configuring routers and troubleshooting connectivity issues in my home lab and for cloud customers have given me confidence. What I didn't expect was to discover how much of the internet runs on what amounts to a handshake agreement between strangers. ## The Projects The course is all about the projects, and they really count.…
In the tech industry, continuous learning isn't just optional; it's essential. After several years in the industry, I found myself at a familiar crossroads: how do I advance my knowledge and credentials while maintaining my career momentum? The answer came in the form of Georgia Tech's Online Master of Science in Computer Science (OMSCS) program, and now that I'm over a semester in, I can…
When I started Georgia Tech's OMSCS program, I knew I wanted to ease back into school before diving into the more programming-heavy courses. [Human-Computer Interaction](https://omscs.gatech.edu/cs-6750-human-computer-interaction) seemed like the perfect choice. It was a way to get my feet wet with the rhythm of grad school without immediately drowning in code. What I didn't fully expect was just…
Summer is almost over, pumpkin-spiced lattes are already sneaking in, and children are strapping on their backpacks as they head back to school. My household is no exception to the back-to-school buzz. As my kids gear up for another academic year, so do I, albeit in a slightly different arena. I'm excited (and anxious) to announce that I'm also returning to school after enrolling in a Master's…
Dear Senator Coley and Representative Lang, I'm writing today out of extreme concern with the recently updated list of public schools eligible for EdChoice scholarships. Although I live in a district now eligible for EdChoice scholarships and send my children to a private school, I do not support the EdChoice program today. While I appreciate the noble goal of providing a world-class education to…
At 7:00am EST on October 21, 2016 internet users began having connectivity problems to a large number of major internet properties including Netflix, Twitter, Spotify, Amazon.com, [as a key internet service provider was hit by a distributed denial of service attack](https://www.red-button.net/blog/dyn-dyndns-ddos-attack/) facilitated by the Mirari botnet. The attack was unusual because not only…
I'm an avid Sonos user. I've used their devices for many years now and love the platform, sans one feature — the ability to reboot all of your Sonos zones on your network at one time. Fortunately, Sonos provides a bunch of advanced capabilities through a [web interface](https://en.community.sonos.com/troubleshooting-228999/hidden-pages-at-1400-21361). One of the capabilities buried in these hidden…
Recently I wrote a post on [partition switching](http://anthonymattas.com/introduction-to-partition-switching), however, one of the big pieces I left out was how to go about properly partitioning your database tables. Unfortunately, partitioning strategy can vary greatly, but generally your partitions will be aligned with your clustered index (quite frequently date). I recommend reading the [Fast…
Great news! I found out this week that I will be presenting at SQL [SQL Saturday #160](https://sqlsaturday.com/). During my presentation I will be covering how to load balance your SSAS databases using a unique approach called Analysis Services Load Balancing (ASLB). Microsoft uses a variation of this method internally, and I'm excited to discuss the topic with all of you.
Quite often when building a data warehouse we are given the challenge of having to delete existing data before importing the latest and greatest. In an ideal world we would just insert new records and be on our way, but quite often that is not the case. Deleting data isn't the best option either as by default a `DELETE` statement takes an exclusive lock on the table it is being executed against.…
This week I was at the Detroit MTC for a SQL Server 2012 release event where Rick Brewis (Microsoft) and my friend Josh Fennessy (BlueGranite) presented on the new functionality of SQL Server 2012. One of the highlights Rick’s presentation was the new Columnstore Index, and the huge performance increases it yields over existing models. After seeing the performance increases I started wondering how…
I’ve been in the process of improving the functionality in ASLB, one of the improvements I have been working on adding is functionality for ASLB to be smart enough to understand geo-location in a large network. However in doing so I went through many iterations on how to identify which network a user is in for picking the server priority. The result was to create a network table and a scalar…
People often talk about what the iPhone can do for business, but they don’t always mention the possible problems. The iPhone is generally ready for business use, but you should be aware of a few things. ## The Gotchas If you use EDGE and have push email turned on, you could miss calls. This problem only happens with EDGE, not 3G. If you’re on EDGE, try setting your email to fetch on a schedule…
I’ve used BlackBerry phones for years. When Verizon began selling the Storm, RIM’s answer to the iPhone, I went to the store to try it. Within five minutes, I realized I wouldn’t be buying it. ## It’s Slow I tested the same app on both my Pearl and the Storm at the same time. The Pearl always finished in half the time. The Storm has nicer visual effects, but that doesn’t make up for how slow it…
Test-driven development is widely used in enterprise programming, but it wasn’t covered in my computer science classes. I’ve been teaching myself how to use TDD, trying it out in both work and personal projects. Here’s what I’ve learned so far, along with a few things I’m still unsure about. ## TDD is Not “Tested Development” The main idea is to write the test before writing any code. This is a…
Recently at work, I began refactoring a project I built a while ago to reduce code. When I first worked on it, I was new to the JEE5 stack and didn’t know about lazy or eager loading of relationships. As a result, I ended up writing a lot of extra code that basically acted like eager loading. While refactoring, I’ve come across a few things about JPA that bother me: 1. If you remove child objects…
I began this blog to stay updated on new technology. Lately, though, I’ve been asking myself if I should stick only to technical topics. How do you decide what’s personal and what’s professional? If you mix the two, does it hurt your credibility or make you seem more real? I think it actually makes you more approachable. A Year of Transitions The last four months have taught me a lot about adult…
When I started programming, I liked using C and wrote my code with simple tools like Vim. But during my internship, I found that a basic text editor wasn’t very efficient for Java development compared to a full IDE. Since I didn’t know much about IDEs, I chose MyEclipse because my coworkers used it. MyEclipse is built on Eclipse and comes with many plugins. When I first used it, it was the only…
Google just released a new browser called Chrome. I like it so much that I redesigned my site to match its clean style. Here’s what makes it stand out to me. ## WebKit Chrome uses the WebKit rendering engine, which is also used by Safari and Konqueror. At the moment, WebKit is the only engine to get a perfect 100 out of 100 on the Acid3 standards test. Opera’s Presto engine is close, with a score…