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Over? It hasn’t even began!


The place are we within the pandemic?

The underside line right here is that anybody making the assertion ‘popping out of the Covid surroundings’ has not stored up with the info, which display the next:

1. Transmission is ~ 98% through airborne aerosols, identified since March 2020 and firmly established by preliminary guidelines on masking and areas the place that is maintained.

2. The pandemic is unabated. Instances stay excessive, with a number of waves a 12 months. This to the extent that hospital beds refill each wave, world-wide well being care staff are burning out as a consequence of overwork and ready lists are getting so lengthy that the most suitable choice is changing into the avoidance of in poor health well being.

3. Deaths are decrease as a consequence of vaccines, however SARS-CoV-2 is an adept immune escapologist

4. Lengthy Covid is a rising socio-economic drawback, a consequence is the lack of members of an organisation’s workforce.

5. Viral persistence is measurable 15 months after restoration, and among the many targets is bone marrow and the immune system.

6. There isn’t any remedy and no efficacious therapy, and that is true  for acute an infection (when you will have overt signs for ~ 10 days), viral persistence (months/years, see beneath) and LongCovid (see beneath). That is in distinction to HIV.

The implications of the above are that organisations must:

A. Explicitly state that masks are anticipated to protect the well being of your self and of your co-workers and supply masks to the workforce.

B. Explicitly present particulars on air flow of rooms occupied by the workforce and/or set up HEPA filters in all such rooms.

C. Anticipate these with even partial signs have a transparent LFTs earlier than returning to work.

D. Present updates on the standing of present variants, how a lot we don’t know and the extent to which Public Well being surveillance is dependable.

Anything is a gross dereliction of responsibility on the a part of an organisation’s administration.

Under I take every of the above statements and supply the proof, together with hyperlinks. If any reader from my office, the College of Liverpool can provide you with an argument primarily based on proof why we should always not take all doable measures in opposition to transmission, then I’ll settle for that the College doesn’t must take such measures. Till then, not doing so stays a gross dereliction of responsibility.

Transmission

Transmission is ~98% by airborne aerosols. Aerosols DO NOT drop to the bottom, they continue to be airborne, and the one safety is to cut back their focus. That is achieved by two complementary routes:

Masks to cut back the quantity of aerosols put into the air by an contaminated individual;

Air flow and filtration to make sure fast dilution.

Some sources and feedback on these

A pleasant article in PNAS on how secondary bodily measures work, which ought to be on the desk of each organisations’ Well being and Security Workplace.

A quite simple message from JAMA in an article on this topic

“As a result of no single method is 100% efficient in stopping COVID-19, prevention measures work finest when layered, together with vaccination and nonpharmacologic interventions that cut back inhalation of infectious particles.”

The identical article makes additional wonderful factors. One on the long-term implications for constructing design

“Decreasing contaminants in shared air by bettering air dealing with programs in buildings is a lovely, broadly efficient structural measure that doesn’t require repeated particular person actions.”

There’s a good Sci-Comm piece right here.

The proof on the efficacy of the totally different layers of is that you’re safer in a small room with an unvaccinated individual, each carrying a FFP2/N95 masks, than in the identical room, each vaccinated however  with out masks.

We should always in fact so far as doable have all measures in place.

Pandemic is unabated

Information acquisition is being dismantled, so it’s important to make use of essential schools. The testing programme is not practical, since you can’t report the outcomes of assessments bought privately. Furthermore, the wonderful ONS survey will quickly be restricted, so we may have even much less info on the quantity contaminated later within the 12 months, and the one proxy will then be NHS information on admissions and mattress occupancy.

For the document the ONS survey information are right here and for the week ending 29 June 2022 for England the estimated variety of folks testing constructive for COVID-19 was 2,154,000 (95% credible interval: 2,062,600 to 2,247,100), equating to three.95% of the inhabitants, or round 1 in 25 folks.

There are very helpful analyses of those information, which I like to recommend, e.g., @TravellingTabby on Twitter who maintains a superb information net web page from the ONS information

The concept the virus is attenuating is WRONG. As often small numbers, massive impact sizes, once we go to a good sized research (130 okay sufferers) there is no such thing as a proof that Omicron is milder

Deaths are decrease

The estimate from WHO is that vaccines have prevented 20 M deaths. Nevertheless, extra deaths over historic common nonetheless substantial. The issue is that the efficacy of the vaccines is sweet, however not practically ok. That is compounded by giving the virus a free reign in order that pure choice can function at extraordinarily excessive throughput. The result’s a virus that was already good at immune escape is now a grasp. Some information within the hyperlinks beneath.

The Tweetorial from Deepti Gurdasani covers a latest Science paper that demonstrates immune escape and that T-cell immunity to Omicron is poor at finest

The paper is right here.

Long Covid

This happens in a big variety of folks after they get well from acute an infection. The danger solely decreased somewhat by vaccination in accordance with this massive research of 33 okay folks contaminated after vaccination with over 13 M controls!

A key take dwelling message from this paper is:

Altogether, the findings counsel that vaccination earlier than an infection confers solely partial safety within the post-acute part of the illness; therefore, reliance on it as a sole mitigation technique could not optimally cut back long-term well being penalties of SARS-CoV-2 an infection. The findings emphasize the necessity for continued optimization of methods for major prevention of BTI and can information improvement of post-acute care pathways for folks with BTI. 

Importantly, the chance of LongCovid will increase with every an infection.

The ONS (UK) information kind early April 2022 point out 1.7 million folks with LongCovid within the UK (2.7% of the inhabitants), and it additionally impacts the younger…:

“40,000 aged 2-11 (confidence intervals 32K-48K) 59,000 aged 12-16 (confidence intervals 52K-66K) That’s a complete of 99,000 youngsters “

For these aged 17-24, that’s 89,000 (CI 77K-102K)

For these with an sickness length of at the least A YEAR: 14,000 aged 2-11 (confidence intervals 9K-19K) 17,000 aged 12-16 (confidence intervals 13K-20K) That’s a complete of 31,000 youngsters. For these aged 17-24, that’s 45,000 (CI 36K-54K).

Sadly, these affected can’t pursue their normal lives and work, research, hobbies, and many others., are largely or utterly suspended.

There’s good proof that micro clots are a part of the issue and it appears possible that viral persistence in our organs may additionally contribute.

Viral persistence

Information from autopsies display viral persistence in organs in even average instances (so no hospitalisation) as much as 15 months publish an infection. These information are more likely to worsen, reasonably than higher as we progress into the pandemic and we purchase extra time-dependent information.

Tright here is not any remedy and vaccines are an assist, however not an answer

The medicine we’ve are merely re-purposing current ones, and their efficacy is modest, at finest. It will likely be a while, 5 to 10 years  maybe, earlier than we’ve medicine that particularly goal SARS-CoV-2 capabilities comparable to its polyprotein protease. There’s good proof for microclots taking part in a job in LongCovid, however we haven’t but received a medical trial working with preregistered outcomes and many others. – to date we’ve case experiences solely.

Present vaccines are shedding efficacy in opposition to variants more proficient at immune escape, a wholly predictable end result given close to zero measures to cut back transmission, so the virus has had an evolutionary subject day exploring host-pathogen interactions, to our detriment in fact.

The long run with out measures past vaccination

Attrition of the workforce, most pronounced in these uncovered to massive numbers of people in small areas, comparable to healthcare and schooling.

Attrition of the scholar inhabitants capable of undertake research.

The end result is that society will not be sustainable, in the identical approach that Medieval societies weren’t sustainable within the face of inhabitants loss because of the Plague. One solely has to think about the advanced chain of abilities that underpin primary on a regular basis facets of life:

The cell phone, wants leading edge sills in supplies, chips, telecommunications networks, GPS satellites, electrical energy manufacturing, and naturally software program in all components of the chain. 

Take out 10% of the workforce and we wrestle. At the moment over 2.7 % of the inhabitants are affected, ~0.9 % to the extent they can not work, and this after simply 2.5 years of the pandemic. What can we stand up to? 5%, 10 %? I don’t know, however I can’t see a sound argument for testing the speculation that society can stand up to X% of LongCovid. In case you have one, let me know.

The Future 

Future A We proceed to disregard the proof, and see whether or not our society can stand up to the impression of a giant % of its inhabitants with LongCovid requiring care and being unable to work. It is a plan of action taken by an ideologue, and isn’t doable for a scientist to behave on this approach, since in science we critically consider proof.

Future B We apply mitigation measures in order to cut back the frequency of transmission, cut back infections and so the quantity with LongCovid, till such time because the pandemic is over and/or we’ve medicine that basically work. That is the plan of action of any organisation that has the effectively being of its employees (and college students) as a core worth, it’s evidence- and knowledge-driven, and goals to be sustainable, that’s to exist in a recognisable kind in 10-50 years time.



Charging an EV equal to paying 40 cents a litre for fuel: report


TORONTO —  With summer season highway journey season in full swing, Canadian EV drivers are paying the gasoline equal of $0.40 per litre to energy their rides, in keeping with a brand new report from Clear Vitality Canada, The Scenic Route, which compares the price of proudly owning an EV to that of a fuel automobile.

Actually, a visit from Montreal to Toronto prices 4 instances as a lot in a fuel automobile ($70) than in an EV ($17). Equally, driving from Vancouver to Kelowna is sort of six instances dearer ($57 vs. $10), whereas a visit from Edmonton to Calgary is twice the value utilizing fuel ($32 vs. $17). 

When these gas financial savings are mixed with different prices (together with the automobile’s buy worth and upkeep prices) and utilized over a 10-year possession interval, EVs save their drivers round $30,000—or $3,000 a yr—in comparison with an equal fuel automobile, the report finds.

Whereas some EVs nonetheless have the next sticker worth than comparable gas-powered choices, many electrical options are actually cheaper upfront when rebates are factored in. The report examines 4 totally different car pairs—hatchbacks, sedans, SUVs, and vehicles. The electrical sedan and truck are already cheaper the second you drive them off the lot, whereas the hatchback makes up for its greater upfront price after simply two months of driving. The electrical SUV takes 4 years and eight months to interrupt even due to the next upfront price differential however continues to be simply the most affordable possibility over a typical possession interval.

With most electrical automobiles in the marketplace now providing greater than 400 kilometres of vary, taking the scenic route will not be solely doable in an EV—it’s an entire lot cheaper.

KEY FACTS

  • The report assumes every car is owned for 10 years, pushed 20,000 kilometres yearly, and (within the case of fuel automobiles) fuelled with $1.60-per-litre-gasoline (the 2023 nationwide common).
  • Selecting a Chevrolet Bolt as an alternative of a Toyota Corolla Hatchback will save $28,500 over a 10-year possession interval. 
  • Equally, selecting a Volkswagen ID.4 over a Honda CR-V will save $28,500 over a 10-year possession interval. 
  • Selecting a Tesla Mannequin 3 as an alternative of a Lexus ES will save $38,000 over a 10-year possession interval. 
  • Selecting an F-150 Lightning as an alternative of a gas-powered F-150 saves essentially the most of all: $40,000 over 10 years.

RESOURCES

Report | The Scenic Route

Associated report | A Clear Invoice



Fixing “Changing non-sendable perform worth might introduce information races” in Swift


Printed on: August 12, 2024

When you begin migrating to the Swift 6 language mode, you may most certainly activate strict concurrency first. As soon as you’ve got executed this there shall be a number of warings and errors that you will encounter and these errors may be complicated at occasions.

I will begin by saying that having a strong understanding of actors, sendable, and information races is a large benefit whenever you need to undertake the Swift 6 language mode. Just about the entire warnings you may get in strict concurrency mode will let you know about potential points associated to working code concurrently. For an in-depth understanding of actors, sendability and information races I extremely suggest that you simply check out my Swift Concurrency course which can get you entry to a collection of movies, workouts, and my Sensible Swift Concurrency ebook with a single buy.

WIth that out of the way in which, let’s check out the next warning that you simply may encounter in your undertaking:

Changing non-sendable perform worth might introduce information races

Often the warning is a little more detailed, for instance in a undertaking I labored on this was the complete warning:

Changing non-sendable perform worth to ‘@Sendable (Information?, URLResponse?, (any Error)?) -> Void’ might introduce information races

This warning (or error within the Swift 6 language mode) tells you that you simply’re making an attempt to go a non-sendable closure or perform to a spot that expects one thing that is @Sendable. For comfort I’ll solely use the time period closure however this is applicable equally to features.

Take into account a perform that is outlined as follows:

func performNetworkCall(_ completion: @escaping @Sendable (Information?, URLResponse?, (any Error)?) -> Void) {
    // ...
}

This perform ought to be known as with a closure that is @Sendable to ensure that we’re not introducting information races in our code. After we attempt to name this perform with a closure that is not @Sendable the compiler will complain:

var notSendable: (Information?, URLResponse?, (any Error?)) -> Void = { information, response, error in 
    // ...
}

// Changing non-sendable perform worth to '@Sendable (Information?, URLResponse?, (any Error)?) -> Void' might introduce information races
performNetworkCall(notSendable)

The compiler is unable to ensure that our closure is protected to be known as in a unique actor, job, or different isolation context. So it tells us that we have to repair this.

Often, the repair for this error is to mark your perform or closure as @Sendable:

var notSendable: @Sendable (Information?, URLResponse?, (any Error?)) -> Void = { information, response, error in 
    // ...
}

Now the compiler is aware of that we intend on our closure to be Sendable and it’ll carry out checks to ensure that it’s. We’re now additionally allowed to go this closure to the performNetworkCall technique that you simply noticed earlier.

If you would like to be taught extra about Sendable and @Sendable take a look at my course or learn a abstract of the subject proper right here.

A Proof-Of-Idea Cobalt Strike Reflective Loader Which Goals To Recreate, Combine, And Improve Cobalt Strike’s Evasion Options!

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A Proof-Of-Idea Cobalt Strike Reflective Loader Which Goals To Recreate, Combine, And Improve Cobalt Strike’s Evasion Options!

A proof-of-concept Consumer-Outlined Reflective Loader (UDRL) which goals to recreate, combine, and improve Cobalt Strike’s evasion options!

Contributors:

UDRL Utilization Concerns

The built-in Cobalt Strike reflective loader is strong, dealing with all Malleable PE evasion options Cobalt Strike has to supply. The foremost drawback to utilizing a customized UDRL is Malleable PE evasion options could or is probably not supported out-of-the-box.

The target of the general public BokuLoader undertaking is to help crimson groups in creating their very own in-house Cobalt Strike UDRL. The undertaking goals to help all worthwhile CS Malleable PE evasion options. Some evasion options leverage CS integration, others have been recreated utterly, and a few are unsupported.

Earlier than utilizing this undertaking, in any kind, you must correctly check the evasion options are working as meant. Between the C code and the Aggressor script, compilation with totally different variations of working programs, compilers, and Java could return totally different outcomes.

Evasion Options

BokuLoader Particular Evasion Options

  • Reflective callstack spoofing through artificial frames.
  • Customized ASM/C reflective loader code
  • Oblique NT syscalls through HellsGate & HalosGate strategies
  • All reminiscence safety adjustments for all allocation choices are performed through oblique syscall to NtProtectVirtualMemory
  • obfuscate "true" with customized UDRL Aggressor script implementation.
  • NOHEADERCOPY
  • Loader is not going to copy headers uncooked beacon DLL to digital beacon DLL. First 0x1000 bytes might be nulls.
  • XGetProcAddress for resolving symbols
  • Doesn’t use Kernel32.GetProcAddress
  • xLoadLibrary for resolving DLL’s base handle & DLL Loading
  • For loaded DLLs, will get DLL base handle from TEB->PEB->PEB_LDR_DATA->InMemoryOrderModuleList
  • Doesn’t use Kernel32.LoadLibraryA
  • Caesar Cipher for string obfuscation
  • 100k UDRL Measurement
  • Import DLL names and import entry identify strings are stomped in digital beacon DLL.

Supported Malleable PE Evasion Options

Command Choice(s) Supported
allocator HeapAlloc, MapViewOfFile, VirtualAlloc All supported through BokuLoader implementation
module_x64 string (DLL Title) Supported through BokuLoader implementation. Similar DLL stomping necessities as CS implementation apply
obfuscate true/false HTTP/S beacons supported through BokuLoader implementation. SMB/TCP is at the moment not supported for obfuscate true. Particulars in difficulty. Accepting assist when you can repair 🙂
entry_point RVA as decimal quantity Supported through BokuLoader implementation
cleanup true Supported through CS integration
userwx true/false Supported through BokuLoader implementation
sleep_mask (true/false) or (Sleepmask Package+true) Supported. When utilizing default “sleepmask true” (with out sleepmask equipment) set “userwx true”. When utilizing sleepmask equipment which helps RX beacon.textual content reminiscence (src47/Ekko) set “sleepmask true” && “userwx false”.
magic_mz_x64 4 char string Supported through CS integration
magic_pe 2 char string Supported through CS integration
transform-x64 prepend escaped hex string BokuLoader.cna Aggressor script modification
transform-x64 strrep string string BokuLoader.cna Aggressor script modification
stomppe true/false Unsupported. BokuLoader doesn’t copy beacon DLL headers over. First 0x1000 bytes of digital beacon DLL are 0x00
checksum quantity Experimental. BokuLoader.cna Aggressor script modification
compile_time date-time string Experimental. BokuLoader.cna Aggressor script modification
image_size_x64 decimal worth Unsupported
identify string Experimental. BokuLoader.cna Aggressor script modification
rich_header escaped hex string Experimental. BokuLoader.cna Aggressor script modification
stringw string Unsupported
string string Unsupported

Check

Mission Origins

Utilization

  1. Compile the BokuLoader Object file with make
  2. Begin your Cobalt Strike Crew Server
  3. Inside Cobalt Strike, import the BokuLoader.cna Aggressor script
  4. Generate the x64 beacon (Assaults -> Packages -> Home windows Executable (S))
  5. Use the Script Console to make sure BokuLoader was carried out within the beacon construct

  6. Doesn’t help x86 possibility. The x86 bin is the unique Reflective Loader object file.

  7. Producing RAW beacons works out of the field. When utilizing the Artifact Package for the beacon loader, the stagesize variable have to be bigger than the default.
  8. See the Cobalt Strike Consumer-Outlined Reflective Loader documenation for added info

Detection Steerage

Hardcoded Strings

  • BokuLoader adjustments some generally detected strings to new hardcoded values. These strings can be utilized to signature BokuLoader:
Authentic Cobalt Strike String BokuLoader Cobalt Strike String
ReflectiveLoader BokuLoader
Microsoft Base Cryptographic Supplier v1.0 12367321236742382543232341241261363163151d
(admin) (tomin)
beacon bacons

Reminiscence Allocators

DLL Module Stomping

  • The Kernel32.LoadLibraryExA is named to map the DLL from disk
  • The third argument to Kernel32.LoadLibraryExA is DONT_RESOLVE_DLL_REFERENCES (0x00000001)
  • the system doesn’t name DllMain
  • Doesn’t resolve addresses in LDR PEB entry as detailed by MDSec right here
  • Detectable by scanning course of reminiscence with pe-sieve software

Heap Allocation

  • Executable RX or RWX reminiscence will exist within the heap if sleepmask equipment is just not used.

Mapped Allocator

  • The Kernel32.CreateFileMappingA & Kernel32.MapViewOfFile is named to allocate reminiscence for the digital beacon DLL.

Sleepmask Detection

Oblique Syscalls

  • BokuLoader calls the next NT systemcalls to setup the loaded executable beacon reminiscence: NtAllocateVirtualMemory, NtProtectVirtualMemory
  • These are known as not directly from the BokuLoader executable reminiscence.
  • Setting userland hooks in ntdll.dll is not going to detect these systemcalls.
  • It might be doable to register kernelcallbacks utilizing a kernel driver to observe for the above system calls and detect their utilization.
  • The BokuLoader itself will comprise the mov eax, r11d; mov r11, r10; mov r10, rcx; jmp r11 meeting directions inside its executable reminiscence.

Digital Beacon DLL Header

  • The primary 0x1000 bytes of the digital beacon DLL are zeros.

Supply Code Out there

  • The BokuLoader supply code is offered throughout the repository and can be utilized to create reminiscence signatures.
  • If in case you have further detection steering, please be at liberty to contribute by submitting a pull request.

Credit / References

Reflective Name Stack Spoofing

Reflective Loader

HalosGate SysCaller

  • Reenz0h from @SEKTOR7net
  • Checkout Reenz0h’s superior programs and blogs!
  • Greatest courses for malware improvement I’ve taken.
  • Creator of the halos gate approach. His work was initially the motivation for this work.
  • Sektor7 HalosGate Weblog

HellsGate Syscaller

Aggressor Scripting

Cobalt Strike Consumer Outlined Reflective Loader

  • https://www.cobaltstrike.com/help-user-defined-reflective-loader

Nice Useful resource for studying Intel ASM

ETW and AMSI Bypass

Implementing ASM in C Code with GCC

  • https://outflank.nl/weblog/2020/12/26/direct-syscalls-in-beacon-object-files/
  • https://www.cs.uaf.edu/2011/fall/cs301/lecture/10_12_asm_c.html
  • http://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc-4.0.2/gcc/Prolonged-Asm.html#Prolonged-Asm

Cobalt Strike C2 Profiles



Apple Pay donation marketing campaign launched to help America’s nationwide parks

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It is one other 12 months, so it is one other donation marketing campaign for Apple to help the nationwide parks in the USA. As we speak, the corporate introduced its newest marketing campaign, which can donate cash for each buy at Apple utilizing Apple Pay.

In a press launch, the corporate mentioned “As we speak by means of August 25, Apple will make a $10 donation to the Nationwide Park Basis for each buy made with Apple Pay on apple.com, within the Apple Retailer app, or at an Apple Retailer within the U.S.”