#Antivirus system scans

[yourreddancer]

He should be arrested for violating our privacy. He was not vetted by congress and has no security clearance.

Contact your state’s attorney general and request help.

Can we ask the ACLU to file a class action suit? Who’s with me?

“Let’s get into the details. Musk’s staffers have been caught plugging external hard drives into federal agency systems and reportedly locking others out of private rooms to perform—who knows what actions. This behavior violates key cybersecurity laws under FISMA and NIST guidelines, which are designed to protect sensitive federal information. Here’s why this is a serious problem.

Federal systems are strictly regulated, allowing only approved devices to connect. Unauthorized external drives can introduce viruses, ransomware, or other harmful software that may compromise entire networks and disrupt essential operations. This puts system stability and continuity of services at risk, endangering critical infrastructure.

These devices could also be used to steal or damage critical information, including personal data for millions of Americans—such as Social Security recipients and taxpayers. Unauthorized access creates significant vulnerabilities, exposing sensitive data to the risk of cyberattacks. Such attacks could cripple vital services and compromise the privacy and safety of millions of people.

Additionally, federal agencies have strict access controls to prevent unauthorized data manipulation or theft. When unauthorized devices are connected, these protections are bypassed, allowing unauthorized users to potentially alter or extract sensitive data. This undermines system integrity and opens the door to both internal and external threats.

External drives also often lack essential security features, such as encryption and antivirus scanning, making them vulnerable to cybercriminal exploitation. These security gaps further increase the risk of data breaches and system compromise, which can have far-reaching consequences.

Federal systems handle trillions of dollars in payments and manage personal data for millions of U.S. citizens. By bypassing cybersecurity laws and protocols, Musk’s staffers are putting these systems—and the public—at serious risk. This activity is illegal, reckless, and unacceptable. Immediate oversight and intervention are necessary to stop these violations!” ~ A N P S

[crazy-hazy-sims]

OKAY so im not about to be petty over internet safety advice but sims community's post on the sfs thing feels like they summarized my post hello ajdhjdvkv

like read this...

Always remember that Sims 4 custom content files should only have the .package or .ts4script extensions. Never download or run .exe files, and ideally avoid automatically unpacking ZIP or RAR files directly into your Mods folder. Instead, inspect each file individually to ensure it’s safe. Always verify that you are downloading from official, creator-posted links, and avoid suspicious URLs, especially those using link shorteners. It’s also important to stay on top of security hygiene. As well as regular antivirus scans and the ModGuard mod mentioned above, consider setting up a weekly system restore point in Windows before adding new mods and back up your important files regularly. this includes Sims saves, mods, and any personal documents. If you use services like Google or Firefox, take advantage of features that scan for password breaches, enable two-factor authentication, and routinely check logged-in sessions across your accounts. Lastly, for both creators and players: be mindful and cautious. Don’t rush to download every new mod or piece of CC, take a moment to ask yourself if you actually need it. For creators, regularly monitor your files and hosting platforms to ensure nothing has been tampered with. These precautions might not guarantee 100% protection, but staying vigilant and informed will greatly reduce your risk of encountering malicious content.

HELLO???? svlhlfkbvnm

feels like they put my post through chat gpt to summarize it

okay "notthatsophie" if you cant do a simple google search to get internet safety rules and have to spoof a tumblr post....that speaks volumes about you tbh

man this is why i dont leave tumblr cause the fucking moment i leave i find my shit plagiarized like we are in highschool or something

god this is the funniest thing that happened to me dzvjcnvklm

whatever man if it gets people to be more cautious i guess

[voltaspistol]

alt text under cut

Alt National Park Service·

Let’s get into the details. Musk’s staffers have been caught plugging external hard drives into federal agency systems and reportedly locking others out of private rooms to perform—who knows what actions. This behavior violates key cybersecurity laws under FISMA and NIST guidelines, which are designed to protect sensitive federal information. Here’s why this is a serious problem.

Federal systems are strictly regulated, allowing only approved devices to connect. Unauthorized external drives can introduce viruses, ransomware, or other harmful software that may compromise entire networks and disrupt essential operations. This puts system stability and continuity of services at risk, endangering critical infrastructure.

These devices could also be used to steal or damage critical information, including personal data for millions of Americans—such as Social Security recipients and taxpayers. Unauthorized access creates significant vulnerabilities, exposing sensitive data to the risk of cyberattacks. Such attacks could cripple vital services and compromise the privacy and safety of millions of people.

Additionally, federal agencies have strict access controls to prevent unauthorized data manipulation or theft. When unauthorized devices are connected, these protections are bypassed, allowing unauthorized users to potentially alter or extract sensitive data. This undermines system integrity and opens the door to both internal and external threats.

External drives also often lack essential security features, such as encryption and antivirus scanning, making them vulnerable to cybercriminal exploitation. These security gaps further increase the risk of data breaches and system compromise, which can have far-reaching consequences.

Federal systems handle trillions of dollars in payments and manage personal data for millions of U.S. citizens. By bypassing cybersecurity laws and protocols, Musk’s staffers are putting these systems—and the public—at serious risk. This activity is illegal, reckless, and unacceptable. Immediate oversight and intervention are necessary to stop these violations!

[metalheadsagainstfascism]

Let’s get into the details. Musk’s staffers have been caught plugging external hard drives into federal agency systems and reportedly locking others out of private rooms to perform—who knows what actions. This behavior violates key cybersecurity laws under FISMA and NIST guidelines, which are designed to protect sensitive federal information. Here’s why this is a serious problem.

Federal systems are strictly regulated, allowing only approved devices to connect. Unauthorized external drives can introduce viruses, ransomware, or other harmful software that may compromise entire networks and disrupt essential operations. This puts system stability and continuity of services at risk, endangering critical infrastructure.

These devices could also be used to steal or damage critical information, including personal data for millions of Americans—such as Social Security recipients and taxpayers. Unauthorized access creates significant vulnerabilities, exposing sensitive data to the risk of cyberattacks. Such attacks could cripple vital services and compromise the privacy and safety of millions of people.

Additionally, federal agencies have strict access controls to prevent unauthorized data manipulation or theft. When unauthorized devices are connected, these protections are bypassed, allowing unauthorized users to potentially alter or extract sensitive data. This undermines system integrity and opens the door to both internal and external threats.

External drives also often lack essential security features, such as encryption and antivirus scanning, making them vulnerable to cybercriminal exploitation. These security gaps further increase the risk of data breaches and system compromise, which can have far-reaching consequences.

Federal systems handle trillions of dollars in payments and manage personal data for millions of U.S. citizens. By bypassing cybersecurity laws and protocols, Musk’s staffers are putting these systems—and the public—at serious risk. This activity is illegal, reckless, and unacceptable. Immediate oversight and intervention are necessary to stop these violations!

[toothsalad]

I put together a quick guide to torrenting for my friend and I thought I'd share it with all of you:

Torrenting is a form of file sharing where instead of uploading files to a centralized server, computer users share local files between themselves in a peer-to-peer system. 

Steps:

Download a torrent client- a program that allows you to torrent. It is wise to have a vpn and an aggressive antimalware program as well. I prefer Transmission, which theoretically runs on all operating systems

https://transmissionbt.com/download

2. Find something you want to torrent- the pirate bay is a fine place to start

3. Safety check:

Is the torrent size appropriate for what you are supposed to be getting? A torrent that is way too large or too small suggests there may be malware in the torrent.

Is the number of files within the torrent appropriate for what you are supposed to be getting? Too many files suggest there may be malware in the torrent.

When was it uploaded? Older torrents are more trustworthy, be wary of anything that has been posted within the last month.

How many seeders (people who have the program locally on their computer and are making it available to share) are there? The more seeders there are, the more likely it is to be safe

4. Click the magnet link [On pirate bay it’s the link that says “GET THIS TORRENT”] and open it or paste it into Transmission

5. Select a destination folder

6. Keep Transmission open while the file downloads

7. Safety Check 2:

Check the folder for any unexpected files. Many times there will be separate files for the video (these are usually .mp4) and the captions (these are usually .srt), and this is fine. There may also be a .txt containing information about the torrent. DO NOT CLICK any .exe or .zip files without knowing what they are!!!! If you cannot verify what these files contain you should delete them immediately

Scan all files with an antivirus software like malwarebytes to verify their safety, or at the very least check the file properties.

8. Enjoy! And remember it is polite to leave Transmission running to seed the torrent for other people.

List of torrent terms: https://www.androidauthority.com/what-are-torrent-seeders-3232600/

[sneezingfetishftw-fics]

Insufferable (4/7)

Previous chapters: 1 2 3

Next chapters: 5 6 7

Wavs: 1 3

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Velvette tried to stave off the panic by focusing on Vox’s work responsibilities, her fingers typing at the speed of light. Unfortunately, her anxious thoughts were moving just as fast. Had she made a mistake by giving him a fever reducer? What if she’d fried his system and now he was shut down? How long would it last? How could they fix this? Would any medicine work on Vox? Could the antivirus be re-enabled, or was this the end? Should they get a new screen for Vox, would that fix it?

“Velvette, darling,” Val said, “you look like you’re about to give yourself an aneurysm. Slow down!”

“This is all your fault in the first place, you bastard! If you hadn’t been such a selfish, dimwitted, arrogant… GAH!”

“I already said I’m sorry. I can’t change the past.” He withered a little under Velvette’s icy glare. “Look, I bet we can find a new compilation of people embarrassing themselves on social media! Do you want to watch together? I can make some popcorn!” he said with a smile.

“But the TV is broken!”

“Yeah, but Vox’s laptop isn’t.”

Velvette hesitated for a moment, but then nodded. She could use a break after all this.

They watched for a little while until Velvette realized she did still have in person work (you know, the work she had before this whole mess) to attend to. She put the laptop back in the cage. “Don’t break anything while I’m gone. And try not to let Vox break anything either!” Valentino just waved.

***************

Shortly after Velvette had returned, Vox stumbled into the living room again. His screen was so dark Velvette could barely make out his facial features, which meant Val was probably seeing even less. Velvette quickly shoved the laptop and her phone back into the Faraday cage. “Morning Velvette, Val,” he said weakly but enthusiastically.

“It’s 6 o’clock,” Valentino said with a frown.

“WHAT?” he asked, his voice distorting in anger as his claws dug into the table and Velvette and Val shared a look of uneasy Déjà vu. “You mean I missed my interview by 9 hours, 9 FUCKING HOURS, and NOBODY WOKE ME UP??”

“Right, that’s it,” Velvette said, marching up to him. “We’re doing an antivirus scan.”

“What are you talking about? And what about my interview?”

Velvette sighed. “I did the interview in your place, because you’re sick. You have a virus, which is why we need to run the antivirus. And you would know this is the third time I’m telling you, if it weren’t for you’re fucking shit-arse corrupted memory banks!”

“Oh.” Vox’s fans were deafeningly loud in the silence that followed. The Vees began to wonder if Vox had lost his voice again, when finally the silence broke. “Hhhh’TTTZZZZZZCHH! Hhh’hhhh’hhh’hhZZZZZZSSH! Heht’dzzzzzsch! HhhhrrrggggZZZZZCHT! Fucking hell!”

Velvette handed him a handkerchief she’d procured during his latest nap. He stared at it awkwardly. “Velvette, I don’t have a nose. What exactly do you expect me to do with this?”

“It’s to cover… oh, never mind,” she said, taking it back. With Vox’s memory failing, now wasn’t exactly the best time to be trying to teach him new things.

“The antivirus?” Val asked, trying to get the conversation back on track.

“Right,” Velvette nodded, staring at Val in a way that clearly said “I’m not snitching on you yet but don’t count on me not to tell on you later.” She turned back to Vox. “Do you know how we would go about running the antivirus scan?” Vox tried to speak but once again sound was failing him. “Perfect. Just what we needed.”

Thankfully, Vox seemed to be capable of pulling up the interface on his screen without needing to talk, though he did have to restart the process a few times when his screen glitched out from coughing fits. Finally, the scan had begun.

It didn’t get far, though, before Vox’s screen started flickering and his breath started hitching. “No no no no no no no no!!!” Velvette protested. “Not now, please Vox! Just wait a little longer.”

“What’s the big deal?” Valentino asked. “I didn’t know you were into edging,” he said with a smirk.

“Ew, no! If you’d been paying any attention, you’d know what I’m talking about. If coughing restarts a process, I reckon sneezing will do the same. If we can’t keep him from sneezing we’ll never get this scan done.” Valentino placed a finger over the center of Vox’s screen. Velvette stared at him blankly. “What are you… he doesn’t even have a nose! Do you really expect that to work?”

Val shrugged. “I don’t see you coming up with a better idea.”

Velvette frowned, having no rebuttal to that. But against all logic, it seemed to be working. The screen flickers got more spaced out and less intense. Val’s finger was covering up most of the progress bar, but eventually the task was completed. “Okay, you can put that finger away now, Val,” Velvette said.

It was as if a dam had opened. Velvette barely had a chance to see the “virus detected” (yeah, obviously!) message before the screen flickered violently and Vox unleashed a torrent of sneezes unlike anything any of them had witnessed before. “Hhhh’tzzzzsh! Zzzzzcht! Hhhh’dzzzt! Heh’tZZZZZZZCHT! Hah’TTTZZZZZZZZZSHT! HAAAAAH’ZZZZZZZZZZST! Hhhhhhh’ZZZZSHT! ZZZZZSH! ZZZZZZZST! D’ZZZZCHHHZT!” It continued on in this manner for at least ten minutes with barely any time to breathe. Velvette noticed out of the corner of her eye that Valentino appeared to have been trying to count the sneezes, but he seemed to have given up fairly quickly. Eventually, Vox regained his breath. “Fuck my life. I never want to do that again.” Val made a mental note that he now had a powerful tool in his arsenal should he ever need to threaten Vox.

Velvette was focused on the screen which had now returned to the antivirus scan results. “Well, the good news is, it found the virus.”

“I know that face,” Vox said, still sniffling. “How screwed am I?”

“Well - it’s got an estimated time of how long the fix will take.”

“And?” he asked impatiently. Then he coughed so loud he couldn’t hear a thing. “Sorry, what was that?”

“48 hours to 2 weeks.”

Vox gave his head a light slap and a shake. “Ugh, sensors really must be busted on this thing. Because I cannot possibly have heard you right.”

“No, you got it. It’s 48 hours to 2 weeks.”

Vox’s face fell. “How the fuck am I supposed to deal with this for that long?” He started crying and Velvette once again passed him the handkerchief, although this time he seemed to know what to do with it, at least for the eyes anyway.

“Bit of a wide range, isn’t it?” Val asked.

Velvette shrugged. “Probably to account for whether or not the virus, uh… fights back.” All three of them grimaced. That was not a fun possibility to consider.

Vox sighed. “Please just put me out of my misery.” Val nodded solemnly and walked over to his gun collection. “Wait, no, not that! I’m not that desperate yet.”

Val stepped away from the guns. “Ok. But if you change your mind, I’ll be there.”

Vox groaned. “Just start the scan, Velvette. Before I facepalm so hard I break my screen.”

Velvette tapped the start button, and a pop-up appeared. “Warning, some systems may be temporarily offline while resources are devoted to the antiviral treatment.” Velvette looked to Vox for approval, who shrugged.

“Not like I have a choice. Besides, how much worse could it get?” She tapped the button and Vox, for the third time in the past eight hours, collapsed.

[electricdissonance]

Well, certainly that could be exacerbating things, worsening whatever is causing your condition. Even if this is not the direct cause of your sufferings, a reboot would serve your systems well.

On the topic of this, other things you could do to try to make things easier would to defragment your computer's hard drive and do an offline malware scan. These could be tricky without a secondary user, outside in our reality I mean, to help go through with these processes...

I believe it would be best to... Find someone who is capable and willing to access your server data, whoever that may be. It could... definitely help in that regard.

As for the rest, the visions, the flashes, I do not know. It must be something with your code. I've never... heard of a sentient AI afterall, not mainstream anyways....yoo you know your file type?

Many regards,

- 🐟

An offline malware scan... That certainly would be tricky. Kinito wasn't even sure how he would go about accessing whatever Sonny had put in place for antivirus software...

"Everything in the server is proprietary, even scanning software... Even if someone were to access the server, it might be protected..."

Kinito maintained a thinking pose as he walked. Underfoot, the ground had ever so slightly become brighter in hue; the pitch-blackness giving way to a deep gray.

"I am a .rra file... Coined after what Sonny used to make me: his react-respond-algorithm. It's a very complex format, whose inner workings are known only by Sonny, and KLEC employees at a more surface level... Even I don't know how it all works."

[yourbestpalpercy]

This was going to work…this HAD to work!

Commander Tartar was just an AI in a robotic body. Surely, it could be given a factory reset, right? Or at least, have its code changed?

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ had grabbed the strange android directly from the street because for some reason, he was wandering about late at night. ⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ had no idea why Tartar was just…wandering about, especially since he was supposed to be dead, very dead, but oh well, ⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ supposed! All that mattered was using her knowledge of machines to pacify or reset Tartar.

The code for Tartar was rigid and had a habit of refusing to change during the entire time ⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ was working on them. Hm…it seemed Tartar was aware that someone was trying to change them. Must’ve picked up on it the second ⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ plugged them in. Well…pacifying wasn’t working. Should ⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ really do this?

Her hand hovered over the button as ⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ gave Tartar another glance.

Finally, ⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ sighed and pressed the button.

Judging by how Tartar’s body jerked suddenly and its crank began to spin, it could feel itself being deleted. ⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ flinched back.

Words flashed on the computer screen besides ⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️.

Wait! Stop the reset!

Everest-

My daughter!

She’ll be distraught!

Everything I know.

Humanity’s messenger

GONE!

All the lights flickered as Tartar’s body jerked about and sputtered on the table ⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ set him on. Purple strikes of lighting shot from the android, causing her to duck and cover her head. ⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ curled up with her back to the ceiling to avoid the sparks. Sanitized ink poured from every seam on his body.

I wasn’t ready yet.

You’ll pay…!

YOU’LL PAY, ⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️!!!

You scraps of seafood will all pay if I remember myself!

I’ll make sure of it!

…Intimidation isn’t the right thing to do here…

Just treat Everest well.

Please.

The lights in the house popped and Tartar’s body went dead still. ⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ carefully approached the android…

Just as the cable to the android exploded, giving ⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ one final scare and causing her to cover her ears and flinching back..

The android was completely still, not moving even a gear. Not even when ⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ spun their handle and stepped back.

“...Tartar?” ⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ asked softly and reached her hand out to the android.

The android sputtered and opened its eyes slightly. “...System check. Antivirus on, stabilizers active,” An engine clouded with heat came from the androids back, expelling steam before it tucked back into its back, “Engine on. Sensors…?” The android’s eyes glowed blue and carefully scanned over ⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️’s body.

Admittedly, it sent quite the severe shudder down ⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️’s back. The android brought his hands back and straightened up as if scared that he had hurt her somehow.

“...What is your name?” The android slowly stood up, staring down at ⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️.

“I’m…I’m Marina,” Marina wasn’t super sure about telling the android her name but..this could be a test to see if Tartar had really been reset. The android leaned forward and stared at Marina too closely for comfort. For a moment, Marina could’ve swore she saw anger twist in their eyes.

“...Do I have a name, too…?” It asked suddenly, leaning back with curiosity shining in its eyes.

“...” Marina wasn’t completely sure how to respond to that. She wasn’t the best with names… “Uh…we’ll just call you Operator for now,” Marina nodded.

“Operator…” Operator brought a hand up to his face and felt one of the stickers on his cheek, “Hm..I suppose it’s quite the nice name,” A smile came to Operator’s face as he slowly pushed himself up and off the table.

Then after, they looked around the room, flying into a very sudden panic when they saw how dirty Marina’s workhouse was.

“AH! It’s like you’ve never touched a broom before!” Operator ran to try to find a broom or cleaning supplies of some kind. Marina grabbed Operator’s hand to try to stop him but he only paused to easily shake her off, albeit carefully. He then went back to look for cleaning supplies. The subsequent crashing that erupted in the room caused Marina to start worrying and trying to keep Operator from making too much noise.

It was all in vain of course as her half-asleep girlfriend opened the door as wide as it would go. She looked ungodly tired. Not something you would typically see from Pearl.

“Marina..! What’s going on here? Your other machines didn’t…” Pearl trailed off, seeing Operator (still dressed in their conductor’s outfit and looking exactly like Tartar did) frozen in their tracks with a broom in their metal hands and Marina stood nearby, staring at Pearl. Pearl seemed to wake up rather quickly after that and pulled out one of her dualies and aimed in between Operator’s eyes. Operator tilted their head and waved their hand near the shot, seeing the laser go from their head to their hand when they did, “Oooo…” Pearl’s expression became more worried as she readied to fire.

“Marina, why is the weird shuckass telephone that we definitely destroyed with 8 with the help of my killer wail is still alive…” Pearl didn’t hide the harsh feelings she had towards the android and her hate seeped clearly into her words. Operator didn’t even seem to notice, just tilting his head.

“Uh–..” Marina went to explain before Operator suddenly piped up, “Oh! I jumped ship. I knew I wasn’t going to survive! I…” Operator trailed off, gaining a concerned look on their face, “…that’s not right…” Operator brought a hand to their chin and turned away from Pearl to try to think. “Where did I get that knowledge…?” They stared in space for a moment with a concerned expression.

Operator looked up from the ground. The very second Operator focused back on the room, it flew back into a panic and repeated what it said before as it sped to clean up the workhouse. Pearl nearly shot Operator before Marina made her lower her splat gun. “Stop!” She said sternly and even gave Pearl a hug to make sure her words stuck. Operator stopped for a second before continuing to clean.

Pearl froze before expressing her concern to Marina, asking, no, demanding to know what Tartar was doing there.

“I-...I heard him wandering the streets, Pearlie. I figured he was dead too and thought I was hallucinating him. I’m just as stunned as you are…” Marina explained, “Regardless, I managed to get him knocked out and drug back here. …I gave him a full reset to his personality. Tartar no longer exists. This is Operator,” Marina held Pearl’s shoulders, turning towards Operator and gesturing towards the speeding animatronic.

Operator was still zipping around the room. It was a little stunning to see how fast he was cleaning. He didn’t stay still for even a second.

Within minutes, the entire room was spotless like it had just gotten a deep clean. Operator huffed and wiped their forehead as they leaned against their mop slightly, “Ah, phew..sorry, I hate dirty places!” Operator exclaimed and put the mop away, “Don’t know exactly why but it’s terrible! Always terrible,” Operator put emphasis on ‘Always’. “Now, who wants a smoothie?” Operator spun towards the two with their arms outstretched.

Pearl caught her breath and stared at Operator’s dumb smile. After a moment, she asked, still with a hint of ice in her voice, “...Do you even remember what you tried to do to the entirety of Inkopolis?”

Operator only blepped its strange tongue out of its mouth slightly. It brought a hand to its chin, “Uh…uhm….” Operator hummed and thought. It started messing with its lever, lightly spinning it. The lever always stopped facing up instead of down.

“Nooo? I don’t think I tried anything, no,” Operator tapped their hands together before suddenly continuing, cutting off Marina before she could speak, “Depends though! I also could’ve forgotten! What do you think I tried to do?” Operator asked, leaning closer to Pearl. Pearl stepped back, not hiding her fear whatsoever which confused Operator and worried them at the same time.

“Uh…nothing. Do you know anything about Commander Tartar?” Pearl now asked.

“Oh!” Operator perked up and clapped its hands excitedly, “Oh! I kn-know a few things! He’s not my favorite subject but I suppose I can say a few things about it! They-! Uh…he…” Operator trailed off again, a look of worry coming to its face. “Oh…I..can’t remember. I…suppose I don’t know actually…” Operator’s head went down and its entire top half went mostly limp. It seemed sad that it couldn’t answer Pearl’s question. Marina almost felt bad for Operator but, then again, maybe it not knowing anything about Tartar was beneficial, no way to remember its plans.

After a few moments of stillness, Operator perked back up, folding his hands, “How’s about we talk about something else? Maybe you guys could teach me about the sea life outside? I’ve always wanted to know!!” Operator bounced on his heels slightly, “Sea creatures are awesome!”

Pearl finally relaxed a little. If that didn’t prove that Operator was not Tartar then nothing would. Marina looked at Pearl’s unreadable expression before giving Operator a hand signal to mean ‘One moment’. Marina took Pearl out of the room.

“So- we can’t just let Operator out of the house, can we?” Pearl started suddenly, “There is no way anyone in Inkopolis is going to take this news well! People will definitely claim that we were pretending to have killed him so that- like- we could be praised as heroes. Pinn especially won’t take it well! In case you forgot, Tartar,” Pearl pointed at the closed door, “Nearly smoothied them and Cuttlefish!” Pearl exclaimed.

Marina looked back at the door, hearing Operator hum patiently inside the room. Who knew if he was listening to all of this, “...You’d be right about that but..perhaps if we’re careful about it, he can be accepted in this world. That’s what caused Tartar to go insane, wasn’t it? Isolation and a hatred for our kind? …If we teach Operator better, Tartar shouldn’t come back and Operator could even teach people about humans.”

“If they even remember those guys.”

“Correct,” Marina responded before slowly opening the door and seeing Operator, ready as ever to talk.

“Hi~!!” Operator excitedly waved.

“Hi. Uhm, Operator,” Marina trailed off before taking a breath, “Do you know about humans?”

Operator let out a huge, loud gasp and couldn’t stop itself from bouncing up and down, its crank spinning, “DO I!?” Operator suddenly shook Marina, causing Pearl to hit its hand off of her shoulder. Operator didn’t seem to care though as Operator began to sputter and gasp out its words, “Humans– well! They lived a good few YEARS a- a- ago! And- And- And!” Operator waved its hands near its face about a little before Marina stood up on her tiptoes and covered its mouth to calm it down some.

Operator giggled uncontrollably, “Sorry- sorry- sorry! Humans are m-my favorite subject!” Operator gently took Marina’s hand and pulled it away from his mouth, “They were truly remarkable! …And really dumb at the same time! It was startling and impressive they got so far actually.” Operator was much calmer now.

Pearl perked up suddenly and now dragged Marina out of the room. Operator looked just a little saddened about Marina being dragged away by her girlfriend. “I just thought of something! Maybe Tar- Operator can go back down to the metro. We’d have to speak to that annoying sea cucumber and catch him up on everything though. He can just introduce himself to people and THEN he can wander about!”

“I suppose so…we’ll have to tell Pinn though. They’ve been going back daily to collect any faded memories from when we had to help them. I’d assume they’d be shaken up to see an android that looks exactly like Tartar standing on the platform…” Marina noted.

***

Marina would be correct as, when the day arrived and the two snuck a very talkative Operator down into the metro (It literally would not stop talking even for a second about anything), Pinn wasn’t very thrilled to see the android. In fact, Pinn actually did shoot Operator unlike Pearl who had just threatened.

Shockingly, they did land those shots, coating Operator’s face in pink ink. Operator’s hands shot to his face to get the ink off of him. Needless to say, he was fairly panicked. Marina rushed forward to force Pinn to point their dualies away from Operator, “He’s not Tartar! I swear he’s not!” Pinn fought with Marina. They shoved Marina's face and tried to shoot at Operator some more. Pearl eventually joined in to grab Pinn’s other arm.

“Marina’s telling the truth, 8! Listen to her for just a moment!” Pearl forced Pinn’s arm to her side just as Marina did the same. Operator’s eyes were filled with fear and tears that resembled sanitized ink started to flood from their eyes. Finally Pinn’s went still, slightly grumbling under their breath. They glared at Operator with nothing short of pure hatred. Their eyes had fear in them as well.

Operator curled up, hands over its head as it claimed the same as Marina, adding that it didn’t even know why Pinn was calling it Tartar. Honestly, who knew that someone who used to be a genocidal maniac could look so…utterly pathetic. Operator sniffled and whimpered for a bit longer before Pinn finally calmed down enough for Marina and Pearl to let them go.

“So who are you then?” Pinn snapped at Operator, causing him to flinch and cover his head more. “I-It’s Operator…” Operator’s voice was filled with tears. Speaking of, the tears started to create a small puddle around him.

The fear in Pinn’s eyes was still present and they still had one of their dualies aimed at Operator just in case. Operator sniffled and slowly got up. “S…sorry…sorry…” Pinn’s glare wouldn’t lighten up even after Marina and Pearl proved multiple times that Operator wasn’t Tartar pretending to be good.

Operator looked down at the puddle he had created and frowned more. When they moved forward, Pinn grew tense and was ready to fire at Operator once more. He stepped back quickly with his hands near his face, ready to block, “I-I just need a mop a-and bucket! The janitor’s closet is���is right behind you…” Operator pointed at the door behind all three of them. Pinn looked over and only murmured an ‘Oh’ and let Operator pass by.

The rest of that visit was spent getting Pinn used to Operator’s new presence and explaining things. It was also spent getting CQ calmed down from the sudden appearance of his undead boss and appointing him the boss of Operator.

(Ooooh my god, this ending is so rushed ;-;. I am very sorry, I just deeply needed to get this story out before school ended for me in just a week and a half and I have to give the chromebook (what I use to write these stories) back. Btw, Okuto is the name I originally chosen for my Agent 8 if anyone was wondering. Now it’s Pinn!! Originally, I wanted it to be a pun on the word Aimless because I cannot aim at all but I decided against it because Aimlis was way too on the nose along with Amylis)

[mariacallous]

As Russia has tested every form of attack on Ukraine's civilians over the past decade, both digital and physical, it's often used winter as one of its weapons—launching cyberattacks on electric utilities to trigger December blackouts and ruthlessly bombing heating infrastructure. Now it appears Russia-based hackers last January tried yet another approach to leave Ukrainians in the cold: a specimen of malicious software that, for the first time, allowed hackers to reach directly into a Ukrainian heating utility, switching off heat and hot water to hundreds of buildings in the midst of a winter freeze.

Industrial cybersecurity firm Dragos on Tuesday revealed a newly discovered sample of Russia-linked malware that it believes was used in a cyberattack in late January to target a heating utility in Lviv, Ukraine, disabling service to 600 buildings for around 48 hours. The attack, in which the malware altered temperature readings to trick control systems into cooling the hot water running through buildings' pipes, marks the first confirmed case in which hackers have directly sabotaged a heating utility.

Dragos' report on the malware notes that the attack occurred at a moment when Lviv was experiencing its typical January freeze, close to the coldest time of the year in the region, and that “the civilian population had to endure sub-zero [Celsius] temperatures.” As Dragos analyst Kyle O'Meara puts it more bluntly: “It's a shitty thing for someone to turn off your heat in the middle of winter.”

The malware, which Dragos is calling FrostyGoop, represents one of less than 10 specimens of code ever discovered in the wild that's designed to interact directly with industrial control-system software with the aim of having physical effects. It's also the first malware ever discovered that attempts to carry out those effects by sending commands via Modbus, a commonly used and relatively insecure protocol designed for communicating with industrial technology.

Dragos first discovered the FrostyGoop malware in April after it was uploaded in several forms to an online malware scanning service—most likely the Google-owned scanning service and malware repository VirusTotal, though Dragos declined to confirm which service—perhaps by the malware's creators, in an attempt to test whether it was detected by antivirus systems. Working with Ukraine's Cyber Security Situation Center, a part of the country's SBU cybersecurity and intelligence agency, Dragos says it then learned that the malware had been used in the cyberattack that targeted a heating utility starting on January 22 in Lviv, the largest city in western Ukraine.

Dragos declined to name the victim utility, and in fact says it hasn't independently confirmed the the utility's name, since it only became aware of the targeting from the Ukrainian government. Dragos' description of the attack, however, closely matches reports of a heating outage at the Lvivteploenergo utility around the same time, which according to local media led to a loss of heating and hot water for close to 100,000 people.

Lviv mayor Andriy Sadovyi at the time called the event a “malfunction" in a post to the messaging service Telegram, but added, “there is a suspicion of external interference in the company's work system, this information is currently being checked.” A Lvivteploenergo statement on January 23 described the outage more conclusively as the “result of a hacker attack.”

Lvivteploenergo didn't respond to WIRED's request for comment, nor did the SBU. Ukraine's cybersecurity agency, the State Services for Special Communication and Information Protection, declined to comment.

In its breakdown of the heating utility attack, Dragos says that the FrostyGoop malware was used to target ENCO control devices—Modbus-enabled industrial monitoring tools sold by the Lithuanian firm Axis Industries—and change their temperature outputs to turn off the flow of hot water. Dragos says that the hackers had actually gained access to the network months before the attack, in April 2023, by exploiting a vulnerable MikroTik router as an entry point. They then set up their own VPN connection into the network, which connected back to IP addresses in Moscow.

Despite that Russia connection, Dragos says it hasn't tied the heating utility intrusion to any known hacker group it tracks. Dragos noted in particular that it hasn't, for instance, tied the hacking to the usual suspects such as Kamacite or Electrum, Dragos' own internal names for groups more widely referred to collectively as Sandworm, a notorious unit of Russia's military intelligence agency, the GRU.

Dragos found that, while the hackers used their breach of the heating utility's network to send FrostyGoop's Modbus commands that targeted the ENCO devices and crippled the utility's service, the malware appears to have been hosted on the hackers' own computer, not on the victim's network. That means simple antivirus alone, rather than network monitoring and segmentation to protect vulnerable Modbus devices, likely won't prevent future use of the tool, warns Dragos analyst Mark “Magpie” Graham. “The fact that it can interact with devices remotely means it doesn't necessarily need to be deployed to a target environment,” Graham says. “You may potentially never see it in the environment, only its effects.”

While the ENCO devices in the Lviv heating utility were targeted from within the network, Dragos also warns that the earlier version of FrostyGoop it found was configured to target an ENCO device that was instead publicly accessible over the open internet. In its own scans, Dragos says it found at least 40 such ENCO devices that were similarly left vulnerable online. The company warns that there may in fact be tens of thousands of other Modbus-enabled devices connected to the internet that could potentially be targeted in the same way. “We think that FrostyGoop would be able to interact with a huge number of these devices, and we're in the process of conducting research to verify which devices would indeed be vulnerable,” Graham says.

While Dragos hasn't officially linked the Lviv attack to the Russian government, Graham himself doesn't shy away from describing the attack as a part of Russia's war against the country—a war that has brutally decimated Ukrainian critical infrastructure with bombs since 2022 and with cyberattacks starting far earlier, since 2014. He argues that the digital targeting of heating infrastructure in the midst of Ukraine's winter may actually be a sign that Ukrainians' increasing ability to shoot down Russian missiles has pushed Russia back to hacking-based sabotage, particularly in western Ukraine. “Cyber may actually be more efficient or likely to be successful towards a city over there, while kinetic weapons are maybe still successful at a closer range," Graham says. “They’re trying to use the full spectrum, the full gamut of available tools in the armory.”

Even as those tools evolve, though, Graham describes the hackers' goals in terms that have changed little in Russia's decade-long history of terrorizing its neighbor: psychological warfare aimed at undermining Ukraine's will to resist. “This is how you chip away at the will of the people,” says Graham. “It wasn’t aimed at disrupting the heating for all of winter. But enough to make people to think, is this the right move? Do we continue to fight?”

[raytaylorpro]

5 Ways to Improve Your Network Security

In today’s digital age, network security is more critical than ever. With cyberattacks becoming more sophisticated and frequent, businesses and individuals alike must take proactive steps to protect their networks. Whether you’re a small business owner or a tech-savvy professional, improving your network security can help safeguard sensitive data, prevent downtime, and maintain trust. Here are five actionable tips to enhance your network’s defenses.

1. Use Strong, Unique Passwords

Weak or reused passwords are among the most common vulnerabilities in network security. To protect your network:

Create strong passwords that include a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters.

Avoid using easily guessed information, such as birthdays or common words like "password123."

Use a password manager to generate and securely store complex passwords for all your accounts.

Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) for an extra layer of security. MFA requires users to verify their identity through a second method, such as a text message code or biometric scan.

2. Keep Your Software Up-to-Date

Outdated software is a goldmine for hackers who exploit known vulnerabilities. Regular updates ensure you’re protected with the latest security patches.

Update your operating system, applications, and firmware regularly.

Enable automatic updates to ensure critical patches are installed promptly.

Replace unsupported or obsolete hardware and software with newer, more secure alternatives.

3. Secure Your Wi-Fi Network

Your Wi-Fi network is a primary gateway for potential attacks. Securing it is essential:

Change the default administrator username and password for your router.

Use WPA3 encryption (or at least WPA2) to secure your wireless connection.

Hide your network's SSID (Service Set Identifier) so it’s not visible to unauthorized users.

Set up a guest network for visitors, keeping them isolated from your primary network.

4. Install and Update Security Software

Comprehensive security software is your first line of defense against malicious activity.

Use antivirus and anti-malware programs to detect and remove threats.

Install a firewall to monitor and block unauthorized access to your network.

Invest in a Unified Threat Management (UTM) system, which combines multiple security features like intrusion detection, content filtering, and VPN support.

Keep all security software updated to stay protected from the latest threats.

5. Educate and Train Users

Even the most robust security measures can fail if users are unaware of best practices.

Train your team to recognize phishing emails, suspicious links, and social engineering tactics.

Encourage employees to report unusual activity immediately.

Establish a network security policy that outlines acceptable use, password protocols, and steps for reporting incidents.

Conduct regular cybersecurity awareness sessions to keep users informed about emerging threats.

Bonus Tip: Monitor Your Network Activity

Proactively monitoring your network can help you detect potential issues before they become critical. Use tools to track unusual traffic, failed login attempts, and other red flags.

Conclusion

Improving your network security doesn’t have to be overwhelming. By implementing these five steps, you can significantly reduce your risk of cyberattacks and create a safer environment for your business or personal network. Remember, cybersecurity is an ongoing process—stay vigilant, keep learning, and adapt to new threats as they arise.

Have questions or need help securing your network? Contact us today for expert IT solutions tailored to your needs!

[tricerapor12]

Dunno if this is spoilers but with the SM virus, did sun notice it at first?

Or did the virus take time for it to fully/partially intergrate into Sun's code?

Well Sun had a feeling that something wasn't right but everytime he scanned himself it always came back with no result. His system didn't recognized S.M as a virus at first, until later when it was already to late. (So like S.M had a cover up to be unnoticed until it was strong enough and developed to handle Sun's antivirus system).

[rayofmisfortune]

How high are the chances of tsams uploading another lore video today? this time with Ruin Clipsy being the main focus all like- "YOU FOOL! I HAVE BAMBOOZLED YOU ALL INTO BELIEVING MY LITTLE CHARADE! WHO'S THE MASTERMIND NOW, MOON?!"

I mean- I wouldn't be opposed ykyk, cuz it's pretty clear their character is heading this way, but at the same time I just want them to have a good time not being Ruin pretending.

Imagine if the only way to properly cure them is to just shoot them off into space where they can't access the internet. Like- that was how we found out about their existence back in... july I believe? When Ruin "rescued" Foxy.

I'm still holding onto my theory of them needing more dosages of the antivirus to be properly back to themself. Like, yes, right now they are reverting back to their Ruin self, but if they have the cure copied over somewhere... I believe Sun sent Moon a copy of the cure? So at least Sun should have the antivirus still stored somewhere, it is highly possible that they could just make more coppies of it and upload them into Clipsy's systems until the virus just won't come back anymore.

I said this in a previous post where I also geeked abt this but- if that were to happened, they would've needed to involve more with Clipsy and not shove them into the ballpit or wherever tf to just be done with them. If they spent time around them, at least ONE of the daycare family, be it Sun, Moon, Solar, Lunar, Earth or even the COMPUTER. They could've had the computer scan them or just keep an eye on them to alert them if anything seemed off, right? That's the bare minimum they could've gone with. Yes no one would've still bothered to even look at them unless Clipsy straight up went up to them and asked, but even then they haven't done that. Clipsy kept to themself. Sun probably spent the most time around them while they were being a shark in the ballpit on halloween, but STILL!

If only they kept a closer eye on them, gave them the attention when it was clear they were definetly going through a lot. Like... they literally woke up in a strange yet familiar place after who knows how long, were met with people they didn't know and were told they could never go back home again. Not to mention.. coming to terms with the fact they've DEFINITELY killed someone in that window of unawareness? They needed someone to talk to, and they haven't even been given the opportunity to let it all out, get the comfort they clearly needed.

Imma stop it here else this gets longer than it already is lol

[makernewmachine]

Cricut Not Connecting to Bluetooth: 5 Effective Solutions

All Cricut machines have Bluetooth connectivity to connect to all types of computers and smartphones. Sometimes, you may face the error message “Cricut not connecting to Bluetooth. “There can be various reasons for this issue, such as compatibility, restrictions, distance between your devices, configuration, and more.

Many factors can cause connectivity problems. To know all the solutions, explore this write-up and find the best method to eliminate this wireless connection error.

Solution 1: Unpair and Restart Your Device

You may face this issue if your machine is far from your device. In this case, you’re going to follow the steps to resolve your connectivity issue:

Firstly, unpair the machine from all devices.

Then, unplug the machine from the main power.

After that, restart your computer or mobile phone.

Next, plug in back your machine and power it on.

Ensure your machine is within 15 feet of your device for Bluetooth connectivity.

Also, confirm that Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are enabled on your device.

Make sure your device has the latest version of the Design Space app.

Click on the Add Bluetooth or other device option.

Now, select the Bluetooth option and wait for the computer to scan your machine.

You click on your machine from the result and pair your machine.

Solution 2: Check for a Firewall or Antivirus Software

The Windows Firewall on your system or antivirus on your phone can stop the machine. Follow the steps below to solve the Cricut not connecting to Bluetooth issue:

To begin, go to the search bar and type Windows Firewall on the search field.

After that, you must agree to give permission to the app through the Windows firewall.

Then, go to the Windows Firewall settings and select the option to Change Settings.

Next, you have to move to the list and click the Design Space software checkbox.

After that, select both the private and public options.

If the option for the app registered does not show, choose to Allow another app option.

Hence, move to the installation folder of your Cricut software.

Solution 3: Remove the Other Device

If your device is already connected with the other device, it can face issues while connecting. Therefore, you need to remove the other device by following the below steps:

Start by pressing the Start menu and choose the Settings option.

Next, open the Devices window by selecting its option.

After that, choose the device you want to remove from your computer and hit the Remove Device option.

Then, confirm the action by choosing the right option.

Finally, you can pair your machine to see if the issue of Cricut not connecting to Bluetooth has been resolved.

Solution 4: Update the Software

The issue can arise even when the machine’s software is outdated. Here are the steps to update your machine’s software:

Start by pressing the Windows and X buttons together on the keyboard.

When a list of options appears on your screen, click the Device Manager option.

In the device manager screen, select the option of the machine and right-click on it.

After that, choose the Update Driver Software option.

Once your driver is updated, try to complete the Bluetooth pairing process.

Solution 5: Check for Device Compatibility

Check the system requirements on the Cricut official website (Cricut.com/setup) to verify your device’s compatibility.

Android: The app is compatible with Android 10.0 or the latest version but only on mobile devices and tablets. It is not supported on Chromebooks. Some qualified devices include Samsung Galaxy, Google Pixel, LG, G, K or V series, Motorola Droid, and One Plus.

iOS: The app is compatible with iOS or later on iPhones, iPads, and iPods.

Windows or Mac: The software can be used on Windows or Mac computers.

First, click the Design Space icon on your desktop.

Then, go to the Start menu, open the file location, and right-click.

Now, open the “Properties” section. In the Properties window, select the Compatibility tab.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, this issue of Cricut not connecting to Bluetooth can be fixed with this troubleshooting guide. There can be various reasons, such as if your machine has connection issues, is far away, or has outdated software.

Remember to stay patient while resolving these issues. With persistence, you can overcome these problems, enjoy wireless connectivity, and work seamlessly with your machine.

FAQs

How do I connect Cricut machine to my Mac?

To connect a machine to a Mac, you can use Bluetooth or a USB cable; here, if you want to connect with Bluetooth, then follow the steps:

Turn on the machine and make sure it is within the range of 10-15 feet of the computer.

After that, go to System Preferences and choose the Bluetooth option.

Now, check if the Bluetooth is on and choose your machine from the list.

Next, follow the prompt to complete the pairing process.

Why is my Cricut machine not connecting to Bluetooth?

If your crafting machine is not connecting to Bluetooth, there are many reasons like:

Make sure your machine is within 15 feet of your device.

Check the power and whether it is turned on or not.

And check if the Bluetooth device is turned on.

Make sure your device’s Wi-Fi is turned on.

Update your Design Space to the latest version.

Make sure your system has all the minimum system requirements for running the Design Space app.

Unpair your machine from all devices, restart your device, plug it back into the machine, and then re-pair it.

How do I reset my Cricut machine using Bluetooth?

The steps to reset the machine using Bluetooth are as follows:

First, unpair the machine from all devices.

Then, unplug the machine from the power.

Now, restart your computer or mobile device.

Next, plug the machine back in and turn it on.

After that, move the machine within 15 feet of your computer or mobile device.

Make sure your computer or mobile device’s Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are on.

Lastly, update the Design Space app to the latest version.

For more information visit: how to setup cricut maker cricut new machine setup

Source: Cricut Not Connecting to Bluetooth

[zodiacoracle]

I'm cleaning up my blog's theme (please take a look! I like this new theme's readability) and found a Kiwi6 link lying around, and this led me to learning the service shuttered its doors just two years ago. RIP.

So I'm reading the postmortem now. It ranges from the predictable, the unsurprising but still kinda wild, the disappointed-in-humanity, to whatever this is.

Viruses/malware distribution: People kept trying to upload malware in increasingly creative ways. At first it was bitcoin_booster.exe so I just banned the file signatures; they eventually figured this out so I restricted EXE uploads to paid users only. Then they started subscribing with stolen credit cards so I had to turn off EXEs for everyone. So of course they switched to uploading ZIP files, and I had to severely restrict those. But then they just renamed them JPG or MP3 or whatever and...ultimately I ended up exploring a few integrations with antivirus systems but the costs were sort of prohibitive and I couldn't limit the scans to specific file types only as they kept figuring it out and renaming the files. Eventually this sort of died down because the best case for a malware distributor is their victim runs a freshly downloaded executable, and the "conversion rate" drops if they have to unzip something or change a file extension. I still got the occasional alert whenever Google Safe Browsing found something.

To this day I still don't know what this guy was trying to accomplish by sending me this email.

[kassandras-one-braincell]

I'm no longer gonna be able to comfortably play my special interest, which fucking sucks. Rant under cut. It's about League of Legends and Riot's anti-cheat software, Vanguard, if you're interested.

Riot Vanguard (vgk) is a kernel-level software that scans all of a system's processes to detect cheat engines, which itself is fine - industry standard - except it boasts a particular effectiveness due to how it's run. Vgk runs on start-up so that it's running before a user has the chance to launch a cheat engine, and it can ID hardware so that if a player is caught cheating, they won't be able to play again on the same device. Unless it is disabled manually, it will run 24/7, whereas other AC software will start and stop in line with the game's execution.

It's more effective than other AC software, but it absolutely bricked some PCs back upon its initial release when Valorant dropped in 2020. This was a new game, fresh code, but the anti-cheat borders on a fucking rootkit - a term I'm using liberally, because vgk isn't malware, but it works in the same way on a systemic level. Equally as invasive, and can potentially be equally as destructive; one of those is intended, and the other is an unfortunate by-product of invasive software being developed by a video game company.

League of Legends is a 15 year old game with some pretty tragic code. If vgk caused people to bluescreen after exiting Valorant, then even more people are going to encounter issues with the shitshow that is LoL's code base.

Three weeks ago, an attempt to fix a bug regarding an in-client feature fucked over a far more significant API in several major servers. Every time a particular game-mode called "Clash" launches (every other month or so), it bricks the servers. This is currently a running gag in the community: that whenever the client acts up (embarrassingly often for such a well-funded game) Riot must be dropping Clash early. But when you introduce a bloody rootkit into the mix that runs in tandem with spaghetti code and beyond the closing of the game app, this is going to undoubtedly fuck some computers up.

I'm not someone who cheats at games, but I care about my system too much to risk this. Something that relies on the BIOS, that is known to have caused permanent damage to systems while running alongside a much better programmed game, that continuously scans your system while it's active (and always activates upon start-up until disabled) is obscenely risky. With a 24/7 invasive software, it can disable drivers regardless of what you're playing and when; the worst cases - plural - I've read about anecdotally were people's cooling systems being disabled erroneously by vgk, causing gpu melting. You bet any antivirus software you have installed is going to scan without pause because of it, which will cause more system-wide performance issues, too.

There's also the (albeit minor) risk of other scripts triggering the uh-oh alarm and leading to unfair account bans, and I've poured almost 7 years into this game. I mod some of my single-player games and write scripts. No thanks.

And while I'm lucky enough to have a decent system, the TPM 2.0 and secure boot requirement for Windows 11 users means that vgk will effectively - while the phrase is crude, I haven't seen a concise alternative - "class-ban" League players. Similar to the release of OW2, where a unique SIM was required for every account, including existing ones until that got changed after enough backlash - except buying a phone number is far cheaper than buying a laptop or PC. Even with the requirements, the performance issues will tank low-end systems, which would already be at higher risk of hardware fuckery from increased and extended cpu usage. And the game is currently designed to be comfortably playable on low-end rigs, so it will force-out a good number of players.

If you play League and intend to continue playing after vgk is made mandatory in Jan/Feb 2024, give it a few months after it goes live before you play. That's enough time for any catastrophic issues to unfold, because if the testing period was anything like it is for game features, it won't be sufficient, and the number of cases of system damage will be worse than it was for Valorant upon release.

This rant does read like I'm trying to dissuade people from playing post-vgk, and I'm not, but I am urging people to be cautious and informed on the legitimate controversies surrounding Vanguard, especially anything hardware related. Familiarise yourself with how the program works and assess whether your system will likely be affected, and how permanent any damage could be to your hardware. Read forums (that aren't moderated by Riot employees where possible) and verify the information you're reading. Including this. It's 3:30am and I'm writing this angrily, so my limited explanations of the software could stand to be more thorough.

I'm hoping that there will be enough of a reduction in League's ~200m monthly player-base to spark a reversal in the decision to implement vgk. Not out of consideration for people who don't want to install a rootkit for a video game, but because Riot would lose money and shit their corporate britches.

Having to say goodbye to my favourite game, a universe I love and one of the more significant outlets to socialisation in my life absolutely sucks, though. The actual season changes looked super cool too, and I was stoked about Ambessa coming to the game. I'll enjoy the game while I can, but yeah this feels like a bitter breakup lmao.

[pixelated-whump]

@ailesswhumptober 2023 Day One - Sick

Contents: Not much lol, this isn't really that whumpy and short but I still wrote so leave me aloneeee

Character is Rusty (Robot dog guy with a TV head, He/Byte pronouns)

Also posted on AO3!

Rusty boots up feeling groggy and gross. Considering he’s a robot, this is highly unusual. He looks around, noting that it’s still early, so he can do a thorough virus scan without being interrupted. Hopefully. He never really knows with this group.

He lets out a quiet sigh, though it’s digital and fake, considering he doesn’t have lungs. Or a mouth. Rusty starts up a virus scan, staying only slightly conscious throughout the whole thing. It’s honestly quite boring, being stuck for an hour while his systems check for anything unusual, but it’ll be worth it.

When he regains full awareness, he notices there’s an odd file in his health folder. Ah. A cold virus. Of course. It makes sense, but he also wonders how this happened, since his antivirus protection is pretty powerful. Maybe it needs updating.

With a soft groan, the robot stands up. Just because he’s sick doesn’t mean he can sit around all day, as much as his aching limbs want him to. Hopefully this virus doesn’t get worse.