VSHN.timer #255: Hacking the system – how secure are your devices really?

Welcome to another VSHN.timer! Every week, 5 links related to Kubernetes, OpenShift, CI / CD, and DevOps; all stuff coming out of our own chat system, making us think, laugh, or simply work better.

We trust our devices with everything – banking details, personal conversations, even our identities. But what if that trust is misplaced? Recent findings expose shocking vulnerabilities in widely used encryption systems, software, and even the hardware we rely on daily. From BitLocker flaws to HTTPS interception, security isn’t as airtight as we’d like to believe. Let’s dive into five eye-opening cases that challenge what we think we know about cybersecurity.

1. Practical HTTPS interception – A hacker’s dream?
   Let’s Encrypt’s biggest weakness? Cleartext verification. This article reveals how attackers can trick Let’s Encrypt into issuing TLS certificates for domains they don’t own, all by intercepting ACME-HTTP-01 challenges. With the right network access, they can decrypt HTTPS traffic – shattering the very trust TLS is built on.
   https://blog.thc.org/practical-https-interception
   
2. BitLocker screwed without a screwdriver
   Microsoft’s BitLocker encryption is designed to protect your data, but researchers found a way to bypass it – without even touching a keyboard. This vulnerability shows how physical access alone can compromise entire encrypted systems, making ‘disk encryption’ a lot less foolproof than you might hope.
   https://neodyme.io/en/blog/bitlocker_screwed_without_a_screwdriver/
   
3. Removing Jeff Bezos from my bed – smart homes, dumb security
   Ever wonder if your smart home devices are spying on you? This experiment dives into the bizarre world of Amazon smart devices, showing how removing an Alexa from your home doesn’t necessarily mean Amazon stops collecting data on you. Digital privacy? That’s an illusion.
   https://trufflesecurity.com/blog/removing-jeff-bezos-from-my-bed
   
4. Smuggling data through Emojis – Steganography, but make it fun
   Who knew you could hide sensitive information inside an emoji? This article explores how cybercriminals (and clever researchers) use emojis to smuggle data, bypassing security measures in ways most people never see coming. It’s encryption – but adorable! 😎󠅉󠅟󠅥󠄐󠅓󠅢󠅑󠅓󠅛󠅕󠅔󠄐󠅤󠅘󠅕󠄐󠅓󠅟󠅔󠅕󠄑󠄐󠄸󠅕󠅢󠅕󠄐󠅩󠅟󠅥󠄐󠅗󠅟󠄪󠄐󠅘󠅤󠅤󠅠󠅣󠄪󠄟󠄟󠅧󠅧󠅧󠄞󠅩󠅟󠅥󠅤󠅥󠅒󠅕󠄞󠅓󠅟󠅝󠄟󠅧󠅑󠅤󠅓󠅘󠄯󠅦󠄭󠅛󠅙󠄷󠄴󠅦󠄽󠄡󠄤󠄻󠅧󠅗
   https://paulbutler.org/2025/smuggling-arbitrary-data-through-an-emoji/
   
5. Microsoft’s security scanners are breaking the rules – again!
   Microsoft’s email security scanners are now not only following links in emails but also executing JavaScript and triggering POST requests – something previously considered unacceptable due to its potential side effects. This new behavior is silently breaking single-use sign-on and email confirmation links, forcing developers to rethink authentication flows. The lack of transparency from major tech players like Microsoft raises concerns about unchecked power and shifting cyber norms.
   https://berthub.eu/articles/posts/shifting-cyber-norms-microsoft-post/

Cybersecurity isn’t just about strong passwords and encrypted messages – it’s a constant battle between convenience and true digital safety. As tech giants push their own security solutions and vulnerabilities keep emerging, users are left wondering: Is anything truly safe anymore? The reality is, we need to rethink how we approach security, because hackers and corporations alike are always one step ahead.

Would you still trust BitLocker or similar disk encryption tools after seeing how easily they can be bypassed? Are smart devices a necessary convenience, or an unnecessary security risk? Should governments or big tech be responsible for fixing cybersecurity flaws, or should users take full control of their own security? Get in touch with us, and see you next week for another edition of VSHN.timer.

PS: check out our previous VSHN.timer editions about security: #8, #17, #22, #27, #32, #44, #54, #62, #76, #84, #93, #106, #117, #128, #142, #145, #164, #169, #182, #203, #223, #227, #228, #231

PS²: do you prefer reading VSHN.timer in your favorite RSS reader? Subscribe to this feed.

PS³: would you like to receive VSHN.timer every Monday in your inbox? Sign up for our weekly VSHN.timer newsletter.