Beau Woods

@beauwoods.com

2274 Followers 363 Following

hack all the cybers

Instax printout of a photo with Casey, Andrew, Josh, and Beau. Sitting in a wooden picking table. From NaClCON.
R2D2 and C-3PO walking across Tatooine. 3PO is complaining and R2 is getting on with it.
Screenshot from a ChatGPT session: 09:311 = ChatGPT 5> L….. Nice one - that's a fun rebus puzzle. Let's break it down step by step: • The first image is a slice of pie → sounds like "PIE." • The second symbol is a thought bubble → represents "THOUGHT." • Then we have ''S" → indicates possession or the contraction "is." So putting that together: PIE + THOUGHT + 'S → "PIE THOUGHTS" → sounds like "PIE THOUGHTS" → "PILOTS." Actually, that doesn't quite fit phonetically. Let's check the sound: • "Pie" sounds like PI. • "Thoughts" sounds like THOTS or THOTS = THINKS = IDEAS. Hmm... maybe it's "PIE + THOUGHTS" → "PIE THOUGHTS" → **"PIE THINKS" → "PIE THOUGHTS" → "PIE + THINKS" = "PIE THINKS" = "PIE THINKS"? Wait-say it aloud-"PIE + THOUGHTS" sounds like "PIE + THOTS" → "PIE THOTS" → "PIE THOUGHTS" → "PIE THOUGHTS"... "PIE THOUGHTS"... sounds like "PIE THOUGHTS" → "PIE THOUGHTS" → "PIE THOUGHTS" → "PIE THOUGHTS"... wait - "PIE THOUGHTS" = "PIE THOUGHTS" → "PIE THOUGHTS" → "PIE THOUGHTS" - hmm. Let's step back - this is a bottle cap rebus, likely from a beer brand (e.g. Lone Star, which uses these riddles). That brand's riddles often yield a common phrase or name. So: • Pie + Thought's (sounds like) → "Pie Thoughts" = "Pythons." Aha! Pie + Thought's = Python's (→ Pythons) V Answer: "Pythons." + Ask anything
ChatGPT output 100 MW Class Space Datacenter (panel radiators, 400 K case) 1. Radiators & thermal loops • Radiator panels: ~112,500 m • Manufacturing + assembly + coatings + QA: $0.5-1.5 B • Pumps, tanks, lines, compressors (heat pumps): $0.3-0.8 B Subtotal: ~ $1-2 B 2. Solar arrays & deployables • ~360,000 m' of high-efficiency arrays • Manufacturing cost typically ~$1k-3k/m? at these scales (cells, blankets, booms, hinges) • ~$1-1.5 B • Power Management & Distribution (space-rated electronics, HV harness): $0.5-1 B Subtotal: ~ $1.5-2.5 B 3. Structures, sunshades, mechanisms • Large CFRP/Al-Li trusses, deployment systems, sunshades ・$0.5-1 B 4. Avionics, comms, GN&C, propulsion • Rad-hard computers, TT&C, high-rate backhaul • Reaction wheels/CMGs, star trackers, ion/Hall thrusters, tanks, xenon • $0.5-1.5 B 5. Testing, qualification, integration • Giant TVAC runs, vibro-acoustic tests, life tests for pumps/compressors • Integration, cleanroom throughput, spares kits ・$0.5-1 B Grand total (100 MW system, extra equipment only): ~ $4-8 B (That's just to manufacture and qualify the spacecraft parts not needed in a terrestrial DC. Add launch: another ~$2-7 B depending on cost/ kg.)
ChatGPT output showing costs for a 100MW AI data center in space. 100 MW compute Option A - Radiate at 400 K (СOP=2.5) • Electrical power drawn: elec = Qc+ Qc/COP + 5% ~ 147 MW. • Heat to reject: same ~ 147 MW. • Radiator area: ~112,500 m' (~335 m x 335 m if square). • Solar area: ~360,000 m? (~0.36 km}). • Mass (moderate): • Radiators (5 kg/m3): ~563 t • Solar (150 W/kg): ~980 t • Structure, sunshade, loops (40% of above): ~616 t • Payload (compute, PCDU, batteries, shielding): ~300 t • Total: ~2,460 t • Launch-only cost (order-of-mag): • at $1k/kg → $2.46 B • at $3k/kg → $7.38 B
Entrance to the punk rock museum, Las Vegas, Nevada
iPhone notifications showing dozens of meshtastic nodes detected
Animated gif (pronounced however you'd like) showing milk being poured into an iced coffee to make an iced latte. Yum don't you want some?
The Register® US Navy backs right to repair after $13B carrier crew left half-fed by contractor-locked ovens Army joins in push to break vendor grip on military maintenance Wed 11 Jun 2025 // 21:56 UTC US Navy Secretary John Phelan has told the Senate the service needs the right to repair s own gear, and will rethink how it writes contracts to keep control of intellectual property and ensure sailors can fix hardware, especially in a figh Speaking to the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, Phelan cited the case of the USS Gerald R. Ford, America's largest and most expensive nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, which carried a price tag of $13 billion. The ship was struggling to feed its crew of over 4,500 because six of its eight ovens were out of action, and sailors were barred by contract from fixing them themselves.
A screenshot of a news article from The Latin Times. The headline reads: “AI Startup Backed by Microsoft Revealed to Be 700 Indian Employees Pretending to Be Chatbots.” The subheading explains that Builder.ai’s virtual assistant “Natasha” was actually engineers manually coding customer requests. The article is by M.B. Mack, published June 3, 2025.
At THOTCON, Cliff Stoll stands on stage in front of a large screen displaying a projected image of a Klein bottle. He’s mid-demonstration, holding a black-and-white soccer hooliganism scarf to show how the non-orientable shape works in three dimensions. Cliff wears a plaid shirt, navy pants, and his signature wild white hair, with a handwritten name badge reading “CLIFF.” The stage is warmly lit, and the setup includes truss lighting with purple and red hues overhead.
Two smiling people pose together indoors at the THOTCON hacking conference. Beau Woods, on the left, has a short beard, glasses, and short, purplish hair, wearing a black hoodie and a conference lanyard. Cliff Stoll, on the right, is older, with wild white hair and glasses, wearing a plaid shirt and a handwritten name tag that says “CLIFF” and “STAFF.” The background features warm lighting, curtains, and wall sconces, giving the room a welcoming, retro feel.
View from seat 3F on an American Airlines 737 window at the gate during overcast weather. On the tarmac below, a baggage conveyor belt leads up to the plane’s cargo hold, where a few pieces of luggage—including a black duffel bag and a skateboard—sit on the belt. Ground crew in high-visibility vests are loading bags from a blue American Airlines cart. Another American Airlines plane is visible in the background connected to a jet bridge. The scene is busy with various ground service vehicles and equipment around the aircraft.
PC World headline: Is a hacker logged into your Google account? Here's how to tell Make sure you recognize the devices with active access to your email, photos, and other files. BY ALAINA YEE
Port of Spain, Trinidad, at work with poofy clouds flowing overhead and busy city streets
Hacked to Pieces? The Effects of Ransomware Attacks on Hospitals and Patients 49 Pages Posted: 4 Oct 2023 Claire C. McGlave University of Minnesota - Twin Cities - School of Public Health Hannah Neprash University of Minnesota - Twin Cities - School of Public Health Sayeh Nikpay University of Minnesota - Twin Cities - School of Public Health Date Written: October 4, 2023 Abstract As cybercriminals increasingly target healthcare, hospitals face the growing threat of ransomware attacks. Ransomware is a type of malicious software that prevents users from accessing electronic systems and demands a ransom to restore access. In this paper, we create and link a database of hospital ransomware attacks to Medicare claims data. We quantify the effects of ransomware attacks on hospital operations and patient outcomes. Ransomware attacks decrease hospital volume by 17-26% during the i tial attack week, with recovery occurring within three weeks. Among patients already admitted when a ransomware attack begins, in-hospital mortality increases by 35-41%.
A pie chart showing the percentage of charts that @SwiftOnSecurity hates, being 100%. The pie is blue.
Crash override in the back of a cop car yelling "hack the planet" from the film Hackers. But the caption says "hack the new year" and there are party stickers on the image.
New York Times crossword puzzle result, for Sunday, December 22, 2024: 26:04
Screenshot from an email that says: "To ensure that your online banking experience is as secure as possible, we've updated the requirements for creating a password. Your current password doesn't meet the updated requirements, so we strongly recommend you create a new password now."
Drake meme: Insomnia, doomscrolling, deadlines Global SBOMcoordination
Photo from the window of a plane at an airport
Nespresso pod refills sitting on a desk. The brand is Nessus, which is the same as a security testing tool.
Blank page in the Practical IoT Hacking book, signed "Keep on hacking ALL the THINGS!" With a BSides Ottawa badge.
Stickers for BSides Ottawa's first Policy Village
Sign at a hotel warning if loud noises from construction including dynamiting. Full text: COURTYARD® BY MARRIOTT Dear Valued Guest, Please be advised that due to the construction of a new building across the street from us you may hear a banging type noise which is due to ground drilling as well as some noise due to dynamiting. This work is sporadically conducted between 7am and 6pm Monday to Friday and May also happen on Saturday and Sunday between 8am and 6pm. As we are not affiliated with this work, we unfortunately do not have any control over it. We sincerely apologize for this and wanted to let you know that the noise is not coming from work being done in the hotel. Chère cliente, cher client, Nous vous informons qu'en raison de la construction d'un nouveau bâtiment en face de chez nous, il est possible que vous entendiez un bruit de type « bang » dû au forage du sol ainsi qu'un bruit dû au dynamitage. Ces travaux ont lieu sporadiquement entre 7h et 18h du lundi au vendredi et peuvent également avoir lieu le samedi et le dimanche entre 8h et 18h. Comme nous ne sommes pas affiliés à ces travaux, nous n'avons malheureusement aucun contrôle sur eux. Nous vous présentons nos excuses les plus sincères et tenons à vous informer que le bruit ne provient pas des travaux effectués dans l'hôtel. Nancy Champagne General Manager
Screenshot of the Bluesky App settings page
Sunrise over the San Francisco Bay from near SFO airport, showing a golden thread on the horizon separating deep blue of the sky from deeper blue of the water
Tower computer CD ROM drive used to hold a red mug of coffee. Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/helter-skelter/8385454193
Signal icon selector in the prior version
Clip from the Simpsons episode where Homer discovers PowerSauce bars and the makers admit that they're just old Chinese newspapers
Panel discussion at Columbia University
Peter Parker crying laughing meme
Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs promotional image for the Conference on Cyber Regulation and Harmonization, November 13-14, 2024, featuring: Jason Healey, Colin Ahern, Kemba Walden, Anne Neuberger, Harry Coker, Merit Janow, Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Governor Kathy Hochul.
Pressure cooker full of cooked chickpeas ready to be made into hummus
Beau Woods, Fotios Chantzis, and Paulino Calderon, authors of Practical IoT Hacking, at a book signing at DEF CON
Beau Woods standing in front of a No Starch Press sign at DEF CON 32
Conference keynote for BSides Las Vegas 2025, with well known AI researcher Sven Cattell on the right side of the image, slides projected onto a screen on the left of the image, and dozens of heads watching on
Me chilling by the pool wearing sunglasses and an Indonesian batik looking down into the camera which is pointed up toward the blue, blue sky with a big hotel in the background.
False and misleading headline indicating "this is fine" for healthcare cybersecurity. Headline reads, in part: "90% of healthcare companies get a 'B+' on cybersecurity with"
A child holds a neon sign reading "Russia ❤️" in an Amazon featured product listing
Illuminated sign for the "Blue Sky Lounge" at an airport
BBC News headline: FBI investigating missing ancient treasures from British Museum
Josh Michaels and Beau Woods at the closing keynote for BSides Seattle, a fantastic hacker conference run by awesome people
Wired magazine headline: Somehow This $10,000 Flame-Thrower Robo Dog Is Completely Legal in 48 States. Image of a robot dog throwing flames in a wooded area with leaves strewn across the ground.
Quote from Mike Watt and Ray Farrell from a Mojo Magazine article on The Minutemen, "Minutemen Lay Down Double Nickels on the Dime"
A gif from the Fifth Element film, where Zorg CEO fires 1M people even though he only needs to fire 500K based on economic pressures, therefore establishing that he is the villain. Also, that collar and hairstyle have aged poorly so I hope it's not what we're actually wearing when we have flying taxis and such.
Shmoocon registration screen showing a successful reservation for two tickets.
Apple Watch Accessibility settings, with AssistiveTouch highlighted
Geocities-inspired bootstrap website framework from http://code.divshot.com/geo-bootstrap/
Burger King burger with all cheese, no meat, no lettuce, no pickles. From an instagram post.
pride, portrait of an elderly man from a small village looking directly into the camera, candid, photo realistic, sharp focus, dramatic facial expression, dramatic lighting, Sony 85mm, f 2.8 --style raw