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CCC · SecurityCurated

Data security and the Chaos Computer Club

Summary

Wau Holland links data security with the responsibility to understand technical systems, explain them publicly and keep them under social control. Technical knowledge becomes political as soon as systems shape other people’s everyday lives. Verifiability creates more lasting trust than promises from manufacturers or institutions.

Ideas

  • Security needs comprehensible technology instead of trust in opaque authorities.
  • Hackers examine systems to make power relations and hidden assumptions visible.
  • Free access to information enables informed criticism of digital infrastructure.

Recommendations

  • Document security assumptions so that independent people can check them.
  • Explain technical risks in an understandable way without hiding their uncertainties.

References

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hß · 2021

Data breach at T-Mobile US: hacker exploited devastating security hole

In August 2021 John Binns claimed responsibility for the break-in at T-Mobile US, in which data of more than 50 million customers and prospects was leaked. According to the Wall Street Journal, the attacker used a publicly available scanner to find an unprotected router and penetrated the network from there. Stolen data included names, addresses, social security, driving licence and IMEI numbers.

hß · 2026

Palo Alto Networks: numerous security holes in Prisma Browser closed

In August 2026 Palo Alto Networks closed numerous holes, most of them in the Chromium-based enterprise browser Prisma Browser. There, memory bugs could lead to code execution; version 150.49.8.187 was fixed. Further holes affected the GlobalProtect VPN client on Android, macOS and Windows, including a privilege escalation (CVE-2026-0299).