Short Takes – 4-1-25

What’s My Daily Life Like (in OT DFIR)? Tisiphone.net blog post. Pull quote: “What that means for the digital forensics side of things is that my cases involve sometimes very strange and very old computing equipment. Legacy is prevalent in OT. I must be able to figure out forensics on computers from the 80s or 90s. I also must be able to work with low level systems like PLCs and embedded computers. I still must create timelines of modern attacks, with corroborated and court-admissible evidence. There’s little EDR, and a lot of our forensics work is quite manual. I have a soldering iron in my bag to deal with non-standard connectors.”

SpaceX launches private Fram2 astronauts on historic spaceflight over Earth's poles. Space.com article. Pull quote: “Fram2 carries on the exploration spirit of its ocean-going predecessor. It carries a total of 22 experiments the crew will conduct during the mission, including the first attempt to grow mushrooms in space and a machine that will capture the first on-orbit X-rays of the human body. Other experiments will investigate the effects of microgravity on the human musculoskeletal system during spaceflight.”

FAA closes investigation into SpaceX Starship Flight 7 explosion. Space.com article. Pull quote: “Both the Starship Flight 7 and New Glenn mishap reports were closed on Friday (March 28), FAA officials said. Neither incident caused any public injuries, and New Glenn's failed return to Earth didn't damage any public property. Starship Flight 7 debris caused one confirmed report of "minor vehicle damage" in the Turks and Caicos, according to the FAA.” Still waiting on Flight 8 investigation results.

Cyber-Physical Analysis of Weapons of Mass Destruction Detection Systems: Part 1 - DARPA's SIGMA. Reversemode.com article. Pull quote: “It is important to recognize that this analysis is limited by the scope of available data and the specific context in which it was conducted. While the research might offer valuable insights for improvement, external factors and considerations (some of which may not be immediately apparent) could influence the assessment of the issues discussed. That’s why I’ve taken a cautious approach in classifying something as a ‘vulnerability’” Lots of detail (more than a little over my head due to my background) but some interesting suggestions about potential vulnerabilities.

SpaceX's Fram2 astronaut flight over Earth's poles will be the 1st to grow mushrooms in space. Space.com article. Pull quote: “"In space, food often tastes bland due to altered taste perception and the need for a low-sodium diet to help counteract the negative effects of microgravity on bone health," Flávia said in the statement. "Mushrooms are rich in umami flavor, being one of the only tastes that remains strong in space. Oyster mushrooms are also highly resilient, scalable and capable of growing using 100% of the inedible plant waste, and even cotton t-shirts in their growth medium."”