
Objectively Random
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Objectively Random
@ObjRandom
Algo Trading, Strat, Macro. Math PhD (Erdős 3). Hon Reader@UCL. Created MSc Algo Trading (‘17-now), & teaching online. Too much street-side experience to list.


Software horror: litellm PyPI supply chain attack. Simple `pip install litellm` was enough to exfiltrate SSH keys, AWS/GCP/Azure creds, Kubernetes configs, git credentials, env vars (all your API keys), shell history, crypto wallets, SSL private keys, CI/CD secrets, database passwords. LiteLLM itself has 97 million downloads per month which is already terrible, but much worse, the contagion spreads to any project that depends on litellm. For example, if you did `pip install dspy` (which depended on litellm>=1.64.0), you'd also be pwnd. Same for any other large project that depended on litellm. Afaict the poisoned version was up for only less than ~1 hour. The attack had a bug which led to its discovery - Callum McMahon was using an MCP plugin inside Cursor that pulled in litellm as a transitive dependency. When litellm 1.82.8 installed, their machine ran out of RAM and crashed. So if the attacker didn't vibe code this attack it could have been undetected for many days or weeks. Supply chain attacks like this are basically the scariest thing imaginable in modern software. Every time you install any depedency you could be pulling in a poisoned package anywhere deep inside its entire depedency tree. This is especially risky with large projects that might have lots and lots of dependencies. The credentials that do get stolen in each attack can then be used to take over more accounts and compromise more packages. Classical software engineering would have you believe that dependencies are good (we're building pyramids from bricks), but imo this has to be re-evaluated, and it's why I've been so growingly averse to them, preferring to use LLMs to "yoink" functionality when it's simple enough and possible.

This morning I formally asked the Pentagon for the name of the US Navy destroyer which shot down the Iranian missile on its way to Diego Garcia, and for information on when and where the interception took place. I'll let you know what they say.

This video was apparently aired on Israeli TV. It shows Axis of Resistance leaders waiting in line to be killed by Israel. At the end, the camera zooms out and we see that the next leader waiting to be killed by Israel is Erdogan. Seems Israel is already planning the next war.






Chomsky on why the US has become a mercenary state that incites direct and proxy wars which it then forces its client states to pay for. This is from the 90s yet predicts exactly what the US is doing today
































