Ryan Miling

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.

I can’t quite explain it but Christian Braun looks like a rough green snake

Welcome Coach Moore 👏

I visited a real-time crime center in Chicago last month. It's where analysts oversee the technology available to the police. At 1 pm on a Thursday, the Shotspotter alarm went off, indicating gunfire. With a pole camera 100 feet from the shooting, the analysts were able to have a visual of the location within 30 seconds. Police were alerted immediately after Shotspotter confirmation and arrived in 2 minutes. An ambulance arrived after 4 minutes. At no point in the entire sequence did any citizen call 911. This neighborhood, the most violent in Chicago, is so used to gun violence that most shootings are not reported. In this incident, the victim had minor injuries, but in other situations the timely response of first responders saves lives. Today, the mayor made good on a campaign promise and terminated the contract with Shotspotter. The mayor made a vague statement promising to use the savings to “invest in new resources that go after illegal guns" without any specific plan. I know many citizens of Chicago are furious with both the amount of crime and the actions of the police, but expressing that frustration by weakening the tools available to combat and respond to gun violence is not the answer.

Meta’s smart glasses can take calls, play music, and livestream from your face