I could not possibly be more fucking tired of hearing the word "agentic" on keynote stages

The latest issue of The Crux is out: Python donations, cyberslop, Microsoft backpedals, sharp Ansible edges, breaches galore, and a sad Line. https://pivotnine.com/the-crux/archive/beware-sharp-edges/

"Creating and publishing software under an open source license is an act of contribution to the digital commons. Finding and publishing information about security issues in that software is also an act of contribution to the same commons." Maybe, but these contributions are not of equal value.

Fun* fact: in Australia, over 87% of the people who have data exposed in a data breach do so because it was in the ~3 very large data breaches we have each year. (On average, since 2018)

The latest issue of The Crux is out: More cloud outages, Pythonic leadership, Canva pricing, tech earnings, sovereign tech stacks, and the utility of utility. https://pivotnine.com/the-crux/archive/earning-your-sovereignty/

What if we could search across disparate tools and data without having to build complex data normalization pipelines first? https://www.forbes.com/sites/justinwarren/2025/11/05/tackling-cybersecurity-data-sprawl-without-normalizing-everything/

love to see government media releases just make shit up

The Python Software Foundation turned down a $1.5m grant rather than betray its mission or its values. https://pivotnine.com/blog/python-software-foundation-shows-everyone-what-integrity-looks-like/

Wow, Services Australia spent three quarters of a million in legal fees fighting a losing FOI fight against @daedalus.eigenmagic.com

"It is telling that this act by the PSF is so remarkable. It stands in stark contrast to the actions of many other larger and better funded organisations. It is easy to talk about leadership; it is much harder to actually lead." pivotnine.com/blog/python-...

UPDATE: Here’s all the podcasts confirmed so far for this season. Yes, I’ve been organising things! www.pozible.com/profile/stil...

TLDR; The PSF has made the decision to put our community and our shared diversity, equity, and inclusion values ahead of seeking $1.5M in new revenue. Please read and share. pyfound.blogspot.com/2025/10/NSF-... 🧵

The latest issue of The Crux is out: AWS falls over, Updog comes up, ACCC sues Microsoft, IT Pros NZ shuts down, IBM makes The Line sad, Deep Time, and LongBool. https://pivotnine.com/the-crux/archive/cloud-fall-down-go-boom/

I've just scheduled this week’s issue of #TheCrux containing: - AWS falls over - Updog comes up - ACCC sues Microsoft - ITPros NZ shuts down - IBM makes The Line sad - Deep Time - LongBool - handy personal scripts and lots more. Subscribe! pivotnine.com/newsletter/

Microsoft forced its AI into 365 and wanted people to pay extra for the privilege. Didn't make it obvious that there was an option without AI. The ACCC is now suing them over it. www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Platform Engineering Labs has announced the launch of formae, an infrastructure-as-code (IaC) tool for DevOps and platform teams managing cloud-based infrastructure. https://www.forbes.com/sites/justinwarren/2025/10/22/formae-launches-to-modernize-infrastructure-management/

The latest issue of The Crux is out: Sunburst CISO, Sentinel, semiconductors, satellites, surveillance, and sophisticated cybers, plus some quantum boffins. https://pivotnine.com/the-crux/archive/nerd-sniped-by-cyber-fiction/

Microsoft would like customers to choose Sentinel as the core of their security strategy, but what that choice entails remains unclear. https://pivotnine.com/blog/microsoft-positions-sentinel-as-the-central-platform-for-agentic-security/

More people should be aware of the Gell-Mann Amnesia Effect.

I don't want public servants who don't understand how emails work and politicians who use this to tell pathetic lies about the FOI system regulating the use of the internet. The standard of public representation in communications policy is through the floor, and it's been Labor's level for decades.

Bumped into @hacks4pancakes.com at #CyberCon and she was very gracious.

The latest issue of The Crux is out: Qantas customer data posted online, Discord age check breach, Oracle E-Business bug and breach, a privacy penalty, burn backups and fascist laptops. https://pivotnine.com/the-crux/archive/private-repairs/

Oh no!

New research from PivotNine: Concentrated Datacentre Risk https://pivotnine.com/research/public-research/concentrated-datacentre-risk/

Microsoft would like customers to choose Sentinel as the core of their security strategy, but what that choice entails remains unclear. https://www.forbes.com/sites/justinwarren/2025/10/13/microsoft-positions-sentinel-for-agentic-security/

On my way into #CyberCon In Melbourne. Let's see what the local vibes are. Hopefully not too much LLM nonsense.

The more Cybers, the more Secures!

I will be at the amusingly named CyberCon in Melbourne for the next few days. If you see me around the venue, do say hello.

it's kinda weird that all the software i am expected to use for work are all written by distributed teams, go, python, postgres, linux, chrome, k8s etc and despite being told "the best teams work in an office together" i don't know of any software i use that's actually written that way

Good roundtable discussion at #TFDx about Microsoft Sentinel and its potential. Seems a little early and more investigation will be needed before firms choose to make a strategic investment in Sentinel as their single point of success. It could be quite useful.

Hearing from Microsoft Security about how Sentinel is becoming the core platform for all things security, at #TFDx. Watch with me here: techfieldday.com/event/mssec25/

The latest issue of The Crux is out: Data breaches, so many data breaches, Deloitte refund for dodgy AI report, Imgur blocks the UK, Apple backdoor 2.0, and a book on linear algebra. https://pivotnine.com/the-crux/archive/boring-and-reliable/

The latest issue of The Crux is out: Ruby ructions, Cisco chaos, data centre on fire, childcare data breach, and cyber threats aplenty. https://pivotnine.com/the-crux/archive/everything-is-broken/

The latest issue of The Crux is out: An NPM worm, global Entra ID admin flaw, unlawful facial surveillance, statistical weirdness, and proving you are not a robot. https://pivotnine.com/the-crux/archive/who-maintains-the-maintainers/

I see that @daedalus.eigenmagic.com is now providing the tools to fix enterprise cybersecurity. www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/1742...

When the second case of a lawyer getting caught using synthetic text extruding machines hit the news, I wondered: Don't these people gossip?? I would have thought the first case would be so embarrassing as to make things very clear. www.404media.co/18-lawyers-c... >>

Watched the #SBS #documentary "The People vs #Robodebt" - h/t to @jpwarren.pivotnine.com for the recommendation. It's an incisive and damning view of the human harms perpetrated by a government hell-bent on efficiency & stigmatising welfare recipients. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ www.sbs.com.au/whats-on/art...

I see their logo is also a butthole.

I'm surprised Enfabrica wasn't acquired earlier. I guess they were holding out for the best deal.

The people who wrote the software you found on the side of the Internet for free don’t owe you anything. https://pivotnine.com/blog/open-source-has-too-many-parasocial-relationships/

The latest issue of The Crux is out: The Line loves Oracle, free cloud data transfers, the trouble with robots, fun with fonts, and accounting weirdness. https://pivotnine.com/the-crux/archive/ongoing-performance-obligations/

The Oracle/OpenAI news has me thinking of this paper from 1993 for some reason: www.jstor.org/stable/2534564

The latest issue of The Crux is out: PyConAU, cables, backdoors, antitrust, cyber-directors, and the puzzle of Wikipedia. https://pivotnine.com/the-crux/archive/cyber-citation-needed/

I dare you to give a talk not about AI.

Home Affairs is accepting applications to be part of the Cyber Incident Review Board www.homeaffairs.gov.au/cyber-securi...

Going to hear @karenhao.bsky.social speak about her new book Empire of AI tonight, in conversation with @kobotic.bsky.social and an intro by @drwaus.bsky.social chair Lizzie O'Shea.

This is an excellent response to the "we have to charge for FOI because forren AI bots!" nonsense from the A-G. www.righttoknow.org.au/request/evid...

The latest issue of The Crux is out: All the databreaches, PostgreSQL DocumentDB, Nvidia revenues, Rupert-free shapes, and croissant automation theory. https://pivotnine.com/the-crux/archive/croissant-cyber-funk/

I see no reason to waste a lot of time on ripping this report to shreds. It's too easy, and none of the people who asked for the report care. It exists as a totemic icon for politicians to shake at people as a post hoc justification for what they were going to do anyway.

I have read a few sections of the age assurance trial report. It is weird and bad, and not worth spending any more of my time on. What a waste of time and money.