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Codeberg.org

Train staff didn't accept us presenting our digital ticket on ebook reader πŸ™„ - they are not allowed to scan arbitrary QR codes without "verifying where they are coming from".

Luckily enough, #PassAndroid was fine for them, because "some app" is apparently okay..

52 comments
Elias Probst

@Codeberg πŸ€¦β€β™‚οΈπŸ€·β€β™‚οΈπŸ₯΄
Next time, hand-draw it, take a picture of it, then show it on your smartphone!

Codeberg.org

@eliasp Actually, the same staff member checked our tickets about an hour later on the way back (without recognizing us), and asked me to "scroll" in the app to show it's actually "an app" and not just a screenshot.

Elias Probst

@Codeberg πŸ˜‘
They're basically doing client-side validation...

I feel like most people don't understand what the process of "scanning a QR code" actually means. To them, it seems to be comparable to waving a magic stick.

Chewie

@Codeberg how stupid.
What's the point? It's usually just a reference number you could read out anyway....

Nikita

@Codeberg
> without verifying where they are coming from

I thought that's what the digital signatures are for??? πŸ˜‚ Digitalisierung at it's finest

Mizah

@Codeberg SNCB Europe, when you buy a ticket, will give it to you in one of two forms:

- A ticket on the phone, in their app.
- A paper ticket, delivered in PDF form.

YOU MUST PRINT THE PDF ONE ON ACTUAL PAPER OR IT IS NOT VALID. YOU CANNOT SHOW IT ON A SCREEN. VERBODEN. INTERDIT. FORBIDDEN. IT WILL BE REJECTED. NEVER. NIMMER. NYET. NO. NON. NEE.

Both have the exact same 2D barcode on them.

Digital signatures have been a thing for decades now.

Why?

(Edit: Wait... I'm talking to the Codeberg social media account? Huh.)

@Codeberg SNCB Europe, when you buy a ticket, will give it to you in one of two forms:

- A ticket on the phone, in their app.
- A paper ticket, delivered in PDF form.

YOU MUST PRINT THE PDF ONE ON ACTUAL PAPER OR IT IS NOT VALID. YOU CANNOT SHOW IT ON A SCREEN. VERBODEN. INTERDIT. FORBIDDEN. IT WILL BE REJECTED. NEVER. NIMMER. NYET. NO. NON. NEE.

q.bin

@Codeberg sounds like bad software, it seems like it does not account for malicious QR Codes, otherwise you wouldn't have to tell the staff to check for "arbitrariness" right?

Codeberg.org

@eversten Not using it often, and never got one offered. ~f

Codeberg.org

A new piece of baggage has joined us. Makes for happy sysadmins - which you can see in the image when you look close enough.

A silver box on a trolley, pictured in a train. It is a server. In the mirror of the window, you can vaguely see two persons showing  a thumb up.
Erik πŸ“»πŸͺπŸš²

@Codeberg Never underestimate the data transfer speed of a server filled with hard drives on a train

Codeberg.org

@SM0RVV It's actually empty, but we might offer pickup service for large free software projects :)

Jeroen Massar

@Codeberg when transporting your servers like that, do anticipate for dirt, and worse, rain. Two Ikea blue bags fit great for most servers ;) [one over the top, one over the bottom upwards due to dirt/mud coming from the floor).

At arrival, do acclimatize the server and ensure to reseat many cards; which is why a outer carton box is advised. Good luck with the new toy! -- fellow server-by-public-transport person ;)

Codeberg.org

@jeroen We were prepared for moist and rain, but it was a rather sunny day. We will clean up the interior (during the handover, at least one leaf fell in). But thank you for the hints!

Codeberg.org

Waiting for the train ... we have all we need for "holidays" πŸ˜‰

(posted a little late, because the train had bad WiFi)

A server on a trolley at a train station. The track is seen in the background.
zwangseinweisung

@Codeberg In case you don't know: Laptops are less heavy and more movable 😁

Uli Kusterer (Not a kitteh)

@Codeberg Strap a display and keyboard to that, and you have the perfect laptop. Well, except maybe for gaming, I doubt the GPU in that one is anything fancy 😜

Codeberg.org

Checking the connections in a cafΓ©, thanks to Γ–ffi!

#OeffiApp #de_schildbach_oeffi

A table in a cafΓ©, the server next to it. A cup of coffee and someone checking public transport schedules on a smartphone.
TheTomas

@Codeberg you set a new bar in the mobile pc, notebook segment ;-)

fossdd

@Codeberg you do know that notebook exist. theyre basically a portable computer :)

Codeberg.org

@fossdd But they do not serve as a mobile heating at the same time. ~f

Michael

@Codeberg Last photo today should be a screen booting ...

Codeberg.org

To answer the initial question: This is what makes us nerds happy (in case you didn't expect an answer like this). An interesting experiment for us, too.

What this means in the long run for Codeberg? We're finally - thanks to the expertise and help of some volunteers - ready to expand our hardware infrastructure, making Codeberg more resilient to certain kinds of issues and improving availability in the long run.

A living room with two servers next each other. One has some LEDs on, the other is powered off. In the background, you can see a desk with two monitors and some technical-looking things on it.
JΓΌrgen ⁂

@Codeberg I am pretty sure that it’s quite loud in this room.

baloo

@Codeberg curious: what is the flipper zero used for here?

Codeberg.org

@baloo Emulating keyboard navigation for selecting the right boot device.

You know, not the kind of automation that is really worth the effort, but some fun. ~f

baloo replied to Codeberg.org

@Codeberg I actually like that idea a bit too much.

Andre_601 πŸ‡¨πŸ‡­ :kt_bs:

@Codeberg Love the fire extinguisher on the table. Juuuuuust in case something could go wrong... ;)

Jake Howard

@Codeberg Should we be concerned about the Flipper? πŸ‘€

unfaπŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦

@Codeberg That fire extinguisher tells a story in this picture.

chfkch :nixos: :rust:

@Codeberg
Rack on the Lack.

Ikea customers will know.

R. L. Dane :debian: :openbsd:

@Codeberg

Rackmount "laptop."

This is prime nerdery. πŸ˜„πŸ€“πŸ€“πŸ€“πŸ€“πŸ€“

LumiWorx

@Codeberg

[singing - off key]

Happy Holidays, 2U... (or is that 3U?)

Andre_601 πŸ‡¨πŸ‡­ :kt_bs:

@Codeberg I first thought you would make a joke that the post came late because the train was xD

alex

@Codeberg ah, this is why its called Ruby on Rails, right?

Codeberg.org

@f2k1de Pretty cool. Looking forward to accidentally meeting other people with servers in the train, so we can build an ad-hoc cluster πŸ˜‰ ~f

Codeberg.org

@ProfessorCode
Yes,, with #coreboot (which now works after fixing some issues with standby with their help).

Unfortunately, the USB-C port failed after about one year, still not sure about the exact reason.
@starlabssystems

Max

@Codeberg sure you were travelling with #DB ?! πŸ˜€

Codeberg.org

For those still wondering about why they were "not allowed" to scan the other QR code: I suspect this is related to potential abuse vectors via QR codes (yes, we know, requiring the hacker to spoof it via a fake app instead of an ebook is not the answer).

Watch youtube.com/watch?v=cIcbAMO6sx or read revk.uk/2020/01/eicar-test-qr. for some background.

~f

Mizah

@Codeberg Kinda odd that the QR-code doesn't contain just a digital signature or something similar, and that their ticket-checking app might be vulnerable to it containing something malicious, like opening a random malicious URL.

I suppose it was just "QR code bad" and the policy wasn't thought through much more than that?

Andre_601 πŸ‡¨πŸ‡­ :kt_bs:

@Codeberg In all honesty... If they fear some malicious actors causing issues, then they shouldn't offer a QR-code-based system to begin with, if they can't be bothered having a solid system that prevents issues like this to begin with...

JTW, Cornell '91

@Codeberg if you're doing something that makes it dangerous to scan an untrusted QR code, the security risk is not the provenance of the QR code.

R. L. Dane :debian: :openbsd:

@Codeberg

I avoid using the term "app" as much as possible, because I know full well that it is a PsyOp to normalize installing mal/spyware.

"Install our app" and "install our software" sound very different, even though they mean precisely the same thing.

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