Good Morning! A clever dev has created a mind-bending tool that generates ZIP files that can contain themselves or create infinite loops with other ZIP files. Atlas Privacy is challenging HaveIBeenPwned with their new DataBreach.com platform that checks for exposed personal data across 17.5 billion records. Microsoft's .NET 9 release brings impressive gains including 93% lower memory usage, plus new AI features for working with language models and vector stores.

— Forrest Knight & Meghanadh Vasireddy

ZIP Files that Infinitely Expand Themselves

Ever wondered if you could create a ZIP file that contains itself? While recursive ZIP files have been rare in the dev world, a new open-source tool is not only generating these self-containing archives but also introducing a new concept: "loopy" ZIP files.

What's New: Developer Ruben Van Mello has released a ZIP quine generator that pushes the boundaries of file compression mechanics. Unlike traditional recursive ZIPs that simply contain themselves, the tool can create "loopy" ZIP structures where file1.zip contains file2.zip, which contains file1.zip, creating an infinite loop. The generator also supports embedding additional files within these structures, though with size limitations:

• File size constraints:

  • Recursive ZIPs: Extra files up to 32,763 bytes (including headers)

  • Loopy ZIPs: Two extra files up to 16,376 bytes each (including headers)

Technical Bits: The tool, written in Kotlin, tackles the complex challenge of CRC-32 calculations for self-referential files through multi-threaded brute-force computation. For developers who don't need strict CRC-32 validation, the tool offers a --no-crc flag to speed up generation. This work has been documented in an academic paper published in MDPI's Applied Sciences journal, marking the first documented implementation of loopy ZIP structures.

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Atlas Privacy Challenges HaveIBeenPwned with Advanced Breach Detection

Context: In the evolving landscape of data breach monitoring, a new player has emerged. Atlas Privacy, known for their work with law enforcement and high-profile clients, has launched DataBreach.com, built on a massive dataset of 17.5 billion records sourced from compromised databases and cybercriminal forums.

What's New: While HaveIBeenPwned has been the go-to for email-based breach checks, DataBreach.com expands the scope significantly. The platform performs local hash-based comparisons to check for exposed:

• Full names

• Physical addresses

• Phone numbers

• SSNs

• IP addresses

• Usernames

• Email addresses

Technical Implementation: The platform's architecture prioritizes privacy through client-side processing. Rather than sending sensitive data to servers, DataBreach.com performs local, hashed data comparisons. This approach mirrors modern security best practices where sensitive user input never leaves the client's machine.

Real-world Impact: The platform's launch coincides with a major retail breach affecting Hot Topic, where a threat actor called "Satanic" allegedly exploited vulnerabilities in Snowflake's cloud infrastructure through an initial malware infection at Robling, a retail analytics provider. This incident, exposing 57M customer records, highlights the critical need for comprehensive breach monitoring beyond simple email checks.

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.NET 9 Drops with Major Performance Gains and AI Integration

Microsoft just launched .NET 9, and it's bringing some serious firepower to the development table. The latest release puts a heavy emphasis on cloud-native capabilities and AI integration, while doubling down on performance improvements across the board.

What's New: The standout feature is the revamped Server GC, which now dynamically adapts to your app's memory needs rather than just looking at available system resources. This change has led to some impressive numbers – we're talking about a 15% boost in requests per second and a whopping 93% reduction in memory usage in TechEmpower benchmarks.

AI Integration: Developers can now tap into AI more easily with the new Microsoft.Extensions.AI and VectorData packages. These provide a unified layer of abstractions for working with language models, embeddings, and vector stores. Plus, the new Tensor<T> type makes handling multi-dimensional data for AI operations much smoother.

Key Platform Updates:

• ASP.NET Core: Static file optimization with automatic fingerprinting

• Blazor: Runtime render mode detection and improved server reconnection

• .NET MAUI: New CollectionView implementation for iOS/Mac

• C# 13: Collection expressions support for params

• F# 9: Nullable reference types and optimized equality checks

For developers already working with .NET 8, the transition should be relatively smooth, with most breaking changes being minor.

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🔥 More Notes

• “Qwen2.5-Coder-32B is an LLM that can code well that runs on my Mac”

• Developers get a better shot at App Store spotlight

• Apple Accused of Trapping 40 Million UK Customers Into iCloud Service

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