Hello, and welcome to RepWeidianSneakers! Whether you’re a long-time member or someone new who just straggled in from one of the other replica subreddits, this recurring post will serve as an introduction to or reminder of the subreddit rules. This group runs in several key ways that may be different from other groups to ensure we maintain a high-quality group where well-informed replica buyers can engage in constructive conversation regarding the best batches for various shoes, batch flaws of popular and commonly purchased batches, and QC posts of new and old products alike.
Please do your best to stay up-to-date on the latest subreddit rules and cultural norms in order to make sure that your participation in the group is in accordance with how we run things here! All sub rules are visible along the side bar if on desktop, and under the "About" tab if on mobile. We appreciate your attention and diligence to subreddit policies, and hope you enjoy your time here!
The following rules will be outlined in the following ways:

1. Most Important Rule of the Sub
2. Post Formats (QC, Find, Help Me Find)
3. General Subreddit/Reddit-Wide Rules

Rule #1: Sneakers from Weidian, TaoBao only
This one should be self-explanatory - QCs for shoes purchased from middlemen are not allowed on this sub. I understand that many users value the input from members in this subreddit specifically due to their reputation and credibility, but we want to keep this sub as pure to its purpose as possible. If there are specific people from whom you want input from, feel free to post in the other rep subs and tag them.
Additionally, when users ask for recommendations on where to purchase, make sure to provide links to Weidian or TaoBao stores, and not middlemen. Middlemen sell Weidian/TaoBao products at a markup for convenience - always focus on the actual product.
Rule #2: QC Post Title Guidelines: [QC] {Price in Yuan} {Batch} {Shoe Name} from {Seller Name}
When posting your QCs or Finds, use the following format: [QC] {Price in Yuan} {Batch} {Shoe Name} from {Seller Name}. Example: [QC] 400¥ FK Batch Travis Scott x Jordan 1 High OG Mocha from A GDJ Supplier
The Group Automod comments on every single post in this group with a reminder of this title format. If your title does not include each of the necessary components in the brackets above, please be proactive and repost with the correct format. If you don’t delete the post, a moderator will, and that or repeated infractions may result in a temporary ban from the group. This rule exists to ensure the group is easily searchable to help make researching batches on your own as streamlined as possible.
Rule #3: QC Posts need W2C Link:
If you are posting a QC, make sure to post the W2C link. If the listing link is dead, please post the link to the store where the shoe was purchased instead. No W2C link will result in the deletion of your post!
You are welcome to post Weidian links, TaoBao links, or links from any shipping agent except for PandaBuy, given that PandaBuy forces you to login to see the item, whereas the other agent links do not. Linking a PandaBuy link and not an alternative link will result in the deletion of your post.
Rule #4: Help Me Find Post Title Guidelines: [HELP ME FIND] {Shoe Name} + Picture of Shoe
If you are hunting for a certain pair, your post title must include the Full Shoe Name and Colorway as well as a picture of the shoe in question. If either is missing, your post will be deleted. This rule exists to reduce the number of repetitive “Help Me Find” posts, as a user will be able to search previously posted “Help Me Find” posts for the shoe they want.
Example: [HELP ME FIND] Jordan 1 High Chicago
Rule #5: Find Post Title Guidelines: [FIND] {Price in Yuan} {Batch} {Shoe Name} from {Seller Name}
Okay, so you’re on WeChat, and a seller has posted a new product. You want to be the first one to post about it on Reddit, so you rush over and make the post. Great, pat yourself on the back. Just kidding. Don’t just stop there - put some thought into the post. How does this new find compare to other products on the market? Do they have potential? You don’t have to be an expert QCer, but give your general thoughts. In short, were these worth finding? The hope is that with this general subreddit policy, it will encourage people to post high-quality finds and reduce clutter from low-tier finds that don’t add much to the group.
Rule #6: Be Respectful of One Another
Please be nice and courteous to one another. All rules of Reddiquette apply. Your membership in this subreddit is contingent upon your overall Reddit activity, not just limited to this subreddit. To put explicitly, this includes but is not limited to: harassing or disrespecting others in other subreddits, posting hate speech of any kind, or spreading misinformation. Any violation of this will result in the banning of your account and any alternate accounts you may be known to have!
Rule #7: No Cussing
In line with the previous rule, no cussing on the sub, please. Often, on the rep subs, the only time people are cussing is to insult one another, spread misinformation, or speak illy in general. For this reason, an AutoMod is in place that will regulate posts and comments on the sub. Your post/comment will be deleted and you will receive a message alerting you if this happens. Bonus: Mr. Frosty can't post or comment without some sort of explicit language, so this simple rule (and the accompanying AutoMod) keeps the sub safe
Rule #8: Support Your Statements with Evidence
Essentially, cite your source. Let's avoid being like other rep subs where people make up rumors or decide their opinions without any research or evidence.
If you comment saying a batch is the best or better than what has been posted, show us why. Link reference posts, rep vs retails, QCs, etc. Show, rather than tell, us why what you're saying is correct. If your statement is a good one, this shouldn't be difficult. As above, don't default to name calling if you can't support your statement. It is okay to have a well-informed opinion - it is not okay to have an uneducated opinion that you spread as fact.
If you run into issues with a member or members in the group that are not participating in this group norm, please tag a mod, and the situation will be handled accordingly.
Rule #9: No Seller Ads
Self-explanatory. This especially applies to lost middlemen posting their fake QCs to try to gain business. If you are a member and see this, please report the post. If a post receives enough reports, it is automatically removed and sent to the mod queue. This helps keep the group clean through community effort.
Rule #10: No WeChat Verification Posts
I understand that you may want your WeChat verified in order to communicate with sellers or see their WeChat Moments. There are other subs for WeChat Verifications though. Please do not make these posts here. Use the appropriate subs. Posts will be deleted.
Rule #11: No Memes
This group aims to be a research-focused subreddit. It prides itself on providing the most objective information possible. Please keep the memes or satire posts in other subs. This includes meme titles or captions such as "how fast do I need to walk" or "fire up the rep machines." These posts add little to no value and are often unoriginal anyway.
Any use of meme titles will result in a 14-day temp ban as previously announced, as will repeated infractions of posting other memes.
Lastly, this Group is Not Meant to Be a Direct Line to u/poncecatchemall
Please reference his guides and resources linked below for answers to most commonly asked questions. He does not read chats asking repetitive questions, and mod mail is not meant to be used to ask specifically him questions, so do not use it for that purpose.
- Poncecatchemall’s Recently Updated Beginner’s Batch Guide where I cover top batches for popular shoes.
- Poncecatchemall’s Select Weidian/TaoBao Finds: November 2022 Edition covering popular purchases with all W2C Links
- Never used an agent? Check out Poncecatchemall’s Updated Weidian, TaoBao, Agent: How-To Guide for a step-by-step guide on how to purchase reps using WeGoBuy
- How to Ask Poncecatchemall For a QC/LC please follow these instructions if you want a response.
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Thank you in advance to everyone for following the sub rules and for keeping this sub a great, high-quality sub to be a part of. If there are any rule addition recommendations, we are always open to suggestions.

The residents of Sordland have spoken and their voices have been heard in a momentous election that concluded yesterday on the 5th of November. After weeks of campaigning, debates, and tireless efforts by candidates and their supporters, we are proud to announce that the United Sordland Party (USP) Chairman Sebastian Rensen will be leading Sordland into a new era of governance as the 4th President of Sordland.
In a fiercely contested race, Sebastian Rensen, a medical doctor and life-long USP member who had won the 2nd USP Party Congress, emerged as the winner of the 1953 Presidential election. He has now been tasked with fulfilling the aspirations of the citizens and with the responsibility of addressing the critical issues facing the country such as the continuing economic crisis.
The election witnessed an impressive turnout, with 64% of eligible voters exercising their democratic right to vote. This robust participation reflects the continued dedication of the citizens to their local democracy and their commitment to shaping their own future. It is a testament to the vibrancy and engagement of our Sordish community.
Rensen acquired a mandate from the people due to securing 33% of the votes. While a far cry from the victories of Alphonso and Soll, Rensen has captured enough hearts and minds to secure the Presidency. The campaign focused on vital topics such as the promised democratic reforms to the 1929 Constitution and the current economic crisis.
Rensen promised to deliver
- a mixed economy
- a continued relaxed immigration policy
- a radically modernized healthcare system
We will see if Sebastian Rensen has additional plans once he makes his victory speech. The citizens eagerly anticipate the implementation of the plans and policies put forth by their new leader, hoping for a brighter future for themselves and their community.
The election results also mark a significant moment in Sordland’s history as for the first time since 1924, the Communist Party of Sordland (CPS) has returned to the Grand National Assembly. This could have been only achieved via a coalition agreement with the Worker’s Party of Bludia (WPB) which also historically will enter the assembly for the first time. Rumors are circulating that this People’s Front coalition will be seated next to the National Front Party (NFP) which will certainly be interesting considering their ‘ideological disparities’.
The election results may be considered disappointing for supporters of the People’s Freedom and Justice Party who were under the impression due to their strong showing in 1949 gaining around 30% of the vote, that they could truly challenge the crisis-ridden USP. However did not capitalize on the USP’s weaknesses as they were unable to close the gap regarding the seat allocation in the Grand National Assembly. It seems likely that Frens Ricter will step down or be pushed out from being Chairman PFJP which may seek to inject some new blood.
Sordland embarks on a fresh chapter of governance. The challenges ahead are considerable, but with a dedicated and capable Sebastian Rensen at the helm, there is optimism for positive change and progress in the years to come.
The inauguration has been set for two weeks from the announcement of the election results. Once the inauguration speech is given, the following day after all Assembly members are sworn in, the Speaker Election for the Grand National Assembly is scheduled. Gloria Tory’s weak performance during the 2nd USP Congress has revealed that it is unlikely she will be backed by her own party for the 2nd term. This Speaker election seems to be one of the most important ones in Sordish history as it will show if the opposition is able to maintain pressure on the USP and show that the weak electoral victory was not just a fluke but the start of the USP’s collapse. For the USP, this Speaker election must be a show of strength and is a must-win if the President and the USP wishes to legitimize their political hold over the country.
Regardless, congratulations to Sebastian Rensen and his USP on their victory and may their term be marked by achievement, collaboration, and the betterment of our great nation!
1953 Presidential Election
Voter Turnout: 64% Voting Population: 23,264,264
Sebastian Rensen: 7,705,124 votes (33,12%)
Frens Ricter: 5,695,092 votes (24,48%)
Dr. Arthon W. Mangriff: 3,182,551 votes (13,68%)
Denis Stahler: 1,842,529 votes (7,92%)
Fetih Ejall: 1,688,985 (7,26%)
Other: 3,149,981 (13,54%)
1953 General Election
USP: 7,705,124 votes (33,12%) = 92/250 Seats in Grand National Assembly
PFJP: 5,695,092 votes (24,48%) = 68/250 Seats in Grand National Assembly
People’s Front Coalition [CPS & WPB]: 3,531,514 votes (15,18%) = 42/250 Seats in Grand National Assembly
NFP: 3,182,551 votes (13,68%) = 38/250 Seats in Grand National Assembly
Independents (threshold bypass) 846,819 votes (3,64%) = 10/250 Seats in Grand National Assembly
Below 10% Threshold (0 Seats in Grand National Assembly)
Nature Preservation Federation: 1,109,705 votes (4,77%)
Imperial Restoration Bloc: 716,539 votes (3,08%)
Independents (Not enough votes despite bypassing threshold rule): 476,917 votes (2,05%)
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There has been a lot of talk recently about the lack of SP depth at AAA so I thought it would be a good time to dig deeper then that and highlight some names in AA (and lower) that might not be as far away as some would think. The AA rotation deserves a bit of a spotlight with the performances of some of the pitchers there.
There has been a lot of criticism of the organization drafting and developing of pitching prospects (much being very fair) but we really might now be seeing some of the results coming through.
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I have excluded a few guys who are years away from making a real impact who are below AA but I will make some notes on them. Brandon Barriera (#2 Prospect) in A-Ball is looking very good and is being brought along slowly after his injury so has pitched just 13.1 IP. Dahian Santos (#12 Prospect) in A-Ball might be the biggest sleeper pitcher in the organization. His fastball-slider combination is electric but is extremely raw overall as a pitcher. He is learning a changeup and is gaining muscle fast in order to take the next step in the organization. CJ Van Eyk (N/R Prospect) still has the raw tools to be a good pitcher but has pitched just 7.0 IP over the last two seasons and is on the IL again.
Adam Macko, Yosver Zulueta, Hayden Juenger & Hagen Danner are honesty still very talented pitchers but all seem destined to be relief pitchers at this point in their development. This post focuses more on pitchers who have good odds of remaining as SP. Don't sleep on these guys though, they all have electric bullpen arms and might see some of them in our bullpen come next season.
In terms of the 2022 draft it is of course much too early but there are some really interesting names and notes: Ryan Jennings (Round 4) who can throw 99 mph as a reliever and that seemed like his career path BUT has had surprisingly good results as an SP at the moment in A-Ball. Insane fastball-slider combo but needs a third pitch. Mason Fluharty (Round 5) has been tearing through the minors and is already in AA as a reliever. Unique but effective cutter-slider combo. Rocking a sweet 1.25 ERA & 0.83 WHIP this season. T.J. Brock (Round 6) dominated A+ in 20 IP to a tune of 1.77 ERA and is already in AA. Electric fastball-slider combo. Devereaux Harrison (9th Round) is an SP turned RP turned SP again in A+ with a 2.63 ERA. He struggled with his control as an RP but it has vastly improved as a starter.
Ian Churchill (Round 10), Pat Gallagher (Round 11), Nolan Perry (Round 12), Bo Bonds (Round 13) & Ryan Chasse (Round 17) are the others pitchers from the draft class but they are just getting things started but all look fine-to-good in small sample sizes in Rookie or Low A. The early returns on this draft class are really positive and probably deserve a spotlight post on its own.
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New Hampshire Fisher Cats Rotation:
Ricky Tiedemann (Age 20):

• 91st Overall in 2021 Draft // 1st Ranked Prospect
• 4.97 ERA / 1.62 FIP / 2.18 xFIP
• 16.34 K/9 - 4.97 BB/9 - 0.00 H9
• 1.26 WHIP & 0.205 OBA

We have all read dozens upon dozens of articles on this guy. There really isn't too much to say on Ricky. He has missed most of the season due to injury. He really is as good as advertised though with top of the rotation potential. His injury likely pushes he debut back until mid-way next year at best. He still needs to refine his control and get a little deeper into game. Be excited though, I do think his injury has killed a lot of the excitement people had in following the AA team which does still have an excellent staff...
Adam Kloffenstein (Age 22):

• 88th Overall in 2019 Draft // N/R Prospect // Peaked @ #8 in 2018
• Nickname = King Kloff
• 3.12 ERA / 3.61 FIP / 3.37 xFIP
• 11.08 SO/9 - 3.81 BB/9 - 0.87 H9
• 1.29 WHIP & .231 OBA

Probably the biggest story from the Blue Jays minor leagues this year. A prospect who was once deemed a steal at his draft position who quickly become one of the better valued prospects in our system to falling off the map in 3 years and likely on his last chance to be a starter has become one of the most stable pitchers in the entire organization. A former power pitcher came into the year losing some mph on his velocity in order to get some proper control and it has paid off for him.
He leads the entire Eastern League in strikeouts & is second in innings pitched behind only a pitcher turning 27 this year. This season he has gone 5.0 IP+ in 8 straight starts now of which half have been a QS. He has allowed 0 ER or 1 ER in 7-of-10 starts. The Blue Jays in recent years have struggled developing pitchers who can pitch deep into games; coming into this season 6 of the 10 pitchers on the Blue Jays Top 30 list are very likely or already on their way to becoming RP; Zulueta, Macko, Juenger, Danner, Hernandez & Carter.
His strikeouts are up, his walks are down, his HR allowed are down, his BABIP is reasonable and his FIP is in range of ERA. He ranks near the top of the league in most statistics and only turns 23 later this year. He has been very consistent on top of everything. This is looking like a real breakthrough rather than a fluke.
The concern with him moving forward include avoiding losing much more velocity or he needs even more improved location to compensate as well trying to develop a third above average pitch as he currently heavily sticks with his effective two pitch combo. The Blue Jays will likely keep him in AA so he can continue to build confidence after 3 years of struggles but a run in AAA and becoming Major League starter depth next season is very much in play if he keeps it up.
He will very likely be added to the 40-Man this off-season with the team lacking SP depth there.
Paxton Schultz (Age 25):

• 433rd Overall in 2019 Draft // N/R Prospect // Never Ranked
• 3.30 ERA / 3.07 FIP / 3.75 xFIP
• 10.49 K/9 - 3.69 BB/9 - 0.58 H9
• 1.32 WHIP & .236 OBA

As I was writing this Schultz actually had his AAA debut; pitching 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 2 BB & 6 SO in an excellent debut.
Schultz was not actually a Blue Jays draft pick...he was acquired from MIL as a PTBNL for Blue Jays legend Derek Fisher. May have won the trade all these years later. He has always been considered a "low-ceiling" prospect and always put together solid but unspectacular seasons which meant he never really caught the eye of scouts. This year he kind of has put everything together and went from career minor league player to someone who could be that 6th to 8th starter depth we have been really needing in the minors. He doesn't have overpowering stuff by any means but he is really smart and does not allow very much hard contact.
His numbers have been great across the board. Career bests in pretty much everything and has improved in his consistency from years past. He has allowed less than 2 ER in 8-of-10 AA starts. He has actually been a tad unlucky this season as well rocking a BABIP higher than his used to. He also tends to avoid very much disaster starters; in his career of 55 starts he has allowed 5 runs just 3 times (never more) and over the last 2 years has pitched under 4 innings just 3 times. Pretty much an ideal from a #5/#6 starter.
All this has earned him a promotion to AAA now where if he keeps up the same level of consistency he very likely works his way into becoming the teams 6th starter and likely finds himself on the 40-Man roster. If an injury occurs to the rotation Schultz might be the guy to fill in.
Sem Robberse (Age 21):

• International Free Agent in 2019 // 6th Ranked Prospect // Peaked at 6th in 2022
• Nickname: The Pitching Dutchman
• 4.73 ERA / 4.96 FIP / 4.00 xFIP
• 9.45 K/9 - 3.38 BB/9 - 1.69 H9
• 1.18 WHIP & .217 OBA

Don't let the ERA fool you, he has had a much better season than that would suggest. At quick glance his WHIP and OBA are some of the best in the league. Most of the damage coming from an increase in HR allowed this season which is something he is trying to work on. Otherwise his numbers are on par with or better than they have before.
He is considered by many to be the smartest pitcher in the organization. He spent most of COVID studying pitching sequencing and strategies needed for a pitcher. Dude has zero ego to his game and embraces being taught which makes him loved in the organization. Robberse is one of the prospects that we will see play for the Blue Jays one day, whether it will be as a mid-rotation pitcher or as the odd spot stater remains to be see. Probably the "safest" starting prospect in the organization.
He has 5 pitches with his slider and curve be his good ones and throws some decent heat at 92 mph+ but one of his goals is too increase that. He was at 185 lbs last season and is aiming to get over 200 in hopes of increasing his velocity as well as help with his durability although he is already a rather good innings eater being behind Koff.
His major concern is when he does lose control he starts getting hit very hard...which doesn't happen all too often but something he is trying to cut back on. There is a legit claim for him to be the organizations #2 pitching prospect.
Chad Dallas (Age 22):

• 121st Overall in 2021 // N/R Prospect // Peaked at 28th in 2022
• Nickname: Cheese
• A+: 2.03 ERA / 3.09 FIP / 3.71 xFIP w/ 0.94 WHIP & .146 OBA (12.49 SO/9 - 4.05 BB/9 - 0.3 H9)
• AA: 2.42 ERA / 3.76 FIP / 4.52 xFIP w/ 0.85 WHIP & .128 OBA (8.06 SO/9 - 3.63 BB/9 - 0.40 H9)

This is the dude to be excited about and his seemly quick and easy transition into AA which is considered to be the hardest jump for a pitcher in the minors is only more reasons to be excited. In his 5 A+ starts he allowed just 6 ER in 26.2 IP...4 of those 6 came in a single bad start 4.2 IP...he dominated with easy in his other 4 starts which earned him the quick promotion. He loves to just pound the zone and go after hitters.
It is easy to see where his success comes from. Having 4 pitches all very decent including a nasty, nasty slider...a very good curveball, a fastball that touches 95 mph and a changeup he is working on heavily. His control is what really hurt him last year but he has for the most part vastly improved in the matter.
His AA debuts was one of the best I have seen: 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 2 BB & 9 SO. Since then he had three more starts; one where he lost his command in struggled and another 2 dominating outings where he has allowed 1 total ER in 11.0 IP. There was a lot of "bullpen" risk when he was drafted but he put a lot of that to rest with having no trouble hitting 5-7 IP constantly this season. In his 9 starts he has gone 5.0 IP in 7 of them with the other two falling short (4.1 / 4.2 ) due to struggles not stamina.
He does struggle against LHP hitters and it is something to monitor. His two big outlier blunder starts this season were with lineups that were lefty heavy. Which is the main reason for him wanting to improve his changeup. His cutter and curveball are killer against RHH but don't have the same effect on LHH.
If he does not rocket up prospect boards this season then I have no idea what scouts are looking for anymore.
Trenton Wallace (Age 24):
He hasn't pitched in AA yet but was the one who got the call-up to replace Shultz. He is on the older side but was just drafted in 2021. Has caught the attention of scouts with his performance in A+ but AA will be the big test for him. Cruised through A+ with a 1.79 ERA / 3.20 FIP / 4.18 xFIP with an elite WHIP of 0.82 and 0.155 OBA. There is a good chance we are talking about him a long with the rest of the successful AA pitchers in month time.. A mid- 90's fastball and mesmerizing slider is what gets the job done for him. 5 of his 8 starts he allowed exactly 0 ER including an outing where he thew 5 perfect innings.
He is looking like a massive steal being drafted in the 11th round of the 2021 draft.
The other name in AA are Jimmy Robbins (Age 25); he was very solid last season in between A+/AA but was a tad over-age and now in his full season in AA has lost the strike-zone and is averaging 6.65 BB/9 which has lead to a ERA of 5.40. Even with his success last season; never really caught the eyes of scouts and wasn't protected in the Rule 5 draft even though some fans argued he should. Seems to have been the right call.
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Tiedemann - Kloffenstein - Robberse - Dallas (+Wallace) might be the best rotation we have had in a single level of the minors in a very long time. All are no older than 22 as well so even with some bumps in the road they have time on their hands. All 4 are going to be very exciting to monitor. Paxton Schultz is also worth watching as he might have leap frogged his way right into the 6th SP role with other options in AAA falling apart or being converted to relievers.
Our upper minors pitching depth has been a big concern to fans but they depth coming from AA and below might soon change that.
Who wouldn't want a future rotation of King Kloff, The Pitching Dutchman, Cheese & Ricky Titty?!?

Below are the top headlines we’ve been reporting this whole week on Cyber Security Headlines.
If you’d like to hear and participate in a discussion about them, the CISO Series does a live 20-minute show every Friday at 12:30pm PT/3:30pm ET. Each week we welcome a different cyber practitioner to offer some color to the week's stories. Our guest this week is Joshua Scott, Head of Security and IT, Postman.
To get involved you can watch live and participate in the discussion on YouTube Live or you can subscribe to the Cyber Security Headlines podcast and get it into your feed.
Here are the stories we plan to cover:
AI-automated malware campaigns coming soon, says Mikko Hyppönen Cybersecurity pioneer Mikko Hyppönen began his cybersecurity career 32 years ago at Finnish cybersecurity company F-Secure, two years before Tim Berners-Lee released the world’s first web browser, and is now the chief research officer at WithSecure. In an interview with CSO Online. He states it is “mandatory for the cybersecurity industry to embrace AI technology…It will only be a matter of months before malicious threat actors use widely available AI source code to perfect their techniques for complete automation of malware campaigns.” (CSOOnline)
US research agency examines cyber psychology to outwit criminal hackers A new project at the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity — the U.S. intelligence community’s moonshot research division — is trying to better understand hackers’ psychology, discover their blind spots and build software that exploits these deficiencies to improve computer security. “When you look at how attackers gain access, they often take advantage of human limitations and errors, but our defenses don’t do that,” Kimberly Ferguson-Walter, the IARPA program manager overseeing the initiative, told CyberScoop. Dubbed Reimagining Security with Cyberpsychology-Informed Network Defenses or “ReSCIND,” the IARPA initiative is an open competition inviting expert teams to submit proposals for how they would study hackers’ psychological weaknesses and then build software exploiting them. (CyberScoop)
Barracuda urges customers to replace vulnerable appliances immediately Following up on a story we covered last week, enterprise security company Barracuda has now warned its customers against using email security gateway (ESG) appliances impacted by a recently disclosed zero-day exploit and to replace them immediately. A patch for the vulnerability, which has been exploited since October 2022, had been issued by Barracuda last month to stop the exploit from allowing ESG backdooring. “The vulnerability existed in a module which initially screens the attachments of incoming emails,” the company had said previously. “No other Barracuda products, including our SaaS email security services, were subject to the vulnerability identified.” (CSO Online)
Clop blamed for MOVEit attack Microsoft’s Threat Intelligence team attributed the recent attack against the popular managed file transfer platform to the Clop ransomware organization. It found the zero-day used in the attack followed similar behavior observed with Clop in the past. The attacks used a vulnerability to deploy crafted webshells on servers, providing access to files and credentials. Bleeping Computer and various security researchers observed attacks in the wild with this exploit over Memorial Day weekend. No word on any ransom demands yet. Clop previously used vulnerabilities in the Accellion FTA and GoAnywhere MFT in the past. (Bleeping Computer)
New ChatGPT attack technique spreads malicious packages Vulcan Cyber's Voyager18 research team described the discovery in an advisory published this week. Based on their proof of concept, researcher Bar Lanyado said the team identified a new malicious package spreading technique they called "AI package hallucination." The technique involves posing a question to ChatGPT, requesting a package to solve a coding problem, and receiving multiple package recommendations, including some not published in legitimate repositories. By replacing these non-existent packages with their own malicious ones, attackers can deceive future users who rely on ChatGPT's recommendations. (InfoSecurity Magazine and Vulcan Cyber)
Google Workspace gets passkeys Google added passkey support for Workspace admins, meaning they can now enable users to sign in to either a Workspace or Google Cloud account using a passkey, no password required. By default, Workspace accounts will still require a password. But even when not allowing passkeys as a sign-in, organizations can still enable them for 2FA. Back in December, Google added passkey support in Chrome, and last month it added passkey login support for standard accounts. (The Verge)
1Password launches its public passkey beta Password manager 1Password has launched its public beta for passkeys, which will allow users to replace passwords with authentication systems built into their devices. 1Password users can now create, store, and share passkeys for supported websites by installing the 1Password beta browser extension for Chrome, Edge, Safari, Firefox, or Brave. Passkeys can only be created for websites and services that have rolled out their own passkey support. 1Password users will be able to vote on which sites and services they’d like to support passkeys. While it won’t guarantee those platforms will integrate passkey support, the hope seems to be that developers will be motivated to add the feature due to popular demand. (The Verge)
Verizon releases its annual Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR) On Tuesday, Verizon issued its 2023 Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR). The report revealed that three-quarters of data breaches over the last year (74%) involved the human element, caused by employees falling for social engineering attacks, making errors, or using their access maliciously. Credentials accounted for seventy-six percent of the data compromised in social engineering attacks followed by internal organizational information (28%) and personal data. Finally, the report noted that ransomware events held steady accounting for about a quarter of overall incidents, however the median cost of a ransomware attack doubled since the prior year. Verizon noted that in order to rein in these key trends, organizations need to focus on employee security hygiene, implementing true multifactor authentication, and collaboration across organizations to share threat intelligence. (Dark Reading)
SEC drops cases due to data protection failures The US Securities and Exchange Commission dismissed 42 cases due to its staff access documents only intended for judges. This came after a review that began back in April 2022, when it disclosed two other cases that broke similar legal rules. Due to insufficient safeguards within the agency, staffers could download restricted databases and share access through internal memos. The SEC said it found “no evidence that the control deficiency resulted in harm to any respondent or affected the Commission’s adjudication in any proceeding.” (The Register)

Order!
Good afternoon. Following the Vote of No Confidence in the Scottish Government reaching the required majority, we now move to opening the nominations for a new First Minister.
The nominations process is now open until 10pm BST on the 12th of June.
Candidates wishing to seek election as First Minister of Scotland in the twelfth Scottish Parliament should submit their candidacy to MHOCHolyrood at any point between now and the aforementioned deadline. Any candidates who do not modmail in their candidacy will not be considered to have been nominated and will not be able to proceed.
After nominations have closed, we will move to the debate.
Best of luck to all candidates.

Timetable

FM nominations: 09/06/2023 - 10/06/2023
FM debate: 10/06/2023 - 13/06/23
FM vote: 14/06/2023 - 17/06/23
Deadline for Government to submit PfG should a FM be elected: 21/06/2023, 10pm BST
The PfG debate shall begin the day after one is submitted.
Should a First Minister be elected, normal business shall resume from the day after the PfG debate begins.

I was extremely excited about his election, particularly over former cop Arianne Slay.
I understand that there are many, many factors in play when it comes to the prevalence of crime, including a whole host of complex social and economic factors. I also know that my own perception and experiences are not actual data.
That being said...in just over a decade living in Washtenaw county, this is just about the least safe I have ever felt from a crime perspective. Driving has become totally insane. I know road rage is a problem everywhere right now, but it is definitely having an impact here, particularly east of the Hewitt. I've lived in the county for a decade, lived east of Hewitt for 5 years, and I have never felt this unsafe driving. This is a totally different level of aggression than I am accustomed to seeing.
There have been strings of vehicle break-ins across Ypsi apartment complexes. When people express concern in social media groups, they are questioned for potentially putting the lives of black men in danger over "property crimes".
A similar conversation pops up surrounding the random attacks by the unhoused downtown. People express their fear and the danger of such attacks is validated, but...what, you want to bring the hammer of the state down on the most vulnerable member of society?
Shit, someone even busted open some blue mailboxes at a rather busy post office. We're gettin federal with these crimes.
I guess I'm just wondering if any of this is partially related to the new approaches to policing and prosecution. The certainty of being caught and punished is a rather strong deterrent of crime. I know that Savit's approach hypothetically shouldn't impact this certainty, it should mainly be decreasing the severity of the punishments (which is a good thing as far as deterrence is concerned). I have really started wondering lately though whether Savit has actually made crime easier to get away with, and if that's related to (what feels to me like) an uptick in aggressive behavior and crime.
I would love to hear from someone who knows more than I do about the actual criminal justice statistics in this county, and I would genuinely love to hear that I'm wrong and that Savit's plan is actually working out and that this is just an issue of my own perception. But I'm not gonna lie, I'm starting to have a bit of buyer's remorse. I don't know if...society is actually ready for his kind of progressivism. It requires a pretty high level of buy-in from each individual citizen and I'm not entirely sure we're capable of that right now. It seems to me like it is a bit too easy for bad actors to intentionally take advantage of soft policy in order to get away with things they wouldn't have been able to get away with in the past.
Anyone else feeling the buyer's remorse? Who wants to tell me that I'm wrong and why?

Hi, I’m from wales. In the beginning of April my boyfriend (22) was on his way home from work and his phone fell out of his phone holder, he caught it and put it back in place and continued driving. After being home for about 10minuted or so a police officer arrived at the house. He’d been doing a traffic stop on the opposite side of the road at the time my boyfriends phone fell. He accused him of being on his phone videoing the officer, after trying to explain what actually happened the officer looked him dead in the eye and said ‘well quite frankly I don’t believe you.’ ‘I’m fed up of coming to RTCs in this area because of drivers like you’. The officer told him he’d have a letter in 13-28 days about any fine/points, and left. After two months the letter finally arrived. The standard for being caught of your phone while driving is 6points and a £200 fine, for most of us that’s not too bad, however my boyfriend has only been driving since November 2022, which means his license will be revoked and these points will still be there when he gets a new license.
My reasons for this post is, does anyone think this is worth appealing? Has anyone been in a similar situation, appealed and been lucky? Or should he just accept it? I know the laws now say that even touching your phone while driving will result in a fine but this all seems a bit unfair. TIA

Hi all!
I am not sure if this falls under legal advice but mods feel free to remove if not.
I am relatively new to home ownership so I would love to get some advice if possible - thank you all in advance.
Some background - I bought a condo for myself (I live in it) a few years ago and soon after realized that there had been some serious drama between co-owners. The condo is in prime location so I didn't worry too much about it.
Long story short in March, we called an election to elect a new board for things the previous board had done that I would rather not talk about. The new board however, turned out to be not so new because the president is the exact person the co-owners voted out a few years ago. She had a history of - 1) paying herself a salary that no one approved; 2) getting us expensive maintenance people and contracts because they were her friends and she got a commission.
Now, it is VERY IMPORTANT to note that this individual does not really have a unit, is not even a co-owner, all she has is one garage spot.
Now that she is back again, she immediately got to work and during a general assembly, told us that we have to raise condo fees by 70% to make up for the past few years' mismanagement. She presented a budget at the same time but could not explain the variances and just why we need the things she said we needed.
A group of us had gotten together and decided that we cannot let these five people, especially not the president decide single handedly with no transparency, even the accountant was her old friend that she brought back so no one trusts her budget either. She is 100% in it for the money needless to say she is in her 80s, we simply cannot trust this individual. She only got on the board because the previous board did outrageous things under outrageous circumstances. They even went to court with each other and egos were hurt.
My question now is - what can the co-owners realistically do here? We are in Quebec if that helps. I pay my due and would be fine with it if it was the result of a vote but not this woman doing shady business trying to squeeze commissions out of us.
Thank you for reading this long post if you've made it to the end :)

I have been paying $490 per week for a standard but really nice SUV with enterprise for the last 6 weeks and will have to do so for another 6 weeks. I noticed enterprise is usually all booked so it got me wondering, why not fill the gap? DMV area, mostly (near or around DC area though so Baltimore County to Northern VA near Dulles).
So here’s the plan
Start off with 1 EV, Tesla model 3 Long Range with no full self driving ($50,380, $7500 tax incentive + $3000 state incentive). Then slowly scale up to Rivan R1S SUV ($80-90k) and the Cybertruk.
$80 daily rate (Monday - Thursday)
$150 daily rate (Friday - Sunday)
Loyalty program
-$100 p/m or rent for 10 weeks or longer per year to qualify
-$60 p/d rate
Optional add-ons

• $15 p/d for insurance
  
• $100 for pickup/drop off at xyz location
  
• $1.99 p/d or $10 p/m for Tesla connectivity
  

Customer acquisition

• online ads - $3.5 CPC, $15 CPM,
  
• 12.5% referral payout per rental
  
• online platforms such as turo, hyrecar, Ubers new platform
  
• partnership agreements with local businesses
  

$630 weekly rate ($90 p/day) if booked 24 hours in advance, $700 for instant booking
Rideshare option - renter can use for Uber or Lyft
Food delivery option - renter can use for Dominos or Doordash or Uber Eats, etc
US business mileage tax deduction- $0.65.
Assuming mostly rideshare drivers use me and the car is driven at least 100 miles per day, 36,500 miles * $0.65 = $23,725 back in taxes
Assuming I rent daily at my lowest price of $80, that’s $29,200 gross per vehicle.
$29,200 * 0.60 (40% tax) = $17,520 gross
$50,380 - $10,000 down payment = $40,380
$40,380 @ 10% interest, 48 months = $1,024.14 monthly
I want to pay the car off in 24 months
After 12 months, my balance will be $31,739.40
$31,739.40 - $7500 federal EV credit - $3,000 state EV credit = $21,739.40
I’m not sure how to calculate the mileage deduction so I’ll leave that out as extra income. I used to do Uber and Lyft and $200-300 after Uber fees working a day are realistic. I have also done Dominos which pays out $13 p/hr and has unlimited overtime if you are willing to close, you can seriously do 70 hours OT (10am to 2am) but your only driving half or 1/3 of the time, plus $350 tips, so your looking at $1000+ per week working 10-12 hrs daily, $1700 if your willing to slave away. The difference in electric vs gas is pretty significant. That cost savings could result in 50% savings. For example I was spending $50 daily to fill up with Uber (250-400 miles) and about $25 with dominos (120 miles).
I’m also calling up local repair shops and dealerships and businesses to offer my cars as loaners. Repair shops and dealers seem resistant though, they hate EVs. Dealerships in my area charge $50 per day for rentals while cars are being serviced. Not sure about how to contact insurance companies though.
So what do you guys think? Target market are gig workers who are all in for the most part, with some sprinkling of one off customers whether from partnering businesses or google ads, etc.

Cult of the Lamb

Genre: Action-RPG / Roguelike / Management Simulation
Players: 1
.
Review:
Cult of the Lamb, released in 2022 on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, is an Action-RPG with strong Roguelike and Management Simulation elements. In this game, players take the role of a small anthropomorphic lamb about to be sacrificed in a ritual intended to and the looming threat of an ancient deity known as The Waiting One. However, the ritual ends up having the opposite effect, sending the lamb to The Waiting One, who resurrects the lamb with the instruction of starting a cult to worship him, and giving the lamb the ability to slaughter those who killed them.
Right from the start, Cult of the Lamb is a game that combines extreme opposites. The lamb and their growing lineup of followers are absolutely adorable, depicted with wide eyes and voiced in a cutesy babble-speak. Yet, your character will violently slaughter your enemies and desecrate their corpses, communes with his ancient god by having his eyes glow red and start bleeding, routinely “indoctrinates” new followers into their cult, can make those followers eat grass or excrement, or even make their own followers into blood sacrifices to achieve their goals. Yeah, this is the same sort of “adorable” we saw in games like The Binding of Isaac, which is to say that this cuteness is only to make the game’s extremely dark content and tones seem even darker by contrast.
The presentation here is good, but isn’t without its flaws. The game is technically 3D, but all of its individual elements are in 2D, with the game using hand-drawn artwork for its characters and much of its scenery, with a somewhat crude art style and animation that works with its cutesy elements. However, despite how simple this game is on a technical level, I still noticed occasional issues with framerates and outright frame drops, at times so severe that it interfered with the gameplay. What’s more, the nature of the game’s 2D characters in a 3D environment made it difficult to distinguish whether or not a melee attack would connect, making this element of the gameplay less than satisfying. This is all backed by by an interesting if somewhat unsettling mix of odd vocal and simple instrumental melodies, which is distinct and works well with the game’s offbeat overall tone.
The gameplay here is split between Roguelike Action-RPG sections and Management Simulation sections, and these all have their strengths and weaknesses. The combat in this game has some good variety, and feels fairly fluid, but it suffers from the hit detection and framerate issues I mentioned above, and while it’s not outright bad, it doesn’t reach the same heights as the other half of the game.
When it comes to the Management Simulation elements, Cult of the Lamb’s approach to the genre feels really refreshing, as you’re trying to build up your facilities and gain resources while also managing the members of your cult themselves. You’ll be ensuring that they have adequate food, cleaning up after them when they poop or die to ensure the remaining members don’t suffer from disease, assigning them to jobs to help around your facility, and also managing their level of faith, which can be sapped to further your progression through the various skill trees, enabling you access to more facilities you can build, empowering your character as they trek into the game’s Action-y Roguelike elements.
Unfortunately, you have limited resources in your cult’s home camp and must eventually head back out into the Roguelike portions of the game, and this is frustrating not only because this is the less-interesting part of the game you feel like you’re reluctantly trudging through, but also because time keeps passing while you’re out adventuring, meaning that your peoples’ food supplies will continue to dwindle until your cult members starve, and waste will build up with no one cleaning it.
If this game allowed multiplayer, I could see this making for a good division of duties as one players stays to maintain the cult while the other heads off to fight enemies and gather resources. However, no such multiplayer exists in this game, and as a result every time you feel like you have to tear yourself away from your facility, you may well be wishing someone else could be doing that while you continue doing what you were doing.
As a result of this, Cult of the Lamb feels like a somewhat unbalanced game. There are some very good elements here, wrapped in a distinct and memorable package, but the sub-par combat portions of the game and the performance issues on Nintendo Switch mean you’re probably better off going to another game that does just one of these elements well, such as Hades, or a game that mixes Action-RPG Roguelike and Management Simulation elements better but without the same sort of distinctive presentation, such as Moonlighter. There’s still a lot of good to be found here, but I feel like the flaws in this game rob it of the opportunity to be on the same level as games like those.
tl;dr – Cult of the Lamb is an Action-RPG with strong Roguelike and Management Simulation elements, in which players take the role of a lamb charged with managing a cult to worship an ancient deity, while heading out to gather resources and slaughter enemies. The presentation and Management Sim parts of this game are original and quite enjoyable, but the Action-RPG sections of the game are less successful thanks to issues with unclear hit detection and this game’s performance on Nintendo Switch. While there’s still plenty to enjoy here, I feel like there are other games that manage to do the individual elements of this game better, even if there’s nothing else that offers quite the same overall package.

Grade: B-

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