Merge pull request #620 from 3mdeb/develop

Publish QubesOS summit and UEFI capsule update posts

blog/content/authors/marta-witkowska/_index.md

@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+---
+title: "Marta Witkowska"
+name: "Marta Witkowska"
+identifier: marta.witkowska
+photo: "/authors/no-image.png"
+facebook:
+twitter:
+linkedin:
+github: "https://github.com/MartaWitt"
+contribution:
+---
+Legal and Administration Specialist

blog/content/post/2012-01-06-how-to-begin-with-coreboot.md

@@ -22,8 +22,8 @@ decided to write a series of posts described my actions associated with this
 interesting project. At the beginning I would recommend some interesting sources
 of information on coreboot:
 
-- <http://www.coreboot.org/QEMU> - If you're impatient and want to start as soon
-  as possible
+- <http://web.archive.org/web/20240619212654/https://www.coreboot.org/QEMU> - If
+  you're impatient and want to start as soon as possible
 - [Coreboot videos][2] - One of the easiest ways to obtain general information
   about the project
 - [Start to understand][3] - I found this page by accident while googling
@@ -37,8 +37,8 @@ coreboot. In the [next post][5] I will describe [flashrom][6] application and my
 experience with one of the old motherboard.
 
 [1]: http://www.coreboot.org/
-[2]: http://www.coreboot.org/Screenshots#Videos
+[2]: http://web.archive.org/web/20240301150928/https://www.coreboot.org/Screenshots
 [3]: http://lennartb.home.xs4all.nl/coreboot/coreboot.html
-[4]: http://www.coreboot.org/Documentation
+[4]: http://web.archive.org/web/20180421135108/https://www.coreboot.org/Documentation/
 [5]: /2012/01/06/flashrom-and-shuttle-av18e2/
 [6]: http://flashrom.org/

blog/content/post/2016-03-12-pxe-server-with-raspberry-pi-1.md

@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ Then reboot device and connect your PXE client device.
 
 When device boot press `Ctrl-B` to enter iPXE shell. If you cannot enter shell
 please replace iPXE with recent version using
-[this instructions](https://www.coreboot.org/IPXE).
+[this instructions](http://web.archive.org/web/20240722180541/https://www.coreboot.org/IPXE).
 
 Entering iPXE you should see something like that:
 

blog/content/post/2024-12-09-qubes-os-summit-post.md

@@ -0,0 +1,238 @@
+---
+title: 'Qubes Os Summit 2024'
+abstract: 'The sixth Qubes OS Summit, hosted in Berlin from September 20–22,
+2024, was a dynamic convergence of experts and enthusiasts in the field of
+secure, open-source computing. Organized by 3mdeb and the Invisible Things Lab,
+this hybrid event featured live-streamed sessions for remote participants,
+facilitating global engagement.'
+cover: /covers/qubes&3mdeb_logo.png
+author: marta.witkowska
+layout: post
+published: true
+date: 2024-12-09
+archives: "2024"
+
+tags:
+  - QubesOS
+  - conference
+categories:
+  - Miscellaneous
+  - OS Dev
+
+---
+
+## Qubes OS Summit 2024
+
+The sixth edition of the Qubes OS Summit, organized by Invisible Things Lab and
+3mdeb, took place at the end of September. This year's event, held from
+September 20th to 22nd, was hosted in Berlin. It was not only an in-person
+gathering but also streamed live. The previous year’s conference was also hosted
+in Berlin and included a live online streaming for remote participants from
+[the first](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UxndcxIngw&t=2s) and
+[the second](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xo2BVTn7ohs&t=3s) day of the
+summit.
+
+The summit was highly productive, facilitating the exchange of
+knowledge and expertise among participants. Contributions and insights shared
+during the event were appreciated, as they advanced discussions on
+security, privacy, and open-source technologies.
+
+## Day 1
+
+The first day of the Qubes OS Summit 2024 began with a
+[Welcome to Qubes OS Summit 2024](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJFxtdan9qY)
+presentation held by [Piotr Król](https://www.linkedin.com/in/krolpiotr/) and
+[Marek Marczykowski-Górecki](https://github.com/marmarek).
+Piotr formally acknowledged the event sponsors, expressed gratitude for their
+generous support, and highlighted their crucial contributions to the event's
+success.
+
+In his address, Piotr discussed the history of the Qubes OS Summit and outlined
+the critical accomplishments since the last event. These remarks set the tone
+for the conference, providing context on the progress made and framing the
+following discussions.
+
+The next presentation, delivered by Marek Marczykowski-Górecki, provided a
+[Qubes OS development status
+update](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j7P7E0uq0s). In his talk, Marek offered
+a comprehensive overview of the Qubes project, summarizing its current state and
+progress. He also outlined the work being carried out by his team and presented
+a preliminary roadmap for the upcoming release of Qubes OS 4.3.
+
+A new concept for devices was presented: device port ID and self-identity
+device. Qubes Air was brought back, and cross-host flow would be possible. There
+are also many updates to Qubes tools, especially GUI agent support for Windows.
+
+The following presentation was [Qubes OS GUI Changes and Future
+Perspectives](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j7P7E0uq0s) by [Marta
+Marczykowska-Górecka](https://github.com/marmarta). One key area of focus was
+enhancing user experience by making the interface more intuitive and visually
+cohesive while maintaining its strong security principles. Marta has been
+focusing on improving the accessibility of Qubes OS for users who are not
+experts in the field. Her efforts include developing graphical user interface
+(GUI) tools for system configuration that are more intuitive and user - friendly
+than the current options, making the system easier to navigate and configure for
+a wider audience.
+
+She discussed integrating modern design elements to align Qubes OS with
+contemporary usability standards and improvements in the new devices widget,
+such as automatically attaching the new device to a Qube.
+
+After the short break, Piotr started the design session: [Enhancing OS Awarness
+of Hardware Security Capabilities in Qubes
+OS](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tT9ss8gQYm8&t=5s). He highlighted how Qubes
+is evolving to integrate better and leverage hardware security features to
+enhance system security.
+
+[Nestire](https://github.com/nestire) presented the talk [Passwordless encrypted
+Qubes? Exploring some
+concepts](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUOnBapSLRE&t=5s). In his talk, he
+focused on possible ways to prevent attacks. This approach aims to enhance user
+experience without compromising security by using alternative, hardware-backed
+authentication methods in place of traditional passwords.
+
+At the Qubes OS Summit 2024, the talk on [How to architect your Qubes OS with
+SaltStack](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUOnBapSLRE&t=5s) hosted by [Benjamin
+Grande](https://github.com/ben-grande) emphasized how SaltStack can be leveraged
+to automate and manage Qubes OS configurations efficiently.
+
+The following presentation was [FlashKeeper: where SpiSpy meets Stateless Laptop
+jaded dreams: A retrofit plan
+first](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxFceGi6C0k) held by [Thierry
+Laurion](https://github.com/tlaurion). Thierry pointed out the advantages of
+using FlashKeeper because of its quick flashing cycles. He pointed out that for
+users concerned with physical attacks on their systems, for whom easy access to
+SPI flash pins may be seen as a risk, a variant including a small FPGA closely
+collocated with the flash is also being developed.
+
+The presentation delves into the convergence of two key projects: SpiSpy, a tool
+for monitoring SPI flash chips, and efforts toward stateless laptops, which
+eliminate sensitive data persistence. The talk outlined a retrofit plan to
+enhance hardware security, particularly within the Qubes OS ecosystem.
+
+[Michał Żygowski](https://github.com/miczyg1) talked about [Anti Evil Maid
+status and future plans](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ieNhbLLTIU). AEM is a
+security feature designed to protect against attacks that tamper with the boot
+process of systems like Qubes OS. Michał presented an interesting case on the
+performance of AEM on NovaCustom NV4x Alderlake laptop and the results he
+achieved.
+
+Marek Marczykowski-Górecki and [Frédéric Pierret](https://github.com/fepitre)
+presented an [Update on Qubes Air](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4flhwEITr4),
+indicating the current issues, for example focus on Qrexec calls to other
+systems and disposable Qube support.
+
+Moreover, in this version, there is no GUI support for remote Qubes, focus is on
+individual VMS on both systems and not on automatically synchronizing all the
+cube machines to the other. There is also a new type of Qube – a Relay Qube – a
+specialized LocalVM or a RemoteVM that acts as a bridge between the local and
+remote Qubes OS hosts.
+
+At the end of day one, there was a Qubes OS Summit 2024 – Day 1 closing notes
+hosted by Piotr Król who invited all conference participiants to the afterparty
+at Sudblock.
+
+## Day 2
+
+Day two of the Qubes OS Summit 2024 began with a brief
+[Welcome to Qubes OS Summit Day 2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AkBeBwxdA0)
+by Piotr Król, who welcomed attendees, and provided an overview of the second
+day’s agenda.
+
+The first talk of the second day was [NovaCustom: introducing the new Qubes OS
+certified V54 and V56 Series](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV-1IR_d1Gg),
+hosted by [Wessel klein Snakenborg](https://github.com/wessel-novacustom) and
+[Tijn Veldhuis](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tijn-veldhuis-955a0013a). They
+present a roadmap for the next few months, including, for example, developing
+comprehensive firmware updates and the UEFI updates.
+
+Tijn announced the new laptop model V56 and its specifications, including up to
+96 GB of internal memory. Wessel mentioned that they are also planning a Dasharo
+ACPI driver for the laptops, which provides communication between the OS and
+firmware.
+
+The following presentation, [Implementing UEFI Secure Boot in Qubes OS:
+Challenges and Future Steps](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcF_RN04oq8), was
+held by Piotr Król. Piotr started the talk by pointing out what UEFI Secure Boot
+is and what led the open-source software to dislike it. This talk explored the
+challenges and potential solutions for implementing UEFI Secure Boot in Qubes
+OS. An essential part of this talk was the presentation of future steps toward
+full Secure Boot support and how the community can participate in ongoing
+testing, feedback, and development work. Without a doubt, the first step that
+Secure Boot users can consider is choosing hardware that has better UEFI Secure
+Boot.
+
+The subsequent presentation, delivered by
+[Neowutran](https://github.com/neowutran) [GPU passthrough - My personal
+experience](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OTwWvlDcgg) showed the bugs across
+stack and the journay of making a Qubes OS Gaming Machine and presented setup
+difficulty evolution: 2019 – 2024.
+
+The following presentation [Joys and sorrows of multi-VM app development: a
+SecureDrop Workstation case
+study](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIZTeJU0iBY&t=10s) , delivered by [Rowen
+S.](https://freedom.press/people/rowen-s) and [Francisco
+Rocha](https://freedom.press/people/francisco-rocha/) One of the more
+interesting aspects of the presentation was the shift from configuration made
+purely by Saltstack to a new approach. Moreover using specific architectural
+updates as case studies, they outlined some of the changes they made to both the
+design and their concept of developing native applications for Qubes. This talk
+delved into the unique complexities and insights from developing multi-virtual
+machine applications on Qubes OS, focusing on the SecureDrop Workstation as an
+example.
+
+After the short break, Jan Suhr [Jan
+Suhr](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jansuhr1/) led a design session [Future of
+Measured Boot such as
+Heads](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPeidhgNBtg&list=PLuISieMwVBpL5S7kPUHKenoFj_YJ8Y0_d&index=6s)
+.The discussion focused on advanced techniques for measured boot implementations
+and the Heads firmware, exploring both current practices and potential
+developments. Jan remarked some of the concerns of Heads users, the users want,
+for example, Windows support in Heads and more supported hardware.
+
+Thierry Laurion presented the concept of [Safe disk states as a firmware
+service, what do we
+want](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=It13u9UASs4&list=PLuISieMwVBpL5S7kPUHKenoFj_YJ8Y0_d&index=7),
+examining how firmware can contribute to maintaining secure and consistent disk
+states. The talk covered the desired outcomes for secure firmware services,
+emphasizing how reliable disk states could bolster data protection, particularly
+in multi-VM environments. Thierry discussed potential approaches and outlined
+goals for integrating such firmware capabilities, aiming to enhance overall
+system security and stability in Qubes OS deployments.
+
+[Piotr Bartman-Szwarc](https://github.com/piotrbartman) talked about [Qubes &
+ Devices](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQzZUf9Kzjs&list=PLuISieMwVBpL5S7kPUHKenoFj_YJ8Y0_d&index=8),
+peripheral device handling (especially USB and block devices) in Qubes OS. He
+presented on the topic of integrating and managing external devices within the
+Qubes OS framework. He discussed current device compatibility, associated
+security challenges, and future development paths to enhance device management.
+The session highlighted approaches to ensure secure interactions between
+hardware and Qubes’ virtualized environment, addressing practical use cases and
+potential advancements.
+
+Thierry's second talk of the day was [Heads rolling release: roles of upstream
+and downstream
+forks](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAb_kHrF6SQ&list=PLuISieMwVBpL5S7kPUHKenoFj_YJ8Y0_d&index=9).
+Thierry’s talk underscored the importance of collaboration in securing firmware
+updates and ensuring continued innovation in open-source firmware solutions.
+
+At the end of day one, there was a [Qubes OS Summit 2024 - Day 2 closing
+notes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P1dCUNbDm8&list=PLuISieMwVBpL5S7kPUHKenoFj_YJ8Y0_d&index=10)
+hosted by Piotr Król. Piotr invited all conference participiants to the
+Hackathon.
+
+## Hackathon
+
+The last day – the Hackathon, was the time to talk and code projects connected
+to the topics discussed during the design sessions. It was a productive time
+that allows to exchange our experiences.
+
+## Summary
+
+The Qubes OS Summit 2024 brought together a vibrant community dedicated to
+pushing the boundaries of reasonable secure, open-source computing. The in-depth
+presentations, collaborative discussions, and hands-on hackathon underscored the
+shared commitment to advancing Qubes OS and enhancing its usability, security,
+and adaptability. Thanks to the support of the sponsors and the engagement of
+all participants, this year's summit marked another step forward in shaping the
+future of secure computing.