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Simson Garfinkel

@simson.net
129 followers 41 following 134 posts

Dr. Simson Garfinkel researches and writes at the intersection of AI, privacy, and digital forensics. He is a fellow of the AAAS, the ACM and the IEEE. He earned his PhD in Computer Science at MIT and a Master of Science in Journalism at Columbia.

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Simson Garfinkel @simson.net · 13/08/2026
PR #674 is merged. bulk_extractor 2.2.0beta1 is available now with a precompiled 64-bit Windows executable, source archive, and Snap packages: github.com/simsong/bulk...
bulk_extractor 2.2.0beta1 download graphic listing a precompiled Windows x64 executable, source archive, and Snap packages.
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Simson Garfinkel @simson.net · 13/08/2026
Why Codex could move quickly: bounded position-aware data, modular scanners, structured diagnostics, separate recorders, real fixtures, and focused tests. AI didn’t replace software engineering; it amplified excellent underlying structure.
Architecture diagram listing bounded position-aware data access, modular scanners, structured diagnostics, separate recorders, real fixtures, focused tests, and reproducible builds.
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Simson Garfinkel @simson.net · 13/08/2026
This was not exploitable out-of-bounds access: reads and slices are mediated by sbuf_t. The fix preserves the recognized PE feature, skips an incomplete carve, safely hashes short buffers, and adds a real-fixture regression test.
GitHub production diff showing the added size check and guard before carving data from the winpe scanner buffer.
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Simson Garfinkel @simson.net · 13/08/2026
The PE metadata implied an executable extent of 24,390,512 bytes—beyond the bytes available to this scanner invocation. The input-derived length reached sbuf_t, whose bounds check rejected the slice with a controlled exception.
Diagram showing certificate-table offset plus length yielding a 24,390,512-byte required extent that exceeds the current scanner buffer.
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Simson Garfinkel @simson.net · 13/08/2026
Developed with Codex. I saw exceptions from bulk_extractor’s winpe scanner and asked Codex to reproduce them, trace execution, find the cause, and prepare a tested fix. It did: github.com/simsong/bulk... A thread 🧵
Graphic titled Developed with Codex: AI-assisted software maintenance. A flow shows logfile, trace, fix, and regression test for bulk_extractor PR 674.
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Simson Garfinkel @simson.net · 03/07/2026
There's a fun article in today's Data Colada blog that discusses the many places metadata is stored on MacOS and Microsoft Excel, and why this is all relevant in the Francesca v. Harvard lawsuit on data falsification. datacolada.org/136 Also some side comments on @benedelman.org
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Simson Garfinkel @simson.net · 03/07/2026
What a great way to start the morning with an email from Sara. Or Xanna. Or whomever… Summer in #Seattle open.substack.com/pub/saraabra...
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Simson Garfinkel @simson.net · 01/01/2026
AI, IoT and CyberSecurity — Help test the labs! Looking for people to try the labs for Harvard CSCI E-11, AI, IoT and Internet of Things. Labs are free, but the grader and the course dashboard require either a Harvard account or a "course_key" to run. simson.net/csci-e-11-gi... Reply for details!
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Simson Garfinkel @simson.net · 31/12/2025
Desktops from Naoshima (Japan's art island). I took some stunning photographs on my most recent trip to Japan. The ZIP file has 15 high resolution photos. (The photo with the birds was taken in Nagasaki.) simson.net/ref/2025/Jap...
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Simson Garfinkel @simson.net · 16/04/2025
I stopped by the @mitofficial.bsky.social bookstore to sign some @mitpress.bsky.social books on #DiffeeentialPrivacy
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Simson Garfinkel @simson.net · 26/03/2025
I'm talking about #differentialPrivacy on the SecureTalk podcast by @StrikeGraph. Website: www.securetalkpodcast.com Youtube: youtu.be/eZFgxKsFvYg?... Apple Podcast: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/p... Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/4o9h... SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/user-7796943...
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Simson Garfinkel @simson.net · 25/03/2025
Differential Privacy (2026) my new book, is published by MIT Press today!!!! The soft cover and kindle versions are available now. The open access PDF should be available shortly!!! mitdpbook.com Amazon sent me this lovely email today.
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Simson Garfinkel @simson.net · 16/01/2025
Why is the @npr.org app using so much data? T
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Simson Garfinkel @simson.net · 25/12/2024
Simpler times for MIT: The 1939-1940 budget.
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Simson Garfinkel @simson.net · 21/12/2024
We have sold 387 copies of UNIX-HATERS on Amazon since bringing the book back to print. Thanks everyone! "The UNIX-HATERS Handbook: Two of the most famous products of Berkeley are LSD and Unix. I don’t think that is a coincidence." www.amazon.com/UNIX-HATERS-...
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Simson Garfinkel @simson.net · 09/12/2024
Having the virus scanner crash is never comforting.
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Simson Garfinkel @simson.net · 19/11/2024
I'm registering for the AAAS 2025 conference and I got this question. Doesn't everybody have to put AFRICA?
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Simson Garfinkel @simson.net · 14/11/2024
#DifferentialPrivacy has a cover. Paperback ISBN: 9780262551656 Pub date: March 25, 2025 Publisher: The MIT Press 244 pp., 5 x 7 in, 22 b&w illus. mitpress.mit.edu/978026255165...
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