iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Tal Skverer @taltechtreks.com · 28/10/2025

Amazing vibe and crowd at Reversim Summit today! I'm so humbled to be here and present my research to you all!

000

Tal Skverer @taltechtreks.com · 28/10/2025

וואו, איזה אווירה ואיזה קהל ב-Reversim Summit היום! שמחתי מאוד על הזכות להיות פה ולהציג בפניכם את המחקר שלי, תודה!

120

Tal Skverer @taltechtreks.com · 27/10/2025

So happy the Reveresim Summit is here! It’s always such a great event with awesome talks. This year is extra special because I get to speak for the first time! Come hear about Android hacking, and how I spent summer 2016 breaking into Pokémon Go. Tomorrow, October 27th, at 13:20 in the main hall!

000

Tal Skverer @taltechtreks.com · 27/10/2025

איזה כיף שהגיע הכנס השנתי של Reversim Summit! כנס שתמיד נהדר להיות בו עם הרצאות מעניינות ומעולות, והפעם הוא מתוק במיוחד כי יוצא לי להרצות בו בפעם הראשונה! מוזמנים לבוא לשמוע על איך נראה האקינג למשחקי אנדרואיד, ואיך ביליתי את ימי הקיץ אי שם ב2016 כדי לפרוץ לפוקימון גו. מחר, 27/10, ב13:20 באולם הגדול!

Tal Skverer @taltechtreks.com · 24/10/2025

Had a great time presenting the OWASP Top 10 NHI Project today at #LASCON Austin with Tomer Yahalom! We've had the pleasure to give the talk to a great crowd and amazing people. Looking forward to the second day filled with interesting talks!

Tal Skverer @taltechtreks.com · 16/10/2025

Today, we released an open-source tool to help mitigate some of the security implications of today's #MCP server implementations: the "MCP Secret Wrapper", which in a simple 2-step flow, removes those pesky static credentials from your configuration files! github.com/astrix-secur...

github.com

GitHub - astrix-security/mcp-secret-wrapper: Astrix Security MCP Secret Wrapper

Astrix Security MCP Secret Wrapper. Contribute to astrix-security/mcp-secret-wrapper development by creating an account on GitHub.

Tal Skverer @taltechtreks.com · 16/10/2025

Our analysis discovered that the majority of servers rely on long-lived API keys or credentials given to them through static configuration files. This unfortunate side effect of the rush to use #AI #Agents comes at a cost by downgrading security.

100

Tal Skverer @taltechtreks.com · 16/10/2025

The #MCP framework took the world by storm. But is it safe? We downloaded over 5 thousand of the highest starred MCP implementations to answer that question! astrix.security/learn/blog/s...

astrix.security

State of MCP Server Security 2025: Research Report | Astrix

5K+ MCP servers analysis: 53% use insecure hard-coded credentials. Read the full 2025 research and download the open-source MCP Secret Wrapper to mitigate risks.

100

Tal Skverer @taltechtreks.com · 20/08/2025

A few years later (and I still can't quite believe this is happening) I'm going to be that person on stage! So, despite me, I'll be presenting my research on the main stage on the second day (Tuesday, 28/10) at 13:20. Hope to see you there!

000

Tal Skverer @taltechtreks.com · 20/08/2025

The first Reversim I attended was actually one of the first conferences I'd ever been to. I distinctly remember sitting in the audience, watching a speaker present their cool project, and thinking how incredible it must feel to be up there on stage sharing your work with such an engaged crowd.

100

Tal Skverer @taltechtreks.com · 20/08/2025

I am absolutely delighted to share that I'll be giving a talk at Reversim Summit 2025 on breaking Pokémon Go's anti-cheating mechanism! On a personal note, every time I visit Reversim, it shows me just how awesome, welcoming, and genuinely interesting community-driven events can be.

Tal Skverer @taltechtreks.com · 09/08/2025

Breaking 'Em All! The blog posts going deeper into hacking Pokemon Go that accompany my #DEFCON talk are live on my blog! taltechtreks.com/2024/04/06/H... taltechtreks.com/2025/08/09/H... Happy to get questions on the research!

taltechtreks.com

Breaking Pokémon Go Anti-Cheating System - Part 2

Overcoming Niantic's Anti Cheating Mechanism

061

Tal Skverer @taltechtreks.com · 09/08/2025

Talking in an hour at #DEFCON about Pokemon Go on track 3. Couldn't be more excited! I've worked on it multiple nights in the past months, and I hope you'll enjoy it! If you're not here in person, you can catch the talk live at www.youtube.com/live/fzbrrKP... or www.twitch.tv/defcon_dctv_...

twitch.tv

DEFCON_DCTV_Three - Twitch

DEFCON TV Channel 3: Track 3 Talks

051

Tal Skverer @taltechtreks.com · 09/08/2025

Giving a talk on Pokemon Go, I just had to convert myself to a Pokemon trainer. The amazing Ryan Rockenbaugh surprised me with a limited edition sticker of Trainer Tal Sticker wall at #DEFCON got 2, and I will be giving what's left tomorrow at my talk Breaking 'Em All! 11:30 Track 3. See you!

060

Tal Skverer @taltechtreks.com · 07/08/2025

Excited and humbled to speak once again in DEF CON. Talk is on Saturday at 11:30, track 3. I'll be in the conf till Sunday, hit me up if you want to chat over the talk or any other project.

Tal Skverer @taltechtreks.com · 22/07/2025

The #DEFCON 33 schedule is live and I'm excited to announce I'll be giving a talk this year on unique research I was a part of a few years back! "Breakin 'Em All – Overcoming Pokémon Go's Anti-Cheat Mechanism" Join me on stage - Sat, 11:30 AM, Track 3 defcon.org/html/defcon-...

011

Tal Skverer @taltechtreks.com · 11/06/2025

Looks like I'll be at Hacker Summer Camp this year! Exciting #DEFCON33 ☺

050

Tal Skverer @taltechtreks.com · 06/06/2025

Just got back from #AppSecIL2025! Ended up 4th place in the #CTF 🎉 Solved 12/15 challenges alone - Android pwn, JS sandbox escapes, cache poisoning, XSS bypasses. The usual suspects: SQLi, LDAP injection, XXE. Had a blast! Looking forward to the next one. Writeup: taltechtreks.com/2025/06/04/a...

taltechtreks.com

AppSec IL 2025 CTF - Writeup

A writeup on all challenges I solved in the 2025 OWASP CTF

021

Tal Skverer @taltechtreks.com · 20/05/2025

I'm building something cute and new, but as opposed to my normal ways, this time I'm using #Cursor heavily and the flow blows my mind. Although I'm certain that without prior good knowledge of coding it wouldn't work that well.

000

Tal Skverer @taltechtreks.com · 01/05/2025

Excited to present my research tomorrow at #RSAC! Come by to hear John and me share conclusions and insights on the first publicly available report on Non-Human identity security! See you there, May 1, 10:50 am at Moscone West 3004!

030

Tal Skverer @taltechtreks.com · 23/04/2025

For today, a bit Friends content! Or, uhh, actually, computer science! What’s the largest sofa you can pivot around a corner? Heard about this problem in the past, but I thought it's one of those we will never be able to prove. (At least until quantum computers arrive to solve some NP problems)

quantamagazine.org

The Largest Sofa You Can Move Around a Corner | Quanta Magazine

A new proof reveals the answer to the decades-old “moving sofa” problem. It highlights how even the simplest optimization problems can have counterintuitive answers.

Tal Skverer @taltechtreks.com · 17/04/2025

Took a bit of hiatus from posting here, was quite busy the past few months (CFP season amiright…) But I do have more cool stuff ready for sharing as well as writing 2 blog posts about projects I worked on lately. Looking forward to sharing with you all

000

Tal Skverer @taltechtreks.com · 14/03/2025

Great time presenting OWASP NHI Top 10 at #SnowFROC! If you're here, come say hi!

000

Tal Skverer @taltechtreks.com · 08/03/2025

Well, that was an hour of my life well spent. An amazing adaptation of minesweeper to include old-school RPG elements. UPDATE: Had to go back and play, another 4 hours to achieve a perfect clear. Incredible game!

danielben.itch.io

Dragonsweeper by Daniel Benmergui

A roguelike minesweeper adventure

Tal Skverer @taltechtreks.com · 06/03/2025

Great thread on the emerging new details on the ByBit breach

000

Tal Skverer @taltechtreks.com · 28/02/2025

A cute post showcasing the basis of every website - HTML! The site goes over (almost) all HTML tags, by using them. Seeing this, it’s unfortunate that text inputs in websites don't allow most tags but rather encapsulate how the final result is displayed for users. Give us more, please!

iamwillwang.com

Every HTML Element

Tal Skverer @taltechtreks.com · 27/02/2025

Managed to squeeze in 2 talk submissions to #fwd:cloudsec just before the first round CFP closes. Hoping for good news, will be the perfect reason to finally attend in person!

000

Tal Skverer @taltechtreks.com · 24/02/2025

Check out this wild project: #Steam #Brick. The author transformed the Steam Deck to a brick that still connects to screens or VR while reducing size by a third Projects like this (author used steam-provided data) are a great example of "right-to-own", critical to enhance electronics sustainability

crastinator-pro.github.io

No screen, no controller, and absolutely no sense, just a power button and a USB port.

Brick your Steam Deck - one way or another…

Tal Skverer @taltechtreks.com · 24/02/2025

Thanks for the shout-out! Happy to see the starterpack in use 😁

Tal Skverer @taltechtreks.com · 21/02/2025

#OAuth #phishing apps are coming to get you - now on #X! It's annoying to see yet another case of how easy it is to fake consent screens that look identical to real companies. Why we still lack mandatory verification processes for new OAuth apps is beyond me. x.com/thealexbanks...

Tal Skverer @taltechtreks.com · 20/02/2025

This researcher found a clever persistence trick: create a rogue #OIDC provider mimicking an existing one, then silently tweak the conditions. Easy to miss, but it lets an attacker retain access to a compromised account. How many orgs actually audit their OIDC roles? Feels like a blind spot.

000

Tal Skverer @taltechtreks.com · 17/02/2025

So, #OAuth implementations seem to always have some edge case or quirk making it vulnerable in odd ways. This particular exploit leveraged an open redirect in an app's OAuth callback, combined with #Google OAuth's quirks to steal authorization codes on visiting a malicious website.

blog.voorivex.team

OAuth Non-Happy Path to ATO

Learn how small errors in OAuth implementation can lead to significant security vulnerabilities like one-click account takeover in web applications

074

Tal Skverer @taltechtreks.com · 15/02/2025

#DeepSeek roasts me based on my #UserAgent: Your browser history is so bare even your referrer ghosted you, your 2560x1440 screen is just compensating for how bland Firefox 134 on Windows 10 is, and 16 CPU cores in Tel Aviv? Congrats, you’re the NPC overclocking spreadsheets in the Silicon Wadi.

jasonthorsness.com

DeepSeek My User Agent

021

Tal Skverer @taltechtreks.com · 14/02/2025

Cute bit of #internet history, this post shows why #Git gives you 0.1 seconds to decide if it runs a fixed command. Turns out, backwards compatibility in code is hard, especially if the code is distributed widely, and can lead to these kind of funny instances (and other that can cause real damage)

blog.gitbutler.com

Why is Git Autocorrect too fast for Formula One drivers?

Why does Git's autocorrect wait 0.1s before executing a mistyped command? Let's dig in.

000

Tal Skverer @taltechtreks.com · 12/02/2025

The author created a CPU #JTAG breakout and by inserting it between the balls and the CPU—manages to successfully debug the Xbox and extract the holy grail—a secret 512-byte boot ROM. This ROM was originally extracted in other methods which allowed #Jailbreaking the #Xbox in the first place.

000

Tal Skverer @taltechtreks.com · 12/02/2025

Of course, it can't that simple. #Microsoft took a straightforward but effective countermeasure—grounding the #TRST pin, effectively locking out #JTAG access on retail consoles. Additionally, the #CPU is soldered on a ball-grid-array, making direct patching nearly impossible. But - there’s a way!

101

Tal Skverer @taltechtreks.com · 12/02/2025

I love #hacking #embedded systems, and also #gaming when time permits. Imagine my delight seeing a post that blends both! Two decades after its release, someone revisits the idea of “just” using the original #Xbox CPU's #JTAG connector to debug it.

blog.ret2.io

JTAG 'Hacking' the Original Xbox in 2023

Released in November 2001, the original Xbox was Microsoft’s first venture into the game console industry. With its hardware closely resembling a cheap but v...

140

Tal Skverer @taltechtreks.com · 09/02/2025

The Dead Internet Theory is just a meme, right? Well…something strange happens over at PhysicsForums. Once an active forum for physics students, now a quieter place. A year ago, posts appeared, made by users long after their last login. LLM-generated replies back-inserted into the DB Must read!

hallofdreams.org

PhysicsForums and the Dead Internet Theory

An exposé no one will read, about the widespread falsification of user posts in PhysicsForums, a scientific community founded in 2001. This is a microcosm of the death of the human-written Internet.

Tal Skverer @taltechtreks.com · 09/02/2025

Hey, Erica! :) Glad to have you over here too.

Tal Skverer @taltechtreks.com · 08/02/2025

Still surprised with how people use LLMs for cool stuff. This one uses o1 and makes it play Codenames with itself. If you played it, you know it's tricky to give good hints, and o1 crushed it. Wonder how it works when not playing itself. If I played someone with my brain, the game would be easy :)

suveenellawela.com

Codenames AI - OpenAI's o1 Playing Codenames

I got OpenAI's o1 to play codenames and the results were surprisingly good

011

Tal Skverer @taltechtreks.com · 07/02/2025

Hey, floating point's hard! Can't blame poor ping.

000

Tal Skverer @taltechtreks.com · 07/02/2025

The #GPT #o1 model was very exciting initially, but I completely stopped using it. The long wait and the laziness of my prompts made the chat-based models much better. This post explains how to interact with o1. In short - it comes down to good #prompts so o1 one-shots the response.

latent.space

o1 isn’t a chat model (and that’s the point)

How Ben Hylak turned from ol pro skeptic to fan by overcoming his skill issue.

000

Tal Skverer @taltechtreks.com · 04/02/2025

Using the technique on a newly opened window, the first click closes it, underneath is an #authorization button that the second click presses, approving access for a #malicious app. Pretty clever—and hopefully, defenses catch up before this trick gets widely abused. 3/3

Tal Skverer @taltechtreks.com · 04/02/2025

Over time, defenses evolved: #CSRF protections, X-Frame-Options to prevent framing, and SameSite: Lax cookies to block cross-site authentication made clickjacking obsolete. But guess what? It’s back — #DoubleClickjacking bypasses these defenses #exploiting how #browsers handle mouse events. 2/3