2166: Stack

2019-07-14T22:51:19Z

172.68.254.114: Fixed typo - "slack" to "stack"

{{comic
| number = 2166
| date = June 21, 2019
| title = Stack
| image = stack.png
| titletext = Gotta feel kind of bad for nation-state hackers who spend years implanting and cultivating some hardware exploit, only to discover the entire target database is already exposed to anyone with a web browser.
}}

==Explanation==

In software engineering, a {{w|Solution stack|tech stack}} is the set of technology platforms and tools that a company or app uses. A common tech stack is {{w|LAMP (software bundle)|LAMP}}, composed of a {{w|Linux}} {{w|Operating system|operating system}}, an {{w|Apache HTTP Server|Apache}} {{w|Web server}}, a {{w|MySQL}} {{w|database}}, and the {{w|PHP}} programming language.

In this instance, all of the layers represent systems which have been subverted or compromised ("hacked") by various entities, instead of various software technologies. The stack resembles an OSI network architecture, with an eighth layer added representing the user itself.

'''Compromised by a customer:''' The user experience, above the OSI layers. Compromised by users doing something wrong or ill-advised.

'''Compromised by a former employee:''' In the OSI model, this would be the application layer. The application may include a hidden spyware in its codebase. Recent examples of compromise: Desjardins Group

'''Compromised by a current employee:''' This is the presentation layer. See above. Probably, that was compromised by a mistake of a current unexperienced employee.

'''Compromised by Bitcoin miners:''' This is the session layer, where SSL historically resided. Cryptographic exploits may cause compromise of whole communication. Examples of compromise: Dozens of bitcoin mining viruses.

'''Compromised by unknown hackers:''' This is the transport layer. IP and port spoofing is a possible compromise.

'''Compromised by our own government:''' This is the network layer. It refers to communication intercepts by governments. Examples of compromise: Cisco (for US citizens)

'''Compromised by a foreign government:''' This is the data link layer. This layer may be compromised by malrouting packets. Examples of compromise: Huawei (for non-China citizens)

'''Massive undiscovered hardware vulnerability:''' This is the physical layer. An undiscovered hardware vulnerability may cause compromises further up in the stack. Examples of compromises:
{{w|Intel Management Engine}}, {{w|Meltdown (security vulnerability)|Meltdown}}

In the title text, Randall expresses sympathy for a situation where someone spends a significant length of time on something that then becomes completely unnecessary. In this case, it's the state-sponsored hackers who develop an exploit of some hardware component, which then becomes completely useless because the target database on that hardware is totally open anyway to anyone with a web browser (i.e. essentially everyone). While he's not suggesting he agrees with their hacking, he has some sympathy for their wasted effort.

==Transcript==
:[Single-panel with a label at the top and 8 box layers stacked vertically, with in and out arrows at the top representing normal data flow and an arrow out of each box to the left or right representing exploit data flow]
:The Modern Tech Stack
:*Compromised by a customer (arrow to the right)
:*Compromised by a former employee (arrow to the left)
:*Compromised by a current employee (arrow to the right)
:*Compromised by bitcoin miners (arrow to the right)
:*Compromised by unknown hackers (arrow to the left)
:*Compromised by our own government (arrow to the right)
:*Compromised by a foreign government (arrow to the left)
:*Massive undiscovered hardware vulnerability (arrow to the right)

==Trivia==
Comic [[1636: XKCD Stack]] also has a hypothetical technology stack, with farcical layers.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Computers]]
[[Category:Programming]]

Talk:2171: Shadow Biosphere

2019-07-11T05:29:38Z

172.68.254.114:

Just spit-balling here, but here goes: This comic seems to be making a joke between the meaning of "shadow biosphere" and the more common meaning behind "shadow" being something unseen. I think "shadow biosphere" is currently pretty loosely defined and not widely accepted by academics, and it seems to refer simply to organisms that might exist but are not currently being studied widely. In fact to me, the use of the term "shadow" in the name is relatively misleading and simply refers to a possible case of something not understood and/or studied at length, not that it's invisible. Randall appears to be making fun of the name by suggesting it means invisible to normal life as we know it. The title text further pushes this pun by suggesting that a coating of "desert varnish" makes normally visible objects become invisible, as with the buildings where shadow biologists carry out their work. Desert varnish is in fact visible when it is found in appropriate locations on normal objects like rocks - it does not make the rocks invisible! Somehow, I think these ideas need to be incorporated into the explanation. [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 17:00, 3 July 2019 (UTC)

: "it seems to refer simply to organisms that might exist but are not currently being studied widely" - not that's not correct. It refers to hypothetical organisms that have a different biochemistry and as a result are not detectable using the techniques developed for studying organisms with 'normal' biochemistries. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.254.114|172.68.254.114]] 05:29, 11 July 2019 (UTC)

The joke is that someone who studies the shadow biosphere would be called a 'shadow' biologist in the same way that a biologist who studies microbes is called a micro-biologist.[[Special:Contributions/172.68.146.224|172.68.146.224]] 11:25, 4 July 2019 (UTC)

The first paragraph of this comic explanation is a verbatim copy from the beginning of the Wikipedia article for shadow biosphere. It seems that we really should include citations when adding something like this. ---diGGdoug {{unsigned ip|172.69.170.28}}

The desert varnish reference in the alt text is because desert varnish is the most likely example of the shadow biosphere. It seems to be doing something at least vaugely like metabolism, concentrating certain minerals far beyond expected by nature. -[[Special:Contributions/162.158.107.67|162.158.107.67]] 19:47, 3 July 2019 (UTC)

This needs an SCP classification. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.189.175|172.68.189.175]] 03:45, 4 July 2019 (UTC)

Do you have a citation for that? Wikipedia article doesn't mention any metabolism. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.38.64|172.68.38.64]] 22:31, 3 July 2019 (UTC)bk

Could "Shadow" be a Babylon 5 reference? -[[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.148|162.158.214.148]] 01:03, 4 July 2019 (UTC)

Could "Shadow" be referring to "Shadow Internet"? https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/191742-esnet-the-100-gigabit-shadow-internet-that-only-the-us-government-has-access-to [[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.88|162.158.214.88]] 10:49, 4 July 2019 (UTC)

The joke feels more like a "The X Zone exists, but if you interact with it you become a X Denizen" ploy. E.g. "The Wraith Realm exists, but if you enter it you become a Wraith" or something like that. Randall might have gotten it from the Animorphs "if you are an animal for too long you stay as one" idea. From there, it goes into the "micro-biologist/microbiology" and the "shadow:unseen" joke area. {{unsigned ip|172.69.44.144|00:01, July 5, 2019}}

It might be unrelated, but in [https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwj9l7XnlJ7jAhXHQc0KHS4uA_4QFjABegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FDungeons_%2526_Dragons&usg=AOvVaw22ElAd4z5w674MNktq4elX D&D] there's a [https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Shadow_Weave Shadow Weave]... and there were in-game rumors that once you casted a "shadow spell", you'd become a shadow caster for life. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.166.40|172.69.166.40]] 16:09, 5 July 2019 (UTC)

For me the shadow biotech companies are evil instead of being invisible and as a biologist you can either choose to listen to them (hey! they are ''financed'' and convert to the dark side - or you can decide to pretend they didn't tell anything important for you... {{unsigned ip|162.158.92.10|13:30, July 5, 2019}}

http://www.icamsr.org/docs/spie_4495-13_rock_varnish.pdf [[Special:Contributions/141.101.96.185|141.101.96.185]] 21:44, 5 July 2019 (UTC)

explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2166: Stack

Talk:2171: Shadow Biosphere