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A civic tech project called Project Sadak, built to let citizens report potholes across India, has been hacked and its entire public report database wiped. The founder, who also claims research ties to MIT, appears to have left Firestore completely unsecured — a painful reminder that good intentions don't substitute for basic backend security hygiene.
Shifting to the hardware world, a researcher has demonstrated that the Raspberry Pi RP two three five zero's debug mode can be unlocked using a precisely aimed laser — a technique known as fault injection. Hackaday covered the finding, and while the attack requires physical access and specialized equipment, it raises real questions about the security assumptions baked into embedded systems at the chip level.
And on a more constructive note, Fast Company took a close look at the latest Fairphone, a handset explicitly designed to be repaired by its owner. In an era of sealed glass sandwiches and voided warranties, Fairphone continues to argue that longevity and repairability aren't just ethical choices — they're practical ones that save users money and reduce electronic waste over time.
Keep surfing. Tech Beat out.
