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1. Embed this notice
   BrianKrebs (briankrebs@infosec.exchange)'s status on Sunday, 14-Jun-2026 04:10:24 JST BrianKrebs

   There was an important court decision last week in a lawsuit filed by 20 states to halt the Trump administration's arbitrary new requirements for distributing food assistance funds to 39 million families that depend on these benefits. On June 5, a federal judge blocked the administration from enforcing new conditions on billions of dollars in federal nutrition funding, siding with a coalition of Democratic-led states that argued the requirements threatened programs serving low-income families.

   "According to court filings, the disputed conditions included provisions related to immigration, "gender ideology" and "fair athletic opportunities" for women and girls. The states argued the requirements were vague, unrelated to nutrition and agriculture programs, and imposed without proper legal procedures."

   https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/06/06/judge-halts-trump-snap-restrictions-in-states-lawsuit-over-funding-rules/90438543007/

   I've written multiple stories about these Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, from the perspective of them being stolen by card skimming devices secretly installed at checkout counters and random places. In the past, the states have struggled to get the federal government to reimburse them for these fraud costs, which are disproportionately caused by organized crime groups, particularly Armenian and Romanian gangs that have a significant presence in the US. Now the states are struggling to get these benefits funded at all. But the skimming threat hasn't gone away, because while some state benefits cards do now have chips on them, many still allow the cards to be swiped.

   Previous reporting on this:

   https://krebsonsecurity.com/2022/10/how-card-skimming-disproportionally-affects-those-most-in-need/

   https://krebsonsecurity.com/2023/02/new-protections-for-food-benefits-stolen-by-skimmers/

   https://krebsonsecurity.com/2022/11/lawsuit-seeks-food-benefits-stolen-by-skimmers/

   • Embed this notice
     Fluffy Kitty Cat (fluffykittycat@furry.engineer)'s status on Sunday, 14-Jun-2026 09:49:56 JST Fluffy Kitty Cat

     in reply to

     @briankrebs stealing SNAP benefits is low, fuck anyone who does that.

     Many card readers don't accept the new EBT card's dip or touch function and make you swipe them anyways

   • Embed this notice
     iced depresso (icedquinn@blob.cat)'s status on Sunday, 14-Jun-2026 09:49:56 JST iced depresso

     in reply to

     • Fluffy Kitty Cat
     @fluffykittycat @briankrebs mag strip readers are cheaper i think, smart keys are a bit more tied up in bullshit IPs.
     
     stores didn't even accept chipped credit cards for the longest time until visa et all basically said they were going to hold stores liable for fraud claims if they didn't comply with security practices.
     Blurry Moon likes this.
   • Embed this notice
     iced depresso (icedquinn@blob.cat)'s status on Sunday, 14-Jun-2026 10:05:12 JST iced depresso

     in reply to

     • iced depresso
     • Fluffy Kitty Cat
     @fluffykittycat @briankrebs i'm not saying don't use smart cards i'm just saying contemplate for a moment the logistics of trying to make 8 billion little plastic cards with fiddly little silicon nubs on a piece of it.
   • Embed this notice
     Fluffy Kitty Cat (fluffykittycat@furry.engineer)'s status on Sunday, 14-Jun-2026 10:05:13 JST Fluffy Kitty Cat

     in reply to

     • iced depresso

     @icedquinn @briankrebs card readers turn over slowly I assume

   • Embed this notice
     iced depresso (icedquinn@blob.cat)'s status on Sunday, 14-Jun-2026 10:05:13 JST iced depresso

     in reply to

     • Fluffy Kitty Cat
     @fluffykittycat @briankrebs they don't wear out very fast, no. its an up front expense to install, get drivers, hook up to software, etc, and there's little to no reason to touch any of that unless it breaks.
     
     pass key systems are absolutely the way to go, though, because they sign tickets without ever exposing the actual secrets. that's not something magstrips can do, but it does require microchips which are markedly more of a bother than a little bit of mag tape.
     
     phones increasingly have the capability to be a pass key through NFC, though that carries the same issue that you need to upgrade the damn machines *again* to have a smart card port and the NFC chips, which is [see above.]