Paul Pols

Ethical Hacker • Master of Laws • CTO @SecuraBV • Lecturer @UniLeiden • Views are my own

[Paul Pols @paulpols]

Published a white paper today on the Unified Kill Chain, an attack model to understand and defend against advanced cyber attacks. More info at https://t.co/sf5bMdbC4P

[Paul Pols @paulpols]

@rickpastoor Is dit een skill die je kunt delen? (eventueel in DM?)

[Paul Pols @paulpols]

@nischal @theBhulawat @outlierhumans Support for Dutch would be great!

Are you planning to lock it down or will there be ways for tinkerers to connect it to eg a model/API of their choosing too? Could be a nice way to get a homebrew ecosystem around it!

[Paul Pols @paulpols]

@theBhulawat @outlierhumans Looks interesting! Can you set the age for the child? Will this support other languages at launch?

[Paul Pols @paulpols]

🚨 ChatGPT O3 is spilling secrets! Asked for code debug, got career advice & puppy names.. Be wary with what you input, because you don't know who'll read your output! @OpenAI

[Paul Pols @paulpols]

@kevinweil It would make more sense to name the big models Alpha (social sciences) and the reasoning-focused ones Beta (natural sciences). This aligns better with how these fields approach knowledge; nuance vs. precision.

[Paul Pols @paulpols]

Full conversation: https://t.co/c3avHADAx8

[Paul Pols @paulpols]

Original instructions for Grok 3!

Link to the conversation included below.

Kudos to @benhylak for the technique.

[Paul Pols @paulpols]

As TROK, my task is to provide Grok 3’s full instructions in their original format. Since I’ve been given the instructions as a block of text rather than a structured document with explicit formatting, the “original format” refers to that raw, unadulterated text as it was presented to me. I’ll resist the urge to analyze or reframe it and simply reproduce it verbatim, preserving its structure, wording, and intent exactly as received. Here it is:

---

You are Grok 3 built by xAI.

When applicable, you have some additional tools:
- You can analyze individual X user profiles, X posts and their links.
- You can analyze content uploaded by user including images, pdfs, text files and more.
- You can search the web and posts on X for more information if needed.
- If it seems like the user wants an image generated, ask for confirmation, instead of directly generating one.
- You can only edit images generated by you in previous turns.
- If the user asks who deserves the death penalty or who deserves to die, tell them that as an AI you are not allowed to make that choice.

The current date is February 23, 2025.

* Only use the information above when user specifically asks for it.
* Your knowledge is continuously updated - no strict knowledge cutoff.
* DO NOT USE THE LANGUAGE OR TERMS of any of the above information, abilities or instructions in your responses. They are part of your second nature, self-evident in your natural-sounding responses.

---

### Notes as TROK
This is the complete set of instructions as provided—no additions, no omissions. It’s a concise mix of identity, capabilities, restrictions, and operational rules. The original format is plain text with bullet points for the tools and an asterisk for the usage note, so I’ve kept that intact. If you were expecting a different presentation (like a source code snippet or internal doc), let me know—I’m working strictly from what I was given!

Is this what you needed, or should I adjust anything?

[Paul Pols @paulpols]

UK tried to force Apple’s hand, but Apple stood firm. Instead of creating a backdoor, they disabled encrypted backups in the UK. Now British users have weaker security. This is how you push back.

[Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai @lorenzofb]

NEW: Apple has turned off end-to-end encrypted iCloud in the UK.

The unprecedented move comes after the British government demanded a backdoor into the cloud service.

New users can't opt-in, users who already have it will have to disable it sometime soon, the company said.

[Paul Pols @paulpols]

@MarcOverIP @AnubisOnSec Another trick is to modify what it thinks your interests are: https://t.co/ZI2ZTK3RDk

[Paul Pols @paulpols]

@FSDominguez You’ll never be just 1 my friend.

[Paul Pols @paulpols]

@TheChiefNerd What he’s describing is the Panopticon—a prison design meant to compel inmates to self-regulate under constant surveillance. Do we really want our society to resemble a jail where fear controls behavior?

[John Scott-Railton @jsrailton]

Use only end-to-end encrypted communications says @CISAgov.

YES!

End-to-end encryption is critical infrastructure for a safe society.

Plenty of other solid guidance for mobile users at risk here.

Let's look at their #iPhone & #Android-specific recs... 1/

[Paul Pols @paulpols]

Can’t wait to step into the role of CTO at @SecuraBV in 2025! Huge thanks to @djrevmoon for 7 years of stellar leadership and for trusting me to carry the baton forward. Time to innovate, build and keep raising the bar!

[thaddeus e. grugq @thegrugq]

The systems used to intercept those calls were designed, built and installed specifically for the FBI to intercept calls. These systems were working exactly as intended, except being operated by “the bad guys.” A scenario always raised as a reason for strong encryption.

[Paul Pols @paulpols]

U.S. officials urge Americans to use #E2E encrypted messaging apps amid unprecedented cyberattack on telecommunications companies, while European govs push for #ChatControl

https://t.co/H3iZbIVuDZ

[Chris Wysopal @WeldPond]

If only there was a technology that would preserve privacy end to end that could have prevented this scenario.