Tuesday, 22 July, 2025 / Edition 68

While I don’t intend for Enspired to be your source for cybersecurity threat updates, when I came across this one, I thought, “I didn’t even know this was a thing. I should share it,” so here we are. As another, “I have to share this,” we’re finally getting to a point where we’re drilling with lasers. Lasers, y’all. Sort of. Mostly. It’s close to accurate. Let’s dig in!

Sarah Compton

Editor, Enspired

Are your Bluetooth headphones secure?

Unsplash/C D - X

Cybersecurity is not something I typically associate with headphones, but a security flaw in a software development kit (SDK) used by many popular brands is forcing a rethink.

What’s going on: Cybersecurity firm ERNW discovered Airoha Bluetooth chips in 29 devices have a flaw that could let attackers expose your data or listen in on your conversations.

While there’s a minor concern around your most secret Spotify playlist being exposed, the parts that perked my ears up (so to speak…) were the ones where attackers could gain access to call logs, force the connected phone to make a call, and listen in on any sound the phone picked up.

Why it matters: Us geoscientists can have a good bit of our work fall under the banner of “discretion required,” and aside from the threat this poses to potential deals, work, etc., it could also put our professional reputations on the line if it seems like we’re a source of leaky information.

Yes, but: Disturbing as the prospect of these attacks are, they require a high degree of technical know-how, and the attacker has to be physically close, but knowledge is power and being aware of the risks, however remote (see what I did there?), is only good.

Check yourself before you wreck yourself: As usual, paying attention to your surroundings might be your best line of defense, but there are a few other things you can do to protect yourself (and company info) from Bluetooth attacks:

• Go here to check the list of headphones. I’m not going to regurgitate it, but Airpods are not on it.

• Turn off Bluetooth when not in use. This seems like it could be a bit of a hassle, but it’s possible you could set this up as a widget option to make it easier.

• Since these attacks require close proximity, avoid using Bluetooth in high-risk areas like crowded spaces or unfamiliar public locations.

• Don’t pair your Bluetooth with unfamiliar or public devices. I feel like this advice fits across many spectrums of life…🤔

• Clean out your Bluetooth closet by removing old or unused device pairings.

When it comes to workplace equipment, most IT departments should achieve a lot of these when you get new devices, but it’s good to be aware and keep a clean Bluetooth house.

The bottom line: In a world where everything is increasingly connected (seriously…I have a mug that has an app I can control the temperature of my beverage from), cybersecurity is widening its scope, and us geoscientists don’t need to be caught in our sandals without socks.

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Quaise using millimeters to drill miles

Quaise.com / News

Our planet holds the key to unlimited power if we can just drill holes deep enough to access the heat that exists beneath our feet.

Deep treasure hunt: At a distance between 2 and 12 miles, we can find the right conditions to farm the heat from supercritical water, which can get hotter than your standard hot water.

That increase in temperature results in potentially 5-10 times more energy from supercritical water than plain old liquid water, making it a very efficient energy source to run turbines that could generate electricity.

Easy in theory: In practice, drilling to such depths poses at least two big problems:

• Our oil and gas drill bits don’t do well at high temperatures, and the materials to make more temperature resilient equipment come at a cost that will make any CFO a little weepy.

• The rocks in which these high temperatures exist are “hard” rock like basalt and granite. Most oil and gas drill bits were designed with softer rock like shale in mind.

Phasers set to kill: Quaise seeks to sidestep the problem of drill bit materials by vaporizing the rocks with a laser. 😎 Cool level = 10!

They’re not using any beam of energy, however, but are focused on millimeter wavelengths.

Liquid, hot magma: Millimeter-wave energy functions on similar principles as the microwaves in our kitchens, and if hot pockets are any indicator, this energy should be capable of vaporizing the interior of a rock while leaving the outside perfectly cool.

Energy source pro: The gyrotron machine that produces the millimeter-wave energy has been used for about 70 years researching nuclear fusion.

Out of the lab: The company took the gyrotron out of the lab and onto a rig outside of Houston. It deepened a hole in a granite column four inches in diameter down to 30 feet.

Scaling up on the horizon: Carlos Araque, CEO and co-founder of Quaise noted the demo was “full scale in size, but not in power,” the gyrotron involved in the demo was “…a tenth of the power that will be commercially relevant, and is roughly equivalent to the power of the car you drove to this demonstration.”

Some perspective: A four-inch diameter hole drilled to 30 feet does not sound super impressive, given the fact that a hole 2-12 miles is the ultimate goal. However, the less than 70-foot Drake well doesn't seem like something to write home about by today's standards, either.

Where there’s geothermal, there’s the need to find geothermal reservoirs, and this type of drilling can open deeper sources than might be currently prospected. Hard rocks? Energy?! Exploration?!! Sounds like a geoscientist’s dream to me.

For more information about Quaise and their latest development, go here.

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