Tag Archive for: bikes

Remembering Dave Covey, a man of benevolence, bikes and technical wizardry

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Dave Covey and Jim Brader on the course of the Equinox Marathon in 2016. (Photo courtesy Jim Brader)

When Dave Covey walked up with a smile, your day was about to become calmer. And then he fixed your irritating computer problem in 10 seconds.

He left us last week — a quiet exit that was totally Dave. He died at 64 of cancer he told few people about.

Dave worked a quarter-century at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, lastly as a computer security guy at the Geophysical Institute.

I used to think that’s all he was. Then I learned he was on the UAF running and ski teams, we had stomped some of the same ground in New York, he did computational physics on glaciers and the ionosphere and he once won a marathon in Anchorage.

In the wedge of the boreal forest in which he made his home, the Equinox Marathon is a 26.2-mile run up and over Ester Dome each September. Dave earned more than 30 triangular knit patches for finishing, several times in the top 10.

I saw him on that hill a few times. One was at the peak of my arc and the slight downslope of his. We finished close to one another; he handed me a cup of sugar water. Another time, later in our running careers, I was pushing my daughter along the course in a Chariot, a stroller with pneumatic tires. Dave was walking along with a woman and her poodle. We chatted while hotfooting the homestretch, that wry smile busting across his face.

Dave Covey and Andy Sterns at the turnaround point of the Equinox half-marathon in September 2021. (Photo courtesy Andy Sterns)

He rode his bicycle to work at the university for a few decades straight. Not to save gas, just because he loved to ride. He toured on bikes with friends through Europe, Australia and Mexico. He always wore one of those cycling caps that Tour de France riders fancied before they used helmets. He really loved beer. And brewing mead.

His voice was soft, laid-back, always punctuated with his laugh. He was from Torrance, California, and first came to Alaska in 1975 as a runner on the UAF cross-country team.

In Fairbanks, he met and married Kelly Drew, a UAF scientist who studies how ground squirrels can do so many amazing things during hibernation, when their bodies get colder than an…

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Hacking Danger: Peloton users warned of new security threat relating to bike’s touchscreen

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Peloton users are being warned of a new security threat relating to the touchscreen on their Bike+ that could potentially be controlled by hackers.

In a report released Wednesday, cybersecurity company McAfee discovered a vulnerability that allows hackers to access Peloton’s bike screen and potentially spy on riders using its microphone and camera. However, the threat most likely affects only the $2,495 bike used in public spaces, such as in hotels or gyms, because the hacker needs to physically access the screen using a USB drive containing a malicious code.

According to McAfee’s Advanced Threat Research team, a hacker can discreetly control the stationary bike’s screen remotely and interfere with its operating system. That means hackers could, for example, install apps that look like Netflix or Spotify and steal the users’ log-in information. Perhaps more alarmingly, the cybersecurity team was able spy on users via the camera and microphone, which is normally used for video chats with other users.

“As a result, an unsuspecting gym-goer taking the Peloton Bike+ for a spin could be in danger of having their personal data compromised and their workout unknowingly watched,” the report said. It also warned the hacker could configure this spyware at any point, including during the supply chain or delivery process, without the owner knowing.

Internet-connected devices, whether they are bikes, computers or even refrigerators, are all susceptible to hacks. Cyberattacks have increasingly caught the public’s attention, with high-profile companies including McDonald’s, Microsoft and Electronic Arts publicly revealing recent security breaches.

McAfee said it pored over Peloton’s software with a “critical eye” to find vulnerabilities and warn users. The two companies worked together to “responsibly develop and issue a patch.”

Peloton released a mandatory software update that fixes the issue to users earlier this month. The security risk doesn’t affect the lower-priced Peloton Bike because it uses a different type of touchscreen.

This is an important reminder for users of all connected devices to activate automatic software updates to keep them protected against the latest attacks, according to…

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