Tag Archives: Security

I have written several times about the absolute necessity to properly hash passwords. The tricky part is that properly. It’s a bit subtle to get it right. Happily the folks over at Defuse Security have an excellent guide that Tells … Continue reading →

One of the recently released Snowden documents mentions the NSA’s success at weakening a 2006 NIST encryption standard and getting it accepted as an international ISO standard. While the standard isn’t named, it is widely assumed to be NIST Special … Continue reading →

If the NSA scandals are making you paranoid—and they should—one of the first steps you should take is to install email encryption software. Every time you read an article recommending the use of encryption software, the author inevitably remarks that … Continue reading →

As I’ve written many many many times before, if you’re using Dropbox to store sensitive data you absolutely must encrypt it before committing it to Dropbox. I use Dropbox solely to sync my 1Password keychain between devices so the file … Continue reading →

Mavituna Security has a nice post up on SQL Injection. They give a brief history of SQL injection and the three common mistakes that enable it. They have some astounding facts. Here’s a small sampling: In 2012, 97% of all … Continue reading →

The invaluable Troy Hunt has an excellent post on SQL injection attacks. We all know the basic ideas behind SQL injection but Hunt shows how attackers actually mount the attacks and why they work. It’s extraordinary that these attacks still … Continue reading →

If, like me, you’re unsettled by the recent government(s) snooping you are probably looking for ways to secure your on-line activities. One obvious way is to use SSL/TLS whenever possible. If you use Firefox or Chrome, HTTPS Everywhere can help. … Continue reading →

It’s a good bet that most geeks have a gmail account. I use mine mostly for mailing lists but many use it as their main email account and consequently are apt to have sensitive data in their saved emails. If … Continue reading →

After another week of seemingly never ending revelations about government snooping into our phone calls and Web activities—you guys in Europe can stop snickering; you aren’t immune either—many of us are wondering how we can regain a modicum of privacy. … Continue reading →