Don’t e-mail yourself a list of all your passwords and bank account numbers...
So my buddy, we’ll call him Bob, runs Data Loss Prevention (DLP) for a big company. DLP is software that limits what you can do with sensitive information, in order to block it from going out of the...
View ArticleSSDs, factory resets, and why you probably need encryption
After the story came out about factory resets not adequately clearing flash memory in phones and tablets, one of my college buddies asked me if a similar problem exists in SSDs. Depending on the SSD,...
View ArticleApplication whitelisting on Windows, even home editions
One of the very best things security measures you can take is application whitelisting–limiting the apps that are allowed to run on your computer. The Australian Signals Directorate–the Australian...
View ArticleThe workstation events you want to be logging in Splunk
Every once in a while the NSA or another government agency releases a whitepaper with a lot of really good security advice. This paper on spotting adversaries with Windows event logs is a fantastic...
View ArticleNew password advice from GCHQ
The GCHQ is the British equivalent of the NSA. They recently published a new document containing the GCHQ’s new password advice in light of the things we’ve learned in the last few years. It’s...
View ArticleWhat the NSA can crack, and how to protect against it
Ever since the Snowden leaks, there’s been considerable speculation about what cryptography the NSA could break, and why. Finally, there’s a study that goes into deep detail about what it is the NSA...
View ArticleHigh side vs low side
The other day I heard a reference to the “high side vs low side” of a computer system in a podcast, and the speaker didn’t stop to clarify. Worse yet is when you hear “on the low side” or “on The post...
View ArticleHow a dictionary attack works
A dictionary attack is a common way to steal a password. Here’s how a dictionary attack works, in layperson’s terms. More importantly, here’s how to beat the attack. A dictionary attack is a much more...
View ArticleBest wireless security mode
What is the best wireless security mode? There are only four choices, and only one worth using, WPA2. But there are some other settings you have to use in order to make WPA2 secure. The best wireless...
View ArticleWhat to do about Petya ransomware if you already deployed MS17-010
Got MS17-010 deployed? Good, that means you’re immune to the Petya ransomware. I still want you to do something. Tell your patching team that you’re immune, and they saved the company between $300 and...
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