September 2011
8 posts
Silk, Fire and Another Loss for Privacy
Our privacy is slowing eroding, at least in the sense that what we do is less private then it used to be. We’ve all know for some time that the phone company tracks all of our phone calls and that ISPs know something about our internet traffic. We accept that web servers record what pages we visit and when we visited them.
In the last couple of months we’ve learned that Facebook can...
Terms-less Terms of Use
Today I came across the most useless terms of use statement I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen a lot of them. I try to make it a habit of reading terms, licenses and agreements whenever I come across them. As a practicing Privacy Professional I feel obligated to review them, and occasionally I’ll even learn something along the way. So imagine my surprise when I came across this:
These...
Then the BEAST Enters
Have you heard about the BEAST? Juliano Rizzo and Thai Duong presented their Browser Exploit Against SSL/TLS tool, a.k.a the BEAST, at the Ekoparty security conference a week ago. This tool has the potential to launch one of those seminal moments in computer history. It exploits a weakness in virtually every website that uses secure certificates to protect transactions (SSL/TLS). In other words,...
Now I'm Scared
I’m just back from the (ISC)2 Security Congress and I’m scared. I’m scared for two reasons. First, I feel self-pressured to get CISSP certified. From what I understand, the exam is intense and should require a large time commitment to master all ten domains — and I don’t have that kind of time (although I will find the time!). However, what really sent my blood...
"SEO?" No! Write Instead
I swear I’m going to scream if I hear to one more person describing search engine optimization as something complex and mystical. It’s not — it’s actually pretty simple. I’ll prove it. Here’s all you need to know, all on one double-sided sheet of paper. If you can understand and implement what’s on that cheat sheet you’ve already won 90% of the...
Karma
“It just feels good man.” I actually said that to somebody the other day. It was in response to, “why exactly are you helping me?” I’m the type of guy people call on to move furniture, with computer questions or just listen to a crazy new business idea. It’s generally because I’m always willing to help and I always have been. Maybe it was the way I was...
Hidden Benefits of a Bad-Ass Infosec Policy
Most large companies have a strict information security policies. They do it to comply with legal obligations and to minimize liability concerns (e.g. HIPAA, GLB, PCI, etc). The smart executive knows that a data breach can be expensive and damaging, just ask Heartland Payment Systems, the Veteran’s Administration or TJ Maxx. Start-ups also should understand that compliance and liability...
Standing Desks Are on the Rise →
Hey! I’m an earlier adopter. I’ve been working at a stand-up desk for roughly 4 years now. I love it. I spend about 75% of my time standing. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Here is my setup… Minus the computer which I used to take the picture :p
