Category: In The Weeds

Discoveries and Investigations into cool stuff featuring lots of InfoSec and Digital Security

Inkster Dispatch: Changes Coming…

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For those who have been paying attention, my microfarm pretty much closed up shop in November 2017. I still have a reasonable sized garden: however, it will be harvested likely by the new owner of my property come fall of 2018. Hubby and I have hatched a plan, for which you can see here:  Proteus Rising. For those struck by tl;dr, we’re selling the house/property, buying a boat, and going from land to sea and all around the world.

I’ll likely keep my own personal website for all projects that are “just Casz,” because I won’t stop writing. But I don’t know what this change here at casondrabrewster.com is going to look like. It will still cover my creative life — whatever that ends up looking like. Not really sure.

But, now you know there are changes coming.

More soon.

Thanks for reading all the way.

 

In The Weeds: Weekly InfoSec Round-up 1-19-18

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Honestly, I haven’t done the reading I’ve needed to do for this week’s post due to reasons…no one cares about.

Here’s what I think I heard about without independent research (yes, that’s a thing, fake news dibwabs):

  • Another iPhone vulnerability
  • Inequality in the InfoSec world.
  • Google, Microsoft, et al build a plan to deal with Meltdown
  • Some major retailer (it happens now so often to so many, my brain can’t recall which) data base of customers is hacked.
  • SexRobots have IOT* weakness

So what do you know? Compared to what you hear? 

Tell me here, please.

As in weeks past, feel free to leave a comment here about any of those articles. Let’s learn from one another. Okay, have pity on the noob and let me learn from you.

Have another great week InfoSec geeks. See you next week.

 

In the Weeds: InfoSec Round-Up January 12, 2018

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So the theme of 2018 thus far seems to be “oh, can’t see how that could go wrong…”

/sarcasm for those needing such a hammer.

First up:

Marketing ads, soon to be screening on your car dashboard

I had to laugh about this one. And #infosec is not a laughing matter.

EMC-VMWare Security Bugs Throw Gasoline On Cloud Security Fire

However, this one, I actually laughed about. Sorry, haven’t been a MAC fan since 1994.

Mac High Sierra Vulnerability

But I don’t want you to think everything is a flaming shithole, even at moments it feels like it. There is some hope:

Senator Susan Collins Needs Another GOP Friend

My experiment with Alexa vs. Google Home is going well and I’m excited about this improvement from Google:

Google amps up privacy with display screen.

This week I’d like to ask for some reading recommendations for someone only a year into her #infosec exploration and education. What book, podcast, article, what should I read, digest, and devour? Leave your recs below.

As in weeks past, feel free to leave a comment here about any of those articles. Let’s learn from one another. Okay, have pity on the noob and let me learn from you.

Have another great week InfoSec geeks. See you next week.

 

 

 

 

In The Weeds: Weekly InfoSec Round-Up 1/5/18

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Happy New Year Hackers, Nerds, and Geeks! After reassessing this blog schedule, I’ve found that you all like this article on Fridays. So, new year, new day!

 

What’s new but wins for the most eye-rolling headline this year… anyone even interested in #infosec knows that every device is vulnerable at any moment — doesn’t matter if it’s network, software, or hardware.   https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/hacking-fears-security-flaws-put-virtually-all-phones-computers-risk-n834511

If you’d like to know some of the signs if you’ve been hacked, Bill Hess with Pixel Privacy has this nice write up you should read:  Have you been hacked?

Whereas this headline let’s you know more of what’s going on and gets even us noobs up to speed.   https://gizmodo.com/what-we-know-so-far-about-meltdown-and-spectre-the-dev-1821759062

As we all prepare for tax season:  https://techcrunch.com/2017/12/30/how-a-simple-tech-upgrade-at-the-irs-could-transform-the-economy/

I love my password manager, as anyone who reads my blog knows, but here’s a vulnerability to be aware of:  https://www.theverge.com/2017/12/30/16829804/browser-password-manager-adthink-princeton-research

Have Net Neutrality concerns as far as your #infosec? Here’s a primer:  https://www.thedailybeast.com/youll-need-one-of-these-5-vpns-once-net-neutrality-is-gone

As in weeks past, feel free to leave a comment here about any of those articles. Let’s learn from one another. Okay, have pity on the noob and let me learn from you.

Have another great week InfoSec geeks. See you next week.

In The Weeds: InfoSec Round-Up 11-8-17

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Today’s Giggle. Linking to Original Source.

 

I think I’ve said it before, but, man, people in the #InfoSec world have to be on top of their game. It’s constantly changing, constantly challenging, and constantly mind-blowing. The only constant, is GO!

Like this gem I learned about this morning. Oh, man.  Talk about a security mole.

The above vulnerability has been floating around for at least a decade. But because it’s buried under a processor, well…kind of hard for the Average Jane or Joey to fix it.

The same could be true of the Internet of Things, which last month got a big long white paper for IS folks to get their hands on. It hit public streams more rapidly today, landing in my inbox as well. The short of it? If you’re going to design technology to connect to the internet, you need to design security into it. That’s on the manufacturer. However, as an end user you need to know that any tech connected to the internet is open to attack. But don’t take my word for it. Read the whole paper. It’s 17 pages, but the meat of it is only 12 pages and the last five pages are works cited and SANS workshops.

That’s not the only academic paper I’ve been studying in my quest to become more InfoSec smart. And recently a friend found me reading about cyber security at my local coffee shop. He asked what I planned to do with my new knowledge, and honestly, if I see this heading down any place outside of just reporting about it — being a tech journalist as it were — I would have to say that Artificial Intelligence is a huge draw for me. It’s thrilling and horrifying and sexy and down right exciting. Don’t believe me? Here’s a few links:

How will AI Impact jobs?

Applied Machine Learning

AI Coming to Crypto Trading

Google’s AI Wizard

Old School Vs. New School

What does it all mean? Well much the same as I said above. Things are constantly changing and you have to keep up.  Wonder if the industry will wait for me to learn the basics and then keep going? Yeah, I didn’t think so. But I’m still plugging along.

Thanks for spending this time with learning along with me.

As in weeks past, feel free to leave a comment here about any of those articles. Let’s learn from one another. Okay, have pity on the noob and let me learn from you.

Have another great week InfoSec geeks. See you next week.