• 29 May 2015

    What you (really) need to know about esophageal manometry

    Aside from my typical computer security-related blog posts I thought I’d branch out and share something completely unrelated in hopes it can benefit others. Recently, I had the opportunity to endure the most difficult thing I’ve ever experienced as a forty-something male: esophageal manometry. It’s performed on patients suffering from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). In short, the medical professional sticks one of these ~1/2" thick torture tubes up one of ...

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  • 15 Apr 2015

    Don’t get blinded by the “small stuff” that’s hard to notice

    One of the core challenges you face in information security is getting so caught up in the minutiae of your network environment and day-to-day work that you end up not being able to see the bigger picture: what's really going on, what really needs attention, and what really matters. I've been writing about this for over a decade and I've yet to stop spreading the word...it's just too important a ...

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  • 05 Nov 2014

    Car racing and security breaches, you’re not as ready as you think you are!

    This past weekend I had the opportunity to run the race of my life - a 90 minute enduro car race in my Spec Miata - held at the America Road Race of Champions at Road Atlanta in Braselton, GA.It wasn't the most competitive race - there were only 17 entries, 14 that made it on track...I've raced with over 60 cars at once.  It wasn't the most stressful race. ...

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  • 08 Oct 2014

    My trip to the 2014 ISC^2 Congress

    Last week I had the opportunity to attend the ISC2 Congress in Atlanta. It was held in conjunction with that physical security organization. When I arrived to walk the show floor, it was nothing but physical security vendors - as far as the eye could see. After about 45 minutes (sans program guide), I discovered where the information security vendors where. There were about five of them and they were ...

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  • 13 Dec 2013

    Remembering the guy who has made a huge impact: Richard Carlson

    I read this week's blog post from Kristine Carlson - wife of the late Richard Carlson, author of the Don't Sweat the Small Stuff books - that outlined more about his passing, seven years ago to this date. It's an uplifting post yet sad story.I often quote Richard when I write and speak. It's odd that I'm able to use the ideas from such a prolific author on self-help and ...

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  • 18 Oct 2013

    What you need to know about security vulnerability assessments (that no one is willing to share)

    I'd love it if you'd join me over at SearchSecurity.com next week where I'll be talking about the rest of the story regarding security assessments...You know the tools and you're probably familiar with the methodologies...that's why I'm going to share with you many other important aspects of security assessments that, unless someone tells you, you'll likely only learn the hard way. And that's no fun.In my webcast What you need ...

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  • 06 Sep 2013

    Sprechen Sie Deutsch? Hacking For Dummies now in German!

    Check out the latest foreign-language edition of my book Hacking For Dummies:Hacking For Dummies is now in 6 languages: English, Estonian, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Simplified Chinese.Very cool. If you're like me and English is pretty much your only language, you can see more about that version here.Prost!...

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  • 01 Mar 2013

    Got WordPress? You’d better secure it.

    If you use WordPress, take note. My colleague Robert Abela, one of the foremost experts on WordPress security, has a new course at Udemy.com on Securing a WordPress Blog or Website for Beginners that you should check out. The course costs $15. When you use the coupon code OnWheels, you'll receive a $5 (33%) discount. Don't let your guard down because "it's just a marketing site". WordPress-based sites can have ...

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  • 28 Feb 2013

    Mobile app security assessments

    I wrote recently about performing source code analysis for mobile apps. I'm seeing some crazy stuff that I didn't think I'd see in mobile apps (but I'm not really surprised) related to session manipulation, hard-coded cryptographic keys and the like which underscores the importance of the exercise.But there's another side to mobile app security assessments - it's simply manual analysis. That is poking around with the apps and the mobile ...

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  • 29 Jan 2013

    Introducing the brand new Hacking For Dummies, 4th edition

    Well, it's here...the fourth edition of my book Hacking For Dummies is officially available today!Starting summer of 2012 and ending just before Christmas, I put in over 200 hours of blood, sweat, tears, and occasional cussing into this edition...more than any previous updates to the book. That said, my savvy technical editor, Peter Davis, and the wonderful editors at Wiley, Becky Huehls, Virginia Sanders, and Amy Fandrei were the real ...

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