Have you ever forgotten your password, or lost access to your accounts? I know I have. The process of getting your access back can range from very easy to quite difficult. In one case, I had an account that required that a pin code be physically mailed to me in 7-10 days. Of course, this was a financial account that required extra protections. I came across this article (https://www.wired.com/story/myspace-security-account-takeover/) that identified that MySpace's process for regaining access … [Read more...] about MySpace Account Takeover – Take-aways
security
Validation: Client vs. Server
Years ago, I remember being on a technical interview phone call for a senior developer position. What stood out was when the interviewer asked me about performing input validation. The question was in regards to if validation should be on the client or the server. My answer: The server. What took me by surprise was when the response was that my answer was incorrect. In fact, I was told that Microsoft recommends performing validation on the client. This was inaccurate information, but I let it … [Read more...] about Validation: Client vs. Server
Using the AWS disruption to your advantage
By now you have heard of the amazon issues that plagued many websites a few days ago. I want to talk about one key part of the issue that often gets overlooked. If you read through their message describing their service disruption (https://aws.amazon.com/message/41926/) you will notice a section where they discuss some changes to the tools they use to manage their systems. So let's take a step back for a moment. Amazon attributed the service disruption to basically a simple mistake … [Read more...] about Using the AWS disruption to your advantage
Security Tips for Copy/Paste of Code From the Internet
Developing applications has long involved using code snippets found through textbooks or on the Internet. Rather than re-invent the wheel, it makes sense to identify existing code that helps solve a problem. It may also help speed up the development time. Years ago, maybe 12, I remember a co-worker that had a SQL Injection vulnerability in his application. The culprit, code copied from someone else. At the time, I explained that once you copy code into your application it is now your … [Read more...] about Security Tips for Copy/Paste of Code From the Internet
Gmail will block JavaScript file attachments
According to a recent announcement, Gmail will start blocking .js file attachments starting February 13, 2017. Blocking specific attachment types isn't something that is new to Gmail. They already block attaching file attachments that are .exe, .msc, and .bat types. The recent move to add javascript files is most likely related to the recent malware/ransomware campaigns that have started using JavaScript files instead of Microsoft Office files. There was an article posted back in April … [Read more...] about Gmail will block JavaScript file attachments
Secure Notification Updates in FireFox and Chrome
There has been a steady increase in the number of applications that have switched to using HTTPS instead of HTTP for communication. Even sites that have no sensitive information or authentication mechanisms. Using HTTPS provides authentication and a secure channel to transmit data between client and server. The authentication verifies that you are communicating with the organization you thought you were. This secure transmission is meant to stop other parties from being able to read or … [Read more...] about Secure Notification Updates in FireFox and Chrome