Skip to content

Category Archives: Security and Privacy

Practical computer security and privacy related topics.

Encrypted Contact Form for WordPress

07-Dec-06

Zirona OpenSource Consulting has created a plugin for WordPress that provides encryption capabilities to the contact form on your blog.
It is called Subrosa, and it is designed to work with all WordPress contact forms. I successfully set it up with Contact Form ][. To see what it looks like go to my [...]

UK’s RFID Passports Cracked

18-Nov-06

This was an absurd idea from the beginning. Instead of improving the security of passports and international travel, these passports have only put people at an increased risk of identity theft.
Guardian Unlimited story – via Reddit

Taking passwords to the grave

11-Oct-06

What happens when someone dies and nobody knows their passwords? This is increasingly becoming a problem, especially when important things like bank accounts, investments, and email are locked behind passwords.
CNET News has a great article on this here.
powered by performancing firefox

Hotel Mini-bar and Office Furniture Keys Open Diebold Voting Machines

19-Sep-06

Evidently, Diebold electronic voting machines use a generic key to open the compartment that holds the memory card. This is the memory card that holds the votes!
This was discovered by the Princeton Computer Science department, who were testing vote-stealing software.
One of the technical staff members used a key that he had at home, and [...]

Pretexting

19-Sep-06

Wired News did a great article on pretexting a few days ago. Pretexting usually involves pretending to be someone else to obtain information. It is also referred to as social engineering.
Kevin Mitnick, the most famous computer hacker in the world, was one of the authors of The Art of Deception: Controlling the Human [...]