Writing

Security Blog

  • Infosec – Failing or Succeeding?
    Infosec – Failing or Succeeding?

    Noam Eppel from Vivica contends that Information Security is a complete failure, citing alarming statistics on security breaches and cybercrime. While his article highlights the risks, many dissent from his conclusion, considering it a collection of gloomy statistics often seen in security vendor pitches.

  • False Positives
    False Positives

    During my morning commute, I encountered an interesting flaw in an alerting system. My car’s weight sensor triggers an alarm if it detects a possible passenger without a seatbelt. However, this car’s system escalates from a dinging sound to a rapid alarm. My immediate thought was to disable the alarm, highlighting a common security system…

  • Sledgehammers
    Sledgehammers

    Achieving perfect data security involves elaborate measures such as encryption, one-time passwords, asymmetric identifiers, and physical access controls. However, the ultimate level of security must align with the data’s value and potential threats, avoiding the extreme sledgehammer argument while striking a balance in risk management.

  • Pseudonymity
    Pseudonymity

    Pseudonymity refers to adopting a semi-permanent, yet incomplete or false identity, commonly observed in online communities. It allows individuals to use distinctive pseudonyms to establish their unique presence while avoiding full anonymity. This practice fosters better community engagement by promoting courteous interactions. However, the challenge lies in identifying instances where a single person assumes multiple…

  • Usenix Security Symposium
    Usenix Security Symposium

    The upcoming USENIX security symposium in Vancouver during the first week of August promises an impressive lineup of invited talks. While I may not attend, I highly recommend catching Matt Blaze’s presentation on wiretapping, previously acclaimed as one of the most exceptional research talks at ICNS 2006.

  • Disclosure Laws
    Disclosure Laws

    During a recent conference, a panelist expressed their belief that the California Disclosure Law (SB-1386) was an exceedingly inadequate information security regulation. However, I hold a different perspective. In my view, SB-1386 stands as the epitome of information security regulations, surpassing even the esteemed GLBA. While most regulations focus on prescribing specific controls for safeguarding…

Leadership Newsletter

  • Avoiding Negative Value
    Avoiding Negative Value

    Leadership Moment: Chasing a Non-Story Daniel Rosney, BBCNews reporter, was assigned to report on the death of Lil Tay. Except Lil Tay wasn’t dead. While numerous outlets took a single Instagram post and ran with it, Daniel spent the day trying to verify the story. He spent a lot of energy – over ten hours… Read this …

  • An Inclusion MicroTalk
    An Inclusion MicroTalk

    This talk dives deeper on inclusion from the 6 Leadership Disciplines talk, analyzes the data in the blog post on Leading to Representation, and was part of a panel at Blackhat 2023. Transcript Good afternoon, folks. I’m sorry I’m not joining you in person today at Black Hat, but I figured you didn’t want me… Read this …

  • The Paradox of Opposing Advice
    The Paradox of Opposing Advice

    Leadership Moment: Missed Shoutouts I recently completed my one thousandth ride on my Peloton, and, like most riders, I planned my schedule to do it during a live ride, in hopes of getting a shoutout from one of my favorite instructors. Unfortunately, that day the class was short, and only in-studio riders were celebrated for… Read this …

Fiction