Author Archive
DefCon 18 Schedule
If you happen to want a machine-readable (e.g. XML or iCal) version of the DefCon 18 schedule, my lovely wife made one which I’ve posted one on Google Calendar: XML iCal HTML This is accurate as of 7/27, so be aware that more recent schedule changes may not be reflected! I’ll be attending the conference, [...]
Google SSL Search
Google has added the ability to access their search engine via SSL. The interface couldn’t be simpler — you just go to https://www.google.com instead of http://www.google.com. The news media has been quite favorable to this — after all, search queries are at least semi-private in that you might not want your employer or neighbors to [...]
BlackHat 2009, Day 2
The Thursday keynote was given by Bob Lentz, a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the United States. His main point was the paradigm shift from network-centric security to what he called content-centric security, and the fact that this devalues the protections around network perimeters. Static defenses don’t work when all the services being used [...]
BlackHat 2009, Day 1
The annual Vegas security conference is upon us again, and there have been plenty of interesting presentations. Last year, it felt like WiFi was the “theme” of the year — this year, the most interesting (and well-attended) briefings were on SSL and mobile devices. The Wednesday keynote was presented by Douglas Merrill, the COO of [...]
Hotel Internet and ISP Paywalls
So, I’m currently in a hotel, to remain nameless here, for BlackHat 2009 and DefCon 17. As is usual for expensive hotels, Internet access is available — both wired and wireless — for a substantial fee ($13.99/day here.) This is enforced via a paywall. For anyone who has never tried to use Internet in a [...]
