When users hear or read “SSH” (the acronym stands for Secure SHell) they expect it to be just that – a secure shell from your physical location to wherever the destination computer may be; and “secured” in terms of requiring authentication and verification of messages. The programming libraries that support SSH include OpenSSH and libssh among others. In recent news, the … [Read more...]
Everything Your Need to Know About SIM-Jacking
Over the past year, we’ve seen reports of SIM-jacking, a particularly malicious attack hackers are using to assume control of victims’ digital and financial lives. What is SIM-jacking and how exactly does it happen? These attacks allow hackers to take over a person’s cell phone number and usually their digital life along with it. Threat actors typically start by social … [Read more...]
From Binary to Character Representations
At the core of every computer system in the world is a CPU which accepts and acts upon streams of 0’s and 1’s. A “0” value is considered off and a “1” value is considered on. Why is this though, why do computers break everything down to these values? Further, how does binary translate from English-speaking countries to non-English speaking countries, or vice versa? Without … [Read more...]
Do You Know Which Multi-Factor Authentication Methods are Insecure?
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) methods have steadily increased in popularity as the security industry and the public have continued to recognize the weaknesses associated with passwords. But, did you know that not all MFA methods are equally secure? Most people think of MFA as receiving a one-time password (OTP) via an SMS text message. However, this method is actually no … [Read more...]
California Bill Increases Default Password Security
California has taken steps to increase the password security on new devices made after January 1 2020. Senate Bill No. 327 forces manufactures to create unique passwords for each device or force the user to create a new password on their first login. This only applies to devices that are accessible outside the local network. (1) The preprogrammed password is unique to … [Read more...]
