Monday, August 31, 2015

How Smart Is It?

from here

It's time people start questioning how smart 'smart' devices really are.

Don't Give Them Reason To Be Suspicious

tweeted by @thegrugq

Thanks to @thegrugq both for tweeting this skeptical fry meme and for all his effort to turn opsec (operational security) into a household word.

Friday, August 28, 2015

If You're Not Sick Of Ads Yet, Wait 'Til They Make Your Computer Sick

from here

Since malvertising has tripled in the last year, there's a stronger argument than ever for the adoption of adblockers.

Numbers And Letters Go Together Like Peas And Carrots

found on grabberwocky

The lack of mixed case letters in the password is probably due to the lack of mixed case everywhere else. Not sure what the explanation for the lack of symbols is, though. Why not 1F0r3$t1?

Thursday, August 27, 2015

I'll Take 2 Servings Of Safety

from here (source image)

Fat people may be harder to kidnap, but they're easier to chase down and rob at gunpoint, so choose your threat models carefully.

Airport Security: Effective At All The Wrong Things

found on reddit

The only thing that seems to reliably detect terrorists is hindsight.

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Chill Out, Dude

from here

Inspired by this interaction between @AnonyOps and Joshua Corman

We're Gonna Need A Bigger Warrant

found on lolzpark

I'm sure Ming of Harlem was great at keeping intruders out of his owner's apartment. Even the police were too intimidated to go through the front door.

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Troll Privacy

from here and here

Troll science meets protecting your privacy.

Turkish 'Special' Forces



I don't know who gave a gun to a guy who can't figure out how doors work, but I hope he's not representative of the quality of Turkish SWAT teams as a whole.

Monday, August 24, 2015

Technologically Impaired Hacker Needs Love Too

from here

Inspired by a tweet from @PaulWebSec.

Now You Can Get Shot While You Get Your Shots

found on lolsht

Who thinks of these things? I mean, really, maybe it's time to start testing new product designs in airport security lines because guess what, that's where many will end up at some point.

Friday, August 21, 2015

Are You Reporting On The Ashley Madison Breach Or Harassing It's Victims?

from here

This is a lesson I learned years ago when I was digging up dirt about a virus writer and discovered something that made me realize that he was a human being with problems and personal tragedies just like anyone else.

Where Do The Guns In America Come From?

found on dumpaday

So where do all the guns in America come from? Well, judging by this display, when two firearms love each other very much...

Thursday, August 20, 2015

How InfoSec Treats Anonymous Sources

from here

I genuinely don't understand why some anonymous ex-employees who offer no corroborating evidence are given more credence than the HBGary dox leaked by LulzSec.

How To Make A Facial Recognition System Cry

found on the meta picture

I could definitely see a facial recognition system getting confused by this. Good job bearded guy.

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Do You Consider Her Exceptional?

from here (source image)

Honestly, as strange as it sounds, this seems like it's probably a reasonable enough exception to the "Employees Only" security policy for most venues. Scarlett Johansson is arguably exceptional, and I don't imagine she's prone to acts of carelessness or malice. Still, there are some scenarios where that just isn't good enough and even ScarJo should be kept out.

I wonder what the people at this place would do if she ever did enter.

Day 14, She Still Hasn't Figured Out We're Delicious

found on pinterest

I wouldn't have thought that camouflage was good enough but it's hard to argue with the results.

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

I Can't Wait To See The Recoil When They Fire

from here (source image)

One of the intended effects of displaying a show of force is to intimidate the adversary. It's meant to act as a kind of deterrent. Frankly, I'm having a hard time imagining their adversary taking them seriously while they're precariously perched on those things.

Someone Knows An Awful Lot About What Happened To Tom

found on google image search

Gee, I wonder how he knows so much. It doesn't really look like Tom is in any condition to tell anyone anything now that his identity has been stolen, so the only person who could know what happened is...

Monday, August 17, 2015

Or Anywhere Else Someone Might See

from here

Are your passwords stuck to things? That's bad password hygiene.

Passwords Are Like Underpants

tweeted by @andreasdotorg

Thanks to @andreasdotorg for tweeting this memorable infosec infographic.

Friday, August 14, 2015

Let's See You Correlate My Account To Market Data Now

from here
How else do you think twitter can know the kinds of things it needs to know about people in order to perform targeted advertising? You think they figure it out by analyzing your tweets?

No One Is Above The Law

found on funny junk

My only concern with this is, would that really stop a tank? I honestly have no idea.

Thursday, August 13, 2015

Terrorism? Not In My Back Yard

from here (source article)

I guess with distance we get a more measured perspective on things.

Beware Of Attack Parrots



You might think that the parrot just doesn't like missionaries, but in this extended clip his owner explains that the bird will go after anyone or anything.

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Do You Want To Get Detained? Because This Is How You Get Detained

from here (source image)

Thanks to @_youhadonejob for tweeting an image of what is quite possibly the worst idea ever for a travel container.

I Feel "Safer" Already

found on lolzpark

He'll catch those pesky zzzz's. Just you wait and see.

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Dunderbeck's New Machine

from here (source image)

You couldn't pay me enough to climb into one of those things. You either need a metric buttload of situational awareness, or balls of steel.

And if the reference in the title is lost on you, here's where it's from:

So That’s What You Do With Security Policies

tweeted by Jon Oberheide

Thanks to Jon Oberheide for tweeting this image depicting where we all know security policies full of legalese belong. I wonder if you can actually buy toilet paper like this.

Monday, August 10, 2015

Who Said What Now?

from here

Confusion over the difference between these two has always been a pet peeve of mine - voice recognition tells you who said something while speech recognition tells you what was said.

Entertain Me, Human

found on the meta picture


As ridiculous as password complexity policies often are, without any policy, people would probably be using passwords that are actually WORSE than "password".

Friday, August 7, 2015

The More People You Fool The More Successful You Are

from here

Don't get me wrong, at least anti-malware creators provide tools that are actually helpful, but if we're being honest then we have to admit that the market leaders are masters at pulling the wool over people's eyes.

Didn't You Read The Sign?

found on the political dissonance tumblr

And in related news, anti-malware vendors are going to ditch their expensive technology in favour of stickers that say "malware-free zone", because that works so well.

Thursday, August 6, 2015

Nature Takes Camouflage To A Different Level

from here (source image)

I decided on the orchid mantis photo above because in the one below I'm not sure what parts are the bug and what parts are the flower. If it weren't for the above photo of the same flower, I'm not sure I'd have even seen the bug parts here. The camouflage is very effective.

Watch Out For The Towelban

found on the meta picture


And since cleanliness is next to godliness, those deaths are probably part of a holy war. Fear the radicalized tubs. Don’t look now but you may even have one in your own home.

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Smart Things Made By Dumb People

from here

I'd just like to know why there's such a thing as a bluetooth enabled skateboard. The fact that it's hackable is basically a forgone conclusion at this point.

That Does Not Look Like A Safe Place To Put Important Info

found on quickmeme

I can't stress enough how much we need to move away from trying (and failing) to remember passwords.

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

I ♥ Dumb Criminals

from here (source image)

Can you guess what she was arrested for? Do you suppose she might have avoided the authorities attention if she hadn't been 'wearing her heart on her sleeve' so to speak? This is right up there with the spammer in the viagra shirt.

Say Hello To My Little Friend

found on meme center

the strangers you encounter on public transit may seem intimidating, but carrying military ordinance with you is not the way to make you feel more secure - it’s a recipe for disaster

Monday, August 3, 2015

Passwords May Not Be Obsolete, But Trying To Remember Them Is

from here (source image)

Just a thought that popped into my head last week. I think it's a short enough saying that it might work as a catch phrase expressing the need to move to password managers instead of trying to remember a different password for every site you visit (which seems impossible to me).

Security At What Cost?

found in a comment on comicvine
One important aspect of security is control - in fact it's even part of the Parkerian Hexad. Unfortunately, in order for someone else (like a corporation or a government) to give you security, they need you to give them control. Perhaps expecting to be given security isn't always the best option.