safe from midgets, maybe?

from the failblog
this is why it's so important to understand security, at least at a basic level, otherwise you do things like lock up bikes in such a way that a thief merely needs to lift it in order to steal it.

and on a side note, i've seen so many examples of poor bike security, it's no wonder they get stolen so much.

more than meets the eye

from ebay but found on schneier's blog

coffee cups (some insulation expected) disguised as SLR camera lenses. these definitely hold more than 3 ounces. oh well, so much for that silly TSA rule.

know your tools

from learn from my fail

this underscores why it's important to understand what various tools are for, because otherwise you could wind up mis-using them (sometimes to hilarious results)

backups are important, m'kay?

from learn from my fail (if that isn't a hat tip to the memetic nature of knowledge transfer, i don't know what is)

backups - don't delete pictures without them.

protect what's really important

from the failblog

i suppose the bike owner should get some points for at least trying to protect his/her property. unfortunately you really need to be intelligent about how you use your security tools and protect what's really important to you. locking up the front wheel of the bike, when wheels can be easily removed from bikes, means that only the front wheel gets protected.

easy-open locks?

found on failblog

the very notion of an easy-open lock seems strange enough - i mean, how secure could that really keep things - but the idea of using them in a prison, of all places, really underscores how bad an idea easy-open locks are. if there's one place where you don't want the locks to be easily opened, it's in jail!

password selection fail

found on failbook.

i know the traditional advice is that you should select a password that's easy for you to remember, but it also has to be difficult for other people to guess. your name does not qualify, even if you include your last name.

ftc on phishing

some interesting videos depicting what phishing might look like in the real world. originally found at the sunbelt blog







believe it or not, these videos were produced by the federal trade commission. yes, the FTC has a youtube page. who'd have guessed?

it's the little things that get you

i don't know where i got this but it's very true and shows how important attention to details can be.

god is watching

courtesy of failblog

hoping people will do the right thing? hope is not a very good security strategy.