Rational Astrologies and Security

John Kelsey and I wrote a short paper for the Rossfest Festschrift: "Rational Astrologies and Security": There is another non-security way that designers can spend their security budget: on making their own lives easier. Many of these fall into the category of what has been called rational...

Banning TikTok

Congress is currently debating bills that would ban TikTok in the United States. We are here as technologists to tell you that this is a terrible idea and the side effects would be intolerable. Details matter. There are several ways Congress might ban TikTok, each with different efficacies and si...

Why Vaccine Cards Are So Easily Forged

My proof of COVID-19 vaccination is recorded on an easy-to-forge paper card. With little trouble, I could print a blank form, fill it out, and snap a photo. Small imperfections wouldn’t pose any problem; you can’t see whether the paper’s weight is right in a digital image. When I fly...

Black Hat 2021: Rapid7 Experts Share Key Day 2 Takeaways

Here we are again, back for another day of Rapid7 expert debriefings and analysis for some of the most talked-about Black Hat sessions of this year. So without further delay, let’s take it away! Get more DEF CON 2021 insights from our Research team on Tuesday, August 10 Sign up for our What...

Apple’s notarization process fails to protect

In macOS Mojave, Apple introduced the concept of notarization, a process that developers can go through to ensure that their software is malware-free and must go through for their software to run on macOS Catalina. This is meant to be another layer in Apples protection against malware...

Thermal Imaging as Security Theater

Seems like thermal imaging is the security theater technology of today. These features are so tempting that thermal cameras are being installed at an increasing pace. They're used in airports and other public transportation centers to screen travelers, increasingly used by companies to screen...

TSA Admits Liquid Ban Is Security Theater

The TSA is allowing people to bring larger bottles of hand sanitizer with them on airplanes: Passengers will now be allowed to travel with containers of liquid hand sanitizer up to 12 ounces. However, the agency cautioned that the shift could mean slightly longer waits at checkpoint because the...

Don't Fear the TSA Cutting Airport Security. Be Glad That They're Talking about It.

Last week, CNN reported that the Transportation Security Administration is considering eliminating security at U.S. airports that fly only smaller planes -- 60 seats or fewer. Passengers connecting to larger planes would clear security at their destinations. To be clear, the TSA has put forth no...

OpenSSL Heartbleed and the Value of CRLs

One of the consequences of the drama around the OpenSSL heartbleed vulnerability is that security experts have begun taking a hard look again at the certificate revocation process and whether it actually protects users or gives them any visibility into the validity of a given certificate. In a lo...

Best Practices in Passwords Not Encouraged

A pair of academic researchers have analyzed the use of passwords by many prominent online sites, and found that many sites require passwords as a sort of security theater, requiring them in contexts that are superfluous and failing to do their part to secure the information on their end. The end...

Bruce Schneier on Cryptography, Security Theater and the Psychology of Fear

Dennis Fisher talks with security expert Bruce Schneier about the usefulness of cryptography, the psychology of security and fear and the war on the unexpected after 9/11. Download Subscribe to the Digital Underground podcast on Podcast audio courtesy of George Wood...