So here’s an interesting read (click Read More below for the link):
“Anonymous makes a laughing stock of HBGary”
It’s interesting, not just because it shows how hackers work, but because apparently, even “security experts” sometimes make decisions not based upon security concerns, but of convenience.
It seems that even “pro’s” will use the same passwords to access multiple systems and servers, and it was this fact that allowed the hackers to get as far as they did.
Now I’ll admit, that until recently, I had a set of passwords that I used, from least to most secure, but there were many instances where I would use the same password across multiple sites, even though they were not very sensitive sites. So, to address this shortcoming in my own security, I’ve implemented a system using a neat program called 1Password that allows me to not only have unique passwords for all the sites I accessed, but to have very strong passwords. Using the software, I don’t have to remember all these passwords, or keep a piece of paper with them written down. It hooks into your web browser, allowing single click access to login to the sites, and can synchronize across your computers and other devices, so you don’t have to copy them over to your other computer, or expose them in any way.
It’s all secured with a master password, and kept encrypted. Nice stuff. Don’t know why I didn’t do this before. And no, no money changed hands for me to say that. :)
So my long time client Jeff Schechtman at KVON radio here in Napa, had a real interesting interview with Kevin Poulsen, who wrote a book about the hacker underground.
Follow the link for the interview:
http://specific-gravity.blogspot.com/2011/03/king-of-hackers.html