3x09_3x10

SOTU

Cox & Forkum never fail to entertain me when I'm looking for a laugh. I wish they were Libertarians. -Ali

Look at those jugs!

OK, OK, I’m being stupid man silly. Seriously though, VideoJug is pretty nifty. If you haven’t already meandered in that direction you should do so. Even security has a bit of video coverage. –Ali

Jamming GPS

“We contacted the boat owner and gained access, quickly determining that the emitter was a commercially available VHF/UHF television antenna with built-in preamplifier. The antenna was powered by an AC/DC adapter plugged into boat AC power. The preamplifier was thus powered all the time, even when the TV was not on. In fact, the TV was seldom on, and most of the time the TV antenna was in a paint locker inside the locked boat. From this interior location, its emissions jammed all of Moss Landing Harbor and an area at least 1 kilometer out to sea.”

*boggles* -Ali

Impressive twelve steps

I’ve recently had the privilege of supporting a friend in their journey toward sobriety. I attended Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings with them last week and over the weekend. I had many misconceptions about the sort of organization and the types of people that participate in AA. Many many horribly naïve and arrogant misconceptions. I can only say I am embarrassed by my prior ignorance and appreciative of my newfound understanding.

I should have known better as my father always referred to AA and Narcotics Anonymous (NA). He has never consumed alcohol or an illicit drug, much less battled addiction, so I always found his knowledge of the organizations curious. Now I come to find out he himself has assisted numerous people over the years through the programs.

For those of you who will never have the opportunity to immerse yourselves in AA let me let you in on a few secrets. Members of AA are your family, your friend, your boss, your trusted technical resource, your broker, your grocer, the football hero, .. members of AA are honest, non-judgmental, full of wisdom, lively, and a joy to be around. Members of AA are no more troubled than the rest of us and generally more enlightened as they’re facing their demons and honestly taking inventory of their lives. Members of AA are Atheists, Christians, Muslims, Pagans, Agnostics, .. members of AA are young, old, and of all races and ethnic backgrounds. There are a lot of members of AA and for that we should all be thankful. These people have taken a deadly disease by the horns and are wrestling it to the ground.

AA gives back to each and every one of us and we don’t even know it. -Ali

Staff psychologist

I was going over a few old escape reports I wrote and concluded that I needed a good psychologist more than I need another security architect or engineer. I can’t, for the life of me, figure out what most end-users are thinking when they click-through warning dialogs, answer sensitive questions to complete strangers, put sensitive documents on unsecured media, and get involved with Swallows. Even in my daily life I sometimes pause just ~after~ clicking something or answering a question. We’re all prone to it........

I decided to search some job sites and see if anybody was recruiting psychologists for security related positions. I didn’t find much of anything but I’m sure defense and intelligence shops must have people on-staff. Determined not to be empty-handed I decided to search for evidence that IT security penetration testing services and firms used psychologists for more enhanced customer recommendations. What I mean is not just the social engineering norms but finding out what particularly unique aspects of a given organization may be leading users to insecure behavior not normally noticed. See what I mean?

In the process of my searching I thought about “Security and Usability” (which I highly recommend) and then came across some good old posts by Tom Vogt (one, two). If you take his security aspect mindset and combine it with the technical goals of the Jericho Forum you have a pretty complete picture of what’s to come in IT security.

Along with a few good psychologists. -Ali

UPDATE 02012007: Looks like Schneier is on the case too.

Intel on ITSec

Intel isn’t frequently thought of when trying to solve problems other than number crunching. It’s easy to forget they’re a huge organization with all the same problems any of ‘us’ have in other industries. Thankfully they’re not selfish and have shared a great article on layered security and another article on mobility and securing the mobile workforce. Neither article is technical but they are filled with clear language and crisp diagrams perfect for management. And if you’re like me you lust over anything that helps you communicate upstream easier. Take a gander and print a copy for your boss. -Ali

Muddle me this

Muddle me that.. who is afraid of the big black bat?

I kid you not, that was written on a wall in the San Juan airport over a Bacardi Mojito advertisement. I find that humorous for some reason. Even funnier now that I'm on my way home! –Ali

UPDATE 01192007: The music in the TV version of the advertisement is quite catchy.

Death by isolation

I’m completely losing my marbles over this lack of connectivity. If I had come expecting isolation and brought camping gear, baseball gear, and books I’d be happily occupied. At this point between the lack of hot water, noise level, and dirty room I strongly recommend you avoid the Villa Montana. Although I understand that I’ve been shoved in a corporate room and the beachfront rooms and service is much better. Isabela does have beautifully clean water and beaches so next time I’ll bring my girlfriend and trunks and stay extra days. I miss her immensely and want to sneak away and catch the morning flight. –Ali

Death by pothole

You could do helicopter tours of the potholes on the roads in Puerto Rico. I’m surprised it’s tolerated considering how many nice cars I see driving around. People just bounce around like they’re skipping their cars across the top of the Grand Canyon. –Ali

The coqui gambit

Forget the sleep…. the obnoxious brigade of coquis outside my room is keeping me up. I traveled to Puerto Rico today on business and while the warmth was welcome I can’t say I enjoy the island. I’ve been down here a good bit for business and each time there is something to ruin it. Generally it’s just a project gone awry that requires too many hours of work and the resulting Puerto Rican vending food diet. I also consistently leave Puerto Rico paler than when I arrive.

This trip added a new twist in that my housing doesn’t have any connectivity to the outside world. Not even enough cell coverage to use my CrackBerry as a tethered modem. So I’m writing posts in Vim and waiting to get back home to upload. At least ctime keeps things straight for backdating.

And now I’ve left the room with laptop in hand looking for a WiFi signal to borrow. The front desk has one but I’m not lingering here all night. It appears the lounge area has one but they’re closed so I can’t drink and post (where is the fun in that?).

I’m gonna wander back to my room and hope for a concussion. –Ali