When I started this blog back in 2010, I wanted HTTPS, but I didn’t want to pay extra for it. Back then that wasn’t as easy as it is today. So I compromised and got my TLS certificates from CAcert. Problem was that almost no OS or browser vendor trusted their certs. Debian and Ubuntu …
Category Archives: Technology
OK, Boomer [en]
Looking for a web security challenge? I recommend this XSS Game. Frankly, I’ve even struggled with some of the “easy” warmups. Let alone the challenges. Luckily, they’ve published solutions, too. Kudos to Pwn()!
Biting my style [en]
So I’m working at a huge software company and in my department we have this nice tradition of lunch-talks. The company buys pizza and we all eat it, while one hungry person gives ~1h talk. (Well, that was before the pandemic, now everything is remote and we have to fend for ourselves.) Most of the …
It’s been a while [en]
My last post here has been over 4 years ago. I’ve really neglected this blog. Let’s see, if I can change that… Part of the problem was the rotten technology underneath. Even apart from WordPress. It was running on some weird virtual server at a local hosting provider. Weird, because it was neither full virtualization …
The xkcd guy nails it again [en]
This time, at the intersection of computer science (my occupation) and biology (my hobby): According to Randall, we’re still 2 years ahead of the hype cycle. Anyone willing to join me in switching to CRISPR/Cas9 by then? Update: Thinking about it, told you so.
Meetings — who doesn’t love them? [en]
… and I do think it’s particularly tough for engineers: I’m lucky enough to work at a company, where most folks are not complete morons. It’s sometimes slightly worse with our business partners though. Anyhow, I can feel for that guy. Stumbled upon through a fb-post by DerKalle.
OpenSSL CLI-Cheat-Sheet [en]
The OpenSSL library is utilized by a wide range of other open-source projects, like web-servers, mail-servers, VPN-servers, etc. When dealing with such software and SSL, it often proves useful to be familiar with the openssl command-line tools. Of course, OpenSSL does have great man-pages, and a quick web-search reveals plenty of usage examples. However, OpenSSL …
Ubuntu Full-Disk-Encryption – A Field Report [en]
Since my old notebook computer recently gave up on me, I had to install a new one from scratch. I finally decided to give Ubuntu a go, after I had been using Debian (testing) for almost a decade. I must say that I’m really impressed with Ubuntu’s lean installation process, which handles diverse aspects like …
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29C3 Talk: Certificate Authority Collapse [en]
Just watching axelarnbak‘s 29C3 talk on Certificate Authority Collapse, which covers structural flaws in SSL. I’ve reported on the mess with SSL before, and you may notice related complications (see CAcert) while browsing this page. After a good summary, the talk mainly focuses on structural problems and regulatory solution approaches. But apparently there are other …
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Wireless Earphones: The next generation [en]
Almost a year ago, I reported about the Bluetooth earphones I got. I still don’t get why so few people are using similar devices. Let alone, why there are so few similar products on the market. The Bad However, the model I picked (Jabra Clipper) was not all sunshine. After using it some while, it …
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