Content-Types Matter More Than You Think

Every non-empty response from a web server should contain a Content-Type response header that declares the type of content contained in the response. This declaration helps the browser understand how to process the response and can help prevent a number of serious security vulnerabilities. Setting this header properly is more important than ever. The Old DaysContinue reading “Content-Types Matter More Than You Think”

Taking Off Your NameTag

Recently, there’s been some excitement over the discovery that some sites are (ab)using browser password managers to identify users even when they’re not logged in. This technique (I call it the “NameTag vulnerability”) isn’t new or novel, but the research showing that it’s broadly being used “in the wild” is certainly interesting1, and may motivateContinue reading “Taking Off Your NameTag”

Strict-Transport-Security for *.dev, *.app and more

Some web developers host their pre-production development sites by configuring their DNS such that hostnames ending in .dev point to local servers. Such configurations were not meaningfully impacted when .dev became an official Generic Top Level Domain a few years back, because even as smart people warned that developers should stop squatting on it, Google (the owner of theContinue reading “Strict-Transport-Security for *.dev, *.app and more”

Google Internet Authority G3

For some time now, operating behind the scenes and going mostly unnoticed, Google has been changing the infrastructure used to provide HTTPS certificates for its sites and services. You’ll note that I said mostly. Over the last few months, I’ve periodically encountered complaints from users who try to load a Google site and get an unexpectedContinue reading “Google Internet Authority G3”

Chrome Field Trials

Back in April, we announced: Beginning in October 2017, Chrome will show the “Not secure” warning in two additional situations: when users enter data on an HTTP page, and on all HTTP pages visited in Incognito mode. This is true, but it’s perhaps a little misleading, based on some of the tweets we’ve seen: What isn’t mentioned inContinue reading “Chrome Field Trials”