As elaborated in a prior post, sites and services often try to use an IP address as an input into protection (e.g. blocking a spammer) or customization (providing local weather info) algorithms. Commonly, software would like to know “What is this device’s IP address?” Unfortunately, this is not a trivial question to answer, because itContinue reading ““The” IP Address”
Category Archives: tech
Experimentation: Just Try It!
I’ve now been working in tech for 25 years, and in that time I’ve developed some wisdom. One theme I’ve discovered and blogged about repeatedly over the years is profound despite its simplicity: In many cases, the best way to know whether something will work is to just try it. I’ve written numerous posts makingContinue reading “Experimentation: Just Try It!”
The Windows Security App
Going back as far as the 2004 release of Windows XP SP2, Windows has offered various GUIs to help users understand the security state of their PC. In modern Windows 10 (RS2+) and Windows 11, the latest version of this graphical user interface is called the “Windows Security Center/App“. The Windows Security App (WSA) isContinue reading “The Windows Security App”
Web Security is Too Hard
It started innocently enough. I saw a tweet about a new product offering from one of my favorite companies, Cloudflare. Neat! I clicked through to the site and there it is: And huzzah!, my preferred handle, @ericlaw is still available. I’d better hurry to claim it before someone else gets it! Since I’m already aContinue reading “Web Security is Too Hard”
Attack Techniques: Fake Captive Portals
When a device first joins a network, the upstream network hardware has full control over its traffic and can allow/block any packets sent from the device from reaching the Internet. Many public networks (typically Wi-Fi, but sometimes wired), located in hotels, coffee shops, mass transit, schools, etc. require that the user accept Terms of UseContinue reading “Attack Techniques: Fake Captive Portals”