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The personal website of Phil Massyn¶

Security for Engineers

Many of us have the need to develop code, code that may have access to very sensitive data, or code that has the ability to wreck havoc on an environment. Whatever the development requirement is, there is a need to be vigilant with the code you develop, and ensuring that you do not inadvertently introduce security issues that could otherwise have been avoided.

Involuntary Data Breaches

An involuntary data breach is a data breach where you information got compromised without your direct involvement. This is typically where your information is stored in a data location that you're unaware of, or have no control over. In a recent security incident, my own contact details have been exposed, through a friend's compromised phone. This is the story of that event.

Single Sign On

Single Sign-On (SSO) is an authentication process that allows users to access multiple applications or services with one set of login credentials—typically a username and password. Instead of having to log in separately to each application, users authenticate once through a central identity provider, which then grants access to connected systems. This approach simplifies the user experience by reducing password fatigue and improving productivity, as users no longer need to manage multiple accounts or remember numerous passwords. SSO also enhances security by centralizing authentication and allowing for more robust controls, such as multi-factor authentication and centralized monitoring, thereby reducing the attack surface for potential breaches.

Automated Security Reporting

Having some form of automated security reporting platform will help organisations to have real-time visibility of the security posture across their environment. By tailoring the dashboards to different audiences (or personas), CISOs and CIOs can leverage data for decision-making, giving visibility to all levels within the organisation.

Vulnerability Management

Vulnerability management is a continuous, proactive, and often automated process that keeps your computer systems, networks, and enterprise applications safe from cyber-attacks and data breaches by ensuring any weaknesses in the underlying software are updated.

Multi Router Traffic Grapher

MRTG - an age-old graphing tool used by network administrators all over the world. But it's not just for networking systems. I've used it to monitor various things. In this how-to, I'll walk you through how you can create a simple MRTG system to track pretty much anything.