Wary Jerry

Recovering CISO
May have an orchid problem
Bad photography
Worse dad jokes
The worst Infosec hot takes
Podcast: https://defensivesecurity.org
Blog: https://infosec.engineering
Twitter: maliciouslink (npub10uz…x5md)
https://Infosec.Exchange Admin
#infosec #security #cybersecurity #risk #fedi22
…and for fucks sake, be nice to each other. We are only here for a brief time. Make it enjoyable.

To help support the costs associated with running this instance, please consider donating. You can set up recurring donations here:

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/infosecexchange

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You can also support with a one-time donation using PayPal to "jerry@infosec.exchange".

Protonmail: jerry@bell.st
Blog: https://www.infosec.engineering
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Paypal: jerry@infosec.exchange
Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/infosecexchange
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/infosecexchange

Public Key

npub1vtxnjefp3k907zuva2uncpntqks8amlz2pwxlppx5tnfwvvymxzsj2e7wk

NIP-05 Address

jerry_at_infosec.exchange@momostr.pink

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsx9nfev5scmzhlpwxw4wfuqe4stgr7al39qhr0ssn29e5hxxzdnpgfep5j9

Author Public Key

npub1vtxnjefp3k907zuva2uncpntqks8amlz2pwxlppx5tnfwvvymxzsj2e7wk

Show more details

Published at

2025-04-09T13:30:26Z

Kind type

0 Metadata

Event JSON

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Last Notes

2025-03-26 23:34:44

If you run a matrix synapse server, it’s time to get your update on. Serious vulnerability being exploited in the wild (allegedly)
https://github.com/element-hq/synapse/releases/tag/v1.127.1

2024-10-25 17:50:20

Fun with reflections
#bloomscrolling
https://media.infosec.exchange/infosec.exchange/media_attachments/files/113/369/323/878/200/825/original/f66c109a70fb4ae0.jpeg
https://media.infosec.exchange/infosec.exchange/media_attachments/files/113/369/323/886/279/986/original/23838d74b6018a54.jpeg

2024-09-07 22:41:12

Given the recent Loper ruling, it will be interesting to watch how much of HIPAA remains intact. https://www.govinfosecurity.com/texas-ag-hopes-to-upend-hipaa-rules-to-investigate-abortions-a-26229

2024-06-18 10:03:21

Apologies for the downtime on infosec.exchange. Hetzner performed some switch maintenance that was supposed to only cause "momentary packet loss", but in fact disconnected servers from the vlan until I manually refreshed the vlan.

2024-06-17 23:23:17

People still talking like vim didn’t win the editor war

2024-06-17 21:00:14

I’m going to wait till closer to my last day to change my status to “Defund HR”
https://media.infosec.exchange/infosec.exchange/media_attachments/files/112/633/969/775/512/491/original/7b98a9bdb6bd36f5.png

2024-06-17 19:43:35

I find it endlessly fascinating that the place with arguably the most data privacy protections (EU) are working to hard to remove the ability to protect one’s data (via breaking e2e encryption)

2024-06-16 20:51:39

Cleaning out 18 years of work files is... cathartic

2024-06-15 23:10:02

I just saw a commercial advertising “Freelance AI experts on Fivver”
https://media.infosec.exchange/infosec.exchange/media_attachments/files/112/623/156/289/241/981/original/63fa05b8efdb8299.mp4

2024-06-15 03:36:52

Someone asked me a complicated, consequential question today at work. I asked why they thought it was a good idea to ask me such a thing since I can’t even hold a job 😅

2024-06-13 20:30:44

Hello everyone. I've been a somewhat outspoken proponent of Fastly, and for good reason. They've been incredibly helpful and generous with hosting Infosec.Exchange. Moving Infosec.Exchange behind Fastly about a year ago was the single biggest improvement I've been able to bring to the Infosec.Exchange community in its more than 7 years of existence. No, I don't get paid by them to say this (or for any other reason), we just a good deal through their Fast Forward program on their services.
Today, Fastly asked me to help announce their new free tier developer accounts, which has been an oft-requested feature of them. You can find info on that free tier here: http://fastly.com/pricing and the announcement is here: http://fastly.com/instant
I don't generally like to plug things, but I have to tell you that I've been incredibly impressed by Fastly's service and their people. If you're a developer looking for CDN services, or otherwise in the market for CDN services give Fastly a look.
cc @npub1nnl…j5yk

2024-06-13 18:25:57

The world has many problems we can't fix, but one thing we can do is can help @npub1kv7…4zmw and his cat, who needs some emergency treatment to survive. Go fund me is here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/project-asher background is here: https://ecoevo.social/@EVDHmn/112605539652932942

2024-06-13 12:36:52

***Maintenance alert for infosec.* and fedia.* services***
On Monday, July 1, I will be performing some disruptive upgrades to the various infosec.*and fedia services.
Notably, I will be upgrading to postrgres 16, upgrading the memory in the database server, consolidating infosec.space onto the infosec.exchange server (this will not change how either instance operates), de-container-ifying pixel, consolidating fedia.social and infosec.town onto the container server, moving fedia.io to less expensive hardware, among others.
The intention is to reduce costs by consolidating, which should not pose a problem since the current hardware was intended to handle growth, and we're experiencing contraction.

2024-06-10 12:00:44

Good people of the fediverse: I understand your deep disdain for all things AI/LLM/ML, particularly when it comes to art. That said, please stop reporting posts that contain AI generated images if there's no intent to deceive with that image.
Reporting a post with the complaint "suspected AI art" isn't going to result in a response, and just wastes everyone's time.
Note: If someone posts a clearly AI generated image and says "Look at this painting I made, please send money to support my art", I think we can take action there for deception.

2024-06-09 22:57:32

What is going on over in the EU?

2024-06-09 19:53:47

Looks like Infosec.exchange blew past the 3 million post mark this weekend. The number of active users is going down, but the people here are still quite active ❤️

2024-06-09 13:54:21

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I need to submit a feature request to mastodon that lets administrators require a reason for joining if the mail server or IP address trips a rule. Today, signups can require a reason to join, but it’s all or nothing.

2024-06-09 13:49:09

I find it interesting that around 90% of spam account signups on Infosec.exchange use a gmail address to register. Now, that’s partly biased because I’ve blocked most of the junk email services that allow creating email addresses without needing to sign in or register, so I don’t know what it would look like if those were permitted, however it must be quite efficient for people to create large numbers of gmail accounts.

2024-06-07 21:53:51

The new factors for authentication
Something you wish you were
Something you want
Something that hurt you

2024-06-07 12:55:16

I wonder how many security programs are designed around meeting the expectation of auditors, vs designed to protect the environment which is then inspected by auditors 🤔

2024-06-06 20:06:18

“Patch your shit”
- George Washington, 1492

2024-06-06 19:48:44

Admin interfaces of firewalls and network devices are meant to be expose to the internet. Don’t fall into this “security by obscurity” baloney of trying to protect those. They belong on the internet! Remember Zero Trust?

2024-06-06 19:36:51

Publicly available container images are very similar to USB drives you find in the parking lot. They are meant to be downloaded and run in production.

2024-06-06 19:34:26

Running every operating system and every variant of Linux out there is a good idea. It’s like genetic diversity. More is always better. Don’t worry about stupid standards.

2024-06-06 15:20:21

The primary adversary most IT/sec shops are intended to defend against is auditors

2024-06-06 15:02:23

We take the security of your data very seriously, which is why we keep all of it forever in a database protected by Fortinet firewalls and accessible only via Invanti Pulse Secure VPN backed up to an s3 storage bucket we promise not to forget about.

2024-06-05 13:11:37

I am so, so, so terribly sad that I will not be around for my employer’s migration to MS Teams 😢

2024-06-04 01:54:49

I still remember a few years back, I had a recruiter chasing me about a CISO job at a company. Traditional CISO, seemed to fit my strengths.
The recruiter asked “do you have a CISSP?”
I said “no, but 30,000 people listen to my podcast each week and claim that time to keep up with their CISSP continuing education requirements”
He responded: “well, it’s kind of a big deal to them. Would you be willing to get that certification?”
I declined - I don’t think I would have been a good personality fit for them.

2024-06-04 00:16:48

Surely there’s a way to make mid 6 figures by playing with puppies and kittens???

2024-06-03 23:33:43

I need to start learning again after my brain has atrophied so I can go find a new job. Ideas on what to study?

2024-06-03 02:10:04

Update on my dad...
For background, my mid 70's parents drove from ATL to Michigan on Thursday to attend my neice's high school graduation. Friday morning, my dad wasn't feeling well and he kept feeling worse. After convincing himself that it wasn't just indigestion, he went to a local hospital ER. While there, he started developing intense pain in his chest. The ER docs hooked him up to an EKG and ran an enzyme test to see if he had a heart attack. They came back clean. But the pain was worsening. The doc administered some morphine, which apparently did nothing. They hooked him back up to the EKG and monitored him for a bit. While monitoring him, he had a heart attack.
The docs rushed him into surgery where he needed 3 stents to open up an artery that was 99% blocked.
He was moved out of ICU into a regular bed today and expects to be discharged tomorrow. He has to wear a defibrillator vest for the next 3 months, while he is assessed for futher treatments. My dad describes the vest as a "bra with metal pop-tarts all the way around his chest". I had a chance to talk to him today and he says that he feels better than he has in many years, other than the pop tart bra.
The doctor told him that the only real reason he was able to survive was that it happened while he was in the hospital. Apparently this sort of heart attack is not one that people commonly survive otherwise.
I am immensely grateful to the doctors, nurses, scientists, janitors, clerical staff, and so on, that gave me and my family the incredible gift of more time with my dad.

2024-06-02 15:58:24

AI coming for CEO jobs now https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/28/technology/ai-chief-executives.html?unlocked_article_code=1.wk0.Kt-M.RCgdiGAOVyTp&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&u2g=c

2024-05-31 16:38:31

FYI, being offended by someone ordering Lockheed Martin socks or saying they would like them work at Lockheed Martin should be addressed by blocking the person, not with a report.
Thank you for attending my speech.

2024-05-29 16:06:10

No pressure on that jury...

2024-05-28 13:09:43

The number of active Mastodon accounts continues to drop, including here on Infosec.exchange, however it’s dropping slower than elsewhere. According to https://fedidb.org/software/mastodon we are the number 4 (soon to be number 3) most active instance. I’m not sure whether to be happy or sad.

2024-05-27 22:53:31

Ok, I was able to give enough information to bunny.net support so they could fix the problem. ProtonVPN helped a bunch there.

2024-05-27 17:02:42

I wonder how much worse it is for a site like Internet Archive who is battling a DDOS to also have to deal with the frantic and frustrated refreshes by thousands of people every minute checking to see if it’s back up yet

2024-05-26 18:04:50

Hypothetically speaking, if I needed a university text book on short notice, where could one find those to download? This is totally not because my son forgot to buy a book for an assignment that is due today.

2024-05-25 00:58:08

It’s been interesting watching the exodus from the fediverse to bsky. Sort of like October 22 in reverse.

2024-05-21 21:15:31

The new Recall features is a good reason to remind everyone to not do personal shit on your work computer. Please.

2024-05-20 00:23:47

I just finished listening to the 3 book Silo series by Hugh Howey. What a ride. That dude had no issues killing off main characters. At. Every. Turn.
Anyhow, that was really good. Highly recommended.

2024-05-18 20:16:23

A few more pics from today. Various orchids and another of the red daisy. Any feedback/critiques?
#bloomscrolling
https://media.infosec.exchange/infosec.exchange/media_attachments/files/112/463/926/743/908/838/original/a4b61903ea54887f.jpeg
https://media.infosec.exchange/infosec.exchange/media_attachments/files/112/463/926/749/954/794/original/f82ad925fa08d1ab.jpeg
https://media.infosec.exchange/infosec.exchange/media_attachments/files/112/463/926/753/123/725/original/16c1cee390244f86.jpeg
https://media.infosec.exchange/infosec.exchange/media_attachments/files/112/463/926/765/376/660/original/b1e3c1eeb20a6345.jpeg

2024-05-18 17:18:51

Lots of tornados lately. I blame traffic circles.

2024-05-16 02:32:56

Apparently flipper zeros can destroy cell phones? https://komonews.com/amp/news/nation-world/student-using-hacking-device-wreaks-havoc-at-utah-high-school-grand-county-moab-flipper-zero-handheld-device-disrupting-school-operations-search-warrant-student-disciplined

2024-05-11 03:09:04

The sky to the north is a bit pink here in north Georgia. No clear aurora ribbons or trails, but definitely a color that is not normal

2024-05-11 00:18:04

Ok, we gotta relocate the magnetic poles closer to the equator. The aurora pics are amazing tonight

2024-05-10 15:45:09

Just announced on LinkedIn I’m no longer going to be a ciso. I wonder how that will impact the number of follows/connections I have, and whether it’ll finally stem the tide of DM spam I get.

2024-05-10 00:52:41

The year is 2032.
The majority of remaining Americans list their occupation as “social media storm chaser”

2024-05-09 22:33:06

To the many new members of Infosec.exchange today, I am curious: what happened that caused you to join?

2024-05-08 11:18:54

I get to watch my youngest graduate university today. I hope y’all have a great day!

2024-05-07 12:49:17

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today not to mourn the loss of Jerry's refrigerator, but rather to celebrate its life.

2024-05-06 20:17:48

The very biased and unfair Pulitzer Prize people, who we know couldn’t get a job with Publishers Clearing House, once again decided not to award their sham prize to me for my wonderful posts here on the fediverse.

2024-05-06 01:57:17

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It was wild how close they got to my building.
https://media.infosec.exchange/infosec.exchange/media_attachments/files/112/391/658/254/372/150/original/01518b0d57debd9c.jpeg

2024-05-06 01:56:28

Some more pics from the air show this weekend. That was a lot of fun.
https://media.infosec.exchange/infosec.exchange/media_attachments/files/112/391/655/222/471/647/original/5171987d06f1cbe7.jpeg
https://media.infosec.exchange/infosec.exchange/media_attachments/files/112/391/655/264/721/503/original/c84b34f5d96fa9d1.jpeg
https://media.infosec.exchange/infosec.exchange/media_attachments/files/112/391/655/272/486/929/original/bd1c216be93a888e.jpeg
https://media.infosec.exchange/infosec.exchange/media_attachments/files/112/391/655/279/132/206/original/d0e514de2e0e880b.jpeg

2024-05-04 19:21:51

Reminder that https://infosec.space is available with the following features:
- instance block on threads.net and known bluesky bridges
-instance block on X cross post gateways[*]
- authorized fetch enabled
- anonymous timeline access disabled
- Mastodon discoverability features disabled
- 11k character limit on posts
- super small (currently 62 active accounts)
- tightly moderated signups
*There are X cross post instances everywhere. Most likely there are a few not blocked yet

2024-05-04 00:14:43

- reply

2024-05-02 21:53:37

Holy cow - the thunderbirds are practicing over the beach in front of my place. Pretty neat

2024-05-02 20:19:27

May the second be with you. Or something.

2024-05-02 17:17:21

It’s a good thing the industry has these cyber security risks under control, otherwise all these job cuts could be a very bad sign of things to come.

2024-05-02 11:47:43

I woke up this morning with the burning question on my mind:
What’s going on with that pan flute guy Zamfir I used to see selling his music on TV commercials back in the 70’s and 80’s.
I don’t know why my brain asks such questions, but I am happy to report he’s still around and apparently still performing concerts.

2024-05-01 16:38:41

Fedi-friends: if you get value from the fediverse, please consider donating to support your instance. Most instances are completely volunteer run and funded via donations. Some instances charge a fee to have an account, and that model likely works well. I, and many others, believe that it’s important for people who may not be able to afford it to have a social connection.
If you are able to, and not already doing so, I ask you to please consider supporting your instance. I am extremely fortunate to have generous members, however not instances are so fortunate, so here I am, asking on their behalf.
I appreciate all of you and hope you have a great week.

2024-05-01 00:59:11

- reply

I suppose the trick is topic generation

2024-04-30 22:42:31

Good fodder for your IT/Infosec budget discussions: https://www.cybersecuritydive.com/news/microsoft-security-debt-crashing-down/714685/

2024-04-30 17:07:26

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be well, Tinker. I hope things get better soon for you

2024-04-29 00:30:11

I get getting quite tired of the hate filled name calling that is going on in political discussions here. I understand that emotions are high, people are dying/have died, etc. Being an asshole to other people doesn’t change that and doesn’t change a single god damned opinion. Stop. It.
Ban hammer is out.

2024-04-28 11:27:35

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my frustration with matrix.org is partly why we have matrix.infosec.exchange

2024-04-28 00:15:33

Sometimes I feel like I need fedipedia dramatica to help me understand what’s going on here

2024-04-27 22:20:55

People are weird.

2024-04-26 02:18:30

- reply

to sleep.

2024-04-26 01:26:56

In other news, I am now “my kid is a homeowner” years old today.

2024-04-17 16:44:47

FYI to all you clever Palo people who disabled telemetry to mitigate CVE-2024-3400:
> In earlier versions of this advisory, disabling device telemetry was listed as a secondary mitigation action. Disabling device telemetry is no longer an effective mitigation. Device telemetry does not need to be enabled for PAN-OS firewalls to be exposed to attacks related to this vulnerability.
https://security.paloaltonetworks.com/CVE-2024-3400

2024-04-16 18:57:06

I do find it oddly appropriate that the unit of a kubernetes deployment is called a “cluster”

2024-04-14 15:55:20

So, it turns out today was “chainsaw adoption day” at Home Depot. I just couldn’t let that poor chainsaw stay homeless.

2024-04-13 13:51:23

I get to go visit the house my oldest son and his fiancé are buying today. I have to say that it’s an odd realization that my biological purpose for existing is now complete.

2024-04-12 19:51:33

- reply

but if you can keep them interested for long enough, you can build a nice life

2024-04-09 01:04:28

I know total solar eclipses are not all that special or even rare, but wow that is amazing to see. The clouds cleared up a good bit right at the point of totality, which i read is not an uncommon thing.

2024-04-08 19:09:25

I got a few decent shots
https://media.infosec.exchange/infosec.exchange/media_attachments/files/112/237/173/419/607/193/original/f3ef2dd1538f837c.jpeg
https://media.infosec.exchange/infosec.exchange/media_attachments/files/112/237/173/426/479/406/original/724bb13e78033aed.jpeg

2024-04-08 10:44:38

6am and the ATL airport is already a sea of humanity

2024-04-05 22:26:02

It’s a little known secret that Infosec.exchange only has 25 human accounts and the rest are AI

2024-04-05 17:05:10

Oh hey, today is Infosec.exchange’s 7th birthday. 🥳

2024-04-05 11:18:55

- reply

an interesting idea…

2024-04-03 19:22:51

- reply

rapid exothermic oxidation reduction reaction in the server room

2024-04-03 11:40:14

Microsoft must be hoping and praying for a new named critical and pervasive vulnerability to capture our attention

2024-04-02 15:45:01

Wow, heartbleed is 10 years old. I still have nightmares about that period of time.

2024-04-01 23:57:10

- reply

I don't know of anyone doing what I mentioned - those appear to be open source sentiment engines. I don't know that anyone SHOULD do what I mentioned.

2024-04-01 23:51:39

How long till we see "threat intel" companies using stuff like sentiment analysis engines on open source project email lists and forums as part of their offering???

2024-04-01 13:30:41

My infosec.exchange April Fool's prank is that I did not have time to come up with an April Fool's prank.
Gotcha.
or something

2024-03-30 18:02:35

> I can’t tell you how angry this makes me feel for this maintainer.
I don’t know who Jigar Kumar is, or what the motivation was behind the emails that the author is referencing, but I can tell you if I was trying to get a bad actor in as a trusted developer, this is how I would approach it.
Good post.
https://robmensching.com/blog/posts/2024/03/30/a-microcosm-of-the-interactions-in-open-source-projects/

2024-03-29 15:26:52

- reply

funny - that is almost certainly where my wife will pick for dinner tonight

2024-03-29 15:19:59

AUD✈️ATL
Lets gooooooo

2024-03-29 11:58:05

Belgian waffles are out and Texan waffles are in apparently
https://media.infosec.exchange/infosec.exchange/media_attachments/files/112/178/854/825/184/780/original/77e645de33b75b4f.jpeg

2024-03-25 00:56:27

My shoes came in from xlfeet.com today - I was a bit skeptical, but they are quite good - most comfortable shoes I've had in decades. I had never heard of the brand "Drew Shoes" before this, but I suspect I'll be buying more. In any event, if you have flippers for feet like me and trouble finding shoes, I had a good experience with them.

2024-03-24 23:50:04

PSA: if you edit a post in Mastodon, the prior versions of the post are accessible to anyone who cares to click on the date of the post and browse through the various edits. If you want to make something previously posted inaccessible, choose the option to delete and redraft, then remove the part you no longer want.
Of course, this is the internet - what you post is forever, regardless of your intention. Act accordingly.

2024-03-24 17:04:47

Crazy train
https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/2024/03/20/tennessee-senate-passes-bill-banning-chemtrails-what-to-know/73027586007/
https://media.infosec.exchange/infosec.exchange/media_attachments/files/112/151/735/093/221/005/original/05b32f7056336951.jpeg