This is part 3 in a series of articles. To follow along via code, visit the Github repository. The last article discussed some refactoring use new(-ish) CloudFormation features, which help improve the readability and reduce the template’s file size. This article temporarily moves away from template modifications and focuses on how someone can review a CloudFormation template for security and operational risks. Parameters Let’s start with the Parameters section, because that is going to tell us what dependencies we need to bring into this template from our AWS or organizational environment. ...

This is part 2 in a series of articles. To follow along via code, visit the Github repository. In the last article, I showed how we can improve the operational capabilities of the AlienVault sensor deployment in AWS, simply by adding some automation and formatting changes to the generic CloudFormation template supplied to customers. Let’s further improve the YAML template to make it more readable and less code-heavy by using the newest features of CloudFormation. ...

This is part 1 in a series of articles. To follow along via code, visit the Github repository. I recently needed to review the AlienVault Sensor deployment for AWS and, well, it left me wanting more. Many companies are smart to offer infrastructure-as-code for their appliances. It provides customers with a near one-click deployment model. It also provides customers with insight into what permissions, servers, and resources the appliance will require. The issue with vendor-supplied code is that it needs to apply to a generic customer base; a sort of lowest common denominator scenario where insecure defaults are needed to fit various environments and customers with various skill levels. ...

I have just started reading Tribe of Hackers by Marcus Carey (et al). I already love the format of the book. He takes 14 questions and asks them to prominent people in the field of computer security. Before I start reading the book, though, I want to provide my own answers to his questions and then see how they relate to the others in the book. If there is one myth that you could debunk in cybersecurity, what would it be? I find the biggest myth about computer security is that it is somehow so mysterious and technical that it is difficult to understand. It does often involve deep understanding of computers, but the fundamentals of computer security look very similar to that of traditional security. And with that knowledge, anyone can learn computer security easily by building up their skills from first principles. ...

In the previous article I showed how a model can be disabled. One of the things that you probably noticed is that I’m using a timestamp (DateTime) field instead of a Boolean field. This is a trick I learn years ago after working on a large database (>2B rows) for an Enterprise client. It has been useful in so many ways that I put it into every database design I do, yet I’ve never written about it before and only talked to developers in person about the purpose of the design. ...

When I first started using model concerns I struggled with how I could test the functionality of the concern, without having to replicate the tests across all models. Here I show you how I decided to test model concerns. It may be controversial, so buckle up. What are Model Concerns? Model concerns are an interesting concept that — if I recall correctly— debuted with Rails 4. They allow a developer to refactor common functionality out from various models and centralize it into a module, called a concern. A non-contrived example of this shows how several of my models can be deactivated at any time. ...

I am taking the wraps off of my first product ever: Security Awareness for Busy People. Those who know me know that I’m not the type of person to shout my accolades from the rooftops, so this is a bit out of my comfort zone right now. Regardless, I’m proud of my work and I want to share this with the world. Background As I mentioned, this is my first product ever. Throughout my career I have helped other companies build software, maintain secure systems, or train their employees to be better developers/operators/administrators. I have done this as both a full-time employee and as a consultant. I always have these ideas to create products and yet never deliver on them for a couple reasons: ...

I am working on a new project, Security Awareness for Busy People, and I accidentally found a trick to bypass one of the restrictions when working in the AWS SES sandbox. But first, can I just say that I love finding undocumented functionality in AWS? I feel like a techie version of Indiana Jones! AWS SES, or Simple Email Service, is a service provided by Amazon Web Services that allows customers to send emails. This is similar to services like SendGrid. Emails can be sent either via SMTP or through their API. It’s really cool, fairly cheap, and very easy to setup and get started. The best part is that you can hook your incoming or outgoing emails into the entire AWS ecosystem and process them automatically. But I digress. ...

Today’s article is going to be a bit different. I recently interviewed with a company and had such a bad experience that I really wanted to talk about it. But, I wanted to let some time pass so that my emotions do not cloud my writing. Fortunately, the company in question gave me the chance to provide some anonymous feedback on the interview process. Unfortunately, they don’t quite realize that anonymity is difficult to get right, and that nobody else in the world gets to read and learn from the feedback. So I’m posting it here. I’m not posting it on Glassdoor because I want to own my content, not relinquish it to a third-party or play the name-and-shame game. ...

I love static websites. And that love has only grown over time. I started my career building dynamic websites with database backends and those are great, but they require a lot more mental energy to build and secure. Static website, on the other hand, require very little effort and are very resilient to being attacked. So this article explains how I build static websites these days. It may not be what you use and that’s fine, we can both celebrate our differences. ...