Notice how some URLs start with “http://” and others with “https://”?
What does the extra “s” mean?
In simple terms, the extra letter means that the website is encrypted, and your connection is secured. That “s” is SSL or Secure Sockets Layer.
In this article, we’ll talk about SSL and how it can be used to secure your site and its users.
You don’t need to live in a repressive dystopia or fear government surveillance to be concerned about sharing your information safely online. As public figures, bloggers have been victims of doxxing, stalking, hacking and other web-based nastiness just thanks to the natural “generosity” of the Internet at large. Being well-known in the modern age means you might catch the attention of malicious trouble-makers, and you need to be prepared for the worst. [Read more…]
The success of any online enterprise always revolves around one thing: user experience. Bear in mind that the online audience is pickier than you might think. They want relevant information to be presented in an organized fashion, they want the colors to be easy on the eyes, and they want your site’s navigation to be seamless. Moreover, most of them will get bored of a website if it does not load completely within 5 seconds. So in addition to making sure you provide quality content, you should also pay attention to optimizations that will boost your website’s loading speed. [Read more…]
It’s something that no blogger ever wants to see: A message from a reader, telling you that something is wrong with your site. Hackers can do any number of things to your blog if they gain access to it, from installing malware to completely replacing your existing content with something else (usually offensive), to causing redirects to other harmful sites, or even locking you out entirely to make it difficult to reclaim your work. Not only does getting hacked mean several hours — or even days — of work to recreate your blog, but it can also damage your reputation if you don’t handle the recovery right. [Read more…]
Although it’s pretty much unlikely that any high profile hacktivists are going to be targeting your website via a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack anytime soon, that’s not necessarily grounds for sitting back relaxed and complacent without a backup / protection plan. DDoS attacks are becoming more prevalent and much easier to execute thanks improvement in technology, bandwidth and accessibility to tools and information on how to do it. We continue to see big brands like Sony get brought down momentarily by these attacks, and even the CIA’s website suffered this pain in 2012. It’s a serious threat.
For clarification, DDoS attacks happen through an overpowering of numerous computers, usually through the use of bots, that continuously send traffic to an IP address or website. As simple as this might seem, the effects can be brutal to a website. What’s worse is that the typical common security protocols that are set up to defend against hacking and intrusion just don’t work against DDoS attacks and taking matters into your own hands, whether it’s through WordPress security plugins or code tweaks and improvements are not sufficient. [Read more…]
WordPress blogs are one of many targets for hackers, and with so many people making simple mistakes, it becomes clear why. There are many ways of protecting your blog, and we’ve outlined five mistakes you might be making. While using a stronger password or keeping your plugins and theme updated tend to be common advice, you can take additional measures. In fact, you can ensure that absolutely no one, even if they were to get your password, will ever be able to access your blog.
Two-factor authentication is a wonderful thing, and was first used in the workplace to protect sensitive data. Nowadays, companies like Google or Microsoft offer the functionality, and all that’s required is a mobile phone. How it works is when you go to login someplace, and have two-factor authentication enabled, you are required to enter a special pin. For example, Google has its “Authenticator” app which you fire up to see the special pin, or you can opt to receive a text message or phone call instead. A special pin isn’t always required, and Twitter recently implemented its own solution which involves approving a trusted device. [Read more…]
It doesn’t matter if you write about Teletubbies, or are even relatively unknown. Hackers will go after anyone, often injecting malware or adding links to suspicious websites. This can put a sour taste in reader’s mouths, making them wary of visiting your blog again. While WordPress has gotten better over the years, and blog security has improved, there are still multiple factors that make your site an easy target, mistakes that can easily be avoided… [Read more…]
Since some days a rather nasty hack has been going round in the WordPress community. I actually noticed it myself not that long when I googled for ‘Chris Pearson‘ and what I saw in the results was… shall we say ‘interesting’?
Prozac, Levitra, Lexapro? Had Chris sold the ‘Best Damn Blog on the Planet’, AKA Pearsonified? I went to check out Chris’ blog but no. No Prozac, Levitra or anything else of suspicious nature to be found there. Just your regular well-tuned Pearson content. I even looked in the source code and a quick search for known brands ended empty. I left again, having long forgotten already why I googled Chris in the first place.
Now it seems though that this hack is making the rounds and becoming more and more popular. Leland Fiegel from Themelab first reported about it on first reported about it on the Themelab blog, more than a month ago already. Afterwards the issue was covered over at the WP Tavern forums but no solution has been found so far. Even the WordPress Lead Developer, Mark Jaquith, is left clueless and hopes to solve the issue ASAP. [Read more…]
Over the past few months, I’ve been writing a lot about cyber crime and security vulnerabilities, especially as it impacts social media and blogs. The April 1, 2009, expansion of the Conficker/Downadup Worm Infection worried many as the 1 in 16 ratio of infected computers increased dramatically around the globe and attacks were aimed at social media services like MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter.
With the increase in cyber crime and security issues, and the growing profit found in cyber crimes, where do you go to report cyber crime if you find it or are a victim of it? [Read more…]
In “The Outing of a Blogger: Social Transparency or Violation?” and “The Outing of a Blogger: Is it Legal to Reveal a Blogger?” I’ve covered some of the issues around the outing of an Alaskan blogger by a local politician and the legality of such actions.
There have been a variety of blogger outings lately, some with positive outcomes. Fake Steve Jobs Blogger, Daniel Lyons, admitted that he was stunned that it took so long to be uncovered, enjoying the attention. For Lyons, his blatant lampooning of Steve Jobs turned into a career booster. Lyons expected to be found out. Most anonymous bloggers worry they will be.
One of the greatest things about blogging is the freedom and ability to have your say, no matter what it is. One of the greatest fears is being found out.
Many bloggers live in fear of being found out, some at the risk of their lives. Others fear that their right to express themselves without persecution, even of the social kind, will be taken away by exposure. For those who blog anonymously, the law is one issue, but the social stigma is a bigger one. [Read more…]
