Monday, December 28, 2009

Web Application Security Podcasts

Recently my passion for web application security has increased manifold. With so much happening so fast, time is always short. I brought a new ipod shuffle just to listen to various security podcasts, interviews of security/tech experts, etc. to stay "flexibly" in touch with security while mobile.

Here are a few of those I listen to and find really nice. I haven't assessed them and its just my own opinion. Any further additions/comment/suggestions are always welcome.
  1. OWASP Security Podcast
    organization: OWASP
    rss feed: OWASP Security Podcasts RSS
    hosted by: Jim Manico from Aspect Security

  2. MightySeek Podcast Postings
    organization: NT Objectives, Inc.
    rss feed:
    hosted by: Dan Kuykendall

  3. Imperva Security Podcasts
    Podcasts by Imperva range from Data Security to Cloud Computing to Saas but also include WAF, Web Application Sceurity, etc.
    organization: Imperva Inc.
    podcast link: Imperva Security Podcasts

  4. Cenzic Podcast Series on Application Security Mythbusters
    organization: Cenzic
    rss feed: Cenzic Security Podcasts RSS

  5. Silver Bullet Security Podcasts
    Security Podcasts by Cigital are not specifically targeted to Web Application Security but cover various aspects of Security
    organization: Cigital, Inc.
    rss feed: Silver Bullet Security Podcast RSS
    hosted by: Gary McGraw

Saturday, December 19, 2009

How to add or remove an underline for links in Blogging Post

Login to your account. Go to Layout > Edit HTML.
Search for a:link (Tip: Use Ctrl + F)
You will see a similar code there as:

a:link {
color:$linkcolor;
text-decoration:none;
}
a:visited {
color:$visitedlinkcolor;
text-decoration:none;
}
a:hover {
color:$titlecolor;
text-decoration:underline;
}

The above code specifies that there is no underline as dictated by text-decoration:
text-decoration:none
Here none specifies "No Underline". To add underline simply change the command to:
text-decoration:underline

If it was originally underlined simply change it back to, yea you guessed it right ;)
text-decoration:none

The Future of Security Industry by Bruce Schneier

Today I saw this amazing video by Bruce Schneier. This is a presentation that he gave at the OWASP MSP 2009. He talks about how Security Industry was, how it has evolved, how it would look in the Future. As he mentions, the IT Security Industry emerged as an accident. Nobody thought or planned of having Security. With the evolution and rush of developing new "cool" softwares, evolving Web2.0 as we see today, shifting from a desktop tangible paradigm to ubiquitous virtual environment we have been forced to use security. These evolutions have lead to Security being seen now as a necessity.

Bruce Schneier talks about the fact that security will start being a part of things as it looks in the other parts of the world. As we get safety/warranty while buying a new washing machine, so would we be get security as a part of the IT softwares. Additionally he discusses how IT is becoming more of a utility to everyone and much more.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Today is my first day of blogging. I created the blog account a long time ago but never really got time to actually edit/configure/use it. My friends demanded ;) me to create my own blog. And finally here it comes. I hope I'll enjoy this journey along with my other fella bloggers.

As soon as I started with my blog, the first thing I decided to do was to check-out any handy little tricks/usage methods for easy blogging (for beginners ;) ). Here's a few:

  • How to center-align some text:

    <div style="text-align:center;">"something"</div>

  • How to write an "important" text with background color so it stands out:

    <p style="background:#FFD4FF;"> and </p>

    Here #FFD4FF is the hex code for the background color you want to put


  • How to set time zone in your blog:

    Go to: Dashboard > Settings > Formatting

    There you can simply select your respective time zone

  • How to add continuous multiple spaces in a post:

    If you enter space bar multiple times to have a continuous series of spaces, say 20 times, you would still end up having a single space between the two words. Here come in the special characters:





    If you want 20 spaces between two words, simply copy the the above characters and paste it 20 times. Tip: To remember the sequence, it is called non-breaking space

  • How to delete a specific post:

    Go to your blog via the dashboard, find the post you would like to delete and all the way right to the post you would see a delete link. Simply click it.
  • How to backup template:

    Before switching to a new template or making modifications to the current one, it is very handy (and life-saver ;) ) to backup your exisiting template. Simply go to:

    Dashboard > Layout > Edit HTML

    Under Backup / Restore Template click "Download Full Template"
  • How to add new gadgets to your blog:

    Go to: Dashboard > Layout

    Under "Page Elements" click on "Add a gadget"