Tuesday Sweep: Jan 31 2017

Reflect

What’s are the frictions keeping you from doing “what’s right”? Regret is only useful if it leads to a plan on how to improve.

Confessional:  AAAAHAAHHAHAHHAHA. I’ve not really been paying attention to proper OpSec this week. I’ve been weird about it. One minute refusing to use twitter DMs, the next pulling out my phone in the most compromising of places when I know my carrier is on the list of supreme baddies. This is why setting up habits are so important. When your brain is leaking out of your ears, habits is what will get you through.  Mine suck.

Continuing Set Up

We’ve covered so much so fast. You’re not behind, you’re just where you are. Pick something to do.

• If you’re having trouble with all the set up, the coach tool at the Crash Override Network has a great step by step break down for many of the same introductory steps we did here.
• Review the list of OneThing articles so far and pick one to catch up on.

Sweep

This list will be getting longer, but lets keep it simple while folks are still setting up.

• Updated software recently? Pick a new device to check on today.
• Backups still up and running? When was the last time you made a clean disk image?
• Reduce your attack surface: Delete a low quality app from your phone. Delete an account.
• Double check privacy settings on your phone, social media accounts.

Learn

Where do you scan for news? I keep an eye out for recent exploits and breaches that have come to light, new tools, interesting idea’s, etc.

• I made the mistake of wanting to wait for the Executive Order on Cyber to drop. It didn’t. But the Washington Post had gotten a copy of it.  April Glaser’s take on the draft copy emphasizes the absence of a mention of Russia.
• Feeling pretty vindicated by the The Data That Turned the World Upside Down and Is America Prepared for Meme Warfare? articles on Motherboard. Looking for ways to make sure I have antivirus for my brain.  Also, as someone who had to work with internal review boards, researchers experimenting on folks without informed consent send chills down my spine. We’re talking Nuremberg Code violation. DON’T DO IT. Do not pull the “I’m just collecting data” blinders on. Read On Blackness and Data.
• Schmoo Con proceedings are making their way up on YouTube
• Yes Virginia, the FBI is using National Security Letters to collect data illegally.
• Good tips on how to be the organizational change from Liz Fong-Jones. I’d also recommend the book Switch: How Change when Change is Hard
• Submitted with no comment: we’ve taught AI how to beat us very very very badly at online poker.
• Facebook is looking to be the an authentication hub, but at least you’ll be able to use a crypto-key?
• Safe(r) way to use twitter, Twitter Activist Security by the grugq,
• Wish I was at the Usenix Enigma 2017 conference. #enigma2017. Be forewarned, conferences here in the US might start to suck.

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