Articles by Jonathan Terrasi

As longtime readers know, while I try to stay knowledgeable on the many sub-disciplines of information technology, my passion is for information security. Since it's been a while since I've contributed any InfoSec know-how, I wanted to rectify that. I couldn't have timed this realization better because (as you'll see) the techniques on display are perfect for protecting your deluge of tax season documents...

Recently, I took an interest in poking at Gentoo a bit. In the eyes of many desktop Linux users, it's considered a rite of passage to install this historically significant distribution. I've scaled Mt. Arch, so Gentoo Peak is next in my Linux mountaineering Before I started sinking time into it, though, I wanted to see just what I would gain from t...

A sagely guru by the name of Yogi Berra imparted some words of wisdom that I periodically revisit: "In theory there is no difference between theory and practice, while in practice there is." Though intended for comedic effect, it rings true (as all good comedy does) It's easy to get so wrapped up in what we believe something to be, or should be, th...

I've often extolled the philosophy of Unix, and as the title implies, I'm not about to stop. Before I learned computer science, I thought all computers were impenetrably arcane. But when I grasped Unix, through the imperfect medium of Linux, it made intuitive sense to me. Through all its evolution, at its heart Unix retains the charm that I have previously remarked on.

One of Linux's greatest and most distinguishing traits is its adaptability. Compare how it started and how it's going, and you'll see what I mean. Linux began its life as a humble experiment in Unix porting, but from there it quickly became a popular kernel for server OSes due to its low cost ("free" is pretty low) and customizability. From there ...

In spite of being a beloved companion to computer hobbyists the world over, the Raspberry Pi doesn't get enough credit. In fact, single-board computers of all stripes haven't gotten their due -- I just happen to have a Raspberry Pi. It was upon casting a stray glance into the corner of my room where my Pi is, churning away on the previous task I assigned it that I pondered all the loftier projects I have in mind for it...

Not long ago, I made the case that for most users file-level encryption is adequately secure and much higher-performing than full-disk encryption. I received a lot less pushback than anticipated for expressing this heterodox view -- by which I mean I actually got none. Quite to the contrary, some readers sent messages and comments expressing curiosity and eagerness to try file-level encryption.

Recently, I bumped into a friend (at an appropriate social distance because, yes, this is 2020) that I hadn't seen in a long time. The two of us have many common interests and little time to discuss them. But in the few minutes before parting ways, we immediately slid into discussing Linux. We talked distros, desktops, configurations, and everything in between...

The Linux desktop distros of today are the most accessible to complete newcomers as they have ever been. There was a time not long ago when only truly intrepid computer thrill seekers would dare install Linux. Now, not only can one get Linux installed on most desktop or laptop computer hardware in 15 minutes, but one can hand it off to anyone with the loosest grasp on how to use computers and expect them to be just fine...

Canonical's AdGuard Home Ubuntu Appliance is a new addition to the ranks of its appliances. With this offering, users can quickly implement a ready-made solution for blocking bothersome content at the network level on a home network. Doing so involves no more than downloading, installing, and booting the newly released lean Ubuntu image with the AdGuard Home service pre-installed and pre-configured...

It probably shouldn't, but it routinely astonishes me how much we live on the Web. Even I find myself going entire boots without using anything but the Web browser. With such an emphasis on Web-based services, one can forget to appreciate the humble operating system. That said, we neglect our OS at the risk of radically underutilizing the incredib...

Average computer users would be forgiven for not having any idea what PGP is. There is so much going on below the surface of the modern computing experience that even critically important security tools like PGP are tucked away. To be sure, there are specialized circles that make regular explicit use of PGP. Diligent Linux users would have at leas...

Like with any industry, the information security industry, more commonly referred to as "cybersecurity," for all its raging debates, has rallied around a small corpus of best practices One of the highest on this list is full-disk encryption, which security experts regard as sacrosanct, a no-brainer that everyone should use at the barest of minimums...

Never, in most of our lifetimes, have all corners of society collaborated to address a single grave threat as they have done in the fight against COVID-19. While epidemiological controls compose the first line of defense, technology is growing into a supporting role. So great is the potential for technology to help combat the pandemic that tools are being contributed even from unlikely places...

There has been a lot of debate in the public sphere around the degree and kind of legal regulation a society should apply to online speech. While the dialogue has become more intense and urgent in the last few years, the effort to impose limits on Internet speech has been contentious from the start. At the present juncture, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act is undergoing reconsideration...

As someone with a nominal presence in the media, I try to stay aware of people's attitudes toward it. One common refrain is that, for understandable reasons, people feel worn down by the volume and composition of the media coming at them This fatigue stems from a few compounding factors. There is a strong perception that the character of the inform...

By this, the fourth and final entry in this series, you should have a grasp of information security basics. Let's take stock of them before continuing down the rabbit hole How to Stay Safe on the Internet, Part 1...

If you've followed this series on information security so far (Part 1 and Part 2), you should have a feel for which points in the communication process leave you exposed, and what kinds of tools cover them. Since category 1 threats are predominantly passive (letting you come to them) you can use them for practice at shoring up weaknesses. You know...

The preface to this security guide series, Part 1, outlines the basic elements that comprise a threat model, and offers guidance on creating your own. After evaluating the asset and adversary expressions of the threat model equation, you likely will have determined the danger level of your adversary -- and by extension, the caliber of its tools. T...

At this point, remarking that people now are more concerned about online privacy than ever before is not a novel observation. What's fascinating, though, is that interest in personal digital security has remained high since the issue exploded about seven years ago. In other words, instead of experiencing a short-lived spike, digital privacy awareness has been sustained...