Steve Holden's Blog

Near Real-Time Tracking

You can find out what I'm up to in near real-time via: Twitter (@sholden) Instagram (@sholden), or Facebook (sholden). I also recommend checking out my AztecMedia.net produced sites: Chvrches Fan Podcast (@chvrchespodcast), ThePodCraft Beer Show (@thepodcraft, @techguysteve, Untapped, @techguysteven); Tech News Radio (@technewsradio), Air Gapped Networks (@airgapnet), Jersey Boys Podcast, and Veteran Stories. [Updated: May 9, 2021]

Links From My M-Conference DEFCON Presentation

I have been preparing to deliver this talk soon:

"From The Dark Web To the Boardroom: Cybersecurity Strategies from 15 years of attending DEFCON"

It will be presented at the Manager-Tools.com's M-Conference 2024.

These are all the links I referenced in my presentation:

• https://www.technewsradio.com/2024/09/defcon-32-2024-notes-references.html
• https://media.defcon.org 
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Tzu
• https://www.wired.com/story/russia-gru-unit-29155-hacker-team/
• https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/malware-service-top-threat/
• https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2024/02/02/ddos-attacks-h2-2023/
• https://www.nsa.gov/Podcast/
• https://stpetecatalyst.com/local-cybersecurity-firm-we-hired-a-north-korean-hacker/
• https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/malware-service-top-threat/
• https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2024/02/02/ddos-attacks-h2-2023/
• https://www.hivesystems.com/blog/are-your-passwords-in-the-green
• https://informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/most-common-pin-codes/
• https://gizmodo.com/google-just-made-entering-passwords-on-desktop-a-thing-of-the-past-200050128
• https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/innovation-at-amazon/what-is-amazon-project-kuiper
• DEFCON Examples:
  
  • https://media.defcon.org/DEF%20CON%2032/DEF%20CON%2032%20presentations/DEF%20CON%2032%20-%20Lennert%20Wouters%20Ian%20Carroll%20-%20Unsaflok%20-%20Hacking%20millions%20of%20hotel%20locks.pdf
  • VIASAT
    • https://forum.defcon.org/node/246846
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qI_ICtX3Gm8&themeRefresh=1 
• https://www.blackhillsinfosec.com/satellite-hacking/
• ZERO TRUST
  • https://dodcio.defense.gov/Portals/0/Documents/Library/CS-Ref-Architecture.pdf
  • https://dodcio.defense.gov/Portals/0/Documents/Library/(U)ZT_RA_v2.0(U)_Sep22.pdf
  • https://dodcio.defense.gov/Portals/0/Documents/Library/ZeroTrustOverlays.pdf
  • https://dodcio.defense.gov/Portals/0/Documents/Library/DoD-ZTStrategy.pdf
• https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/hackers-use-poc-exploits-in-attacks-22-minutes-after-release/
• CROWD STRIKE Updates/Patching Issues:
  • https://www.wired.com/story/microsoft-windows-outage-crowdstrike-global-it-probems/
  • https://www.reddit.com/r/crowdstrike/comments/1e6vmkf/bsod_error_in_latest_crowdstrike_update/?rdt=35791
  • https://x.com/Xaaavier_8613/status/1814180533108400569
  • https://krebsonsecurity.com/2024/07/global-microsoft-meltdown-tied-to-bad-crowstrike-update/
  • https://www.wired.com/story/microsoft-crowdstrike-outage-cash/
  • https://www.wired.com/story/hospitals-crowdstrike-microsoft-it-outage-meltdown/
  • https://www.wired.com/story/crowdstrike-windows-outage-airport-travel-delays/
  • https://www.wired.com/story/crowdstrike-outage-update-windows/
  • https://www.crowdstrike.com/blog/falcon-update-for-windows-hosts-technical-details/
• https://owasp.org/www-project-top-ten/
• https://federalnewsnetwork.com/cybersecurity/2024/09/cisa-review-low-hanging-cyber-lapses-plague-critical-infrastructure/ 
• Bonus:
  • AFCEA's "Cybersecurity in the Boardroom" resource (behind a soft paywall):
    • https://www.afcea.org/signal/resources/linkreq.cfm?id=549
•  Graphics:
  • https://www.iconpacks.net/free-icon/test-exam-document-and-yellow-pencil-17449.html
  • https://www.iconpacks.net/free-icon/winner-podium-7836.html  
• Backup Material
  • https://arstechnica.com/security/2024/07/new-blast-radius-attack-breaks-30-year-old-protocol-used-in-networks-everywhere/
  • https://krebsonsecurity.com/2024/08/local-networks-go-global-when-domain-names-collide/
  • https://federalnewsnetwork.com/artificial-intelligence/2024/09/state-dept-looks-to-test-cyber-data-automation-project-by-years-end/
  • https://informationsecuritybuzz.com/generative-ai-fuels-new-cyberattacks/

There will also be a link here in the future to a PDF of the whole presentation.

Thanks!

Recommendations For Distracted Free Writing

Wired recently published their recommendations in an article entitled "The Best Apps for Distraction-Free Writing: Focus on your words and not on your toolbars with these eight minimal writing apps for your computer, your tablet, and even your phone.".

I use two of those recommendations:

1. Obsidian (only application open, one tab open using the plugin
2. Google Docs (full-screen mode, only one document open)

Other best practices: turn off all notifications and close all the other applications on your computer or tablet.

These suggestions work well for Chromebooks, PCs, and Apple iPads.

Cal Newport's Five Books Read This Month List

I am a big fan of Cal Newport's Deep Life podcast.

One of his monthly goals is to read at least five books, which he then covers in his podcast.

Fellow podcast fan Bram Adams ([email protected]) has created a database of all Cal has read here: Cal’s Five Books of the Month.

Bram's site also makes fantastic use of Notion.

Thanks, Bram!!

Podcast Series Recommendation >> Agent of Betrayal: The Double Life of Robert Hanssen

I recently enjoyed the podcast series Agent of Betrayal: The Double Life of Robert Hanssen.

It was well-produced, researched, and sourced.

Although I thought I knew a great deal about Robert Hanssen (Wikipedia), this podcast provided a bunch of new information I was unaware of.

You can listen via:

• Apple iTunes
• Amazon

I also recommend these podcasts from the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC:

• “America's Most Damaging Russian Spy, FBI Agent Robert Hanssen" – with Lis Wiehl
• "FBI Counterintelligence and the Robert Hanssen Spy Case"
• "SpyCast Ep. 610 | Agent of Betrayal, FBI Spy Robert Hanssen with CBS’ Major Garrett and Friends"

My 2024 Daily Morning Personal Devotion Plan

Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko

Here is an update to my 2023 plan.

This year, I am reading and journaling about the following two books as part of my daily morning routine:

• "Truth For Life: 365 Daily Devotions" by Alistar Begg
• "The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday &  Stephen Hanselman

I was wondering if I was going to do The Daily Stoic book again, as I've re-read it for the last four years. However, after the first week, it is just so good that I'm happy I am re-reading it again.

As far as last year's two other books:

• “Quiet Times with God Devotional: 365 Daily Inspirations” by Joyce Meyer
• "The Vagabond's Way: 366 Meditations on Wanderlust, Discovery, and the Art of Travel" by Rolf Potts

I enjoyed both of them very much, and I recommend them if you are looking for something to do as part of your daily routine.

I am reading these books on my Kindle Paperwhite (which I also recommend if you want a dedicated ebook reader).

2024 Continuous Year Calendar PDFs For Free Download

Just like last year, I have created some downloadable PDF files of "continuous" calendars for 2024:

• Vertical version (PDF)
• Horizontal version (PDF)

I hopefully did the conversion from 2023 to 2024 correctly. It was especially tricky since 2024 is a Leap Year. If you find an error, then please let me know.

These were inspired by Kairos Cognition very elegant calendar:

This is what the Horizontal PDF looks like (3 copies if you print one):

And this is what the Vertical PDF looks like:

Downtown La Mesa Walking Tour

This walking tour of downtown La Mesa “The Jewel of the Hills” was filmed on Tuesday, January 2, 2024 with my daughter Carson. The walk was on La Mesa Blvd. It roughly started and ended here: https://w3w.co/rock.ends.feared

And we turned around and then walked back around here: https://w3w.co/woke.wallet.peanut

You can learn more about La Mesa, CA, here: https://www.cityoflamesa.us/1259/History

This work is licensed under Creative Common's Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 International.

#walkingtour #lamesa #downtown #sandiegocounty #california

Walking Tour Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery - Part 1 of 4

This walking tour of Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery was filmed on Monday, December 18, 2023.

The cemetery is in the Point Loma area of San Diego, California, near the Cabrillo National Monument.

The area walked was in the Northern-Eastern section (Part 1).

There are three more sections that I plan to walk in 2024.

 This work is licensed under Creative Common's Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 International.

Equipment Used >> DJI Osmo Pocket 3 Creator Combo

The video was edited on my Apple iPad Pro (11-inch, 2nd generation) using DJI's recommended tool called "LightCut".

 

San Diego Zoo - Jungle Bells - Walking Tour

This walking tour of the San Diego Zoo was filmed on Sunday, December 17, 2023, during the Zoo's annual Holiday celebration known as "Jungle Bells."

This work is licensed under Creative Common's Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 International.

Tags: #walkingtour #sandiego #sandiegozoo #holidays

Equipment Used: DJI Osmo Pocket 3 Creator Combo

Limited editing was done on Windows 11 with the HEIC plugin and Photos Legacy.

Jesse Skelton - Get Off Your Phone Alert

Back in this episode of Cal Newport's podcast "Why You're Always Tired & Exhausted (No Matter What You Do)," there was a funny ad read that Cal did for Jesse Skelton. 

It was funny enough that not only did I try to make an audio version of Jesse Skelton saying "Get Off Your Phone" (MP3), but another podcast fan made this site for Jesse Skelton.

Enjoy!