Security Remove unused plugins I've previously covered the issues of using a CMS, and that they require a lot of work to keep up-to-date. But sometimes that isn't enough. Part of the updating of
Security Cula.io limiting password lengths Following my post on why passwords shouldn't be limited in length, I have decided to name and shame some services as I find them when they limit password lengths. The
Security Disk space is cheap, data breaches are not! Many, many years ago (way back in 2015), I wrote an article about keeping data secure. A few things have changed since then, most notably the introduction of GDPR in
Security Clear out unused apps for security It's that time of year when we undertake a spring clean of our homes ready for the year ahead. Throw out the unused junk, and generally keep things tidy. This
Development Issues with using a CMS If you have a website, the chances are it runs on a CMS (Content Management System). There are hundreds of them out there, some you will have heard of; Wordpress is the obvious one. Others include Drupal, Joomla, and Umbraco. These are great for
Apache Encrypting the site I've just moved my site from HTTP over to HTTPS. It's not a huge deal for something like this, but it's something which I've really needed to do for a while, and something which is becoming more and more popular. For most people this
Development NEVER trust user input I've had the joys recently of being part of a code audit for a potential client for a change or re-build of a system. The code in itself was complete textbook...of how not to code a system. It looked like it had been
Web Server Perils of a shared hosting platform Once again I've been inspired by a stack overflow question, and it made me think about issues of a shared hosting platform. You know the ones; the "host your site for £2.99 a month" sites. There's nothing inherently wrong with it (I was
Development Developers still lack security know-how Earlier this week I was looking into RESTFUL web services and how to create them, so I set myself a small project. The idea was to do something very basic, but that could be useful for someone rather than just a proof of concept.
Configuration Fun with Firewalls Firewalls are not fun. I've got to open with that statement as I've been doing a lot of work with firewalls in the past couple of weeks. It's not been the most enjoyable of experiences, but I can see why it is needed. I've
Apache Setting up your web server I spend quite a lot of time on StackOverflow, both in terms of finding answers for something I need, and also for helping people out with their issues. One question I see quite a lot is around security permissions for creating files on the
Authentication Keeping data secure Following the news this week that South Wales Police have been hit with a fine of £160,000 for not reporting missing data for two years, I got thinking about the importance of keeping data secure. The case itself is an extreme example of
