Tag Archives: security

Using ProtonVPN for Privacy and Security

Posted on December 27, 2018 by Will Foster

Being a long-time user of OpenVPN and generally liking the security approach of ProtonMail I decided to take ProtonVPN for a test drive.  These are my experiences using their Linux CLI and a persistent systemd connection, Mac OSX briefly and … Continue reading →

Posted in open source, sysadmin | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Using Signal Desktop on Fedora with Flatpak

Posted on March 16, 2018 by Will Foster

In the 2018 race to re-invent AOL instant messenger Signal comes out on top of the competition for end-to-end encryption and a focus on privacy and security.  Signal desktop was recently released for Windows, Mac and only Debian-based Linux distributions … Continue reading →

Posted in open source, sysadmin | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Block Advertising on your Network with Pi-hole and Raspberry Pi

Posted on February 27, 2018 by Will Foster

I recently setup Pi-hole on an existing Raspberry Pi running CentOS on my home network to serve as my DNS server and block advertising and unwanted domains for all internet-connected devices.  I’m still using an ASUS router with Shibby Tomato … Continue reading →

Posted in open source, sysadmin | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 55 Comments

Let’s Encrypt Everything – Setting up the Free, Automated CA

Posted on February 21, 2017 by Will Foster

Let’s Encrypt is a free, public SSL certificate authority (CA) you can use to generate and automate SSL certificate renewal.  I co-manage Trystack.org, a free OpenStack sandbox for the general public and our Horizon SSL certificate came up for expiration … Continue reading →

Posted in open source, sysadmin | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How to Use Self-signed SSL Certificates for Plex Media Server

Posted on November 11, 2016 by Will Foster

Plex is a fork of the Open Source Kodi (previously XBMC) project from 2008, the Plex Media Server has evolved into what amounts to a free,  personal Netflix + Spotify that lets you stream home content to devices or browsers … Continue reading →

Posted in open source, sysadmin | Tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments

10 Must-have Firefox Addons for Privacy, Security and Utility

Posted on November 10, 2016 by Will Foster

I have used every manner of web browser from lynx, Mosaic and Netscape builds to abusing curl commands and mostly prefer Firefox for the bulk of my daily desktop/laptop needs due to the strong plugin ecosystem.  Below you’ll find my … Continue reading →

Posted in open source | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Fun and Profit with Reverse SSH Tunnels and AutoSSH

Posted on June 20, 2016 by Will Foster

Sometimes you just need to get to things remotely.  Those things might be behind an unbudging firewall with no way to forward proper ports for remote access, or perhaps you just want it setup access to resources this way.  I … Continue reading →

Posted in open source, sysadmin | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

Secure, Distributed Password Resources with GPG, Git and Vim

Posted on June 13, 2016 by Will Foster

There are many tools to manage passwords and sensitive resources, some cost money or are closed commercial products.  I’m going to show you how to create a secure, distributed and encrypted remote password repository using Open Source tools like GPG … Continue reading →

Posted in open source, sysadmin | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Build Secure VLAN Networks with ‘Shibby’ Router Firmware

Posted on March 10, 2016 by Will Foster

I’ve been an ardent user of the Tomato Linux Open Source router firmware, specifically on the ASUS RT-N66U home routers using the ‘Shibby’ builds.  They let you take full advantage of enterprise (and kitchen sink) features on the broadcom-based residential … Continue reading →

Posted in open source, sysadmin | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 65 Comments

Always Fill Saved Credentials in Firefox

Posted on December 17, 2015 by Will Foster

Sometimes web page Javascript will disallow you to auto fill your saved password credentials.  In recent versions of Firefox there’s now a way to fill out credentials without digging into preferences -> security -> saved passwords.  Simply enter the username … Continue reading →

Posted in open source, sysadmin | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Secure Cloud Data Backups using Python, Tar and GPG

Posted on August 8, 2015 by Will Foster

The Cloud (aka another dude’s computer) is a great place to backup your data, files and make your life easier and your technical resources more accessible.  It can also be extremely dangerous if you don’t take steps to protect your … Continue reading →

Posted in open source, sysadmin | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment