Monthly Archives: May 2015

SSL Test Report

Qualys SSL Server Test Version 1.18.1

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Today, 5/24/15, I noticed a new SSL server report version on Qualys SSL Labs.  They are up to version 1.18.1.  Again, no official posting, but it will be linked here when available.

Previous version: v1.17.10 | Next version: v1.19.33

20150524-ssllabs-ssl-report-version-1-18-1

Content from Qualys licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/).  An arrow was added to draw attention to the server report version.

Creating this post

Jing was used for screenshots and WP Smush was used to remove PNG metadata.

SSL Test Report

Qualys SSL Server Test Version 1.17.10

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On Wednesday 5/20/15 Qualys SSL Labs released an updated SSL server test version.  The official release notes are not yet published, but they will be linked here when they are available.

Update: The official release notes are  available: SSL Labs 1.17: RC4, Obsolete Crypto, and Logjam

Previous version: v1.16.14 | Next version: v1.18.1

Tuesday’s server report version 1.16.14

20150519_10_information_aero_ssl_report_miscellaneous

Starting 5/20/15 the SSL Report is version 1.17.10

20150521_ssl_labs_report_v1_17_10

Now, not supporting the current best TLS 1.2 protocol caps the grade to a C .  Previously it capped the overall score to a B.

20150521_ssl_labs_tls_1_2_cappped_c

Update: Here is the changelog from the SSL Server Rating Guide (PDF)

Changes in 2009j (20 May 2015)

  • Cap to B if using weak DH parameters (less than 2048 bits).
  • Increase CRIME penalty to C (was B).
  • Cap to C if RC4 is used with TLS 1.1+.
  • Cap to C if not supporting TLS 1.2.

Content from Qualys licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/).  No changes were made to the original content.

View Latest Cached Result (if available) otherwise initiate a new test: https://www.ssllabs.com/ssltest/analyze.html?d=information.aero

Creating this post

Jing was used for screenshots and WP Smush was used to remove PNG metadata.

Daily Links

Daily links Wednesday 5/20/15

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Daily links Wednesday 5/20/15

Two articles from two blogs of security engineers.

Chris Palmer – from noncombatant.org “Hi, I’m Chris. … I work at Google as a software security engineer on Chrome, where I focus on secure usability and duct-taping over the foibles of the web PKI.”

Dan Palmer – from danpalmer.me “I’m a software developer at Thread in London, and recently graduated from the University of Southampton where I studied Computer Science, specialising in Mobile and Secure Systems.”

How To

How to: Connect to WP Engine SFTP on new 2222 port

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I was having difficulty connecting to one of my WP Engine hosted sites that switched over to port 2222 for SFTP.  I had the site information saved in my FTP client’s site manager, but simply changing the port to 2222 didn’t cut it.

Below is how to connect in Core FTP LE and FileZilla.

Core FTP

Step 1:

Note: Requires Version 2.2 build 1737 or newer

In the Core FTP Site Manager click Advanced next to the Host / IP / URL box

20150520_core_ftp_advanced

 

Step 2:
Navigate to the SSH section and check the box next to Use Putty compatible SFTP

20150520_core_ftp_advanced_ssh

 

Step 3:
Change the Port to 2222 and make sure the connection type is SSH/SFTP.

20150520_core_ftp_port_connection

Step 4:
Connect!

FileZilla Quickconnect

Step 1:
Add sftp:// in front of your Host and change the Port to 2222.

20150520_filezilla_quickconnect

Step 2:
Quickconnect!

FileZilla Site Manager

Step 1:
Add sftp:// in front of your Host and change the Port to 2222.  Ensure Protocol is set to SFTP – SSH File Transfer Protocol.

20150520_filezilla_site_manager

Step 2:
Connect!

Additional info

The technical term for “add sftp:// in front of your host” is “prepend the host with the protocol identifier” according to the FileZilla tooltip.

20150520_filezilla_supported_protocols

Supported protocols in FileZilla are:

  • ftp:// for normal FTP with optional encryption
  • sftp:// for SSH file transfer protocol
  • ftps:// for FTP over TLS (implicit)
  • ftpes:// for FTP over TLS (explicit)

Reference: https://forums.adobe.com/thread/1102526

Creating this guide

Jing was used for screenshots and WP Smush was used to remove PNG metadata.

Tool

Tools for internet archivalists

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The internet is a very dynamic place.  Sites, images, and resources are always coming and going.  Controversial content is purposely removed by originators or site hosts.  Site redesigns more often than not break links to images or navigational elements.

A good place to start:

The Internet Archive has a tool called the Wayback Machine that takes snapshots of webpages as they appear when the page was saved.  By now many people are aware of it’s existence, but I would bet that few people know you can manually innate a  capture with their “Save Page Now” feature.  Only caveat is that it is “only available for sites that allow crawlers.”

20150520_wayback_machine_save_page_now

Tools:

Wayback Machine – See how a page appeared when a snapshot was taken.

Wayback Machine “Save Page Now” – Capture a web page as it appears now for use as a trusted citation in the future.

DownThemAll! – add-on for Mozilla Firefox that “lets you download all the links or images contained in a webpage and much more”

web-capture.net – an online tool that saves an entire webpage (better than stitching together multiple screenshots). Save in JPEG, PDF, TIFF, BMP, PNG, PS, or SVG formats.

Developer

Optimal Characters per Line

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Reported optimal characters (including spaces) per line:

Publication (alphabetical) Ideal Acceptable
Baymard Institute 50-60 50-75
WebTypography.net 66 45-75

This is a much discussed issue and I don’t want to revive the debate here.  This is intended to be a quick resource listing the various opinions on the topic.  If you want to read into the theories or reasoning you may click on the links above and read the articles.

If you have an additional resources to add to the list please leave them in the comments below.

Uncategorized

What formats do cameras shoot video?

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Video formats for digital cameras:

Device (alphabetical by manufacturer) Format
Garmin VIRB MP4 Video (.MP4)
Nikon D3100 QuickTime Movie (.MOV)

I was working on a project and was asked what formats the videos would be in and honestly couldn’t answer.  I tested with the two devices I was using at the time (Garmin VIRB and Nikon D3100) and the information is listed here.  I intend grow this list from usage, research, and information submitted.

If you have an additional resources to add to the list please leave them in the comments below.

SSL Test Report

information.aero SSL Test Report

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Qualys SSL Test performed on Tue, 19 May 2015 23:42:53 UTC

Domain: https://information.aero

SSL Report v1.16.14

20150519_1_information_aero_ssl_report_summary 20150519_2_information_aero_ssl_report_server_key_certificate_1 20150519_3_information_aero_ssl_report_additional_certificates 20150519_4_information_aero_ssl_report_certification_paths 20150519_5_information_aero_ssl_report_protocols 20150519_6_information_aero_ssl_report_cipher_suites 20150519_7_information_aero_ssl_report_handshacke_simulation 20150519_8_information_aero_ssl_report_handshacke_simulation_2 20150519_9_information_aero_ssl_report_protocol_details 20150519_10_information_aero_ssl_report_miscellaneous

Content from Qualys licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/).  No changes were made to the original content.

View Latest Cached Result (if available) otherwise initiate a new test: https://www.ssllabs.com/ssltest/analyze.html?d=information.aero

Creating this post

Jing was used for screenshots and WP Smush was used to remove PNG metadata.

How To, WordPress

How To: Open a WordPress Menu Link In a New Window or Tab

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Step 1:
Click on Appearance >> Menus from the WordPress sidebar.

20150518_menu_new_window_links_step_1

 

Step 2:
Look for the Screen Options drop down menu in the upper right corner of your browser window.

20150518_menu_new_window_links_step_2

 

Step 3:
Under Show advanced menu properties heading check the Link Target checkbox. Note: there is no save button, it automatically saves.

20150519_menu_new_window_links_step_3

 

Step 4 (optional):
Collapse the Screen Options menu.  Click on screen options.

20150519_menu_new_window_links_step_4

 

Step 5:
For your menu item, check Open link in a new window/tab checkbox.

20150519_menu_new_window_links_step_5

 

Alternative title: wordpress menu custom open in new window

Inspiration behind this article and how it appeared in WordPress version 3: http://richwp.com/open-wordpress-menu-links-in-new-window/

Creating this guide

Jing was used for screenshots and JPEG & PNG Stripper was used to remove PNG metadata.