Phishing vs. Smishing vs. Vishing: How to Tell the Difference and Defend Against Each
Last year I watched a friend get tricked in under 3 minutes. The scammer didn’t “hack” anything. They just sent a message that looked real…
Marcus Hale
Web App Security Checklist: Top OWASP Risks to Test in Your Next Penetration Test
Most web apps don’t get hacked because “encryption is broken.” They get hacked because a few OWASP-style mistakes line up: one weak input check, one…
How to Run a White-Box Security Assessment: Method, Tools, and Common Pitfalls
White-box security assessments feel “inside the code,” and that’s true—but the real win is different. When you can see how the app works (source code,…
Threat Hunting for Beginners: Using Logs and Indicators to Find Active Compromise
A lot of people think threat hunting means staring at fancy dashboards or guessing what an attacker will do next. In real life, most active…
Passwordless Authentication Compared: Passkeys, FIDO2, SSO, and Practical Tradeoffs
Picture this: you get a login prompt at 9:12 p.m., you’re half-asleep, and your phone buzzes once. No typing. No reset email. You approve a…
SOC vs SIEM vs SOAR: A Practical Comparison for Modern Security Teams
Here’s a painful truth I’ve seen in real teams: many “SOC” projects fail because they buy the wrong tool and then wonder why alert volume…
Hardening Linux Securely: 15 High-Impact Configuration Changes You Can Apply Today
Hardening Linux securely isn’t a one-time “install updates and hope” exercise. In incident response work I’ve done, the fastest wins almost always come from configuration…
DNS Security Essentials: Preventing Cache Poisoning and Blocking Malicious Redirects
DNS Security Essentials matter because one “successful” spoofed DNS response can reroute thousands of users before anyone notices. In 2026, I still see organizations treat…
Ransomware Response Playbook: What to Do in the First 60 Minutes After Detection
Most ransomware disasters aren’t caused by encryption. They’re caused by the first 60 minutes of confusion—systems left online, logs overwritten, and “containment” that actually spreads…
Ransomware Post-Incident Checklist: Step-by-Step Recovery, Forensics, and Hardening
Ransomware post-incident checklist: the fastest path back to operations is not “re-image everything.” It’s a controlled recovery plan that preserves evidence, stops reinfection, and proves…