It’s hard to believe, but KrebsOnSecurity turns five years old today! How time flies!
Probably the most rewarding part about being an independent reporter (for my part, anyway) is watching your readership grow and mature into a community that not only adds perspective and balance but also helps educate other readers.
I’m very proud of the community that’s sprung up around this site, and I’m extremely grateful for all of the support and encouragement from you, Dear Reader. A few dozen readers have sent PayPal or Bitcoin donations, but most have supported this site with their time, expertise and tips (keep those coming, please).
So, from the bottom of my heart, a big THANK YOU and high five to all of you! I wish you all a very happy, healthy and prosperous 2015. Here’s to another five great years!
Leaving aside the pieces in my All About Skimmers series, here are some of the most-read, exclusive posts from the past 365 days:
Lorem Ipsum: Of Good and Evil, Google and China
A Peek Inside a Professional Carding Shop
Who’s Selling Credit Cards from Target?
Are Credit Monitoring Services Worth it?
Antivirus is Dead: Long Live Antivirus
Target Hackers Broke in Via HVAC Company
A First Look at the Target Intrusion, Malware
Banks: Credit Card Breach at Home Depot
The Scrap Value of a Hacked PC, Revisited (oldie but a goodie)
Happy anniversary Brian!
Thank you for all your hard work and the invaluable service you provide to all of us. Bringing the light of day to the darker corners of the internet, making security (and security awareness) a priority instead of an afterthought and being a true example of an investigative journalist in the 21st century.
You deserve a Pulitzer prize and I’m predicting it won’t be long before you get it!
Keep up to great work and stay safe!
Brian,
I feel like I’ve been with you from the beginning! You are probably at the top of resources I quote or reference on my blog.
Just about finished with “Spam Nation”. Scary ho bad things had gotten with Spam and on-line pharmacies. Great job!
Here’s to another 5 years!!
Hank Arnold (Microsoft MVP – Consumer Security)
Congratulations! Your work has been extraordinary. Thank you for bringing to light important issues.
Congratulations and well done! It seems to me just about every commercial entity in the country ought to be helping you pay for all this. It is, after all, in their best interests as well as ours. Meanwhile, thank you. Peace.
In addition to heartfelt thanks, I was going to mention that your wife also deserved kudos for loving you enough to put up with all the bad stuff that happens to you because of what you do, but I see someone else has already done that, so I’ll just stand in line and applaud like everyone else.
Thanks, Brian! You’ve made learning what we’re up against every day a lot easier.
Happy Birthday to Krebs!!! Keep up the Good Work!
Congrats and THANKS.
You have consistently been an invaluable resource to keep us informed on the never ending arms race. Damn interesting to boot!
Happy Birthday/Anniversary! Congratulations on your well-earned successes, and best wishes for more. Yours is a blog which is highly readable and enjoyable, on a subject which can be dry and technical. And I also agree, that the comments have become an integral part of the stories you post. Well done!
Happy 5th anniversary, Brian! As always, keep up the great work.
SiL / IKS / concerned citizen
Happy 5th anniversary, Your work is as always eye opening.
Heres to the next 5.
well done
I actually NEVER comment on blogs, so this is a first, but…
Happy 5th, Brian Krebs. Your site was the first I started reading when I began moving down the road of infosec, and I have gleaned so much from it. Looking forward to years 6, 7, 8, and beyond.
Addendum: opened up a copy of “Spam Nation” on Christmas morning. Very exciting stuff.
Congratulations Brian!
Your site is a must read for me. I have been with you since the beginning. I have learned so much from you. When I sign on in the morning I check my emails first and then check to see if you have posted yet that day.
I am one of your PayPal pals. I appreciate your thank you emails. I’m surprised that more of your readers don’t send small donations to support your site. For me it ranks at the top of my list along with Malwarebytes.
Congrats Brian!
I read this blog religiously every day.
Through your blog I learned a lot about cybercrime, which has literally saved a lot of money for my institution. (and resulted in a bigger paycheck for me :-D)
A big thank you and keep up the good work!
It’s been an exciting five years: repeated DOS attacks, threats from Russian gangsters, men with scary weapons at the front door, ….
They say that courage is the first virtue because you can’t have the others without it.
(No disrespect to the courage of Mrs. Graham or Mr. Bradlee at the Washington Post when they withstood “heavy pressure” while pursuing the Watergate story, but they did have the resources of a large corporation while Mr. K has, well, himself.)
As for the journalistic virtues of KrebsOnSecurity: discovering, digging into, and writing up stories in good, clean English; scrupulous presentation of evidence; and presenting sensational stories without sensationalism lead my list of nominees.
But there’s a one more virtue, and one that is peculiar to a blog: attracting readers whose technical comments add a valuable, extra dimension to the articles.
So Happy Birthday, KrebsOnSecurity! May you keep up the high standards for many more years.
Happy anniversary to you.
Thanks for all the great information.
Hands down the best blog that I have ever read.
Fantastic book as well
I never heard of Brian Krebs until I saw you on Charlie Rose. Could not wait to buy your book. Great read. Jack
Congratulations! I know it’s difficult when a journalist has to report a story when he has become part of it, and I think you’ve done a great job of maintaining your professionalism in a situation that would so easily lead to grandstanding.
Happy Anniversary!!! Just wanted to congratulate you and inform you how your information is so vital in this world. I’ve always viewed your website online and it’s nice to see you speaking on a National Televised Level. Good Job on the recent 60 minute special on cybercrime!
Congrats Brian. Yours is an important resource and influence for my work online