It’s hard to believe that a year has passed since I posted the first entry on this blog. It seems like just yesterday that I was leaving The Washington Post and making a huge – and somewhat scary – leap as an independent investigative journalist. What an amazing year it has been for security, in every sense!
I’ve been completely blown away by the feedback and encouragement I’ve received from regular readers and new ones (my site metrics report that more than 60 percent of visits are still from new visitors). In the past 12 months, I’ve authored some 270 blog posts, and you the readers have left more than 11,000 comments.
Some readers have been especially generous: So far this year KrebsOnSecurity.com has received more than 50 donations via the PayPal Donate! button in the sidebar.
In short, I am extremely grateful for your support, and am looking forward to a busy 2011: I expect to do quite a bit more public speaking and traveling next year, but I plan to maintain the pace I’ve set this year on the blog.
Thanks for reading, and for your continued support!
Happy Birthday “Krebs on Security” and a Happy New Year 2011 to you Brian.
Best regards,
Rui
Happy Birthday to a must-read blogger!
Congratulations Brian! I have been an avid read since summer and your blog has been incredibly insightful. I don’t read many blogs but yours is at the top of list.
Happy Blog Birthday from the National Cyber Security Alliance. Your blog is one of the most important sources of information on cybersecurity. Your continuing efforts to expose the vulnerabilities of business is just one example of how you are keeping us all informed of the threatscape and the need for action.
Keep up the great work!
Happy Blog Birthday! Krebsonsecurity is a window into what’s happening out there–and what a scary view it is– and any new entry is the first thing I read every day. For us less sophisticated computer-users, it is a real learning experience and valuable resource in trying to stay safe and have some privacy online.
Thank you, and have a wonderful 2011!
Congrats, Brian! I pretty much signed up for WP online just for your posts so I was more than pleased to see you continue blogging/reporting here. You provide insights and education not found anywhere else. Happy New Year and much continued success to you!
Happy Birthday to the blog, and a happy new year to you Brian.
I’m one of those readers who stumbled across your blog when it was referenced by another article in the fall. Thanks for keeping us well informed about the threats that are out there, the updates to be found, and the way things move behind the scenes. Looking forward to reading your posts in 2011.
Everyone who consults this blog–especially those who do so on a regular basis–should make a contribution via PayPal. Brian Krebs provides an important service and, if you have a business, your contribution is tax deductible.
Come on guys and gals; do the right thing! (No, I am not a relative or a creditor of Brian.)
Thanks John;
Things are looking up now; so I’ll click it!!
Great Job Brian! Your work has changed the face of cybercrime, driving more personal responsibility to those that work to protect, and more exposure to those that work to victimize. You have set the standard for investigative reporting in this emerging field. Like it or not, there’s very few cyber crimimals, online security professionals, or LE cyber agents that don’t know you! Stay safe…
Congrats! I’m especially fond of this blog because even non-techies can take away basic but important lessons:
1. Your OS/Browser is typically meaningless, typically your get infected via insecure plugins (Java, Adobe, Flash, etc). Update these or uninstall them. Or use more secure alternatives (Chrome’s PDF reader, Foxit, etc).
2. The only way to be secure in Windows is to run as a non-admin. Everything else is just window dressing.
3. AV fights yesterday’s battles. The malware on drive-by download sites today aren’t in any definitions and by the time they are they’ve been removed from production.
4. Safe surfing is meaningless. You’ll get infected by a legitimate site that has been compromised or more likely has had its ad network compromised.
5. Trojans, viruses, etc have been monetized by Eastern European and Russian gangs usually protected by their governments via kickbacks and bribes.
6. Most likely even the most careful will get infected. Do backups.
7. If you write web apps – ALWAYS SANITIZE YOUR INPUTS. SQL injection shouldn’t be a problem nowadays, but somehow it is.
Congratulations, Brian! I was crushed when I couldn’t find you on WP; however thrilled when I discovered your blog! Keep up the good work! I am a regular reader.
Happy Birthday and Gratz!
Congrats on your first year as an independent. I was a faithful reader of your WSJ column (online) and have continued since you went on your own.
You haven’t missed a bit and in some ways, I think your stuff is even better now. Here’s looking toward a wonderful 2011.
congrats on the blog-anniversary. it’s success is well earned. i look forward to another year of stories from krebsonsecurity.
Happy 1st Birthday and congratulations indeed. Keep up the great work. Power to all independent investigative journalists worldwide.
-Your Fans at zvelo
You’re a must read for me, wherever you land. Congratulations!
(My Wi-Fi blog will celebrate its 10th anniversary in April, something that seems impossible to me.)
Happy Birthday & Congrats on your 1st successful year.
Congratulations and best wishes on completing a great first year. I’ve enjoyed following your work from back in the WaPo days; and I think your blog is one of the best sources for security info in plain language.
Happy Birthday to your blog, Brian! Your site became one of my top 5 this year, and I second all of remarks saying your blog is the best for translating security-speak into English. Thanks for the many alerts and lessons, and best wishes for many more successful years.
*** Happy B, Brian! ***
Hope you’ll continue to (also)
be our first line of defense
ref new MS-Windows Updates-related problems.
(I always read the security blogs & news before updating my XP-SP3 pc..).
And yours is #1 in my list.
Thanks Brian!
SFdude
One of my favorite sites! Been reading it since it was on WaPo. Love those posts about Flash having a new version.
Brian,
And a very happy birthday to your blog from OK! Thanks, as always, for helping all of us to navigate the cyber maze. Count me also in the “thanks for translating into plain language” crew. Best wishes for a continued, successful future.
Happy Bday Brian, your site is the only security news site I read. I rely on it to guard my time by separating the wheat from the chaff.
Cheers,
al
Hi Brian,
Congratulations on a GREAT 1st year. I am an avid follower of your blog and I often share your site with others, encouraging them to join. It is nice to know that real (old fashion – sorry, no offense) journalism is still alive. Investigative journalism is essential to a healthy and balanced democracy/republic. There are precious few of you left. Your craft and your contributions are immeasurable. NOTE: Major news outlets – we want real journalism! Sorry for the digression. Congrats again and I look forward to many more years of great blog material.
Right on Paul! I second the notion! I knew someone would beat me to it!
Many thanks Brian for all your hard work keeping us safe from all the bad out there, knowledge is power.
A happy 1st birthday to Krebs on Security and very best wishes to you for 2011
I always said WP would rue the day! Happy Anniversary!
And..Uuh! Thanks for reminding me about the PayPal button; I had forgotten about it when I was poor. Now I need to click it!
I wanted to support the site too so I disabled adblock for the site, but when I did I started getting the very annoying and erroneous “Welcome Googler” banners again with date stripped. Therefore I had to reenable adblock. I wish someone would fix that script. They must search for “google.com” in the ref URL to determine it is a google search result. They should search for “google.com” *and* “search” if they want to make that banner accurate.
Why’nt you just send Brian an email explaining your problem, whatever it is? And be sure to tell him whom the “someone” is that you expect to fix it!
@jbv wrote:
Why’nt you just send Brian an email explaining your problem, whatever it is? And be sure to tell him whom the “someone” is that you expect to fix it!
—————
That’s kind of silly ain’t it? Since you and everybody else including me are congratulating Brian in these comments, he probably reads them don’t ya think? It’s almost as silly as the ‘Like or Dislike’ votes, lol, which I’m sure the regulars will give this comment lots of click attention.
I don’t get any ads like that. Unless this is a particularly bothersome ad, why not put up with it?
Are you sure you don’t have a Google feature employed that you really don’t want? Or even more likely, you have malware that are causing ad redirects.
A good scan with CCleaner,MBAM, or SAS is in order for that contingency. AdAware blocks many bothersome or illegal ad behaviors in real time, and it is free.
Although not a daily reader, I’ve followed your work from the WP through this blog. Always informative and often very helpful–through your readers’ comments as well as your own reporting.
Congrats on your first year and, by the way, yours is the only blog I follow. Thank you.
Happy Birthday “Krebs on Security”.
After i accidentally open this page (not able to remember the source) for the past few months, i almost everyday check your blog.
Keep it up and thanks for the info.
No day goes by for me without visiting your informative blog, Brian. Congratulations to one year of excellent work to keep so many of us safe out there! Thank you! I wish you and yours the very best for a healthy 2011!