December 29, 2013

Dec. 29 marks the 4th anniversary of KrebsOnSecurity.com! Below are a few highlights from this past year, and a taste of what readers can look forward to here in 2014.

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If there was an important data breach in 2013, chances are that news of it first broke on this blog. Among KrebsOnSecurity’s biggest scoops this year were stories about breaches at Adobe, Bit9, Experian, LexisNexis, Target and The Washington Post.

Some of these stories are ongoing and will unfurl reluctantly but gradually throughout 2014. Look for a more thorough explanation of what really happened when Experian sold more than a year’s worth of consumer credit data directly to an underground service marketed to identity thieves, for example. And of course, we will almost certainly learn more about the “how” and “who” of the massive attack on Target.

The audience for this blog has grown tremendously in the past year. The site now attracts between 10,000 and 15,000 visitors per day. For the first time in its existence, KrebsOnSecuirty is on track to exceed more than 1 million pageviews this month (fittingly, this should come to pass sometime today).

That growth would not have been possible without you, dear loyal readers. 2013 featured more blog posts and more in-depth investigations than perhaps any other year, but the real value in this site comes from the community that has sprung up around it. Readers submitted more than 10,000 comments this past year. More than two dozen of you also supported this site directly via the PayPal or Bitcoin donation links in the blog sidebar. Whichever way you supported this site in 2013, a hearty THANK YOU for your contribution and encouragement.


109 thoughts on “Happy 4th Birthday, KrebsOnSecurity.com!

  1. blasher

    Brian,

    Congratulations on your anniversary.

    I read your blog everyday, sometimes several times daily. Always informative.

    I’m interested in more ‘who’ and ‘how’ of the Target breach.

  2. Rick Zeman

    Congrats, Brian. This blog is way ahead of what you could have kept on doing with The Post. It’s truly “when one door closes another opens” for you (and for us!).

  3. Chris Thomas

    nulli secundus

    It gives me much pleasure to say that this is the best commentary on security. It is of tremendous value to those who seek to keep themselves and others safe from modern criminality. It is also extraordinarily interesting.

  4. John Cali

    Happy Birthday, Brian! And may this one be followed by many more.

    As someone who is not very knowledgeable about technology, I have come to rely on you as my main source of technical and security information. I think your site shines far brighter than all the others.

    Thank you for all you do for all of us!

  5. rich9876

    Thank YOU, for brilliant security coverage and investigations that we can’t find anywhere else!

    1. Chris Thomas

      This is a heck of a back-handed compliment and, possibly, the most meaningful one posted here.

  6. Brian Fiori (AKA The Dean)

    Four great years, Brian. Keep up the good work.

  7. 5lim5

    Congrats Brian. I love your coverage. Many more years of success.

  8. Kevin

    Thanks for all the hard work you put into this blog…. Hope many more years to come!!!

  9. Manoa Kahuna

    Aloha Brian,

    Congratulations and continued success in the New Year. You’ve been through a lot from musty basements to SWAT Team raids and have prevailed.

    I deeply appreciate what you do. Thank you very much. All the best.

  10. Ricardo Lopez

    That’s Awesome! Congrats! Look forward to next year.

  11. satrow

    Gratz^^, Brian and Happy Birthday to KrebsOnSecurity.com!

    (was that punch or paunch commenting up there? 😉 )

  12. julie

    Only 25 people donated to keep Krebs going? After all the entertainment he provided this year? C’mon, folks, break free with a little cash for the New Year.

    1. Not Happie

      Being one who only found the blog a week or so ago, and having already provided support, it saddens me to see that number as well.

      Who can possibly blame a blogger for including ads to help bring revenue? A person’s got to eat!

  13. Pickiboon

    Congrats Brian and Happy Birthday to KrebsOnSecurity.com !!

  14. Carol~

    In short..

    Congratulations!
    You are **very much** appreciated!
    Thank you!

  15. laura

    How do you make a living? Does the site generate enough to support you?

  16. Old School

    Thanks for the four years and I hope that there are forty more. Because of what I have read here, I have:
    1. Installed EMET.
    2. Frozen my credit reports.
    3. Will get a free credit report at least every three months. See http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/07/17/so-how-many-consumer-reporting-companies-are-there .
    4. Discovered that there are more credit reporting agencies than the three listed at https://www.annualcreditreport.com/index.action.
    5. Removed an error in my credit report at Experian.
    6. Have mentioned to a certain purveyor of software that one of their venders, Anvisoft, had an unusual background. http://krebsonsecurity.com/tag/anvisoft/ .. The purveyor has since discontinued showing comments critical of Anvisoft. Other commenters had also referenced Krebs.
    7. Check all credit card scanners for skimmers before scanning the card.
    8. Use credit cards for purchases and only use debit cards at a bank’s ATMs. (IMHO).

  17. Mary

    I’m a newbie to your site… in fact, this newsletter was the first that I’ve gotten so far, and I am looking forward to future issues. Congrats on your anniversary! Keep up the good work!

  18. Hampton DeJarnette

    Happy Birthday to your column.

    It’s compelling that one of the best writers on cyber-security is self-taught.

  19. Security Guy

    Keep up the great work Brian. You blog continues to be the go-to place for breaking and in depth security news.

    One additional thought: given the light that you’ve been shining on he dark places of the Internet, none of us ca be too surprised that it only took 8 comments to get a particularly negative one.

  20. Dave

    Thanks Brian! Good work and keep it up.

    I just donated in order to spite Punch.

    If I could help in any other way, I would.

  21. _Jim

    Happy BB-day* Brian! And many more to come!

    .

    .

    * Blog Birthday

    1. Chris Thomas

      Is that the Gordon Duffus who used to work for Pr1me Computer?

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