Eight years ago today I set aside my Washington Post press badge and became an independent here at KrebsOnSecurity.com. What a wild ride it has been. Thank you all, Dear Readers, for sticking with me and for helping to build a terrific community.
This past year KrebsOnSecurity published nearly 160 stories, generating more than 11,000 reader comments. The pace of publications here slowed down in 2017, but then again I have been trying to focus on quality over quantity, and many of these stories took weeks or months to report and write.
As always, a big Thank You to readers who sent in tips and personal experiences that helped spark stories here. For anyone who wishes to get in touch, I can always be reached via this site’s contact form, or via email at krebsonsecurity @ gmail dot com.
Here are some other ways to reach out:
via Wickr at “krebswickr”
Protonmail: krebsonsecurity at protonmail dot com
Below are the Top 10 most-read stories of 2017, as decided by views and sorted in reverse chronological order:
The Market for Stolen Account Credentials
Phishers are Upping Their Game: So Should You
Equifax Breach Fallout: Your Salary History
USPS’ Informed Delivery is a Stalker’s Dream
The Equifax Breach: What You Should Know
Got Robocalled? Don’t Get Mad, Get Busy
Why So Many Top Hackers Hail from Russia
Post-FCC Privacy Rules: Should You VPN?
Congrats on 8 years. Love reading your stories
Thanks for all the great journalism. I always wonder how difficult it must be for you to maintain your Dark web personas. We know from your pieces that you actually see the hackers plotting against you. I wouldn’t know whether to be terrified or amused. I often tell computer security classes I teach about when the detective came to your home to retrieve the heroin[?] and remarked he had to get off the Internet.
Haha, thanks, Tom. Actually, the cop that said that was on the one who came out to my house to take the report. He wasn’t the same one who collected the drugs after they arrived. But you’re right, it’s a funny story.
Congrats Brian!
Congratulations! Thank you so much for your thorough and informative reporting. I’ve learned a great deal from your site.
Well, I thought this was a pretty good site until I got to the article about using Puppy Linux.
….
Since I’m always a little leery of downloading free software from the internet, I used my old Window XP machine as the guinea pig.
When to the link provided and downloaded the proper ISO file with no problem. Or, so I thought (more about this later).
Then, I used the link to get the software to burn the ISO file to a CD and McAfee Site Advisor warned me not to go there.
So, I didn’t. Instead I just used the CD burner software that I already had on the machine.
Rebooted with the CD. It started loading-up Puppy Linux. And, then it choked.
It thru and error and just kept trying to do the same thing over and over again.
Of course, being a Unix derivative it gave me no way of exiting. So, I just shut-down the machine manually.
Upon restarting it in Windows XP mode, my antivirus software immediately threw a rookit virus warning and quarantined it.
Ran a full virus scan and it didn’t find anything else. That old machine hadn’t had a virus in it in over 5 years.
The moral of the story if you want to use Linux, purchase it on a CD from a reputable vendor. Same goes for CD burner software.
By the way, take a look at the exquisite software warranty that comes with Puppy Linux. Oh right, freeware doesn’t have that!
Yup, I sure want to use this stuff to do my online banking with!
Thanks for all the advice, teaching, and entertainment.
“Of course, being a Unix derivative it gave me no way of exiting. So, I just shut-down the machine manually.”
Won’t someone give him a way of exiting? He needs the exit, dammit Linux!
You do great work! Congrats!
Congratulations Brian! Your work is invaluable and very much appreciated. Keep up your great work!
I count on you for honest up-to-date security advice!
Thank you, your work on raising awareness of issues and providing practical solutions has made me sleep much better, even before I knew I should have insomnia!
Congrats Brian. You are one of the good guys! Keep on fighting the good fight.
Happy belated 8th Anniversary, Brian!
Keep up the great reporting!
Congrats Brian! Your website has been my to-go place for all the Information Security related news ever since I developed interest in the field.
Keep up the good work! Cheers!