December 29, 2018

Hard to believe we’ve gone another revolution around the Sun: Today marks the 9th anniversary of KrebsOnSecurity.com!

This past year featured some 150 blog posts, but as usual the biggest contribution to this site came from the amazing community of readers here who have generously contributed their knowledge, wit and wisdom in more than 10,000 comments.

Speaking of generous contributions, more than 100 readers have expressed their support in 2018 via PayPal donations to this site. The majority of those funds go toward paying for subscription-based services that KrebsOnSecurity relies upon for routine data gathering and analysis. Thank you.

Your correspondence and tips have been invaluable, so by all means keep them coming. For the record, I’m reachable via a variety of means, including email, the contact form on this site, and of course Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter (direct messages are open to all). For more secure and discreet communications, please consider reaching out via Keybase, Wicker (krebswickr), or Signal (by request).

Many of you have requested a redesign to make this site more mobile-friendly. We’d targeted for that to happen in 2018, but multiple unforeseen circumstances conspired to delay that project this year. Rest assured, that long-overdue change will be coming soon in 2019. Thanks for your patience.

Below are some of the most-read and commented-on enterprise stories throughout 2018, a year marked by a relentless onslaught of data breaches, data leaks and increasingly sneaky scams. It seems unlikely that 2019 will be any different, and while I will endeavor to keep readers abreast of the latest threats and trends, I’m also interested to hear what you would like to see more of in the coming year. So please sound off in the comments below or drop me a note.

By the way, if you’d prefer to keep up with KrebsOnSecurity posts via email, please consider signing up for the newsletter (expect ~3-4 emails per week).

Thanks again for your readership, encouragement and support. Happy New Year!

A Chief Security Concern for Executive Teams

What the Marriott Breach Says About Security

Half of All Phishing Sites Now Have the Padlock

Voice Phishing Scams Are Getting More Clever

Hanging Up on Mobile in the Name of Security

Google: Security Keys Neutralized Employee Phishing

Plant Your Flag, Mark Your Territory

Panerabread.com Leaks Millions of Customer Records

Tracking Firm LocationSmart Leaked Location Data for Customers of All Major U.S. Mobile Carriers

Don’t Give Away Historical Details About Yourself

This entry was posted on Saturday 29th of December 2018 10:51 AM


60 thoughts on “Happy 9th Birthday, KrebsOnSecurity!

  1. Notme

    Thanks for the great work.
    Here’s to many more anniversaries!

  2. Natalie Martinez

    Coming from a journalism and cybersecurity background, I enjoy your articles very much. I look forward to learning more them in the upcoming year! Thanks, Brain!

  3. Joel

    Congratulations and thank you for all of the great investigative reporting Brian!

  4. Scott Schober

    Congrats & Happy Anniversary !

    Thank you for your tireless work investigating and reporting on cyber crimes and educating your reader base – are making our world a safer place

    THANK YOU

    Scott Schober
    Pres/CEO of BVS
    Author of Hacked Again
    http://www.ScottSchober.com

  5. Brad

    Brian, do you still use your XMPP account? I’ve been trying to contact you with a tip.

    1. BrianKrebs Post author

      Yes but usually only when I’m expecting something. Every time I sign in I have to wade through hundreds of spam messages from bots related to cybercrime sites and services. Will check now though.

  6. techvet

    Happy anniversary and thank you for your invaluable service. Keep on keeping on.

  7. zackis

    Keep up the good work Brian! I’ve been reading your blog for 8 years Keep up the phenomenal work!

  8. AJ North

    CONGRATS BRIAN!

    You’ve certainly had quite a journey from your days at the Washington Post (which world-wide Friday forums this reader fondly remembers – and still misses…).

    Every best wish for a healthy, safe and happy 2019!

  9. JF

    Thanks for all the in-depth articles. You are a brave man, Brian, considering the threats encountered previously.
    Best wishes and a Happy New Year!

  10. KoSReader6000000

    Congratulations Brian!

    I have been reading your super investigative reporting since your Washington Post days. You have unique abilities such as your grasp of the Russian language and to simplify technical problems to the point the average Jane/Joe can understand your in-depth reports.

    I check in here every day.

    Keep up the great work.

    Loyal Krebs on Security reader.

  11. Ellen

    Your work is unique and accomplishments are great.
    Congratulations Brian and many happy returns of the day!
    Also, season’s greetings to you and yours.

  12. Ed

    I didn’t expect KrebsOnSecurity anniversary happens to be my birthday too

    I’m happy and glad to be part of this community.

    Thanks Brian!

  13. Tony

    Well done, and thanks.
    29 Dec also marks my birthday, so a pleasant surprise for me.

  14. Joaquin

    Brian et.al.,

    In the four years that we have been reading KOS, we have learned much. We are seniors who are pleased [thanks Brian!] to be able to boast as having a nodding acquaintance with most of what is discussed here; we continue to noodle out what is posted in the comments, in our continuing efforts to educate ourselves.

    We look things up and try to piece that knowledge together, making it easier for us to understand, especially those acronyms[!] We also appreciate “links” that make it possible for us to click, then go directly to the relevant, information site for further education.

    We thank you all for your continuing efforts and posts to enlighten, with a special thank you to Brian, for starting this website! Occasionally, a few less technical comments, tossed into the mix, would be most gratefully received.

    Mcgee & Molly

  15. David Coorey

    Well done Brian on the anniversary. Your site is an indispensable part of my IT security and reading it has definitely kept me and my company safe in 2018. Here’s to the next nine years!!

  16. Jack

    Mr. Krebs have done nothing else then just injecting fear in computer users mind.
    I dont give any stars to mr krebs.
    I think its just business to sell bad news and collect some click profit.
    Thnks 🙂

    1. Brian Krebs

      Jack,

      Fear is rooted in ignorance, whereas I like to think I spread useful knowledge that helps others be more prepared to confront or avoid the snares of those who take advantage of the less informed. Thanks for your comment.

    2. Mahhn

      lol, this ain’t CNN. Now that’s a fear mongering group.
      Krebs is providing information and insight, and is greatly appreciated for his efforts!

  17. Rob H

    Thanks for shining the light on bad computer crime actors who want to operate on the dark web and continued their dishonorable misdeeds.

  18. Brian Fiori (AKA The Dean)

    Been reading your stuff since you were at the Post. This site is on my to to list, every day.

    Thanks for all you do for the community.

  19. Mikey LOVES It!

    Brian, congrats on yet another milestone.

    You deserve a Pulitzer for your work, for two reasons:

    – The caliber of your reporting and writing

    – Your refusal to be intimidated as you pursue each story

    Here’s to many more years — but for now, a champagne toast to celebrate you…

    Cheers!

  20. Clifford and Michelle Rebello

    Congratulations on your 9th anniversary and best wishes for many more! The world is a much safer place because of you.

  21. Readership1

    Congratulations on making a good site with good content that keeps folks coming back over and over.

    Don’t go messing it up with a ton of extra javascript to implement a mobile design that I don’t want, please.

Comments are closed.