Implementing Security Invariants in an AWS Management Account
Farris's Three Laws of Auto Remediation
How AWS needs to change
How AWS needs to change
In previous posts, I took AWS to task for not making the customer’s security Job Zero. This offended some sensibilities, so let me lay out my 95 13 Thesis against the current AWS Culture and how it is neither Customer-Obsessed, nor makes security job zero.
AWS pre:Invent 2024
AWS pre:Invent 2024
It’s once again pre:Invent, that magical season where AWS announces new features related to their legacy products (cloud) before they jump all-in on Generative AI magician gimmicks at re:Invent in Las Vegas. This is my 5th year doing a pre:Invent round up. I almost decided not to do one. pre:Invent wasn’t the GenAI wank-show I expected it to be. In fact, some several exciting features and services were announced.
Effective Techniques for AWS Ransomware
Effective Techniques for AWS Ransomware

In order to profit effectively from a ransomware attack, a threat actor needs to have something to offer in return for payment. This blog post outlines a process to encrypt AWS resources and then revoke access to the secret material until the ransom is paid.

Apparently, this post caused some consternation at AWS, and perhaps this technique is too effective to publish here. So, the original post has been revised to remove the actual scripts, include some mitigations, and provide commentary on how both Public Cloud (AWS Included) and Generative AI are dangerous tools in the hands of the general public and need more regulation.

Your AWS Account is a floating cloud of garbage. Mine is too.
The Cloud is Darker and More Full of Terrors - Sec-T 2024
Public Cloud is the most insecure form of infrastructure, except for all the others.
Wandering in a Winter Wonderland
Wandering in a Winter Wonderland
In February of 2024 I visited Oslo Norway as part of HackCon. Here’s a post about getting around and not freezing to death in the Nordic winter
Chris Farris in the Multicloud of Madness
SecurityHub revisited
SecurityHub revisited
Earlier this year, I wrote a blog post ripping AWS Security Hub. That led to conversations with folks on that team, and I got to look at Security Hub’s new Central Configuration capabilities.
re:Invent 2023 recap
re:Invent 2023 recap
My breakdown of the key announcements security folks should know about from AWS re:Invent 2023.

VMware server oopsie.

I’m not a big fan of the idea of VMware running on a host OS for production servers. One reason for that is that you have direct access to the VMware data files. You could do something unfortunate, like: `I’m not a big fan of the idea of VMware running on a host OS for production servers. One reason for that is that you have direct access to the VMware data files.

facebook user Virtualization
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Thoughts on VMWare ESXi

So earlier this week I needed to build a new VMWare server in the lab because the existing VMWare server had a few production instances running on it. Our Lab is mostly hand-me-down hardware and not the best. I didn’t want the VMs I needed to create to impact those legacy production servers. A coworker had installed VMWare Server 2.0 a few months back and we had several issues with it.

chris Virtualization
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Welcome to my new blog

I’ve decided to consolidate all my blogs into one place. I plan to shutdown geeklog, I don’t update that very often. I’ve not decided what I’ll do about VitalPowers. I’ve stopped using my LiveJournal and only check it once every other day to keep up with the friends who still use it. There are plugins to cross post WordPress to LJ, and I may continue to do that. Most of my active blogging is being done on Facebook.

chris Technology
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