Category: history of security
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Defense in Depth, Medieval Style
Defense in Depth, Medieval Style This article on the walls of Constantinople is fascinating. The system comprised four defensive lines arranged in formidable layers: The brick-lined ditch, divided by bulkheads and often flooded, 15-20 meters wide and up to 7 meters deep. A low breastwork, about 2 meters high, enabling defenders to fire freely from…
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US Declassifies Information on JUMPSEAT Spy Satellites
US Declassifies Information on JUMPSEAT Spy Satellites The US National Reconnaissance Office has declassified information about a fleet of spy satellites operating between 1971 and 2006. I’m actually impressed to see a declassification only two decades after decommission. Bruce Schneier Go to bruce schneier
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1980s Hacker Manifesto
1980s Hacker Manifesto Forty years ago, The Mentor—Loyd Blankenship—published “The Conscience of a Hacker” in Phrack. You bet your ass we’re all alike… we’ve been spoon-fed baby food at school when we hungered for steak… the bits of meat that you did let slip through were pre-chewed and tasteless. We’ve been dominated by sadists, or…
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SIGINT During World War II
SIGINT During World War II The NSA and GCHQ have jointly published a history of World War II SIGINT: “Secret Messengers: Disseminating SIGINT in the Second World War.” This is the story of the British SLUs (Special Liaison Units) and the American SSOs (Special Security Officers). Bruce Schneier Go to bruce schneier
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The First Password on the Internet
The First Password on the Internet It was created in 1973 by Peter Kirstein: So from the beginning I put password protection on my gateway. This had been done in such a way that even if UK users telephoned directly into the communications computer provided by Darpa in UCL, they would require a password. In…