Hardening your IIS web server configuration with IIS Crypto
When setting up a web server it can be difficult to know what security measures need to be put in place. There are lots of things to think about such as which permissions to apply, which ports to open and which security protocols to enable. Luckily, if you are using IIS, there is a tool…
InSecurity
Obtaining and installing a Wildcard SSL Certificate – For software developers
As software developers, we know that SSL certificates are necessary for securing our website traffic. However, in my experience, the process of obtaining and installing an SSL certificate is not something that very many software developers are familiar with. So, if you are a software developer and are looking for some guidance on the process…
Connecting to SQL Server from PowerShell
PowerShell is an awesome scripting language with many powerful features. This includes integration with SQL Server; a fantastic database engine which is both reliable and battle-tested. If you need to automate repetitive and/or time-consuming DBA processes, connecting PowerShell to your SQL Server instance can be a massive help. In this article, we are going to…
InSecurity
Working with User Account Control in .NET apps
Sometimes when you are developing a Windows app you’ll find the need to run the application as a different user, often as the administrator. Windows features a security mechanism called ‘User Account Control’ which prevents applications from launching with elevated privileges without the user’s consent. In this article, I explain how User Account Control works…
PowerShell Quickstart – How to get up and running fast!
If you’re seeking to get up and running quickly with PowerShell and you aren’t sure where to start, you’ve come to the right place! PowerShell is an invaluable scripting tool for both system administrators and developers alike. Getting up to speed with it will make for a very useful addition to your toolkit. In this…
Stepping up the security of ASP.NET Core web apps with security headers
Now, more than ever before, employing security best practices from the start is an absolute must when developing modern web applications. The threat landscape has evolved continuously over the last number of years, however, so have the protection mechanisms which we as software developers can avail of to guard our applications against attackers. In this…
Automate repetitive tasks with your new friend AutoIt
Automation is becoming increasingly prevalent in each of our lives and it is the key to increasing both business profitability and personal productivity. As a software developer, it is important to seek out ways to improve efficiency when dealing with repetitive day-to-day tasks or when a potentially time-consuming manual process comes across our path. In…
Diving into curl as an API developer
If you’ve been a developer for some time now, chances are you’ve heard of ‘curl’. Maybe you’ve stumbled across a reference to it on an API documentation page, then copied and pasted a command and thought nothing more of it. Many times I find that tools like curl have a lot of hidden powers that…
