Author: Alexandre Abreu
Alexandre Abreu
Alexandre Abreu is a senior developer with a passion for his field. When not reading Paul Graham’s essays about software or actively trying to fight spam, his deep curiosity will drive him towards some of his numerous fields of interest: functional languages, fluid simulation or realistic graphic rendering. To balance this, he tries to apply the same energy to his many sports related activities.
Articles by this author
Surfing on Web 2.0: Where Innovation Meets Cybercrime
Yesterday, I logged into Facebook. I usually never use my account there (I am not a Facebook fan), but once in a while I’ll spend some time on it. For the first time, after entering my credentials, a “security” page appeared stating that unusual activities have been witnessed on my account. I then had to answer some questions, choose the names of some tagged friends, and reset my password. I have no idea what happened or how my account got compromised. (Jul 20, 2010)
Are machines really the “bad guys”?
Do you know what this is? Of course you do! This, along with some other strange stuff, has gained popularity and become part of our virtual life when browsing the web. CAPTCHAs (as they’re known) are one example of a Turing test: a challenge-response criteria that is used to determine the probability that a remote being is actually a human vs. a computer that’s trying to mimic a human response. (Mar 31, 2010)
Catch a botnet by the tail
Catch a lizard by the tail and it will shed its tail and run free. This is a fun fact of nature (even more fun when you’re a kid) and a very clever trick to fend off a predator’s attacks. And did you know that if you try to catch a botnet, chances are the same thing will happen? (Feb 19, 2010)
How can we stop the botnets?
Botnets are a fascinating piece of software – yes, they really are! Although they lie deep in the “dark” stack of widespread tools that are used to perpetrate cyber-crimes, they really shine as well-engineered structures. They are forced to constantly evolve because of the current and on-going “arms-race” between security experts and cyber-criminals. (Nov 20, 2009)
