Showing posts with label security. Show all posts
Showing posts with label security. Show all posts

Friday, March 21, 2014

Bitcoin 101 - Multi-Signature Addresses pt2 - Spending, Protocol & Coding

The bitcoin logo
The bitcoin logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)




This part two of a two part series on muti-signature addresses and wallets. This is important technology for massively improving bitcoin security. In part one we generated a multisig address/wallet. In this part, we'lll walk you through all the steps necessary to spend the funds, going line by line through some simple python code and generating a payment in bitcoind.

In many ways, multisig addresses are the answer to most of bitcoin's concerns and fears of theft. And now its time to scale up massive implementation for them. Originally introduced into the bitcoin client a few years ago, multisignature addresses massively more secure than regular ones. Their adoption by all wallet manufacturers is coming. But, for you techies and voyeurs, we'll jump inside the ideas of multi-sig and even program the stuff. Hope you enjoy.
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Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Bitcoin 101 - Multi-Signature Addresses pt1 - Coding This Major Security Improvement

The bitcoin logo
The bitcoin logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)



Just like the Wright brothers, on those first flights at Kitty Hawk, didn't concern themselves that much with landing. And improvements like anti-lock brakes and seat belts help protect passengers in cars. Bitcoin is now in that 'second phase' where security is becoming massively important. Fortunately, because the currency is programmable, anything is really possible. Originally introduced into the bitcoin client a few years ago, multisignature addresses massively more secure than regular ones. Their adoption by all wallet manufacturers is coming. But, for you techies and voyeurs, we'll jump inside the ideas of multi-sig and even program the stuff. Hope you enjoy.


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Friday, February 14, 2014

Bitcoin 101 - Fun with Brain Wallets (Making and Playing With Them) - Bitcoin Security

The bitcoin logo
The bitcoin logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)



There's no idea in Bitcoin more science fiction ready than the idea of brain wallets. To actually hold your wealth inside your head (and no where else) is something that can be done only with bitcoins. In this video we set up and play with a number of brain wallets (of course they aren't really brain wallets if we tell everyone the passwords and private keys...but you get the idea). Whether you are a fiction writer or an escaping refugee, this video is for you.

Welcom to WBN's Bitcoin 101 Blackboard Series -- a full beginner to expert course in bitcoin. We hope you enjoy. And remember the official WBN launch is coming up : January 1st, 2014.

Our Notes:  We are working on a much better and safer way to store your private information so that it's extremely hard for anyone to get no matter what.  It has to do with old technology.  Sometimes that is just the best way.  
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Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Gloucester, VA Judges Private Vehicle Chambers Pushed Off Til Later Date

The Gloucester Board of Supervisors have pushed off making a decision on the requested private vehicle chambers for the Gloucester, Virginia Judges who have expressed a concern for their own safety and want special privileges not afforded anyone else.

  Part of the reason why the decision was held off was that the requests coming from 3 judges are all different as to what they want and the estimate for a new private security area was done in a rush in hopes that the present board would push it through for the judges.  With 3 Board of Supervisors now leaving, they could have taken the heat for yet another decision where tax spending continued uncontrolled.  It will now come before the new board that is coming in to make the decision if they want to fund the private security for 2 of the 3 judges as one of the 3 is retiring at the end of this year.

  The issue we brought up on this site about the Judges needing the local law enforcement to hold their hands as they enter and leave was brought up and Sheriff Darrel Warren stated that the Sheriff's office has provided that service, however, there is a cost for that as well and someone would always have to be on hold to continue to do so.  The private chambers for the Judges vehicles still does not provide the Judges with safe security and they would still need a county sheriff's deputy from time to time should they feel threatened.  So what is the point?  What makes these people think they are above all the rest of us?

  Mr Chrisco seemed to be the only voice of reason on the Board that kept the decision from being pushed through tonight on this issue for providing funding without more information as to exactly what was being funded and how much.  If the judges really want to trap themselves like rats in a cage, we say let them.  However, let them pay for it.  Then they can build themselves a castle for all we care.  Do we really want to live in a Banana Republic?  Our Judges are telling us it's already here.  Are they part of the problem?
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Monday, September 16, 2013

Governor McDonnell Tours, Opens New MACH37™ Cyber Accelerator at CIT

Governor of Virginia Bob McDonnell speaking at...
Governor of Virginia Bob McDonnell speaking at CPAC. Please attribute to Gage Skidmore if used elsewhere. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Governor announces first MACH37 companies, and CIT and Virginia Tech partnership for Cyber Test Range at Tech’s Hume Center

HERNDON – During a tour with industry and university cybersecurity leaders, Governor Bob McDonnell announced today the opening of the MACH37™ Cyber Accelerator and the first companies to be accepted in the accelerator.  The MACH37 Cyber Accelerator is America’s first public-private, and market-centric cybersecurity accelerator located at the Center for Innovative Technology (CIT). 

The accelerator is a program designed to facilitate the creation of the next generation of cybersecurity companies in Virginia.  Supported by Governor McDonnell, the General Assembly appropriated $2.5 million to CIT to start and operate the accelerator.

While there, Governor McDonnell also announced a new partnership between CIT and Virginia Tech to deploy a cyber test range to facilitate the testing and development of new cybersecurity products from MACH37™ portfolio companies and support Virginia Tech research and education activities.

Governor McDonnell said, “As part of our economic development agenda, we are working to bring greater investment into the rapidly growing technology industries such as cybersecurity, as well as encourage companies and investors to look to Virginia.  The MACH37 Cyber Accelerator will increase our public-private cybersecurity assets in Virginia.  This program works by leveraging our resources to accelerate new ideas and products that launch new cybersecurity companies in Virginia.  I appreciate the leadership of Secretary Jim Duffey, and the support of Speaker of the House Bill Howell, Delegate Tag Greason, Senator Ryan McDougle, Virginia Tech President Charles Steger, Northern Virginia Technology Council President Bobbie Kilberg and Vice President Josh Levi for the creation of MACH37™ Cyber Accelerator in the 2013 General Assembly session.  It was truly a collaborative engagement of industry and government leaders working together to create an opportunity that will drive innovation and entrepreneurship throughout the Commonwealth and make Virginia the trusted leader in developing cybersecurity solutions.”

The MACH37™ Cyber Accelerator is modeled after existing accelerators, such as the Y Combinator, TechStars and 500 Startups, but specializes in launching cybersecurity startup companies.  The program consists of two 90-day sessions per year.  Participants receive an initial company investment from the CIT GAP Fund upon acceptance to the program, and at the end, companies make Demo Day presentations to professional investors.  If they are successful, they receive a second investment from the CIT GAP Fund and private investors. 

In addition to establishing a cyber focus, MACH37™ offers a highly integrated network of hundreds of cybersecurity experts to help emerging startups. 

Jim Duffey, Virginia’s Secretary of Technology, said, “This sophisticated network of cyber experts, technologists and investors is crucial to the accelerator’s ability to reduce startup development time.  The network is a valuable resource that stays with entrepreneurs from the beginning of the program through the early years of development.” 

Rick Gordon, a leader in the cybersecurity industry, was hired in July as the Managing Partner of MACH37™.  Joining him as General Partner is Dan Wooley, who comes from Dell, and Ledger West, who serves as Associate Partner.

Speaking about the new CIT-Virginia Tech partnership, Virginia Tech President Charles Steger said, “The research programs at the Hume Center and the MACH37™ Cyber Accelerator provide the perfect intersection for commercializing research and advancing new technology companies. This partnership delivers significant value to early stage companies that require testing resources and to cyber students engaged in learning the next generation of cyber technology.”


First Class of Companies

The following companies are the first partners in the MACH37™ program:

·         Cypherpath, CEO Kevin Rogers, Herndon, Va. – Cypherpath brings a new generation of services built around their virtual cyber test range and virtual cloud, which provides teams with the ability to create, modify, view and control virtualized environments independently and collaboratively.  This new generation of technology increases the ability of Chief Information Security Officer’s to train, exercise, test, model and simulate through on demand replication of cyber infrastructure.  Cypherpath provides the only on demand platform for realistic cyber-experiences.

·         Key Cybersecurity, Inc., CEO Shawn R. Key, Dumfries, Va. – Key Cybersecurity brings over 60 years of combined strategic thought leadership in cyber forensics to the ever-expanding security threat market. CyberMerlin, Key’s flagship product, employs algorithms and forensics investigative technologies that patrol enterprise environments and report abusive behavior, providing a proactive system that enhances network security.

·         Pierce Global Threat Intelligence, CEO Roy Stephan, Dunn Loring, Va. – Pierce creates tailored and automated threat analysis based on each company’s individual enterprise network, ecosystem traffic and flow data. The real time, raw, previously expensive and cumbersome threat data is then filtered and prioritized based on the individual company ecosystem, giving companies the ability to react to threats with a greater level of confidence. 

·         CyberLingua, Acting CEO Jim Hunt, Tyson’s Corner, Va. – CyberLingua uses technologies developed over decades in the U.S. intelligence community to identify zero-day threats before they can cause damage.  Instead of manually tracking logs or anomalies, analysts will now be able to identify and synthesize patterns and weak signals in cyber-data and their associated combinations of risks underlying advanced persistent zero-day threats.

·         Sikernes, CEO Ethan Allen, Bozeman, Mt. – Silkernes provides a Cybersecurity Analytics Platform (CAP) for organizations to analyze and understand the effectiveness and efficacy of cybersecurity expenditures.  Using predictive analytics, and leveraging Big Data, the Sikernes platform fills organizational gaps and gives organizations quantitative information to control security budget planning, security execution, and resource allocation thus promoting organizational transparency while maximizing security strategy ROI.

About the CIT-Virginia Tech Partnership

The CIT-Virginia Tech partnership agreement allows leaders of CIT’s MACH37™ Cyber Accelerator and Virginia Tech’s Hume Center for National Security and Technology to define and develop a networked, remotely-accessible virtualized test environment housed in the Hume Center at Virginia Tech’s Research Center in Arlington, Va.

The cyber test range is targeted to be operational in the fall of 2014 for companies entering the MACH37™ program and university research projects.  Access to the test facility will be network enabled to allow testers to be resident at their company location.
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