Security
Development, infrastructure, SEO, AI and IT for business — short and to the point.
75 articles
- Security4 min
The 3-2-1 Backup Rule: What It Is and How to Apply It
Keep three copies of your data on two different types of storage, with one copy in another location, and make at least one copy immutable or offline so it cannot be deleted or encrypted.
Basics - Security5 min
API Security Best Practices: A Developer Checklist
Secure an API by authenticating every request, checking on the server that the user may access each specific object and field, validating input against strict schemas, limiting request volume and logging security events.
Practice - Security4 min
Backup Strategy for a Small Business: What, How Often, Where
First decide how much data and downtime you can afford to lose (RPO and RTO), then list every system, automate backups following the 3-2-1 rule, and test restores on a schedule.
Practice - Security4 min
Broken Access Control and IDOR: Finding and Fixing Them
IDOR happens when a server returns an object by ID without checking that it belongs to the current user. Fix it with server-side authorization on every request, queries scoped to the owner and automated tests proving user B cannot see user A's data.
Practice - Security4 min
Command Injection and Path Traversal: Examples and Prevention
Both attacks happen when user input becomes part of a shell command or file path; prevent them by never invoking a shell, passing arguments as an array, allowlisting values and checking that the resolved path stays inside a base directory.
Practice - Security4 min
Content Security Policy (CSP): A Practical Setup Guide
CSP is a response header that lists which scripts and other resources the browser may run on your page; the most robust setup is a nonce-based policy with strict-dynamic, reached gradually through report-only mode so nothing breaks along the way.
Advanced - Security4 min
Credential Stuffing and Account Takeover: Detection and Defense
Credential stuffing replays username-password pairs leaked from other sites; stop it with layered defenses — block breached passwords via k-anonymity checks, score each login by device and behavior, ask for a second factor only when risk is high, filter bots and alert on login anomalies.
Advanced - Security4 min
Cybersecurity Basics for Small Business: Where to Start
Start with six basic steps in this order: list every account, turn on 2FA everywhere, enable automatic updates, keep backups you have actually restored, revoke access when people leave and protect devices, with one named person owning each task.
Basics - Security4 min
Customer Data Leak: How to Respond and Notify Users and Regulators
Stop the leak first, preserve evidence, find out exactly what data and whose was exposed, notify the regulator and affected people within legal deadlines (72 hours to the authority under GDPR), then fix the root cause.
Practice - Security4 min
How to Protect a Website from DDoS Attacks
Put your site behind a traffic filtering service such as Cloudflare, hide the real server IP and allow traffic only from that service, cache everything you can, and prepare an attack response plan in advance.
Practice - Security4 min
Vulnerable Dependencies: How to Find and Fix Them
Scan dependencies regularly (npm audit, pip-audit), automate updates with Dependabot or Renovate, commit your lockfiles, and fix first what is actually reachable and exploitable in your application.
Practice - Security4 min
Docker Container Security: Best Practices for Production
A secure container runs as a non-root user from a minimal, scanned image, holds no secrets in its layers, has dropped capabilities and resource limits, and nobody outside the host can reach the Docker socket.
Practice - Security4 min
Encryption at Rest vs in Transit: What Each Protects Against
Encryption in transit (TLS) protects data while it moves across a network; encryption at rest protects it on disks, in databases and backups. You need both, but neither stops an attacker who breaks into the application itself.
Basics - Security4 min
Mixed Content Errors: Why They Happen and How to Fix Them
Mixed content means an HTTPS page loads scripts, styles or images over plain HTTP; find them in DevTools, rewrite the URLs to HTTPS in code and in the database, and add upgrade-insecure-requests as a safety net.
Practice - Security4 min
GDPR Explained for Companies Outside the EU
GDPR applies to a non-EU company when it offers goods or services to people in the EU or monitors their behaviour. You then need a lawful basis for each processing activity, a clear privacy policy, a way to handle user requests and a plan to report breaches within 72 hours.
Basics - Security5 min
HashiCorp Vault vs AWS, GCP and Azure Secret Managers
If your infrastructure lives in one cloud and the team is small, use that cloud's built-in secret manager; Vault pays off with multi-cloud or your own servers, when you need dynamic secrets, and when the team can afford to run it.
Advanced - Security4 min
How HTTPS Works: TLS Handshake, Certificates and Keys Explained
HTTPS is ordinary HTTP sent inside a TLS tunnel: during the handshake the server proves its identity with a certificate, both sides agree on fresh session keys, and from then on all traffic is encrypted and protected from tampering.
Basics - Security4 min
How OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect Work
OAuth 2.0 gives an app limited access to an API without sharing the user's password, and OpenID Connect adds an ID token on top that tells the app who actually signed in.
Basics - Security4 min
How to Choose a Password Manager for Yourself and Your Team
Choose a manager with zero-knowledge encryption, published independent audits, convenient sharing and 2FA; Bitwarden, 1Password and KeePass all fit different needs, and a team migration works best as a short pilot followed by rotating every shared password.
Basics - Security4 min
How to Create a Strong Password You Can Actually Remember
A strong password is long and random, not clever: use a passphrase of four to six random words for the few passwords you must remember, keep every password unique, and let a password manager remember the rest.
Basics - Security4 min
How to Recognize Phishing Emails, Sites and Messages
Phishing almost always gives itself away with urgency, a link or attachment you must open right now and an address that only looks like the real one. One rule covers most cases: do not follow the link in the message — open the service yourself or call a number you already know.
Basics - Security4 min
How to Launch a Bug Bounty or Vulnerability Disclosure Program
Start with a vulnerability disclosure program: a security.txt file, a clear policy with scope and safe harbor, and a triage process; add paid bug bounty rewards only once your team can fix reported issues quickly.
Advanced - Security4 min
How to Store API Keys and Secrets: Beyond .env Files
Secrets never belong in code or the repository: the app reads them from environment variables, while the values live in a CI/CD or cloud secret store, separate per environment, with minimal permissions and regular rotation.
Practice - Security4 min
HTTP Security Headers Checklist for Websites
A handful of response headers — HSTS, CSP, X-Content-Type-Options, X-Frame-Options or frame-ancestors, Referrer-Policy, Permissions-Policy plus Secure cookie flags — switch on browser protections against downgrade, clickjacking, MIME sniffing and data leaks at almost no cost.
Practice - Security3 min
HTTP vs HTTPS: Why Every Website Needs Encryption
Over plain HTTP anyone on the same network or along the route can read and change the traffic, browsers label such sites Not secure, and many modern features simply do not work, so every site, even a simple landing page, needs HTTPS.
Basics - Security4 min
JWT Security: Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
JWT is safe only when the server pins the algorithm, uses a strong key, checks expiry, issuer and audience, keeps access tokens short-lived with rotated refresh tokens, and stores them out of reach of JavaScript.
Advanced - Security4 min
Committed a Secret to Git? What to Do Right Now
Revoke and replace the leaked key first, then check the logs for suspicious use, then purge the history with git-filter-repo, and add gitleaks to pre-commit and CI so it does not happen again.
Practice - Security4 min
Mobile App Security Checklist Based on OWASP MASVS
Use MASVS as a checklist: keep secrets in Keychain or Keystore, pin certificates, detect rooted devices, obfuscate release builds, validate every deep link, and keep business logic, prices and keys on the server.
Practice - Security3 min
OWASP Top 10 Explained in Plain Language
The OWASP Top 10 is a list of the most common and dangerous classes of web application vulnerabilities. Start checking with access control, configuration, dependencies, injection and login.
Basics - Security4 min
How to Store Passwords Securely: bcrypt, scrypt and Argon2
Store passwords only as a slow, salted hash made with Argon2id, scrypt or bcrypt, never as plain MD5 or SHA. Move legacy hashes to the new algorithm gradually, each time a user logs in.
Practice - Security5 min
PCI DSS: What Businesses Accepting Card Payments Must Know
PCI DSS is the card industry security standard for anyone handling card data; the easiest way to comply is to never let card numbers touch your servers by using a hosted payment page or tokenization.
Practice - Security4 min
How to Prevent SQL Injection: Parameterized Queries and ORMs
Parameterized queries prevent SQL injection: the query text and the data reach the database separately, so input can never become a command. Take column names from an allowlist and run the app as a least-privilege database user.
Practice - Security3 min
Preventing XSS in React and Next.js Applications
React escapes text in JSX, so XSS in React apps happens around that protection: dangerouslySetInnerHTML, unsafe URLs, Markdown with raw HTML and direct DOM access. Sanitize HTML with DOMPurify, validate link schemes and enable a CSP.
Practice - Security4 min
Privacy Policy and Cookie Consent: What Your Website Needs
A site that collects data through forms or runs analytics needs a privacy policy that describes real processing and user consent wherever the law requires it. Consent must be voluntary: refusing is as easy as accepting, and optional scripts stay off until the visitor chooses.
Practice - Security5 min
How to Protect Your Telegram Account from Hijacking
Nearly every Telegram hijacking happens because the owner hands over the login code — on a fake voting site or in a chat with a "friend". Turn on two-step verification with a recovery email, check active sessions regularly and never share a code from Telegram or SMS.
Practice - Security4 min
Is Public Wi-Fi Safe? Real Risks and How to Stay Protected
Thanks to ubiquitous HTTPS, public Wi-Fi is much safer than it used to be, but real risks remain — fake hotspots, phishing on login pages and unencrypted apps; a few basic rules plus a VPN where it matters are enough to work calmly.
Basics - Security4 min
How to Protect Your Company from Ransomware
Close the main entry points — phishing, exposed RDP and unpatched software — enable two-factor authentication, limit privileges, keep isolated backups, and disconnect infected devices from the network immediately if an attack happens.
Practice - Security4 min
Rate Limiting and Brute-Force Protection for Login and APIs
Limit attempts both per IP and per account, prefer growing delays and a CAPTCHA after a few failures over hard lockouts, store counters in a shared store like Redis, and add a coarse limit in nginx on top.
Practice - Security4 min
RBAC vs ABAC: How to Design Roles and Permissions in an App
Start with RBAC — roles that bundle named permissions — and add ABAC-style rules only where access depends on data, such as "own deals" or "deals of my branch", always checking both on the server.
Practice - Security5 min
Russian Federal Law 152-FZ on Personal Data: Key Requirements
If you collect personal data of Russian citizens, you are an operator under 152-FZ: you must notify Roskomnadzor, obtain separate consent, store Russians' data first in databases located in Russia, keep a set of documents and report breaches within 24 hours.
Basics - Security4 min
SAST vs DAST vs IAST: Automating Security Testing in CI/CD
SAST reads source code and catches risky patterns early, DAST attacks a running app from outside, IAST watches the app from inside during tests; a practical pipeline runs SAST on every pull request, DAST against staging, and fails builds only on new high-confidence findings.
Advanced - Security4 min
How to Secure an Admin Panel: A Practical Checklist
Protect an admin panel in layers: isolate it on its own domain, require 2FA for everyone, limit network access by IP or VPN, give each person only the rights they need, log every action and expire idle sessions.
Practice - Security4 min
Secure Cookie Settings: HttpOnly, Secure and SameSite
A session cookie should be HttpOnly, Secure, SameSite=Lax (or Strict), use the __Host- prefix and have a server-enforced lifetime. Together these flags block theft via XSS, leaks over HTTP and most CSRF.
Practice - Security4 min
Secure File Uploads: A Checklist for Developers
An uploaded file is untrusted data that must never be executed or served as is. Validate type by allowlist and file signature, limit size, rename it, store it outside the web root, re-encode images and scan for malware.
Practice - Security4 min
How to Build a Secure Password Reset and Account Recovery Flow
Send a random, single-use, short-lived token stored only as a hash, give the same response whether or not the account exists, rate-limit requests, end all sessions after the reset and never let recovery silently bypass 2FA.
Practice - Security4 min
Security Audit vs Pentest vs Vulnerability Scan: The Difference
A vulnerability scan is a fast automated check for known issues, a pentest is a manual attempt to break in and prove real impact, and a security audit reviews whether your code, settings and processes meet a standard.
Basics - Security4 min
Security Logging and Monitoring: What to Log and When to Alert
Log who did what, when, from where and with what result for logins, permission changes, admin actions and denied access; never log passwords, tokens or card data; keep logs centrally and alert on patterns like brute force, new admins and mass exports.
Practice - Security4 min
SIM Swap Attacks: How Criminals Steal Your Number and How to Stop It
In a SIM swap, a criminal gets your number re-issued to their SIM and starts receiving your SMS codes. Protect yourself with passwords and cloud passwords where possible, non-SMS second factors and an operator ban on remote re-issue.
Basics - Security4 min
SMS vs Authenticator App vs Security Key: Which 2FA to Use
SMS is the weakest 2FA because of SIM swaps and interception, an authenticator app is a solid default, and FIDO2 security keys or passkeys are the only common option that resists phishing, so use them for email, admins and finance.
Practice - Security4 min
Software Supply Chain Attacks and How to Defend Against Them
A supply chain attack targets not your code but what it is built from — packages, tools and CI; defense relies on pinning versions, blocking install scripts, SBOMs, signature verification and least privilege in CI.
Advanced - Security4 min
SPF, DKIM and DMARC: Stop Email Spoofing of Your Domain
SPF lists the servers allowed to send mail for your domain, DKIM signs your messages, and DMARC tells receivers what to do with mail that fails those checks and sends you reports. Together they stop scammers from sending email in your domain's name.
Practice - Security4 min
How to Secure SSH on a Linux Server
Secure SSH means key-only login as a dedicated sudo user, root and password login disabled, fail2ban against brute force, a firewall that limits who can connect, and regular log review. For critical servers, add a second factor such as a hardware security key.
Practice - Security4 min
Symmetric vs Asymmetric Encryption Explained Simply
Symmetric encryption uses one key to both lock and unlock data — fast, but the key must be shared safely. Asymmetric encryption uses a key pair: a public key to encrypt or verify signatures and a private key to decrypt or sign. In practice they are combined: asymmetric crypto agrees on a key, symmetric crypto encrypts the data.
Basics - Security4 min
Threat Modeling with STRIDE: A Step-by-Step Guide for Teams
Threat modeling with STRIDE means sketching how data moves through your system, marking where trust changes, asking six standard questions about each element and turning the real risks into prioritized backlog tasks before code is written.
Advanced - Security4 min
Hardening TLS: Protocols, Cipher Suites and an A+ SSL Labs Score
Allow only TLS 1.2 and 1.3, keep only ECDHE key exchange with AEAD ciphers, serve the full certificate chain and add HSTS — that combination removes the usual SSL Labs warnings and is the standard path to an A+ grade.
Advanced - Security4 min
Uzbekistan Personal Data Law: What Websites and Apps Must Do
If your website or app collects data of Uzbek citizens, you must obtain their consent, store that data on servers in Uzbekistan, register the database in the state register, and protect it with organizational and technical measures.
Basics - Security4 min
How to Verify Webhook Signatures with HMAC and Prevent Spoofing
Recompute the HMAC of the raw request body (and timestamp) with your shared secret, compare it to the signature in constant time, reject old timestamps and repeated event IDs, and only then trust and process the webhook.
Practice - Security4 min
Website Hacked: A Step-by-Step Incident Response Plan
If your site is hacked, do not delete everything in a panic: first limit the damage and keep a copy for analysis, then find how the attacker got in, restore from a clean source, rotate every password and key, notify users if required and ask search engines to review the site.
Practice - Security4 min
Website Security Checklist Before Launch
Before launch, enforce HTTPS and security headers, lock down the admin panel, remove default accounts and debug mode, update everything, protect forms, and make sure backups restore and errors reach you.
Practice - Security4 min
What Are Passkeys and Will They Replace Passwords
A passkey is a pair of cryptographic keys that replaces a password: the private key stays on your device and unlocks with a fingerprint, face or PIN, the site keeps only the public key, and a fake site cannot use it, so phishing and password leaks stop working.
Basics - Security4 min
Business Email Compromise: How CEO and Invoice Fraud Works
BEC attackers write as a CEO or supplier asking to pay an invoice urgently or change bank details; the defense is a simple rule that any new or changed details are confirmed by calling a known number and approved by a second person.
Basics - Security3 min
What Is Clickjacking and How to Prevent It on Your Website
Clickjacking loads your site in an invisible iframe over a decoy, so users click your button while thinking they click something else. Prevent it by forbidding framing with the CSP frame-ancestors and X-Frame-Options headers.
Basics - Security4 min
What Is CSRF and How to Protect Your Web Application
CSRF is an attack where another site makes a user's browser send a request to your app along with their cookies. Defend with a CSRF token or Origin check on every state-changing request, and use SameSite cookies as an extra layer.
Basics - Security4 min
What Is a DDoS Attack and How It Takes Websites Down
A DDoS attack is a flood of traffic from thousands of compromised devices that saturates your bandwidth, network equipment or the application itself, so the site stops responding to real users. The defense is filtering traffic before it reaches your server: CDN, anti-DDoS and rate limiting.
Basics - Security4 min
What Is HSTS and How to Enable It Safely
HSTS is a response header that tells the browser to use only HTTPS for your domain for a set period, which blocks downgrade attacks; enable it gradually, raising max-age step by step and adding includeSubDomains and preload only after every subdomain works over HTTPS.
Practice - Security4 min
What Is ISO 27001 and Does Your Company Need Certification
ISO 27001 is the international standard for an information security management system (ISMS); certification is worth it when clients, tenders or partners explicitly require it, and otherwise a lighter policy set modeled on it is often enough.
Basics - Security4 min
What Is Penetration Testing and How It Is Done
A penetration test is an authorized, simulated attack in which specialists try to break into your system within an agreed scope, then hand over a report with proven vulnerabilities, their impact and how to fix them.
Basics - Security4 min
What Is Social Engineering: Pretexting, Vishing and Baiting Explained
Social engineering attacks people rather than systems: the attacker creates urgency or fakes authority so you hand over a code, access or a door yourself. The defence is the habit of pausing and verifying through your own channel.
Basics - Security4 min
What Is SQL Injection and How Attackers Exploit It
SQL injection is a vulnerability where user input becomes part of a SQL query and changes what it does. Attackers use it to bypass login, dump the database and delete data; the root cause is string concatenation instead of parameterized queries.
Basics - Security4 min
SSRF Attacks: How Server-Side Request Forgery Works
SSRF is a flaw where an attacker makes your server send a request to an address of their choosing, such as the internal network or the cloud metadata service. Defend in layers: URL allowlists, IP checks after DNS resolution, isolated egress and IMDSv2.
Advanced - Security4 min
What Is Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) and Why Turn It On
Two-factor authentication asks for a second proof of identity, such as a code from your phone, on top of the password, so a stolen password alone no longer opens the account; turn it on first for email, Google or Apple, banking and Telegram.
Basics - Security4 min
What Is a Web Application Firewall (WAF) and Do You Need One
A WAF is a filter in front of your site that inspects HTTP requests and blocks common attacks such as SQL injection and XSS. It lowers risk but does not replace updates or secure code, and it pays off mainly for sites with forms, user accounts, payments or high visibility.
Basics - Security3 min
What Is XSS: Cross-Site Scripting Types and Examples
XSS is a vulnerability that lets someone else's JavaScript run on your site in a user's browser. The core defense is encoding all data on output for its context: HTML, attribute, URL or script.
Basics - Security4 min
WordPress Security: How to Harden Your Site Step by Step
Most WordPress hacks come through outdated plugins and weak passwords, not the core. Keep everything updated, run a small set of vetted plugins, protect login with 2FA and attempt limits, disable the file editor and unused XML-RPC, set sane permissions and keep off-site backups.
Practice - Security4 min
Zero Trust Security: What It Means and How to Start
Zero Trust means no user or device is trusted just for being inside the network: every request to a resource is checked against identity, device health and context. You start with an inventory, single sign-on with MFA and protecting your most valuable systems, not by buying a box.
Advanced
Have an idea or a task? Tell us about it
We'll reply within one business day and propose a solution. The consultation is free.