London, UK >  Weekly writing on technology, business, and culture from a cyber security professional with a background in journalism – sceptical, but never cynical. Start here →
📓 Field Notes is my monthly newsletter with personal observations and ideas that don't make it to the blog. Subscribe →

Recent blog posts

AWS: Deploying and connecting to a SQL database in the cloud
AWS: Deploying and connecting to a SQL database in the cloud
 -  My first Amazon Web Services (AWS) basics post covered the process of setting up a Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) and a Windows Server 2019 EC2 instance. This time we’re going to build on this simple setup by deploying a Amazon Aurora SQL database an...
AWS: Deploying a virtual network and server in the cloud
AWS: Deploying a virtual network and server in the cloud
 -  Having worked on serveral projects involving Amazon Web Services (AWS) recently, but always at arm’s length, I decided to get a bit more hands-on. At worst this would give me a more practical grounding in managing cloud instances, and at best it w...
Cracking a password-protected ZIP file with fcrackzip
Cracking a password-protected ZIP file with fcrackzip
 -  I recently took part in a DFIR capture the flag with some colleagues. Participants were provided with a system disk image and asked to mount it and complete a number of challenges to discover various flags hidden within the data. Exercises like th...
Network connections and packet crafting on the Linux command line
Network connections and packet crafting on the Linux command line
 -  The problem with taking leave during a pandemic is that there are very few places you can go that don’t present an unnecessary risk. For me at least, the thought of taking a plane abroad wasn’t appealing, and neither were the Tube journeys that wo...
Technicolor TG582n router: The missing event logging manual
Technicolor TG582n router: The missing event logging manual
 -  What started as curiosity has turned into something of a labour of love. Online information about the Technicolor TG582n router’s event logging capabilities is scarce, and scattered across a number of forums. I’ve used that information along with ...
Welcome to a new website with a new philosophy
Welcome to a new website with a new philosophy
 -  You may have noticed that things have changed around here - I built a new website, following the ethos that it should be as clear, lightweight, and fast as possible while respecting visitors’ privacy by keeping outside scripts and tracking to a mi...
Why virtual cyber security conferences should be the new normal
Why virtual cyber security conferences should be the new normal
 -  
SANS FOR508: I’m now a GIAC Certified Forensic Analyst
SANS FOR508: I’m now a GIAC Certified Forensic Analyst
 -  
Setting up Pi-hole to rein in an extremely noisy Samsung Smart TV
Setting up Pi-hole to rein in an extremely noisy Samsung Smart TV
 -  
Long-form – HTTPS and VPNs: How private is your internet browsing?
Long-form – HTTPS and VPNs: How private is your internet browsing?
 -  
About MattCASmith About MattCASmith MattCASmith feed MattCASmith feed Email MattCASmith Email MattCASmith MattCASmith on X MattCASmith on X MattCASmith on Bluesky MattCASmith on Bluesky