Vulnerability assessment vs penetration test: What’s the difference?

Dave Farquhar security
Vulnerability assessment vs penetration test: What’s the difference?

You can expect any midlevel or higher security certification test to require you to compare and contrast a vulnerability assessment vs penetration test. The difference is important. But since I still see people confusing the two, let me explain them.

I conduct vulnerability assessments for a living. I’ve done some light pentesting in the past, but I’m happier doing assessments. I don’t want to be a penetration tester. That seems strange to some people. Maybe that gives me a good perspective to compare and contrast the two, because both have their uses. But they aren’t interchangeable.

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Small leak in a basement wall: a DIY fix

Dave Farquhar DIY
Small leak in a basement wall: a DIY fix

A small leak in a basement wall can scare people off. It looks like it should be an expensive repair and a precursor to all sorts of other problems. But there’s a DIY repair for a small basement leak that is easy, inexpensive, and effective.

If the basement wall has severe cracks, you probably need to bring in a professional. Assuming the wall hasn’t moved, you’re looking at a couple hundred dollars to have a professional fix it. If the walls are moving, that’s a bigger issue and definitely needs professional help. But you can fix small leaks yourself cheaply and easily, especially if it’s a chip, not a crack.

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Cleanbrowsing.org review

Dave Farquhar security
Cleanbrowsing.org review

I’ve advocated using something other than your ISP’s DNS for years. There’s little if any downside to doing so, and tons of upside. My current favorite third-party DNS is Cleanbrowsing.org because it does so much to improve performance and security. Here’s my Cleanbrowsing.org review.

First things first: Don’t worry about how much Cleanbrowsing.org costs. It has useful tiers available as a free service, even though it’s tremendously valuable.

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SSD not detected in BIOS? Try this.

Dave Farquhar Hardware
SSD not detected in BIOS? Try this.

Have I got one weird trick for you. I spent most of a night fighting an SSD not detected in BIOS problem, and the answer was simple. But weird. Even for a guy who once recovered the data off a broken USB thumb drive with two clothespins.

But my clothespins trick was temporary. This is a long-term fix, even if it lacks something in the professionalism department. MacGyver-style computer fixes can be fun.

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How to print from a Chromebook to an HP printer

Dave Farquhar Hardware
How to print from a Chromebook to an HP printer

Setting up a printer on a Chromebook is quite a bit different from what you’re used to on a Mac or Windows PC. Google provides cloud printing and similar functionality to make it easy, but it doesn’t work with all printers, especially older printers. Believe it or not, new Chromebooks work great with ancient HP Laserjets. So here’s what I learned about how to print from a Chromebook to an HP printer.

It’s not super user friendly but this is still fairly new functionality. It works well if you know the trick. And this is important. I like Chromebooks. But you won’t like Chromebooks if you can’t do the stuff you want on them. Not everyone does a ton of printing anymore, but printing is basic functionality that people expect to be able to do. You won’t care how secure a Chromebook is if you can’t do basic functions.

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