security - ITNotes

Ditch the Password Sticky Notes: Deploying Authentik SSO in Your HomeLab

April 4, 2026

Tired of re-typing passwords for 15 different apps? Learn how to deploy Authentik to centralize your HomeLab security with SSO and Multi-Factor Authentication.

Security

Watching the Hackers: Building an SSH Honeypot with Cowrie

April 3, 2026

I ran an SSH honeypot for six months and captured 50GB of logs. Here is how you can use Cowrie to monitor real-world attackers and improve your Linux security.

Security

Secure Data Deletion on Linux: Why ‘rm’ Isn’t Enough and How to Fix It

April 2, 2026

Think 'rm' deletes your files? Think again. Discover how to use shred, wipe, and dd to permanently erase sensitive data on Linux and why SSDs require a different approach.

Networking

6 Months of Encrypted DNS on Linux: My Real-World Take on DoT and DoH

April 2, 2026

Secure your Linux DNS queries with DoT and DoH. This guide provides a 6-month review of production performance, including step-by-step setups for systemd-resolved and cloudflared.

HomeLab

VLANs for HomeLabs: Stop Letting Your Smart Fridge Talk to Your Servers

March 30, 2026

Is your HomeLab a security risk? Learn how to use VLANs and 802.1Q tagging to isolate experimental servers and IoT devices from your personal data.

Security

Hashing vs. Encryption: Why MD5, SHA-256, and Base64 Are Not Interchangeable

March 29, 2026

Don't confuse encoding with security. Learn when to use MD5 for checksums, SHA-256 for integrity, and why Base64 is never a substitute for encryption.

DevOps

Stop Hardcoding Passwords: A Guide to Secret Management in CI/CD and Kubernetes

March 29, 2026

Hardcoded passwords are a ticking time bomb. This guide explores professional secret management using HashiCorp Vault, AWS Secrets Manager, and Kubernetes injection patterns to secure your infrastructure.

Security

Centralized Authentication on Linux with FreeIPA: A Production Guide to User and Group Management

March 29, 2026

FreeIPA gives you centralized Kerberos SSO, LDAP-backed user management, HBAC policies, and sudo rules — all in one stack built for Linux. This guide compares auth approaches, covers the real trade-offs, and walks through a production-ready FreeIPA deployment step by step.

Networking

Cloudflare Tunnel: Securely Expose Internal Services Without Opening Firewall Ports

March 27, 2026

Picture this: It's 2 AM, and you need to expose an internal service. Opening firewall ports is a massive security risk, but Cloudflare Tunnel offers a secure, port-free solution. This guide details how to set it up, allowing you to safely publish web apps and SSH without compromising your network.

Networking

Tailscale: Simple Mesh VPN for Small Teams – A Practical Guide

March 26, 2026

Discover how Tailscale simplifies networking for small teams, providing secure and easy access to devices anywhere. This guide covers its mesh VPN approach, pros and cons, recommended setup, and a step-by-step implementation for seamless connectivity.