jmbmxer's comments

jmbmxer | 8 years ago | on: Ask HN: Do you have a side project that you would like to sell?

My little Chrome extension https://unshorten.link has had a growing user base for several years now. Like a few others in this thread, my strengths don't necessarily lie in advertising or marketing. I'd be open to bringing on a partner who has experience monetizing and marketing projects like this or even selling outright to the right buyer.

jmbmxer | 9 years ago | on: The closest I've ever come to falling for a Gmail phishing attack

As a security professional, I'm wired to loathe shortened links. This is a great example and exactly why I created a little hobby Chrome extension to expand all shortened links for inspection - https://unshorten.link

jmbmxer | 9 years ago | on: Ask HN: What simple tools or products are you most proud of making?

It'll expand a goo.gl link which would then display the Grabify link. The extension does not support Grabify but will certainly be adding it. I'm not a fan at all of these IP trackers.

jmbmxer | 9 years ago | on: Ask HN: What simple tools or products are you most proud of making?

This is a great tip. I had no idea this existed.

jmbmxer | 9 years ago | on: Ask HN: What simple tools or products are you most proud of making?

It's in the works!

jmbmxer | 9 years ago | on: Ask HN: What simple tools or products are you most proud of making?

https://unshorten.link

I work in security and have a paranoia of shortened links (bit.ly, t.co). I got frustrated with the options out there that forced me to right click every shortened link or paste it into a site so I made this Chrome extension / web app. It is pretty simple and keeps a list of 300+ shortened link services to check against. If your browser ever visits one it redirects you to the site to expand the link. It will also hit the Google Safebrowsing API to see if it is known to be malware plus will strip out tracking cookies.

It's been fun and rewarding watching my little extension grow to global use of over 4k users.

jmbmxer | 11 years ago | on: Joker – Torrents to streamable video

I work in security and have been running into more and more issues with these types of Torrent streaming services. People at work mostly know that downloading a BitTorrent client, seeding, leeching, etc. is bad but they have no idea that these streaming applications are doing the same exact thing behind the scenes. They just see it as a way to watch free movies. Keep your employees informed about this and tighten up your policies because DMCA laws apply.

jmbmxer | 11 years ago | on: Show HN: Unshorten.link – Automatically intercept and expand shortened links

Couldn't agree more. Side project that I wanted to share but apparently wasn't show ready with my spelling and prose. Fixed and thanks for the suggestion!

jmbmxer | 11 years ago | on: Show HN: Unshorten.link – Automatically intercept and expand shortened links

This is a weekend project because I am in the security industry and got sick of being terrified of every shortened link I come across. The Chrome extension will automatically intercept any request to a shortened link and attempt to expand it for further inspection. I also included a link to Google's Safebrowsing service to dig deeper. I'm not very UX savvy so be easy on me.

jmbmxer | 11 years ago | on: DEF CON Cancellation: An Open Letter

"Professionals have professional credentials. If you want to participate in the security industry, you should obtain the appropriate certifications. ISC2, SANS, EC-Council and many vendors offer well regarded security certifications."

Most definitely a fake. CISSP != Security Professional

jmbmxer | 11 years ago | on: Show HN: HackerBody – A Geek’s Guide to Getting in Shape

No HTTPS on login or signup pages? You lost me at hello.

jmbmxer | 12 years ago | on: Show HN: Beander, a platform for micro-roasters

I am a micro roaster myself an I will say that there is a huge need for me to find quality coffee in quantities that are manageable for my equally "micro" side business. I think that the homepage does not do a great job of describing the service or who it is for. I could see some simple images and text or a video replacing the actual product on the homepage. Details about each of the beans is also lacking. Do you guys have coffee experts on the team? The "About Us" page is very ambiguous..looks like a bunch of tech guys. I am excited to see where this goes!

jmbmxer | 12 years ago | on: Ask HN: Best place to sell unused domains?

You could always donate them - http://www.domains4good.org/

I haven't used it personally but seems like something worth checking out.

jmbmxer | 12 years ago | on: Ask HN: Your First Technical (Security consulting) Interview

I've worked in Infosec for over 4 years and have been on both sides of the interview process. I have only a few high level pointers.

1. If you are passionate, show it. If you want to work in the security industry you have to really nerd out on this stuff and not treat it like a day job that "pays the bills".

2. Don't BS about technical answers. If you don't know the answer to something, that is OK. A good interviewer would rather you walk them through the steps you would take to find the answer than completely make one up. Big no-no.

3. I don't know what position you are applying for but you should be expected to know some basics about attack vectors, defenses, security strategies, and general computing. Brush up on your scripting skills while you are at it. Python is my language of choice. Bash scripting is also highly desired.

4. Don't regurgitate a list of tools you know. Pick a few that you have used and explain how you used them..anyone can run an Nmap scan but what do the results mean?

5. Be friendly and approachable. This goes with any job interview but just a reminder.

6. Don't stress it too much. It's impossible to anticipate every little detail of every question that will be asked. Be yourself and most of all, be curious.

Hope this helps! Feel free to PM me with specifics and GOOD LUCK! Hope too see ya at the next con.

jmbmxer | 12 years ago | on: Ask HN: About to launch a web app, am I missing anything?

Yeah, good point about getting some consultation. I am not expecting huge returns for quite some time (if any) so I will launch first and ask questions later. Thanks for the input!

jmbmxer | 12 years ago | on: Ask HN: About to launch a web app, am I missing anything?

First, thank you for the thoughtful feedback. Second, pitcher.io looks great, it inspired me to think about some potential features.

I have spent the last two days doing some research and visiting lots of "paid" web applications and I came to the conclusion that maybe having a way for customers to try out the application without even having to sign up is a great way to gain traction. I am still considering a very limited "free" version but will for sure be focusing on the paid tiers even if they are relatively inexpensive upon release.

Oh yea, Stripe seems to be the way to go for my application.

Best of luck to you and pitcher.io!