Archive for March, 2009

Mar 10, 2009

Merging on a Mac

Automator

If you've ever tried to merge two folders together on OSX then you'll be familiar with this problem. On Windows when you drag a folder into another it gives you the option to replace or merge any identically named files or folders. This option isn't present on OSX, instead it only gives you the option to replace.

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Mar 10, 2009

Naughty Naughty

As reported on the register - grey hat hackers discovered an SQL injection vulnerability in the Daily Telegraph property website. Not only did their website allow malacious users to access information stored in their website but the site was storing users passwords in plain text.  I am finding it hard to believe that there are developers out there who aren't aware of the best practice for storing passwords.  Even if your site and database are secure you are taking a huge risk with someone else's private data,  so many users share password across sites that if your site needs a password you have a responsibility to ensure that your user authentication does not rely on the storage of a password in plain text.

Use of SHA1 plus salt is current best practise for storing passwords and something we use in all of our development work.

Mar 4, 2009

Can ITV Do Digital?

Whilst today’s results from ITV will largely be blamed on the economic downturn and subsequent reduction in advertising spend, it’s clear that the figures are also a symptom of the company’s failure to stay ahead of the curve as the whole media landscape has evolved.  Since the failure of ITV Digital, the company has been slow to react to new opportunities presented by emerging technology such as video on demand and social networking in order to provide innovative digital content around its programming and extend its advertising inventory.
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