Geology, at its most elemental level, is the study of pressure and time. It’s a look at an ever changing landscape that most of the time we only see on its surface. Layers built upon layers that all wrap themselves around the inner core. No layer is exhaustive in its scope. With the right tools you can bore through each layer, carefully avoiding the impenetrable rock deposits that stand to stop your drilling in its tracks.

Security is geology in the digital age. Layers of defenses keep the curious at bay but just like geology it’s only a matter of pressure and time. The landscape shifts, the rock that was once protecting the inner core is displaced, and the most sensitive part of the system is exposed. For the curious, the exposure of each of those layers is a worthwhile pursuit. With careful excavation we can learn from the weaknesses within each layer and pave the way for stronger and more durable defenses.

I look at any new prospect like I would the surface of the moon. While the surface is varied and distinctive at its most fundamental it’s still a cold, colorless, gray. The details at first seem minor but after some careful study you begin to see nuance and subtlety. The lines and the shapes give way to the changes in elevation. The details come together to tell a story of how the surface got it’s scars. With each blemish you can go deeper in both the layers of the outer crust and your level of understanding of the entity as a whole.

Soon you understand the inner workings of your target. You can see how the system was designed and what weaknesses were left behind for you to discover. With this blog I aim to do many things but most of all I want to document my path as I examine the many targets out in the universe. I will post here from time to time my general thoughts and excavations about topics largely focused on technology but from time to time I may stray into other topics.