Hello, I'm   Jason

A group of 7 researchers have been able to successfully hack an MD5 encrypted security certificate. While this is a critical security risk, most security certificates do not use MD5 encryption in their generating processes. The more common security certificate and digital signature encryption type is SHA-1. One thing you’ll note is that the attack is on PKI as MD5 is a crypto hashing algorithm and not an encryption type.

While we’re still around the holidays, I figured I’d continue my break from actual dev content and review one of the gifts I received this holiday season. My wife picked up a Keurig B70 (Platinum); a single cup coffee/tea brewing system made by Keurig, a subsidiary of Green Mountain Coffee. I wasn’t sure what to expect being that I’m a huge Starbucks fan. However, I was quite surprised. Here’s my quick wish list for Keurig:

This is one of my favorite times of the year. It’s a busy time of the year, but it’s fun. If you’re not into the holidays, chances are you’re too busy and you need a vacation. Even the busiest individuals can enjoy the holidays. Since I was little, I was always fascinated with Christmas lights and decorations. (1980’s photograph will be inserted at a later date)

User groups, blogs, and community forums exist because of the community. Our User Group, .NET Valley, alone has received thousands of dollars worth of software, books, food, and more over the years to attract members and thank them for coming to our events. It’s time for us to collectively do our part. Many of my colleagues including Scott Watermasysk and Steve Andrews have already issued similar requests and the response has been great so far.

I’ve been quite busy working on a side project in which I’ll post more details very soon. However, I came across the two latest ASP.NET Podcasts in which I thought I’d share:

Have you ever needed to connect to a PC using Remote Desktop to either check something out or to install a better remote connectivity software like VNC? A couple years ago, IntelliAdmin created an application to install remote desktop from a remote PC. I’ve used it several times and it has come in quite handy. Download it at http://www.intelliadmin.com.

The Microsoft Small Business Solutions team is at it again. There will be several events in the Mid-Atlantic region through March of 2009 that will have some content. You can find out more by visiting the official website at http://sbstechnologymakeover.com.

For those not at the MSDN Freedom Roadshow in Scranton, PA today, you are missed a good show. Here’s what happened:

Microsoft announced Microsoft BizSpark. The BizSpark program provides software, support, and visibility for start-up companies. The restriction includes that a business can qualify if they have been in business for less than 3 years, be privately held, and have less than $1 million in annual revenue.

The local MSDN team (Lindsay, Dani, and David) will be at Scranton University on November 14th all day giving some awesome talks! If you think you’ll be in the area and want to stop by, be sure to register today! For more details about the event, be sure to visit .NET Valley.