Most Linux users come across the ! symbol in only two situations: when they learn the sudo !! shortcut, or when a password containing an exclamation mark inside double quotes causes the event not found error. Everything else that ! can do often goes unnoticed for years. The reason is that ! actually has two completely different purposes in Bash. In an interactive terminal, it is used for history expansion, which lets you quickly recall, reuse, and edit commands you’ve already run. In tests, patterns, and parameter expansion, ! is used for logical negation, and this works in both interactive…
Author: drweb
TL;DR — Key Takeaways Add four automated security gates to every push and pull request. Use npm audit and Snyk to detect vulnerable Node.js dependencies before release. Scan containers with Trivy and analyse application code with CodeQL. Run OWASP ZAP against the live application after the first three checks pass. Document false positives with owners, reasons and expiry dates rather than disabling security controls. The tools are free or have free options, making stronger CI/CD security accessible without an enterprise licence. A security researcher filed a report against our Node.js API two years ago. The vulnerability was prototype pollution in…
Checking .bash_history after the fact, it only shows the commands a user typed, and that’s only if they didn’t clear the history. A user can erase it with a single command, leaving no trace unless you already have logging enabled somewhere they can’t access. If you need to see what users are doing on a shared system right now, or you need a record that remains even if someone tries to hide their activity, Bash history isn’t the right tool. Let’s look at how to monitor user activity in real time, and which tools you can use when you need…
I work on Docker Sandboxes, so I spend a lot of time talking about isolation, microVMs, disposable filesystems, blast radii, all the good infrastructure things. But the Docker Sandboxes feature I keep reaching for in daily use is kits. Kits sound like a packaging detail until you try to use a sandbox for real work. An empty sandbox is a good boundary. It’s also (eventually) ephemeral and empty, and that combination means annoyance and repeated setup work. The agent gets a clean filesystem, a baseline restricted network, and a clean credentials environment. Then it immediately needs gcloud, Java, Maven, some…
A SQL Server deadlock occurs when sessions form a cycle of dependencies and none can continue. This example lets you create the cycle, inspect it, and remove it.Transaction (Process ID 57) was deadlocked on lock resources with another process and has been chosen as the deadlock victim. Rerun the transaction.SQL Server resolves the cycle by choosing one transaction as the victim, rolling it back, and returning error 1205. The surviving transaction can then continue.The two transactionsDemo compatibility: This demo is intended for SQL Server versions or databases where optimized locking is disabled. On SQL Server 2025 and Azure SQL platforms,…
Both SMBs and large enterprises often choose software development outsourcing over developing software in-house. It is no surprise, as partnering with external developers enables companies to bridge IT talent gaps that cannot be filled internally, avoid time-consuming recruiting and training processes, and eliminate expenses associated with salaries and benefits, eventually accelerating software delivery and reducing development costs.While software development outsourcing can be highly advantageous from the business perspective, it also introduces various risks, ranging from diminished project control to provider lock-in and security-related issues. Managing these risks proactively is critical to preventing them from escalating, minimizing their impact on the…
Title: Software EngineerSalary range: $110,000-$150,000Experience required: 5+ yearsLocation: Remote/US EasternLast updated: July 23, 2026 Hello there! We’re Geocodio, a data-as-a-service company that makes it delightfully boring and straightforward for anyone to get geocoordinates, corrected addresses, calculate distance, and enrich their location data. Our customers tell us “it just works” and our NPS score of 88 tells us they’re pretty happy with it.We’ve built a sustainable, profitable, happy little company over the past 12+ years and we pride ourselves on punching far above our weight. Our customers range from students working with geographic data for the first time to utility companies…
Adding images to a website is a pretty straightforward task. You grab your link, and you summon the image element like below: <img src=”your_link” alt=”image content”>Code language: HTML, XML (xml) Then, you add your favorite CSS, and you have a nice-looking image! What if I tell you that the most common element is hiding some secrets? You have been working with images for too long, but you have probably never noticed the little quirks I will show you here. Think I am exaggerating? Follow along, and you will see! An Image Can Overflow If you inspect the CSS code of…
I have been experimenting with MCP servers in a few ways, and pressing on our Redgate Monitor team to add one to their system. They did, started adding tools, and are continuing to work. I’m excited.Here’s a quick look at the MCP server for Redgate Monitor (preview in July 2026).This is part of a series of posts on Redgate Monitor. Click to see the other posts.Getting StartedI’m not going to bore you with the setup and configuration. You do need to be on a 14.23 or later as the version. Your account rep can get you setup instructions, which are…
Jul 31, 2026 Docker OIDC connections for GitHub Actions available for Docker Orgs Eliminate Stored Credentials in Your CI/CD Pipelines TL;DR: Docker now supports OpenID Connect (OIDC) for GitHub Actions. Your workflows can authenticate with short-lived, per-run tokens instead of stored PATs or OATs. No secrets to rotate, no credentials to leak. GitHub OIDC connections are available to organizations with Docker Team, Docker Business, or Docker Hardened Images… Greg Mondello and Dan Stelzer Read now