⌘K

Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity

Proactive intrusion prevention, CrowdSec threat intelligence, and reverse proxy defence.

All Privacy Hardware NAS ZFS Reverse Proxy SWAG Plex Media Server Self-Hosting CrowdSec Fail2Ban Cybersecurity Networking Jellyfin Docker Automation

Cinematic server rack with glowing electric cyan routing and holographic firewall shield deflecting exploit payloads. — Cybersecurity Threat Intel: PHP RCE and Tailscale disclosures in homelab environments.

Cybersecurity Threat Intel: What the Critical PHP RCEs and Tailscale Disclosures Mean for Homelabbers

The past 72 hours delivered a brutal one-two punch: critical PHP RCEs ('php2shell') followed by a 12-hour-old Tailscale SSH socket vulnerability disclosure. Here is my technical breakdown and how I hardened my homelab.

A screenshot showing output of CrowdSec's WAF Setup and running live! — CrowdSec's WAF Setup and running live!

How to Deploy CrowdSec AppSec (WAF) with SWAG in Docker

Learn how to successfully deploy CrowdSec's Web Application Firewall behind a LinuxServer SWAG reverse proxy across a Docker Macvlan without getting 'connection refused' errors.

OPNsense logs on the left, showing my reverse proxy rules working and SWAG nginx logs on the right, showing allowed traffic passing cleanly.

Is Port Forwarding Safe? How to Expose Your Homelab Without Getting Hacked (2026)

Banish the homelab boogeyman. Learn why port forwarding isn't inherently dangerous, and how to safely expose your self-hosted apps to the internet using reverse proxies, CrowdSec, and TLS.

Authelia: Centralized MFA for Self-Hosted Services

Stop exposing unsecured apps. Learn how to deploy Authelia in Docker with a KeyDB backend and SWAG to enforce centralized Multi-Factor Authentication.

Shodan.io map view of Toronto & area, Canada showing detected IPV4 & IPV6 addresses.

How to Scan and Pentest Your Homelab (2026 Guide)

Stop guessing if your self-hosted infrastructure is secure. Use Shodan, Greenbone OpenVAS in Docker, and Trivy to audit your homelab like a professional.

Digital rendering of my 10+ yr old hand me down Alienware X51 R3 PC running OPNsense, 'ghosting' my WAN IP to the scanners. — Ghosting the Scanners with my 10+yr old hand me down Alienware X51 R3.

Beyond Default Deny: Reducing Attack Surface & Exposure in 2026

Stop Shodan and Censys from mapping your network. Learn how to use OPNsense 26.1, CrowdSec, and Divert Mode to achieve true Security through Obscurity in 2026.

Cyberpunk illustration of OPNsense with Suricata, featuring a vigilant meerkat guarding glowing data streams and detecting threats in real time. — Cyberpunk-style OPNsense + Suricata guardian watching network traffic, symbolizing real-time intrusion detection and prevention.

OPNsense IDS/IPS in 26.4+: Suricata, Inline vs Divert Mode

Learn how to configure Suricata IDS/IPS in OPNsense 26.4+. Compare Inline vs Divert mode, optimize performance, and secure your self-hosted services.

A macro shot in a dark server room shows an Ethernet cable plugged into a NIC, featuring a "Digital Fortress" maintenance log overlay with an OPNsense upgrade progress bar at 88% complete.

Upgrading to OPNsense 26.1

The jump to OPNsense 26.1 changes how DHCP and DNS interact. Learn how to navigate Kea migration, fix subnet mask mismatches, and resolve Android Wi-Fi errors.

Conceptual network command center. Left display: OPNsense 1.5Gbps throughput and low latency. Right display: AdGuard Home stats and active IDS/IPS shield for threat detection. — Total network control, visualized. See your OPNsense throughput, AdGuard Home stats, and real-time IDS/IPS alerts in a sleek, futuristic interface.

Advanced OPNsense Networking: Cloudflare Bypass, DNS/NTP Hijacking & SQM

Learn advanced OPNsense routing techniques including Cloudflare proxy bypass, DNS/NTP interception, and SQM bufferbloat fixes for high-performance homelab networks.

Grafana dashboard showing a global threat map of cyberattacks and a top 5 attackers bar gauge parsed from OPNsense firewall and NGINX Docker logs. — 🌍 Active Intelligence: A real-time global threat map and "Attacker Leaderboard" generated from OPNsense firewall blocks and NGINX access logs using the Grafana-Loki-Promtail (GLP) stack.

Building a Homelab Mini-SIEM with Grafana, Loki, and Promtail

Stop guessing and start visualizing. Turn siloed OPNsense and NGINX logs into a real-time threat map with the lightweight GLP stack. Includes GeoIP and Discord alerts.

A glowing blue digital processor shield protects a server from a stream of red "malware" skulls. The shield filters the traffic, allowing only safe green packets to pass. — CrowdSec acts as an invisible, proactive shield, using community intelligence to vaporize threats before they even touch your server.

CrowdSec Installed but Showing No Decisions? Here's Why That's Normal

Installed CrowdSec and seeing “No active decisions”? Learn how to verify CrowdSec is working, inspect metrics, investigate alerts, and whitelist trusted IPs.

Cyberpunk mascot sitting on snowy server racks, smiling at a red hologram reading 'CORE LAB UPDATES'. She wears tactical gear and clear glasses. — Fresh hardware, new tools, and "Dirty Snow"—it's been a busy week at the Core Lab.

Fantastic Friday: Dirty Snow, The Digital Vault & The Advanced Malware Threat

A 2026 hardware refresh, the Dirty Snow build, major guide overhauls, and why you might want to check your Docker containers today.