hacknix.net

The original record

Historical articles

Selected technical writing from the original Hacknix site, preserved for what it records rather than rewritten to resemble current advice.

Dates and article bodies are from the historical WordPress publication. Where time has exposed an error, changed the surrounding technology or altered my conclusion, a separately labelled 2026 note says so.

  1. Glue records and the demise of easily.co.uk

    A short operational note about glue records and retaining control of domain infrastructure.

  2. The recent "cyber attack" and the implications on the healthcare industry.

    A 2017 healthcare-security article retained with an explicit correction and architectural retrospective.

  3. Hytera MD65X DMR Mobile Radio - Review

    A practical DMR mobile-radio review, retained as part of the communications and radio archive.

  4. Online TLS key generation.

    A concise argument about private-key custody and the trust implied by key generation.

  5. Banks and other organisations are irresponsible to ask for personal details over the 'phone.

    A historical note on authentication asymmetry, social engineering and the limits of caller identity.

  6. Diaspora* - a new social media platform

    An early look at federation, user-controlled hosting and avoiding unnecessary central control.

  7. Facebook integration - disabled

    A small practical decision to remove third-party integration because of tracking concerns.

  8. The first step towards avoiding internet censorship and control (alternative DNS Roots, opennic and why you should care)

    A historical technical and policy argument about DNS roots, concentration of control and OpenNIC.

  9. IPv6 is here to stay but are vendors taking it seriously?

    Operational experience of incomplete IPv6 support and vendor interoperability problems.

  10. Letter to my MP about the Communications Data Bill

    A security, forensic and proportionality critique of the proposed Communications Data Bill.

  11. Reply from Experian about their Web Monitoring Tool

    Experian's response, preserved to complete the evidence and correspondence sequence.

  12. Email sent to Experian about Web Montoring Tool

    The questions sent to Experian following the original privacy and security analysis.

  13. New Experian service a risk to your privacy and personal security?

    A 2012 examination of profiling, privacy, identity verification, retention and third-party data use.

  14. Qsmtp - all new, improved qmail.

    Hands-on Qmail modification and integration involving IPv6, recipient validation, SPF and DNS blocklists.

  15. IPv6 switchover - are corporates taking it seriously?

    An early look at IPv6 transition planning, technical debt and the organisational consequences of delay.

  16. Mailserver IPv6 Upgrade

    A brief operational record of moving DNS, SMTP, HTTP and IMAP services onto IPv6.

  17. Qmail update.

    A short note recording IPv6 work on the Hacknix mail infrastructure.

  18. Hi. Welcome to hacknix.net.

    The original Hacknix introduction and a contemporary statement of its technical and security identity.