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Central Line – is it time to replace the nearly 30 year old stock?

This week I’ve been travelling on London Underground rather than South Western Railway, and there are a number of observations I have to make:

  • South Western Railway doesn’t have the monopoly on delays. We’ve had passengers taken ill, or defective trains across a number of days which has lead to me arriving late in Wimbledon despite leaving plenty of time to allow for such incidents.
  • The Central Line has sections of track which emit deafening high-pitch squealing as the train passes over it. It’s like somebody dragging their claws down a blackboard. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s loud enough that it could ultimately affect people’s hearing if they’re regular commuters.
  • Shake, rattle and roll. Again, the Central Line has a section of track – between Mile End and Stratford – which has the effect of the train rattling around like a baby’s rattle when the train is going at a decent speed. For the poor saps inside the train, this is extremely uncomfortable and I nearly threw my back out during to a sharp jerk or three. I was sitting at the end of the carriage at the time. I like my insides as they are: neither shaken or stirred.
  • On a couple of days, when the Central Line train left the platform, it’d start and then violently stop. Then start. Then violently stop. And then start again, eventually picking up speed. I’ve a feeling this is the train’s safety mechanism kicking in – perhaps people are leaning against the door (because, of course, the idea is to cram as many people into these carriages like sardines despite the frequency in which the trains run). In any event, the jerking brought on by these stop-starts-stops-starts isn’t conductive to a healthy back.
  • Apple Watch and Apple Pay. A number of times the Apple Watch had difficulties with the barriers – causing a Seek Assistance or Use A Single Card. Attempting the process again resulted in success (unlike SWR’s terrible smart card system). Similar problems on London buses too.
  • People will NOT stop looking at their mobile phones. Man, these people are seriously addicted, and liable to cause accidents. Their eyes are glued to the screens before getting on the train, during the journey, and when getting off. And it’s the getting off part that’s the worst, because you are then stuck behind them and they ain’t going to be moving fast any time soon.

I remember when the current rolling stock for the Central Line was first introduced. It was around 1991 or 1992 when I was enrolled at Epping Forrest College studying for my BTEC, and we suddenly saw these futuristic trains replace the older stock from the time of the dinosaurs. Alas, now, these trains are now behaving like dinosaurs.

I have high praise for the District Line which has been flawless throughout. Bigger trains thanks to bigger tunnels, and walk through carriages results in a much more open environment. Oh, and I nearly forgot to mention proper air conditioning. Unlike the Central Line, where any kind of relief from the boiling temperatures of the train is best to stand against the carriage doorway with the window all the way down.

Next week: The Return of SWR.

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And ditch insecure and weak TLS ciphers or risk attack

SSL, or TLS as it should be called these days, is THE de rigueur of modern web site hosting. Well, not so much de rigueur, but more of a necessity. It’s not just about security (encryption between your web browser and the webserver), but SEO (search engine optimisation) requires an SSL/TLS certificate as search engines such as Google are prioritising SSL/TLS protected sites above non-secure sites (see http://www.bafta.org, an example of a web site which could – and indeed should – be using an encryption connection throughout, but doesn’t).

And it’s not just all about encryption. With the HTTP/2 protocol – assuming your web server supports it – can provide a number of improvements that can significantly boost the performance of your site as well.

SSL/TLS certificates used to cost a fortune and were difficult to manage. Every year or so, you’d have to create a new certificate signing request (and private key, if necessary) and then submit the CSR to an SSL vendor. You’d then have to verify you own the domain either by placing a text file on your website, or an entry in DNS. And you’d be paying a pretty penny in the process. And that’s just to protect one URL (or, in the case of most SSL vendors – actually two – one for a subdomain (such as ‘www’), and the other for the bare domain (such as ‘drake.org.uk’). If you wanted to protect a whole bunch of subdomains, you could buy a wildcard SSL certificate. These are even more expensive (though the cheapest I found was $45 per year), but can be deployed across multiple servers and hostnames under the same domain.

Then came along Let’s Encrypt. It’s a free certificate authority that issues free single hostname and wildcard SSL certificates. It’s easily automated and requires very little effort. Wildcard SSL certificates are relatively new – and most people end up issuing single domain certificates through the “certbot” utility.

But it’s just as easy to get a wildcard cert which can be renewed automatically. Usually, like me, you’d run certbot with the –nginx command which sorts out your nginx configuration for you. But if you wanted a wildcard certificate instead, it requires a bit extra work:

certbot-auto certonly --manual --preferred-challenges=dns \
--email [email protected] \
--server https://acme-v02.api.letsencrypt.org/directory \
--agree-tos -d *.wombats-are-cool.com

You’ll then be prompted by certbot to add a DNS entry to your domain (in this example, wombats-are-cool.com) and then it’ll go off and verify it exists and issue the certificate. Keep your DNS TTL record for a quick resolution.

Once issued, you’d just alter your nginx server block with:

ssl_certificate /etc/letsencrypt/live/wombats-are-cool.com/fullchain.pem; # managed by Certbot

ssl_certificate_key /etc/letsencrypt/live/wombats-are-cool.com/privkey.pem; # managed by Certbot

Then shove the following in /etc/crontab:

0 0,12 * * * root python -c 'import random; import time; time.sleep(random.random() * 3600)' && /usr/local/bin/certbot-auto renew

(add > /dev/null 2>&1 to taste)

A free wildcard SSL certificate which will automatically renew itself. An alternative to Let’s Encrypt is to use a WAF or CDN such as Cloudflare or Sucuri – both will offer to install a certificate at the edge (e.g. their servers – all traffic will go through their datacentres before being passed to your origin server). This requires a bit more set-up, especially if you want to the WAF/CDN to connect over HTTPS to the origin server. There are a number of approaches to this – including, ironically, using Let’s Encrypt.

Now, don’t forget to disable SSLv3, TLS v1.0 and v1.1 and use strong ciphers. Don’t do what many web site owners do, and accept any old nonsense.

In the following example (from a well known UK multi-media facility), the highlighted protocols are terribly insecure and will fail you in any vulnerability scan, and a temptation for intruders and automated bots. TLS v1.1 isn’t worth keeping around – I’ve been looking at the stats of a very high volume e-commerce web site shows that barely anybody uses it. I’ve configured many web sites to use TLS v1.2 at a minimum and it has had absolutely no impact on browser compatibility.

PORT STATE SERVICE
443/tcp open https
| ssl-enum-ciphers:
| SSLv3:
| ciphers:
| TLS_DHE_RSA_WITH_3DES_EDE_CBC_SHA (dh 2048) - C
| TLS_DHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA (dh 2048) - A
| TLS_DHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA (dh 2048) - A
| TLS_DHE_RSA_WITH_CAMELLIA_128_CBC_SHA (dh 2048) - A
| TLS_DHE_RSA_WITH_CAMELLIA_256_CBC_SHA (dh 2048) - A
| TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_3DES_EDE_CBC_SHA (secp256r1) - C
| TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA (secp256r1) - A
| TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA (secp256r1) - A
| TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_RC4_128_SHA (secp256r1) - C
| TLS_RSA_WITH_3DES_EDE_CBC_SHA (rsa 2048) - C
| TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA (rsa 2048) - A
| TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA (rsa 2048) - A
| TLS_RSA_WITH_CAMELLIA_128_CBC_SHA (rsa 2048) - A
| TLS_RSA_WITH_CAMELLIA_256_CBC_SHA (rsa 2048) - A
| TLS_RSA_WITH_RC4_128_SHA (rsa 2048) - C
| compressors:
| NULL
| cipher preference: client
| warnings:
| 64-bit block cipher 3DES vulnerable to SWEET32 attack
| Broken cipher RC4 is deprecated by RFC 7465
| CBC-mode cipher in SSLv3 (CVE-2014-3566)
| TLSv1.0:
| ciphers:
| TLS_DHE_RSA_WITH_3DES_EDE_CBC_SHA (dh 2048) - C
| TLS_DHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA (dh 2048) - A
| TLS_DHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA (dh 2048) - A
| TLS_DHE_RSA_WITH_CAMELLIA_128_CBC_SHA (dh 2048) - A
| TLS_DHE_RSA_WITH_CAMELLIA_256_CBC_SHA (dh 2048) - A
| TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_3DES_EDE_CBC_SHA (secp256r1) - C
| TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA (secp256r1) - A
| TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA (secp256r1) - A
| TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_RC4_128_SHA (secp256r1) - C
| TLS_RSA_WITH_3DES_EDE_CBC_SHA (rsa 2048) - C
| TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA (rsa 2048) - A
| TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA (rsa 2048) - A
| TLS_RSA_WITH_CAMELLIA_128_CBC_SHA (rsa 2048) - A
| TLS_RSA_WITH_CAMELLIA_256_CBC_SHA (rsa 2048) - A
| TLS_RSA_WITH_RC4_128_SHA (rsa 2048) - C
| compressors:
| NULL
| cipher preference: client
| warnings:
| 64-bit block cipher 3DES vulnerable to SWEET32 attack
| Broken cipher RC4 is deprecated by RFC 7465
| TLSv1.1:
| ciphers:
| TLS_DHE_RSA_WITH_3DES_EDE_CBC_SHA (dh 2048) - C
| TLS_DHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA (dh 2048) - A
| TLS_DHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA (dh 2048) - A
| TLS_DHE_RSA_WITH_CAMELLIA_128_CBC_SHA (dh 2048) - A
| TLS_DHE_RSA_WITH_CAMELLIA_256_CBC_SHA (dh 2048) - A
| TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_3DES_EDE_CBC_SHA (secp256r1) - C
| TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA (secp256r1) - A
| TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA (secp256r1) - A
| TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_RC4_128_SHA (secp256r1) - C
| TLS_RSA_WITH_3DES_EDE_CBC_SHA (rsa 2048) - C
| TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA (rsa 2048) - A
| TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA (rsa 2048) - A
| TLS_RSA_WITH_CAMELLIA_128_CBC_SHA (rsa 2048) - A
| TLS_RSA_WITH_CAMELLIA_256_CBC_SHA (rsa 2048) - A
| TLS_RSA_WITH_RC4_128_SHA (rsa 2048) - C
| compressors:
| NULL
| cipher preference: client
| warnings:
| 64-bit block cipher 3DES vulnerable to SWEET32 attack
| Broken cipher RC4 is deprecated by RFC 7465
| TLSv1.2:
| ciphers:
| TLS_DHE_RSA_WITH_3DES_EDE_CBC_SHA (dh 2048) - C
| TLS_DHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA (dh 2048) - A
| TLS_DHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA256 (dh 2048) - A
| TLS_DHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_GCM_SHA256 (dh 2048) - A
| TLS_DHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA (dh 2048) - A
| TLS_DHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA256 (dh 2048) - A
| TLS_DHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_GCM_SHA384 (dh 2048) - A
| TLS_DHE_RSA_WITH_CAMELLIA_128_CBC_SHA (dh 2048) - A
| TLS_DHE_RSA_WITH_CAMELLIA_256_CBC_SHA (dh 2048) - A
| TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_3DES_EDE_CBC_SHA (secp256r1) - C
| TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA (secp256r1) - A
| TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA256 (secp256r1) - A
| TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_GCM_SHA256 (secp256r1) - A
| TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA (secp256r1) - A
| TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA384 (secp256r1) - A
| TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_GCM_SHA384 (secp256r1) - A
| TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_RC4_128_SHA (secp256r1) - C
| TLS_RSA_WITH_3DES_EDE_CBC_SHA (rsa 2048) - C
| TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA (rsa 2048) - A
| TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA256 (rsa 2048) - A
| TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_128_GCM_SHA256 (rsa 2048) - A
| TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA (rsa 2048) - A
| TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA256 (rsa 2048) - A
| TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_256_GCM_SHA384 (rsa 2048) - A
| TLS_RSA_WITH_CAMELLIA_128_CBC_SHA (rsa 2048) - A
| TLS_RSA_WITH_CAMELLIA_256_CBC_SHA (rsa 2048) - A
| TLS_RSA_WITH_RC4_128_SHA (rsa 2048) - C
| compressors:
| NULL
| cipher preference: client
| warnings:
| 64-bit block cipher 3DES vulnerable to SWEET32 attack
| Broken cipher RC4 is deprecated by RFC 7465
|_ least strength: C

Or a more visual representation of the above:

Exposing the versions of your server’s web server, OpenSSL and PHP is also a Bad Thing(tm). Which of course, our poor saps absolutely do:

Apache/2.4.6 (CentOS) OpenSSL/1.0.1e-fips PHP/5.6.30

Don’t do what these people do. Pay attention to your SSL/TLS settings as well as your certificate.

Meanwhile, I’m happy with this:

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I was going to post about the state of Apple Music in 2019 after its appalling launch which was besieged with technical problems. I tried to find some images from a previous version of this blog, but instead found these odd photos:

  • What?
  • Why?
  • How?

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Former newsreader, journalist and reality TV barge passenger Michael Buerk has suggested that the NHS could save money by not treating obese people. This is a bit like saying that the NHS shouldn’t be treating drug addicts, smokers, or alcoholism. Or people who cause accidents and end up injured themselves. Or rich people. Or Tories.

(I kid because I care..)

Obesity, while generally associated with overeating and a less active lifestyle, has many causes. Some medical. Others not. Mental health, work (inactive at work due to pressures of deadlines/long hours/long commutes could all lead to poor diets), food prices, injury, etc.

Regardless of whatever the cause – shaming is a terrible thing to do, best left to people who lack empathy for others (alas, empathy treatment is not available on the NHS or private healthcare). The NHS is available for everybody, regardless of whatever the problem may be.

I consider overpopulation, tax dodgers (individuals and corporate), and the likes of Brexit to be a far bigger danger to the NHS than overweight people.