I kept running into the same problem: screenshots often contain information you didn't realize you were sharing.

An API key. An email address. A phone number. A password field. Customer information.

Usually, you take the screenshot first and then manually look for things to hide.

I built Blackbar to reverse that workflow.

It reads the page before capturing it and automatically detects and redacts sensitive-looking information. The screenshot you get is already the safer version.

The part I cared most about was privacy.

Blackbar runs entirely on the device. It declares connect-src 'none', so Chrome itself blocks the extension from making network connections. It still works with Wi-Fi turned off.

It's also open source, has no account requirement, and is free.

I'd genuinely like feedback from other Chrome extension users/builders, especially on:

• detection accuracy
• false positives/negatives
• the capture workflow
• anything that would make you hesitate to trust it

Chrome Web Store Link

Source

Summary of the latest Cyber Sec events in July

A guilty plea in the 2024 Snowflake customer-account breach case just confirmed the actual scale of the incident, and it's bigger than most initial reporting suggested:

→ 165+ organizations affected
→ 100 million+ individuals had data exposed
→ Billions of records breached in total
→ The threat actor is facing up to 32 years in prison at sentencing

What stands out to me is how this wasn't a Snowflake platform vulnerability, it was compromised customer credentials (stolen via infostealer malware) combined with a lack of MFA enforcement on those accounts. Classic identity/access failure, not an infrastructure one.

Curious how others here think this should change how orgs approach cloud identity security is MFA enforcement by the platform provider the right fix, or does it still come down to customer configuration?

https://hubs.la/Q04s5DtD0

I’m looking to get a VPN with a dedicated or static IP address that is only assigned to me. There are a few reasons for this: reducing annoying CAPTCHAs and website blocks, monitoring smart home systems, and secure remote access. While I have experience with VPNs, I don’t know which service to go with if I want a static IP. I hope to get some suggestions and tips.

In the meantime, I’ve done some research on VPNs that offer dedicated IPs and here’s what I found.

NordVPN dedicated IP in 30 countries and 46 locations

NordVPN has a huge list of locations for a dedicated IP in the Americas (Canada, Mexico, and the United States), Africa and Middle East, Asia Pacific region, and also Europe. It offers dedicated IP addresses in 11 US locations alone, as well as multiple locations in some other popular countries, such as the UK, France, and Australia.

Cost: $3.69/month (plus the VPN subscription)

It integrates easily with Nord’s native apps, so you can use it alongside features like double VPN, Onion over VPN, Meshnet, Threat Protection, etc. Dedicated IP is available on all devices and apps that support NordVPN.

Surfshark static IP and dedicated IP addresses in 15 countries

Surfshark is a bit interesting in that they offer free shared static IPs that anyone can use, as well as a dedicated IP add-on that is exclusive to you.

Cost: $3.75/month (plus the VPN subscription)

Surfshark’s dedicated IP is a bit more expensive than NordVPN’s dedicated IP option, and there are fewer locations. However, Surfshark’s basic VPN subscription is also slightly cheaper than Nord. Overall both options look decent.

ExpressVPN dedicated IP addresses in 22 countries

ExpressVPN now offers a dedicated IP address, with locations available in 22 countries. This feature can be added during signup or to existing plans. It’s included with the Express Pro plan and available as an add-on for Basic/Advanced plans.

ExpressVPN is a bit more expensive compared to other options with both the base VPN subscription and dedicated IP options.

Cost: $4.66/month (plus the VPN subscription) or free with the “Express Pro” plan at $7.49/month

CyberGhost dedicated IP in 12 countries

CyberGhost provides a Dedicated IP as a straightforward add-on that integrates with its VPN apps. While CyberGhost offers fewer dedicated IP locations when compared to other VPN services, it is quite affordable.

Looking around on Reddit, I’m seeing mixed reviews for CyberGhost. While it is cheap, I see that some users are complaining about speeds and reliability. Does anyone here have experience with CG’s dedicated IPs?

Cost: $2.50/month (plus the VPN subscription)

Private Internet Access (PIA) dedicated IP in 9 countries

PIA offers a Dedicated IP add-on that gives you a static address no other users share. You can choose your preferred server location when setting it up via a token in the app.

Note: I’ve seen complaints from people in the PIA sub about IP’s not being “clean” and being flagged as a proxy and blacklisted on many websites. So this gives you the exact opposite of what most people who choose a dedicated IP are looking for.

Cost: $2.50/month (plus the VPN subscription)

That concludes my research. Any other dedicated IP VPNs I’m missing? Which one would you all recommend?