Christmas came early this year in Potrero Hill and it was sad news for craft beer drinkers. Anchor Brewing released their 47th (and likely final) Christmas Ale in July, with a California-only distribution, as a result of their brewery shutdown announced in the same month. Anchor's beers have been a perennial favorite of mine -- especially Liberty Ale and the ever-changing Our Very Special Ale to kick off the Christmas season each year. Some years were hits, some were misses, but I always looked forward to trying each year's release. It's sad to see the end of Anchor Brewing and I'm happy to have a dwindling few bottles stored in my garage.
But I am not just figuratively crying in my beer here -- I am meandering toward something related to information security. Several years ago I was in San Francisco for the final round of interviews at a software company founded by some guy named Marc who used to write 8-bit Atari computer games. I got to interview with some of the smartest security folks whose researched I've admired, but ultimately didn't make the cut. A question about an algorithm for a chessboard-painting robot left me stymied. So it goes. During that trip, however, I found time to finally visit the Anchor Brewery for the first time. I got to try the fantastic Flying Cloud Stout and a Dry-Hopped Steam Beer, among others. I also managed to bring home a magnum of a Brandy-Barrel Aged Stout. [ed; Just wow. It was worth the hassle of getting the bottle home intact, and paired well with barbecued meat.]
When I booked my tickets for the brewery tour, I found a simple IDOR vulnerability in the tour registration service that disclosed some user order information. I reported the vulnerability, they responded it immediately, and gave me a small amount of credit as a thank-you. The coupon code?
A nice touch. :)
Cheers! Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy New Year, and thank you for reading. Onward to 2024.
No comments:
Post a Comment