Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Dan Barr
Sold-out Amelia Island premiere highlights right whales’ fight for survival
A new documentary on right whales premiered to a sold-out audience at Tigre Island on August 24. "The Right Whale: Tales of Resilience and Hope" is the newest movie by California filmmakers Cheryl and Nick Dean. Judging from the enthusiastic response from the standing-room-only crowd, the film was a hit.
Introducing Virtual MCP Server: Unified Gateway for Multi-MCP Workflows
If you're working with AI coding assistants like GitHub Copilot or Claude, you've probably encountered MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers. They're powerful, connecting your AI to GitHub, Jira, Slack, cloud providers, and more. But here's the problem: each connection requires separate configuration, authentication, and maintenance. Managing MCP server connections gets messy fast.
Celebrating Right Whales
As right whales begin their calving season in our waters, the Amelia Island Museum of History presents an exhibit on our unique connection to this endangered mammal. While there are no wrong whales, there certainly are right whales. Amelia Islanders feel a special kinship to North Atlantic right whales. That’s partly because these magnificent sea mammals are an endangered species on the verge of extinction.
Cut token waste from your AI workflow with the ToolHive MCP Optimizer
If you’ve ever hit a rate limit in your AI assistant or felt the sting of regret after checking your usage bill, you’re not alone. Whether you’re exploring an open source repo or triaging issues for a sprint, running into token walls is disruptive. It breaks your flow and burns your time and money. Turns out, there’s a hidden cost in many of today’s AI-enhanced dev workflows: tool metadata bloat.
Examining the impact of npm supply chain attacks on MCP
Last week, a significant supply chain attack hit the JavaScript/TypeScript ecosystem through the npm registry. Multiple widely used packages, collectively downloaded more than 2 billion times per week, were compromised via a single maintainer’s npm account. Malicious versions of debug, chalk, ansi-styles, and 15 other packages were published.
How to secure MCP servers with Vault + ToolHive in Kubernetes
Running MCP servers in Kubernetes often means dealing with the headache of managing secrets. Hardcoding them? Too risky. Mounting them directly? Too messy. That’s where ToolHive’s Vault integration tutorial comes in. It shows you how to use HashiCorp Vault to provide secure, controlled access to secrets for MCP servers, without exposing more than you should.
Who are your MCP servers talking to?
You probably know who you think they should be talking to, but how do you know for sure? And how do you keep it that way? Modern AI workflows rely on agentic systems that leverage Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers. These servers provide rich context to LLMs, enabling smarter, safer, and more customized behavior. But if you’re not controlling their network access, you’re trusting that these tools won’t spill secrets, phone home, or tunnel into places they shouldn’t.
Rewriting an old app with AI: a reality check
TL;DR: AI coding tools and the LLMs that drive them can be powerful, but they’re not security-aware by default. Outdated packages and insecure practices can creep in. Don’t assume LLMs "just know." Clear, specific prompts matter more than you think. Don’t skip automated linters, SAST/DAST tools, or dependency checkers. AI doesn’t replace them. Code review still matters. A lot.
Give aider a privacy and security boost with CodeGate
We know you love aider...how it works right from your terminal, understands your codebase, and its automated Git commits. But what happens when aider talks to an LLM that was trained many months ago and doesn't know about the latest risky dependencies and malicious packages? Or when you accidentally let an API key slip into your code and it gets shared with OpenAI?
Avoid risky dependencies in AI generated code
The LLMs that power your favorite AI coding assistants like GitHub Copilot or Continue take a lot of time and money to train, so they're not working with up-to-date knowledge. In fact, their knowledge cutoff dates are often 12-18 months in the past. That means they don't know anything about the latest threats in the open source package ecosystem, like malicious packages. They also don't know which projects have been deprecated or archived since they were trained.
Stop AI coding assistants from leaking your secrets
You're careful not to let your secrets wind up in source code. You use .gitignore files. You scan for secrets with TruffleHog and turn on GitHub's push protection. But despite all this, chances are your AI coding assistant is sharing your secrets with a large language model (LLM) in the cloud. 😱 That's where CodeGate comes in. CodeGate is a new open source project from Stacklok that runs locally to protect your privacy and security as you use AI coding tools.
Your dependencies have dependencies: new features to assess risk
Stacklok has just rolled out some major updates to Trusty, our free-to-use service that helps developers assess dependency risk in open source packages. These new features are designed to help you make informed decisions about the software dependencies you bring into your projects. Transitive dependency analysis The open source ecosystem is a complex web of interdependencies and relationships.
This Month in Minder: September 2024
Check out the September 2024 edition of This Month in Minder, highlighting our latest project updates and community contributions! Along with new feature highlights, Stacklok is thrilled to welcome @vyomyadav as the first external maintainer for Minder! Read all about it in this month's post.
Flexible policy enforcement with Minder profile selectors
Profile selectors, now available in Minder and Minder Cloud, allow you to customize how profiles are applied to your software supply chain. With selectors, you can easily apply the right rules to the right resources. Enforcing security and compliance policies is rarely a one-size-fits-all exercise. You need the flexibility to customize how and when policies are applied to different types of resources like repositories and build artifacts.
New customization options for Terraform Cloud projects
Organizations trying to scale quickly and securely are sometimes forced to choose between productivity and security. This conundrum is especially common when applying policy sets and assigning user permissions. So how can organizations empower users with a self-service model, while also enforcing policies across the organization? Customization is the answer.
6 ways Terraform can help secure your infrastructure
The way organizations provision infrastructure has significantly changed as they move from dedicated servers to capacity on-demand in the cloud. Homogeneous blueprints of infrastructure owned by IT have grown inefficient and outdated. In the cloud, infrastructure resources must be readily available across a variety of providers.
Terraform Cloud now supports multiple configurations for dynamic provider credentials
Earlier this year, we built upon the workload identity functionality in HashiCorp Terraform Cloud by adding a new authentication method, dynamic provider credentials, for the major cloud providers, the HashiCorp Vault provider, and Vault’s dynamic secrets engines. This native support lets users authenticate to providers using short-lived, just-in-time credentials in their Terraform Cloud workflows.
HCP Packer improves usage visibility with audit logs
Key benefits of audit logs Collecting activity data with HCP Packer’s audit logs helps organizations improve their: Visibility: by enabling administrators to actively monitor a stream of user activity and answer important questions such as who is changing what? When? And where?
Terraform Enterprise adds new security and self-service features
As cloud platform teams seek to scale their infrastructure provisioning capabilities across their organization, enabling self-service becomes a key driver of efficiency. But self-service introduces new challenges for security, compliance, and reliability.
Terraform 1.5 brings config-driven import and checks
We’re excited to announce that HashiCorp Terraform 1.5 is now generally available, ready for download, and available for use in Terraform Cloud. Terraform is the standard infrastructure as code tool for multi-cloud provisioning and automation at any scale. This release brings two significant new features: a config-driven import workflow and check blocks.
Terraform Cloud adds Vault-backed dynamic credentials
In March 2023, we announced the general availability of dynamic provider credentials in HashiCorp Terraform Cloud. This feature automates the creation of short-lived credentials for the officially supported cloud providers (Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud) and the HashiCorp Vault provider. Initially, the Vault integration supported only static secrets engines for use within Terraform configurations.
Terraform 1.4 improves the CLI experience for Terraform Cloud
We’re excited to announce the release of HashiCorp Terraform 1.4, now immediately available for download and ready for use in HashiCorp Terraform Cloud. Terraform is widely adopted as the standard for multi-cloud provisioning and automation for individuals and teams at any scale. This release introduces improvements for CLI interactions with Terraform Cloud and a new native replacement for the “null” resource.
Teaching Your Kids the Art of Photography (When You’re Not a Photographer)
Post may include affiliate links. We may earn a fee if you use them at no cost to you. Disclosure. Sharing is caring! Photography is fun. It’s a marvelous combination of art and technology that we all enjoy and admire. The digital revolution, followed by the smartphones revolution, has taken it leaps forward and made it extremely popular and accessible for all, including kids. OUR kids.
Local Opinion: Role of media more important than ever in these trying times
Local Opinion: Role of media more important than ever in these trying times The following column is the opinion and analysis of the writer. This is Sunshine Week, the annual celebration of government transparency and those reporters, editors and news organizations who fight for such access.
Start by Believing: Larry Nassar's Crimes, the Institutions that Enabled Him, and the Brave Women Who Stopped a Monster|Hardcover
Overview From the Peabody Award-winning ESPN journalists, the definitive, devastating account of the largest sex abuse scandal in American sports history. For decades, osteopathic physician Larry Nassar built a sterling reputation as the go-to doctor for America's Olympians while treating countless others at his office on Michigan State University's campus. The high-pressure world of gymnastics gave Nassar an opportunity to exploit young girls who were otherwise motivated by fear and intimidation.
Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Martha McSally should demand full release of the Mueller report
OPINION Dan Barr and Rick Romley, opinion contributors Published 6:54 a.m. MT March 25, 2019 | Updated 6:55 a.m. MT March 25, 2019 Attorney General Barr issues a summary of the Mueller report that clears Trump and Trump campaign officials of collusion with Russia. USA TODAY Opinion: Americans have heard about the Mueller report for more than 18 months. They deserve to see all of the facts and make up their own minds.
Dan Barr: Today's news consumers must separate the wheat from the chaff
This week is Sunshine Week, the annual nationwide celebration of the benefits of access to public information and those who fight for such access. Sunshine Week is always in mid-March because it includes the March 16 birthday of James Madison, an author of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and the fourth president of the United States. Those who wrote our Constitution in 1789 had only four years earlier defeated the most powerful nation on Earth.
Ex-Michigan State Spartans gymnastics coach Kathie Klages charged with lying to investigators
11:47 AM ETDan MurphyCloseDan MurphyESPN Staff WriterCovers the Big TenJoined ESPN.com in 2014Graduate of the University of Notre DameJohn BarrCloseJohn BarrESPN.com Joined ESPN in June 2003 Winner: 2013 Peabody Award; 2011 Edward R.
Michigan State Spartans agree to $500 million Larry Nassar settlement
May 16, 2018Dan MurphyCloseDan MurphyESPN Staff WriterCovers the Big TenJoined ESPN.com in 2014Graduate of the University of Notre DameJohn BarrCloseJohn BarrESPN.com Joined ESPN in June 2003 Winner: 2013 Peabody Award; 2011 Edward R.
5 Ways Major Events Drive the Smart City Agenda
Delivery of major sporting events such as Olympics and Commonwealth Games leads to significant investment in the Host City and incredible collaboration and improved governance between Government organisations. The Gold Coast has been no different in the planning and delivery of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018).
Larry Nassar victim says clinic still trying to bill family
1:36 PM ETDan MurphyCloseDan MurphyESPN Staff WriterCovers the Big TenJoined ESPN.com in 2014Graduate of the University of Notre DameJohn BarrCloseJohn BarrESPN.com Joined ESPN in June 2003 Winner: 2013 Peabody Award; 2011 Edward R. Murrow Award/Video Investigative Reporting Covers breaking news, investigative pieces and human interest features LANSING, Mich.
Teen in Larry Nassar case says clinic still trying to bill family
2:58 PM ETDan MurphyCloseDan MurphyESPN Staff WriterCovers the Big TenJoined ESPN.com in 2014Graduate of the University of Notre DameJohn BarrCloseJohn BarrESPN.com Joined ESPN in June 2003 Winner: 2013 Peabody Award; 2011 Edward R. Murrow Award/Video Investigative Reporting Covers breaking news, investigative pieces and human interest features LANSING, Mich.
USA Gymnastics cuts ties with Karolyi Ranch training facility
4:15 PM ETDan MurphyCloseDan MurphyESPN Staff WriterCovers the Big TenJoined ESPN.com in 2014Graduate of the University of Notre DameJohn BarrCloseJohn BarrESPN.com Joined ESPN in June 2003 Winner: 2013 Peabody Award; 2011 Edward R. Murrow Award/Video Investigative Reporting Covers breaking news, investigative pieces and human interest features LANSING, Mich.
Barr: 'No one fooled' by Gowan's retaliation against reporter
Posted Apr 9, 2016, 2:36 pm Dan Barr First Amendment Coalition The attorney for the First Amendment Coalition of Arizona, Dan Barr, blasted Gowan's move to kick reporters off the chamber floor in a letter to the state House speaker, saying, "no one is fooled by what is going on here." "The asserted reason for this new policy is a concern for safety, even though in no one's living memory has there been any incident on the House floor implicating anyone's safety nor has there been any incident...
What could go wrong in secret government meetings?
Media lawyer: Plenty. A bill to allow closed meetings won't make government more efficient and definitely not better. One need not be Sherlock Holmes to deduce what is going in Arizona state government these days. After several candidates were propelled into office last November by dark money donations from anonymous groups who never revealed themselves to the voters, the Legislature is now considering a host of bills to reduce governmental transparency to the public.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Dan
Contact Dan, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack