Amanda Tucker, Author at SecureW2

Amanda Tucker

44 articles published

13 topics covered

About

Amanda Tucker covers network security at SecureW2, where she has spent 5 years writing about PKI, RADIUS authentication, 802.1X, continuous trust, and device onboarding. She translates complex certificate and authentication concepts into practical guidance for IT and security teams. Amanda brings 7 years of professional writing experience and a background in research and analysis.

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Amanda

Most HTTPS and Wi-Fi authentication depends on a single certificate field that fails silently when it's wrong: the subject alternative name.

PKI/Certificates August 9, 2026

What Is a Subject Alternative Name (SAN)?

Every organization running HTTPS, Wi-Fi, or virtual private network (VPN) authentication depends on the subject alternative name field, often without realizing it. Misconfigure it and browsers display security errors. Leave...

A direct comparison of ZTNA and VPNs, covering security architecture, access control, performance, and when each model makes sense.

ZTNA & VPN August 9, 2026

ZTNA vs. VPN: Differences and Which Is Better for Secure Remote Access

Remote access has always involved a tradeoff: connectivity vs. control. Virtual private networks (VPNs) solved the connectivity problem for a generation of distributed workers, but that broad access comes with a...

A breakdown of how credential stuffing attacks exploit reused passwords, why brute-force defenses don’t stop them, and what closes the gap for good

Risks & Threats August 7, 2026

What Is Credential Stuffing? How Attacks Work and How to Stop Them

Every large data breach hands criminals a fresh list of usernames and passwords. They do not need to guess your password when they can simply try the one you already...

A technical guide comparing symmetric and asymmetric encryption, covering AES, RSA, and ECC, and how TLS combines both into the hybrid model that secures the modern web.

PKI/Certificates August 5, 2026

Symmetric vs. Asymmetric Encryption: How Each Works and When to Use Them

Every time a browser loads an HTTPS page, a virtual private network (VPN) establishes a tunnel, or a digital certificate is issued, two distinct encryption models work together. Understanding how...

A technical guide to the federal standard that governs cryptographic module validation, covering security levels and the CMVP process.

Protocols & Standards July 29, 2026

FIPS 140-3 Explained: A Guide to Compliance

Federal agencies and their vendors operate under a straightforward rule: any cryptographic module handling sensitive data must be validated against a FIPS 140 standard. That rule has not changed since...

Pass the hash lets an attacker walk into your Active Directory environment.

Risks & Threats July 27, 2026

What Is a Pass-the-Hash Attack, and How Does It Work?

A stolen password hash can be just as valuable as the password itself. Pass the hash exploits reusable NTLM hashes to let attackers authenticate without ever knowing the user’s password....

Securing satellite-powered networks like Starlink requires identity-based authentication to eliminate the risk of shared credentials in remote deployments.

Wi-Fi & Wired Security July 16, 2026

Securing Starlink Wi-Fi With 802.1X and Cloud RADIUS

Distributed Wi-Fi networks are undergoing a profound transformation in industries around the globe. Satellite providers such as Starlink are now enabling high-throughput, low-latency connectivity in the air, on the seas,...

Learn how Microsoft Cloud PKI and Cloud RADIUS work together for 802.1X authentication.

Integrations June 11, 2026

Microsoft Cloud PKI and Cloud RADIUS Integration Guide

Learn how Microsoft Cloud PKI and Cloud RADIUS work together to enable cloud-managed 802.1X authentication.

A practical guide to recognizing a malware infection and stopping compromised machines from spreading damage across your network.

Risks & Threats June 5, 2026

What Is a Malware Infection? Signs, Causes, and Prevention

Every year, attackers refine the ways they deliver malicious software into enterprise environments. A single successful malware infection can escalate from one endpoint to shared file servers, cloud workloads, and...