The Computer Gal

SOMEONE IS SENDING EMAILS USING MY EMAIL ADDRESS

Earlier this year, I set up DMARC on my domain. It tells the email server world what servers are allowed to send emails using my email address for Reply. Now, I can see that there are indeed people spoofing my email address.

PART 1: I set up a policy to reject any emails sent from servers that aren't authorized. Notice the reject setting.


montanawebmaster.com
r
r
reject
reject
100
0


Today, Outlook sent me a report showing that someone tried to send an email that is not from me. Notice that the "disposition" is reject.



185.56.86.128
1

reject
fail
fail



unr.edu
gcam1306.siteground.biz
montanawebmaster.com



gcam1306.siteground.biz
mfrom
pass




The format of this report is XML. There are also tools that make it into a nice report format.

Send a message to learn more

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SSL AND SSH

https://www.rapidsslonline.com/ssl/difference-between-ssh-and-ssl

"So, long story short: SSL is for securing internet connections between websites and their visitors; SSH is for running commands via remote access."

The Difference Between SSH and SSL - SSL/TLS Certificates SSH and SSL. While the two look similiar and they perform some of the same functions, there are differences. Discover the difference between SSH and SSL.

INCIWEB: THE UNEXPECTED NEED

Inciweb is an amazing tool. Since yesterday afternoon, I have been using this website to watch the progress of the Miller Peak fire. We aren't in danger, across the river, but areas in Miller Creek are on evacuation watch. The most we are likely to get is smoke.

I remember when InciWeb was a new online tool. When it was a fairly new tool (2006), the number of viewers took down the server(s). That response resulted in a total restructuring and the site has grown and improved to be an amazing tool.

For me, it was an excellent link to send to family members who are working out of town, but own a home in the Miller Creek area. I'm glad that they set up an evacuation warning early, while the fire is miles away. It is very helpful in helping family in the warning area have time to get their heads around the steps that need to be taken.

Single Publication | InciWeb Mtlnf Miller Peak Fire - News for InciWeb

https://brightsec.com/blog/unit-testing/

Send a message to learn more

https://brightsec.com/blog/unit-testing/

Unit Testing: Definition, Examples, and Critical Best Practices Learn how unit testing works, see examples of unit tests in popular frameworks, and learn see how to make your unit testing more effective.

https://open.substack.com/pub/ventureinsecurity/p/blessed-are-the-software-engineers

Blessed are the software engineers, for they shall inherit cybersecurity Looking beyond security engineering and explaining why software engineers also have the potential to shape the future of cybersecurity

A MANAGEMENT LOOK AT CYBERSECURITY STAFFING

This is worth the watch!

The Human Firewall: Cybersecurity Staffing and Training Cybersecurity is about so much more than just technology—fundamentally, it’s about people, and from the boardroom to the server room, everyone plays a critic...

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NULL AND EMPTY

In computer programming, variables are like storage containers for data.

A storage container can
1. Have something in it
2. Be empty
3. Not exist

#3 is why you can always buy more Tupperware ... there will always be another container you need.

The difference between an empty variable and a null variable is the difference between 2 and 3. And, yes, you will always need yet another variable.

THE SEARCH FOR A SHORTER STACK

Apparently, I am a full stack developer. That means that I can 1) work on the front end of a website, implementing the visual design and interactivity, and I can 2) work on the middle part that processes information to show on the website, and I can 3) work on the data storage ... and I can 4) consider dependencies and security that keep the stack standing.

But, I've always felt that the term Full Stack was missing a very important part: which stack? And, the more I investigate different systems, the higher the stacks seem to get. They are a huge temptation for your little brother to knock the whole stack across the room.

That was what BigSky DevCon was about this year: making a stack that is not a target for little brothers! and how to make your stack more stable, slim and trim without all the extra stuff that makes it impossible for your little brother to avoid the temptation.

I hope they find an equally intriguing topic to dig into next year!
https://bigskydevcon.com/

LOVING BIGSKY DEVCON!!!

Thanks to the sponsors: OnX, Big Sky Software, Cliff Co, AgileFire and primitives.

One hour in and I've already met several very interesting people, including one high schooler!

https://www.securityweek.com/why-hackers-love-logs/

Why Hackers Love Logs Log tampering is an almost inevitable part of a compromise. Why and how do cybercriminals target logs, and what can be done to protect them?

IT'S JUST WEIRD: A TOOL IS MADE WITH OTHER TOOLS.. and the Python interpreter is written in C.

in which language python is written? | Scaler Topics Learn in which language python is written on Scaler Topics.

WHEN IS A PACKAGE MANAGER NOT A PACKAGE MANAGER?

I did a Google search for "do maven npm and pip do the same thing".

The top result said, "Npm is a popular choice for JavaScript projects due to its extensive package registry and strong community support. Pip is widely used in Python development and offers a vast library of packages. Maven, on the other hand, is commonly used in Java projects and provides comprehensive build automation capabilities." This is true, but the linked article was more helpful to my intention.

How to Choose Between Package Managers: Maven, Gradle and More Learn more about package managers and how they help developers install and manage packages and project dependencies.

I KNOW PEOPLE LIKE THIS ...

"An opinionated code formatter, also known as a line-breaking code formatter, is a tool that automatically formats code according to a set of rules or style guides without considering the original formatting decisions made by the user. This ensures consistency, but at the cost of losing the original formatting decisions."

Note: Apparently, this was written by AI. I think that AI is being a little hypocritical here.

NO WONDER JAVA LOOKS WEIRD TO ME

Java was the language of choice in my CS program. They did occasionally make a concession to the C++ developers. And, in grad school they even went further to have a project done in C #. So, I thought I knew something about Java.

But, I ended up working in a different development world with no Java at all.

And then last year, I hopped back into an environment that uses Java. It was like finding out that your cute little nephew is 6' tall and has hairy legs.

Even going through the list of what was introduced in Java 8 is new learning experience. This time, I am coming at it with a background that includes comparisons of many languages. Instead of eating it like baby food, I can dig deep into a palette that recognizes a bit of orange zest.

Fresh Strawberry Cheesecake - A fun dessert for warm summer days! Instead of topping your cheesecake with fresh strawberries, bake 'em straight in! This Fresh Strawberry Cheesecake is a fun dessert for warm summer days!

https://www.securityweek.com/lockbit-ransomware-mastermind-unmasked-charged/

LockBit Ransomware Mastermind Unmasked, Charged Charges and sanctions announced against Dimitry Yuryevich Khoroshev, the alleged developer and operator of LockBit ransomware.

WHEN YOUR DATA GETS OUT OF CONTROL

Some years past, I volunteered as part of a SalesForce Task Force for a nationwide non-profit. But, it turns out that their data wasn't all in SalesForce and SalesForce wasn't the only data storage ... by far.

Because SalesForce had not been set up well (no planning), volunteers in various offices were adding their own ad hoc systems. In fact, we studied this very type of behavior in an MIS class at FVCC. Thanks, Lori, for a class that keeps on being valuable 20+ years later.

Planning up front takes time, but not as much time as hunting for bits and pieces later. The diagram shows the various types of software that were holding data. Actually, the diagram shows some of the various types of software that were holding data.

When they saw this diagram, they decided to hire a consulting company that specializes in SalesForce.

PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES ARE LIKE RELIGIONS

I grew up in a religious family, which is not the terrible thing that some might think it is. In fact, it prepares you for jobs that involve the splitting of hairs, like programming.

Here is an example: I learned about Object Oriented Programming (OOP) in CS classes that used Java. Whenever I have to dig into a new language, whether it's OOP or not is one of the language profile items.

But, it's not that simple. Wikipedia has a great little list that splits the hairs.

1. Languages called "pure" OO languages, because everything in them is treated consistently as an object, from primitives such as characters and punctuation, all the way up to whole classes, prototypes, blocks, modules, etc. They were designed specifically to facilitate, even enforce, OO methods.
2. Languages designed mainly for OO programming, but with some procedural elements.
3. Languages that are historically procedural languages, but have been extended with some OO features.
4. Languages with most of the features of objects (classes, methods, inheritance), but in a distinctly original form.
5. Languages with abstract data type support which may be used to resemble OO programming, but without all features of object-orientation.
6. Chameleon languages that support multiple paradigms, including OO. "

Maybe someone will write a psychology book called Splitting Hairs as a Human Problem.

Object-oriented programming - Wikipedia Object-oriented programming (OOP) is a programming paradigm based on the concept of objects,[1] which can contain data and code: data in the form of fields (often known as attributes or properties), and code in the form of procedures (often known as methods). In OOP, computer programs are designed b...

SOMETIMES SOCIAL MEDIA PREVIEW IMAGES CAN BE A PAIN!

Today, I posted a link, to a site I found, on two pages. The preview image didn't work, even though they have both a banner and a cover image.

So, I tried posting a link to their website in a comment. That link did pick up a preview image.

Here is a great discussion about preview images from StackOverflow.

FB OpenGraph og:image not pulling images (possibly https?) Facebook cannot grasp my og:image files and I have tried every usual solution. I'm beginning to think it might have something to do with https://... I have checked http://developers.facebook.com/t...

I FEEL A BIT LIKE RIP VAN WINKLE

Digging back into Java after 10+ years out of it. It's familiar, but not quite.

WHAT CODING TIME IS IT?

There is a time to get the coding done, and there is a time to learn what's behind the code. The problem is that those who are learning how to code want to jump into creating the code. And, the folks who need to get the code done for work wish they had taken the time to learn what's behind the code when they were learning to code.

https://www.securityweek.com/hacker-conversations-kevin-oconnor-from-childhood-hacker-to-nsa-operative/

Hacker Conversations: Kevin O’Connor, From Childhood Hacker to NSA Operative Kevin O’Connor knew he was a hacker by the time he was in Middle School. He went on to work for the NSA and is now director of threat research at Adlumin.

AMAZING VIDEO

Even if you aren't sending transactional information by email, this will help you be aware of how the bad actors work.

Business Email Compromise Case Study Take a deep dive into the world of cyber threats with our latest Business Email Compromise case study. In this eye-opening exploration, we dissect a real-lif...

JAVA AND HTML: WHERE'S THE FRONT DOOR?

Like human languages, different programming and coding languages have things in common, even when they seem very different. Take the front door as an example.

A website has to have a front door. A website probably has thousands of files. Which one does the server open to get into the rest of it? In most cases, it's index.html. No matter what server you move the site to, the server knows where to start: index.html.

A piece of Java software needs a front door too. Like a website, a Java program probably has thousands of files. Which one does the system running the Java program go to first? The file that has public static void main().

No matter what the language, I see a rush to start learning code. Add some time in there to understand the structures.

YAY! IT'S BACK!!!

Big Sky Dev Con

THE CLOUD IS SAFE, RIGHT?

SentinelLabs identified the culprit as a Python-based script called "SNS Sender." Its success relies on access to compromised AWS SNS credentials from accounts that have opted out of AWS' SNS sandbox security measures. It may be the first such script to do so, based on the researchers' findings.

Researchers Identify 'Smishing' Attack that Uses AWS SNS -- Campus Technology A first-of-its-kind 'smishing' attack is using Amazon Web Services' Simple Notification Service, or SNS, to impersonate the United States Postal Service (USPS).

WHAT PERCENTAGE OF ARTICLES ABOUT RECURSION REFER TO FIBONACCI?

If you tell someone about recursion, they aren't interested in a pre-requisite lecture about Fibonacci. Why can't we just find an example from their job at Wendy's or whatever they do in life.