Category: Flashback Friday

Posted in Flashback Friday, Informational, InfoSec History

Case Study: Maroochy Shire

Posted on by Steph

Problem

In 2001, a former contractor who still had access to the system, compromised the industrial control system (ICS). This compromised causes the sewage to flood the town and watershed.

This would become the first widely recognized attack on and industrial system.

“Marine life died, the creek water turned black and the stench was unbearable for residents,” said Janelle Bryant of the Australian Environmental Protection Agency in The Register“

–Cohen, Gary, 2021

Solution

  • Focus on possible Insider Threats
  • Offboarding procedures
  • Emphasize separation of duties
  • Airgap operational technology from information technology.
Posted in Flashback Friday, Learning Woes

Flashback Friday 02/2020

Posted on by Steph

200 Hundred Days of Code

So, we talked about how structure and time are all warped in my head. Flashback to the #100DaysOfCode Challenge.

#100DaysOfCode is a challenge that designing to help people create a habit of coding on a daily basis. The thought is that by committing and posting daily on the things one did to further their coding goals the community works to hold each other accountable for fulfilling this commitment and meeting our personal goals.

I completed the challenge twice. Once, I was just moving towards doing a daily accountability and the second I focused on Javascript. The end result is that I completed the challenges , but it didn’t improve my habits. If nothing else having to complete it because I’d made a commitment kind of burned me out and at some points frustrated me to no end. I think for some it would create a habit and maybe if I had chosen a project to work on that I was passionate about it would have made it fun for me, but I didn’t and didn’t reflect enough about what I wanted and who I am to make a more informed choice before committing. If I was to do the challenge today I would probably concentrated on python for hackers/pentesters and writing scripts, because I think that would keep me interested, but I have a little too much on my plate currently to make that kind of commitment.

Repetition of the same thought or physical action develops into a habit which, repeated frequently enough, becomes an automatic reflex.

Norman Vincent Peale
def greet(name):
    print ('Hello', name)

greet('Jack')
greet('Jill')
greet('Bob')

I would recommend anyone to take up this challenge if they wanted to find a way to build habits. If you look on the site linked below it will show you that #100DaysOf_ can build habits in any number of subjects. I would just interject that if this is the choice to find something that is challenging and interesting enough to make you want to complete the challenge, not because it is a challenge, but because the project makes you passionate.

#100DaysofCode Site

Posted in Flashback Friday, Learning Woes

Python, I Can’t Quit You….

Posted on by Steph

Hisss, Hisssss, Hisssssss.

I love Python. I admit, that when learning programming Python was not my first language. I started with web development, so I started with JavaScript after getting the hang of HTML5 and CSS3. I don’t hate JS, I just find the syntax structure more taxing in JavaScript. I at first believed that JavaScript was impossible, but really I have trouble with breaking down complex problems more due to wanting to jump right in then in not understanding how to do so–but this is a whole other post and we’re talking about Python!
No matter how far I go in my studies, I keep coming back to wanting to have a grasp on the Python language. I consider myself a Python enthusiast.
I think it’s the similarity to spoken/written language that makes this language appeal the most to me. There are numerous sources that recommend beginners start with Python as a programming language and I support this assertion, unless of course the goal is front-end web development, then of course one might want to do JavaScript.
I want to know enough about both aspects to be considered mildly dangerous and capable of utilizing either when necessary.
So, as I prep out a plan to re-familiarize myself with not only programming, but Python, I realize I really do love this language. I just need to get over the belief that setbacks are permanent. I’m not going to be the best at everything and it all isn’t going to come easy, that was how Programming hit me years ago and I know I got frustrated by feeling like I wasn’t progressing or at least not quickly enough, but hanging out in online programming groups I realized that we’re all googling out way to success, most of us aren’t wunderkind, and imposter syndrome is a daily struggle, but if it interests you, like really interests you probably pretty much going to always find a way back to doing it. 

print("Hello, World!")
Some Python Helpful Links:

xkcd webcomic –  https://xkcd.com/353/

# Python program to check if  
# given number is prime or not 
  
num = 11
  
# If given number is greater than 1 
if num > 1: 
      
   # Iterate from 2 to n / 2  
   for i in range(2, num//2): 
         
       # If num is divisible by any number between  
       # 2 and n / 2, it is not prime  
       if (num % i) == 0: 
           print(num, "is not a prime number") 
           break
   else: 
       print(num, "is a prime number") 
  
else: 
   print(num, "is not a prime number")
Posted in Flashback Friday

Flashback Friday 01/2020

Posted on by Steph

#100DaysOfCode Parts I and II

When I was starting out I did two stints of #100DaysOfCode which is as the hashtag reads  a commitment to work 100 consecutive days on coding. I thought that if I did these it would help me buckle down and work on learning to code and for those days it kind of did, but after the stints I remember feeling kind of burnt out.
As I hype myself up right now to go back and work on Python and getting back into working with this language, as well as, prepping to take the Certified Entry-Level Python Programmer certification (PCEP) – [ I really just want to feel kind of validate in my learning, which is the reasoning behind the exam for me] – I find myself thinking back at these stints of daily coding and what might have gone wrong for me.
Although, I am the kind of person who is good with making and sticking with commitments and structured work/learning, I am also the kind of person who is easily annoyed by monotony. The problem for me with #100DaysOfCode is that day after day it can get monotonous and make people such as myself not want to do the work. This is a personal issue and probably an issue with the way in which I went about doing the challenge. I think that instead of focusing on one book for weeks or one project I should have had concurrent projects which I could have rotated when one go stale.
If I decide to do this challenge again this I think that I will have a few projects going and also have FreeCodeCamp rework / Github Clean up interwoven. I’m still on the fence with whether or not I should do something like this challenge, but some parts of it were very good for me, it made me productive in a way.

“The critical ingredient is getting off your butt and doing something. It’s as simple as that. A lot of people have ideas, but there are few who decide to do something about them now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. But today.”

~ Nolan Bushnel
Posted in Flashback Friday

Flashback Friday – 12/2019

Posted on by Steph

“It’s not too late to start! Start right now anyway. Set goals and take action. Have courage to fall, fail and suffer. Don’t quit. Persist with courage. Success will achieve anyway and be yours 100% guaranteed.”

― Lord Robin

I started really getting into tech when I was working overseas. I had soooo much time and needed something to stimulate myself. Also, I knew that the work I was doing was temporary and I needed to make a way so that when I came back I wouldn’t have to go back to my previous position. The first steps I took was trying to learn to code/program So many of my first resources are geared towards that.

First Resources