Author name: krustylab

What to consider before accepting a Job offer.

As a fresh graduate and a job seeker, many factors to consider before taking up a particular job role. The high rate of unemployment in the country has made many job seekers so desperate in the search for jobs that they look past some key things to look out for before taking a specific role. Without a doubt, job hunting is not an easy process. It drains one, both emotionally and mentally but irrespective of that, one must do a background check on a role or the company before accepting the job. When you fail to run a background check on a company, it could be risky for your career. Wrong careers move could take you several steps behind. When looking for a job, the pay, the beautiful social media pictures, and the ambiance of the office are not the only things to pay attention to. It is important you also pay attention to opportunities for growth, work culture, training opportunities, the company’s reputation, etc. These will give you an insight into the kind of company you are transiting to. A bad company can make redundant a good talent and kill creativity, motivation, and zeal. That the offer is good does not make the company good to work in. Not all career move is worth it. Do some research before accepting the job. Here are some things to consider when accepting a job  Opportunity for growth  Getting a new job might be your priority right now no doubt, but you still need to think carefully about how it will impact your long-term career prospects. If you accept a job offer on impulse and it doesn’t work out, you might end up desperate to leave. And there is every possibility that you might repeat the same mistake causing your C.V to become littered. When employers look at your CV, it might make you look unreliable. It is essential to know what it would take for you to rise to the top in whatever organization you are about to take up a job with. During an interview, you will have the perfect chance to dig deeper into career opportunities. Be confident and upfront with your interviewer. You can ask the following question: Is the culture competitive? What happened to the last person in my position? Where would you expect me to be in five years? Even if progression is not important to you now, it might be later, so it is only a good idea to get a feel of the opportunities out there. The work culture of the job you are considering You might think the perfect job fits your skills, comes with the right salary, and offers you the best benefits, but the evaluation doesn’t end there. You have to study and understand the work culture of an organization you want to work with before accepting a role. You also need to consider the work environment before accepting an offer. What kind of people are you going to be working with? Some work environments are more suited to extroverts, others to introverts. Similarly, some work environments will require you to have good human relations skills as you will be dealing with a lot of people, while some just need you to get in, get the job done, and get out. Have you thought about whether you will fit into the environment? Are you sure you won’t end up spending your whole day avoiding people and giving thanks once it’s time to go home? Many people have quit jobs just because of the nature of the environment. “The job was boring”, “My colleagues were too withdrawn” and “The environment was not conducive”, are among the reasons that some people must give for quitting their jobs. Salary of the job you are accepting Another thing to take into consideration before accepting a job is the salary. An employer often provides this information to you when making the offer. It is important to assess the income your potential employer offers and compare it to your financial needs. You may be able to supplement an initial offer by negotiating a higher rate. Work-life balance Work-life balance is one of the questions you need to throw at your interviewer. This is because some companies have formed the habit of occasionally working late, making employees head to the office on a Saturday without any pay extra pay attached. Though working on this day can be essential especially if there is a project or a very delicate issue that needs to be resolved. But it is necessary not to make it mandatory for your employees every time, especially if it is not clearly stated in the theory job description. We all know that health is wealth so when taking a job, do a background check or even ask the interviewer if the company observes holidays, especially the one that is imposed by the government. How many days of annual leave can you take, and are you permitted to work remotely? Company’s reputation No one wants to join a company that might be closing in less than a year. You must read reviews on Google, the company site, company social media, or job sites to see what other people are saying about the firm. Though reviews are not always completely accurate. Nevertheless, the information will give you a clue about how the company is currently doing. How the company treats its customers and how employees view the company’s outlook. Finally, you must make sure that the company you want to join aligns with your values. Proximity It takes some people two hours or more to get to their offices. This is not ideal. According to experts, in accepting a job offer the location has to be considered. If you live far from your place of work, you are bound to spend a lot of money every month to get to work; this will diminish the amount you are left with to pay your bills and do other things. That is apart from

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Phones that pose trouble for Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is considered a top on the list of the best phones on the market right now, and it\’s easy to see why. Whether you\’re a photography fan who needs a DSLR-rivaling smartphone, a constant note-taker who likes the look of the S Pen stylus, or someone who spends loads of time gaming or streaming video, there are lots to love. However the phone\’s high price can put some people off, and that\’s why it\’s great that there are rivals getting your attention. Three phones have been launched that could steal you away from the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. We\’ll run you through these three phones, in the order they were launched. ZTE Axon 40 Ultra ZTE\’s Axon 40 line debuted on the 9th of May, and there was an Ultra member of the family coming along for the ride. This looks like a giant phone which bears more than a passing resemblance to the S22 Ultra, though with an in-display selfie camera so the screen looks unbroken. It has three 64MP rear cameras, up to 1TB of storage and 16GB of RAM, and a 2K 6.8-inch screen – so it sounds impressive in a range of ways. We\’ll have to see if this one becomes widely available because lots of ZTE Axon phones get launched outside the company\’s home region of China, but not all of them. Sony Xperia 1 IV Sony\’s flagship phones are often super-powerful – and super-expensive, it was launched on the 11th of May. Xperia phones are designed for creative professionals, with camera lenses and sensors built by the same minds that create Sony\’s Alpha cameras, and with extra tools lie the ability to use it as an extra viewfinder for photography. Plus, they\’re often just as powerful as Samsung galaxy S22 ultra and the displays have a 4K resolution which gives them the trophy when it comes to high-res displays. Honor Magic 4 Pro May 12 brought the final big launch of the week, and it was from Honor. It was actually the global launch of the Honor Magic 4 series. This is the Honor Magic 4 Pro, and due to it already part-launching earlier in the year, we already knew lots about it. It has a 6.81-inch 120Hz screen, a powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, and an eye-catching design. Perhaps the highlights, on paper, are its cameras: there\’s a 50MP main, 50MP ultra-wide, and 64MP telephoto trio on the back, and a 12MP camera and 3D Time-of-Flight sensor for selfies. We\’ll have to see just how well it performs in action, but if it\’s priced right, this could be a top contender to replace the Samsung Galaxy S22 ultra for our \’best phones\’ title. Check out our article on the Apple iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max pop in purple.

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Side Hustles to Make Money With as a programmer

In this article, I want to share with you a few side hustles that you may look into, learn about, and make money from. Also, don’t anticipate any shady employment or a side hustle that requires no work. Because this type of side hustle doesn’t exist. Without a doubt, each and every side hustle is easy because the majority of us(I, as well as my friends) have done it and are making money. However, every side hustle necessitates consistency and some effort. Let’s get started. 1. Earn Money from Selling Code Yes, you read that correctly. Some websites might assist you in earning money by selling codes. But how exactly? Some artists, entrepreneurs, and company owners require websites for their work. And for that, they must engage a freelancer, use WordPress or another website editor, or purchase websites. Well, someone has to sell in order to purchase a website. And the seller is a programmer, more specifically a developer. This is one of the Side hustles that is vastly overlooked in the programming world, but a lot of developers are making money from it. Git Market and Codecanyon, for example, are two places where you can sell your code. It is a website that provides website and app code. There are thousands of PHP scripts, mobile app templates, HTML5 templates, JavaScript code, and other resources. So you may develop websites, applications, or plugins and sell them on CodeCanyon or GitMarket. 2. Selling APIs Selling APIs is one of the newest and most popular side hustles to consider. Especially if you’re a web developer, you don’t have to learn new technologies because you’re mostly working with APIs. There are platforms, such as RapidAPI, where developers may sell API and make money. This is one of the side hustles that are very profitable to Web developers, especially if you are a backend or full-stack developer; You can easily develop APIs and sell to people who may need them. So, if you know JavaScript or Python, you can get started with this side business.  Become an Online Content Creator What if I told you that the creative economy has more money than the rest of the world combined? And did you know that programmers enjoy a plethora of additional benefits? The following are the two explanations behind this: Top firms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and even Medium are investing in hiring more creators. You may be aware that LinkedIn has introduced a creator mode, and that Medium has acquired Knowable in order to add audio to the site. Programmers are in high demand, so if you know how to code, you can teach, help, provide value, and earn money. And what you want to do is absolutely up to you. You may create YouTube lessons and courses to sell on sites like Skillshare and Udemy. You can publish on Medium instead of making videos if you don’t want to do them. You may also create content about newly funded, purchased, or launched technology or enterprises. According to my experience, you will make a lot of money, and your earnings will grow as you provide more value. What is the best way to get started? Begin with what you know now; you don’t need to be an expert. Becoming a Web3 Developer I’m a web developer who is interested in the technology that underpins Web3, Blockchain, and the metaverse, which is generating such a stir in our society. What’s more intriguing is that becoming a web3 developer is straightforward for a web developer like myself. I don’t need to learn a lot of new technology; all I need to know is how to use Solidity, Truffle, and Ganache with web technologies. According to numerous polls, the vast majority of people are uninformed of Defi, Web3, or CBDC o how it can be used to make money as one of the side hustles. Also, don’t think about blockchain as solely being beneficial in the banking sector or for digital payments. There’s a lot more to it than that, of course. It may be useful for voting processes, supply chain management, regulatory compliance, auditing, IoT operating systems, and many other applications.And please allow me to divulge a few secrets to you. The vast majority of IT behemoths have begun to create blockchain-related technology. Furthermore, most organizations have started to pay more for web3 engineers. In a word, if you’re a web developer, you can learn about blockchain technology rapidly and utilize it to generate more money.

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Apple iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max pop in purple

Life-like fan-made renderings of the Apple iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max have shown up on social media with both devices stylishly clad in purple. Most of the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max details and specs were recently leaked to the public, although there is still some uncertainty over display sizes. There are always plenty of fan-made concept renderings and anticipations to enjoy during the waiting period for any major tech device release; however, few match the life-like look of the Apple iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max shown off in these new efforts by Instagram resident @atuos_user. The images have been shared on social media and have even been mistaken as the real deal, which considering a likely September/October launch for the iPhone 14 series, is a little premature. But, it appears that most of the details concerning the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max have already been leaked via multiple channels and social media platforms, right down to the specifications, camera equipment, design changes, and even alleged price tags. Apple’s familiar iPhone design language can be clearly seen in the life-like renderings (see below), with the iPhone 14 Pro depicted in both purple and white (starlight) while the Max variant appears solely in purple. The Apple iPhone 14 Pro is expected to have around a 6.1-inch display, a titanium alloy frame, a pill and hole notch setup, and it is rumored to have a price tag starting at US$1,099. The bigger iPhone 14 Pro Max, which will also have a titanium alloy frame and the same notch solution for the screen, is believed to be about 6.78 inches and could cost from US$1,199 if recent leaks are spot on. If the 2022 iPhones look this good, there will be a lot of happy Apple fans queueing up for one come fall time.

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Virtual Reality and How It Works

Virtual reality is the use of computer technology to create simulated environments. It enables a person to interact with an artificial three-dimensional (3-D) visual or other sensory environment, it also allows a user to carry out actions in a digital environment, yet feel as if they are immersed in a physical environment. WHAT IS THE GOAL OF VIRTUAL REALITY? Virtual Reality is so broad its safe to say the developers have multiple goals. Depending on the nature of a VR project, the design team may have some or even all of these goals. Below are some of the common goals of virtual reality. Immersion The whole idea behind someone wearing a VR headset is to transport themselves to a simulated world that is even more engrossing than watching a movie or playing a game with surround sound. They want the fantasy in their heads of being a superhero or slaying a dragon to be fully realized through the simulation. VR developers work diligently to ensure every aspect is as immersive as possible. While this does involve making things more realistic in some cases, the real magic is in making the simulation believable. A person’s mind knows there is no dragon in front of them if they think about it, but a good VR experience will keep them too wrapped up in the stimuli around them to consider anything but the scene they have been transported to. Education and Learning There are also many educational opportunities opening up through the use of Virtual Reality Technology. Students can visit and even walk around digital recreations of historic places and events. Instead of just watching videos about Ancient Egypt, children could explore these spaces and learn at their own pace. Gaming can be added to these educational experiences but it isn’t required to provide students with a more enjoyable lesson. Healing and Confronting Mental Trauma One of the best ways to handle mental and emotional trauma is to confront it directly. Medical professionals have been using exposure therapy to help patients overcome their fears and even reduce symptoms of PTSD. By recreating the source of trauma in a safe virtual space, the patient can work through their issues by exploring them thoroughly. This goes to show just how far virtual reality can be taken outside the realm of games and entertainment. Specialized Job Training There are many jobs that require immense precision and accuracy. Occupations such as Surgeon are difficult to train for because of the delicate nature of the work. Virtual Reality can be used to train people for these roles without putting anyone’s life in danger. As virtual reality becomes more accessible, it is poised to change the job market considerably. Types of Virtual Reality Non-Immersive Virtual Reality: This category is often overlooked as VR simply because it’s so common. This type of VR refers to the virtual experience through a computer where you can control some characters or activities within the software, but the environment is not directly interacting with you. Video games are a prime example of non-immersive VR. Semi-Immersive Virtual Reality: This type of VR provides an experience partially based in a virtual environment. Using a computer screen or VR glasses, you can move around in a virtual environment but other than your visual experience you will have no physical sensations to enhance the experience. A virtual tour can be a good example of semi-immersive virtual technology. Fully Immersive Virtual Reality: On contrary to non-immersive virtual reality, a fully immersive virtual technology ensures that you have a realistic experience within the virtual world. It would feel as if you are physically present in the virtual world and the events occurring there are happening to you. Special equipment like VR glasses, gloves, body detectors equipped with sense detectors is required to provide a realistic virtual experience. One example could be a Virtual Shooter gaming zone where you will be equipped with the gears in a small room and you will be viewing a virtual world through the helmet where you are facing other shooters trying to kill you. Augmented Reality: Augmented Reality is a type of virtual reality that lets the user see the real world usually through a phone screen and make virtual changes to it on the screen. For example, through your mobile screen, you can view your room, and probably place a cartoon character in the corner. You will be able to see the character through your mobile screen and not in reality. Collaborative Virtual Reality: This a type of virtual reality where users from different locations can come together in a virtual environment in the form of 3D projected characters. For example, there is a video game called PUBG (Players Unknown Battle-Ground), where tons of players come to existence as individual virtual characters which they can control. Here they can interact with each other through microphones, headsets, and chatting.

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The Metaverse

The Metaverse is a concept of an online, 3D, Virtual Universe that combines various Virtual spaces together to allow users to work, game, and socialize in these 3D spaces. This Concept of the metaverse is not really in Existence, at least not yet, but there are several Metaverse-like online platforms. The most prominent place you can find these metaverse-like platforms are mostly in Recent Video-games where Game developers have really turned gaming into more than just playing games but more of a thrilling life experience where you can immerse yourself on an adventure of meeting fellow gamers, transacting with them and so on, thereby making the whole experience almost real-lifey. Another Very useful fit for the metaverse is cryptocurrencies, which are basically a simulated virtual currency, that has made it possible for the digital economy to exist with different virtual coins and NFTs. The Metaverse already has metaverse-like applications that exist and provide people with liveable incomes. Axie Infinity is one play-to-earn game that many users play to support their income. SecondLive and Decentraland are other examples of successfully mixing the blockchain world and virtual reality apps. The Metaverse while not in existence fully yet, has really given developers ideas to develop software that encompasses the physical, financial and social lives of their users to link these aspects together to give users the full experience of actually living, making a living, networking, gaming, etc all through one piece of software; which can be and is usually a gaming software. The Metaverse and Gaming 3D Virtual reality games have made it possible for games to offer the closest metaverse experience currently. This point isn’t just because they are 3D, though. Video games now offer services that cross over into other aspects of our lives. The video game Roblox even hosts virtual events like concerts and meetups. Players don\’t just play the game anymore; they also use it for other activities and parts of their lives in \”cyberspace\”. For example, in the multiplayer game Fortnite, 12.3 million players took part in Travis Scott\’s virtual in-game music tour. This is amazing because normal games that were previously played just for fun can actually be used as a medium for networking, online meetings etc How does crypto fit into the metaverse? Gaming provides the 3D aspect of the metaverse but doesn’t cover everything needed in a virtual world that can cover all aspects of life. Crypto offers the other key parts required, such as digital proof of ownership, transfer of value, governance, and accessibility. But what do these mean exactly? If in the future, we work, socialize, and even purchase virtual items in the metaverse, we need a secure way of showing ownership. We also need to feel safe transferring these items and money around the metaverse. Finally, we will also want to play a role in the decision-making taking place in the metaverse if it will be such a large part of our lives. Some video games contain some basic solutions already, but many developers use crypto and blockchain instead as a better option. Blockchain provides a decentralized and transparent way of dealing with the topics, while video-game development is more centralized. Blockchain developers also take influence from the video game world too. Gamification is common in Decentralized Finance (Defi) and GameFi. It seems there will be enough similarities in the future that the two worlds may become even more integrated. The key aspects of blockchain suited to the metaverse are:1. Digital proof of ownership: By owning a wallet with access to your private keys, you can instantly prove ownership of an activity or an asset on the blockchain. For example, you could show an exact transcript of your transactions on the blockchain while at work to show accountability. A wallet is one of the most secure and robust methods for establishing a digital identity and proof of ownership.2. Digital collectibility: Just as we can establish who owns something, we can also show that an item is original and unique. For a metaverse looking to incorporate more real-life activities, this is important. Through NFTs, we can create objects that are 100% unique and can never be copied exactly or forged. A blockchain can also represent ownership of physical items.3. Transfer of value: A metaverse will need a way to transfer value securely that users trust. In-game currencies in multiplayer games are less secure than crypto on a blockchain. If users spend large amounts of time in the metaverse and even earn money there, they will need a reliable currency. Some MetaVerse Examples SecondLive ‌SecondLive is a 3D virtual environment where users control avatars for socializing, learning, and business. The project also has an NFT marketplace for exchanging collectibles. In September 2020, SecondLive hosted Binance Smart Chain\’s Harvest Festival as part of its first anniversary. The virtual expo showcased different projects in the BSC ecosystem for users to explore and interact with. Axie Infinity Axie Infinity is a play-to-earn game that’s provided players in developing countries an opportunity to earn consistent income. By purchasing or being gifted three creatures known as Axies, a player can start farming the Smooth Love Potion (SLP) token. When sold on the open market, someone could make roughly $200 to $1000 (USD) depending on how much they play and the market price. While Axie Infinity doesn\’t provide a singular 3D character or avatar, it gives users the opportunity for a metaverse-like job. You might have already heard the famous story of Filipinos using it as an alternative to full-time employment or welfare. Decentraland Decentraland is an online, digital world that combines social elements with cryptocurrencies, NFTs, and virtual real estate. On top of this, players also take an active role in the governance of the platform. Like other blockchain games, NFTs are used to represent cosmetic collectibles. They\’re also used for LAND, 16×16 meter land parcels that users can purchase in the game with the cryptocurrency MANA. The combination of all of these creates a complex crypto-economy. Closing thoughts While a single, united metaverse is likely a long way off, we

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Cyber Security and Its Importance

In recent years, There has been an increase in cybercrime. Thieves steal customer social security numbers from corporations’ computer systems. Unscrupulous hackers grab passwords and personal information from social media sites or pluck company secrets from the cloud. For companies of all sizes, keeping information safe is a growing concern. This is why we will be discussing Cyber Security and Its Importance. What is Cyber Security Cyber security consists of all the technologies and practices that keep computer systems and electronic data safe. And, in a world where more and more of our business and social lives are online, it’s an enormous and growing field with great importance.   According to the Cyber Security & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), \”Cyber security is the art of protecting networks, devices, and data from unauthorized access or criminal use and the practice of ensuring confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information.\” What is Information Security? Information security is the processes and tools designed and utilized to protect sensitive business information from modification, disruption, destruction, and inspection, according to CISCO. Information security and cyber security are often confused. According to CISCO, information security is a crucial part of cyber security but is used exclusively for ensuring the security of data. Everything is connected by computers and the internet now, including communication, entertainment, transportation, shopping, medicine, and more. A copious amount of personal information is stored among these various services and apps, and this is why information security is critical. Importance of Cyber Security Getting hacked isn’t just an attack on confidential data companies need. It can also ruin their relationships with customers, and even place them in significant legal jeopardy. With new technology, from self-driving cars to internet-enabled home security systems, the dangers of cybercrime become even more serious.  So, it’s no wonder that international research and advisory firm Gartner Inc. predicts worldwide security spending will hit $170 billion by 2022, an 8% increase in just a year.  These days, the need to protect confidential information is a pressing concern at the highest levels of government and industry. State secrets can be stolen from the other side of the world. Companies, whose whole business models depend on control of customers\’ data, can find their databases compromised. In just one high-profile 2017 case, personal information for 147.9 million people – about half the United States – was compromised in a breach of credit reporting company Equifax. What is a Cyber Attack? A cyber attack is an unwelcomed attempt to steal, expose, alter, disable or destroy information through unauthorized access to computer systems, according to the International Business Machines Corporation (IBM). The reasons for attacks can range from cyber warfare, cyber terrorism, and even hacktivists, but these actions fall into three main categories: criminal, political, and personal. Attackers motivated by crime are typically seeking financial gain through money theft, data theft, or business disruption. Similarly, personal attackers include disgruntled current or former employees who will take money or data in an attempt to attack a company\’s systems. Socio-political motivated attackers desire attention for their cause, resulting in their attacks being known to the public, and this is a form of hacktivism. Other forms of cyberattacks include espionage, spying to gain an unfair advantage over the competition, and intellectually challenging. This is why there is a great importance of cyber security in this day and age. Who is Behind Cyber Attacks? Attacks against enterprises can come from a variety of sources such as criminal organizations, state actors, and private persons, according to IBM. An easy way to classify these attacks is by outsider versus insider threats. Outsider or external threats include organized criminals, professional hackers, and amateur hackers (like hacktivists). Insider threats are typically those who have authorized access to a company\’s assets and abuse them deliberately or accidentally. These threats include employees who are careless of security procedures, disgruntled current or former employees, and business partners or clients with system access. Importance of Cyber Awareness Cyber security awareness month takes place every October and encourages individuals and organizations to own their role in protecting their cyberspace, according to Forbes. Although, anyone can practice being mindful of cyber security at any time. It is a time to be aware of cyber security and the importance of having a good knowledge of cyber security. Cyber security awareness can mean different things to different people depending on their technical knowledge. Ensuring appropriate training is available to individuals, is a great way to motivate lasting behavioral changes. While cyber security awareness is the first step, employees and individuals must embrace and proactively use effective practices both professionally and personally for it to truly be effective, according to Forbes. Conclusion Cyber security is very important considering the increase in cyber attacks over the recent years, There are different types of attacks and it is important you are able to identify them in other to find the best way to prevent them from happening.

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Preventing Cross-Site Scripting Attacks

Preventing Cross-Site Scripting Attacks is one of the major Cyber-security Precaution every Web Developer should learn take So as to prevent exploits within your own organization. Cross-site scripting is a security exploit in which the attacker inserts malicious client-side code into webpages, This has been around since the 1990s and most major websites like Google, Yahoo and Facebook have all been affected by cross-site scripting flaws at some point. Attacks exploiting XSS vulnerabilities can steal data, take control of a user\’s session, run malicious code, or be used as part of a phishing scam. Preventing These Cross-Site Scripting Attacks has now become a major concern for many developers, especially in the Web 2.0 era, Many believe Web 2.0 has created the latest round of Cross-Site Scripting attacks; in fact, they\’re mainly just variations on an old theme. What is true, though, is that Ajax (asynchronous JavaScript and XML) technologies change the threat landscape in that they allow an attacker to exploit cross-site scripting vulnerabilities in a more secret manner. Ajax applications tend to be very complex and active, there being many more interactions between the browser and server, and pages can even pull in content from other sites. This setup makes it difficult to test the many possible permutations of user and service interaction, allowing old vulnerabilities, making it quite difficult to prevent these Cross-Site Scripting Attacks. Sites continue to fall prey to Cross-Site Scripting attacks because most of them need to be interactive, accepting, and returning data from users. This means attackers, too, can interact directly with an application\’s processes, passing data designed to disguise themselves as legitimate application requests or commands through normal request channels such as scripts, URLs, and form data. This communication at the application layer can exploit applications whose developers do not take the necessary steps in preventing these Cross-Site Scripting Attacks to bypass traditional perimeter security defenses. According to a 2008 WhiteHat Security Statistics Report, 90% of all websites have at least one vulnerability, and 70% of all vulnerabilities are XSS-related. In this article, the first in a series on application-layer attacks, I want to look at how and why XSS attacks work and what you can do to Prevent this Cross-Site Scripting Attacks from your own Web applications. Cross-site scripting explained: How XSS attacks workCross-site scripting attacks are different than most application-layer attacks, such as SQL injection, as they attack an application\’s users, not the application or server. Attacks work by injecting code, usually a client-side script such as JavaScript, into a Web application\’s output. Most websites have numerous injection points, such as search fields, feedback forms, cookies and forums that are vulnerable to cross-site scripting. The most common purpose of XSS attacks is to gather cookie data, as cookies are commonly and regularly used incorrectly to store information such as session IDs, user preferences or login information. Although client-side scripts cannot directly affect server-side information, they can still compromise a site\’s security, often using Document Object Model manipulation to alter form values or switch the form action to post the submitted data to the attacker\’s site. Let\’s look at how simple an XSS attack can be. The XYZ football club\’s message board allows club members to post comments about the team and its performance. Comments are stored in an online database and displayed to other members without ever being validated or encoded. A malicious member can simply post a comment containing a script enclosed by the <script> tags. The attacker then waits for other members to view the comment. Since the text inside a <script> tag is not generally displayed, other members may not even be aware that the script has executed; merely viewing the comment will execute the script. The script can legitimately request the member\’s cookie information and pass it to the attacker. This type of XSS attack is known as persistent XSS because the malicious script is rendered more than once. XSS attacks work even if the site is viewed over an SSL connection, because the script is run in the context of the \”secured\” site, and browsers cannot distinguish between legitimate and malicious content served up by a Web application. But attackers don\’t have to rely on injecting their code into a site\’s comment page. They can try to trick a victim into clicking on a URL in a phishing email, which then injects code into the viewed page, giving the attacker full access to that page\’s content –- this is a non-persistent XSS attack. URL encoding is often used in such attacks to disguise the link and make users more likely to follow it. In the example below, the link is to a secure a https URL to a trusted site: https://www.userstrustedbank.com/script/loginservelet?function=\”> <script>document.write(String.fromCharCode(60,105,102,114,97,109,101,32,115,114,99,61,104,116,116,112,58,47,47,119,119,119,46,97,98,97,100,98,97,110,107,46,99,111,109,47,108,111,103,105,110,32,112,104,112,62))</script>  Users see that the link is to www.userstrustedbank.com and is over an SSL connection; it looks genuine enough since links often have long, seemingly meaningless text at the end. The user clicks the link. However, the code between the <script> tags when translated by a browser reads:  <iframe src=http://www.abadbank.com/login.php>  This attack string renders an IFRAME — an HTML document embedded inside another HTML document on a website — in the context of userstrustedbank\’s actual site. The attacker\’s login.php page will be mocked up to look exactly like the userstrustedbank\’s login page, tricking the user into entering and sending his login username and password to the bad bank server, the source of the IFRAME, while all the time being on the real userstrustedbank.com website. This very attack has been used on banks\’ websites this year.For more cross-site scripting informationGet the latest news, videos and expert advice on Web application security. Spooks website made basic blunder in XSS testing. Find more information on application attacks, buffer overflows and cross-site scripting. Essentially, the underlying problem and cause of XSS holes is that many dynamically created webpages display user input that is not validated or encoded. If you don\’t validate user-generated input and control how it is processed or published, you could fall victim to an XSS attack. (In my previous article, The true test of a Web application

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How to Change Your Zoom Background

Since the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic, businesses, organizations, and governments have resorted to non-physical ways of holding meetings shifting their attention to video conferencing apps such as Skype, GoogleMeet, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom. This is as everyone seeks to limit the spread of the virus by observing social distancing. One other good thing virtual meeting does is that it solves distance problems – you can join any meeting from anywhere in the world provided you have a good internet connection. Read more: How to Write a Script to Change Your Zoom Background Every Day What does the script do? Zoom does have an API that I could have used to change my background every day – but that seemed like too much effort for this task. Software developers are born lazy, right? 🙂 Instead, I found out that the Zoom application creates a copy of the background that gets selected in its preferences folder and references it. The script just takes in a random file and replaces it with this background file. And voila! A different Zoom virtual background is shown. You can then put this in a cron job to be executed every day (or any frequency you prefer) to periodically change the background. Get Set Up I have put all the images I want to use as backgrounds in a folder in my user directory. Mine is at,  /zoom/bgpictures/, and that is what I use in the script. But it is a variable that you can change to whatever you want it to be. Next, we set a Zoom virtual background in our application. It does not matter which background you choose. All we need is the unique ID that Zoom will assign to this background. There might be some files already in the directory, but we want to select the one that corresponds to the image that we just uploaded to avoid replacing a different file. The directory is located at: ~/Library/Application Support/zoom.us/data/VirtualBkgnd_Custom. The file name will be something like: 9WAE197F-90G2-4EL2-9M1F-AP784B4C2FAD. Read more: How to Write a Script to Change Your Zoom Background Every Day BEFORE JOINING A MEETING: 1. Open the Zoom app on your computer and sign in. 2. Click your profile picture, then click on Settings. In the left menu bar, click on the Virtual Background tab (if you don\’t see this tab, log in to the Zoom website, go to Settings, and toggle on Virtual Background). 3. In the Virtual Background tab, select one of Zoom\’s defaults or upload your own image. 4. To add your own image/video, click the + icon to upload from your computer. What next? Read more: How to Write a Script to Change Your Zoom Background Every Day AFTER JOINING A MEETING: 1. At the bottom of the client, click the up arrow next to Video. 2. Select Change Virtual Background. 3. In the Virtual Background tab, select one of Zoom\’s defaults or upload your own image. 4. To add your own image/video, click the + icon to upload. Read more: How to Write a Script to Change Your Zoom Background Every Day

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Ten Programming Languages Tesla is searching for.

Want to Know Programming Languages Tesla is searching for? Knowing the Ten Programming Languages Tesla is searching for is paramount for people who dream and aspire to work at Tesla.Technology has played a leading role in economic and societal development. Enterprises likei Tesla are searching for skilled programmers and engineers who can efficiently leverage these technologies and deliver seamless and accurate software solutions. Knowing the Programming Languages Some of these Enterprises like Tesla are searching for can be very important. Different roles in distinct companies require the candidates to learn different programming languages.   With a vision for a better future, Tesla has not only become the most valuable automobile company to ever exist but also surmounted itself as one of the top tech companies in the world. From autonomous vehicles to AI Robots, Tesla has done it all. Want to land a job at Tesla? Here are the top 10 programming languages Tesla is looking for in developers.  Python Python is widely known as a programming language that is easy to learn, due to its simple syntax, a large library of standards and toolkits, and easy integration with other popular programming languages such as C and C++. Python is extremely beginner-friendly and hence, one of the first languages that students learn. The language is widely used in a wide variety of applications, including artificial intelligence, which tesla relies tremendously on, financial services, and data-science. This is one of the ten most sought after Programming Languages in tesla Java Java is another top programming language Tesla is searching for, It is mostly associated with client-server applications, which are used by large businesses around the world. Java is designed to be a loosely connected programming language, indicating that any application written in Java can run on any platform that is supported by Java. Along with developing and supporting business applications, Java is extensively used in the Android mobile operating system. JavaScript JavaScript is one of the most popular programming languages for building interactive websites. When combined with Node.js, programmers can use JavaScript to produce web content on the server before a page is sent to the browser that can be used to build games and communication applications that run directly in the browser. The language is extensively used in the website and mobile application development. Node.js allows for the development of browser-based applications, which do not require users to download an application C# Also known as C sharp, this language is an object-oriented, general-purpose programming language, widely used in web and desktop programming languages. C# is a popular programming language for coding purposes. The language supports new learners. Because of this, learning C# may be easier than attempting to learn the newer and less-documented languages SQL SQL is a special-purpose programming language used to interact with databases. It works by analyzing and understanding databases consisting of fields of data within tables. Many fortune 500 companies have built their high-performance database systems, using SQL to query data and perform analysis.  Ruby This is one of the most popular programming languages for web developers. Ruby’s object-oriented architecture supports procedural and functional programming notation thus making it one of the best languages to use. As a beginner, one wouldn’t face a problem while learning Ruby as the syntax is quite easy. TypeScript  TypeScript is a robust, portable JavaScript programming language that operates as a superset of JavaScript. As a superset of JavaScript, it is commonly used by programmers who are interested in developing larger applications. With both client-side and server-side functionality, TypeScript makes it easier for developers to work on larger volumes of code. The core of TypeScript is its optional static typing. CSS CSS is usually applied in conjunction with HTML and governs a site’s appearance. While HTML organizes site text into chunks, CSS is responsible for determining the size, color, and position of all page elements. The language is quite approachable, allowing beginners to dip their toes in the metaphorical coding pool. PHP People use Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP) is a very popular old scripting language and billions of websites and applications are built using it. PHP has an Array data structure. PHP offers data structures through the Standard PHP Library (SPL) basic extension. React  React makes it painless to create interactive UIs. Design simple views for each state in your application, and React will efficiently update and render just the right components when your data changes. Declarative views make your code more predictable and easier to debug

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