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    19Nov, 2022
    What is WarXing in Cyber Security? What are the Benefits?

    You might have heard about WarXing; here you will get detailed information about that. WarXing is always searching for Wi-Fi networks because in this hyper-connected world users need to need a stable internet connection. We also need an internet connection to our mobile, tablets, computers to fulfill their functions.

    We also need to keep in touch with our friends and that also possible through the internet. Our family, co-workers everyone is connected online, and we even receive our education online.

    Here you will get some variations of WarXing:

    1. Warchalking: The name itself a practice which is the reference of a common method of warXing.
    2. Community: Here they breadth regarding Wi-Fi arrangement and the sidewalk with a piece of chalk.
    3. Warcycling: Users can search Wi-Fi networks by doing the cycling.
    4. War dialing: In this practise, include phone numbers so that the user can find the modems.
    5. Wardriving: In this process, you can seek Wi-Fi networks in the car.
    6. Warflying: In this, by using an aircraft or drone, the PDA user needs to complete his work.

    Why do People need to warXing?

    People need this warXing for various reasons. For example, a user can opt for warXing to piggyback. In this, it looks very innocent and non-threatening.

    You also need to consider the possibility so that the individual can be overburden to your network, and it can be heavily downloading the activity where internet connection becomes illegal. In the future, you might be getting yourself in an unwanted situation and explain who is responsible for this illegal activity.

    There is another motivation for warXing, which can be infiltrating your system. You can steal the information where you can lock out yourself in your network. However, wardrivers drive around the neighborhood so that they can find the open Wi-Fi network and they can effortlessly hack everything.

    If any organization uses unknown Wi-Fi then, that organization is under threat. Wardrivers target the consumer so that they can crack through WER’s encryption easily.

    If you want to keep safe to your organisation and enhance the cybersecurity posture then you need to keep a look of SIEM and SOAR applications.

    What all threats can come if you do not use WarXing in Cyber Security?

    1. Adware: This is one of the forms of computer virus which fills the computer with more advertisement. It is very common for cyber-attack. Adware allows viruses to enter inside the computer if you accidentally click on them.
    2. Ransomware: This is one type of malicious software which mainly designed to access until some limit. If you want you can opt for the paid version.
    3. Spyware: This is one type of WarXing cyber infection that is mainly designed to spy on your computer action and relay on that information you can get the cyber-criminal.

    The best WarXing in Cyber Security can easily prevent this type of virus and ensure that your data stays private and confidential inside the workplace.

    Benefits of WarXing in Cyber Security:

    There are several benefits which are discussing below:

    1. Protection for your business: WarXing provides digital protection to your business, and will make sure that your employees are not at risk. They must be saved from potential threats like Ransomware and Adware.
    2. Increase productivity: Please note that viruses slow down the computers while crawling that time you need to do the work practically. Powerful WarXing eliminates all negativity and maximizes your business potential.
    3. Inspires customer confidence: If you prove your business is protected against all types of viruses, you can gain the trust of your customer and your data will not compromise.
    4. Protection for your customers: You need to ensure your business is secure from WarXing, and it will help your customer to do the subscription for WarXing.
    5. Stops your website from going down: When you have your own website you must be potentially cyber breach which can be disastrous. When you are in the system and it becomes infected that time, your website can be forced to close where you will lose money and there are chances that you will lose the transaction.   

    Final thoughts

    However, your business must be secure physically and virtually. It is perfect to have control over your business and employees. As an owner, you also need to get connected with them via WI-FI connection. You can also do the broadcasting to the world that your business is ‘open for business’. WarXing is very good and convenient as well as suited for all types of business.

    Resource : https://cybersecuritynews.com/warxing/

    19Nov, 2022
    4 Common Threats A Web Application Firewall Can Prevent From Cyber Attack

    A Web Application Firewall (WAF) is a tool that filters the incoming and outgoing traffic at the application layer.

    Based on the pre-set rules by a business and WAF provider, it either blocks the traffic it deems malicious or allows it to enter the network.

    For companies that do business via versatile applications or have developed their own unique app-based service, the WAF tool is an essential layer of cybersecurity.

    In the last couple of years, there has been a surge of cyber threats in general, but some types of attacks appeared in greater frequency than others.

    Here, we discuss some major threats and weaknesses within the application that WAF can identify and protect against.

    How common are the listed attacks, and how can a Web Application Firewall aid in their prevention?

    Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS)

    At the start of 2022, the number of Distributed Denial of Service Attacks (DDoS) increased by 203% compared to the previous year.

    What this type of cyber threat does is overwhelm the website or application with a surge of fake traffic.

    As a result, it can significantly slow down the application — to the point of unusability. In the worst-case scenario, DDoS attacks have taken down entire websites or applications.

    Users that have been using the application decide to uninstall the app or leave their shopping carts if the website is running too slow.

    A Web Application Firewall is the most important tool for DDoS protection.

    The tool is automated and uses machine learning to determine the patterns that differentiate the usual traffic from that which is not normal for the organization in type or even frequency. It can detect and block false traffic on its tracks, not letting it disrupt the network.

    Social Engineering Attacks

    Phishing is the most common and well-known kind of social engineering attack.

    In 2021, over 87% of companies have reported that they’ve been targeted with bulk phishing — in which hackers send as many emails to any addresses they can find.

    Bulk phishing is one type of many that are being sent around with the hope that the recipient accidentally installs a virus on their device.

    It takes one worker to click on the malware-infected link in the body of an email, install the virus hidden within an attachment or send their credentials to a person that is impersonating their boss.

    Social engineering attacks rely on human errors to create a direct path that leads them into the organization.

    While WAF can’t prevent the employee from clicking the link and downloading the malicious malware hidden in the attachment, it can thwart the email from reaching the unsuspected team member in the first place.

    WAF is crucial for detecting more advanced phishing attempts that don’t follow the typical script and use more cunning methods to impersonate the bank, police, or higher-ups within the company.

    Ransomware

    So far in 2022, over 70% of organizations have been targeted with a ransomware attack — which is the highest percentage recorded so far.

    In cases when the cyber criminal successfully breached the network with malware, the user would be locked out of certain files, or even the entire network would be inaccessible.

    After encrypting files, the hacker follows it up with a message on the screen that lists ransom demands. Mostly, there is a request for payment in crypto after which the victim will supposedly get a key to decrypting documents.

    For businesses, this means that they would either lose time and not be able to operate as usual (without the essential documents). In other cases, it could mean that they would have to rebuild their entire infrastructure.

    Ransomware attacks have been getting more sophisticated (besides encrypting data, they also obtain it) and nowadays are even offered as a service — which means that anyone can order and use it with little hacking knowledge.

    WAF prevents that type of malware from communicating with centers that are tasked with Command and Control.

    OWASP Top 10

    OWASP is the key resource to which developers turn to web app security. After testing applications from versatile threats, the site lists the top weaknesses that would have enabled cybercriminals to compromise their work.

    The list of the latest OWASP top 10 flaws that could be exploited by hackers currently includes:

    • Broken access control — the most common type of flaw detected in the tested apps
    • Cryptographic failures — that can lead to the exposure of personal information
    • Injection — the ability of hackers to inject malicious code and gain control over the entire application
    • Insecure design — sacrificing security over novel design features
    • Security misconfiguration — mistakes in the way the safety controls are implemented
    • Vulnerable and outdated components — using parts that have well-known weaknesses that can be exploited
    • Identification and authentication failures — that can result in data breaches
    • Software and data integrity failure — assuming instead of verifying the integrity
    • Security logging and monitoring failure — that cause inaccurate forensics or false alerts
    • Server-side request forgery — that could give the hacker control over app requests

    Reliable WAF is created and continually updated according to the list of OWASP’s top threats.

    Therefore, it encrypts the communication between the user and the network, continually examines any login attempts and prevents malicious HTTP sessions.

    To Conclude

    There are more flaws and online threats than we mentioned here and even more potential vulnerabilities than listed in OWASP’s top 10.

    Many of them are advanced and zero-day threats that traditional tools can’t automatically identify and remove before they cause an incident.

    Ransomware, DDoS, flaws listed by OWASP, and phishing are only some common cyber threats that WAF is designed to prevent.

    As the tool that is first in the line against threat actors, a Web Application Firewall is an important layer of protection against malicious activity.

    Paired with other essential tools (such as anti-malware and antivirus software) that can detect and mitigate threats, it creates strong security for any business.

    Resource : https://cybersecuritynews.com/4-common-threats-a-web-application-firewall-can-prevent-from-cyber-attack/

    17Nov, 2022
    Why Is It Important Have Security in a Workplace?

    Security in the workplace ensures the safety of employees, client files, assets and confidential documents. Security in the workplace is important because corporations, businesses and government offices are often the target of sabotage, unlawful entry and theft.

    Having security guards or police protection in the workplace is often a safety measure that may deter criminals from targeting the business. These barriers often reduce the likelihood of threats. Security in the workplace is also important because it may reassure employees and make them feel safe with the extra protection while entering and exiting the facility.

    Security in the workplace is available in many forms, such as a security guard or off-duty police officer standing guard at entrances or near valuable assets or safes. Companies may also ramp up security by installing key-card access systems to entryways, issuing access badges with photo identification for each employee and upgrading surveillance with interior and exterior cameras to monitor activity.

    Security for communication practices is also important. For example, companies may install intercom systems and have back up systems on hand, such as two-way radios, for employees to communicate when phone failures occur.

    Safes and secure cabinets can protect confidential documents and client files from unescorted visitors in the workplace. In addition, procedures for shredding confidential information and high-security paperwork is important to have in place to reduce risk of identy theft or leaks of company financials.

    Resource : https://www.reference.com/business-finance/important-security-workplace-9dd867eea1b7f14a

    17Nov, 2022
    Worok Hides Backdoor Behind PNG Steganography

    A recently identified cyberespionage gang, named Worok, was found hiding malware in seemingly harmless files. ESET researchers, in their new report, have detailed the killchain and the use of PNG steganography for payload delivery by the threat actor.

    Diving into details

    The attack campaign has been conducting cyberespionage campaigns against governments and high-profile organizations in the Middle East, Central and South Asia, and Africa, since 2020.

    • Worok uses DLL side-loading, after gaining access, to execute the CLRLoad malware.
    • CLRLoad deploys PNGLoad that comes in two variants: either a PowerShell script or a .NET C#-based payload. PNG files belonging to the second variant, which distributed a C# malware embedded via steganography.
    • Actors use a new info-stealer, dubbed DropBoxControl, which uses a DropBox account for C2 communication. 
    • DropBoxControl has already affected organizations and government institutions in Mexico, Vietnam, and Cambodia.

    Motive – Espionage

    • DropBoxControl can execute arbitrary commands, rename and delete files, download and upload files, pilfer system metadata, capture file information, and eavesdrop on network communications. 
    • Researchers have, furthermore, added that DropBoxControl is most likely written by a different developer than PNGLoad and CLRLoad due to differences in code quality. 
    • The delivery of the third-stage payload as a file harvester indicates that Worok is focused on gathering intelligence, apart from extending the killchain. 

    More on the campaign

    • Worok has launched attacks against telecoms, banking, energy, maritime, public, and government sectors.
    • The availability of some of the tools used by Worok is pretty low in the wild. Besides, it uses publicly-available tools, such as Mimikatz, PowerShell, EarthWorm, and NBTScan, for reconnaissance. 

    The bottom line

    The steganographically embedded DropBoxControl confirms that Worok is a cyberespionage gang. It exfiltrates data via the DropBox account registered on active Gmail accounts. While the initial compromise still remains unknown, the next stage foundings are expected to help researchers defend against the threat.

    Resource : https://cyware.com/news/worok-hides-backdoor-behind-png-steganography-6fce422e

    16Nov, 2022
    The Uncertain Future of IT Automation

    While IT automation is growing, big challenges remain. Chris Hass, director of information security and research at Automox, discusses how the future looks.

    The majority of today’s cybersecurity breaches stem from unpatched vulnerabilities and outdated systems, which means that many cyberattacks are preventable. Unfortunately, it can be challenging for IT teams to keep up with the pace of new patches every month, especially when employee devices are scattered across a distributed workforce and there’s a shortage of cybersecurity professionals. These emerging factors make efficiency a critical component for any IT team.

    To enable a rapid discovery of new exploits, more companies are turning to IT-automation tools for patching and system management. By streamlining the processes and reducing the workload, IT teams can quickly address new severe exploits and save time to focus their efforts on more high-impact projects.

    However, while the trend of automation will continue to grow, there still remain many challenges to its adoption, and new innovations or threats could change how the future looks for this technology.

    What Can We Expect in IT Automation in the Near Future?

    First and foremost, IT automation will adapt to distributed environments. When we surveyed IT professionals, 80 percent stated that the process of managing endpoints has become harder as a result of more employees working remotely. Having to both maintain management servers across multiple, distributed sites and with sporadic, inconsistent connectivity to endpoints has made it difficult for IT teams to remain efficient and nimble. This has led to more organizations looking for cloud-native solutions to remedy these challenges.

    Cloud-native technologies make connectivity with remote devices easier while staying secure without the use of VPNs. They also improve visibility into the exact, real-time status of a device. IT teams will have an easier time pushing patches automatically without worrying about VPN bandwidth restrictions. Within the next year, anticipate that more businesses will realize these immense benefits and replace existing tools with cloud-native IT automation.

    On the flip side, challenges remain, such as addressing burnout and emerging security concepts.

    IT and Security Teams’ Mental Health Comes to the Fore

    One thing that has become evident in the 2020s is that there is a lack of attention on and investment in employee mental health and safety. This is especially true when it comes to IT and security workers, who have come under enormous pressure and stress in our hybrid world today, where both outages and cyberattacks aren’t just common, but expected to happen at all times.

    Automation is one way to drive more accessibility and ease-of-use for IT teams. While in the past the core argument for automation is to provide more time for innovation, today the argument must simply be, automation creates more time for teams — but we’re not there yet.

    Consider the (relatively) recent issue with the Log4j vulnerability. The issue wasn’t “just” that there was a new vulnerability to respond to and worry about. It was that many security and IT professionals had to go through the manual task of updating every endpoint across their system, while managers and even the C-suite watched over their shoulders.

    This isn’t easy – it’s stressful, and it will make your teams more likely to quit, which is just unacceptable as we continue to navigate a world reshaped by the Great Resignation and IT skills shortage.

    New IT Security Concepts Are on the Horizon

    As Automox predicted at the end of last year, IT and security transformation continue as organizations everywhere try to find a new normal following the disruptions of the pandemic, and IT automation will have to adjust.

    This has been challenging for many organizations — and more importantly, people, as discussed above — but there are silver linings too. The pandemic has pushed new innovation across many areas, with exciting new tools and practices on the horizon for IT and security teams.

    One innovation that is particularly interesting is cybersecurity mesh architectures. Gartner has claimed that “organizations adopting a cybersecurity mesh architecture will reduce the financial impact of security incidents by an average of 90 percent” by 2024.

    A cybersecurity mesh architecture leverages various parts of the enterprise to integrate widely distributed, disparate security services. This is key to managing and accounting for a workforce that has never been more remote and globally distributed. Designing and implementing an IT security infrastructure that is not focused on a single perimeter, but instead smaller individual perimeters around each access point, provides quality-of-life improvements as well as more control over an organization’s overall security profile.

    Another trend that may seem overdue but is very much happening in real-time is the transition of ITOps and SecOps tools to cloud infrastructure. This includes firewalls, cloud access service brokers (CASBs), web gateways and other tools, as teams wind down legacy on-prem contracts and move to the cloud for more accessibility, speed and scale.

    Bottom line: IT automation is a transformational trend that is already occurring across the enterprise today, but it needs to accelerate in order to address the many pain points security and IT teams still face today.

    Resource : https://threatpost.com/uncertain-future-it-automation/178709/

    16Nov, 2022
    Organizations Warned of Critical Vulnerability in Backstage Developer Portal Platform

    Backstage, an open platform for building developer portals, is affected by a critical vulnerability whose exploitation could have a serious impact on a targeted enterprise, according to cloud-native application security firm Oxeye.

    Backstage was developed by Spotify and donated to the Cloud Native Computing Foundation. It provides a catalog for managing all of the user’s software, software templates to make it easier to create projects, and open source plugins that can be used to expand its customizability and functionality.

    The platform is used by many major organizations, including Netflix, American Airlines, Doordash, Palo Alto Networks, HP, Siemens, LinkedIn, and Booz Allen Hamilton.

    Backstage is affected by a critical vulnerability related to a security hole found earlier this year by Oxeye in the popular sandbox library VM2. The VM2 flaw, dubbed SandBreak and tracked as CVE-2022-36067, can allow a remote attacker to escape the sandbox and execute arbitrary code on the host.

    Backstage has been using VM2 and Oxeye researchers discovered that CVE-2022-36067 can be exploited for unauthenticated remote code execution in Backstage by abusing its software templates. An attacker who can successfully exploit the vulnerability could carry out various actions in the compromised organization’s network.

    “Backstage can hold integration details to many organization systems, such as Prometheus, Jira, ElasticSearch, and others. Thus, successful exploitation has critical implications for any affected organization and can compromise those services and the data they hold,” Oxeye said in a technical blog post describing the vulnerability.

    Oxeye reported its findings to Backstage developers through Spotify’s bug bounty program in mid-August and the flaw was fixed roughly 10 days later with the release of version 1.5.1, which includes a patched version of VM2.

    “If you’re using a template engine in your application, make sure you choose the right one in relation to security. Robust template engines are extremely useful but might pose a risk to your organization,” the security firm recommended.

    Resource : https://www.securityweek.com/organizations-warned-critical-vulnerability-backstage-developer-portal-platform?&web_view=true

    15Nov, 2022
    How to Get an IT Job Without a Degree

    Table of Contents

    Get an IT Job Without a Degree

    Highest-Paying IT Jobs Without a Degree

    Best Jobs in IT Without Programming

    Women’s Salaries Compare Favorably

    The Big Picture

    Preparing for Your IT Job Without a Degree 

    Consider Taking the Following Steps to Launch Your Career in IT:

    Job seekers with technology skills have promising opportunities — even those without a degree. That’s because digital transformation and a shortage of job applicants haven’t just changed the way businesses operate; it’s also changed the kinds of jobs that companies need to fill. The current employment environment allows candidates to get an IT job without a degree. 

    Get an IT Job Without a Degree

    Comparably, a workplace culture and compensation monitoring website, projects 12.4 million net tech employment in the U.S. and about 245,500 projected net new tech jobs in 2021. While a college degree still holds weight among management and executive ranks, a shortage of IT workers is making many firms less choosy over educational formalities. 

    Good Financial Cents concurs that many IT career paths do not require a degree, such as IT technician. “As your skills progress and you get more experience, you can easily make $50,000 to $70,000 per year as you get into systems administration and network engineering,” the article said.

    Highest-Paying IT Jobs Without a Degree

    There is a wide selection of well-paying IT jobs suitable for different skill sets. Comparably listed the highest-paying IT jobs making a minimum of US $80,000 or more for workers without degrees: 

    • Software Architect – Software development experts make high-level design choices and enforce technical standards. The average salary is $93,368 without a degree, and $97,490 with a degree.
    • Dev/Ops Engineer – These professionals use technologies to automate systems and oversee software development, maintenance, and updates. They have coding language, software engineering, and security system experience. The average salary is $92,644 without a degree, and $93,095 with a degree.
    • Developer – Also known as computer programmers or coders, they design, program, and test software. The average salary is $92,145 without a degree, and $96,550 with a degree.
    •  IT Manager – These are skilled IT security professionals charged with keeping sensitive data and systems safe. The average salary is $92,045 without a degree, and $85,519 with a degree.
    •  Data Scientist – This role is rising in prominence in the IT world. Data scientists use predictive models, algorithms, and other tools to design and build new data modeling and production processes. Knowing programming languages and machine learning is valuable. The average salary is $92,000 without a degree, and $93,713 with a degree.
    • Product Manager – They develop a strategy and roadmap for software engineers’ products. The average salary is $88,716 without a degree, and $102,156 with a degree.
    • Mobile Developer – These professionals create apps for iOS and Android platforms. The average salary is $84,204 without a degree, and $95,004 with a degree.
    • UI/UX Designer – User Interface (UI) designers and User Experience (UX) designers create interfaces that help users understand how to use products. The average salary is $80,500 without a degree, and $83,486 with a degree.
    • QA analyst – Quality assurance analysts test for problems or issues in a software product before it is introduced to the market. The average salary is $68,212 without a degree, and $66,821 with a degree.
    • Business analyst – These professionals use data analytics to chart the best IT strategy. The average salary is $65,449 without a degree, and $69,673 with a degree. 

    Best Jobs in IT Without Programming

    Not all IT jobs require programming eComparably’sere are Comparably’s list of jobs not requiring a degree or programming skills. 

    • Sales engineer – These professionals use their technical and engineering backgrounds to sell tech products and services to companies. The average salary is $79,880 without a degree, and $94,478 with a degree. 
    • Product marketing associate – They develop marketing plans for products and produce supporting materials. The average salary is $76,233 without a degree, and $74,954 with a degree.
    • Web/visual designer – Develops the layout, content, and design of web pages. The average salary is $62,969 without a degree, and $65,492 with a degree.
    • Sales rep/associate – Sells a product or service. The average salary is $60,684 without a degree, and $68,122 with a degree.
    • Social media/community manager – They work through various online outlets and platforms to build a positive online brand reputation, disseminate company news, and promote a product or service. The average salary is $58,899 without a degree, and $48,994 with a degree. 

    Women’s Salaries Compare Favorably

    Comparably found that women earned higher salaries in seven of the 15 positions even without college degrees: developer, IT manager, data scientist, product marketing, QA analysis, sales representative, and social media management. 

    The Big Picture

    The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) expects employment in computer and information technology occupations to grow 13 percent from 2020 to 2030, faster than the average for all occupations.This means the addition of 667,600 new jobs. The demand is fueled by cloud computing, big data, and the growing need for and information security. The bureau’s latest Occupational Outlook Handbook lists the fastest-growing computing, and IT careers, but many require a college degree.

    Preparing for Your IT Job Without a Degree 

    However, even job seekers without a degree can vault themselves ahead of the competition with practical experience and solid upskilling through flexible, online learning bootcamps such as Simplilearn. It’s worth noting that Simplilearn was just named Digital Business Education Product of the Year at the Digital Education Awards 2021 (see the 2:54-minute mark).  

    Consider Taking the Following Steps to Launch Your Career in IT:

    Use applied learning. A training program based on an applied learning methodology complements live, instructor-led classroom training with Simplilearn’s content. Simplilearn’s online courses combine the convenience of self-paced online training, the personal attention of instructor-led live virtual classroom instruction, and gained experience of hands-on projects and labs. 

    Simplilearn’s courses include:

    Get certified. Whether you have a degree or not, a certification from an industry authoritative body or a software provider can help launch your tech career by providing independent proof that you have obtained the required training. 

    Develop projects. Hands-on practice is not just a superb way to reinforce learning; it also provides you with tasks, use cases, and applications that can show employers examples of your development skills. Mike Tamir, Ph.D., ranked number one globally as an influencer for Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence by Onalytica, advises, 

    “For someone starting out, doing a lot of projects that you’re working on can help greatly in preparation for a role.” He says it should become pretty evident where you can apply your training to solve real-world problems. “Then it’s just a matter of building something,” he says, “And then just put it up on GitHub for the world and employers to see.”

    Resource : https://www.simplilearn.com/how-to-get-a-tech-career-without-a-tech-degree-article

    15Nov, 2022
    What is Quantum Cryptography?

    We will discover ‘What is Quantum Cryptography?’ in this blog. It is a safe method of communicating when two or more people trade encryption keys. This approach uses the principles of quantum theory to exchange encryption techniques securely and consistently. Maybe because it is sophisticated, quantum cryptography looks to be difficult. We made an effort to make it easier for you.

    Cryptography

    Cryptography is the practice of hiding or encoding data so that only the intended recipient can decipher it. For thousands of years, people have been using cryptography to symmetric encryption, and it is still used today in e-commerce, card payments, and password protection.

    Take a quick look at the topics this blog will cover.

    Table of Content:

    What is meant by Quantum Cryptography?

    Cryptography is the process of encrypting data or turning plain text into scrambled text that can only be read by a person with the right “key.” By extension, quantum cryptography merely uses the unbreakable encryption and transmission techniques provided by quantum physics.

    The intricacy of quantum cryptography, despite the definition’s seeming simplicity, resides in the quantum physics concepts that underlie it. These concepts include:

    • The particles that make up the universe are fundamentally ambiguous and can exist simultaneously in different places or states.
    • One of two quantum states is randomly chosen for photon generation.
    • It is impossible to measure a quantum attribute without altering or disturbing it.
    • A particle’s quantum properties can be duplicated, but not the entire particle.
    • These ideas all have implications for quantum cryptography.

    Two parties can create and share a key with QKD, which can then be used to encrypt and decrypt messages. Instead of the key itself or the communications it enables users to transmit, QKD refers to the distribution technique for the key.

    Want to learn Cyber Security? What’s better than to get an overview just a click away, do check out our Cyber Security Tutorial!

    QKD’s History

    The idea for quantum cryptography was first put up by Stephen Wiesner of Columbia University in the 1970s with his quantum conjugate coding proposal. In 1983, Wiesner’s paper was published. Based on Wiesner’s research, Charles H. Bennett later developed the idea of secure communication. Additionally, Bennett developed the first nonorthogonal state quantum cryptography technique, BB84. In 1990, Artur Ekert also created a different QKD technique based on quantum entanglement.

    What is the distinction between post-quantum and quantum cryptography?

    • Post-quantum cryptography is the name given to cryptographic algorithms that are believed to be secure from a quantum computer attack. These algorithms are mainly public-key algorithms. In months or even years, conventional computers can solve these challenging mathematical equations. In contrast, mathematically based systems will be quickly broken by quantum computers executing Shor’s algorithm.
    • Quantum cryptography, which is entirely unhackable, uses quantum mechanics to convey private messages, in contrast to classical cryptography.

    How does Quantum Cryptography Work?

    • Fiber optic connections are used by QKD to transmit photons, or beams, among entities. When delivered collectively, the various quantum states of the individual photons create a flow of ones and zeros.
    • Qubits are the numerical counterpart of bits in this torrent of quantum systems that are made up of zeroes and ones. A diffraction pattern forces a beam to enter a photon collectors by one of two routes once it arrives at its destination.
    • The transmitter will then contrast the received data to the emitters, who would have emitted each particle, to determine the order of photons that were sent.
    • The erroneous beam collector discards photons, leaving just a particular bit pattern. Then, you may use this bit pattern as a key to encrypt data. The error – correcting method and other comment steps ensure that there are no errors or data leaks.
    • Another post-processing step that eliminates whatever knowledge an eavesdropper might have gained about the ultimate private key is postponed security amplification.
    • Prepare-and-measure protocols and Entanglement-based protocols are the two main typical kinds of QKD. Detection of unidentified quantum states is the main goal of prepare-and-measure techniques.
    • This protocol has the ability to identify eavesdropping attempts and estimate the volume of data that might have been intercepted.
    • Protocols based on entanglement deal with quantum states when two items are connected to create a single quantum state.
    • According to tangling, evaluating one thing will have an impact on the other. The other partners will be alerted if an unauthorized user takes charge to a formerly trusted device and makes changes.
    • The computer is altered by the very act of trying to view photons, making an incursion observable through the use of quantum coherence or quantum quantum states.
    • There are two further types of QKD: discrete variable QKD (DV-QKD) and continuous variable QKD (CV-QKD). With DV-QKD, quantum states will be measured using a photon detector and quantum information will be encoded in variables.
    • The BB84 protocol is exemplified by the DV-QKD protocol. CV-QKD encrypts quantum entanglement on the phase and amplitude regions of a laser prior to emitting light to a receiver. This approach is used by the Silberhorn protocol.

    Here are some examples of QKD protocols:

    • Decoy state
    • BB84
    • E91
    • Silberhorn
    • KMB09

    Difficulties in Quantum Cryptography

    The usage of QKD in the first place, the distance photons can travel, and integrating QKD devices into the existing infrastructure are the three main problems facing the technology.

    It is currently challenging to set up the proper infrastructure for QKD. Even though single photon detector problems make QKD insecure in practise, the theory of the technique is entirely secure. Consideration of security analysis is essential.

    The fact that QKD depends on an already-existing channel of communication that has been classically authenticated is one of the biggest hurdles. This indicates a sufficient level of security because at least one person has already exchanged a symmetric key. Without using QKD, another cutting-edge encryption method can be employed to protect a system.

    Conclusion

    In order to boost QKD’s overall effective distance and high data rates, new technology is constantly being developed. QKD is being used increasingly frequently in commercial settings as a result of new networks and businesses providing commercial QKD solutions.

    Resource : https://intellipaat.com/blog/what-is-quantum-cryptography/

    14Nov, 2022
    Safety Consulting

    Customized machine safety

    Machine safety is a complex, sensitive and cost-intensive topic. Our Safety Consulting service provides tailored answers to your questions and leads you smoothly through a process aimed at ensuring the safety of your machine!

    The European Machinery Directive, international standards, safety controllers and drive technology, Industrie 4.0 – functional machine safety is becoming a more and more time-consuming topic which requires highly specialized knowledge. This is where our Safety Consulting service comes into play: We provide you with experienced specialists who support you on site through the whole process – from risk assessment to technical engineering through to the validation of your machine.

    We thus lead you to a safe machine in three steps:

    Coordinated risk assessment

    In a first step, we identify and evaluate together with you exactly the potential hazard points of your machine and jointly assess possible risks – of course with consideration of the specific applicable standards and guidelines. We examine all potential hazards that may occur in the life phases and operating modes of the machine and determine the probability and extent of damage which may be caused by the identified hazards.

    Tailored risk reduction

    In a next step, we want to minimize the hazardous potential of your machine. Together, we define the necessary technical actions and make you proposals aimed at inherently integrating utmost safety in your machine. We support you in defining, verifying and commissioning the safety functions of your machine and document in detail any possible remaining risks in cooperation with our Solution Partners.

    Appropriate validation

    And, last but not least, we will be glad to support you in validating your machine. We will closely examine the technical requirements for your machine which have been defined beforehand and perform, if necessary, a functional check of your software. Furthermore, we support you in communication with end customers and, if required, external bodies (e.g. the German Technical Inspectorate TÜV). Comprehensive documentation and verification round off our Safety Consultation service.

    Expert know-how ensuring the safety of your machine

    For the Safety Consulting service, we cooperate closely with selected Siemens Solution Partners. Each partner is an acknowledged expert in the field of functional machine safety and has acquired not only the necessary knowledge about functional safety standards, but also comprehensive product and system-specific know-how concerning our portfolio.

    Resource : https://new.siemens.com/global/en/products/automation/topic-areas/safety-integrated/factory-automation/safety-consulting.html

    14Nov, 2022
    5 Essential Skills to Learn for the Future

    It is estimated that we, as millennials, will have at least 5 different careers in our lifetimes and many more jobs. So how can we even begin to prepare for a future that will no doubt be more mobile, autonomous, and machine-driven than today? So what are the best skills to learn for the future we are going to be living in?

    It’s not driving for Uber or generally participating in the pseudo-freedom of the gig economy. Sure, I’m a huge fan of the best side hustles,  but only if they help you make money to invest AND new skills.

    I have a real problem with the gig economy. Driving for Uber won’t turn into a lifetime career, especially since they are actively investing hundreds of millions of dollars in building self-driving cars.

    While doing any side gig, it’s essential to be developing future skills and not only offer a commodity service (like driving people around).

    IN THIS ARTICLEHow To Future-Proof Yourself5 Skills To Learn For The Future

    How To Future-Proof Yourself

    Money, success, and building wealth are almost always skills driven. Personally, I’ve been able to maximize my value specifically by learning in-demand skills (like the ones highlighted below!).

    According to the Pew Research Center future jobs will specifically require enhanced social and analytical skills. Here are the specific essential skills that I think are going to be essential to survive and thrive in the future and where you can learn them. I personally try to learn 3 new future-proof skills every quarter.

    So far this year I’ve learned how to master iMovie, took an online corporate accounting class, and studied how to do amazing radio interviews. It’s so easy to learn almost anything for free online if you simply dedicate a couple hours of week to anything.

    Some of the best free, or inexpensive, online courses can be found at Udemy, EdX, and Coursera. I have personally taken over 20 courses from these platforms over the past 5 years and loved each of them.

    If you want to get ahead, diversifying and building new skills are essential. While I can’t predict the future, these five skills will be in-demand and can help you make more money.

    5 Skills To Learn For The Future

    Here are the top 5 skills you should learn now:

    1. Selling & Communication
    2. Digital Marketing
    3. Coding
    4. Business & Marketing Analytics
    5. Branding & Design

    1. Selling & Communication Skills

    • Future-Proof Reason: Selling helps you get what you want – whether it’s a deal, a new job, or simply getting someone to agree with you. In an increasingly personalization-driven future, those who can sell ideas, products, and themselves will have a strategic advantage and make more money.
    • Time Requirement: 1-2 hours a month for a year (then you will be a better salesperson than 99% of people)

    A vast majority of the world’s transactions and conversations happen between people. And despite the obvious increasing pace of technological innovation, engaging person to person will still be the dominant form of communication.

    This is why selling, yes selling, is an insanely valuable skill that I recommend studying and working to get better at. Seriously, in a world where competition just keeps getting more intense, people who can sell both themselves and the value of products will be in high demand. You can actually learn how to sell well pretty quickly – there is a ton of amazing information you can turn into habits easily.

    As Daniel Pink highlights in his wonderful book To Sell Is Human, we are selling in almost everything we do. To sell is to convince others of the value you, your idea, or your product will bring to someone.

    In the future, it will only be more challenging to sell, as the noise, information, and products available are only increasing. In the future people will also increasingly function like brands and it will be highly likely that you will want, or need, side hustle and win your own clients.

    Whether or not you plan to build a consulting business or become an entrepreneur, learning how to sell will future-proof you in a lot of ways. For an awesome guide on selling check out The Irresistible Consultant’s Guide to Winning Clients.

    2. Digital Marketing

    • Future-Proof Reason: Getting someone’s attention online will only continue to get more difficult and those people who can reach and engage other’s online are, and will be, in high demand.
    • Time Requirement: 2-4 hours per week for 6 months, or 30 days full-time (for anyone who wants to be hardcore about it!)

    What I love about digital marketing is that it’s for both the right brain and the left brain. I’m also really competitive and love that I can use digital data to determine how well my campaigns are doing.

    Both marketing and the internet aren’t going anywhere, so at least learning the basics of this field can give you a huge leg up in a job interview, or if you’re an entrepreneur you can market your own product. Too many early entrepreneurs try to outsource (and spend big money) on their marketing. Learning how to do it yourself, even if you don’t do it forever, will make you a more strategic thinker.

    I’m a bit biased on this one because digital marketing has been one of the key drivers in my own wealth-building and side hustle journey, but I strongly believe it’s an essential skill set to develop for the future. You can learn the basics quickly, the skills are in demand, and the starting salary for an entry-level digital marketing job is between $40,000 – $55,000 in most cities.

    Here’s an awesome free resource to figure out average salaries in the creative and marketing industries. Another great thing about digital marketing is that you don’t need a degree in it to get a job. You just need to learn it, get certified for free, and prove you can do it. A vast majority of the best digital marketers I know are self-taught and a lot of them now make six figures.

    While the digital marketing field is massive if you have a website I recommend learning SEO and digital advertising. More specifically…

    Google Adwords: This is the platform you use to run ads on Google. It’s built on an open marketing bidding system, meaning there is a live auction every time someone searches for something on Google. It’s an insanely lucrative business for Google and you can learn the foundations of digital marketing in a few hours on Youtube for free as I did. Once you get certified, you can add the certification to your resume and LinkedIn profile. It’s very attractive to potential employers. I recently mentored a guy in Chicago who knew nothing about digital marketing. In 60 days I got him a $45,000 job at a digital agency as a PPC specialist.

    3. Coding

    • Future-Proof Reason: Uh, this should be pretty obvious. Code runs the world.
    • Time Requirement: 8-10 hours per week for 6 months. A little bit of a commitment, but you can learn the basics quickly and expand your skills when you like. There are many boot camps where you can learn how to code in 30 days, which are also great options if you want to make the full leap into a new lucrative career.

    Coding is more like a mindset and will change the way you look at the world. It’s no surprise that being able to code will give you an advantage in the future. Even if you have no plans to become a coder, learning how to code will teach you so many things about how the world today works and how the future is literally being built. Every app, website, car, or piece of hardware that you use is powered by code.

    I started learning how to code with I was 15 and built a website using HTML shortly thereafter and then over the years, I’ve learned a few programming languages. Once you learn one, it’s significantly easier to learn the second one. While there are tons of coding languages, I recommend learning Java, SQL, Python, and Ruby.

    A great place to start for free is Codecademy, where you can start feeling it out and go at your own pace. I love Codecademy and still use it frequently – it’s where I learned Ruby. If you want to learn Java and the fundamentals of programming, here is an awesome sequence of 5 Java classes offered online by Duke.

    4. Business and Marketing Analytics

    • Future-Proof Reason: We no longer have to guess why people buy or engage since there is data tracking us all the time. But the data can be overwhelming and is only useful when you can extract insights and then act on them. Data and analytics will only become more prevalent in the future, as more of our actions are tracked. Learning how to use data to power your decisions will be essential for most roles in the future.
    • Time Requirement: You can learn Google Analytics in 1-2 hours per week for 8 weeks. Business Analytics takes more time and it’s worth taking a course.

    The thing I love most about analytics data is, using it well, is both an art and a science. A lot of people don’t get that. Data is only useful if you know how to find it and what it means. The “how to find it” is pretty easy, but the “what it means” is the harder part. Once you unlock how to figure out what data means, it’s incredibly powerful.

    There are two types of analytics data that I personally work with and study – business and marketing analytics. I actually do a lot of my consulting work at the intersection between business and marketing analytics, or more specifically I try to determine three things:

    1. How to build the best marketing strategy to grow a business
    2. How to best track the impact of marketing on a business
    3. How to best determine the health of, and opportunities for a business

    If you can master all three, you will not only be a more valuable job candidate, but you can have a measurable impact in most business environments, and companies, or even use the info to launch and optimize your own business. I do this using a mixture of business intelligence dashboards and my OG day one homie Google Analytics! We go way back and I spend literally every day using Google Analytics.

    If you don’t know how to use Google Analytics, you should check it out. Like Google Adwords, you can learn how to use it for free online at the Google Analytics Academy. To go deeper on business analytics, check out this business analytics Coursera course. Here is the best practical book that I’ve read on how to actually understand business analytics – Data Science for Business: What You Need to Know about Data Mining and Data-Analytic Thinking.

    5. Branding & Design

    • Future-Proof Reason: We are all brands. A Brand embodies values. Embrace, amplify, and master it.
    • Time Requirement: 1-2 hours per week for 8 weeks, then a lifetime of refining?

    We have fully entered an image and influencer-driven world. The people who both create and curate content will thrive in the future since people are looking for someone they trust to filter the infinite amount of information now available online. This is why everyone needs a blog and here’s how to launch one.

    At the intersection of image and influencer, are design and branding. As humans, we almost immediately (in less than a second) form opinions of people and products upon encountering them. Branding is the process of design and messaging, to help you make the most of that opportunity. Branding creates a feeling, an emotional response that is created by both art and science (picking up any patterns with these future-proof skills?). You can actually learn the science behind branding, which include human perceptions of color, angles, and even fonts.

    If you want people to pay attention to you, your content, your message, and your product, then learning how branding and design work will really give you an advantage. Here is the best book I’ve read on design and branding: How to Use Graphic Design to Sell Things, Explain Things, Make Things Look Better, Make People Laugh, Make People Cry, and (Every Once in a While) Change the World 

    Bonus Skill: Meditation

    The world moves insanely fast and will only continue to increase its pace. We as humans, with our million-year-old brains, can’t keep up.

    We are anxious, overworked, tired, and overstimulated. Success in the future will be determined as equally by your ability to engage and as it will disengage. Simple 20-minute mediation, which I started two years ago, has had a profound impact on my life. I strongly recommend making it part of your own daily habit. I use the website Calm.com and the Headspace app regularly.

    Resource : https://millennialmoney.com/5-essential-future-skills/