FinTechniq

  This blog entry seeks to describe several known issues when considering network security. Attacks, vulnerabilities are discussed. Suggestions for improvement and best practice are included. PING ATTACKS There are a number of attacks that can be associated with ping commands. “Denial of service (DoS) attacks prevent access to resources by users authorized to use those resources. An attacker may attempt to bring down an e-commerce website to prevent or deny usage by legitimate customers. DoS attacks are common on the Internet, where they have hit large companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, and AT&T. .. In a DoS attack on an application, the attack may bring down a website while the communications and systems continue to operate…. A common DoS attack involves opening as many TCP sessions as possible; this type of attack is called a TCP SYN flood DoS attack . Two of the most common types of DoS attacks are the Ping of Death and the Buffer Overflow Attack. The ping of death c...

I have chosen the intersection of the Financial Services Industry and Information Technology, AKA “Fintech” as my industry of choice for my examination of Network Security. My background as a former Financial Advisor/Stock Broker /Insurance Salesman presented me with one of the most innovative industries – Finance. I was amazed at how fast and how outside –the-box experimentation existed with competing large firms and how it made sense that if software were to be useful, it would be well-funded within industries where timeliness and information impact were essential drivers of innovation.  I also saw how the rise of easily available alternative financial planning software and brokerages were massively pressuring the financial firms to squeeze commissions and fees. That pattern continues even today to an extreme, including the revolutionary platforms like RobinHood, where trades and account setup are free.  I saw the handwriting on the wall as a self-motivating  salesman...

  This was an interesting little exercise for me to wade into the process of pinging and trace routing.   I was encountering some difficulty for a while until I realized perhaps my VPN was blocking some activity. I compared the ping and traceroute below and found and there is a difference with the Traceroute, but not the Ping. With the BitDefender VPN   (Virtual Private Network) in place, I got 4 Pings to IP address 100.96.2.36 with 42-45 milliseconds, with an average of 42ms. While there were only 4 packets for pinging sent, they were all successful (0% loss). When tracerouting Google, there were a lot of timed out requests, but eventually on number 9, I received one. Then the traceroute stopped. It is curious that there were only 9 hops, and a skip shouldn’t even be considered a true hop. Overall, this result is not exciting at all. What is important is that my computer has some protection and VPNs are a good choice. Still we should choose wisely. There is an ever-exp...

  What's my typical day like as a Cyber Security student working full-time? My day begins around 7:15 AM with a cup of black coffee in one of the mugs my kids have given me over the years like “World’s Greatest Dad” and getting a direct emulsion from the Keurig. As I let the dog out to do what he needs to do in the backyard designated area as I open the window blinds all around the house to capture the sunlight I want. I get dressed in my back office attire (AKA sweat pants and tee shirt), drink what I can of my coffee and bring the dog in for a cleanup, treat and his breakfast. I walk for half hour, take a shower, shave, redress and check out my garden for ideas on what I need to do in the evening.   I clean my mouth from the coffee and brush my teeth.  By 8:30, I have to log in to my work system and sign into Microsoft Teams, open a Chrome browser, sign into Okta and open up all the tools I will use for the day. I make sure to sign into a VPN (virtual private network) f...

Introduction: The purpose behind programming languages is to foster greater depth of communication and control between the mechanical mind of the machine and the brain of the human. The most powerful language is the one most people prefer to use. This paper seeks to educate and inform the most powerful programming language of our time. The author was tasked with experimenting with a nascent programming version of Scratch and then describe the experience and how it compares with other experiences with other programming languages presented in the course. Discussion: The author of this paper utilized a free version of a Scratch and encountered a few difficulties. Scratch requires a learning curve for those not accustomed to object-based programming. With copious practice and a project-based focus on creating an animated sequence story, the author was able to produce an adequate animation product, but not without frustration and unforeseen time needs in order to complete the experime...

  Determining RAM Throughout my life, I have owned and/or operated many computers of various abilities and styles.   I learned much along the way about the physical attributes and capabilities of the software and hardware of these machines. There have been some surprisingly common factors between all of them. Computer hardware (whether they be desktop, dumb terminal, laptop, smart phone, tablet, hybrid laptop, etc.) all have commonalities like RAM (Random Access Memory) as one of the products to chase. While the “packaging” changes, all computers in the modern age are dependent on software to help drive (hence the name “driver” for software to manage hardware components). Even within the devices (like the speaker, Bluetooth device, network adapters, etc.), there is an ever-expanding need for more and better RAM. I knew the RAM for my Sony Vaio because I requested the 8 GB installation when I ordered it. That was back in 2014 and by today’s standards, it’s just slightly low...