Cybersecurity

Here we are learning about how servers and computers interact with each other.

If you've stumbled upon my website, you'll know I'm a frontend dev, not a backend dev! So I thought it'd be fun to branch out and try something out of my comfort zone. We didn't do anything actual backend programming, but we definitely learning the principles and ideas that govern our huge mess of computers called the World Wide Web.

The Enigma machine!

Before modern encryption methods were invented, the Germans used this machine in WWII to encrypt their messages. It worked by literally being overly complicated in the hopes that it would be hard to replicate. It did end up getting cracked lol.

It's funny how we often imagine hackers.

They're just a bunch of rulebreakers looking for money or fame. And to their credit, there have been some insane hackers who have done crazy things. But it's a lot easier to be the hacker than the hackee. A hacker only has to find one way in. A hackee has to find EVERY way in AND FIX it!

The most entertaining bit of this class was when everyone created a presentation of how they would virtually attack a group of people. My presentation involved injecting malware into fitness equipment machines 🤪 But there were some other funny creative solutions as well, and some of them seemed viable too. Here's the one I made:

I don't actually know a lot about PoisonTap, but it could probably work.

Last but not least, I'd like to share what we learned about networking, because it's really interesting! When you send a message, it travels in a fascinating way. Instead of going directly where it should, it can bounce around the world to many different places. Because when a server receives information, it sends it along a route that sends it closer to the destination. It may not always be the shortest path. It's whatever path is the fastest!