Asterizm

asterizm

Preamble The Web3 industry is actively evolving, attracting not only retail users in DeFi seeking to grow their capital but also large enterprises from the Web2 world looking to leverage new technologies like, for example, blockchain to optimize their business and, of course, to participate in the rapidly developing DeFi ecosystems, offering access to high deposit interest rates and other financial opportunities to their clients. Introduction The number of L2 networks, new consensus mechanisms in L1 networks, and enterprise departments in large blockchains are steadily emerging and growing, as is the desire of existing blockchain interoperability solutions to connect more new blockchains, achieving full compatibility, seamless liquidity, and user flow. However, two critically important cross-chain communication scenarios, which are in great demand and widely covered by the industry media, seem to be overlooked. The first scenario is interoperability between private blockchains, and the second is interoperability between private and public blockchains. , a new blockchain interoperability solution, focuses precisely on these two use cases, blending infrastructure modularity, data privacy, fully on-chain cross-chain transaction validation mechanism, and requiring no off-chain consensus. Asterizm Inside the tech To meet the needs and challenges of enterprise products entering the Web3 market, Asterizm was developed with a flexible architecture. Asterizm ensures data privacy, thanks to a dedicated off-chain module that clients have to run on their server (within any security framework) to transfer payload (data) from one network to another. It also relies on a unique cross-chain transaction validation mechanism that uses participating blockchain cryptography to calculate a based on the payload and validate the unique transaction identifier generated when the cross-chain transaction is initiated on the source network on a smart contract. This eliminates the need for off-chain consensus, significantly speeds up, and reduces the cost of transactions. hash xID To launch any cross-chain project based on Asterizm, you need to perform just two simple steps: Write and deploy a smart contract with your business logic to the desired blockchains. This smart contract should be extended from the Asterizm abstraction smart contract and include methods such as send and receive. In addition to the business logic, you’ll need to specify which relay will be used to transmit proofs of cross-chain transactions to the destination network (either Asterizm servers or attested partners). Launch the Asterizm Docker image on your server. This software was developed by the Asterizm team for transferring payloads from one network to another. This server pulls data from the smart contract in the source chain and transfers it to the destination chain. Before execution in the destination network, the data is verified using proofs received from the relay servers. You can explore the detailed guide here! Who needs it and why One prominent example of using this technology in the corporate sector is the creation of a bridge between private and public blockchains. For example, a FinTech project or a bank issues a synthetic stablecoin in a private chain, backed by the bank's reserves or clients’ funds, for further use in DeFi ecosystems across various blockchains. This allows them to offer their clients access to financial opportunities such as high deposit rates and farming pools. To enable the transfer of the synthetic stablecoin from a private network to a public network, it is necessary to build a bridge. However, using third-party solutions is risky both from legal and operational perspectives. Disclosing information about the amount of stablecoins to be transferred, recipient addresses, and other data to third parties (e.g., validators in traditional blockchain interoperability solutions) is prohibited by data protection laws. Additionally, it presents reputational risks for the bank, especially if an interoperability solution has tokens or tokenized infrastructure. is fully compliant with the requirements of banks and financial institutions. It provides a client off-chain module (docker image) for confidential payload transmission between networks. The bank deploys it on its server, ensuring its protection. Moreover, during the execution of cross-chain transactions, third-party relays (provided by Asterizm or accredited partners) have no access to the data. They are only responsible for transmitting transaction proofs used for the verification of integrity and validity of cross-chain transactions on the smart contract in the destination network. Asterizm As a result, the bank can have confidence in the privacy of the transmitted data, fast delivery of messages, legal security of cross-chain operations through Asterizm's non-tokenized infrastructure, and reliability of the cross-chain transaction validation mechanism. It is an entirely on-chain process based on cryptography, which eliminates the possibility of protocol hacks or tampering, as long as at least one off-chain server operates correctly. The competitors Below is a comparison table for a number of key features, illustrating that Asterizm Protocol is a solid and competitive technology in the cross-chain provider market: Summary To summarize, the cross-chain market is growing not only due to the development of Web3, but also due to significant interest in blockchain technologies from large companies, CBDCs, and even governments launching pilot projects in this industry. aims to become one of the leading solutions for interoperability between private-private and private-public blockchains, sharing this market with colleagues from other prominent blockchain interoperability protocols. Asterizm | | Asterizm.io White paper TG Dev. chat Founders: (CEO), (CTO), (CBDO) Artem Avdeev Alexander Gotovets Denis Polulyakhov

Asterizm: Redefining Blockchain Interoperability for Enterprises

Asterizm: এন্টারপ্রাইজের জন্য ব্লকচেইন ইন্টারঅপারেবিলিটি পুনরায় সংজ্ঞায়িত করা

Asterizm: Blockchain-Interoperabilität für Unternehmen neu definieren

Asterizm: redefiniendo la interoperabilidad blockchain para empresas

Asterizm : redéfinir l'interopérabilité de la blockchain pour les entreprises

एस्टरिज्म: उद्यमों के लिए ब्लॉकचेन इंटरऑपरेबिलिटी को फिर से परिभाषित करना

Asterizm: 企業向けのブロックチェーン相互運用性の再定義

Asterizm: 기업을 위한 블록체인 상호 운용성을 재정의합니다.

Asterizm: Redefinindo a interoperabilidade Blockchain para empresas

Астеризм: новое определение совместимости блокчейнов для предприятий

Asterizm: İşletmeler için Blockchain Birlikte Çalışabilirliğini Yeniden Tanımlamak

Asterizm: Xác định lại khả năng tương tác Blockchain cho doanh nghiệp

Asterizm：重新定义企业区块链互操作性

THE EVENING SKY AT THE AUTUMNAL EQUINOX

THE EVENING SKY AT THE SUMMER SOLSTICE

THE EVENING SKY AT THE VERNAL EQUINOX

Curiosities of the Sky by Garrett Putman Serviss is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book here . The Passing of the Constellations The Passing of the Constellations From a historical and picturesque point of view, one of the most striking results of the motions of the stars described in the last chapter is their effect upon the forms of the constellations, which have been watched and admired by mankind from a period so early that the date of their invention is now unknown. The constellations are formed by chance combinations of conspicuous stars, like figures in a kaleidoscope, and if our lives were commensurate with the æons of cosmic existence we should perceive that the kaleidoscope of the heavens was ceaselessly turning and throwing the stars into new symmetries. Even if the stars stood fast, the motion of the solar system would gradually alter the configurations, as the elements of a landscape dissolve and recombine in fresh groupings with the traveler’s progress amid them. But with the stars themselves all in motion at various speeds and in many directions, the changes occur more rapidly. Of course, “rapid” is here understood in a relative sense; the wheel of human history to an eye accustomed to the majestic progression of the universe would appear to revolve with the velocity of a whirling dynamo. Only the deliberation of geological movements can be contrasted with the evolution and devolution of the constellations. And yet this secular fluctuation of the constellation figures is not without keen interest for the meditative observer. It is another reminder of the swift mutability of terrestial affairs. To the passing glance, which is all that we can bestow upon these figures, they appear so immutable that they have been called into service to form the most lasting records of ancient thought and imagination that we possess. In the forms of the constellations, the most beautiful, and, in imaginative quality, the finest, mythology that the world has ever known has been perpetuated. Yet, in a broad sense, this scroll of human thought imprinted on the heavens is as evanescent as the summer clouds. Although more enduring than parchment, tombs, pyramids, and temples, it is as far as they from truly eternizing the memory of what man has fancied and done. Before studying the effects that the motions of the stars have had and will have upon the constellations, it is worth while to consider a little further the importance of the stellar pictures as archives of history. To emphasize the importance of these effects it is only necessary to recall that the constellations register the oldest traditions of our race. In the history of primeval religions they are the most valuable of documents. Leaving out of account for the moment the more familiar mythology of the Greeks, based on something older yet, we may refer for illustration to that of the mysterious Maya race of America. At Izamal, in Yucatan, says Mr Stansbury Hagar, is a group of ruins perched, after the Mexican and Central-American plan, on the summits of pyramidal mounds which mark the site of an ancient theogonic center of the Mayas. Here the temples all evidently refer to a cult based upon the constellations as symbols. The figures and the names, of course, were not the same as those that we have derived from our Aryan ancestors, but the star groups were the same or nearly so. For instance, the loftiest of the temples at Izamal was connected with the sign of the constellation known to us as Cancer, marking the place of the sun at the summer solstice, at which period the sun was supposed to descend at noon like a great bird of fire and consume the offerings left upon the altar. Our Scorpio was known to the Mayas as a sign of the “Death God.” Our Libra, the “Balance,” with which the idea of a divine weighing out of justice has always been connected, seems to be identical with the Mayan constellation Teoyaotlatohua, with which was associated a temple where dwelt the priests whose special business it was to administer justice and to foretell the future by means of information obtained from the spirits of the dead. Orion, the “Hunter” of our celestial mythology, was among the Mayas a “Warrior,” while Sagittarius and others of our constellations were known to them (under different names, of course), and all were endowed with a religious symbolism. And the same star figures, having the same significance, were familiar to the Peruvians, as shown by the temples at Cuzco. Thus the imagination of ancient America sought in the constellations symbols of the unchanging gods. But, in fact, there is no nation and no people that has not recognized the constellations, and at one period or another in its history employed them in some symbolic or representative capacity. As handled by the Greeks from prehistoric times, the constellation myths became the very soul of poetry. The imagination of that wonderful race idealized the principal star groups so effectively that the figures and traditions thus attached to them have, for civilized mankind, displaced all others, just as Greek art in its highest forms stands without parallel and eclipses every rival. The Romans translated no heroes and heroines of the mythical period of their history to the sky, and the deified Cæsars never entered that lofty company, but the heavens are filled with the early myths of the Greeks. Herakles nightly resumes his mighty labors in the stars; Zeus, in the form of the white “Bull,” Taurus, bears the fair Europa on his back through the celestial waves; Andromeda stretches forth her shackled arms in the star-gemmed ether, beseeching aid; and Perseus, in a blaze of diamond armor, revives his heroic deeds amid sparkling clouds of stellar dust. There, too, sits Queen Cassiopeia in her dazzling chair, while the Great King, Cepheus, towers gigantic over the pole. Professor Young has significantly remarked that a great number of the constellations are connected in some way or other with the Argonautic Expedition—that strangely fascinating legend of earliest Greek story which has never lost its charm for mankind. In view of all this, we may well congratulate ourselves that the constellations will outlast our time and the time of countless generations to follow us; and yet they are very far from being eternal. Let us now study some of the effects of the stellar motions upon them. We begin with the familiar figure of the “Great Dipper.” He who has not drunk inspiration from its celestial bowl is not yet admitted to the circle of Olympus. This figure is made up of seven conspicuous stars in the constellation Ursa Major, the “Greater Bear.” The handle of the “Dipper” corresponds to the tail of the imaginary “Bear,” and the bowl lies upon his flank. In fact, the figure of a dipper is so evident and that of a bear so unevident, that to most persons the “Great Dipper” is the only part of the constellation that is recognizable. Of the seven stars mentioned, six are of nearly equal brightness, ranking as of the second magnitude, while the seventh is of only the third magnitude. The difference is very striking, since every increase of one magnitude involves an increase of two-and-a-half times in brightness. There appears to be little doubt that the faint star, which is situated at the junction of the bowl and the handle, is a variable of long period, since three hundred years ago it was as bright as its companions. But however that may be, its relative faintness at the present time interferes but little with the perfection of the “Dipper’s” figure. In order the more readily to understand the changes which are taking place, it will be well to mention both the names and the Greek letters which are attached to the seven stars. Beginning at the star in the upper outer edge of the rim of the bowl and running in regular order round the bottom and then out to the end of the handle, the names and letters are as follows: Dubhe (α), Merak (β), Phaed (γ), Megrez (δ), Alioth (ε), Mizar (ζ), and Benetnasch (η). Megrez is the faint star already mentioned at the junction of the bowl and handle, and Mizar, in the middle of the handle, has a close, naked-eye companion which is named Alcor. The Arabs called this singular pair of stars “The Horse and Rider.” Merak and Duhbe are called “The Pointers,” because an imaginary line drawn northward through them indicates the Pole Star. The “Great Dipper” Now it has been found that five of these stars—viz., Merak, Phaed, Megrez, Alioth, and Mizar (with its comrade)—are moving with practically the same speed in an easterly direction, while the other two, Dubhe and Benetnasch, are simultaneously moving westward, the motions of Benetnasch being apparently more rapid. The consequence of these opposed motions is, of course, that the figure of the “Dipper” cannot always have existed and will not continue to exist. In the accompanying diagrams it has been thought interesting to show the relative positions of these seven stars, as seen from the point which the earth now occupies, both in the past and in the future. Arrows attached to the stars in the figure representing the present appearance of the “Dipper” indicate the directions of the motions and the distances over which they will carry the stars in a period of about five hundred centuries. The time, no doubt, seems long, but remember the vast stretch of ages through which the earth has passed, and then reflect that no reason is apparent why our globe should not continue to be a scene of animation for ten thousand centuries yet to come. The fact that the little star Alcor placed so close to Mizar should accompany the latter in its flight is not surprising, but that two of the principal stars of the group should be found moving in a direction directly opposed to that pursued by the other five is surprising in the highest degree; and it recalls the strange theory of a double drift affecting all the stars, to which attention was called in the preceding chapter. It would appear that Benetnasch and Dubhe belong to one “current,” and Merak, Phaed, Megrez, Alioth, and Mizar to the other. As far as is known, the motion of the seven stars are not shared by the smaller stars scattered about them, but on the theory of currents there should be such a community of motion, and further investigation may reveal it. Cassiopeia From the “Great Dipper” we turn to a constellation hardly less conspicuous and situated at an equal distance from the pole on the other side—Cassiopeia. This famous star-group commemorating the romantic Queen of Ethiopia whose vain boasting of her beauty was punished by the exposure of her daughter Andromeda to the “Sea Monster,” is well-marked by five stars which form an irregular letter “W” with its open side toward the pole. Three of these stars are usually ranked as of the second magnitude, and two of the third; but to ordinary observation they appear of nearly equal brightness, and present a very striking picture. They mark out the chair and a part of the figure of the beautiful queen. Beginning at the right-hand, or western, end of the “W,” their Greek letter designations are: Beta (β), Alpha (α), Gamma (γ), Delta (δ), and Epsilon (ε). Four of them, Beta, Alpha, Delta, and Epsilon are traveling eastwardly at various speeds, while the fifth, Gamma, moves in a westerly direction. The motion of Beta is more rapid than that of any of the others. It should be said, however, that no little uncertainty attaches to the estimates of the rate of motion of stars which are not going very rapidly, and different observers often vary considerably in their results. In the beautiful “Northern Crown,” one of the most perfect and charming of all the figures to be found in the stars, the alternate combining and scattering effects of the stellar motions are shown by comparing the appearance which the constellation must have had five hundred centuries ago with that which it has at present and that which it will have in the future. The seven principle stars of the asterism, forming a surprisingly perfect coronet, have movements in three directions at right angles to one another. That in these circumstances they should ever have arrived at positions giving them so striking an appearance of definite association is certainly surprising; from its aspect one would have expected to find a community of movement governing the brilliants of the “Crown,” but instead of that we find evidence that they will inevitably drift apart and the beautiful figure will dissolve. A similar fate awaits such asterisms as the “Northern Cross” in Cygnus; the “Crow” (Corvus), which stands on the back of the great “Sea Serpent,” Hydra, and pecks at his scales; “Job’s Coffin” (Delphinus); the “Great Square of Pegasus”; the “Twins” (Gemini); the beautiful “Sickle” in Leo; and the exquisite group of the Hyades in Taurus. In the case of the Hyades, two controlling movements are manifest: one, affecting five of the stars which form the well-known figure of a letter “V,” is directed northerly; the other, which controls the direction of two stars, has an easterly trend. The chief star of the group, Aldebaran, one of the finest of all stars both for its brilliance and its color, is the most affected by the easterly motion. In time it will drift entirely out of connection with its present neighbors. Although the Hyades do not form so compact a group as the Pleiades in the same constellation, yet their appearance of relationship is sufficient to awaken a feeling of surprise over the fact that, as with the stars of the “Dipper,” their association is only temporary or apparent. The “Northern Crown” The great figure of Orion appears to be more lasting, not because its stars are physically connected, but because of their great distance, which renders their movements too deliberate to be exactly ascertained. Two of the greatest of its stars, Betelgeuse and Rigel, possess, as far as has been ascertained, no perceptible motion across the line of sight, but there is a little movement perceptible in the “Belt.” At the present time this consists of an almost perfect straight line, a row of second-magnitude stars about equally spaced and of the most striking beauty. In the course of time, however, the two right-hand stars, Mintaka and Alnilam (how fine are these Arabic star names!) will approach each other and form a naked-eye double, but the third, Alnita, will drift away eastward, so that the “Belt” will no longer exist. For one more example, let us go to the southern hemisphere, whose most celebrated constellation, the “Southern Cross,” has found a place in all modern literatures, although it has no claim to consideration on account of association with ancient legends. This most attractive asterism, which has never ceased to fascinate the imagination of Christendom since it was first devoutly described by the early explorers of the South, is but a passing collocation of brilliant stars. Yet even in its transfigurations it has been for hundreds of centuries, and will continue to be for hundreds of centuries to come, a most striking object in the sky. Our figures show its appearance in three successive phases: first, as it was fifty thousand years ago (viewed from the earth’s present location); second, as it is in our day; and, third, as it will be an equal time in the future. The nearness of these bright stars to one another—the length of the longer beam of the “Cross” is only sixdegrees—makes this group very noticeable, whatever the arrangement of its components may be. The largest star, at the base of the “Cross,” is of the first magnitude, two of the others are of the second magnitude, and the fourth is of the third. Other stars, not represented in the figures, increase the effect of a celestial blazonry, although they do not help the resemblance to a cross. The “Southern Cross” But since the motion of the solar system itself will, in the course of so long a period as fifty thousand years, produce a great change in the perspective of the heavens as seen from the earth, by carrying us nearly nineteen trillion miles from our present place, why, it may be asked, seek to represent future appearances of the constellations which we could not hope to see, even if we could survive so long? The answer is: Because these things aid the mind to form a picture of the effects of the mobility of the starry universe. Only by showing the changes from some definite point of view can we arrive at a due comprehension of them. The constellations are more or less familiar to everybody, so that impending changes of their forms must at once strike the eye and the imagination, and make clearer the significance of the movements of the stars. If the future history of mankind is to resemble its past and if our race is destined to survive yet a million years, then our remote descendents will see a “new heavens” if not a “new earth,” and will have to invent novel constellations to perpetuate their legends and mythologies. If our knowledge of the relative distances of the stars were more complete, it would be an interesting exercise in celestial geometry to project the constellations probably visible to the inhabitants of worlds revolving around some of the other suns of space. Our sun is too insignificant for us to think that he can make a conspicuous appearance among them, except, perhaps, in a few cases. As seen, for instance, from the nearest known star, Alpha Centauri, the sun would appear of the average first magnitude, and consequently from that standpoint he might be the gem of some little constellation which had no Sirius, or Arcturus, or Vega to eclipse him with its superior splendor. But from the distance of the vast majority of the stars the sun would probably be invisible to the naked eye, and as seen from nearer systems could only rank as a fifth or sixth magnitude star, unnoticed and unknown except by the star-charting astronomer. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Garrett Putman Serviss (2004). Curiosities of the Sky. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved October 2022 https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/6630/pg6630-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org , located at https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html .

The Passing of the Constellations

THE STARS OF SUMMER

If you are applying or have ever applied for a role in cybersecurity, you will easily agree that the experience has similarities to the 8th task of Asterix in ''The Twelve Tasks of Asterix'' movie by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. For those that haven’t seen the movie, in that particular task, Asterix and Obelix must obtain a particular permit from a very bureaucratic organisation only to discover that they will keep being redirected for other permits, as pre-requirements, for the one they really need, over, and over, and over, and over. One will not do! They will need many! (But in the end, they needed none) In cybersecurity, job candidates are expected to have certain well known certifications. This excludes most academic education (say what!). Without those certifications, applicants will be frowned upon and seen as if they would not be able to appreciate or understand what is communicated, the hardship involved or the level of details required to survive yet alone assist someone else in their survival. That of course will change once they obtain A, B and C certifications, or A38 for that matter…  most likely the same as those the hiring manager holds… as if only then, shall the candidate be able to see the world as it really is! Or at least as they think it is, or the one they are familiar with. Without A38, Asterix will not be called for an interview! Artificial Intelligence Yes, no interviews! Be it because an AI won’t find A38 while CV scanning and reject the application, or if the gatekeeper is a human recruiter, he or she not having the required knowledge as to infer if the job requirements could otherwise be met. As such, your CV will make the pile of those not suitable and you will get no rejection email, as if you are not worthy of the time spent sending it. As an example of this silliness, imagine being rejected for a Junior role because YARA (Yet Another Ridiculous Acronym) was not found on the CV of a web developer (think JSON and regular expressions for pattern matching). Nonetheless, as AI is the great next thing, the future looks very bright! I’m of course using sarcasm as it is quite the opposite. AI in recruitment is a lose lose proposition. At least currently, it is very much so. But such is the state of things… yet, meanwhile some still defend that there’s no talent available and soooooooo many more people are needed (more on this later). So… certifications appear to be the key! And like Asterix, you’ll need A38. Trick or treat But you will need more than A38! And there are so many certs out there, by so many organisations, some new, some old, some academic, some not. Will you know how to avoid paying 800 euros to some knowledge academy just to discover they had no knowledge or academy? Danger lurks! What to do? You could cheat! You could get someone to pass an exam for you or you could fake the paperwork by copying real diplomas of those that share theirs online! Who’s ever gonna find out, right? If in the , what is there to lose? UK someone manages to fake medical certifications and is able to play doctors You’ll get to avoid the pre test anxiety and having to regurgitate something you memorised into a multiple choice exam paper without ever having to devote time to properly learn or think and no one else will be the wiser! After all, they just want a “laisser-passer”! A piece of paper! perhaps I can seduce you differently: imagine the pride of managing to trick everyone, all of the time… now that! Is social engineering! If risking freedom and getting some jail time does NOT sound interesting, Unless you are above 30 of course, the excuse: “I really didn’t know what I was doing, I meant no harm” no longer works, because then it’s just dumb. So if you are going to cheat, do it young! You will get to feel the excitement of having the FBI, EUROPOL, CYBERPOL or another security agency looking for you. Hell, , and you will never feel alone again, as you’ll have your own agency babysitter always close to you! your name may even make it to a book : The above as crazy as it sounds, it’s actually a very viable path to get a job in cybersecurity. In Portugal, a known cybercriminal even had a misinformed politician standing behind his absolution, ! (the person came to their senses later, we all make mistakes). Aside PRE-TRIAL Is there another way? For the slightly more ethical of us and perhaps more dull (and poor), fortunately (ufff), there are many resources available as to obtain knowledge and direction! There are video casts, podcasts, courses and multiple books advertising ways to get in, made by many authors, that truly mean well and want to help you! You may even get a B43 for free, or a R15 that may or may not be similar or better, than A38. They know how busy, stressed and burnt most cyber professional are, and they still somehow manage, to get time to help others! Hats off. However, they are not the gatekeepers! And… once you had a listen or had the chance to read a bit of the material, you will discover that, unfortunately, different content authors will have different views and say different things. There’s no wide agreement on role titles, nor exactly on what the responsibilities of each should be. Confused? Why is this so? Well, are complex and differ immensely. And cybersecurity is still a young field. More experiences and experiments will be required until the absolute truth, and nothing but the truth, will eventually compose what will become common knowledge. Perhaps then all people will say the same things. systems What do you do then? You could perhaps pick just one of those content authors to learn from and try to follow their particular path. Yet, I fear you may ended up losing time because the “laisser-passer” holder, will still want that A38! So if you want to work there, you must have an A38 and it won’t matter how much you know or what else you learned, nor from who. So ya better open thy wallet! What do I get if I choose to spend money on a cybersecurity certification advertised for a job? Once you have invested your own capital (or borrowed) as to obtain the certificate or certificates, you will then discover that you must start at the lower ranks making very little money even if you have been in IT for more than 20 years. exact knowledge required to perform the job And like a cute little soldier recruit, re-learn everything you already know, but this time the way they, the “lesser-passer” holder, learned, no matter what and with no excuses! “There is no easy way to train an apprentice. My two tools are example and nagging.” - Lemony Snicket Regarding career progression in your new field, you will discover, that you will need many years overcoming several bespoke hurdles, particular to that organisation and leader, before you can reach any senior or leadership position… just like the “lesser-passer” did. And if he or she leaves and is replaced by another, well, you will have to ask what the new barriers will be. : If you find yourself listening to someone making up barriers so that they exalt themselves, mention that , then sit back and observe the way the geek will laugh. Later share the same with a business man and a politician. I expect that you shall find all will laugh. Yet, that the difference, shall be that the geek will be laughed at. Depending of course on how they believe the world works. Aside Japan has a minister of cyber that never used a computer So… What’s going on? and requiring certification Just like water suddenly costs a fortune once you pass the security gates in an airport, so do the value of those that work in any field where talent is at miss. Scarcity is a known instrument to inflate prices is a barrier to entry. However, more and more people are noticing that what is said is not the same as what is happening, as it’s getting harder and harder to hide that the wider ! And all one has to do, is to look at the the number of applications each job advertised gets! Recent LinkedIn example: advertised cyber shortage gap is actually a fallacy I spoke to Brian Haugli from SideChannel later that same day. Brian shared that they had received 250 applications in less than 24 hours. How could this be? What magic did they use? Well, from the job specification I’ve noticed the following: Minimum Years of Experience: 2 Certification(s) Preferred (not required): Security+ Like in the “The Emperor's New Clothes” by Hans Christian Andersen: “The king is naked!” What can be fixed? Those holding the permit (those hiring), should either embrace or suffer the consequences of being the . Talent is slipping under processes and procedures and AI is not helping (yet)! change laggards Hiring managers expecting clones of selfs or unicorns, should probably be better off making babies (and remember that even those, will only be half a clone), because fully grown clone technology in only available in the movies (think Star Wars). Those that have unfriendly super geeks employees, the know it all kind (damn man, they invented the thing) should really be worry about how to get them to develop new talent! What will happen when the guy is gone? Perhaps a fluorescent gun will allow you to get a new unicorn. Lower the bar! By lowering the entry bar, you will get hundreds of eager and willing! There’s no shortage, there never was. What there is, is complex work that is best performed by people with experience. And there’s a lot of work, and a lot of experience, lacking. You either reach back and educate those you hire, or you risk letting others capture the talent, develop it to their liking and needs, and see high performers on other teams. And you may even get a bonus when you do decide to make things easier for everyone, as per the following example from 1906. Oh my, a patent! There are things that change, a lot, others, don’t. Can Asterix manage to pass the task and get a job in cybersecurity? The real question seem to be: which A38 opens more doors, because there’s no away around it. Or is there (smiley face)?

Can Asterix Get a Job in Cybersecurity?

Asterix কি সাইবারসিকিউরিটিতে চাকরি পেতে পারে?

Kann Asterix einen Job in der Cybersicherheit bekommen?

¿Puede Asterix conseguir un trabajo en ciberseguridad?

Astérix peut-il décrocher un job dans la cybersécurité ?

क्या Asterix को साइबर सुरक्षा में नौकरी मिल सकती है?

Asterix はサイバーセキュリティの仕事を得ることができますか?

Asterix가 사이버 보안 분야에 취업할 수 있나요?

Asterix pode conseguir um emprego em segurança cibernética?

Asterix Siber Güvenlik Alanında İş Bulabilir mi?

Asterix có thể kiếm được việc làm trong lĩnh vực an ninh mạng không?

Asterix 能否在网络安全领域找到一份工作？

is one of the oldest and most stable telecommunication products ever openly released along with and . One of the reasons which make asterisk so awesome is its power to execute the scripts written in PHP, Perl, Shell, or some other languages. Asterisk Kamailio SIP Server Freeswitch Asterisk does so with the help of its AGI interface. AGI stands for Asterisk Gateway Interface. AGI provides an interface between the Asterisk dial plan and an external program that wants to manipulate a channel in the dial plan. In general, the interface is synchronous - actions are taken on a channel from an AGI block and do not return until the action is completed. AGI can be run on the local machine as well as remote machine. The support for different protocols is listed , just in case. here Basically, AGI in the asterisk console can be debugged using the command agi set debug on The debugging for the same can be disabled by agi set debug off AGI while launching a script goes through a series of tasks - First, we check whether the file we are trying to execute actually exists or not. 1- Then, we retrieve information about the script file pointed to by its pathname through the stat function. 2- struct stat st;
if (stat(script, &st))  {  } Then, we create a pipe that sends data into Asterisk from the script using the following command - 3- <toast> if (pipe(<From_script_to_asterisk_FD_array>))  // sends data into asterisk as per the Linux man page creates a unidirectional data channel that can be used for interprocess communication. The array pipefd is used to return two file descriptors referring to the ends of the pipe. pipefd[0] refers  to  the read  end  of  the  pipe.  pipefd[1] refers to the write end of the pipe.  Data written to the write end of the pipe is buffered by the kernel until it is read from the read end of the pipe Pipe function Then, we create a pipe that sends data out of the script into Asterisk using the following command - 4- <fromast> if (pipe(<From_asterisk_to_script_FD_array> )) // sends data out of asterisk In case of failure, simply close the 2 FDs that are opened by the command above and return. Then, we create a pipe that sends data out linear PCMA audio. 5- <audio> If the audio pipe is successfully created, then we try the file access mode and the file status flags. 6- res = fcntl(<audio_pipe>[1], F_GETFL); where - Return  the file access mode and the file status flags; F_GETFL and - the write end of the pipe <audio_pipe>[1] If success is returned, 7- res = fcntl(<audio_pipe>[1], F_SETFL, res | O_NONBLOCK); is used to manipulate/operate on file descriptors. In case of failure of any step, just close the FDs opened in its previous step. fcntl Once everything is set in place, we go for the execution of the script. The execution will be done by forking the process, and the child process will take the task of executing the script while the parent process will continue with its original task. To fork a process, we simply go for 8- pid = fork(); Once forked, we pass the paths to the AGI via the environmental variables. 9- setenv("AST_CONFIG_DIR", <PREDEFINED_PATH>, 1); We duplicate the file descriptor to redirect stdin, stdout or to provide an enhanced audio channel. 10- dup2(fromast[0], STDIN_FILENO);
dup2(toast[1], STDOUT_FILENO); We close the remaining FDs other than corresponding to that of stdin/out/error. So, it is basically closing all the FDs starting from 3 as 11- 0 → STDIN
1 → STDOUT
2 → STD_ERROR We then execute the script on the forked process. 12- execv(script, argv); Where consists of the arguments passed over to the script through AGI. argv Once  the process is over, we just exit the forked process and close all the remaining opened FDs. 13- exit(1); Conclusion Needless to say, the devil is in the details. The more you will get into the technical side, the more knowledge can be gained. However, this is enough for you to grasp how the AGI interface is implemented in the asterisk and how it works with respect to a technical side. It’s all about small things, small implementations that make a big difference

How the AGI Interface Is Implemented in Asterisk

In today's digital age, security is as important as performance. Unlike 50 years ago, where security was just a formality, now, due to unsocial elements in our society, the need to secure our data and stuff increases with the growing time. The same can be said for the calls originating/terminating from our mobile. There can be a ton of servers that may be used for processing calls by different service providers. One such server which behaves like a private branch exchange (PBX) is the . Asterisk If you know the basics of telecommunication, then you may skip on to Section 2. Section 1 is generally for the noob in the area of telecommunication. Section 1: General Terms RTP - Real-time transport protocol Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) is an Internet Protocol standard that specifies the way programs manage the real-time transmission of multimedia data over unicast or multicast network services. RTCP - Real-time transport control protocol Real-Time Transport Control Protocol (RTCP) is a protocol that works with Real-Time Protocol ( ) to monitor data delivery on large networks. The purpose of monitoring delivery is to determine whether RTP is providing the necessary Quality of Service ( ) and to compensate for delays if needed. RTP multicast QoS So, If A and B were to talk via Phones, then from a very basic point in the field of telecommunication, It can be divided into 2 planes - - Think of a signaling plane as a space where we identify the route between the final destinations along with their address and preferences. Signaling plane 2. - Think of the media plane as the space for sending packets (RTP) when we have found both originating and terminating destinations. Media Based on encryption, there are 2 types of call - A call established between 2 ordinary individuals whose conversations in any way are not of significant importance, and there is no need to protect their conversations. Normal call - From a developer's point of view, think of it as sending normal RTP packets without encrypting them (with SRTP). These are prone to interception by a third party by certain methods. - A call established between 2 high-profile individuals whose conversations are of significant importance to them or their country, and any leakage of such information may result in an economic loss or political instability. The conversation, in this case, should not fall into the wrong hands, and hence, it is always better to encrypt them. Encrypted Call *, think of it as instead of sending RTP packets, we send SRTP [Secured RTP] packets which makes it difficult to intercept by the third party without the proper key.* From a developer's point of view There are 3 types of network protocol for delivering audio and video over IP networks  - RTP (Real-time transport protocol) SRTP (Secured real-time transport protocol) RTCP (RTP control protocol) There is no need to learn these topics in detail. We have to know these terms to understand what I am about to tell you. So let's skip right into the issue for now. Section 2: The Issue In the digital age, let's say that Alice and Bob were talking via Phones every day. The conversation was smooth, and everyone was happy. Now, Alice had some secrets that she wanted Bob to know. So, she insisted that we should switch to a secure line [enable the encryption on our phones]. Now, sometimes Call of Alice lands on the Phone Bob, but other times it does not. This behavior is totally random. Alice is confused. A software developer observation might suggest after analyzing the traces that during the encrypted call between two clients through the asterisk server, the call sometimes fails, and the failure response message is received as 488 Not Acceptable here. Section 3: In-depth Analysis An asterisk server was used to establish the signaling between the 2 phones(Alice and Bob). When a session is established between 2 phones, the asterisk server tries to allocate a structure that will hold all the details of the media flow(RTP), including the socket, port, and other information. This socket, after been created, needs to be bind to a particular port available in the system. Therefore, the server will attempt infinitely till it is successfully bound to that port. RTCP is not mandatory for normal calls. However, we needed to check the quality of encrypted calls, and hence it was mandatory for encrypted calls. For a session of these encrypted calls to be successfully established, there is a need to bind both the port for RTCP and RTP to their respective sockets assigned by the server. Generally, the port for RTP is successfully bound to its socket, but in the case of RTCP, the server attempts only one time to attempt the socket to be bound to the port. If the attempts fail because of any unforeseeable reason, then the server moves on and carries it with the rest of its tasks required for the successful establishment of the call. But as a result, the call will fail due to the above-mentioned reason. Earlier, whenever a call arrived on an asterisk server, asterisks attempts infinitely to bind a port to a socket from a particular port range. If the resulted message is a success, then, in that case, we have a socket that is successfully bound to a port, and then we can carry on with the further work. If the resulted message is a failure, then, in that case, the algorithm written for that briefly summarizes into 5 points mentioned below. we free the current port used for RTP Skip the current port by two. Again try to bind. Repeat this process infinitely till the port binds to a socket. If we reach the end of the port's list, in that case, start from the beginning. In an encrypted call, instead of RTP, SRTP (Secured RTP) packets flows throughout the network in between the 2 clients through the server. Now, as per asterisk, RTCP is mandatory for SRTP calls. So, to set up a property of RCTP, it tries to bind RTCP to another port that is just the next higher even number than the port allocated for the RTP. However, the catch is that it just tries to bind to the port only once, and it does not bother itself whether the binding is a success or a failure. Since the possibility of binding of a port to any particular socket is completely random (because we do not know what is happening at OS level) and there is no way to predict the failure of socket binding, it would appear that sometimes the calls were working smoothly and sometimes, they were failing with the message listed above as 488 Not Acceptable Here. Since the message received from the UAS is 488 Not Acceptable Here, one may feel that it is a problem regarding the Codecs. [probably mismatching of the codecs.] but in truth, the structure for RTCP has not been allocated. One may say that this is system-dependent since we cannot handle the ports that other applications are taking. But it is not proper to say that the other applications take nearly 30000 ports out of 60000 ports. Section 4: Here is what we did RTCP contains information regarding the quality of RTP. Therefore, the port of RTCP will be 1 higher even number than the port of RTCP. Now, in most networks, generally, SRTP messages are not observed, so this type of problem will not be observed. As mentioned earlier, in the earlier code of asterisk, RTCP was not checked during the RTP calls. RTCP instance is allocated during the SRTP calls when the RTCP property is activated for any call. Design implementation has a flaw. After getting a port for RTP, asterisk tries to get a port for RTCP. But it doesn't matter whether the port of RTCP is bound properly or not. Asterisk will try to bind the port using the bind function and not do anything with the return code. As a result, sometimes, the encryption calls generated by the asterisk were working fine since RTCP was set up properly, but other times, they were failing. - Core reason Bind was not able to bind the port with the socket; there were multiple errors with numbers -101, 4, 0, 1, 10, etc. One of them is the port is already being used. Asterisk uses the different ports for RTP for every different call, and hence there may be a chance that the port was already in use. During the normal call, an asterisk registers a socket for RTP. Then it tries to register another socket for RTCP. If the socket for registration of RTCP is failed, then it carries on does nothing to fix it. This is because RTCP is not used for any RTP calls. During the call of normal call, only RTP flows through it. This RTP can be easily decoded through tools like Wireshark. Wireshark is a free and open-source packet analyzer. It is used for network troubleshooting, analysis, software and communications protocol development, and education. If this binding of RTCP is a success, encrypted calls work like a charm, and proper voice was communicated both ways. In case this binding of RTCP is a failure, encrypted calls do not work, and the server returns with a message as 488 Not Acceptable. Solution - We did 4 things overall - 1- allows your server to bind to an address that is in a TIME_WAIT state. If a particular application has freed a port, it takes some time to be available again for another application. This socket option tells the kernel that even if this port is busy (in the TIME_WAIT state), go ahead and reuse it anyway. If it is busy but with another state, you will still get an address already in use error. It is useful if your server has been shut down and then restarted right away while sockets are still active on its port. SO_REUSEADDR const int reuseFlag = 1; setsockopt(sock, SOL_SOCKET, SO_REUSEADDR, (const char*)&reuseFlag, sizeof reuseFlag); 2- was increased to be used for RTP ports from in the This was done because the number of ports will increase after increasing the range, and the problem will also decrease. A configurable range of ports [10,000–30,000] to [5000–50000] rtp.conf. 3- The internal design for allocation of the structure remains the same. . So, pseudocode for the same would follow as: RTCP will not be enabled for RTP calls Allocate a port X for RTP Attempt to bind port X with a socket opened for RTP. If it fails, then increment the current port by two and then again attempt to bind. Repeat this process infinitely till the port binds to a socket. If we reach the end of the port's list, in that case, start from the beginning. However, In the case of an Encrypted call, then if the RTP socket is bounded to port X, then: Allocate a port X for RTP Attempt to bind port X with a socket opened for RTP. If the bind is successful, then, in that case, follow the procedure mentioned in Section RTCP. If it fails, then increment the current port by two. Again attempt to bind. Repeat this process infinitely till the port binds to a socket. If we reach the end of the port's list, in that case, start from the beginning. Section RTCP : Allocate the port (X+1) for RTCP Attempt to bind port (X+1) with a socket opened for RTCP. If it fails, wait for 10 Microseconds, attempt to bind for at least 3 times. If this is successful, then continue with the rest of the work If the above Step 3 fails, then repeat with Step 3. If everything fails, we send a failure response to the Client from the Server. E.g., if the bind to port 8001 for RTP is successful, we are binding 8002 for RTCP. On the other hand, if that bind fails, we try binding for it consecutively 3 times in a row after a 10-microsecond pause for each. However, after the 3rd time, we are changing the increasing the port of RTP by 2 and then repeat the same process mentioned above again. 4 - Each Encrypted call will have a header "Crypto header" in its SDP. As soon as the message is received at the socket and parsed at the server in the form of headers and SDP, we will check if there is any presence of the Crypto header. If any presence is there, we will enable the RTCP for that particular call; otherwise, we will not try to bind the RTCP. In this way, we will identify the difference between Encrypted and non-encrypted calls. In this way, we ensure that both the port for RTP and RTCP are bound every time, asterisk originates a call. Design flaws are very hard to solve for open-source software. This is because we need to preserve the essence that was kept while the function was being written down. Therefore, the design flaw should be solved with the minimum possible changes and without altering the structures, if possible, thus removing future ramifications and allowing smooth working of the code.

The Design Flaw with Asterisk

, compared to its glorious twin brother , is equally “famous” but in the exact opposite way.  It is not an exaggeration that Liquidity Providers (LP) are the most essential group in the entire DeFi ecosystem, which IL is hurting ceaselessly. Impermanent Loss (IL) Automated Market Making (AMM) Different DeFi explorers are aiming to eliminate this Achilles' Heel for good.  Uniswap V3 is trying with customized range limitations of liquidity to provide based on grid trading practices. Some protocols provide issuance-like functionality while Asteria, as the rising star of decentralized option protocol, is approaching this by hedging with options. The first definition of Impermanent Loss is not simple and understanding it is one of the main goals of this article, so do not be concerned if it does not make sense straight away. What is Impermanent Loss? (DeFi experts can skip to Section 2 directly if you are quite familiar with IL) – This is a temporary loss that the liquidity provider is exposed to when the asset price changes. Perhaps counterintuitively the LP is exposed to a loss in bidirectional price movements. That is that even if the asset goes up the LP will lose. The loss is only realised if the LP withdraws their assets however. It is typically defined as compared to just holding that asset. I’ll come back to explaining this and the graph below. Impermanent Loss (IL) – This mechanism was originally designed in the 90s to avoid troubles associated with human manipulation of manual books. Ironically they are being reintroduced in DeFi to avoid troubles associated with centralized, hierarchical finance. Automated Market Maker – ‘X*Y=K’ is the most common model for automated market makers. Ensuring a constant K is maintained between the relationship of X (x token) and Y (y token). XYK Model – The entity that provides liquidity to the pool in exchange for fees and other benefits. Liquidity Provider (LP) As explained in the definition Impermanent Loss is the potential loss of a Liquidity Provider – it is only realized if the liquidity provider withdraws the assets. What might come as a surprise is that the liquidity provider suffers in both directions. In price appreciation this is because traders step in for arbitrage opportunities between the LP pool’s price and the price on another exchange or pool (representing the price appreciation). This has been discussed elsewhere in articles covering DeFi’s “Impermanent Loss”: Table 1 Table 1 shows the bidirectional loss that would be realized if the LP were to remove the assets from the pool. Obviously we are dealing with cryptocurrencies which have associated volatilities. Therefore, such exposure is expected and this presents a problem for DeFi to get liquidity providers. Prospective liquidity providers can observe this state of play and opt to instead just hold the asset as this would allow them to accrue better profit and loss scenarios. As a quick example, we will run some numbers. If the holder can consider two scenarios of holding or providing liquidity they will see that it is better that they had held the asset. (This is where Asteria’s solution of options comes into play) Table 2 Price (USDT) Supplied or held Value ($) DAI $1 10,000 10,000 ETH $500 20 10,000 Table 2 shows what assets the holder has at T1. They can decide to either hold them or put them into a liquidity pool. The liquidity provider has $20,000 worth of assets initially (T1). This is a 50/50 liquidity pool, there are other possibilities but we will focus just on this one for simplicity. Now ethereum’s price appreciates by 20% - elsewhere, say another exchange – so it goes up 100 USDT. It now costs 600 USDT (T2). After T2 there would be two scenarios. :
If they had decided to hold the assets they would have $22,000 worth of assets: Scenario 1 Table 3 Price (USDT) Held Value ($) Dai $1 10,000 10,000 Ethereum $600 20 12,000 :
If they had decided to give the assets they would have a potential loss if they withdrew the assets: Scenario 2 liquidity and supply Table 4 Price (USDT) Supplied Value ($) Dai $1 10954.5* 10954.5* Ethereum $600 18.3* 10954.5* This is because an arbitration process would occur between the pool and the outside. The total amount of assets they had in scenario 2 would be 21908.9*. The impermanent loss is defined by the difference between the total USD value of Table 3’s assets and the total USD value of Table 4’s assets. So the IL is: (10,000 + 12,000) – (10954.5 + 10954.5) = 91.1 It’s crucial to remember that it is impermanent such that the LP does not withdraw the assets. It is permanent loss if the LP withdraws the assets after T2 – when the price has moved (and for example arbitration has occurred). How Does Asteria Use Option to Tackle IL? Asteria has introduced a solution to hedge against IL based on the .
The basic concept is that for any return structure f(ξT) with respect to ξT that expires at time T, it can be realized by constructing a European Option portfolio with ξT as the target and expiration date T, under the condition of f(ξT) is second-order derivable, which is essentially a static investment strategy: Carr-Madan Formula Asteria creates the portfolio of call options and put options with different strike prices and expirations to generate the following income: exactly the opposite of IL. Assuming ξ0=1 We get the curve of f, f’and f’’ By decomposing the IL, we can see that the automated spot market maker is equivalent to "free", providing the market with a set of call options and put option combinations with different strike prices (that is, the source of IL is the same as using Limit orders traded on centralized exchanges). Backtesting Practices Step 1: Volatility Estimations Team Asteria calculates the annualized average volatility σ of a certain interval using the following method: Where  y_t="log" S_t-"log" S_(t-Δ) as the short-term logarithmic return rate of the underlying (S_t).
They choose to use the volatility when the option is purchased to manage the risk of the entire portfolio and back tested with different interval lengths in the past, such as the volatility of one hour, one day, one week, half a year, and one year, to form a prediction of the volatility of different interval lengths in the future. Step 2: Option Portfolio Pricing Asteria applies the classic option pricing model. Since cryptocurrency does not generate dividends, the price of European-style call options is the same as that of American-style call options, so Asteria uses American-style call options to construct the investment portfolio (The VIX calculation of CBOE index also refers to a similar method). Black-Scholes-Merton We take the option expiration T as 7 days and the annualized volatility σ as 2, by using 40 options with different strike prices, and substituting it into the Carr-Madan Formula to obtain one almost perfect portfolio for hedging IL： As showed above, the cost of full hedging IL is only , or the cost to hedge 10000 USDT staked is 70 USDT. 0.7% Step 3: Hedging and Payoff Testing Based on the above testing data, Team Asteria designed an option based product named : Impermanent Loss Hedger (ILH) The user would only need to make three simple selections: Hedging Period: Daily/Weekly Hedging Mode: Bidirectional/Only Downside Protection/Only Upside Protection Hedging Level: High/Medium/Low The key to the success for Asteria of this product is the capability to hedge, on behalf of option market makers/sellers, to gain the profit to pay off at the end of each cycle. So Team Asteria simulates the hedging (assume every 10 mins), for product on High Level & Bidirectional ILH and on both periods of Daily/Weekly, to identify the safety level to provide the basic payoff for product buyers and the liquidity pool’s return rate. The results are quite promising: Each group represented by 4 graphs, Graph 1 showing the payoff at each expiration(weekly or daily) Graph 2 is histogram after hedging, the x-axis is the daily income in USDT, and the y-axis is the number of statistics Graph 3 illustrates the payoff results. Blue points represent the payoff promised (to compensate the IL). Yellow points represent the actual return of option hedging. x-axis is the rate changes between two tokens. Graph 4 is the scatter chart of the income promised to LP with a 45-degree straight line and the income after hedging. The X-axis and Y-axis are USDT, and the blue straight-line scatter chart with a 45-degree angle is the income promised to LP. The yellow scatter chart shows the hedged return corresponding to the return promised to the LP. For example, in a certain period, if the promised payoff is 50 and the hedging payoff is 75, the blue dot of the promised payoff will be marked at the coordinates (50,50), and the hedging payoff will be marked at the coordinates (50,75) as yellow dot. Year 2019 Weekly Result Year 2020 Weekly Result Year 2021 Weekly Result Year 2019 Daily Result Year 2020 Daily Result Year 2021 Daily Result Conclusion Asteria is building a practical cure for the IL headache. What to expect is not only a straightforward ILH product user interface would be launched, but API & templates of IL hedger are also available for LP themselves to customize the process or any third-parties to utilize for other product developments, both of which are awaited!

Asteria Propose Promising Solution against Impermanent Loss

Stories, News & Mentions about ASTERIZM

Categories

Trending Topics

Stories, News & Mentions about ASTERIZM

Asterizm’s Stories on HackerNoon

Categories

Trending Topics