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Unleashing RBAC's Might in CI/CD Pipelines: Ensuring Security and Efficiency "RBAC is the backstage bouncer in the DevOps dance hall, ensuring the security and harmony of the CI/CD pipeline, while allowing only authorized maestros to orchestrate the development symphony." 🎉 Envision is hosting a prodigious event in the DevOps realm 🌐, buzzing with the ethos of synergy and advancement 🚀. In this scenario, RBAC (Role-Based Access Control) 🛂 emerges as an essential safeguard, an adept bouncer 💂‍♂️ maintaining the sanctity of your backstage: the 🏭, the conduit of innovation within your organization. CI/CD pipeline Within the bustling arena 🎪 of CI/CD pipelines, It is the discerning gatekeeper 🗝️, validating credentials and granting exclusive access 🎫 to key players 🎵 in your development symphony. RBAC is instrumental in instilling security 🔒 and preserving workflow integrity 🔎. Just as exclusive venues 🏛️ impose policies to prevent infractions, . It enforces strategic access controls 🔐 to ensure conformance with organizational and regulatory mandates 📊, conserving the sanctity of your DevOps processes. RBAC instigates a structured governance framework 📜 in your deployment arena Embracing the least privilege strategy 🛡️, RBAC diligently assigns access rights, paralleling a stage crew's tailored permissions 🎚️. This approach not only curtails inadvertent system anomalies 🚫 but also optimizes operational functionality ✅. RBAC: ⚓️ Anchor of Precision in CI/CD Workflows 🔄 Consider your CI/CD pipeline a prestigious club where innovation pulsates through each phase. RBAC bolsters this environment, preserving serene order by solely allowing the authorized maestros (developers) behind the scenes (critical developmental phases). The Mechanics of RBAC in CI/CD Pipelines Hosting an immense DevOps event analogizes to safeguarding privileged areas of concert venues. RBAC rises as the effective sentry, thoroughly authenticating individuals and endorsing only those with rightful claims to influence pivotal elements of the development lifecycle. Just as regulations manage club entry to ensure safety, R Codified rules and access rights are exactingly enforced, safeguarding the deployment conduit against malpractices that could precipitate operational disruption. BAC integrates equivalent compliance and supervisory protocols within your deployment processes. The least privilege principle aligns with stagehands' specific access to their jobs, with RBAC ensuring that each team member has the necessary access for their tasks, avoiding unintended disruptions. RBAC's 🎭 Strategic Roles in CI/CD Platforms 🛠️💻 In the grand symphony of CI/CD pipelines, RBAC assumes strategic roles akin to virtuoso musicians, each playing Let's take a closer look at how RBAC shines on three popular platforms: a vital part in orchestrating the harmonious development flow. Jenkins is an essential component in the CI/CD pipeline, working alongside RBAC (Role-Based Access Control) to ensure the security and efficiency of the development process. With Jenkins, you can enjoy a robust and flexible CI/CD experience, where RBAC acts as a discerning gatekeeper, granting access only to authorized individuals. This powerful combination guarantees that your development environment remains secure and optimized, allowing you to confidently deliver high-quality software releases. Jenkins: GitLab CI/CD, another prominent player in the CI/CD realm, elevates access controls beyond the ordinary. It provides a highly secure and exclusive backstage experience, ensuring that only deserving contributors can make changes to your code repository. With GitLab CI/CD and RBAC working hand in hand, you can rest assured that your development process is safeguarded by strict access protocols, maintaining the integrity and confidentiality of your codebase. GitLab CI/CD: Similar to its counterparts, Circle CI stands as a reliable partner in CI/CD pipelines. With its streamlined interface and powerful features, Circle CI ensures a seamless and efficient development process. By embracing RBAC, Circle CI enables precise access control, assigning tailored permissions to each team member based on their roles and responsibilities. This collaboration between Circle CI and RBAC ensures that your development environment remains secure while empowering your team to work efficiently and collaborate effectively. Circle CI: To optimize RBAC in different CI/CD pipelines, developers can adopt the following approaches: Understand RBAC Capabilities: Gain a thorough understanding of RBAC capabilities in your specific CI/CD pipeline and how they align with your organization's access control policies. Define Roles and Permissions: Assign specific roles, such as developers, testers, and project managers, based on responsibilities. Define access permissions for each role, ensuring that team members have the necessary access rights for their tasks. Configure RBAC Settings: Implement RBAC settings in the chosen CI/CD pipeline to enforce access controls and allow only authorized individuals to make changes to the pipeline. Regularly Review and Update RBAC: Periodically review RBAC settings to ensure compliance with organizational and regulatory requirements. Update roles and permissions as needed to reflect changes in team structure or responsibilities. Monitor RBAC Access: Keep track of RBAC access logs to detect unauthorized access attempts or anomalies. This helps maintain the security of your development environment and ensures that only authorized individuals have access to critical resources. Ensuring Harmony 🎶 with RBAC Tuning 🛠 in DevOps 🌐 RBAC (Role-Based Access Control) plays a crucial role in DevOps, ensuring the secure and efficient flow of operations within the CI/CD pipeline. To achieve this, RBAC relies on various strategies and practices that maintain the integrity of the development space and facilitate collaboration. Let's explore some key aspects of RBAC tuning in DevOps: Similar to checking for gatecrashers at a concert, conducting regular audits of access logs is essential to detect any unauthorized access to sensitive areas. These audits help maintain the integrity of the development environment and ensure that only authorized individuals have access to critical resources. Audits: Just like a stage crew knowing their boundaries and responsibilities, it is crucial to equip team members with a clear understanding of their permitted areas within the CI/CD pipeline. This allows for specialization without overreach and ensures that each team member knows their role and responsibilities within the development process. Training: Imagine a script that serves as the ultimate guide to access privileges, outlining which roles can engage with each aspect of the infrastructure. This is the concept of "policy as code" in RBAC. By codifying access rules and permissions, organizations can enforce access controls with precision and ensure that the right individuals have the necessary privileges to perform their tasks. This policy as code acts as a rulebook that makes RBAC a powerful and flexible force in the DevOps environment. Policy as Code: Streamlining access management is crucial for maintaining security and simplifying entrance criteria. By integrating identity providers (IdPs) with single sign-on (SSO) capabilities, organizations can centrally manage and secure the ledger of permissions. This integration simplifies the authentication process and ensures that access is granted based on verified identities, enhancing the overall security posture of the CI/CD pipeline. Integration with Identity Providers (IdPs) and Single Sign-On (SSO): By implementing RBAC tuning strategies in DevOps, organizations can optimize their CI/CD workflows, promote collaboration, and ensure the security of their software development processes. These practices, such as conducting audits, providing training, implementing policy as code, and integrating with IdPs and SSO, collectively contribute to the success of RBAC in maintaining a progressive and secure DevOps environment. Remember, RBAC is not merely a regulatory mechanism but a strategic linchpin in the CI/CD suite. It silently maintains the flow and integrity of the development lifecycle, ensuring that operations run smoothly and securely. With RBAC as the enduring beat underlying your CI/CD processes, you can deliver high-quality software releases that meet the exacting standards of your customer base. RBAC's Critical Role in Security and Compliance Risk Mitigation: RBAC assists in minimizing security risks by restricting access to sensitive systems and data solely to necessary personnel. [ ] Governance and Compliance: A robust RBAC system helps sustain governance and adhere to compliance standards by providing a clear framework for who has access to what within your organization. [ ] Security Posture: Implementing RBAC enhances your security posture by offering a defend-able access control infrastructure, reducing the attack surface available to potential malicious actors. [ ] Operational Efficiency: Well-defined roles and precise access permissions streamline operations, reducing the risk of errors and increasing the rate of successful deployments. [ ] Maximizing RBAC's Potential 🔐: Strategies for Securing CI/CD 🛠️🔗 RBAC (Role-Based Access Control) has immense potential to enhance the security of CI/CD pipelines. By implementing the following strategies, you can fully harness the power of RBAC to safeguard your development processes: Tailor access rights to the specific needs of each team member, ensuring optimal performance without granting excessive permissions that could be exploited. Customized Permissions: Utilize dynamic RBAC systems that adjust permissions in real-time, reflecting immediate organizational changes and maintaining a secure and up-to-date access landscape. Real-Time Access Control: Continuously reinforce RBAC policies, creating a culture of security and discipline similar to a well-rehearsed band that performs seamlessly. Policy Reinforcement: Incorporate RBAC within a DevSecOps approach to ensure that security is an integral part of every stage of the development pipeline, reinforcing the infrastructure against vulnerabilities. Integration with DevSecOps: These strategies will bolster the effectiveness of RBAC in securing your CI/CD processes, enabling you to confidently deliver high-quality software releases. Tips: Optimizing the CI/CD Experience with RBAC Controls To create a truly efficient and secure CI/CD pipeline, it is important to implement advanced RBAC controls that go beyond basic role recognition. Here are some strategies to enhance RBAC and optimize the CI/CD experience: Take a deep dive into understanding the specific roles within your team and finely tune access to different environments such as development, testing, and production. By defining granular roles, you can ensure that each team member has the appropriate level of access needed for their specific responsibilities. For example, developers may require full access to the development environment, while testers may only need access to the testing environment. Define Granular Roles: It is crucial to clearly understand who needs access to different segments of your infrastructure. By meticulously aligning permissions to areas of responsibility, you can prevent unauthorized access and minimize the risk of conflicts of interest or security breaches. For instance, granting only the necessary access to production environments to specific team members who are responsible for deployment can reduce the chances of accidental changes or unauthorized modifications. Precision in Access Mapping: Implementing robust SoD mechanisms ensures that team roles do not overlap in areas that could lead to conflicts or compromise security. By clearly defining and separating responsibilities, you can prevent any single individual or team from having excessive control or access that could potentially jeopardize the integrity of the CI/CD pipeline. For example, separating the responsibilities of code development and code deployment can help maintain a clear separation of duties and reduce the risk of errors or unauthorized actions. Enhanced Segregation of Duties (SoD): Integrating automation tools into your RBAC system can greatly enhance the real-time enforcement of access policies. By automating the verification and updating of credentials, you can ensure that access is continually verified and that any changes in team roles or permissions are promptly reflected. This helps maintain the security and efficiency of the CI/CD pipeline by eliminating manual processes and reducing the risk of human error. Incorporate Automation: RBAC: Your DevOps Rockstar 🌟🎸 RBAC plays a crucial role in orchestrating the flow of operations within the CI/CD pipeline. It's not just a boring regulatory mechanism but a key player that fine-tunes each individual’s access. This ensures that the collective effort leads to a harmonious and secure software development process, just like a sound engineer who fine-tunes each track to create the perfect mix in a concert. While it may not get all the attention, its role is essential. The meticulous management of access rights prevents the chaos of unauthorized commits and merges, acting as the cornerstone for stable and reliable releases. Implementing RBAC is as critical as the preliminary preparation of a sold-out concert. By inviting RBAC into your CI/CD pipeline, you secure the heart of your DevOps realm with a guardian who knows the rules and enforces them with precision. This ensures that the spotlight shines brightly on the end product, resonating with the audience without unwanted interruptions. Now, you can have peace of mind knowing that the watchful eye of RBAC protects your CI/CD infrastructure, and your deliverables will perform like the rockstars they are meant to be. With RBAC, you maintain the rhythm of secure releases, ensuring each feature drop is a headliner that meets the high standards of your customer base. , a role that quietly, yet powerfully, maintains the flow and integrity of the development lifecycle. Encoded with security and compliance principles, RBAC stands as the gatekeeper that never sleeps, always ready to enforce the access protocols that keep the DevOps environment in a state of progressive harmony. The goal is to establish RBAC as the strategic linchpin in your CI/CD suite In conclusion, let RBAC be the enduring beat that underpins your CI/CD processes, the foundation that keeps your operations running smoothly and securely. Ensure that when the curtain falls on each release, it is met with stakeholders’ satisfaction and the ovation of industry acclaim. With RBAC, every commit, merge, and deployment is a performance worthy of an encore. 🤘👨‍💻🎸 May Infosec be with you. ✨🔒

RBAC: The Bouncer With a Code of Conduct in the DevOps Dance Hall

As Ryan Holiday remarks in his book, we have a mental image of the Zen philosopher as the calm, serene monk. In contrast, the Stoic is the man in the marketplace, the senator in the Forum, etc. Nevertheless, both people are equally at peace. Daily Stoic Although for every philosophy, there are different goals, eudaimonia or a life worth living for Stoics and enlightenment for Buddhists, there are strikingly similar concepts from Buddhism and Stoicism. An example is . the Buddhist nonattachment concept and the Stoic dichotomy of control theory In his book, Dan Harris pondered how to find a balance between his professional ambitions as a news anchor, always on the move, and the calmness of meditation. Is it possible to become a better version of yourself without becoming ineffective? The answer he found: 10% Happier Nonattachment to results + self-compassion = a supple relentlessness that is hard to match. Push hard, play to win, but don’t assume the fetal position if things don’t go your way.  Striving is fine, as long as it’s tempered by the realization that, in an entropic universe, the final outcome is out of your control. If you don’t waste your energy on variables you cannot influence, you can focus much more effectively on those you can. Remember what our parents used to say? . The difference between trying our best and nonattachment to results is that we do not let the outcome define us. Instead, there is gentle wisdom in acceptance of things not going our way. Otherwise, we might lose ourselves when, and it is a matter of when, not if, the result is not what we wanted. Try your best Nevertheless, practicing nonattachment is not giving up on dreams, aspirations, or desires but merely realizing that it would be wise to drop the attachment to our thoughts on the outcome. In his , Epictetus mentions the dichotomy of control: some things are in our control, while others are not: Enchiridion Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens. Some things are up to us, and some things are not up to us. Our opinions are up to us, and our impulses, desires, aversions—in short, whatever is our own doing. Our bodies are not up to us, nor are our possessions, our reputations, or our public offices, or, that is, whatever is not our own doing. Up to us are our judgment, emotions, behaviors, and values. It is not up to us other people’s behaviors, what they think of us. Even health is not entirely in our control, as incurable or genetic diseases can still occur, regardless of healthy lifestyle choices. It never ceases to amaze me: we all love ourselves more than other people but care more about their opinion than our own. - Marcus Aurelius can be employed to see difficulties and misfortunes in a Stoic manner: at its core, the Stoic exercise of the dichotomy of control states that things are either up to us or not. We would gain more if we focused our time, attention, and efforts on control variables. This concept doesn’t sound mind-boggling, and yet… The framing effect And yet, how much sorrow, pain, betrayal, hurt, disbelief we endure when we navigate the shallow, toxic waters of “if-only”: If only I could have more money, I would be happy. If only I got that job, I would be happy. If only I could meet somebody special, I would be happy. Perhaps you have heard about the Serenity Prayer: God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference. It will not be a surprise that the mentions Epictetus and Buddhist scholars as influences. Wikipedia page of the Serenity Prayer Finally, it might look like these concepts of the Stoic dichotomy of control and Buddhist nonattachment employ detachment from personal tragedy or widespread devastation. On the contrary, I believe these concepts bring, in fact, more awareness to our ephemeral existence: Remember, then, that the only things truly yours are those that are entirely up to you. Everything else is on loan from the universe, and the universe may recall such loans at a moment’s notice in any number of ways. - Massimo Pigliucci Previously published on https://www.roxanamurariu.com/nonattachment-and-the-dichotomy-of-control/ .

When Buddhism's Nonattachment Overlaps Stoicism's Dichotomy of Control

“I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think.” — Socrates I never read ONE single book until I graduated from Secondary School. Every summer holiday, students submit book reports as English/ Chinese homework in the next semester. What I did was read the first and last chapter of the book, add the reviews at the back and come up with some “feelings” after “reading.” I thought I was smart, and reading novels and stories are boring. I have done enough reading in classes already. In the last summer of my secondary school year, my English teacher, Miss Ngai, gave me a book and told me to read it. She said I would be surprised. The book was old, and the paper turned yellow in the corner. It was her first book when she was in high school. I did not realize how sincere it was to give me such a personal item. Miss Ngai looked into my eyes and told me that she knew how I came up with those “book reports.” Although she did not blame me, I grabbed the book and left embarrassed. How could anyone notice that? I thought. I kept that book until now. My English Teacher Miss Ngai was an Atypical teacher. She loves English and tried to show everyone the bright side of learning the language. She laughed and communicated with every student every chance she got. She did not use textbooks during lessons. Instead, she used TV shows as teaching materials to illustrate how important English is in particular situations… In the public examination of Hong Kong, there are questions called “section E.” Most of them asked students to write a letter of reply in different formats, including the complaint letter. I still remember how she encouraged everyone in the class to write. It was about an encounter with her in a hotel’s restaurant. She was unsatisfied but did not blast out. Instead, she went home and typed a formal letter of complaint. That letter was brought back to school and explained word by word during the lesson. What she got back was an official reply from the hotel's General Manager with a complimentary gift. That was, for me, the most realistic (it’s real) example in lessons. I still keep a vocabulary book. During the lesson, she asked us to bring back some old magazines and told us to tear them down into pieces. What’s next is pasting them all on the surface of a new blank paper book and use it to write down vocabulary every day. I started to write down words from subtitles of movies, songs, and magazines. Thanks to her, the English lessons became less boring. Learning English is not that difficult anymore. However, it didn’t change my mind about reading. She left. In my second year of undergraduate, bad news suddenly came. Miss Ngai had a sudden heart attack and fell on her kitchen floor. She passed away. It took me a while to believe it was real and verify the terrible news from different sources. Only have I experienced a few about someone left in my life. I felt regret, shocked, and without any way to talk to her again, I read the book she “gave” me (It was supposed to be lend, but I never finished it, and now I do not have the chance to return it). It was “ a novel by Paulo Coelho. And this was the first time I read a book from beginning to the end, A to Z, word by word. The Alchemist ,” The first book I read. “ a novel by Paulo Coelho. | copyright by the author The Alchemist ,” My first book in my life It was knowing that English is not my first language. It was not easy for me at first. But my mind told me to keep on reading. After a few days, what came to me was this story was great! (I can still remember the ending of the book as that’s shaping my life, and I finally understand why Miss Ngai gave me the book. Thank you, Miss Ngai!) I read it every day when I have time, and I brought this book everywhere with me. Finally, when I read the end of the book and closed it from the right-hand side. Again, this was new to me. The closest experience was finishing the final Boss of an epic RPG game, and the credits showed on the screen. This intense feeling pushed me to find another book to read. This time, it was a Chinese novel. A rush of satisfaction hit me, but I felt lonely at the same time. After the second book, I stopped reading for a while. But every time I pick a new book, it was not that hard. Once you knew it, you will not forget, although it may take a while for you to be at full speed. The feeling of reading is like learning how to swim. My advice for reading are: Read whatever near you and start reading it (It better to be a book/ a magazine/ a novel, anything full of texts). But it can also be a newspaper, a comic book, or a Medium story. Start now! It is hard to create a new habit; instead, you can add it to something you usually do, like brushing your teeth or taking a shower. I called it an “anchor.” For me, it was once I With the anchor keep “reminding” you on the action, instead of picking out my phone, I pick my book from my bag and start reading it. Add an “anchor” for reading. sit on the bus, and I will open my book. Suppose I am really busy or not sleeping well. I may instead have more shut-eye on the bus than reading. However, I would at least open my book first to and, if possible, try to read a few lines. No matter how little you read, try to keep reading every day. complete my anchor There are two benefits to this: 1) you win a little success by keeping the habit; 2) at least you refresh your memory on what you left yesterday so that you do not need to re-read. When I finished a book, I wrote down the title in my Journal with a number at the end. Start from 1 to 54 books at the end of the first year of my reading journey. That is 1+ books per week! Can you believe it? It was just a flip of a mindset from 0 to 54. I will never forget how little things could lead to such a significant impact. Bad happened; it was shocked and painful. But what we can do is to learn from it. The second wave of reading The “second wave” of reading for me came when I start my career as an Information Security Consultant. Reading technical books and magazines are my daily activities to keep pace in this career. With a clear purpose in my mind, reading technical materials is a lot easier and faster. It soon becomes a habit. I read during my commute (Most people in Hong Kong use public transport to work). It is about 2 hours every day. If there is a place to sit, that was the perfect time to do some reading. However, most people around are looking at their small shining rectangle. I enjoyed reading and started to read different kinds of books. My problem was readers need storage space. And the least we have in Hong Kong was space. (As of March 2019, the average living space in public rental housing in Hong Kong was around 13.3 square meters per person.) As a result, I acquired my first e-reader. It was a NOOK. I picked a nook instead of a kindle is, it supports more file types. Most technical manuals by companies are in pdf, and I can access more books from different sources. I was happy with it until the plastic body of the nook become sticky. It melted. I bought my second e-reader two years later, and it was a KOBO Aura H2O. That is still my current e-reader. It was one of the best purchases I made. It was light-weight, waterproof with back-light so that I can read at night on the road. I can import the book from different online bookstores and documents. If you read a lot, an e-reader helps you as you can bring 1000+ books all at once. My “To-Read List” started to grow as reading became a habit for both leisure and work. What I found the most useful was the one from . Tim Ferriss It took me one month to get used to the techniques, but it was worth it. (Learning a new thing is one of the best things in my everyday life. I am grateful to live my life as I know I learn new things every day.) My reading is much faster and better. Audiobooks are a game-changer I bought most of my audiobooks from audible nowadays. In 2018, I started using audiobooks. Listening to it changed my way of absorbing new information. While reading required a moment to be still (e.g., sitting on the bus, standing on the train, after lunch…), I can listen to audiobooks almost everywhere I was alone! I am a distance runner. Listening to audiobooks is a perfect match for running alone. It helps me to focus on nothing but my breath and the book I am listening to. The best experience of reading comes with the synchronization of the audiobook with an e-book on different devices! (But it also doubled my spending on books if I want to have audio and books!). It doubled my reading speed Thank you for your time in reading my story. I hope everyone can read more by reading this story of how I read from 0 to 54 books a year (On average, I read 40–50 books a year now). I am sure there is always something to be learned, and maybe one day, you will find your life-changing book too. What kind of books I read now: Philosophy (Western, Chinese, and Japanese) Non-fiction Nutrition Fitness Neuro-Science Disease and Treatment Information Security Technology Time Management Business Thank you again, Miss Ngai. I am proud to say that I love English, and I read books now. Thank you for reading my story — happy reading and writing.

I Went From Never Reading to 54 Books in a Year, Here's How

Container Security Unveiled: Protecting Your Digital Cargo With a Touch of Humor 🛡️

কন্টেইনার নিরাপত্তা উন্মোচন করা হয়েছে: হাস্যরসের স্পর্শে আপনার ডিজিটাল কার্গোকে রক্ষা করা 🛡️

Containersicherheit enthüllt: Schützen Sie Ihre digitale Fracht mit einer Prise Humor 🛡️

Se revela la seguridad de los contenedores: proteja su carga digital con un toque de humor 🛡️

La sécurité des conteneurs dévoilée : protéger votre cargaison numérique avec une touche d'humour 🛡️

कंटेनर सुरक्षा का अनावरण: हास्य के स्पर्श के साथ आपके डिजिटल कार्गो की सुरक्षा 🛡️

コンテナセキュリティの公開: ユーモアを交えてデジタル貨物を保護 🛡️

컨테이너 보안 공개: 유머 감각으로 디지털 화물 보호 🛡️

Revelada a segurança do contêiner: protegendo sua carga digital com um toque de humor 🛡️

Представлена безопасность контейнеров: защита вашего цифрового груза с долей юмора 🛡️

Konteyner Güvenliği Açıklandı: Dijital Kargonuzu Mizah Dokunuşuyla Korumak 🛡️

Tiết lộ tính năng bảo mật container: Bảo vệ hàng hóa kỹ thuật số của bạn bằng một chút hài hước 🛡️

容器安全揭晓：以幽默的方式保护您的数字货物🛡️

283 Stories To Learn About Founders

The German Air-fleet

How to make your password memorable but strong In the fairy tale of the elder brother of Ali Baba, died in the secret cave. “ Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves ,” Kasim, Kasim goes to the cave, taking a donkey with him to take as much treasure as possible. He enters the cave with the magic words. However, , he forgets the words to get out again and ends up trapped. The thieves find him there and kill him. in his greed and excitement over the treasure People think that Kasim died in his greediness. But as I see it, this story could have a happy ending if he knew one thing. One thing that we often forget and are frustrated about. “Open Sesame” when he wanted to leave the cave with treasures in his hand. No one in real life would forget a passphrase like this, but we are no better than Kasim in many perspectives. Kasim forgot the password What is a weak password? Password rules are always the first thing in my awareness training for customers. This is the most related rule for all employees, with different levels or different units. This time, let me share it with all of you so that more people know about this. To build an easy to remember and adequately secure password, let’s explain the opposite examples. According to , the most common passwords are: SplashData 123456 123456789 qwerty password 1234567 12345678 12345 iloveyou 111111 123123 Other common passwords including: Nothing Secret Password1 Admin If you use one of the above, you should . Before that, it is better to understand what kind of password is more susceptible to be cracked. consider changing it right after seeing my password rules Hackers use with a giant password database to try passwords. From the example above, , and all their variants would be included in the “password table” of hackers. The simple rule is not to use those as it is susceptible to be cracked within minutes. password cracking software using a single word or numbers are not as good as those Zen password rules Most websites with login would include a , such as special character, upper and lower case, and alphanumeric in nature. password policy that forces the user to create a password with a certain complexity level All these rules are trying to increase the complexity of a password. Therefore, I would suggest you keep them in all your passwords so that you do not need to re-type repeatedly when creating an account. PLM — Password Length matters This is from a study in 2015 , “the effect of increasing the length dwarfs the effect of extending the alphabet [adding complexity]. ” also follows the same recommendation. They pointed out, “Instead of using a short, complex password that is hard to remember, consider using a longer passphrase.” where this is originally from the . FBI Tech NIST Special Publication 800–63B Key Point: Longer passwords, even simple words or constructs, are better than short passwords with special characters. Open Sesame 2.0 The following is my step-by-step guide on how to generate an “Open Sesame 2.0”. 1# Create a “Seed” for passwords Computer systems use the seed to generate random numbers. What is a “seed” for you? It is the start point of creating all your passwords. You can use your company email and do some transformation or making one from your name. There is only one requirement for this rule — keep it secret. Seed should be related to you that helps you remember but at the same time complex enough to prevent guessing. It can be your name or the name of your favorite TV character, i.e., MrRobot. 2# Letters Transformation If you are like me, is a fan of the TV show — , you would probably notice this from each episode’s official titles. Mr. Robot Mr. Robot (TV Series 2015-2019) - IMDb www.imdb.com Created by Sam Esmail. With Rami Malek, Christian Slater, Carly Chaikin, Martin Wallström. Elliot, a brilliant but… “eps1.0_hellofriend.mov” “eps1.1_ones-and-zer0es.mpeg” “eps1.2_d3bug.mkv” “eps1.3_da3m0ns.mp4” “eps1.4_3xpl0its.wmv” “eps1.5_br4ve-trave1er.asf” Hackers normally communicate in forums using this kind of letter transformation to bypass past detection or keyword blocking techniques. However, they are less effective when AI is introduced in the scenarios. Still, it is beneficial for creating a complex password that could easily remember but hard to guess. For examples: “0” as o or O, e.g. zero → zer0 “1” as I or l, e.g., traveler → trave1er “4” as A, e.g., brave → br4ve “@” as a “3” as E “2” as Z You can use your 0wn tr@nsl4tion, . Using this rule, you can fulfill most of the complex password policies. but the rule is t0 k3ep 1t consistent 3# Make it rememberable As the computer is part of life, we integrate with different systems and websites, no matter the job or leisure, which requires us to log in. While it is frustrating to click the forgot password button every time you go back to a website, you seldom use it or are just forgetful. It is also a bad idea to use a SINGLE PASSWORD for all your accounts ( If you do, change it now!). Please do not do that. The second rule that helps you to remember is Yes, you read it correctly. I am asking you to consider including the website’s URL in your password. to include the URL in your password. Some companies require users to change their passwords every 30 days or so. It is a good practice and part of some security standards. It would be a challenge if the user cannot remember what they type in. In that case, I suggest you consider e.g., 20201201 for 17th December 2020. adding the date during the change in your new password, 4# Combining 1# to 3# to come up with a great password So now you know how to transform letters into complex password elements. It is also easier to in your password to help you remember The rule and combines it with a variable related to when or where your account belongs. have the URL or date where and when you type it. uses a “seed” Key Point: Seed + URL (+date) = Strong but easy to remember Consider the following walk-through example: Let say wants to join . When creating an account, he can first transform his name “MrRobot” into “MrR0bo4” (use it as seed) and “Netflix” into “N3tf1ix” (variable). As a result, a good password option could be: Mr. Robot Netflix MrR0bo4@N3tf1ix MRatN3tf1ix MRatNetfl1x MrR0bo4@Neflix.com Can you follow it? If he wants to join amazon.com also, then the possible password combinations could be : MR@Am4z0n.com MrR0bot@Amazon.com MrR0bot@4m@zon.c0m The key is keeping the seed but changing the remaining part. Remember NOT to tell anyone about what remain unchanged. The seed is the ultimate secret and cannot be written down or tell anyone. 5# Test your created password The test result of password “MrR0bot@4m@zon.c0m” | screenshots by the author After some practice of thinking, you can use it anywhere. But before start changing passwords from different websites, you can test your password strength using the following portal: Password Strength Test - My1Login www.my1login.com If you're reading this section, then good - the quickest way to get hacked online is to be too trusting or assume… The Weakest Link Image by from Melk Hagelslag Pixabay First thing first, you should know by now that (except Mr. Robot). Hackers try not to penetrate a system with complex malware or tools. It is because it is the most labor-intensive and cost-ineffective. hackers in real life are not like in most movies or TV shows Instead, they often get in by compromising . Therefore, as a security professional at work, one of the most concerning areas is . the weakest link — people password security “Pwned” One thing that is not the same in the digital world and the physical world is If your wallet is stolen in the physical world, you know it when you put your hand in your pocket. Because it is not there, right? the concept of steal. But . Therefore, it is a good start, to begin with in the digital world, what is stolen is still there how to check if your identity is stolen —or pwned. Let talk about what is “Pwned.” According to Merriam-webster: Pwn own p o is a lot like own , then, in the sense of 1b, “to have power or mastery over (someone).” (This is, of course, no coincidence. The word likely has its origin in a mistyping of , what with the and being so close to one another on the QWERTY keyboard and all.) From a security point of view, being pwned In most cases, pwned means something was stolen, no matter your credentials or that of someone who has access to yours. means gaining unauthorized access to your account. So how to check if my account is safe? Yes, some good guys try to help. One of them is Troy Hunt, the creator of HIBP. 1# Have I been pwned ( ) https://haveibeenpwned.com/ Screen capture of HIBP | copyright by the author Have I been pwned — HIBP is a free and public website to check if your email account is a victim of recent hacks or compromised recently. It is also the most mentioned website for the general public. Final Words Password is the first line of many security measures. If you use a simple password, then all the followings become useless, no matter how advanced the tools are. While making a complex password is challenging for some people, I hope that by sharing my Zen password rules, you get some ideas about generating a good password that is easy to remember. And please feel free to check your status of current accounts by HIBP. In Summary, here are my Zen’s password rules: —Password  Length Matters PLM How to generate a good password? Create a seed (Do not tell anyone) Letter Transformation Anchoring with URL or Date (Seed + URL + Date) Generate (Practice) and test the strength Thank you for reading —happy reading and strengthening account security.

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