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Showing posts from October, 2014

The unstable equilibrium of staying true

Unquenchable in our heart: is the wish: To lead a good life; something purposeful, meaningful, one that is worth our self-worth. Unconditionally aver the wise: "The path of truth is best! difficult though this road, well heeled sure it is, just follow us." Fortunate are we, that their wisdom shines on us, to enliven and educate - "peer behind the veil, dethrone every shallow recipe of success; perceive the field of discourse, practice harmlessness, conform to higher norms, make it Safe for others, be courteous to everylife!" Inside this meta-recipe, is hidden the path to heaven; but it is also found by living out-there. And it is your very Self that uncovers it. As we gaze to these horizons from the expansive valley of our desires, to verify that we see the truth, from the intersections of our forefathers' ways - How sweet to stop after seeing, and flip the channel back to "ah, now back to real-life"! The tempor

Securing yourself online - a beginning (101)

Online presence is very different from physical life. Our intuitions aren't good at all, when it comes to protecting ourselves. No amount of clever habits will be enough. Having said that, I hope that a small effort by each of us can help our network be more secure, gradually. Here is a simplistic view of how you get hit by vulnerabilities and infections in the digital universe: WARNING: "Diffuse, hand waving kind of math" alert! Yes, I'm working on a virtual Ph.D :) your possibility of getting hit =    SUM over all i ( virility_of_attack * rate of spread * impact-level * network-size * habit_probability * hours spent online) where,   i is in the set of all vulnerabilities and attack vectors.   habit_probability = f(browsers, machines, apps, shop, online_vendor_site)   network = {home | work | public_wifi | private_net | mesh_net } You will be under constant attack. No question. Your basic actionable item is to minimize your attack surface.