Welcome to my learning log!
Please read this first!
This neocities site functions as a repository for what I'm learning.
The content should not serve as a sole source of research or reference. I've included links to sites I use for further reference. Nor should the content herein be used to commit unlawful acts, crimes, or general tomfoolery.
March 22, 2024
Maybe I don't have to write down everything I learn.
Last night I got to a section about Linux. I've done a little rudimentary hacking via KaliLinux using the primer 'Go H*ck Yourself' by Bryson Payne. But getting back to the basics is good, and now I can document my learning.
| Command | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ls | list (to list folders, files, etc) | cd | change directory (how you navigate) |
| cat | concatenate (fancy way to ask the Linux to display the contents of a file) |
| pwd | print working directory (NOT password. i know, life would be so much easier. this command is you asking Linux "where am I again?" and Linux coming back with a mall map with a "you are here" star on it. the mall map will look something like /root/destop/secret files) |
March 13, 2024
Even a quiet guy like me needs to get out and about, so that's where I did last night. Tonight, it feels like if I don't sit down and do something other than write indulgent fiction, I'm going to be wasting energy (even if that's not true). So let's learn about DNS!
DNS is, simply, the system of addressing the internet. Domain Name System. Easy. Like how neocities is a domain you can find without typing in an IP address everytime you want to find it. Like helli0n-hacks is a domain. A nice & cozy addy on the internet.
As far as parts of the address go, you've got the top level domain (TLD), second level domain (SLD), and subdomains. TLD is the rightmost part of an address (.com, .gov, .org). There are generic ones like .com or .gov to tell you what the site is at it's most basic level- a company, a government site, a business, while there are country code ones letting you know their geographic base (.ca, .us, .uk). There are over 2000 TLDs.
SLD is the meat of the address. Like neocities, amazon (//vomits//), or duckduckgo. Apparently, these fuckers are limited to 63 characters to keep them snappy and easy to remember (otherwise you might as well memorize an IP address, I guess).
Subdomains are anything placed before the SLD, separted from the SLD by a period(.). You can have multiple subdomains. I don't know why. The only limit is that your subdomain(s) and SLD can't be longer than 253 characters.
March 11, 2024
Back at it. Work is feeling stifling and I'm not sure what I want to do professionally other than writing. I love writing. Cybersecurity technical writing is a thing, so that's where I'm currently directing the bow of my ship.
Jumped back into TryHackMe and one of the lessons was on firewalls, which is funny- as a kid in the 90s that was the first phrase around technology that really grabbed my attention. Firewall. It was evocative, fascinating. Even without understanding how they worked, I got the concept. Well, 10 year old me, I got you buddy. Here's what we learned today:
- Stateful firewalls view the whole connection. While it takes more juice to run these, they're better at defending.
- Stateless firewalls view packets, not the whole connection. While these are not as effective at blocking big threats, they're VERY good for defending against DDoS attacks.