May 4, 2019 in Tips and Tricks
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} !on
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !^/[0-9]+\..+\.cpaneldcv$
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !^/\.well-known/pki-validation/[A-F0-9]{32}\.txt(?:\ Comodo\ DCV)?$
RewriteRule (.*) https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]
April 29, 2019 in Tips and Tricks
// Create a test FormData object var formData = new FormData(); formData.append('key1', 'value1'); formData.append('key2', 'value2'); // Display the values for (var value of formData.values()) { console.log(value); }
The result is:
value1
value2
April 25, 2019 in Learning, MySql, News, Tips and Tricks
Although the list begins with the most popular one but is not an indicator of the best fit for your project. So, let’s begin without further ado.
Any Java developer would vouch for its capability to create complex, high-performance web applications.
With simple components and configurations, this modular framework enables you to develop enterprise-level Java applications with much ease. Its DI-dependency injection feature and compatibility with other frameworks such as Kotlin and Groovy make it Java developers’ favorite.
Spring Framework utilizes inversion of control (IoC) design principle and so for developers, it is easier to focus a module on the task and free the modules from the assumptions and make programs extensible.
It has a number of modules to achieve different functionality in an application such as Spring core (Base module), Spring AOP (for cross-context logic), Spring Transaction (For transaction support), Spring MVC (Web aspect), and more.Used For
Advantages
Limitations
Grails is a dynamic framework, anchored by the Groovy JVM programming language. It works with Java technologies, including Java EE containers, Spring, SiteMesh, Quartz, and Hibernate.
This open source web development framework is widely popular among Java developers for Enterprise Java Beans or EJB support. Because of this, it does not need to configure the XML and so developers can quickly start the development process of creating a robust and scalable application.Used for Building
Advantages
Limitations
This 2015 born framework is so simple and lightweight that any developer from project’s perspective can understand it in a single day.
Based on Java 8, Blade, a lightweight MVC Framework provides a RESTful-style routing interface, making the web API cleaner and much easier to understand and synchronizing data with the website.Used For
Advantages
Limitations
GWT is a completely free, open-source framework that enables the developers to write client-side Java code and deploy it as JavaScript. Many Google products have been written using GWT such as AdSense, AdWords, Google Wallet, and Blogger.
Using this framework, developers can easily write complex browser applications rapidly. GWT allows developers to develop and debug Ajax applications in the Java language.
During deployment, its cross-compilers translate the Java Applications to standalone JavaScript files. It comes with many features such as cross-browser portability, internationalization, bookmarking, and history and management.Used For
Advantages
Limitations
JavaServer Faces makes web application development much easier leveraging on existing, standard UI and web-tier concepts. Developed by Oracle, it has a set of APIs for representing and managing UI components and custom tag library for expressing a JSF interface.
JSF is based on MVC software design pattern and has an architecture that clearly defines a distinction between application logic and representation.Used For
Advantages
Limitations
Its popularity can be estimated by the fact that it is widely used by top companies such as Samsung, LinkedIn, Verizon, The Guardian, and more. Since it uses an asynchronous model that allows statelessness principle, play framework offers speed, performance, and scalability.
Built upon Akka Toolkit, Play framework abridge the creation of concurrent and distributed applications on the Java Virtual Machine. Its user interface is simple and intuitive and so developers can easily understand its basic features to begin the development project quickly.Used For
Advantages
Limitations
Here’s another enterprise-level framework maintained by Apache Software Foundation. This full-featured Java Web Application Framework allows the developers to create easy-to-maintain enterprise-level Java application.
One of the most noted features of Struts is its plugins which are basically JAR packages. Means they are portable and can be added in the classpath of the app.
For object-relational mapping, you can use the Hibernate plugin and for dependency injection, you can rely on the Spring plugin.Used For
Advantages
Limitations
When it comes to Java frameworks, keep an open mind and research which one is best for you. There are so many frameworks that will suit your project but pick the one that requires less code to write your application and is easy to manage.
April 21, 2019 in Tips and Tricks
# remove browser bugs BrowserMatch ^Mozilla/4 gzip-only-text/html BrowserMatch ^Mozilla/4\.0[678] no-gzip BrowserMatch \bMSIE !no-gzip !gzip-only-text/html Header append Vary User-Agent # Turn on Expires and set default to 0 #ExpiresActive On #ExpiresDefault A0 # Set up caching on media files for 5 weeks#ExpiresDefault A3024000 #Header append Cache-Control "public" # Set up caching on media files for 5 weeks#ExpiresDefault A3024000 #Header append Cache-Control "public" # Set up 1 day caching on commonly updated files#ExpiresDefault A86400 #Header append Cache-Control "proxy-revalidate" # Force no caching for dynamic files#ExpiresActive Off #Header set Cache-Control "private, no-cache, no-store, proxy-revalidate, no-transform" #Header set Pragma "no-cache" # compress text, html, javascript, css, xml: AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/plain AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/html AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/xml AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/css AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/xml AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/xhtml+xml AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/rss+xml AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/javascript AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/x-javascript ## EXPIRES CACHING ##ExpiresActive On ExpiresByType image/jpg "access 1 year" ExpiresByType image/jpeg "access 1 year" ExpiresByType image/gif "access 1 year" ExpiresByType image/png "access 1 year" ExpiresByType text/css "access 1 month" ExpiresByType text/html "access 1 month" ExpiresByType application/pdf "access 1 month" ExpiresByType text/x-javascript "access 1 month" ExpiresByType application/x-shockwave-flash "access 1 month" ExpiresByType image/x-icon "access 1 year" ExpiresDefault "access 1 month" # BEGIN cPanel-generated php ini directives, do not edit # Manual editing of this file may result in unexpected behavior. # To make changes to this file, use the cPanel MultiPHP INI Editor (Home >> Software >> MultiPHP INI Editor) # For more information, read our documentation (https://go.cpanel.net/EA4ModifyINI)php_flag display_errors Off php_value max_execution_time 30 php_value max_input_time 60 php_value max_input_vars 1000 php_value memory_limit 32M php_value post_max_size 8M php_value session.gc_maxlifetime 1440 php_value session.save_path "/var/cpanel/php/sessions/ea-php70" php_value upload_max_filesize 2M php_flag zlib.output_compression On # END cPanel-generated php ini directives, do not edit
April 21, 2019 in Learning, Php, Tips and Tricks
We can imagine our universe made of different objects like sun, earth, moon etc. Similarly we can imagine our car made of different objects like wheel, steering, gear etc. Same way there is object oriented programming concepts which assume everything as an object and implement a software using different objects.
Before we go in detail, lets define important terms related to Object Oriented Programming.
The general form for defining a new class in PHP is as follows −
<?php
class phpClass {
var $var1;
var $var2 = "constant string";
function myfunc ($arg1, $arg2) {
[..]
}
[..]
}
?>
Here is the description of each line −
Here is an example which defines a class of Books type −
<?php
class Books {
/* Member variables */
var $price;
var $title;
/* Member functions */
function setPrice($par){
$this->price = $par;
}
function getPrice(){
echo $this->price ."<br/>";
}
function setTitle($par){
$this->title = $par;
}
function getTitle(){
echo $this->title ." <br/>";
}
}
?>
The variable $this is a special variable and it refers to the same object ie. itself.
Once you defined your class, then you can create as many objects as you like of that class type. Following is an example of how to create object using newoperator.
$physics = new Books; $maths = new Books; $chemistry = new Books;
Here we have created three objects and these objects are independent of each other and they will have their existence separately. Next we will see how to access member function and process member variables.
After creating your objects, you will be able to call member functions related to that object. One member function will be able to process member variable of related object only.
Following example shows how to set title and prices for the three books by calling member functions.
$physics->setTitle( "Physics for High School" ); $chemistry->setTitle( "Advanced Chemistry" ); $maths->setTitle( "Algebra" ); $physics->setPrice( 10 ); $chemistry->setPrice( 15 ); $maths->setPrice( 7 );
Now you call another member functions to get the values set by in above example −
$physics->getTitle(); $chemistry->getTitle(); $maths->getTitle(); $physics->getPrice(); $chemistry->getPrice(); $maths->getPrice();
This will produce the following result −
Physics for High School Advanced Chemistry Algebra 10 15 7
Constructor Functions are special type of functions which are called automatically whenever an object is created. So we take full advantage of this behaviour, by initializing many things through constructor functions.
PHP provides a special function called __construct() to define a constructor. You can pass as many as arguments you like into the constructor function.
Following example will create one constructor for Books class and it will initialize price and title for the book at the time of object creation.
function __construct( $par1, $par2 ) {
$this->title = $par1;
$this->price = $par2;
}
Now we don’t need to call set function separately to set price and title. We can initialize these two member variables at the time of object creation only. Check following example below −
$physics = new Books( "Physics for High School", 10 );
$maths = new Books ( "Advanced Chemistry", 15 );
$chemistry = new Books ("Algebra", 7 );
/* Get those set values */
$physics->getTitle();
$chemistry->getTitle();
$maths->getTitle();
$physics->getPrice();
$chemistry->getPrice();
$maths->getPrice();
This will produce the following result −
Physics for High School Advanced Chemistry Algebra 10 15 7
Like a constructor function you can define a destructor function using function __destruct(). You can release all the resources with-in a destructor.
PHP class definitions can optionally inherit from a parent class definition by using the extends clause. The syntax is as follows −
class Child extends Parent {
<definition body>
}
The effect of inheritance is that the child class (or subclass or derived class) has the following characteristics −
Following example inherit Books class and adds more functionality based on the requirement.
class Novel extends Books {
var $publisher;
function setPublisher($par){
$this->publisher = $par;
}
function getPublisher(){
echo $this->publisher. "<br />";
}
}
Now apart from inherited functions, class Novel keeps two additional member functions.
Function definitions in child classes override definitions with the same name in parent classes. In a child class, we can modify the definition of a function inherited from parent class.
In the following example getPrice and getTitle functions are overridden to return some values.
function getPrice() {
echo $this->price . "<br/>";
return $this->price;
}
function getTitle(){
echo $this->title . "<br/>";
return $this->title;
}
Unless you specify otherwise, properties and methods of a class are public. That is to say, they may be accessed in three possible situations −
Till now we have seen all members as public members. If you wish to limit the accessibility of the members of a class then you define class members as private or protected.
By designating a member private, you limit its accessibility to the class in which it is declared. The private member cannot be referred to from classes that inherit the class in which it is declared and cannot be accessed from outside the class.
A class member can be made private by using private keyword infront of the member.
class MyClass {
private $car = "skoda";
$driver = "SRK";
function __construct($par) {
// Statements here run every time
// an instance of the class
// is created.
}
function myPublicFunction() {
return("I'm visible!");
}
private function myPrivateFunction() {
return("I'm not visible outside!");
}
}
When MyClass class is inherited by another class using extends, myPublicFunction() will be visible, as will $driver. The extending class will not have any awareness of or access to myPrivateFunction and $car, because they are declared private.
A protected property or method is accessible in the class in which it is declared, as well as in classes that extend that class. Protected members are not available outside of those two kinds of classes. A class member can be made protected by using protected keyword in front of the member.
Here is different version of MyClass −
class MyClass {
protected $car = "skoda";
$driver = "SRK";
function __construct($par) {
// Statements here run every time
// an instance of the class
// is created.
}
function myPublicFunction() {
return("I'm visible!");
}
protected function myPrivateFunction() {
return("I'm visible in child class!");
}
}
Interfaces are defined to provide a common function names to the implementers. Different implementors can implement those interfaces according to their requirements. You can say, interfaces are skeletons which are implemented by developers.
As of PHP5, it is possible to define an interface, like this −
interface Mail {
public function sendMail();
}
Then, if another class implemented that interface, like this −
class Report implements Mail {
// sendMail() Definition goes here
}
A constant is somewhat like a variable, in that it holds a value, but is really more like a function because a constant is immutable. Once you declare a constant, it does not change.
Declaring one constant is easy, as is done in this version of MyClass −
class MyClass {
const requiredMargin = 1.7;
function __construct($incomingValue) {
// Statements here run every time
// an instance of the class
// is created.
}
}
In this class, requiredMargin is a constant. It is declared with the keyword const, and under no circumstances can it be changed to anything other than 1.7. Note that the constant’s name does not have a leading $, as variable names do.
An abstract class is one that cannot be instantiated, only inherited. You declare an abstract class with the keyword abstract, like this −
When inheriting from an abstract class, all methods marked abstract in the parent’s class declaration must be defined by the child; additionally, these methods must be defined with the same visibility.
abstract class MyAbstractClass {
abstract function myAbstractFunction() {
}
}
Note that function definitions inside an abstract class must also be preceded by the keyword abstract. It is not legal to have abstract function definitions inside a non-abstract class.
Declaring class members or methods as static makes them accessible without needing an instantiation of the class. A member declared as static can not be accessed with an instantiated class object (though a static method can).
Try out following example −
<?php
class Foo {
public static $my_static = 'foo';
public function staticValue() {
return self::$my_static;
}
}
print Foo::$my_static . "\n";
$foo = new Foo();
print $foo->staticValue() . "\n";
?>
PHP 5 introduces the final keyword, which prevents child classes from overriding a method by prefixing the definition with final. If the class itself is being defined final then it cannot be extended.
Following example results in Fatal error: Cannot override final method BaseClass::moreTesting()
<?php
class BaseClass {
public function test() {
echo "BaseClass::test() called<br>";
}
final public function moreTesting() {
echo "BaseClass::moreTesting() called<br>";
}
}
class ChildClass extends BaseClass {
public function moreTesting() {
echo "ChildClass::moreTesting() called<br>";
}
}
?>
Instead of writing an entirely new constructor for the subclass, let’s write it by calling the parent’s constructor explicitly and then doing whatever is necessary in addition for instantiation of the subclass. Here’s a simple example −
class Name {
var $_firstName;
var $_lastName;
function Name($first_name, $last_name) {
$this->_firstName = $first_name;
$this->_lastName = $last_name;
}
function toString() {
return($this->_lastName .", " .$this->_firstName);
}
}
class NameSub1 extends Name {
var $_middleInitial;
function NameSub1($first_name, $middle_initial, $last_name) {
Name::Name($first_name, $last_name);
$this->_middleInitial = $middle_initial;
}
function toString() {
return(Name::toString() . " " . $this->_middleInitial);
}
}
In this example, we have a parent class (Name), which has a two-argument constructor, and a subclass (NameSub1), which has a three-argument constructor. The constructor of NameSub1 functions by calling its parent constructor explicitly using the :: syntax (passing two of its arguments along) and then setting an additional field. Similarly, NameSub1 defines its non constructor toString() function in terms of the parent function that it overrides.
NOTE − A constructor can be defined with the same name as the name of a class. It is defined in above example.
April 17, 2019 in Tips and Tricks
It uses something like below.
April 15, 2019 in News, Tips and Tricks
When most of us think of the internet, we imagine day-to-day activities like watching a video, checking the news or booking a vacation online. However, under the surface lies a shadowy corner of the web where terrorists, criminals, and whistleblowers lurk.
The Deep Web has been heralded by many as the last bastion of internet privacy in an increasingly intrusive age, while others consider it one of the evilest places on the internet.
The Deep Web refers to any website that cannot be readily accessed through any conventional search engine such as Google or Yahoo! Search The reason for this is because the content has not been indexed by the search engine in question.
In layman’s terms, the Deep Web is just another ‘level’ of the internet. Residing below the “surface,” it is the deepest level of the internet.
Indexing is best explained through contemporary search engine Google and its robust, high-performance system of indexing. Google’s indexing methods rely largely on a process referred to as “crawling,” which is akin to a virtual spider crawling amongst the multitude of pages on a website that is readily accessed by clicked links.
A cursory scan is implemented, thus rendering the pages’ content to a format that can be sent to Google’s massive index servers, at which point the data is contextually organized and entered into a collective of algorithms that comprise the search engine.
If a website is not indexec by a search engine, it can only be accessed by navigating directly to the URL via a link or typing in the exact web address in to a web browser.
There is a wide range of people that benefit from the Deep Web’s capability to allow anonymous use and communication. Listed below are individuals or groups who have benefitted from the Deep Web in the past and whom also continue to benefit from its existence today.
Former military, government, and corporate employees are coming together en masse to report widespread (and largely unknown) corruption within their respective fields. Working in conjunction with investigative reporters, these individuals can communicate top-secret and classified information to the media to expose corruption under a modicum of protection.
Anonymity is of paramount importance for these figures, who utilize the Dark Web as an application to conduct communication measures safely and privately.
Citizens living in countries ruled by oppressive regimes often do not have ready access to news, information, and critically important data pertaining to the health and sustainability of society as a collective whole. The Deep Web offers members of society living under oppressive political regimes a relatively safe way to garner crucial information for their own needs, in addition to exporting it out of the country.
The hidden world of the Deep Web contains a plethora of data, information, and a wealth of possibilities, including but not limited to the following:
What the above all have in common is that their information is not intended for public consumption. The owners of the content may go to great lengths to render the information inaccessible by ensuring it doesn’t show up in internet browser search results.
It is worth noting that the Deep Web is not always illegal and there are plenty of activities taking place that are entirely within the context of the law. Activities such as those listed below are commonplace on the Deep Web, with a membership often comprised of in-the-know internet users well-versed in accessing the Deep Web.
Known throughout the world as the Dark Net, the Dark Internet, or most commonly, the Dark Web, this corner of the internet lies within the deepest points of the internet abyss.
Accessing the Dark Web requires a certain degree of savvy internet prowess, with a required list of steps that must be taken to not only enter this enshrouded world while maintaining the utmost privacy.
In an effort to maintain privacy, Dark World visitors commonly utilize specialized anonymity software such as Tor to mask their identity. Traditionally, when an internet user visits any site that exists on the world wide web, they are tracked via their Internet Protocol (IP) address.
In stark contrast, surfing the Dark Web is an entirely different matter altogether, with masking software used to render a personal computer anonymous while masking identity, location, IP address, and more.
The Dark Web has historically been a realm that has been accessed by a small minority of internet users. Out of the billions of internet users accessing the internet on an everyday basis, Dark Web use remains around3 percent.
While usage of the Dark Web may seemingly be minuscule, the network’s individuals, businesses, and various trafficking organizations have rendered it a highly powerful force that has resulted in countless internet users desperately wanting to access the Dark Web and to ultimately become a part of its anonymous user base.
The Dark Web remains incredibly attractive to internet users for a wide range of reasons. The enshrouded nature and complex methodology required to access this world have effectively made it a secret world, full of salacious activity, black markets, sights, and perks limited to a select few.
Listed below is a sampling of the many things to be found using Dark Web links:
Stolen credit card numbers are a big business on the Dark Web. Typically sold in bulk lots of a hundred or more, credit card numbers can be had at low prices and ready for the most illicit of uses.
Popular Dark Website “Fake Documents” specializes in selling top-notch replica documents from every nation in the world. A United States passport can be had for as little as 1,000dollars.
Every strain, potency, and type of Marijuana can be found on the Dark Web. Meanwhile, prices are often lower than those typically found in the “regular” market.
Traditional internet browsers such as Google can amass up to a million daily hits for “how to buy marijuana on the Deep Web,” indicating a mammoth interest in entering the hidden world.
On the Dark Web, it is very easy to procure stolen/hacked accounts to popular websites and services such as Netflix, Spotify, Uber, and PayPal
Commonly stolen accounts include Netflix at just one dollar, hacked Uber accounts for the purposes of evading law enforcement, Spotify accounts for pennies on the dollar, and PayPal accounts that buyers can empty out at will.
Bitcoin is the singular currency used on the Dark Web and is favored by users for its anonymity. The cryptocurrency is often used for gambling and other similarly illicit activities, and bitcoins are widely used today in conjunction with a cottage industry of bitcoin lottery tickets.
Fake coupons offering savings ranging from fifty cents to substantial discounts exceeding twenty percent off are a booming business on the Dark Web. The counterfeit coupons are used at businesses such as Home Depot, Lowes, and other major companies to fraudulently obtain major discounts via seemingly legitimate bar code printing on coupons.
Recently, a magnate of the counterfeit coupon industry on the Dark Web was indicted by the Federal Government for stealing more than one million dollars via fraudulent coupons.
Any name and any institution are for sale on the Dark Web. Whether you are interested in purchasing a degree in your name from Harvard, Yale, or Stanford, these official looking documents can be quickly and cheaply had.
Recently popularized by its presence on the mega-hit TV show Breaking Bad, Ricin is a deadly poison that can swiftly kill people.
Recently available for purchase at a site on the Dark Web called Black Market Reloaded, Ricin could be purchased in mass quantities.
Black Market Reloaded has since been shut down, with its operator sent to federal prison for his part in manufacturing the illicit substance.
Despite the closure of Black Market Reloaded, Ricin can still be found throughout the Dark Web along with a host of other deadly chemicals.
Business Insider recently reported the story of entrepreneurial-minded individuals using printing technology to create counterfeit money, card skimmer apparatuses and more. As printing technology continues to advance, many individuals are taking advantage of it by creating official-looking documents that can be used in a vast array of mediums.
Selling miniature, pocket-sized electromagnetic pulse generator devices are a popular market on the Dark Web in China. Capable of “frying” nearby electronic devices and rendering them dead, the applications for this tool are endless. Savvy users have gone as far as using the generator to add mass amounts of credits to slot machines at casinos and gambling halls to cheat their way to guaranteed winnings.
Murder for hire is perhaps the most famed notion associated with the Dark Web. According to reports, there are legions of contract killers available for hire hiding within the murky depths of the Dark Web.
However, there is a large collective insisting that hitmen do not truly exist on the Dark Web and that anyone foolish enough to employ the services of these types of individuals is merely setting themselves up in a trap to be arrested for conspiracy to murder.
Whether you believe in the existence of contract killers or consider it a hoax, there exists a very real community on the Dark Web with a plethora of individuals claiming they can kill for money. Whether that individual is a teenage prankster or a serious killer is a question which remains unknown.
If Ricin and cocaine aren’t enough to quell your thirst for illicit compounds, you may be surprised to hear about the existence of authentic C4 plastic explosives available on the Dark Net in mass quantities.
A site on the Dark Web called Black Bank offers what they call “fresh” social security numbers featuring credit scores topping out over 750 at affordable prices and with free shipping.
Drugs are a booming market on the Dark Web. Home to every drug imaginable, the Dark Web offers consumers marijuana, heroin, ecstasy, shrooms, LSD, cocaine, crack, meth and more.
Pharmaceuticals are also abundantly available with many consumers swapping up prescription meds for pennies on the dollar. Common examples include painkillers, Ritalin, Adderall, and Dextroamphetamine.
Frighteningly enough, the Dark Web features a website called the Armory where consumers can readily purchase weapons such as replica AK-47s, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, IED missiles, and more. Despite their terrifying product list, The Armory insists that it refuses to sell to terrorist groups.
SWAT-style body armor is in common use during military campaigns and is rarely found outside that specific application. On the Armory site, consumers can pick and choose from gun and weapons packages complete with SWAT-grade armor for the ultimate in protection.
Even Uranium Ore can allegedly be sourced on the Dark Web. For those not in the know, Uranium Ore is a chemical, that once refined, can be made into atomic material at the weapons-grade level.
Hacked government data is a big business on the Dark Web with many consumers looking to purchase lists of thousands of emails, social security numbers, and a host of other sensitive data.
The counterfeit market on the Dark Web is massive. Any replica of any brand can be found from Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Prada, Tag Heuer, Rolex, Gucci and far more. Consumers seeking a designer handbag, watch, or other luxury items can procure replicas for incredibly low prices.
Deep Web and Dark Web are understood by many to be interchangeable terms that both describe a host of illicit online activities. However, this is untrue and many activists have fought to stop the tandem use of the terms and to bring to light the distinct ways in which each concept exists in the online world today.
Here is a table comparing both platforms along with the surface web, which is the internet most of us use daily.
| THE SURFACE WEB | THE DEEP WEB | THE DARK WEB | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How to Access | Traditional search engine | Requires password, encryption, or specialty software | Requires Tor Project or similar to view |
| Includes | All indexed web pages | All unindexed webpages | Subset of unindexed webpages inside the deep web |
| Size | Approximately 4.47 billion pages | Massive, likely 4-5x larger than the Surface web | A subset of the Deep Web, but unmeasurable in size |
| Uses | Email, social media, video, legitimate business websites, etc. | Usually used for legit purposes that require anonymity | Sometimes used for illegal activities |
| Who uses it? | Anyone with an internet connection | Whistleblowers, journalists, etc. | Hackers, sellers & buyers of illegal merchandise |
| Can be browsed anonymously? | No, nearly all activity can be seen by your ISP. | Usually, especially if you use a VPN to access. | With precautions, yes. |
Popular website Gizmodo released an article this March titled “The Dark Web is Disappearing.” The author, Bryan Menegus, starts off by stating that the Dark Web is now mostly full of useless garbage and that Tor is on its way to obscurity.
He illustrates this claims via comprehensive search probes conducted by Onionscan to query a database of upwards of thirty thousand Tor sites. Onionscan’s findings showed that only a little over four thousand sites (15%) were actually online and operating.
The lack of sites has led many, including Menegus, to believe that Tor and its counterparts are on the way to obscurity, with an increasing number of users ditching the services and its many drawbacks. The idea that Tor is headed towards obscurity in stark contrast to a press release that they released just last month where they claimed they had made great strides in growth and progress.
These opposing statements can make it impossible to accurately gauge what’s really going on. However, we can predict Tor’s possible demise by looking at the untimely disappearances of two associated services: SIGAINT and Freedom Hosting II. If these two giant companies failed and disappeared, Tor can very well be headed towards the same downward path.
Freedom Hosting II’s fate was sealed when it was accused of hosting child pornography sites. An activist or activist group hacked Freedom Hosting II, and the site crashed in a short time, taking over ten thousand hosted websites with it.
SIGAINT was a player on the Dark Web as well and was considered to be among the most popular and ubiquitous dark web email servers, favored by many individuals with an array of illicit interests.
Despite its immense popularity, SIGAINT had a shoddy performance record and was intermittently available, creating widespread frustration amongst users. The lackluster performance of SIGAINT went on for months and finally culminated in a period of downtime from which it never returned. With its demise, SIGAINT took with it millions of email correspondence that has been rendered lost forever.
Since SIGAINT’s disappearance from the Dark Web, other companies have taken its place and are lauded by users for providing the kind of consistent, reliable service that SIGAINT lacked.
The tandem loss of SIGAINT and Freedom Hosting II sent waves around the Dark Web community and has led many to speculate that Tor may very well shut down its operation and be replaced with a more viable contender without the many drawbacks found in using Tor.
The Deep Web will always exist, as it is merely a “locale” within the internet that holds all the hidden content that isn’t crawled by Google and similar web search engines.
While the Dark Web is highly associated with illicit, illegal, and immoral activities, itis often more generic in nature and is loosely defined by its collective of hidden sites, accessed by various individuals, many of them with innocuous reasons such as maintaining privacy, security, and safety.
Browsing the Deep Web is now easier than ever.
The Tor web browser is one of the leading ways to access the Deep Web today. Many users are now also Tor along with VPN tunnels for heightened security and privacy.
There are also a number of Tor-style plug-ins that can be used with major web browsers. It’s worth noting that using Tor or a Tor-style plug-in is something necessary to access the deep and dark web.
Tor is software that provides individuals the ability to communicate anonymously. The name Tor is actually an acronym derived from its original namesake: “The Onion Router.” Users herald Tor browsers as the ultimate means to travel through the expansive internet anonymously.
Tor makes it difficult to track a person’s online presence and comprehensively provides a cover for the purposes of visiting websites, dark web links, making online posts, sending instant messages, and nearly all other forms of electronic communication.
As such, Tor users proclaim that their freedoms are upheld in a way that is incomparable to traditional programs with their tracking and modicum of data surveillance. It is worth noting, however, that Tor does not completely resolve anonymity issues on the net by erasing a user’s surfing footprint. Rather, it functions to reduce the possibility for various sites to track a user’s actions and send crucial information back to the inquiring parts.
Tor is used by an enormous aggregate of people and their individual interests. Below is a list of web users who may use the Tor Project online.
Today, Tor’s user base is comprised of chatters, bloggers, social media posters, and other individuals with perfectly benign interests who wish to surf the net in a secure and wholly private fashion.
However, there is definitely a more illicit population of Tor users who use the cloaking capacities of Tor to hide their criminal and illegal endeavors and illegitimate enterprises.
Tor users aren’t simply defined by dual populations of illicit and licit users, as there are plenty of groups worth mentioning who comprise the user base. Law enforcement agencies can be regularly found on Tor, as well as “hacktivism” groups various governmental agencies, whistleblowers, and informants.
Recently, The Tor Project sent out a press statement claiming they had a broad population of “normal users” who simply desired the privacy and cybersecurity afforded by Tor and had no inclination towards criminal or illicit activity. Clearly, this was an effort on Tor’s part to defend their services in light of burgeoning interest and awareness of Tor along with the Deep and Dark Webs.
Despite the intermittent public relations attempts thatTor finds itself having to put out, they have nevertheless enjoyed a robust user base that is consistently growing with each passing year. As of 2013, Tor had a user base of just over four million. Today, their user base is estimated at just under six million and is comprised of a wide variety of individuals with a range of interests and intents.
However, there are many drawbacks of Tor that must be fully understood before using the service.
In the event that an autonomous system is found on dual paths via the client to entry directionality, the autonomous system can then implement statistical correlation upon the entry traffic, in addition to existing pathways.
The resulting harm is the ability to make an inference in regard to the original destination from which the user made communication. Hugely problematic for Tor users, this matter came to a head in 2012, when the Lastor group created and proposed a method of interference via statistical prediction that would remedy the issue.
The term ‘exit node eavesdropping’ became widely known when a Swedish IT Security Consultant named Dan Egerstad informed news agencies that he had single-handedly intercepted a huge collecting of usernames and passwords for email accounts.
Egerstad accomplished this by monitoring and eavesdropping on Tor’s exit nodes. Tor is incapable of encrypting traffic via exit nodes and target servers, each and every exit node is thusin a strategic position to “capture: traffic not utilizing end-to-end style encryption SSLtechnology.
Exit node eavesdropping doesn’t pose a specific breach of anonymity; however, the intercepted traffic can reveal a wealth of information (e.g., passwords) via data from protocols and payloads.
Similar to most other anonymity networks, Tor does not attempt to protect the monitoring of Tor boundary traffic with respect to incoming and outgoing traffic. It is worth mentioning, however, that Tor does provide a modicum of protection against traffic exposure to data analysis, it makes no further attempt to prevent what’s referred to as end-to-end correlation, also known as traffic confirmation.
Tor’s weaknesses and drawbacks are widely known through its collective user base. Still yet, the number of Tor users surges each year, as it far and wide considered to be among the most powerful and resilient anonymity sites available online.
Tor, along with its competitor Java Anon Proxy, is heralded by users as more robust than fingerprinting procedures on websites in relation to alternative tunneling protocols and much more.
Tor sent out a press statement in early 2017 stating that while the “free and open internet was under attack in 2017… Tor was there to fight for privacy and security every step of the way.” Adding that they had achieved amazing growth over a period of the year, Tor let its user and fan base know that they had released what they proclaimed was a next-gen onion-style service featuring high-tech algorithms along with significantly improved authentication schemes.
Tor also indicated that they released one of the biggest updates to the Tor browser ever, which included a host of significant cybersecurity advances capable of isolating attacks on their software, thus ensuring further protections against not only Tor but also its user base.
Tor explained that this all-new process is referred to as “sandboxing,” and functions via the separation of multiple network processes from the remaining components of a user’s computer, thus thwarting any illicit attempts from others to gain IP address information, documents, files, and other data.
Today, countless internet users try to gain entry into the Deep Web and the Dark Web. Some are looking for something in particular that simply can’t be sourced on the regular internet, others are simply curious.
The Deep Web, the Dark Web, and tools such as Tor hold mass appeal due to their secretive natures. Despite their relatively recent invention, the appeal they hold is as old as time itself. It is human nature to be intrigued by that which we don’t understand or cannot easily access.
March 30, 2019 in Laravel, Tips and Tricks
Check PHP compatible version with Laravel . If it is ok then reinstall Global Composer. Problem is definitely solved.
March 19, 2019 in MySql, Php, Tips and Tricks
If this is the case then you can easily open up the port for the security group in a few button clicks:
1) Log into you AWS Console and go to ‘EC2’
2) On the left hand menu under ‘Network & Security’ go to ‘Security Groups’
3) Check the Security Group in question
4) Click on ‘Inbound tab’
5) Choose ‘MYSQL’ from drop down list and click ‘Add Rule’
If you are running EC2 instance don’t forget to add the inbound rules in security group with MYSQL/Aurura.
Edit the file /etc/mysql/my.cnf, and change the binding address to 0.0.0.0
| 1 | bind-address = 0.0.0.0 |
then restart mysql server
sudo /etc/init.d/mysqld restartlogin to MySQL:
mysql -u root -p mysql (enter password after this)
Now write following commands:
CREATE USER 'foo'@'%' IDENTIFIED BY 'your-awesome-pass';
# grant privileges to table(s)
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON db_name.* TO 'foo'@'%' WITH GRANT OPTION;
January 9, 2019 in Tips and Tricks
Depending on your hardware and software configuration, you may experience SSH connectivity issues. For example, some types of firewalls may preemptively close connections after a certain amount of time has elapsed.
To work around these types of problems, you can adjust your SSH client’s settings. Follow the appropriate procedure below for your own operating system.
Microsoft Windows operating systems use the PuTTY program to establish SSH connections. If you experience connectivity issues, you can adjust PuTTY’s configuration to help keep connections alive. To do this, follow these steps:
On Linux and Apple Mac OS X operating systems, the ~/.ssh/config file enables you to specify many SSH settings, including those that keep alive an SSH connection. To do this, follow these steps:
