Obsidian Basics: First Steps to Building a Second Brain

“I take notes, but I always forget where I wrote them.” “I use Notion or Evernote, but my information feels buried and I can’t use it effectively.” If you feel this way, Obsidian might be the solution you’ve been looking for. Obsidian is not just a notepad; it is a tool that becomes your “Second Brain,” connecting your thoughts and growing your knowledge. In this “Basics” guide for those just starting out, I will explain the appeal of Obsidian and how to use its fundamental features. ...

December 27, 2025 · 4 min · 714 words · 0xuki

Node.js Buffer Objects: A Comprehensive Guide to Binary Data Manipulation

“Buffer Objects” 🔄 — A concept that every Node.js developer inevitably encounters. While its presence is felt in file operations, network communications, image processing, and more, many developers find themselves wondering: “How do I use it?” and “Why is it necessary?” In this article, we’ll thoroughly explain everything from Buffer’s fundamental role to practical applications, accompanied by real-world code examples. Understanding Buffer: Diving into the World of Binary Data 🎯 Binary Data Fundamentals “Raw Sequence of 0s and 1s” ...

May 22, 2025 · 4 min · 756 words · 0xuki

Getting Started with Devin AI: A Beginner's Guide 🚀

Devin is an AI software engineer that can help you with coding tasks, debugging issues, and building features. Think of Devin as your coding assistant that understands programming languages and development workflows! How to Start Using Devin 🏁 1. Setting Up Your First Session 💻 Starting with Devin is easy: Log into the Devin web app Click “New Session” to start a conversation Describe your task or problem in natural language 2. Communicating with Devin 💬 Devin understands plain English, so you can: ...

May 10, 2025 · 2 min · 307 words · 0xuki

Wireless Attack

Wireless attacks are security threats that target wireless networks and devices. These attacks exploit vulnerabilities in wireless protocols, authentication mechanisms, and network configurations. Understanding these attack vectors is crucial for implementing proper security measures and protecting wireless networks from unauthorized access and data breaches. Types of Wireless Attacks 🔍 1. Authentication Attacks 🔑 Deauthentication Attack Forces clients to disconnect from legitimate access points Exploits management frames in 802.11 protocols Used to capture handshakes for further attacks Can be used for Evil-Twin and replay attacks Evil Twin Attack Creates rogue access points mimicking legitimate ones Uses same SSID as legitimate networks Often provides stronger signal to attract users Enables traffic monitoring and data theft 2. Encryption Attacks 🔓 WEP Cracking Exploits weak RC4 encryption Vulnerable to statistical attacks Requires capturing initialization vectors (IVs) Tools: Aircrack-ng WPA Cracking More secure than WEP Vulnerable to dictionary attacks Requires four-way handshake capture Tools: Hashcat 3. Network Infrastructure Attacks 🏗️ Rogue Access Point Unauthorized wireless access points Can be physical or software-based Used to bypass network security Enables unauthorized network access Fragmentation Attack Targets WEP networks Extracts PRGA (Pseudorandom Generation Algorithm) Used for packet injection Speeds up WEP password cracking 4. Communication Interception Attacks 🕵️ Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) Intercepts communications between parties Methods: ARP spoofing DNS spoofing SSL stripping Packet interception Capabilities: Traffic monitoring Data modification Malicious content injection Information theft 5. Denial of Service Attacks 📵 Jamming Attack Disrupts wireless communications Methods: Signal interference Frequency overwhelming Denial of service Communication blocking Prevention and Mitigation 🛡️ To protect against wireless attacks, implement the following measures: ...

May 5, 2025 · 2 min · 313 words · 0xuki

Carbanak and the Exploitation of Rundll32.exe: A Technical Analysis of Living-off-the-Land Tactics

The Carbanak cybercrime group, notorious for targeting financial institutions, has long relied on the abuse of legitimate Windows system tools to evade detection. Among these, rundll32.exe—a core Windows component for executing Dynamic Link Library (DLL) functions—has been weaponized to facilitate stealthy attacks. This article explores Carbanak’s exploitation of rundll32.exe, contextualizing it within broader malware campaigns, including MontysThree, Poison Ivy (PIVY), and recent Chinese state-linked threat actors, to dissect the technical nuances of Living-off-the-Land (LotL) strategies. ...

April 28, 2025 · 4 min · 677 words · 0xuki

Understanding Core Cryptographic Technologies: A Deep Dive for Experts

Modern digital security relies on robust cryptographic systems. In this article, we break down symmetric encryption, asymmetric encryption, hash functions, and critical algorithms—with a focus on technical specifications and real-world applications. 🔑 Symmetric Encryption (Secret-Key Cryptography) Single key for encryption/decryption 🗝️. Ideal for high-speed bulk data processing. 🚀 Key Algorithms Algorithm Type Specs & Use Cases DES Block 56-bit key ⚠️ (Used in LM Hash) 3DES Block Triple-DES; 128-bit key RC4 Stream ⚠️ Deprecated (WEP’s fatal flaw) AES Block ⭐ Gold standard (WPA2, NSA-approved) 🌐 Asymmetric Encryption (Public-Key Cryptography) Key pairs (public/private) 🔑🔒. Critical for PKI, TLS, and digital signatures. ...

April 23, 2025 · 2 min · 282 words · 0xuki

How to Manage Dotfiles on GitHub

Keeping your dotfiles under version control is a great way to maintain consistency across multiple machines and track changes to your configuration over time. Here’s a step-by-step guide to managing your dotfiles on GitHub. 🏗️ Basic Setup 1. 🆕 Create a New GitHub Repository Log in to GitHub and create a new repository (e.g., dotfiles) Choose between public or private (private is recommended if your configs contain sensitive information) 2. 🗂️ Organize Your Local Dotfiles # Create a dotfiles directory mkdir ~/dotfiles # Copy or move your configuration files cp ~/.zshrc ~/dotfiles/ cp ~/.vimrc ~/dotfiles/ cp ~/.gitconfig ~/dotfiles/ # Add other configuration files as needed 3. ⚙️ Initialize the Repository cd ~/dotfiles git init git add . git commit -m "Initial commit" 4. 🔗 Connect to GitHub Repository git remote add origin [email protected]:<your-username>/dotfiles.git git branch -M master git push -u origin master 🚀 Advanced Configuration 🔗 Manage with Symbolic Links Instead of placing files directly in your home directory, use symbolic links: ...

April 1, 2025 · 2 min · 320 words · 0xuki

Metadata-Driven Design Patterns: A Comprehensive Guide

In modern software development, metadata-driven design patterns have emerged as a powerful approach to building flexible, maintainable, and scalable systems. By leveraging metadata—data that describes other data—these patterns enable developers to externalize configurations, automate repetitive tasks, and dynamically adapt system behavior. This article explores the core concepts, use cases, benefits, and challenges of metadata-driven design. What is Metadata? Metadata is “data about data.” Examples include: Database schemas (e.g., table structures, relationships). Configuration files (JSON, XML, YAML). Code annotations (e.g., @Entity in Java). UI layout definitions or business rules stored externally. Key Concepts of Metadata-Driven Design Decoupling Configuration from Code Behavior and structure are defined outside the codebase, often in files or databases. Changes require no recompilation. Dynamic Adaptation Systems read metadata at runtime to adjust workflows, UIs, or business logic. Automation Frameworks use metadata to generate code, validate inputs, or manage dependencies. Common Metadata-Driven Patterns 1. Configuration-Driven Development Description: External files (e.g., JSON, YAML) define system behavior. Use Cases: Customizing UI layouts without code changes. Managing environment-specific settings (e.g., API endpoints). Example: A React app loads a config.json file to render dashboard widgets dynamically. 2. Annotation-Based Programming Description: Code annotations (e.g., @Autowired, @Route) act as metadata for frameworks to automate tasks. Use Cases: Dependency injection (Spring Framework). ORM mappings (Hibernate’s @Entity). Example: @RestController public class UserController { @GetMapping("/users") public List<User> getUsers() { /* ... */ } } 3. Database-Driven Design Description: Database schemas dictate application structure. Use Cases: Generating model classes from table definitions (Ruby on Rails’ ActiveRecord). Building dynamic forms based on database fields. Example: A CMS auto-generates admin interfaces using table metadata. 4. Plugin Architecture Description: Plugins declare capabilities via metadata (e.g., manifest files). Use Cases: Extending IDE functionality (VS Code extensions). Modular SaaS platforms. Example: A WordPress plugin’s plugin.php defines hooks and shortcodes. Benefits of Metadata-Driven Patterns Flexibility Adjust system behavior by modifying metadata, avoiding code changes. Maintainability Separate concerns: developers manage logic, while non-technical teams update configurations. Reusability Share core logic across projects with different metadata (e.g., white-label SaaS). Rapid Prototyping Generate UIs, APIs, or workflows from predefined templates. Challenges and Considerations Complexity Overhead Managing metadata requires robust validation, versioning, and documentation. Performance Costs Runtime metadata parsing can introduce latency (e.g., reflection in Java). Debugging Difficulty Errors in metadata may lead to opaque failures. Over-Engineering Risk Simple systems may not benefit from metadata-driven approaches. When to Use Metadata-Driven Patterns Enterprise Systems: Manage complex, evolving business rules (e.g., pricing engines). Low-Code Platforms: Allow users to build apps via UI/configurations. Multi-Tenant SaaS: Customize features per client using metadata. Legacy Modernization: Wrap old systems with metadata-driven APIs. Tools and Frameworks Spring Boot (Java): Annotations and application.properties for DI and configuration. Ruby on Rails: Convention over configuration; ActiveRecord uses DB schemas as metadata. Angular: Decorators (e.g., @Component) define component behavior. Apache Kafka: Topic configurations drive real-time data pipelines. Best Practices Validate Metadata: Use schemas (JSON Schema, XSD) to catch errors early. Version Control: Track metadata changes alongside code. Document Thoroughly: Explain metadata fields and their impacts. Optimize Caching: Cache parsed metadata to reduce runtime overhead. Conclusion Metadata-driven design patterns empower developers to build adaptable, future-proof systems. By externalizing configurations and leveraging automation, teams can respond swiftly to changing requirements while maintaining clean, modular codebases. However, success depends on balancing flexibility with simplicity—metadata should solve problems, not create new ones. ...

April 1, 2025 · 3 min · 570 words · 0xuki

The Case for Automated Trading: Weighing the Advantages and Disadvantages

The Case for Automated Trading: Weighing the Advantages and Disadvantages The allure of generating profit without constant manual intervention has made automated trading an increasingly popular approach in the financial markets. This article delves into the merits and drawbacks of employing automated trading systems. Advantages: Emotional Detachment and Robust Risk Management: One of the primary benefits of automated trading lies in its ability to eliminate emotional decision-making. By executing trades based on pre-defined algorithms, investors are shielded from the psychological pressures of fluctuating prices and market volatility. Furthermore, automated systems excel at enforcing strict risk management protocols, particularly stop-loss orders. Unlike discretionary trading where fear or hope might lead to delaying necessary exits, automated systems execute these crucial safeguards promptly, thereby significantly mitigating the risk of substantial losses. ...

April 1, 2025 · 3 min · 554 words · 0xuki

VIM Notes

📝 Vim Editor Cheat Sheet https://www.vim.org/ 🎓 Specialized Vim Learning Site: vimate Master the basics through this dedicated platform: https://vimate.jp/ 🛠️ Essential Vim Operations 📂 File Operations Operation Command Open file :e Save file :w Quit :q Force quit :q! 🔄 Mode Switching Operation Command Enter Insert mode i Insert at line start I Insert at line end A Insert new line below o Return to Normal mode Ctrl + [ / Esc 💡 Pro Tip Keyboard layouts vary - train yourself to use Ctrl+[ instead of Esc for smoother workflow! ...

February 20, 2025 · 2 min · 256 words · 0xuki