New here

[ch3mic4l_w1ne]

Peace y'all. I'm a coder that's new to this side of things, presently an infosec student & wanting to contribute at least as much as I receive. I've heard good things about this neighborhood.

[Gogeta70]

Welcome to Suck-o!

I'm a software engineer myself, as well as many of the other folks here
I think you'll find a lot of value in our coding related forums. Feel free to post about your projects or ask questions ^_^

What languages do you code in?

[bad_brain]

welcome to suck-o....

[maboroshi]

Welcome to suck-o!

[ch3mic4l_w1ne]

Thanks for the responses & welcome, all!

@Gotega70, I am learning JavaScript & Python, primarily, as well as PHP. I got sucked into the language-rabbit-hole & tried my hand at everything I could find for a little while (Go was another one I played with for a few weeks). Since I'm a cybersecurity student, I figured that Python would probably be most valuable, so I've been focusing mostly on JS & Python.

How about you?

[bad_brain]

@ch3mic4l_w1ne

js and py are decent choice imo, js got really vital in web dev over the last years, same with web2py....luckily the latter one is not as widely used as php, means less competition and clients are not as wary yet because among the loads of php developers there are also a lot of bad apples.

just as my quick intro:
I'm not much of a programmer, I can read most code and adjust it to a certain extent, but coding from scratch is horror for me...
my main field of interest is Linux servers (specialized in web and mail services), hosting, security, DNS...things like that. running an IT company together with some fellas I met through s-o more than 10 years ago...

[Gogeta70]

Thanks for the responses & welcome, all!

@Gogeta70, I am learning JavaScript & Python, primarily, as well as PHP. I got sucked into the language-rabbit-hole & tried my hand at everything I could find for a little while (Go was another one I played with for a few weeks). Since I'm a cybersecurity student, I figured that Python would probably be most valuable, so I've been focusing mostly on JS & Python.

How about you?

Great choices! Python, PHP, and Javascript are all very useful to know, especially in the context of security research and testing. Good call on Python too, it is used very heavily these days, especially to make many of the pentesting tools you'll no doubt end up using. It's a simpler language that hides some of the more complex aspects of writing code, but in most cases this is fine, and it's great for quickly developing all kinds of tools.

Personally, I can write Python because I was essentially forced to learn the language by my previous employer, but I very rarely write anything in Python. I mostly use C/C++, and sometimes have to write some stuff in x86/64, MIPS, or ARM assembly. I don't work in cybersecurity though, at least not directly. I write code for embedded systems that are used in biometric access control systems that are created by my employer. Because of the security-centric nature of our products however, there is a strong focus on the physical and digital security of these devices. It's a fun job, but lots of work

[ch3mic4l_w1ne]

That sounds amazing, man. I feel stupid for only just now having this realization, but I've honestly never even considered that there was code behind biometric devices--but of course it is; it's just never even crossed my mind. I'm going to see if I can find what a sample of such code looks like. I'm only topically familiar with C/C++, so I don't know what I might glean from looking at it. I'd love to be a fly on the wall in that type of environment!

Also, sorry about the late replies. I get so caught up in my schoolwork that I forget to come back here to check for replies until I come across the open tab again. I appreciate your taking the time out to respond, though!

[bad_brain]

Also, sorry about the late replies. I get so caught up in my schoolwork that I forget to come back here to check for replies until I come across the open tab again. I appreciate your taking the time out to respond, though!

"late replies" is the inofficial s-o motto...
pretty much everyone here has business- and/or family stuff going on, so replies generally can take a bit sometimes....so all good...

[ch3mic4l_w1ne]

Cool.

[Gogeta70]

That sounds amazing, man. I feel stupid for only just now having this realization, but I've honestly never even considered that there was code behind biometric devices--but of course it is; it's just never even crossed my mind. I'm going to see if I can find what a sample of such code looks like. I'm only topically familiar with C/C++, so I don't know what I might glean from looking at it. I'd love to be a fly on the wall in that type of environment!

Also, sorry about the late replies. I get so caught up in my schoolwork that I forget to come back here to check for replies until I come across the open tab again. I appreciate your taking the time out to respond, though!

That's alright, just get used to the feeling of "feeling stupid". I feel like a total dumbass about 3+ times a week, as do most coders from what I can tell. Something I like to tell people is "I don't write code; I write bugs and then fix them." I think it's safe to say that basically every coder has missed something obvious, or made a "stupid" bug.

This seems like a good opportunity to share some things I've learned that may help you in your career. Take it for whatever it's worth to ya ^_^

• Don't be afraid to say "I don't know". It's okay to not always have an answer. The key is to say "I don't know, but let me find out and get back to you".
• Don't put all of your effort into learning one single field of IT (coding, security, etc). This is a major problem right now. There are tons of people that can only code, or administer a server, or manage a network, etc, but can't do a damn thing else. Compare that with someone that can do all three (and much more) and I think it's pretty clear who is more valuable to a company. In short, branch out and learn some stuff related to other adjacent IT specialties. Your bank account will thank you.
• Learn to say no. I think most people take this a bit too literally... as in "Boss: I need you to do *thing*. You: No can do, boss". This isn't quite what I mean...
  I basically mean "say yes, but mean no". Example:
  Boss: Hey, I need you to do *thing*
  You: Sure boss. I'm currently also working on Thing A, Thing B, and Thing C. Which one should I put on hold to take care of Thing D?"
  Of course, each situation will be different, but hopefully you get what I mean
• Don't forget to have a life. Burnout is a thing, so don't sacrifice your mental or physical health for your employer. You'll just set their expectations for your work performance way higher than what you can consistently deliver, which is a recipe for disaster.
• Mistakes happen; we're all human. Own your mistakes. A good company understands this concept and will generally work to help you correct/fix your mistake or at least minimize whatever damage. A company is a team; a group of people working toward a common goal. A company is not a building, or a desk, or a computer. It's people.
• Imposter syndrome is normal and experienced by a lot of developers. If you're unaware, it's the feeling that you've been hired for a job that you are woefully unqualified to do. Maybe you're right, but I'd bet you a shiny nickel that you're more capable than you give yourself credit for. The interviewer chose you for a reason, hopefully not because you're the only one that applied... But really, just give yourself a chance - you might be surprised at what you can do ^_^

Regarding biometrics, it's a lot like writing code for other stuff. However, it does tend to involve AI and pattern recognition algorithms. I obviously can't discuss the details of how my employer's product works, but I can point you to some publicly available resources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_binary_patterns
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histogram ... _gradients
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haar-like_feature
https://www.docs.opencv.org/master/
https://www.docs.opencv.org/master/examples.html

Definitely check out the OpenCV examples.
You know, I just... have a feeling that... maybe... some biometric companies could possibly be building their algorithms using functionality found in OpenCV. Just a guess...

I appreciate your taking the time out to respond, though!

Any time, man!

[ayu]

Oh, new user! Woooh welcome!!!!

I have no advice for you at this very moment. Don't do drugs, or at least don't get caught doing it. Drink coffee.

[Harry21]

Hello Guys, I am new here.

[ayu]

Hello Guys, I am new here.

Welcome : )