Work/life balance is achievable depending on your title.
The workforce landscape is changing to digital.
Work/life balance becomes harder to obtain as the higher ambitions rise.
Then I say, “Nah, I’m good. I’ll just work from home.” Photo by Helena Lopes, please support by following @pexel.com
Acting in Balance
Do you want to know something funny thing about life? It grants us a never-ending learning experience. We here at Scriptingthewhy are familiar with many subjects on computers, malware, and items of the like.
However, life is one thing we’re still trying to get a handle on. Or at least understand the inner workings of life. To us, it seems like someone handed us a VR headset and said” Go forth, venture, and see the world.”
Being in this, what some would argue, a VR simulator, it seems like we’re always “on”. Viewing how our society is structured, the landscape suggests that we may be set to “on” for the upcoming years.
A quick shout-out to not being able to retire, we were looking forward to the gold watch, finally seeing our families, and flatlining on a sandy beach with a drink at hand. With us always being “on”, how do we manage the work/life model is a question we’ve been asked.
We’ll try to answer it although it’s a mixed bag. Keep in mind this could get trippy.
We can juggle most things, don’t ask us to juggle like them. Photo by Los Muertos Crew, please support by following @pexel.com
So, there are many things we manage and manage well. However, the work/life balance or attempting to balance work life and home life tends to be an issue. How is it an issue for us?
Technically being categorized as content creators, content needs to be created for consumption, this ties into getting paid. Years ago, working in some form of labor was a trade-off for receiving payment, but now the landscape has shifted to online where obtaining viewers and views leads to a bigger payday.
Remember the saying “He who has the gold, makes the rules”, that has now changed to “He who has the most viewers, has the power.” The downfall of being content creators aside from being in another overcrowded market, is everything can be and is at some point turned into content.
This is a dual-edged sword as you can gain new experiences but in the same step lose your audience. We know this fear all too well.
Any content creator will tell you. One misstep could ruin everything. Photo by Inzmam Knan, please support by following @pexel.com
Consistent panic aside, you want to know how we manage a balance. Sorry to disappoint you, we don’t. Most of our attempts are met with failure, but this is expected. However, don’t worry, we do make time for lunch at least.
A work/life balance sounds like a good idea, but it seems to be another tool used to keep people poor. Take a view of the lifestyles of the rich and famous, they’re taking part in a multitude of projects to keep funding. To us, the quest for work/life balance seems like mediocrity, finding some way of justifying staying in place.
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Click here to read about how we were almost scammed.
Click here to read about a time before black and orange.
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Bye-bye Mr. Duck, Scriptingthewhy told my dad all about you. Photo by Abdel Rahman Abu Baker, please support by following @pexel.com
Ducktails is not going to have a good spin after you read about this one. So you may have looked at the title and thought that you are going to read a nice story about Ducktails and have those memories of being a child sitting in front of the TV on weekday afternoons and Saturday mornings come rushing back to you.
Remembering the time sat through your watch list of favorite cartoons until you got to the main event. However, sadly, you’re not going to have that moment. We have come across some information that will have your head spinning including your tail.
So, as usual, we’ll be covering what the attack is, who is using it, the functionality, and effects upon release, and what are some ways to protect yourself from this being the last Saturday morning for your peace of mind.
We found a duck in your computer, it was ducking. Photo by Ekaterina Belinskaya, please support by following @pexel.com
The Attack
What has you spinning around like a record from the 80s? Great that you asked, the intruder in question is called “Ducktail”, and no, it’s not “Duck Tales”. As mentioned earlier, your sweet childhood is here to be exploited, not rewarded.
Ducktail is what is known as “adware”, adware for those who may not know is malware software that secretly installs itself on the victim’s device and pops up unwanted advertisements.
No, your YouTube account doesn’t have adware, that’s just YouTube being god-awful. Speaking of god-awful, did you know that ducktail was a hairstyle? I’ll take the adware, please.
Ed: You know they could give us more information as to who the scammers are. Z-daddy: It’s not that simple, and most of the time it’s untraceable. Photo by Athena, please support by following @pexel.com
Who Can It Be Now
As far as who has been making use of ducktails to make other people’s lives interesting, there have been no names. However, it is believed that its origins trace back to Vietnam a few years back.
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Sue: Ed, I thought you landed a job interview and was looking to get out of here. Ed: It was a scam. Sue: Oh, well, Scriptingthewhy could’ve told you about that. Photo by olia danilevich, please support by following @pexel.com
That Sinking Feeling
Are you confused about how something like this works? Don’t worry, I have you on that front. The Ducktails adware pairs with NodeStealer and targets Meta business and Facebook (also called Meta) accounts and for lack of better a term, hi-jack the accounts.
Once access is gained, social engineering can begin, where multiple victims can be approached through various platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and WhatsApp, even including freelancer platforms like Upwork.
So, yeah, once in, everyone is getting a spicy meatball, and no one is off the menu. Ducktail also has another way in due to performing what is called “search engine poisoning”, this is the dark art of tricking a search engine like Google into ranking webpages to appear number one so they can further distribute their malware.
The overall is you’re being lured into giving your information. These lures involve bogus posting on Upwork, Freelancer, Facebook ads, LinkedIn mailing, and even those “Disney is hiring for Data Analytics 100% remote position” ads you see on YouTube. Disney, like any other job, wants your butt in a seat on-site. Don’t fall for this.
Back on track, so once the adware gets onto your computer and begins to steal information, this includes items like saved session cookies from the browser to then tailor ads more personal to the victim. So basically, you have in your search history lawn mowers, it finds that and crafts you “lawn mowers for cheap or even free”, you click, and pop goes the weasel.
The good news is the rest of your collected information doesn’t go to waste however, it has been known to be sold on the dark web for about $15 USD to about $340 USD depending on who you are. You’re still worth something, whether you believe it or not.
You make one move on my owner’s computer and you’re gone with Tweetie. You got me? Photo by Turong Chopper, please support by following @pexel.com
The Prevention
So it’s clear, you don’t want your tail like your life spinning out of control. Well, don’t worry, I have you on that one. Everyone thinks that cybersecurity is using cutting-edge technology to stop the bad guys when in reality, it’s just practicing some good fundamental habits.
A simple way of thinking about a form of protecting yourself is when contacted by anyone you don’t know and they request you visit a link, uh treat it like the front door of your house, and don’t open it. I hope you wouldn’t open the door all the way for a complete stranger so the same applies here.
Always keep a lookout when visiting websites as if you look in your browser search bar and to the left, if the little lock symbol is not locked then that means the site is not secure. This means everyone else can see your transactions and you don’t want that.
When downloading software, it is always best to download from the official site and not a third party as downloading from a third party may contain malware and other nasty software.
Having your operating system and anti-virus up to date is a must because patches for vulnerabilities are released often and further help protect your computer. Always remember, your tail is meant to twerk for a paycheck, not twerking because you lost one.
Whoa there lil duckie, we’re not saying all ducks are bad. Photo by Pixabay, please support by following @pexel.com
Made it this far and found this to be entertaining? Then a big thanks to you and please show your support by cracking a like, sharing this with whomever, scripting a comment, or plug-in to follow.
Would like to give sincere thanksto current followers and subscribers, your support and actions mean a lot and has a play in the creation of each script.
Do you feel like there is something I may have missed on Ducktail? Script a comment below.
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Either see how far you’ve come or how far you have to go. Photo by Matt Hardy, please support by following @pexel.com
Beginning to an End
It has been a rough ride trying to look for a job in Information Technology (IT). All I want is to change careers and improve my quality of living. Is that too much to ask? Pouring countless hours into Bootcamps, completing online courses, and doing code-along projects.
Fixing up my resume to suit resume screening needs. At this point, things have been pretty interesting, to say the least. After months of facing countless piles of rejection, something came through finally.
I finally got my big break, and this was going to be my meal ticket into the big wide world of IT, and with studying areas such as cloud computing, Python programming, and machine learning, it was clear I was on my way to the big leagues. Someone reached out to me and offered me an interview.
My thoughts were, I finally made it past the computer screening. Someone looked at my resume and envisioned the potential.
Not all lights at the end of the tunnel are created equal. Photo by Xi Xi, please support by following @pexel.com
Moth Set Ablaze
This company wasn’t to the likes of Microsoft, but it wasn’t too small either. I was determined to make this work, even if I stumbled, I was going to give it my all. Like Vin Diesel, I was doing this for “family”.
They gave me a bit of information about their company such as whom they were backed by and what role they are recruiting for. Day came to interview… which was an email by the way. Googled it (it’s a thing) but didn’t think too much of it.
The interviewer was late for the time we agreed to (didn’t think too much of that either), readily filling out this questionnaire. Some questions were easy, others had me trying to figure out how to word my responses.
Whatever the case may be, this was my light at the end of the tunnel, and I wasn’t going to let this slip by since I worked so hard to get here. Tried not to be too in my head. It’s not like I was sitting across from them where I could judge how the question is being asked.
Despite the opposition, by determination I will make it. Photo by Andrea Piacquadio, please support by following @pexel.com
Promise with a Dash of Doubt
After filling out the questionnaire and sending it back. I anticipated,” thank you for your interest, despite the fact we are desperately hiring, we decided to go with other candidates”.
However, to my surprise, I received an email the next afternoon congratulating me on the interview and that the board wanted to move forward with my application and grant me the position of application engineer.
I was informed to keep an eye on my email because I would be receiving an offer letter for employment from human resources (HR) to fill out to start my hiring process. My dreams were coming true, and I could finally and wholeheartedly say I was a part of the oh-so-coveted IT world. I could see greatness on the horizon.
This offer may seem good now but give it time. Photo by Andrea Piacquaido, please support by following @pexel.com
Beware of The Hand That Feeds You
Later that night, something wasn’t sitting right. I kept reviewing the email that was sent which included that I was going to receive a check via paycheck or electronic deposit that was going to use for purchasing my soon-to-be home office equipment.
This had me promptly questioning with a; “Say what now?” But I quickly dismissed it with an “oh well, I need a job, and if this is going to be my foot in the door. I’ll take it”.
But something still didn’t sit right. I couldn’t just be given a job this quick, and it is a six-figure salary. After scanning the questionnaire several times and viewing there was a street address. I decided to go and see if my having the job was real.
I tracked all my way to this lovely building (which held Microsoft by the way), walked in, knocked on the door, and was greeted by an older fellow who had an AirPod in his ear. I explained my situation and asked if there were any hiring managers around, I could talk to, but before I could get the words out, he replied “It’s a scam, I’m sorry”. My suspicions were correct, how nice.
When they’re trying to scam you, but they don’t know who they’re dealing with. Photo by Andrea Piacquadio, please support by following @pexel.com
Turning Tables
Instead of feeling sorry for myself, I decided to make the best of my situation. I waited for my offer letter to be sent to me, which I received right as I was being informed this was a scam. I took to LinkedIn to see If I could connect with these people.
However, turn out to be a dead end. The names did not match the faces. I decided to have some fun to offer up some good spirit and email them a proactive email. I sent the one (the interviewer) an email telling them how happy and hopeful I was to get this position and how I couldn’t wait to start working.
That I wanted to know more about him and how well he was connected to the company and the board. Also, I needed the requisition id number since I needed a list of my duties of what was going to be expected of me. And to the other (HR) email informing them that I would not be needing money for the office equipment since I already have the items.
It has been a while now, so I presume they cut their losses.
This guy must know his stuff, he asked for the requisition id number. Photo by Andrea Piacquadio, please support by following @pexel.com
Look Out!
When dealing with a situation like this there is a two-prong attack.
The Interviewer (attacker one)
-Will reach out for a role, you may or may have not applied to. This person will engage and offer an email interview or interview in some form of messaging service.
The hiring manager or human resources manager (attacker two)
-Will send the offer letter and request to purchase office equipment or mini-office equipment.
List of office or mini-office items
MacBook
Dual Monitors
External hard drive/backup system
Laptop Stand
A high-quality webcam
Comfortable desk chair
Hp LaserJet Pro M15w Printer
Computer Hardware and Software
High-Speed Internet Access
Stress Ball
Made it this far and found this to be entertaining? Then a big thanks to you and please show your support by cracking a like, scripting a comment, or plug-in to follow.
Would like to give sincere thanksto current followers and subscribers, your support and actions mean a lot and has a play in the creation of each script.
Have you ever encountered what could be a scammer?
Script a comment about how you handled the situation.
