cyber – Scriptingthewhy.com

AI in the Job Market and You

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AI Talk

What’s the big deal!?

As the world turns, we’re finding more and more technology coming out, malware being spread, and phishing attempts ending up being successful. Not sure how phishing attacks are still getting people in trouble, but hey, when you’re lonely and want money, a prince is a prince. In the grand scheme, we should be proud of our wonderful accomplishments. However, we simply can’t have nice things. I mean, we have life, and we’re making that difficult. A quick shoutout to our four fathers for paving the way to this point. Point out life’s struggles aside, what is the latest in this crazy world? If you have been living under a rock, then let us introduce you to the world learning to live with “AI” (Artificial Intelligence).

Gasp, yes, the computers are getting smart, but they’re not getting smarter than us…yet. We’re going to be looking at what is AI, a little of how it came about, and what are some things you may need to know to keep your job. Because yes, AI will take your job. AI, what is it? It’s the uprising of the machines and taking the world for themselves. You’ve been informed, thank you for reading, and have a good day.

No, AI in its simplest terms, is giving machines the ability to learn like humans do from experiences. This could range from playing critical thinking games like chess and checkers, to self-driving cars. And before you think to say anything, don’t doubt checkers, there have been some tense moments. Now given our machines can learn (somewhat) like we do, to the machine this all breaks down to just ones and zeros.

The ones and zeros, which are called “binary”, are encapsulated in what’s called “machine language”. We’re not going to cover it now, just know, if you want to learn this programming language. You’re going to be heading down a rabbit hole because you’ll be learning how the computer puts together outputs for humans to understand.

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I work with computers, my job is safe from AI, right?
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The early days of AI, which has nothing to do with what we have today, began with a mixture of mathematics, philosophy, and technology from the Greeks. That was then later pioneered by Alan Turing, an English mathematician and logician. He proposed the idea that machines could simulate human intelligence. Then at the Dartmouth Conference in 1956 is often cited as the birth of AI as a field of study, where the term “artificial intelligence” was first coined, and the potential of intelligent machines began to capture the imagination of researchers.

This discipline formed the making of simple algorithms for the development of complex neural networks. An example of this is each neuron in your brain has a set of instructions or a program, which when it has information, that information is sent down the line to the next neuron for processing. Bringing this to a larger scale, a neural network working in tandem to provide decision-making. Choosing to learn builds your neural network, choosing not to build…well, nothing.

Okay, so at this junction, you’re probably wondering “How is AI going to replace me at work?” To answer your question, it’s a grey area. AI will replace jobs like customer service, basic software engineering, and other basic one-dimensional occupations.

We’ve seen how cashiers in a way getting phased out with self-checkout kiosks popping up in stores. Call centers and websites have moved to using AI instead of people. Developers have turned to the aid of AI to develop code. AI at this point in time will not replace jobs like carpentry, doctors, or construction.

However, just because it’s not happening right now, doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen within the next five years. The best way to ensure that you have a job is to make sure AI doesn’t outlearn you. This means go out and start learning today more than you did yesterday.

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 thanks to 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 AI? Script a comment below.

Cloud Talk, Security, Tech

Google Ribbed Play Store

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Picture this if you will, you’re on the Google Play Store. You’re clicking around, hopping in and out of application descriptions, and viewing all the potential great ideas that developers have worked tirelessly to create and you’re just having a beaming time.

While rifling through several apps, you find one particular to you and figure to download it. While watching the app’s progression in downloading you begin to get an eerie feeling like something may be off.

Let me script for you how things may get interesting in the days to come. Trust me, you’re not going to love it.

Oh come on Zeroclay, what about my phone isn’t safe now!?
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Few Malware Apps a Ton

If you have an Android product, then there is a high chance that you have spent some time on the Google Play Store viewing tons upon tons of applications just waiting to be installed on your phone.

Now while it is common knowledge that the Play Store is a trusted source, that does not necessarily mean that everything on the Play Store is a trusted product. As of recent there has been a surface of a malware called “Fleckpe”.

Fleckpe is an Android Trojan that first appeared at the start of 2022 and not only has it amassed more than 620,000 downloads, but it has been receiving upgrades as well.

But I can hear a few of you reading this saying “Z-Daddy, I’m not clear on what a trojan is.” And to those few, don’t worry, I got you. A trojan is malware that is disguised as a legitimate program and when installed, is released, and can wreak havoc on your machine. Clearly, this trojan isn’t ribbed for your pleasure.

Also, one of the upgrades has a nasty secret feature you’re not going to be happy about knowing. Needless to say, this trojan is packing and again, it’s not for your pleasure.

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Packing the Details

So, what are some of the areas that are feeling this trojan’s imprint? Well, since this is on the Google Play Store and the Play Store has users in a lot of countries leading this to be pretty much set on a global scale, you can count on this imprint to be globally distributed.

Although, areas that have been confirmed to be affected are Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, and Poland. As a side note, it has been noted that authors of novel viruses, malware, and trojans alike have said that they are pleased when their creations go places where they can’t.

One author had said that even though the US had kept him away, the fact they couldn’t do the same with his creation was a satisfying feeling.

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What’s this nudemidgetcowgirlsfromouterspace subscription and why is it $29.89 a month? I never signed up for this!
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Unwanted Subscriptions and Spin

Are you wondering how this trojan worked? Once you had downloaded and installed one of the eleven infected applications from the Play Store, which were used either for photo editing, wallpapers for the background of your device, or an application that involved the camera, the good times would roll downhill…along with your credit score.

The infected app would request access to notification content that is required to capture subscription confirmation codes for an array of premium services. Fleckpe then springs into action, decoding its payload containing infected code. The payload contacts the command-and-control (C2) server that relays information back to the attacker about the newly infected device.

This includes the Mobile Country Code (MCC) and Mobile Network Code (MNC). Following this would be a paid subscription page that is opened on an invisible web browser window and attempts to subscribe on the victims’ behalf by abusing the granted permissions and obtaining the confirmation code required to complete this step.

Yes, this is exactly what you’re thinking. It’s like having your spouse sign you up for a spin class without your knowledge and opting for the highest difficulty so they can get a laugh.

Ugh, unwanted bills, spin class, and subscriptions. How do we stop this one now Z-Daddy?
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Watching Bill and Company

Are you ready to take some steps to ensure this doesn’t happen to you? There are a few steps you can take to ensure that you don’t get imprinted with this trojan on your device.

One way is just to be cautious of downloading apps from both trusted and unknown sources. Being vigilant when dealing with requested permissions during the installation process and keeping a watchful eye on your billing statements to catch any unauthorized activity such as subscriptions and charges.

Below are the comprised apps:

Beauty Camera Plus (com.beauty.camera.plus.photoeditor)
Beauty Photo Camera (com.apps.camera.photos)
Beauty Slimming Photo Editor (com.beauty.slimming.pro)
Fingertip Graffiti (com.draw.graffiti)
GIF Camera Editor (com.gif.camera.editor)
HD 4K Wallpaper (com.hd.h4ks.wallpaper)
Impressionism Pro Camera (com.impressionism.prozs.app)
Microclip Video Editor (com.microclip.vodeoeditor)
Night Mode Camera Pro (com.urox.opixe.nightcamreapro)
Photo Camera Editor (com.toolbox.photoeditor)
Photo Effect Editor (com.picture.pictureframe)

Make sure you check the reviews to see if anyone has had or is having issues with the application. If you find that you have downloaded one of the following applications that were compromised, uninstall them immediately and keep a watchful eye on your phone bill.

The main thing you can do is remain vigilant as scammer scamming is increasing on the marketplaces such as Google Play. All-in-all, it’s best practice to just keep a watchful eye on your bill seeing as though there is no real sure-fire way to protect from the bad guys getting in. Security is always secure enough, it’s never 100%.

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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 thanks to 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 Fleckpe? Script a comment below.

Cloud Talk, Security, Tech

Paying with Options All Around

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Heading Onward

The cloud, for most people, is a mystery, for others, it’s a place for people to brag about where they house their data, and for the growing population of others, it’s a place where all the payment plans come from.

Since Cloud has stepped or more likely floated on the scene, depending on who you ask, there has been a slew of payment plans being offered that weren’t thought of before. And the people who benefit most from it aren’t big-name companies, they’re cybercriminals.

Payment plans in cloud computing are different methods that customers can pay for the services and resources they use from cloud providers.

There are different types of payment plans, such as pay-as-you-go, subscription, reserved instances, spot instances, and free tier. Each payment plan has its own advantages and disadvantages, depending on the customer’s needs and preferences.

Pay-as-you-go is the most flexible and common payment plan, where customers only pay for what they use, without any upfront or long-term commitment. A subscription is a payment plan where customers pay a fixed amount per month or year for a certain level of service or resource allocation.

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We’re cloud providers and you can pay-as-you-go, we promise.
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Reserved instances are a payment plan where customers pay upfront for a specific number of resources for a certain period of time, usually at a discounted rate.

Spot instances are a payment plan where customers bid for unused resources at a variable price, which can be lower or higher than the regular price. The free tier is a payment plan where customers can use a limited number of resources for free, usually for a trial period or for testing purposes.

What’s that? These are all great things; they’re offering different ways for people to be able to make payments on their bills. We can you hear say, and we say to you; Remember this is the internet we’re talking about here. Nothing here stays pure.

However, with this same concept for payment options in the cloud comes similar payment options on hacking forums and other seedy places to trade data. A few of the payment plans (feel free to look them up as we’ll be sure that you’ll find them and more) are phishing-as-a-service, scam-as-service, malware-as-a-service, ransomware-as-a-service, and many more.

We’re not too sure how some of these services actually work, the idea could be similar to cloud payment plans, but the fact that they’re out there and growing in numbers seems promising for the cyber problems to come.

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 thanks to 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 various as-a-service payment plans? Script a comment below.