Fight Cyber Crimes With Contemporary Technologies [Enhanced]

In the fight against Cyber Crimes, we have been playing a losing game. For every one step forward, we move two step backward as the new technologies do more harm than good. As insecurity is increasing amongst the general population, its time for a sweeping change. This is precisely why we need to discover the flaws in our strategy to fight cyber-crimes, and correct them when there is still time.

Also, it should be noted that another futile claim that made these days is that antivirus or firewalls offer dependable security. Although it is true that an updated antivirus program assists well in security, it can only keep your PC protected from most common infections or malware. It cannot protect you against threats emanating on daily basis.

The attackers who design such malware, tests it against mainstream antivirus programs and only those which can withstand the firewall are deployed. It takes a while for antivirus companies to identify and target these new threats and to figure out how to deal with them. Moreover, if the malware is adaptive, as in it changes its behavior according to the environment, it becomes very difficult to spot those. Even the firewalls are good only as long as the attackers are humble enough to show up their entry and exit. However, no hacker is kind enough to do that.

A brilliant example of this is Heartbleed- which exfiltrate data from the host by dressing up in a legitimate guise. As is often said, the best way to escape the prison is by wearing a prison guard’s uniform. In short, antiviruses and firewalls are defenses to yesterday’s problems, not tomorrow’s.

So what can we do about it? In reality, we would need to anticipate future threats and be prepared against them, as much as we can. A start in this direction is to look at what the hackers are doing and try to stop them. Britain’s Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure, widely referred to as CPNI has prescribed ten easy recommendations which could secure 80 percent of the breaches if properly implemented. These are briefly explained below-

  • Firstly, know the person in charge of your computers and networks and the risk associated with it- such as information to be protected, potential stealers etc. This is called Information Risk Management Regime (IRMR).
  • Making rules regarding the computers and devices in possession. Who is allowed to connect to your networks, testing regularly the networks etc?
  • Identifying the present network security measures. The presence of firewalls, contingencies in case of a breach of firewalls etc.
  • Rechecking the user privileges granted to ensure that privileged information is not compromised.
  • Training staff on properly using your networks. Making sure the credentials expire as soon as the personnel leaves the organization, outsiders being given restricted access etc.
  • Having a contingency plan in case of breach of data and network.
  • Being ready for malware attacks, taking necessary precautions.
  • Checking the external devices for malware before they are used.
  • Framing policies on monitoring of traffic to avoid privacy implications.
  • Keeping tabs on where the data is being stored, what devices are being used and rules about people working from outside the office.

These measures are easy to follow and combined, they possess the potential to deal with the majority of daily threats to our computers and networks.

This article is originally published here

3 Things You Should Emphasize in Your Real Estate Photos

Photography is paramount for real estate. It is especially important because a majority of people look through the photos first and then read the descriptions of the property they are considering, but only if they actually find that the photos are great. That is why your real estate photos need to be professional and of the highest quality possible, so that you can make sure they stand out in the listings, especially because the market is highly competitive and new competitors keep popping up around every corner.

You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. This is especially true when it comes to real estate photography, which can really make or break every real estate transaction. Why is that exactly? Well, because real estate photos trigger emotions, so you need to make sure that you succeed in taking photos that will make potential buyers truly fall in love with the places. If you provide high-quality photos of a house, for instance, people will instantly imagine living there and they may not even continue with their house hunt, because that particular place will be exactly what they were looking for.

This is, of course, a picture-perfect scenario, but you can successfully help each and every one of your potential real estate buyers find the home of their dreams if you make sure your real estate photos are absolutely impeccable.

There are quite a lot of techniques that you need to learn and master in order to ensure that your every real estate photo is awesome, especially if you are a complete beginner. However, there are some things that you need to pay special attention to when it comes to emphasizing certain details in your photos, so take a look at everything that you need to emphasize to make your real estate photographs instantly sell every property.

    1. Space

    2

It goes without saying that real estate buyers consider the square footage when choosing their new home, but they also need to get a clear picture of how exactly the space is used. That is why you need to emphasize the dimensions, but you must be careful so as to not mislead people by providing them with the photos that are not at all authentic. You should try and make the space look roomy, but at the same time, you need to be truthful.

You can emphasize the space by using a wide-angle camera lens that will enable you to take wider shots that will give the space a sense of depth. You should place your camera really close to the entrance of a room, or completely close to a wall, so that you can show as much space as you possibly can. The key for emphasizing space is to shoot from a corner of the room that will enable you to show the longest side of that room. That way, potential buyers will know exactly how usable the space is. 

    2. Natural Light

    3

When it comes to lighting, particularly interior lighting, it is crucial that you make sure that there is enough natural light in every room you shoot. In order to make the interior look absolutely great, without shadows in some areas that don’t have a directional light, you should either use flash or add constant lights. They will help you make the rooms look completely bright and natural.

Constant lights are just like window lights and they are excellent for shooting the interior. When it comes to using flash, you need to make sure that you really master using direct on-camera flash, as that will help you emphasize interior lighting and make the rooms perfectly bright.

When it comes to exterior lighting, you need to make sure that you choose the best time of day for your shooting. The best time is to shoot a house early in the morning or later during the day, depending on which side the house is facing in regards to the sun. For instance, if the front of a house is facing east, the best time to shoot it is definitely after sunrise, because that is when its every feature will be ideally emphasized.

If you want to shoot a house at dusk, you should turn on all the interior and exterior lights, as that will help you create the perfect exposure and the house will look dramatic. The exposure of interior lights will perfectly balance with the sky’s exposure, and the ideal time for achieving that is right after sunset.

    3. The Best Features in Each Room

    4

What is the real selling point in the living room you are shooting? For instance, does it have a reading nook that really shows the room’s personality? Take a look around every room to find the best feature in it and focus on emphasizing that exact feature. It is precisely what will make potential buyers curious about the house. Emphasizing the house’s best features will make the buyers want to hang out there and enjoy their free time.

Bring your photographs to life by adding a pop of bright colorto the features that are the most important ones for selling the house. It will make everything more appealing to your buyers. For instance, you can highlight the colors of some flowers in a vase, or make the pillows in the living room and bedroom more vibrant by emphasizing their colors. If there is perhaps some colorful artwork, make it really pop in order to grab attention. If you’re shooting a backyard with lots of flowers, make sure you truly emphasize their colors as well.

These are the most important things you should emphasize in your real estate photography, but make sure you explore this world much deeper, so that you can improve your knowledge and master a number of essential techniques. Therefore, remember to always emphasize the space and the property’s best and strongest features, as well as learn everything you can about real estate photo editing services and photography lighting techniques, so that you can capture every property beautifully.

How to Take Your Street Photography to the Next Level [Tricks]

Street photography is a very interesting “sub-specialization” to pursue. You don’t need models, high end gear, nor do you need to travel in order to practice and learn it. All you need to do is get out with your camera and be ready to meet new people, document life on the streets, and the ways of our civilization.

While street photography may sound like something very straightforward, there are certain tricks and tips that could help you bring your game to the next level. If you are eager to find out how to do so, you are at the right place. Stick with us because we are going to share some tips you might find useful. 

The Gear

2 (1)

The thing about street photography is not the immaculate image quality, but the moment captured on it. I mean, yeah, you have to know to take clear shots with as little damage as possible, but the scene and the emotion is what counts the most. And, you won’t be able to achieve this with a big lens that makes you look like a Soviet spy airplane.

You need to use a smaller, wide-angle lens that will help you to stay discreet. Whilst on the subject of discretion, try not to wear something that will make you stand out. If you want to take real action shots, you have to get close to people and blend into the crowd.

Another important thing is to stay as light as possible. You don’t want to miss that perfect shot that awaits you just around the corner just because the heavy gear wore you down and you have to take a breather at some local café.

Inconspicuous gear is what will get you unnoticed and allow you to make shots a few centimeters away from the subject. This is why you should leave that “threatening” DSLR and buy a compact point and shoot camera. Make sure to get the model that allows shooting in manual mode and can store images in raw format, so that you can send those raw files to experts, should you decide to pay for photo editing services.

Some of the cameras you should check are Nikon 1, Canon EOS-M3 and Fujifilm X100T. If you want to be able to make those ninja shots from the hip, a camera with a flappable screen is a nice addition to your ninja gear. Stealth mode will allow you to get some very nice shots without being noticed.

Get Some Accessories

While getting accessories is not of the utmost importance, they are still handy and could help you a lot on the streets. Get a strap that you can tie to your camera and around your wrist. Put on some cool shades and you are ready to blend in and take some very close shots.

There is No Need to Be Afraid of People

Rule number one of street photography is: “Do whatever it takes to not kill the candid moment!” And, asking people for permission to take a photo is exactly this. Sometimes, asking for permission is a must and it all depends on the circumstances. For instance, you won’t take photos of someone sitting in a café or restaurant without previously asking them, while on a busy day in a marketplace, or public transportation, you can go wild and capture dozens of candid moments with your camera.

Get Out at Night

3 (1)

Nightlife provides amazing opportunities for street photographers. The dimmed lights at night can provide that unique moment in your frame. If you haven’t practiced shooting in the night before, you will need a bit of practice. The catch is to learn how to avoid blur and how to compensate the lack of light with your aperture and ISO.

Make sure to bring your tripod with you if you want to play with long exposure shots. Traffic lights on the busy street can help you take some of the most amazing night shots you have ever made.

Ask around if there is an open basketball court nearby. You can take some very dramatic close ups of the street players. Make sure to ask people for permission in this case, especially if you are not familiar with the neighborhood.

Become a True Moment Hunter

Street photography is all about capturing the emotion and drama of the moment on the image. There is no general advice to read and become instantly enlightened. You will have to discover this for yourself. Usually, the first thing that attracts your attention as a photographer on the street is very possibly your street photography niche.

Also make sure to learn as much as you can about composition. While there are many things that can be fixed with professional photo editing services, bad composition is not one of them.

Use Your Smartphone

The Fujifilm X100T, the compact point and shoot camera that we have mentioned above, is fully compatible with a smartphone. This means that you can place this camera wherever you want and take full control over it with your smartphone. When you can manually control your camera via smartphone, you will be able to take those close-ups without anyone ever suspecting that you are taking shots.

As any other photography field, street photography requires experienced and a knowledgeable photographer in order for it to be rewarding in a professional sense. You could see quite clearly that this particular field requires far more mingling, wandering through town, and having a sense for the right moment to take a shot. This is why the most passionate street photographers don’t spend time post-processing their street images but instead use photo editing services. This way, they get more time to spend out there, on the streets, developing their eye, intuition and confidence.

Congratulations! Cricket is no more a game

Congratulations! Cricket is no more a game

Before I say anything and you read something, I want to tell you that I have been an aficionado of cricket, not only that I have played and prayed for it in my childhood and adolescence. But, unfortunately, I was the fan of cricket; batsmen who cover drives well, bowlers who rattle the batsman and fielders who run around the ground. Today, because of the infinite outrage of the billion people of INDvPAK match, I feel and I think (my instinct) India will lose today. It’s 3.30 pm and India already dropped a catch.

5.45 PM

One of the newbies of Pakistan scored a stunning century and all the credit goes to his dauntless bating. He has been incredible throughout his innings. All the time he was batting, I was only wondering about the Indian side chasing today. Will they chase today? What if they don’t? Will the social media spare the team? I felt scared as I realized that Cricket is no more a game and to my fear, if we lose, cricket will never remain a game anymore.

6.45 PM

  1. Pakistan batted amazingly well. I am scared. I am watching the match alone. Well, I live alone. This is why I am writing this unimportant content while one of the most intense matches of the cricket history is being played.

7.15 PM

I go out for tea. Before I finish the tea, Amir grabs Rohit and Virat. If the plastic cup from my hand dropped, I was sure the friend living 5 km away would hear it. There was pin drop silence. Everybody slowly realized that there was nothing that India could blame on the Pakistanis today because of their stupendous batting performance and their long wait of winning in an ICC event would end probably.

Off the topic, I was also hoping about their situation of how they would be feeling when they go every time and get beat, trolled by the social media and face hatred. Not only these but also the demotivation they must have faced right inside.

7.50 PM

It’s 3 down and I wish my instinct to go wrong. It’s hardly possible. The top three scorers of the Champions Trophy are already out. The ‘Dhoni Dhoni’ chanting from the crowd can no longer give Goosebumps to anyone. What a comeback the young kid ‘Amir’ has had! The 5-year ban and now he is back on track. He has garnered his name across the world for his energy and passion towards cricket.

8.05 PM

I am not a soothsayer. I am double minded like everybody. I assume people will stop flattering their nation and abusing other nations after today. I wish it doesn’t happen, the loss. I want to still love cricket and the game played on the ground with some ground rules. I wish it stays. I wish but its Pakistan’s day today and undoubtedly they have created this on their own after uncountable efforts to get it and waited a hell lot of years to achieve it. I know being Indian it’s unfair to say but I am only saying the truth, the statistics and I am no more writing as I don’t want to be a jerk to the country losing them to our enemies, that’s what they have started to call the cricket players as, sometimes the ‘terrorists’ too. I am sorry. I can’t because I wish cricket remains the gentlemen’s game forever.