Look at CSPM (cloud security posture management) solutions, it ensures there aren't any silly holes in your cloud like open S3 buckets etc, as well as ensuring pretty advanced organization specific custom policies. Look at Prisma, Wizio, Crowdstrike Horizon, etc.
Ask HN: What do I need to learn to be useful as a hacker to defend my country?
31–40 of 56 posts
Re: Ask HN: What do I need to learn to be useful as a hacker to defend my country?
#32- opsec (your neighbors will rat you out as a bargaining tool to save themselves)
- python, C, and assembler
- Gnuradio / HackRF (direction finding, spoofing/replay, jamming, etc)
- basic electronics
- basic model rocketry / pyrotechnics
- basic lock picking, escapes, first aid and wound care etc
- some off the shelf malware / botnet / RAT kits and usb installers, metasploit, etc.
From nothing to developing new zero day probably isn't going to happen during this conflict, and best hack will be using skills to get out of the country.
Re: Ask HN: What do I need to learn to be useful as a hacker to defend my country?
#33At the end of the day firearm training is probably more valuable than anything else in Ukraine right now. Taking pot shots from a distance at groups of troops can cause them to seek cover and slow down their progression. I think that's about the best you can do as 1 - 4 people. Look to the Vietnamese or Taliban on how to defeat a larger better equiped force with a smaller less equiped one.
Way to give advice that is guaranteed to get them killed. Bravo
Re: Ask HN: What do I need to learn to be useful as a hacker to defend my country?
#34Cyber warfare attack is when you damage critical infrastructure of enemy
And cyber defense:
"... in cyberspace, it is much easier to attack than to defend. The primary defense we have against military attacks in cyberspace is counterattack and the threat of counterattack that leads to deterrence."
Re: Ask HN: What do I need to learn to be useful as a hacker to defend my country?
#35At the end of the day firearm training is probably more valuable than anything else in Ukraine right now. Taking pot shots from a distance at groups of troops can cause them to seek cover and slow down their progression. I think that's about the best you can do as 1 - 4 people. Look to the Vietnamese or Taliban on how to defeat a larger better equiped force with a smaller less equiped one.
Way to give advice that is guaranteed to get them killed. Bravo
[deleted]
Re: Ask HN: What do I need to learn to be useful as a hacker to defend my country?
#36It is extremely useful, if you have the time to spend on it, to investigate and help repair any open source vulnerabilities you can. The cleaner underlying libraries are the better all of our defenses get - it's not as glamorous as being a 1337 h4x0r but contributing to a core library provides an immense amount of value.
Re: Ask HN: What do I need to learn to be useful as a hacker to defend my country?
#37How to stay anonymous.
... Including never posting this question to HN!
Re: Ask HN: What do I need to learn to be useful as a hacker to defend my country?
#38Best thing is probably just to secure your own devices so that your stuff isn't used as a zombie and you don't become part of the mess that needs to be cleaned up (taking resources away from other things).
Otherwise, maybe try to join your country's cyber warfare group or cyber security in a company. You could try reading up on cyber warfare and practicing on an self-owned network that is not connected to other devices (so you don't accidentally impact anyone else). But I don't think this will be that helpful in most circumstances.
Re: Ask HN: What do I need to learn to be useful as a hacker to defend my country?
#39The place I would start is not with offensive skills, but on the defensive side. Learn how to: - Know when you might be introducing software vulnerabilities - Find and repair bugs that might turn into vulnerabilities (things like static analysis and fuzzing, but also identifying code smells and where to inspect) - Identify and avoid phishing attempts - Identify (and, ideally, mitigate) places where resource exhaustio…
All of 0 of these skills will help the current situation as this developer probably does not control any of the critical software himself. This sounds like a great list if you're CTO currently building software for critical infrastructure and have the power to enforce trainings across the org.
It's increasingly difficult to tell what's going to be critical infrastructure and what isn't. The same is true in the real world; a defender or a belligerent alike might hope that the grain mill in the village will be functional when winter rolls in. Whether it is or not could depend on the work of someone who isn't even aware of the concept of a job title.
Re: Ask HN: What do I need to learn to be useful as a hacker to defend my country?
#40I'm going to be brutally blunt. If you have to ask in a forum, you're not hacker material. A better option for someone eager but skill-less would be to enlist in one of the branches of armed forces in your country.