Pretty Good Privacy is a program developed by Phil Zimmermann for encrypting and signing data. PGP uses a so-called public key method, in which there is a uniquely assigned key pair. It uses a public key, which anyone can use to encrypt data for the recipient and verify their signatures, and a private secret key, which only the recipient owns and is usually protected by a password. Messages to … [Read more...]
Why We Need to Validate File Integrity With Checksums
Ensuring the integrity of files is important for maintaining data reliability and security. Files can become corrupted, altered, or tampered with due to various factors such as transmission errors, hardware failures, malicious attacks, or accidental modifications. To mitigate these risks and ensure the trustworthiness of files, validating file integrity with checksums has become an essential … [Read more...]
Toit & Jaguar: Live Reloading of Arduino Code in ESP32
Toit is a high-level language for live reloading of code on microcontrollers such as ESP32. The written code runs incrementally as we write it, and we receive instant results. We can push changes over WiFi in two seconds. What is unique to Toit is that it uses virtual machine technology to support running multiple containers on ESP32. It is like running a micro-scale Docker on ESP32. Naturally, … [Read more...]
How CAcert Works
CAcert is a community-operated, non-profit Certification Authority (CA) operated by the Geneva-based non-profit organization CAcert Incorporated, formerly registered in Australia. CAcert issues X.509 certificates free of charge for various purposes and is intended to be an alternative to the commercial certificate authorities, some of which charge quite high fees for their certificates. As a … [Read more...]
What Is Email Encryption? Example with GPG
Email encryption is used to send sensitive information encrypted via email. There are two different principles for this, which are used independently of each other. First, end-to-end encryption encrypts an email end-to-end between the sender and recipient. Second, with point-to-point or transport encryption, the transmission distance of an email is encrypted between two components in the email … [Read more...]
How to Use Arduino with Visual Studio Code on Windows PC
Visual Studio Code (VS Code) has become a popular choice among developers for its lightweight yet powerful features and extensive customization options. While it's commonly associated with software development, it's also a versatile platform for programming hardware, including Arduino microcontrollers. In this guide, we'll explore how to set up and use Visual Studio Code for Arduino development, … [Read more...]
Interactive Chatbot with ESP32 Arduino and OpenAI
In this tutorial, we'll explore how to create an interactive chatbot on Arduino IDE's serial monitor using an ESP32 board and OpenAI's GPT 3.5 API via HTTP request. By combining the versatility of ESP32 with the advanced AI capabilities of OpenAI, you can create a chatbot that can respond to user queries and engage in meaningful conversations. Before we begin, make sure you have the following: … [Read more...]
How Do POS Terminals Work
A POS terminal (Point of Sale terminal) is an online terminal for cashless payment at a point of sale. It checks a debit card or credit card for blocking and reports the test result to the point of sale. A mobile device is called a "mobile point of sale" (mPOS). When the triumph of ATMs became apparent, banks came up with the idea of replacing three cash handling processes with a single, … [Read more...]
What is ATM Skimming (illegally obtaining card data)
Skimming is a term for a man-in-the-middle attack that illegally spies on the data of credit cards or bank cards for credit card fraud. "Skimming is the illegal process of obtaining card data by reading data from magnetic stripes and copying it onto counterfeit cards." The counterfeit card is then used to withdraw or pay at the expense of the legitimate cardholder. How ATM Skimming … [Read more...]
How to Use the gpg-agent in GnuPG
The gpg-agent is an important part of GnuPG that plays a similar role to the ssh-agent in OpenSSH. It has been integrated into the system as of GnuPG version 2.0.x and performs several tasks related to the management of keys and passphrases. One of the main functions of the gpg-agent is to store private key passphrases in memory for a period of time. This eliminates the need to re-enter the … [Read more...]
What Are Digital Certificates?
A digital certificate is a digital record that confirms certain properties of people or objects and whose authenticity and integrity can be verified by cryptographic methods. In particular, the digital certificate shall contain the data necessary for its verification. The certificate is issued by a certification authority, the Certification Authority (CA). Public key certificates according to … [Read more...]