#sca software

[neilsblog]

Securing the Software Supply Chain: An Introduction to Software Composition Analysis

In today’s fast-paced software development landscape, the use of third-party components—especially open-source software (OSS) and commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products—has become ubiquitous. These components significantly accelerate development, reduce costs, and enhance functionality. However, embedding these external elements within proprietary applications introduces potential security…

[lima-norte]

Alerta Desarrolladores: Ahora disponen de una herramienta con IA generativa

Veracode anuncia la disponibilidad de la capacidad Veracode Fix en Veracode Scan para VS Code. Ahora los desarrolladores pueden descubrir y remediar fallas de seguridad utilizando las herramientas impulsadas por IA generativa de Veracode directamente desde su entorno de desarrollo integrado (IDE). De acuerdo con el Estado de seguridad del software de Veracode, el 45,9% de las organizaciones…

[01zfan]

venusian

producer!anton x alien!reader | 10k words

another installment of my rock the house seriez! this was fun to write even though it took me forever.

contains: face sitting, alot of implied sex, intergalactic booty call, anton catching feelings

rock the house masterlist

Anton gripped the metal of his fire escape, looking down at street below him.

He was a struggling artist, not the type that leaped over banisters down to oncoming traffic but the one that watched. He watched people like they were characters in movies, crafting stories for each single one. The student rushing to beat the light had an assignment waiting for them when they got home. The mother that had to pull her kids behind her on a plastic scooter worked all day, the man was looking at his phone was texting his mistress.

Honestly, it was too cold for Anton to be outside. He was also too busy to be doing this. He had a list of things to do before his band released their newest project. But like a thousand times before, the closer Venusian got to the release date of music Anton started getting sentimental and spending his time doing things he shouldn’t be doing. Procrastination is what Wonbin called it, Sohee referred to it as cold feet. In the deep corner of Internet somewhere they would say this was a product of Anton being a hack, and each project Venusian released, the world was closer to finding it out. 

Now, Anton couldn’t dispute this. He was talented, no one could take that away from him. From a young age he was able to play instruments at an advanced level and read classical music like it was a second language. Reading notes on a musical staff came to him faster than reading actual words in a book. He confused his teachers with his disdain for math when he was so easily able to divide a beat down to the hemidemisemiquaver. He was born with perfect pitch and a metronome built into his feet, and was able to memorize anything music related at the drop of a hat. 

Anton knew it would be to everyone’s dismay if they found out how often he lost faith in himself. Why would someone who was held in such high regard lose his poise so often? Why would someone so talented refuse to claim the section leader position when it so clearly belonged to him? Anton—and apparently the trolls on the Internet—knew the answers to these questions long before everyone else. He looked over the railing looking for inspiration because like he knew he was a musical prodigy, he also knows he doesn’t have a creative bone in his body.

He knew no one would understand. Creativity wasn’t sight reading music perfectly or being able to tune the other people in your section when they were off key. Creativity to Anton was being able to pull something from the depth of your mind. He would’ve settled for ideas coming to him slowly, but they didn’t come to him at all. Anton needed months to compose sheet music, and atleast a week notice if he had to improvise for the class. Everything he did was too refined, devoid of emotion. He blamed it on the classical cello lessons his mother put him in the moment he expressed an interest in music. He believed his young impressionable brain never had the ability to entertain the idea of music before the technical aspect of was shoved down his throat. He never got the luxury of being that kid that banged on pots and pans with abandon because he liked the way it sounded—he was the kid that had a private lessons teacher looming over him with a ruler in case he got anything wrong.

Anton lacked the complex understanding of the ebbs and flows of the music and where modern musicians fit into the crests. He was able to hide his failings as a musician until he made it to university, where each of his teachers seemed to pick up on it like a sixth sense. 

He believed he was cursed when his senior project called for him to write and produce a whole mini album. The technical aspect of it all didn’t frighten him, he knew the ins and outs of producing software. What scared Anton shitless was that he had nothing to produce. He could hear a note and know exactly where it landed but he could never find out why it was that note. What drove someone to sing in minor key instead of major key, what idea popped into someones mind to make something? 

Anton needed creativity if he wanted to graduate. At the very least enough to get him through five songs that were three to five minutes in length. He stayed after hours sitting in a practice room in silence looking for creativity, then he spent time drafting an extremely long and pitiful email to his faculty advisor. 

Right before Anton could press send and reveal his biggest secret, he met his first bandmate. 

(Technically, Anton heard Sohee before he met him. As he edited the final line of his email he heard the distinct voice of someone in the practice room beside his. The soundproof walls couldn’t block the voice next door. Anton perked up, straightening his slouched back as he listened, really listened to the voice next to him. Even when the voice would chip away after losing air or crack when his throat would become strained Anton knew the voice was special. The organic sound was refreshing, it drew Anton in so much that his pitiful email was long forgotten. 

He left the practice room and peaked through the window. He looked at the back of Sohee’s head as he continued to sing, his hand gripping tightly on the music stand in front of him. When Sohee tipped his head back and another beautiful falsetto note bled through the door, Anton walked right in. He was able to connect a face to the voice, someone he had seen before. The nursing major in the music theory class Anton was a teacher’s aide for. Anton remembers Sohee’s reason for joining the class was to fulfill a requirement.)

From there the rest was history. Anton spoke with his foot in his mouth, the sudden idea of having someone sing on his final project coming out in a huff. Sohee looked from side to side before letting a confused huh? ring through the practice room. Anton only repeated himself in the same rushed manner, followed by him mentioning his final project.

Sohee kept the same confused tone and his hand still gripped his music stand from the exertion of hitting high notes as Anton explained his final project. Sohee didn’t really listen until Anton started flexing his knowledge in music, talking about being flatand breath control, things Sohee knew he had trouble with. 

Then, he started listening. He even worked his schedule around ever so slightly to fit their practice and recording sessions into the day. A week later, when the only thing Anton had to show for was song covers, Wonbin came around. He was in the same situation as Anton, up Shit Creek with no paddle and a final project that needed to be finished if he wanted to graduate. 

Everything was luck. Anton was lucky that he was able to turn in a completed mini album for his final project. He was lucky that his teacher practically forced him to upload the album to a streaming platform due to how refined it was for a senior project. Anton was extremely lucky that the blossoming indie community attached themselves to his work. He was lucky that he found his album earn a shining review from Pitchfork, and countless streams on his songs every night. 

Something that was a stroke of luck fueled by energy drinks and the overwhelming feeling of getting a failing grade on a final project made Anton, Sohee, and Wonbin famous. By the time school ended they were on the list of albums to listen to and in the middle of the sweltering heat of the summer the news broke. Senior Project by Unnamed was ranked as the Top 50 Indie Albums of the Decade. 

After that everyone found out about them pretty quickly. Wonbin couldn’t go on MySpace without it crashing. Sohee’s parents called him crying that their son was singing on the radio. Anton’s heart rate hadn’t been a normal BPM since early April.

The pressure to release something and have it be as good as the accident weighed heavy on him. The sole producer of his trio—and the de facto leader—couldn’t make a beat to save his life. The mere thought of sitting down and crafting something left him even more stumped than he was before. 

But before Anton could confess to Sohee and Wonbin that he couldn’t deliver the same way he did on Senior Project, he found out they were all in. Sohee dropped out of medical school and Wonbin quit his day job. Wonbin spent his earnings on a new guitar and Sohee spent his on vocal lessons. Anton was considering spending his money on a one-way plane ticket to Hawaii and never looking back. They couldn’t make you produce an album if they didn’t know where you were. He could’ve been sipping Mai Tai’s looking at the Oahu sunset but instead he sat out on the curb of Sohee’s apartment complex with his head in his hands as Wonbin and Sohee tried to understand what was wrong. 

Anton for the first time in his life voiced that although he was a prodigy, he had nothing to show for it. The confession came out like vomit, splattering on the concrete and warming underneath the sun. Wonbin looked up to the clouds while Sohee twisted his head away in defeat. Anton felt actual bile raise in his throat as grasshoppers rubbed their legs together in the silence.

Wonbin put a hand to his face to block the sun. Anton heard the muffled shock of Sohee saying he dropped out of med school for this. Then, as if lack of creativity could be cured in a weekend, Wonbin gave his recommendation.

“Let’s buy a van and go sleep in the forest. Completely disconnect with the world and reconnect with nature.” 

Wonbin said it so happily, backed with the reasoning that some rock band neither Sohee or Anton had heard of has done it before. Apparently the band went on a societal cleanse and came back to create  one of the best albums ever made.

(Years later, Anton listened to the album and hated Every. Single. Song.)

 In any other instance Anton would’ve called Wonbin crazy, but the lack of an album and the increasing pressure from everyone wanting a new body of work pushed Anton into reluctantly saying yes. So within the week Anton blew some of his earnings on a van, the three packed their bags and went to camp in the dense forest an hour away from their hometown. Wonbin’s words played again and again in Anton’s mind as he stayed in the passenger seat. He looked for creativity in the tall trees. Anton looked for it all and stayed in the front seat in an effort to see it first. 

When the sun no longer gave him light he switched to the flashlight in the glove compartment, keeping it close to his page full of marked out lyrics and mindless ramblings. He couldn’t think of anything else without lingering on each failed attempt. One of the last things that wasn’t crossed out was the tiny print at the bottom of the page. You’re not going to make it stared at him, it caused his flashlight to go out and it made a headache form right in the center of Anton’s head.

He came to the shocking discovery then and there that he was a one hit wonder, that he was lucky to have famous song on that found its way from an obscure streaming site to the biggest social media platform. His unnamed bands overnight success would dwindle within the week, and they would go back to living their regular pedestrian lives.

Anton finally gave up when he made it to the bottom of his page. He let the flashlight take a break in the cupholder between the two front seats and closed his notebook. He opened the glove compartment and slammed it shut a little too hard, not caring a bit when Wonbin groaned from the back of the van. Anton looked back to see Wonbin and Sohee dangerously close to cuddling as they both shared a single blanket on top of the small inflatable mattress. 

Anton turned away and rolled the window down by the plastic crank and stuck his head out as if inspiration would be carried into the van by the gentle wind. He balanced his head on his arm that hung out the window and sighed. He thought about the lyrics Wonbin wrote, how his bandmate had no instrumental to put it over. The sinking feeling Anton got at the thought of Sohee and Wonbin waking up tomorrow even more worried about the future of the band suffocated him. 

He opened the van door and shut it so hard the van rocked. 

Anton tried to find inspiration in the sound of twigs snapping underneath his foot, the absence of sound as the trees blew in the wind. He walked to the side of the van and leaned against it, hoping that something would whisper to him in the dead quiet of the night. 

When nothing came and only the moon shined down on him, Anton let out another sigh. He leaned his head back until he felt the large window of the van press his hair flat. He looked directly up to the moon, the only thing that seemed to be awake like him. The stars in the sky were shining bright, or maybe they were normal—Anton couldn’t remember the last time he looked to the night sky. He closed his eyes and fisted his hands so tight he could feel his nails dig into his palm. He pressed his head against the glass even harder, trying to remember the last time in his life he was so desperate for results. He drew in a breath, parted his lips, and screwed his eyes shut.

“Please give me something.” Anton whispered into the night.

When he opened his eyes he started laughing at himself for how ridiculous he sounded. Wishing on planets and stars for inspiration like he was a child. Talking to God like he wasn’t a man of science. He considered waking up Wonbin and Sohee to tell them that this wouldn’t work out. Dissolving the band before it even has a man, carrying on with their lives like they didn’t have the most downloaded EP on iTunes.

Anton looked down at his hands, spreading out his fingers so far he felt the stretch. These hands could play Flight of the Bumblebee with ease and could write a paper on music theory overnight, how could they not produce a song? Anton looked at the callouses on his fingers in the moonlight, twisting and turning the rings on his fingers to feel something. Everything about him was hard to the touch, but he felt so incredibly soft. Like he was about to cry, despite not being blessed with the talent of music. 

Anton wiggled his fingers again and felt the urge to curse at them. His eyes drifted to the shadow that was cast underneath him onto the ground.

He was still staring at his fingers when the white light of the moon shifted to a muted green. The change was so sudden Anton blinked first, making sure that his eyes weren’t failing him. When he realized the color being casted on him became hidden by the clouds, he looked up to the sky again. He saw something in the sky, a white cloud trailing behind it. Anton followed its path in the sky, walking around the edge of the van as it came closer and closer to making an impact on the Earth.

Anton’s first reaction was to drop his jaw. Then to pound on the side of the van, as if waking up the only two people on the planet more clueless than him would help. He mindlessly followed, stepping on leaves and twigs and tripping over things as he saw the thing come even closer. Right in front of Anton it crashed into the trees, then straight into the ground. Everything moved around him, he went backwards to hide behind the protection of the van. Underbrush was uprooted from the speed of the wind caused by the impact. 

Anton looked bak up to the sky. White moonlight replaced the green. He looked around. The sound of something falling was replaced with the normal sounds of the night. He looked down. The Earth didn’t split down the middle.

“What just happened?” Anton said to himself quietly. 

He peaked past the van, looking right where the crater would be. Past the lining of trees, less than a two minute walk away. Anton should get back in his car and drive away. But the fact that something unbelievable needs to happen to him made him stay in the same spot.

Anton debated for a long time on if he should take a step closer. More leaves and twigs snapped underneath his foot as he crossed by the van entirely. His blood went cold and everything in him told him to turn around. He should put the key in the ignition of his car and drive away. But he took another step. Then another. Anton creeped past the tree line walking like a prey animal. He looked back to the stationary white van behind him. There was still a chance to go back, but the something unbelievable was calling to him. Anton took the last step to make it to the edge of the crater before looking in.

His hair stood on end when he looked down into the impact on the earth. The circumference of the crater was the length of two vans put together, but it was deep. So deep that the bottom was almost hidden by the night. Anton had to bend down close to look deeper. 

When Anton saw something move in the crater, he was gone. He no longer was looking for something unbelievable to happen to him, inspiration be damned. He cleared out of the forest to make it to the van, opening up the back with an incredible amount of speed. The momentum caused the car to shake, and Anton’s hands were on the shoulders of his bandmates in seconds.

“A girl fell from the sky.” Anton said it quickly, shaking Wonbin’s shoulder harshly.

Wonbin tilted his head to the side as Anton continued to relay what he saw. He blinked his eyes once, twice, then a third time as he tried to comprehend what was being said to him.

“Is that the name of the album?” Wonbin said, groggy voiced as he rubbed one of his eyes.

Anton shook his head angrily before trying to catch his breath. 

“Green Comet…” Anton huffed, suddenly realizing his vision was starting to spot. The adrenaline and the confirmed sighting of an extra-terrestrial being made him feel dizzy. “Fell from the sky. She’s in a crater.” He huffed.

When Wonbin moved from the pallet of clothes and blankets, Sohee did the same. His eyes fluttered open but stayed partially closed. His hair was bumped on one side as he also tried making sense of what Anton was saying.

“Are those song titles?” Sohee asked.

His voice was high-pitched and whiny, Anton knew he was angry from the lack of sleep and being woken up in the middle of the night. There were more important things happening. They needed to call the cops, they needed to call the press.

Anton continued shaking his friends awake, but the lack of mentioning a song title, album name, or anything music related made them go back to sleep. Anton watched in dismay as the two laid their heads back down, ignoring and turning away from his hands that were trying to will them awake. The only thing they did was move their shoulders out of his reach, one of them grumbling wake us up when you have a song finished.

Just as Anton was about to climb into the back of the van to shake his bandmates awake, he heard leaves and twigs snap. His full body froze, the hair on the back of his neck stood up and his throat was suddenly dry. The spring night suddenly felt cold as he felt a presence behind him.

When Anton first heard a voice, he didn’t want to turn around. He didn’t want to acknowledge whoever was speaking to him. He wanted to heave his body into the back of the van and shut the doors behind him. He wanted to speed off back to civilization, at the very least he wanted to scream and wake his bandmates up. But Anton couldn’t do anything, he didn’t move an inch when he felt the presence take another step.

“Where am I?” You repeated

Anton quickly told you that you were in the quiet midwest of America. He said you were on planet Earth, and some other things he forgot now. He was rambling at the mouth, he’s sure he started telling secrets of his own at some point. He’s in a band. He’s a hack. He has no creativity. He’s scared that you’re getting closer. He thinks you’re going to abduct him and probe him and he’s going to be your human prisoner for the rest of his life.

At some point between your first step and your last step, Anton closed his eyes. He prepared for death, his life flashed before his eyes, everything. But then you grabbed his hands. He felt warm all over, his rambling stopped and his fear was replaced with something else. The turbulence in his mind cleared and everything stopped making sound around him. The wind stopped blowing, Wonbin stopped snoring, everything felt peaceful. 

Then, when Anton opened his eyes you were gone. All traces of you vanished into the night. Reality came back slowly. Anton clasped his hands hard, then looked down at them again. He was no different. He wasn’t being beamed up into the sky, he wasn’t hurt. He was suddenly alone again outside, the trees and the sounds came back to him like they never left. He could also clearly hear the beginning chord to a song and a name for his band. 

Anton heard everything, the longer he stared at his hands the more inspiration struck. He heard it all, he could see it all so clearly. The album name, song titles, album covers, music videos. Anton was up for the rest of the night, filling out pages and pages in his notebook until his hand could no longer hold the pen straight.

Sometimes Anton could still feel the pain in his hand from writing all night. He flexed his hand that gripped the railing, closing his palm in on itself before leaning closer to the banister. He looked behind him to his apartment. The studio door was wide open, and had to audibly sigh to try and relieve some of that burden.

The word had dropped nearly three months ago that a new album was coming. A rumor that wasn’t really a rumor, and once people caught wind of it there was no use in denying it. Their recording company was already reaching out about any possible singles. Wonbin started already reinventing himself. Sohee was sending Anton lyrics everyday in hopes of getting the music faster. 

The only way he was able to get a break from everything was to say he needed time to collect and recenter himself. What this meant for his colleagues was to go on a weeklong coke fueled bender. What that meant for Anton was to look at foot traffic in the street below him hoping to see his alien girlfriend-who-is-not-his-girlfriend.

He learned that you would always come when he least expected you to. Washing up on the beach during his vacation to Vietnam. Offering him a wine glass at an industry party. Appearing as room service during his stay at a hotel abroad. He wasn’t sure what summoned you. He was always so used to the feeling of not being inspired that he never knew when he was about to reach a breaking point. 

But you always did.

The first time you appeared and he found you in the forest, when he thought he was going to die but he lived and Venusian and the chords for the first EP was in his head.

The second time you appeared was outside of a diner. Anton spent the whole day disconnected from the world, enjoying an AYCE sushi special instead of finishing the vocal mixing on the first single when you appeared across the street. Locked in the phone booth right in Anton’s line of sight the moment he lifted his head from his salmon roll. 

He thought he was seeing things at first. By this point in time he had convinced himself that seeing you in the forest was the product of starvation, anxiety, and sleep deprivation. In the morning when he finally got Sohee and Wonbin to come and see where you landed, they said it was only the beginnings of a construction site. So Anton told himself you were just a very real figment of his imagination. But across the street you were very real and you were beckoning for him to come to you.

In the phone booth, Anton finally had a conversation with you. Cramped in after you pulled him inside you two had a formal interaction. To offset how normal the greeting was you told him you were not from this planet. Anton thought he was imagining things again. He shook his head and smiled waiting for the punchline of your joke, and an actual explanation as to why you fell from the sky and asked where you were so honestly. 

Anton doesn’t remember speaking very much in the phone booth. His first reaction was to shiver from the feeling of the hairs raising on the back of his neck. His second was to deny you not being from this planet. You talked like a human, you smelled like a human, you looked like a human. Then you said something ridiculous like being human is relative, which ended up being a track name on Venusian’s first full length album She Fell From the Sky.

(Anton could’ve named the album My Girlfriend Fell From the Sky Because She is an Alien and no one would’ve done anything about it. No one second guesses the names or titles indie bands use for their titles, but giving you the title of girlfriend seemed a little presumptuous.)

He found out on your third visit when you knocked on his door in a private studio that you kissed better than any human being ever has. You two kissed better than people could, all of his past experiences and stories he heard paled in comparison. The way you leaned in close, hovering over him while he basically shook in his office chair. You looked so beautiful standing above him, you smiled to ease him into you. You pressed your lips to his so softly and his hands went to your waist, holding onto you. You weren’t able to disappear into thin air. That night you kissed Anton goodbye, he was able to see you leave, and he was able to get you to promise you’d come back. 

When you closed the studio door behind you, Anton did what any artist would do. He turned the situation he found himself in to profit. All the confusion and love and lust from an alien he’s met a handful of times, who appears and disappears on her own accord. An alien who always knows where he is and when he needs her. Always smells so good, and looks at him so intensely it literally sparks creativity. Someone who his bandmates thinks is fake. He put all of that—and much more—into the second album. My Girlfriend is an Alien. A little on the nose, but it was green lit nonetheless. The album featured tracks such as i hope you’re real, please meet my friends, imaginary friend, and star/meteor. 

On the fourth visit Anton found out you were a fan. He knew because you liked the song come to my apartment next time, and no one liked that song. A dud on the album but something you felt like was just for you. You called him on the phone in his hotel across the world, just when he was about to fall asleep. You talked to him but didn't tell him where you were, it sounded like you were driving or laying in bed and kicking your feet and writing in your journal. Before you could hang up and disappear for an undisclosed amount of time he had questions ready. In his notebook next to lyrics he looks at the chicken scratch in the margins, the hotel phone caught between his shoulder and ear as he made sure to speak clearly into the receiver.

“Will you come when I ask you to?” 

“No.” 

“Will you come when I need you to?”

“Yes.”

“How will I know when you will be here?”

“You don’t.”

“What’s your favorite song by Venusian?”

That was the question that stumped you. You were silent for a moment, the crackling sound of a connection. Anton looked at the lamp on the bedside table, staring at it until it left an imprint in his vision. He thought the line had disconnected before you spoke.

“The ones you write about me, of course.”

All of them were about you, he couldn't tell you that before you told him that you loved him and had to go. Without a doubt in Anton’s mind, every song was about you. Even when Wonbin wrote the lyrics, they were always about an elusive figure that was appearing in and out of someone’s life. When Sohee wrote lyrics, they were about wanting something. On the rare occasion the song wasn’t about you, the bands name itself was a homage to you. He never asked if you were from Venus because he thought it'd be rude, but he wished on that planet before you came down in a crater his bandmates thought was a construction site.

He couldn’t escape you, but no one even knew you existed. Sometimes Anton didn’t even know you existed. He searched harder in the street. He saw a school teacher finally heading home. Someone with a coffee cup, spilling it on themselves because they were walking too fast. Taxi driver smoking on the corner, letting possible clients pass him to hop in the cars of his competition. A woman walking down the sidewalk, past the smoker and the school teacher and the spill on the person shirt. Her pace got slower and slower until she came to a stop right in front of his building.

Anton looked further down, leaning even closer to the banister. The metal railing pressed into his stomach, going right through his thin shirt as he looked down. Foot traffic continued around her. From the high floor of Anton's apartment his hair started blowing, whipping forward and closing his eyes. The woman in front of Anton's apartment building was unmoving, so was he. If Sohee was here he would've believed it to be the paparazzi, Wonbin would've thought it was a coincidence. But Anton knew before you looked up. The hat and sunglasses you had on obstructed the view of your face, but Anton knew. All you had to do was point towards the front door before Anton was turning on his heel, running through his apartment until he made it to the front door.

Anton cleared his apartment a little too fast to ring you up. He kept his eyes glued to the front camera of the building as you walked up the steps. When the buzzer sounded off you smiled, pulling at the large door before you walked out of frame of the camera. 

Anton imagined you coming up the stairs. He swore he could hear you from floors away, your heeled shoes coming through his apartment building as you made your way to him. He could hear the elevator music from his living room, and he could see you looking at the red number climb until you were at his floor. He wasn’t sure how you knew, but you always knew. He stopped asking questions long ago. He was just so happy to see you, a relieved smile coming across his face as he opened his door to you standing there.

“Did you miss me?” You asked.

Anton nodded, pulling you by your arm to get you to come inside. He learned to not waste time when you were here. No more shy greetings or acting amazed when you’d show up. He learned to think about your surprise appearance when he was alone. He helped you take off your hat and shades to put it on the table at the entryway. He guided your jacket off of your arms as you looked up to the high ceilings.

“This place is so big just for one person.” You said quietly.

Anton didn’t know how you lived. He didn’t know where you lived either. Venus was the presumed place, but it could've been the moon. Both were visible when he made his wish that night. He didn’t know if millionaire musicians lived in gigantic lofts by themselves where you came from. He could’ve had roommates. Sohee and Wonbin always wanted to stay with him during the album creation process, to really get involved in the body of work. Venusian tours made Anton encounter his fair share of groupies that wanted him. He could’ve had one of them as a live in girlfriend that uses his money to buy drugs and his fame as an aphrodisiac. But Anton preferred to live alone, even if he had a guest room littered with things he’d think you like in between your visits.

Anton continued guiding your jacket off, then the fleece button up you had on underneath. You always complained about the cold. Anton imagined wherever you came from was always in an eternal spring compared to the frigid weather here. You liked the weather in Puerto Vallarta the most. You came to Anton on a pool floatie saying you could get used to the weather here. You hated it the most in Germany. You emerged from a snow bank when Anton was leaving the convenience store late at night. You were shaking like a leaf then, and Anton gave you his jacket and had to spend the whole night warming you up.

(At first the sentiment was innocent. He offered you all the blankets his room had to offer, and then you said you needed body heat. His huffs of hot air was sticking to your skin, and you were clinging to him for dear life. He repeated how badly he wanted to warm you up as he covered his body with yours, and hushed you over and over again when you were running out of breath. You were both sweating by the time the Sun came up, and then you said you were finally warm enough to go home.)

He knows you probably hate the weather now. But you bite your tongue to stop you from saying how cold it is even when you’re shivering. You just walk fully into Anton’s living room, sitting in the middle of the couch before you tap the spot next to you.

Anton is uninspired. He’s not creative. That’s why you’re here. Offering your magic touch again, his next Grammy nomination and wave of accolades is waiting for him on his large couch.

He follows in your footsteps, discarding his robe on the chair next to the couch. In his plain black tee and sweats Anton gets on the couch, climbing on until he rests his head in your lap. Even with all this space he’s too big. His foot dangles over the edge of the couch, and you let out a soft grunt when he lays his head on you. He doesn’t care because this is enough. When your fingers massage his scalp he closes his eyes, trying to will the stress away.

Anton felt you stir underneath him, and he already felt the stress coming back. He instinctually reached a hand to your arm, trying to keep you there. When he realized you were only repositioning yourself his hand left your wrist, going to his chest. He rubbed the fabric of his shirt and hummed the beginning of a song.

He looked forward as your hands carded through his hair, flattening out the bits that were sticking up.

“Where were you this time?” Anton asked.

“Your kind haven't discovered it yet. But I came back pretty fast this time, didn't I?” You asked.

Anton nods his head against your fingers because you did come back faster this time. When Venusian was just beginning you used to appear every week, when the band was at its peak the longest Anton was left waiting for you was two years. Before you showed up at his apartment today you called him over the phone a month and a half ago. Your voice crackled through the speakers and you sounded like you were somewhere far away. Anton almost asked you if there was reception on Venus, but instead he decided to put it in a song. Not knowing the answer made him look for it himself, and that’s how he came up with the idea of the first single for Venusian’s upcoming album. 

Anton remembers the last conversation you guys had over the phone. He asked you if you were real for the hundredth time and you laughed before saying yes. He asked if you’re real why can’t he reach out and touch you and you said he would just have to save it for next time. So Anton opens his eyes and reaches up with one hand, until he can feel your cheek underneath his fingers. His other hand wraps around your hand in his hair, and he keeps eye contact with you while you look down at him. It’s really not fair that you get to come and go as you please. You should stay here with him, be his live-in alien girlfriend who helps him write music. You wouldn’t even have to do housework, he’d hire someone to do that. He can get whatever people eat on Venus shipped right to his doorstep just for you.

Anton holds you tighter, there’s silence and you moving your legs underneath his head again. From this spot on your lap all Anton can focus on is you. You two are floating in space together, holding eachother’s hands. Anton thinks about a spaceship and then Star Trek, and then the parts of you that he couldn’t touch over the phone. He was telling you about it long after the phone call suddenly disconnected until he was shaking and his body was covered in sweat. 

“How’s the music thing going?” You asked.

The question was asked just to fill the silence, because you wouldn’t be here if Anton wasn’t struggling with the music thing. If Anton could finish the mixing on this song you’d still be floating around space somewhere and Venusian’s latest album would’ve already hit streaming platforms. 

Anton sits up from your lap and your hands combing through his hair. Even though he lets go of your hands he still feels them close, and when he turns around to face you on the couch you have them pressed in the space between your two bodies. You look like you want to reach out and touch him. Anton feels your pull, he sees your eyes focus on him after running down his body. He put his hands on your shoulders then your face, forcing you to look at him and only him. 

“It’s going well.” He couldn’t believe that your face was already becoming hot to the touch. Anton watched you become so bothered you didn’t correct his lie, only nodding against his hand. “Did you hear the new single?” He asked.

Anton watched your hands finally leave the edge of the couch to go to his thighs. Nothing about you was alien. He knew you well, he knew your hands would go underneath his shirt to touch his soft stomach. Anton knew you’d look down first then to him as you let your head rest in the palm of his hand. 

“It was pretty. Felt like you were singing to me.” 

“Well,” Anton trained himself to never answer the question directly when he’d be asked who his muse was. Wonbin always said he sang about love he never found and Sohee said he was singing about an idea. “who else would I be singing to?” Anton 

“Thought maybe you went out and got yourself a girlfriend.” You say.

Anton smiled to hearing that. Like he wasn’t waiting everyday for you to materialize. He could never waste his time dating when he spent all of it waiting for you and making music. He only shook his head, bringing you closer by the hold on your face. 

“I was thinking about you the whole time.”

“Oh yeah?” Your hand left his hair after pulling it one last time. Anton looks up at you sideways as you tilt your head. “I was thinking about you too."

He knows he's being dramatic, because just the thought of you somewhere thinking of your human boyfriend makes him smile. He already thinks of a bonus track for the album think about me will be the title, and he will get Wonbin to write something beautiful about a couple in love. He'll pair it with a beat that's light and sounds like someone's dreams, then end it with the sound of a phone disconnecting. He might even pair it with a music video.

"What were you thinking about when you were thinking about me?" You ask.

Anton has done this dance with you plenty of times. He knows that you’re here to breathe creativity into him, like the fate of his world depends on it. Fuck or die, fuck or never make another song again—it’s the same thing in Anton’s mind. But he still falls victim to your ability to raise the tension, like it was the first time all over again. Back then he was all nerves, thinking about music and how you were his sign from the universe that everything would be alright. He spent more time on his knees than he ever did in his life, he was drained but you kept wanting more. Sometimes Anton can remember the exhaustion vividly, and he also remembers when he woke up the next morning he knew exactly what he was going to do for that collaboration with his favorite artist.

You’re here now, countless save-his-career fucks later and still looking at him like you haven’t gotten enough. He sits up from your lap and turns to face you.

“I was thinking about the last time I saw you,” Anton’s hands start moving to the side of your face then down to your waist. You’re already moving to straddle him. “and you did that think I really like.” He continues.

Anton watches you look down at him and he wonders what’s going on in your head. He remembers last time you were here and you said sincerely he should get a girlfriend. He asked if you had a boyfriend on Venus but recanted his question immediately, knowing he wouldn’t be able to handle the answer. He has been making happy music as of late and didn’t want to change that.

Now you looked at him like he was delicate, your little human boy toy you entertained between periods of floating around space.

“I was thinking I just need you so I can get inspiration for this song.” He didn’t mind if he was nothing but an intergalactic booty call. Sometimes it felt like you did things for his benefit, like showing up at to him when he needed you the most. Your hands went to his face and he felt his heart stop. He swears he doesn’t mind.

“How many times do I have to tell you Anton, it’s all you?” You started letting your hips rest heavy on his lap, and he could feel how warm you were all around him. You can say all you want that your fingertips don’t have magical powers, but he has already found a chord for the lyrics Sohee sent him the other day. “You’re talented, just stressed and—” He presses your hips deeper into his, until you feel him twitching in his pants. “You’re already hard?”

Anton is helpless against you. You’re extra-terrestrial, that has already been established, but there’s something more. The planet Venus must have blessed you with powers. Anton's hand goes to the back of your neck and brings you closer.

“I just need a little bit more.” Anton murmurs against your lips.

Before you can speak Anton brings his other hand to reach into your pants, pushing his hand in your panties. Instantly you arched from the touch, when he applied pressure you swiveled your hips. He’s been here before, he’s been here a million times. An intergalactic booty call on his Italian leather sofa. You're already doing the thing he likes, where you whimper and push your tongue into his mouth. The simple action makes him already falter, becoming your puppet so easily.

Anton doesn’t know what you have in store for him. After discovering he was already hard the look in your eye changed, and your idea of comforting his feelings of inadequacy shifted to something different. 

He’s been holed up in this apartment for more than a week, and he hadn’t made a new friend in God knows how long. Anton forgot how to interact with people beyond his bandmates, and he felt ill-equipped to keep the conversation going with an alien. You’re here, getting off of his lap until his hands follow after you and you’re standing in front of him. When the coffee table is too close to you Anton wastes no time pushing it away with his foot, giving you enough space in front of him. You don’t say anything about it, instead bringing your hands to the bottom of your shirt and lifting it over your head.

Your shirt is balled in your hands then it’s obstructing Anton’s vision. He pulls it into his lap too quick to see you messing with the waistband of your jeans, shimmying out of it before pushing it down your legs. You came all the way from Venus in a matching set, all for him. He’s lied by saying he just needs a little more. Whatever happens each time you leave has only made him worse, and only makes him crave more. Each time you leave he’s left with a sense of this being the last time. 

When you come back to him in your bra and panties he’s too rash. Instead of guiding you to his lap Anton  gets on his back. He doesn’t tell you what he needs when you try to adjust to the sudden change. When you still try to go to his lap Anton’s hand on your wrist stops you. You look at Anton and it takes both of you too many dragging seconds to see what Anton is silent hinting at. He’s missed your touch, your voice, and your taste. When you realize it your eyebrows are raised nearly to your hairline, and he’s still guiding your body towards his face. 

From that point everything happened pretty fast. You asked Anton a million times if he was sure and said yes without fail. When you finally situated yourself with your knees on either side of his head, he knew this was what he needed. The skewed perspective of you down here, his hands on your thighs trying to guide you down. Feeling you cage him in and you taking up all his senses was what he needed. But you were still unsure, even with Anton’s eyes honing in on the pretty pattern of the panties he was determined to eat through you hesitated above him.

“You’ll stop me if you can’t breathe right?” You fought against his hands trying to bring you down. Every breath he took fanned your heat, he could already see the fabric forming to you. “I really couldn’t deal with the guilt if I killed you.” You said.

Anton thought this would be an amazing way to die. Suffocating between thighs and drowning in you. Could aliens be persecuted on Earth? Would you just go back to Venus and never come back?

“Anton.” He looked from your heat back up to you. You tried leaning back to see more of his face but his hold on you kept you in place. “Are you listening to me?” You asked.

“Yes. I’m listening.” He almost went crosseyed focusing back on your center. One of your hands went to grip the armrest past Anton’s head, preemptively giving yourself something to stabilize your body with. He dragged his words out, purposefully letting his breath fan your clammy skin. You were twitching for him already. He pulled you down again. “I’ll tell you, I promise.”

He was grateful his plea was what made you give in. One more tug at your thighs and you were lowering yourself on his mouth, and Anton was sticking out his tongue to lave your panties that covered your clit. He felt you hovering your weight above his head, scared to give him all of it, then he pushed your panties to the side. Almost immediately Anton felt more of your weight and your thighs close around his head. He felt your body lean forwards and he heard your exasperated breath, then a whimper that told him you were getting used to this. He lifted you only a second to drop you directly on his tongue, and he started sucking and licking whatever he could touch. 

Your thighs were shaking around his head, and Anton was becoming increasingly aware of his own body. His dick was twitching in his pants, with each jump or sound you made he was beginning to feel the tension rising along his entire body. He needed more. He was almost there, he almost had the chord or the arrangement. Revelation was on the tip of his tongue. Anton's fingers kept your underwear pushed to the side, he could feel the wet cotton sticking to the side of his face. He hummed again, and you pitched forward to grab the armrest of his couch for stability.

"Do you want me to touch you?" You asked the question quickly. You two made eye contact, his words of just needed you to get off was trapped between your legs. Even if you heard him he knew it'd be lost on him. You were too giving, and he revealed that one of his favorite things in this life was when you'd touch him.

You push yourself from the armrest of the couch and reach behind you, instantly pressing into the bulge. He's so strung up stimulation feels like pain, he's ready to pop at any moment. He hasn't been touched since he saw you last, and he couldn't think of doing anything for himself when you weren't here. Part of being from a different world must mean that your touch goes right through fabric. When your hand cups over his pants it's like you're gripping him in your own hands.

Whatever it is you're doing to him is too juvenile for him to cum first. It almost becomes a competition, he becomes greedy. He tongues you until he pushes past the ring of muscle, sucking on whatever his lips touch. Anton pushed on your ass until it pushed you forward, where his nose bumped your clit. His other hand wrapped around the top of your thigh and pushed you back. He repeated the motion, sucking harder each time your body hitched from you bumping into his nose. When he stopped guiding you Anton was grateful you abandoned more of your inhibitions to repeat the motions on your own. He was grateful that his pleasure became an after thought. You abandoned his dick completely to lean forward again, to press your hand to your lower stomach to really focus grinding on his face. Anton could feel you over his body, but your slick coated his chin. You You were making a mess on his lips too, moaning louder than the sounds he was making between your legs. 

Anton was too busy watching the way your stomach tensed and relaxed each time you ground your hips on his face that he was getting lost. Between notes and songwriting and everything else he was grinding against nothing, his legs draped over the other end of the couch and his body tensed up. You were becoming rigid above him too, your hand in his hair pulled roughly as your body came increasingly heavy on his lips. Anton still drove you forward, until your clit bumped his nose over and over again. You shifted on top of him to fully ride his face, bucking on him over and over.

"Close." You whimpered. Anton felt your hand grip his hair, keeping him in place. He was getting smothered by you, your thighs came close to his face and kept him caged in. "Close, Ton. You're always so good for me."

Anton nodded and continued the motion. He guided you easily, through your body shaking above him. He still continued to suck, until your thighs shook around his head. When you looked down at him Anton kept going, even when you tried lifting your body again he kept you there. He was so close, he just needed a little more. His hands on your waist was rough, he could see your skin dimpling underneath his fingers. He vocalized how he needed you to hold on, but it was hard to break through your noises and how your body was muffling him. 

When you finally froze above him, Anton could taste all of you. He continued sucking even when you pulled even harder at his hair. You had to shake your head and cry out to finally get him to stop. You melted above him, it was Anton who had to lift you off of his face. He watched you stagger on your knees forward, he tiled his head to follow your movements until you were leaning against the edge of the couch.

Both of you had to catch your breath. Anton sat up fully to see you mold into the couch, your chest raising and lowering. He was a little bit more composed, save for the way his hair stuck to his forehead and his entire face glistening with you and sweat.

"Did that help with your writers block?"

Suddenly, everything hits Anton at once. He stands up from the couch, still painfully hard and face flushed, leaving you in your seat. Anton peaks past the doorway of his bedroom to stare directly at you.

"Don't leave." He says quickly before disappearing past the doorframe.

Anton woke up from the sun coming through his window. He forgot to draw the blinds last night, leaving him blinking and already fighting through a headache. He blinked to try and adjust to the light, moving from his side to the other. His door was open. He remembered closing it last night. He also remembered you being on the bed next to him, but he went to sleep knowing you wouldn’t be here in the morning. Still while he faced the open door his other hand mindlessly ran over the spot you were laying last night. He still felt a crater in the sheets where you laid and he swore you left your perfume there too. When he took a deep breath in he could smell you, and he could still taste you too. 

When he looked past the open door he could see the mess you two left in the living room. There was a moment you two were having a heart to heart and the next you were pushing things off the coffee table. His expensive glass fruit bowl was surely chipped if not broken, and he had his throw pillows and blankets laying on the floor. He was still waking up when the buzzing sound from across the bed pulled his attention back to his room. Anton had to crawl over your side of his bed to his nightstand, unplugging his phone and mindlessly unlocking it.

He meandered on the homescreen, blinking constantly as he tried to jumpstart his mind. He even looked away from his phone completely for a moment, focusing on the quiet of his room as he let his thoughts come back to him. He remembered what he was doing the moment his eyes landed on his home studio. He looked at the turn tables and his computer screen that was still awake. He still had the file he was working on open. Anton recalled the song as he clicked on Wonbin’s phone number in his call log.

Anton brought his phone to his face and listened to it ring. He went back down to laying on his bed, one side pressed into the mattress as he kept his phone balanced on the other side. Anton even let his eyes close again as the phone continued to ring. He let out a yawn, fully expecting to catch Wonbin’s voicemail instead of catching him.

“I was calling you last night.” Wonbin says.

Anton still keeps his eyes closed as he hums an acknowledgment into the transmission. Wonbin doesn’t continue to pry even at the clear sign of disrespect, both of them already know what Anton is about to say.

“I have a new song.” Anton could practically hear Wonbin on the other end of the line sigh in relief. Anton imagined Sohee was there with him, the two crowded around the receiver of the phone trying to see who can hear the good news first. He imagines the two of them hitting eachother in excitement at the thought of releasing something new. Anton opens his eyes to look at his computer screen again. He finally feels the embarrassment as he recalls the inspiration he got for the song. He clears his throat, trying to will the memories away. “Come by and I can play it for you guys.” He says.

Anton didn’t have time to clean up his place before the two of them arrived. It seemed as though Wonbin and Sohee were waiting on his call. Within ten minutes he already got the text from Wonbin that they were outside. Anton only had five minutes to light an incense and try to desperately clean up the mess you two made the night prior. He ended up stuffing somethings into his closet, there were still shards of glass on the floor when the two were knocking on his door. 

When Anton opened his door the two barely spared a greeting, instead making a beeline past Anton’s mess of a common area to his bedroom. He saw Wonbin’s attention scatter across his terribly cleaned mess, speaking over his shoulder as Anton closed the distance between them.

“Your place usually isn’t this much of a mess, Anton.” Wonbin says casually.

Anton watches Wonbin’s attention stay on the jostled throw pillows and blanket on his couch. Anton’s face heats up when he remembers the night before. After you rode his face, the rest of the night was a blur. What you two did after that came in snatches. When Anton followed Wonbin’s gaze around his apartment he remembered it. Your hand planted on the back of the couch and the other clutching at the armrest as he fucked you from behind. He remembered the feeling of your sweaty shoulder clasped in his palm as he kept you driving backwards and the way you looked back at what he was doing to you.

“This usually happens to artists when they work on a project.” Sohee says matter-of-factly. 

Wonbin stops walking and looks at the back of Sohee’s head. Anton stops behind Wonbin and Sohee stops right before he walks past the threshold of Anton’s door. 

Anton feels like at any moment their attention will go to the mess and ask why it looks like a tornado ripped through his apartment. Anton almost feels relief that the two decided to bother eachother instead.

Anton watches Sohee give Wonbin his snooty know-it-all look, the one that always drives Wonbin crazy. Instead of responding, Wonbin only drives his finger into Sohee’s side. Sohee instinctually reaches forward to return the favor, causing Wonbin to back up on reflex before reaching forward to try and prod his side again. Anton watches the two of them try and fight. 

They don’t stop until Anton clears his throat and points towards his room. Almost immediately Sohee and Wonbin come to their senses to walk towards Anton’s room. Wonbin pokes Sohee’s side one more time as a joke, causing all three of them to laugh.

When Sohee goes into Anton’s room, he heads to the bed first. Anton tries to be calm seeing Sohee sit in the same spot on the edge of the bed you occupied not even twelve hours ago. Sohee unknowingly sets his backpack next to him, right on top of the pile where your discarded clothes rested before. Anton had to push past Wonbin, remaining neutral as he prepped the song to be played.

Anton trailed behind the two of them, and had to remain neutral at the sight of Wonbin doing a once over of the ground. Anton panicked and did the same, praying that he picked up all evidence of the night he had. When Wonbin’s eyes lingered on a crumbled shirt that looked a size to small, Anton cleared his thought. When his face went hot again he focused back on the computer, letting the sound of Sohee moving on his unmade bed fill the silence.

“When’d you finish this?” Sohee asked.

Anton looked back briefly. He saw Sohee playfully kick his feet that dangled over the edge of Anton’s bed as he leaned back onto the mattress. Anton forced himself to focus on clicking through the files on his desktop not looking back again. 

“Uhm. Last night.” Anton mumbled.

He felt bad for his non-assuming friend, how he had no idea he sat in the same spot where you were pathetically drooling onto his mattress the night before. The thought made Anton the complete opposite of how he was in that moment, he could only shyly nod his head when Sohee made a sound of acknowledgment.

Wonbin moved to the same spot beside the bed where Anton got down on his knees and draped your legs over his shoulders.

“Let’s hear it.” He said.

Anton pressed play and adjusted the volume, letting the beginning play. As the instrumental picked up Anton sheepishly described the type of song he had in mind for the beat. He prayed Sohee and Wonbin didn’t pick up on the deep bass immediately. He tried desperately to beat around the bush to such an extent that Sohee and Wonbin would come up with their own interpretation. 

“It’s on the slower side, but I think we could have really hard hitting lyrics here.” Anton said while making an encompassing motion with his hands.

Anton was grateful that his bandmates didn’t notice the flustered tone or his nervous habit of speaking with his hands. Sohee was thinking about the vocal color he needed for this song and Anton could already see Wonbin crafting the lyrics in his head. The true inspiration of the song seemed to go over their heads for a moment—Anton started easing as they nodded along approvingly to the beat. 

He believed he was in the clear, but when the chorus of the song came around and the sound of a bed creaking played through the speakers of Anton’s computer his bandmates froze. Anton saw Sohee and Wonbin exchange a side eye. Sohee’s legs that dangled over the edge of Anton’s bed stopped kicking suddenly and his head tilted to the side. Wonbin’s mouth dropped and he pulled his hand away from his face. 

Both of them were pulled from their reverie, looking up from the ground to look Anton dead in the eye.

“What type of song is this?” Wonbin asked.

Anton watched Sohee slowly turn around to take in Anton’s unmade bed. He could practically saw the lightbulb go off above his bandmates head as he watched Sohee look over the jostled covers and the folded pillow still laying in the center of the bed. Sohee slowly lifted his hands from the mattress and sat upright and turned back to Anton just as slow.

“No way.” Sohee says in disbelief.

At Anton’s reddening face and Sohee’s agape mouth Wonbin did a once over again. When the lightbulb went off over his head he begins laughing so hard he has to bend over and hold his chest. 

“Unbelievable.” Wonbin wipes the tears from his face. “Unbelievable.”

[pupsmailbox]

TECHNOLOGY ID PACK

NAMES︰ admin. ajax. alexa. am. atari. audio. auto. bailey. binary. blank. blu. blue. bluesse. browser. browsette. bug. byte. cache. calware. chip. circe. click. clicker. clickie. clicky. cloud. coda. code. codette. codie. cody. computette. crypt. cursor. cy. cyber. cybernet. cybernetica. cyberweb. cypher. cypherre. data. dell. digi. digitalia. digitelle. digitesse. disc. dot. electronica. electronique. emoticon. emoticonnie. fax. file. gig. gizmo. glitch. glitche. glitchesse. glitchette. graphique. hacker. hal. halware. hijack. index. informationne. intelligette. internette. interweb. java. javascript. juno. key. link. linuxe. lotus. lovebytes. mac. mal. malakai. malware. malwaria. memorette. memorie. meta. mic. micah. mickey. morphe. mouse. mousette. myspace. nano. neo. net. netette. nett. netty. paige. pascal. payton. peyton. pixel. programatha. programette. programme. pulse. reboot. rom. router. ruby. sam. sammy. screene. screenette. sean. shock. solitaire. spy. static. stutter. talia. tap. tecca. tech. techette. tessa. tetris. trojan. troubleshoot. ts. user. vir. virus. virusse. volt. vyrus. webbe. wheatley. whirr. widget. will. wirehead. wiresse. zap. zett. zetta. zip.

PRONOUNS︰ ai/ai. alt/alt. anti/antivirus. arc/archive. audio/audio. bat/battery. beep/beep. beep/boop. bit/bit. bit/byte. blue/blue. board/board. bright/bright. brow/browser. browser/browser. brr/brr. bu/bug. bug/bug. buzz/buzz. byt/byte. byte/byte. c/cpu. charge/charger. cir/circuit. cli/click. click/clack. click/click. click/scroll. co/code. code/code. color/color. com/com. com/computer. comp/computer. compute/computer. computer/computer. cor/corrupt. corrupt/corrupt. CPU/CPU. crash/crash. cre/creeper. crtl/crtl. cy/cyber. cyb/cyber. cyber/cyber. da/data. data/data. delete/delete. di/disk. dig/digital. digi/digi. digi/digital. digital/digital. dra/drag. e/exe. electronic/electronic. enter/enter. er/error. err/error. error/error. exe/exe. fi/file. file/file. gi/gif. gli/glitch. glit/glitch. glitch/glitch. graphic/graphic. hac/hacker. hack/hack. hard/hardware. head/phone. hij/hijacker. ho/home. info/info. information/information. int/internet. intelligent/intelligence. intelligent/intelligent. inter/net. internet/internet. it/it. jpg/jpg. key/board. key/cap. key/key. key/keyboard. key/keylogger. lag/lag. lap/laptop. ligh/light. linux/linux. load/load. log/login. main/mainframe. mal/malware. me/media. memory/memorie. mon/monitor. mou/mouse. nano/nano. net/net. net/network. org/org. over/overwrite. page/page. pix/pix. pix/pixel. pixel/pixel. plu/plug. png/png. pop/popup. port/port. pow/power. pro/program. program/program. ram/ram. ran/ransom. reboot/reboot. reload/reload. res/restore. ret/retro. route/router. sca/scan. scr/scroll. scre/screen. scre/screencap. scree/screen. screen/screen. scri/script. script/script. sentient/sentience. shift/shift. site/site. skip/skip. soft/software. spa/spam. space/space. spy/spyware. stop/stop. te/tech. tech/nology. tech/tech. technology/technology. tou/touchpad. txt/txt. typ/type. upload/upload. user/user. vi/viru. vi/virus. vir/virtual. web/page. web/web. whir/whir. wi/wire. win/dow. win/window. wire/wire. wire/wired. zip/zip . ⌨ . ☣ . ⚙ . ⚠ . 🎞 . 🎨 . 🎭 . 🎮 . 🎵 . 👀 . 👁 . 💔 . 💡 . 💢 . 💣 . 💳 . 💵 . 💻 . 💽 . 💾 . 💿 . 📀 . 📱 . 🔇 . 🔈 . 🔉 . 🔊 . 🔋 . 🔌 . 🔎 . 🖥 . 🖱 . 🗡 . 🗯 . 🛠 . 🧿 .

[oldschoolfrp]

"How not to open a chest" -- one more humorous look at life in the dungeon by Will McLean, from Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord for the Apple II (Sir-Tech Software, 1981). Inspired by D&D, Wizardry gave the player the option to search chests for traps, then disarm a trap by hand or by a magic spell. As in D&D it was advised to have a thief in the party for this sort of work.

Will Mclean is best known for his comic art in the 1979 AD&D Dungeon Masters Guide (the +2 backscratcher, the fighter afraid of the rust monster, the Papers & Paychecks RPG, etc), and in Dragon magazine. He also contributed to other game companies' rulebooks, at least one medieval history, and to SCA publications under his persona name Galleron.

[lonestarflight]

AU Space Shuttle Enterprise

Circa 1985 to 1987

From my Alternative History Post (link) this is how the Space Shuttle Enterprise evolved from the 4th operational orbiter in 1985 to the prototype unmanned shuttle.

More History on the Shuttle:

• April 1983: Enterprise is returned to Palmdale for her disassembled and rebuild.

• As a weight saving measure her mid-fuselage is returned to Convair for a complete rebuild to bring it inline with OV-103 and OV-104.

• to further lighten her frame, her aft-fuselage is rebuilt with similar materials as her sisters.

• Engineers at Rockwell suggests rebuilding or replacing her wings as well but NASA doesn't have room in the budget.

• May 1985: at long last, Enterprise is rolled out and joins the fleet. She weighs slightly less than Columbia. Her main issue is her wings are heavier and weaker than the other Orbiters.

• September 1985: STS-21 is Enterprise's first mission

• 1987: During the Shuttle hiatus following the Challenger Disaster, she went through a mini refit that saw her exterior markings change. (NASA in this timeline returned to the Meatball logo sooner than in the OTL)

Circa 1988 to 1993

• April 1988: STS-30 is Enterprise's first launch following the hiatus.

• December 1993: following STS-61, Enterprise is retired due to being the oldest in the fleet. Endeavour takes her place in the fleet.

• June 1994: Enterprise is flown to Dulles Airport, Washington DC, and is given to the Smithsonian for eventual display when the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is built. NASA retains the option recalled her if needed.

• 1998: NASA studies modifying the Shuttle-C software to work on the Space Shuttle and potentially using Enterprise as a reusable Shuttle-C. The reasoning behind this option this configuration would be a cheaper alternative to the X-33 program. However, while the shuttle could be retrofitted with the software, the shuttle would have less cargo capacity than the X-33 and still required use of expensive legacy launch facilities (ie VAB and LC-39). The study ends with only the software in a beta state.

• December 2003: Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is opened with Enterprise being one of its major exhibits.

• November 2003: the Shuttle-C software is used to return STS-118 Columbia to Earth and with critical damage to her structure (mainly her port wing and some internal damage from a collapsed landing gear).

• May 2004: NASA recalls Enterprise to replace Columbia.

• August 2004: initial plans are to return her flight, unmodified. However, NASA develops the Shuttle-C software further and changes it's name to A.S.Tr.O.S (Autonomous Space Transport Operating System).

• New wings! Enterprise is fitted with new wings which are of a modified design and lighter and stronger than the wings of her sisters. With other upgrades and modifications, she is slightly lighter than her younger sisters.

• Some within NASA joking refer to her as Enterprise-A, as a reference to Star Trek.

• September 2006: to commemorate the 30th anniversary of her unveiling to the media, Lockheed-Rockwell rolls her out of their Palmdale facility to rechristen the Shuttle. In attendance, Leonard Nimoy, George Takei, Nichelle Nicholas, Walter Koenig, Christopher Doohan and Rod Roddenberry.

- when asked by the media, Leonard remarked she is still a sight to behold and is glad she will continue her mission of exploration.

Enterprise A (unmanned)

• July 2006: to test the A.S.Tr.O.S. during a return to earth and landing, a new series of Approach and Landing Tests (ALT) were conducted with NASA's 747 SCA (N905NA) at the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards Air Force Base. 15 flights are flown to put the software in the real world, with two astronauts on board to step in when needed. Barring some higher than normal landing speeds, the software passes all of its objectives.

• It should be noted, while the rebuilt Enterprise is mainly used as an unmanned orbiter, this is a misnomer. It is more accurate to call her a hybrid shuttle. NASA has the option to convert her back into a manned shuttle if desired or needed.

- This nearly was used in 2015 during STS-154. Space Shuttle Atlantis was after conducting maintenance/upgrades on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), the crew was unable to disconnect the shuttle from the telescope. CTS-48 Enterprise was already on LC-39B for a cargo mission to the International Space Station. All that was needed was to remove supplies from the payload bay and reinstall the seats in her crew space. Fortunately, this rescue wasn't needed as the Astronauts conducted an unscheduled EVA and manually disconnected the Shuttle from the HST.

• November 2008: first flight of Enterprise-A (CTS-11)

• When Columbia was given a cosmic restoration for her display, the first set of wings from Enterprise was used to replace her damaged one.

• 2019: Enterprise is retired for the final time following CTS-74.

• 2020: Enterprise is on display at Space Center Houston with the restored Star Trek Galileo Shuttlecraft prop.

Original artwork by bagera3005: link, link, link

[scrapsovereign]

Ok everyone, hear me out:

What if you’re an aspiring NEET, current burnt-out millennial degen that has to work to support your wretched lifestyle and you get Isekai’ed on to the mindflayer ship?

You don’t speak the “common” language, but you can be sorta conversational in broken Japanese- which is eerily similar to another language a certain velf speaks…

Of all the places you had to get Isekai’ed to…wait a minute. This looks familiar. Is this that Bald and Gay game your friends keep sending memes to the group chat about?

Being here is actually a nice change of pace. The worst thing so far is not being able to understand a damn thing any of the other survivors say…

…until a moment arrives on the first night after you shotgun a health potion with a “Kanpai!” like the geriatric weeb you are.

The pretty, fancy one who sounds like he’s trying to pick you up using his best Vampire the Masquerade LARP voice snaps his head towards you. His eyes are wide in an expression that’s similar to the one you got from your supervisor that one time you loudly explained at the lunch table what yaoi paddles are to your zoomer coworkers.

He asks in what you consider to be the wildest pronunciation you’ve ever heard (for real, you can barely make it out) if you speak Kozakuran and by the powers of god, anime, and your rusty-ass 1.5 years of high school Japanese you put together a reply to him.

You can tell he haaaaaates talking to you in that language, but is also extremely smug about being the only one who can communicate with you.

He warns you that he’s the only one you can trust, and to keep your guard up around the others.

You tell him you’ll watch his back if he watches yours.

The Fabio-looking guy who looks like he’s fresh outta the SCA finds a scroll after you’ve been meandering about for a day or two and holy shit! It’s so nice to be able to talk to everyone! Kmart Fabio then starts talking your ear off. You had an awful date with a software engineer that went like this not too long ago and immediately regret the existence of magic.

It’s bliss when the spell wears off after a day’s time, and you have the sweet, sweet escape of hearing everyone speak in Sim Language. Except the fancy one, whose name you learned is Astarion.

You suppose maybe you should get your grubby fujoshi hands on a potion, another scroll, or actually try to learn the language. You know what though? Fuck it. It’s nice having the attention of a guy so pretty you’d normally be too nervous to talk to in your old life. He’s hilarious, sassy, flirtatious…

Still, something doesn’t seem quite right. You’re ready to tell your imposter syndrome to throw itself into the sun-and you do! It keeps coming back. It whispers that this is too good to be true, things can’t actually be this good.

When you wake up one night and you catch him in the act of trying to suck you dry like his personal Capri Sun you wonder briefly if it was right. Even if it is, you can’t remember the last time someone this hot had their mouth on you. Lastly, joke’s on your inner critic, you’re in to that sexy vampire shit.

You take off your shirt and lean your head to one side, offering your neck to him.

“Tabemasenka?”

He gives you a feral grin that does things to you- things that finally give context to all the smutty fanfic you’ve ever read.

“Itadakimasu, darling.”

[kunal2205]

In an age where software applications are constantly under threat from cyberattacks, application security testing has become a critical element of the software development lifecycle. As businesses increasingly move their operations online, ensuring that applications are secure from vulnerabilities is no longer optional—it’s essential.

Application security testing (AST) is a process of evaluating applications for security flaws and vulnerabilities that may be exploited by attackers. A successful testing strategy helps protect sensitive data, prevent system breaches, and maintain customer trust.

Here are the best practices for application security testing in 2025 that every developer, tester, and security professional should follow.

1. Shift Security Left in the SDLC

One of the most widely accepted best practices is to shift security left, meaning security checks should be integrated early in the development process—starting from the requirements and design phases. Detecting vulnerabilities during development is far cheaper and faster than fixing them post-release.

By embedding security into DevOps pipelines (DevSecOps), organizations can automate tests and continuously monitor code throughout the lifecycle.

2. Use a Multi-Layered Testing Approach

No single tool or method can uncover all security issues. For thorough coverage, combine the following:

SAST (Static Application Security Testing): Examines source code or binaries without running the program. Great for early-stage vulnerability detection.

DAST (Dynamic Application Security Testing): Simulates attacks on running applications to find vulnerabilities in real-time environments.

IAST (Interactive Application Security Testing): Blends elements of both SAST and DAST, providing deeper insights during runtime.

Using multiple layers of testing ensures better detection of known and unknown security issues.

3. Automate Testing in CI/CD Pipelines

Incorporating security testing into CI/CD pipelines ensures that every code commit is automatically scanned for vulnerabilities. Tools like SonarQube, Veracode, and Checkmarx offer integration with modern DevOps platforms.

Automation helps maintain speed in delivery without compromising on security, making it an ideal solution for agile teams working in fast-paced environments.

4. Perform Regular Manual Code Reviews

While automation is powerful, it’s not enough. Many security flaws—especially logic errors and business logic vulnerabilities—can only be found through manual code reviews. Encourage developers to peer-review each other's code with a security mindset.

Manual reviews are also an opportunity to mentor junior developers on secure coding practices and encourage a culture of security awareness.

5. Stay Updated with OWASP Top 10

The OWASP Top 10 is a valuable resource that lists the most common and critical web application security risks, such as:

Injection flaws (e.g., SQL, OS)

Broken authentication

Security misconfiguration

Cross-site scripting (XSS)

Ensure your security testing covers these categories and update tools/rulesets regularly to align with the latest threats.

6. Conduct Regular Penetration Testing

Penetration testing simulates real-world attacks on your applications to discover vulnerabilities that automated tools might miss. These tests can be done internally or outsourced to ethical hackers. They provide an external perspective and uncover risks that could otherwise remain hidden.

It’s a best practice to conduct penetration tests before every major release or after any significant system change.

7. Secure Third-Party Components

Applications often rely on third-party libraries, APIs, and open-source components. These can be easy entry points for attackers if not properly vetted.

Use Software Composition Analysis (SCA) tools like Snyk or WhiteSource to detect vulnerabilities in third-party packages and ensure they’re updated regularly.

8. Train Your Developers on Secure Coding

Security is not just the responsibility of testers or security teams. Developers should be trained in secure coding principles such as input validation, error handling, and access control.

Organizations should provide regular security awareness training, workshops, and coding challenges to help developers write secure code from the beginning.

9. Threat Modeling Before Testing

Before running any tests, engage in threat modeling to map out potential attack vectors, data flows, and system components that could be exploited. This proactive approach helps focus testing efforts on high-risk areas and improves overall security posture.

Tools like Microsoft’s Threat Modeling Tool can guide this process efficiently.

10. Track, Remediate, and Retest

Finding vulnerabilities is only part of the job. The real value comes in fixing and retesting them. Establish a clear workflow for:

Logging and prioritizing issues

Assigning them to developers

Retesting after remediation

Security issues should never sit unresolved or be dismissed as “not a concern.” A mature AST program ensures that remediation is timely and well-documented.

🔚 Conclusion

Application security testing is an ongoing process that evolves with each new threat. By following these best practices—shifting left, using layered testing, combining automation with manual reviews, and educating your teams—you can reduce your application’s risk surface dramatically.

Security is not a one-time task but a continuous commitment to protecting users, data, and systems. Make it an integral part of your development culture.

[communicationblogs]

Software Defined Radios Market

📈 Market Size & Forecast

The global SDR market was valued at approximately USD 32.68 billion in 2025 and is projected to nearly double to USD 68.78 billion by 2034, growing at a CAGR of 8.62% over that period.

Alternative reports estimate values between USD 16.9 billion and USD 27.7 billion in the early 2020s, with projected growth of 7–8% to USD 47–49 billion by 2030 . Differences reflect variations in report scope, including hardware versus full-system definitions.

🚗 Core Growth Drivers

Defense & Tactical Communications: SDR enables flexible frequency, encryption, and waveform support in multi-domain military operations. Joint Tactical Radio Systems (JTRS) and EU’s ESSOR highlight growing defense reliance

5G, IoT & Commercial Rollouts: Telecom and enterprise users adopt SDR for spectrum agility, enabling dynamic protocol support and future-proof upgrades.

Cognitive & Intelligent Radios: Integration of AI-driven cognitive capabilities boosts spectrum efficiency and adaptability 

Public Safety & Emergency Services: SDR solves interoperability issues across agencies during crises by enabling real-time modulation adjustments

🔗 𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐑𝐎𝐈-𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓-𝟐𝟎𝟑𝟏 → 𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐍𝐨𝐰

🔍 Emerging Trends

Digital & Cognitive Capabilities: SDRs increasingly integrate cognitive radio features, enabling autonomous spectrum sensing and dynamic waveform adaptation.

AI/ML & SaaS Models: Providers are embedding AI for smart resource allocation and predictive maintenance; SaaS offerings for SDR software deployment are emerging .

Open Architectures: Frameworks like the Software Communications Architecture (SCA) promote waveform portability and vendor-neutral development.

Platform Expansion: The ‘airborne’ and ‘space’ segments are notable growth areas for 2025–2030, alongside terrestrial deployments

⚠️ Challenges

High Initial CapEx & Complexity: SDR hardware and ecosystem deployment requires significant investment; integration with legacy systems is often complex.

Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities: The software-based nature of SDR increases exposure to cyber threats, calling for robust cryptographic and secure boot infrastructures

Spectrum Regulation & Calibration Needs: Regulatory constraints and the necessity for accurate calibration hardware pose hurdles

🌍 Regional Dynamics

North America leads with ~33–35% share, supported by its defense sector and advanced telecom infrastructure.

Asia‑Pacific is the fastest-growing region, fueled by rising defense budgets, telecom investments, and IoT adoption.

Europe benefits from collaborative projects like ESSOR; smaller but evolving markets in Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa are emerging.

🏢 Competitive Landscape

Major defense and aerospace firms — L3Harris, Thales, Northrop Grumman, BAE Systems, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Rohde & Schwarz, Leonardo, Collins Aerospace — dominate. Meanwhile, innovators and open-source platforms (e.g., Ettus Research, OSSIE via SCA) are expanding capabilities.

🔭 Outlook

The SDR market is on a steady growth trajectory, expected to reach USD 50–70 billion by 2030–2034. Continued expansion across defense, public safety, telecom, and IoT sectors will be driven by needs for flexible, secure, and software-upgradeable communication systems. Key success factors include addressing integration complexity, cyber hardening, and evolving regulation. With AI advances, open architecture standards, and SaaS models, SDR is evolving toward modular, intelligent, and interoperable radio infrastructures — paving the way for next-generation wireless networks and applications.

[smartcitysystem]

Why Startups and Enterprises Alike Need Application Security Testing

In today’s digital-first world, applications have become the backbone of business operations—from customer-facing websites and mobile apps to back-end systems that drive logistics, payments, and communication. As organizations increasingly rely on software to deliver value, they also become more exposed to cyber threats.

Unfortunately, many businesses—especially startups—tend to deprioritize application security testing in favor of rapid development and feature delivery. Meanwhile, enterprises, despite having more mature processes, can fall victim to complacency or outdated testing strategies.

The truth is: whether you're a scrappy startup or a global enterprise, application security testing (AST) is not a luxury—it’s a necessity.

This article explores why application security testing matters for businesses of all sizes, the risks of neglecting it, and how it can be integrated into modern software development lifecycles to build safer, more resilient applications.

What Is Application Security Testing?

Application security testing is a procedure used to identify, assess, and address security vulnerabilities in software applications. It ensures that applications are designed, developed, and deployed with security in mind—protecting data, users, and the business itself.

There are several types of AST methods, including:

Static Application Security Testing (SAST): Analyzes source code before the app is run

Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST): Tests the running application in a live environment

Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST): Combines elements of SAST and DAST

Software Composition Analysis (SCA): Identifies vulnerabilities in third-party libraries and open-source components

Penetration Testing: Simulates real-world attacks to find exploitable vulnerabilities

The goal? Find and fix security issues early—before attackers can exploit them.

Why Application Security Is Non-Negotiable

Applications are one of the most targeted attack surfaces for cybercriminals. According to industry reports, over 80% of data breaches are linked to application-layer vulnerabilities.

These can include:

SQL injections

Cross-site scripting (XSS)

Broken authentication

Insecure APIs

Unpatched open-source components

A single overlooked vulnerability can open the door to data theft, financial fraud, reputation damage, or even legal consequences under regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, or PCI-DSS.

Why Startups Need Application Security Testing

Startups, by nature, are focused on growth, speed, and innovation. But in the rush to launch MVPs, attract investors, or capture market share, security often takes a backseat.

1. Reputation Is Everything

For startups, credibility is fragile. One breach—especially in industries like fintech, healthcare, or eCommerce—can destroy user trust before the business even takes off.

Security testing helps startups demonstrate responsibility, gain customer confidence, and differentiate from competitors that neglect security.

2. Start Secure, Stay Secure

Building security into the foundation of your software (also known as “shifting left”) is far more cost-effective than fixing flaws later.

According to IBM, fixing a security flaw in production costs 6x to 15x more than resolving it during development. Thanks to AST, startups may integrate security early and minimize technical debt, hence preventing future rework.

3. Compliance from Day One

Many investors and enterprise customers now demand security and compliance as part of due diligence. Businesses that use application security testing are more equipped to handle:

ISO 27001 standards

GDPR or CCPA privacy requirements

Vendor security assessments

Penetration test requirements in B2B contracts

4. Defend Against Common Threats

Most startup applications are built using frameworks and open-source libraries. Without proper testing, startups are exposed to vulnerabilities like unpatched packages or misconfigured APIs.

Security testing tools like SCA can alert developers about these issues before hackers do.

Why Enterprises Also Need Application Security Testing

Large organizations often have mature IT ecosystems, but that doesn’t make them immune to breaches. Enterprises have more complexity, attack surfaces, and legacy code, making them frequent targets.

1. Volume and Scale Demand Automation

Enterprises often manage hundreds or thousands of applications across multiple business units. Manual testing isn’t scalable.

Application security testing, especially automated SAST and DAST tools, enables security to keep pace with rapid development cycles and global operations.

2. Legacy Systems and Technical Debt

Many enterprises still run on legacy code that was developed before modern security practices. These systems are frequently difficult to fix and might not have the most basic security.

Based on business risk, AST assists in identifying vulnerabilities in older codebases and prioritizing fixes.

3. Regulatory Compliance

Enterprises must comply with an array of standards, including:

PCI-DSS (for payment systems)

HIPAA (for healthcare data)

SOX (for financial transparency)

NIST and CIS (for cybersecurity best practices)

Application security testing helps ensure ongoing compliance, especially during audits and vendor risk assessments.

4. High-Profile Targets

The objective is more appealing the larger the organization. Cybercriminals, hacktivists, and even nation-state actors actively seek ways to exploit enterprise apps.

Regular testing—especially penetration testing and red teaming—helps stay one step ahead of attackers.

How to Integrate Application Security Testing into Development

1. Shift Left in the SDLC

Security should be part of the software development lifecycle (SDLC) from the start. Integrate tools like SAST into your CI/CD pipelines to catch issues as code is written.

2. Automate What You Can

Use automated testing tools to run regular scans on code, libraries, APIs, and live environments. These tools reduce testing time and help cover more ground.

Recommended tools include:

Snyk, SonarQube (SAST)

OWASP ZAP, Burp Suite (DAST)

Checkmarx, Veracode (enterprise-grade AST)

3. Conduct Regular Penetration Testing

Manual testing by ethical hackers can reveal business logic flaws, authentication weaknesses, and real-world exploits that automated tools might miss.

Do this quarterly or after major releases.

4. Train Your Developers

Security is a team effort. Equip your developers with knowledge about secure coding practices, OWASP Top 10, and how to remediate findings.

5. Monitor and Measure

Track metrics like:

Number of vulnerabilities found

Time to remediation

Severity levels

App coverage percentage

Use dashboards and reports to improve continuously.

Final Thoughts

Application security testing is no longer optional—it's a core business function. Whether you're launching your first app or managing thousands, you need to know your code is secure.

For startups, testing builds trust, ensures compliance, and sets the foundation for sustainable growth. For enterprises, it provides the scale, visibility, and protection needed to defend massive ecosystems.

The investment in application security testing today prevents far more expensive problems tomorrow. It's not just about checking boxes—it's about building software your users can trust and your business can rely on.

Are you doing enough to secure your applications?

Now’s the time to make application security testing part of your development strategy—no matter your size.

[react-js-state-1]

From Dev to Deploy: How EDSPL’s DevSecOps Ensures Safe, Scalable Software

Introduction: The New Age of Software Development

In today's fast-paced digital landscape, software development is no longer just about writing code—it’s about building secure, scalable, and reliable applications that can thrive in a hostile cyber environment. Traditional development practices are struggling to keep pace with increasing threats and the need for faster delivery cycles.

That’s where DevSecOps comes in.

And when implemented with clarity, purpose, and expertise—like at EDSPL—DevSecOps becomes more than a methodology; it becomes a powerful enabler of business growth, digital agility, and user trust.

In this blog, we’ll explore how EDSPL’s DevSecOps model helps clients ship secure software faster, keep risks in check, and deliver consistent value from development to deployment.

What is DevSecOps?

DevSecOps stands for Development, Security, and Operations—a cultural and technical approach that integrates security at every phase of the software development lifecycle (SDLC).

Unlike traditional models where security is treated as an afterthought, DevSecOps weaves it directly into:

Code writing

Testing

CI/CD pipelines

Deployment

Monitoring

This ensures that security becomes everyone’s responsibility, not just the concern of a separate team at the end.

Key Benefits of DevSecOps:

Early detection of vulnerabilities

Continuous security testing

Faster release cycles

Improved collaboration across teams

Enhanced compliance and governance

But implementing DevSecOps effectively isn’t easy. It requires tools, automation, cultural alignment, and deep security expertise—areas where EDSPL truly excels.

Why DevSecOps is Non-Negotiable in 2025

Cyberattacks are growing more sophisticated by the day. Businesses now operate in cloud-native, API-driven, and containerized environments, which, while flexible, also expand the attack surface.

Here’s why DevSecOps is critical today:

Shift-left security: Catching issues early reduces cost and complexity

Compliance pressure: Regulatory standards (like GDPR, HIPAA, etc.) demand secure-by-design systems

Zero Trust mandates: Trust no one, verify everything—right from code to production

Agile pipelines: With continuous delivery, security must also be continuous

At EDSPL, we’ve built a model that doesn’t just plug security gaps—we make security an invisible yet integral part of development.

EDSPL’s Approach to DevSecOps: A Deep Dive

1. Culture of Collaboration

DevSecOps is as much about people as it is about tools. At EDSPL, we foster a culture where developers, operations, and security experts work together from sprint planning to production release.

Our environments encourage:

Shared responsibility

Transparent communication

Agile security reviews

This breaks down silos and ensures security isn’t a bottleneck—it’s a built-in enabler.

2. Secure CI/CD Pipelines

Our CI/CD pipelines are fortified with:

Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)

Software Composition Analysis (SCA)

We automate these checks using leading tools to ensure:

✅ No vulnerable dependencies ✅ Secure secrets management ✅ Clean, compliant builds

So every release is tested, verified, and hardened by default.

3. Infrastructure as Code (IaC) with Security Controls

We leverage Infrastructure as Code (IaC) to automate environment setups, while embedding security policies directly into configurations.

For example:

Misconfigurations in cloud security are flagged instantly

IAM rules are pre-verified

Data encryption, firewall settings, and logging are enforced programmatically

This ensures your cloud and on-prem environments are never left exposed.

🔗 Also explore our network security solutions.

4. Container & API Security

In modern microservices architectures, container and API vulnerabilities can be devastating. EDSPL provides:

Real-time scanning in Docker/Kubernetes environments

API behavior monitoring and threat modeling

Custom WAF and API Gateway configurations

We integrate these directly into your CI/CD pipelines for secure-by-design services.

Learn more about application security and API protection.

5. Real-Time Threat Intelligence Integration

We don’t just rely on static policies.

EDSPL integrates real-time threat intelligence and live feed monitoring using data from:

Public CVE repositories

Industry-specific threat reports

Our own SOC (Security Operations Center)

This proactive approach helps us roll back or patch deployments before they’re exploited.

6. Compliance Built-In

Whether it’s GDPR, HIPAA, or industry-specific regulations, our pipelines:

Auto-generate compliance reports

Enforce secure coding practices

Maintain immutable audit logs

So your DevOps pipeline becomes a compliance engine as well.

7. DevSecOps Monitoring & Observability

Our dashboards track:

Change logs and commit histories

CVE vulnerabilities

Behavioral anomalies in dev/staging/prod

Policy violations in real time

Thanks to our integrated SIEM/SOAR, we offer real-time alerts, mitigation scripts, and rollback automation.

See our full list of services.

Case Study: DevSecOps for Fintech

Client Goal:

Build a secure digital wallet in 6 months—GDPR and RBI compliant.

EDSPL’s Execution:

IaC using secure blueprints

Code scanning via SAST + DAST

Compute and storage planning with encrypted backup

Container security in hybrid cloud

SOC monitoring post-launch

Outcome: ✅ Launch in 5.5 months ✅ 0 critical vulnerabilities ✅ Passed RBI audit in one go

Our Technology Stack

We work with your stack, or suggest industry best-in-class tools:

CI/CD: Jenkins, GitLab

IaC: Terraform, Ansible

Security: Checkmarx, Aqua Security

Monitoring: Prometheus, ELK

Containers: Docker, Kubernetes

Infrastructure: AWS, Azure, GCP

Networking: Routing, Switching, Mobility

Need help with Data Center Switching too? We’ve got that covered.

Why EDSPL?

We're not just another DevOps vendor. At EDSPL, we combine DevOps agility with security-first thinking.

✅ Managed and maintenance services ✅ Deep security DNA ✅ Domain knowledge across fintech, healthcare, telecom ✅ 24/7 support and accountability

Need more assurance? Check out our background vision and let our journey speak for itself.

Final Thoughts: Let’s Build, Securely

From code to production, EDSPL’s DevSecOps ensures your software is:

Secure Scalable Ready to deploy

Don’t let security slow you down—make it your accelerator.

📞 Get in Touch Reach Us Today to transform your SDLC with DevSecOps done right.

[practicallogix]

Understanding the DevSecOps Flow: Building Security Into the DevOps Pipeline

As businesses embrace digital transformation, the demand for faster, more frequent software delivery is skyrocketing. While DevOps enables speed and agility by combining development and operations, it's often missing a critical element: security. Enter DevSecOps, which integrates security practices directly into the DevOps pipeline, ensuring applications are delivered quickly and safely.

What is DevSecOps?

DevSecOps (Development, Security, and Operations) is a methodology that embeds security throughout the software development lifecycle (SDLC). From planning to maintenance, security becomes a shared responsibility rather than an afterthought. Traditional security models often delay releases with last-minute fixes. DevSecOps, however, proactively integrates security tools, tests, and best practices into every phase of the pipeline.

Key Steps in the DevSecOps Flow

1. Planning and Design

Security starts early with threat modeling and compliance discussions.

Teams define security objectives and plan secure architectures.

2. Development

Developers follow secure coding standards and use Static Application Security Testing (SAST) tools to identify vulnerabilities in code.

Security is part of code reviews alongside functionality checks.

3. Build and Test

Automated security scans are integrated into CI/CD builds.

Tools like Software Composition Analysis (SCA) pinpoint vulnerabilities in open-source components, while Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) simulates real-world attacks.

4. Release and Deploy

Deployment pipelines include checks for container security and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) vulnerabilities.

Secrets management tools protect sensitive data like passwords and keys.

5. Operate and Monitor

Continuous monitoring detects unusual activity, intrusions, or misconfigurations.

Runtime Application Self-Protection (RASP) tools safeguard production environments.

Real-time logs and metrics help identify potential threats.

6. Feedback and Improvement

Insights from monitoring feed back into the planning and development phases.

Lessons from incidents strengthen future security measures.

Teams continuously iterate to improve security posture.

Benefits of Implementing DevSecOps

Faster remediation of vulnerabilities.

Lower costs by detecting and fixing issues early.

Improved compliance with industry standards like GDPR and HIPAA.

Stronger collaboration between development, operations, and security teams.

Higher customer trust in the security and reliability of your software.

Why DevSecOps is Essential

Adopting DevSecOps ensures security is integrated into the entire DevOps lifecycle, from the first line of code to post-deployment monitoring. By automating security checks and fostering collaboration, organizations can build and deploy software faster without compromising safety. In today’s evolving cybersecurity landscape, DevSecOps isn’t just a best practice—it’s a necessity.

Conclusion

The DevSecOps flow represents a shift-left approach to security, embedding it early and automating it throughout the software delivery process. By adopting DevSecOps, companies can achieve faster releases, improved compliance, and greater protection against threats—all while delivering better, safer products to customers.

[talentlush]

Software Engineer, Senior

Description & Requirements A Senior Software Engineer specializing in Supply Chain Execution (SCE) module by developing, maintaining, and enhancing ERP solutions. This role combines technical development and system analysis to deliver sca…

[hawskstack]

🔐 Security for Software Development Managers: Building Secure Software from the Start

In today's ever-evolving digital world, security is no longer optional — it’s a business-critical function that starts at the planning stage. For Software Development Managers, balancing deadlines, innovation, and security is not easy — but it's essential.

This article provides an actionable guide on integrating security into your development lifecycle without slowing down delivery.

✅ Why Security is a Manager's Responsibility

While security engineers handle implementations, development managers play a vital role in embedding a security-first mindset in their teams. You are the bridge between business expectations and technical execution — and security must be part of that equation.

Failing to address security early can result in:

Expensive rework

Regulatory penalties

Reputational damage

Customer data breaches

🛠️ Core Security Responsibilities for Dev Managers

1. Shift Left on Security

Integrate security early in the SDLC:

Use threat modeling during requirements gathering

Include static analysis tools in CI/CD

Encourage developers to write secure code, not just working code

2. Define Secure Coding Standards

Establish team-wide secure development practices:

Validate input and sanitize output

Handle authentication and session management properly

Avoid hardcoded secrets, use secure vaults

Tip: Train your team using OWASP Top 10 or SANS CWE Top 25 vulnerabilities.

3. Automate Security Checks

Incorporate tools into your CI/CD pipeline:

✅ SAST (Static Application Security Testing)

✅ DAST (Dynamic Application Security Testing)

✅ SCA (Software Composition Analysis)

Automation helps you scale security checks without manual overhead.

4. Manage Dependencies and Third-Party Risks

Track and update third-party libraries:

Use tools like Dependabot, Renovate, or Snyk

Avoid using outdated or unverified packages

5. Collaborate with Security Teams

Make security a shared responsibility:

Include AppSec engineers in sprint planning

Prioritize security stories and bugs in the backlog

👥 Building a Security Culture

Security isn’t a tool — it’s a culture.

As a leader:

Promote secure coding as a team value

Celebrate proactive security efforts

Never blame individuals for security gaps — fix the process instead

Quote to remember: "Security is not the job of one person; it's a habit of the whole team."

📊 Measuring Security Maturity

As a manager, measure what matters:

Time to fix critical vulnerabilities

% of code covered by automated security scans

Number of security training sessions per developer

Vulnerabilities caught pre-production vs post-release

🧭 Final Thoughts

Security isn’t a blocker — it’s an enabler of trust. As a Software Development Manager, your leadership can ensure that security is integrated into every line of code and every phase of delivery.

Start small. Start early. Lead by example.

For more info, Kindly follow: Hawkstack Technologies

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[xettle-technologies]

What Challenges Do Micro ATM Operators Face in India?

The advent of Micro ATM technology has been a transformative force in India’s push toward financial inclusion, especially in rural and semi-urban areas. These portable devices allow individuals in remote locations to access banking services like withdrawals, deposits, balance inquiries, and fund transfers without visiting a traditional bank branch. However, while the technology offers immense promise, Micro ATM operators in India face numerous operational, technical, financial, and infrastructural challenges that hinder the full realization of its potential.

One of the most significant challenges is connectivity and infrastructure. Micro ATMs depend heavily on mobile networks or internet connectivity to function. Many rural regions in India still suffer from poor or unstable network coverage, which directly affects transaction speed and reliability. Failed or delayed transactions not only inconvenience customers but also reduce trust in the system. Operators often have to relocate or retry transactions multiple times, leading to frustration and inefficiency in providing seamless micro services.

Another major hurdle is the irregular and low commissions earned per transaction. Micro ATM operators, often appointed as business correspondents (BCs), earn a small fee for each transaction they facilitate. However, the volume of transactions in sparsely populated or economically weaker areas is usually low, which makes it difficult for operators to sustain their businesses. Without a steady income stream, many BCs lose motivation and eventually abandon their roles, creating service gaps for the local population.

Cash management and liquidity issues also plague Micro ATM operators. Since many customers in rural areas primarily make withdrawals rather than deposits, the operator must maintain sufficient cash reserves at all times. Inadequate cash flow can result in the operator turning away customers, which erodes trust and lowers transaction volumes. Additionally, getting regular cash supplies to remote areas is logistically challenging and poses a security risk.

Technical malfunctions and maintenance problems further complicate operations. Micro ATMs, although designed to be rugged and portable, are not immune to breakdowns. Malfunctions in biometric scanners, card readers, or the software interface can disrupt services. For operators in remote locations, getting technical support or replacement parts is often delayed, which results in prolonged downtime. This delay limits access to micro services and frustrates end users who depend on the device for essential banking needs.

User awareness and digital literacy remain significant challenges. While the use of biometric authentication and Aadhaar-enabled services has simplified access, many users are still unfamiliar with digital banking procedures. Operators often need to educate users about how to use the device, assure them of the security of their transactions, and sometimes even convince them of the benefits of digital banking. This educational responsibility adds to the operator’s workload and extends transaction time, reducing the number of users they can serve in a day.

Additionally, fraud risks and cybersecurity concerns have grown alongside the popularity of Micro ATMs. Since the devices involve biometric data and connect to core banking systems, they are potential targets for cyber-attacks or identity fraud. Operators must ensure that they are following secure protocols, updating software regularly, and preventing unauthorized access to the devices. However, many lack the training or technical expertise to deal with such threats, making them vulnerable to breaches and reputational damage.

Government policies and regulations also present a mixed landscape. While many schemes support the expansion of Micro ATM infrastructure, there are frequent updates in compliance requirements, KYC norms, and transaction caps. For small-scale operators with limited administrative resources, keeping up with these evolving guidelines can be overwhelming. Inconsistent policy implementation across states or banking partners adds another layer of complexity.

In light of these challenges, fintech innovators like Xettle Technologies are working to improve the experience for both operators and end users. Through better device integration, training programs, and improved backend support systems, Xettle Technologies aims to empower Micro ATM agents to operate more efficiently and securely. Their commitment to robust micro services deployment helps address some of the bottlenecks that have long hindered service delivery in rural and underserved areas.

Despite the challenges, the role of Micro ATM operators remains pivotal in advancing digital banking in India. They serve as the last-mile link for millions of citizens who would otherwise remain outside the formal banking system. Addressing the difficulties they face is essential for sustaining this ecosystem and realizing the broader goal of financial inclusion.

In conclusion, while Micro ATMs have brought banking closer to the unbanked, the operators who make this possible face numerous obstacles, from infrastructure and liquidity problems to regulatory and security concerns. Strengthening this network requires systemic improvements, ongoing support, and technological innovation. With targeted efforts and the support of forward-looking firms like Xettle Technologies, the future of Micro ATM-based micro services in India can be more resilient, efficient, and inclusive.