#Stop Credential Stuffing

[colossrat]

Batman: Captain, you're hurt. Is there someone you want to get in touch with?

Well… Vic (cyborg) is already there, Barry and Diana too… who else is he friends with?

Constantine? Yes, but John doesn't like the league and will give him a hell of a lecture for getting hurt…

Harley? poison ivy? Batman wouldn't like to know they were friends. two-faces? oh- absolutely not.

Captain cold? No. Snart knows Billy, not Cap. And Batman wouldn't like that either. Maybe Barry would like…?

Freddy and Mary are probably sleeping right now…

Marvel: Can you… can you call the Fawcett zoo, sir? I have a friend who works there… I'd really like to see him right now. and say that I'm fine.

Bat makes the call, Billy asks for the phone and they chat for a while

Marvel on the phone: Oh, no, no… I'm high right now- Noo! its cus im right above the sky-- I'm fine, just space... But I think I'm also high on morphine yea, some opioids yes… no? Oh, I would love to! Yes. Uhm. The one next to… yes-- I know- i know you know, and you know, I know you know! Stop fishing. Yes, waits waits, buh-bye!! I'll see you soon. mwaaah and he gives the phone back to batman Marvel: Hey? Boss? My friend is coming to bring me some tea that I like, kay? to make me feel better. Don't be rude to him, he's called mister tawky tawny. Just stay cool, okay? Be cool…

And he drops his head on the pillow and falls asleep, snoring loudly

Nobody understands a thing and from what Batman researches, Tawky Tawny is a tiger from the zoo, and they think the captain was just delirious on morphine But not five minutes later, a bipedal tiger in a suit arrives at the watchtower via the Zeta Tubs using the captain's credentials. he carries a little madam's bag that is carrying a tea kit and some biscuits

Tawny presents himself as the gentleman he is with an education that would make Alfred blush, but he doesn't allow anyone to slow him down. He goes straight to the room where the captain is, because he can smell him maybe? The league doesn’t know for sure.

There, he takes a small table and a portable OVEN from Madame's tiny ass little bag and begins to make tea. to. make. tea. The second Tawny opens the cookie jar, Marvel wakes up to the sound and smell and starts crying with joy at seeing his best friend and familiar

he introduces him to the whole league while drinking tea and stuffing his mouth with cookies, fat tears streaming down his face and tawny just enjoys his friend's company and takes care of him, but he doesn't avoid giving a dirty look to anyone who decides to judge their friendship

Tawny, pretending to be hurt: I'm surprised by your surprise. Don't you talk about me, cap?

Marvel, afraid that he hurt the tiger's feelings: I do!!! I talk about u all the time, all the time!!! they know you are my best friend!!!

Superman: it's true! he speaks a lot and very highly of you, we just--

Barry: we thought you were crazy, bro! Tim was hacking the watchtower cameras at that time by coincidence, so in a matter of minutes Damian would be running there to see the bipedal tiger and ask to pet him and tell him everything he knows about tigers

[fangirleaconmigo]

Gerlion oneshot? (If you're feeling it), just wanted to read more of your lovely book!Dandi, maybe the first time he calls geralt 'friend' and how geralt takes it?

"Are you going to eat the whole thing?" Geralt tried to sound casual, but the delicious wafting scent made the effort difficult.

He had been out of money for a few days. There was a job tomorrow, but tomorrow felt like a long way away. His stomach ached.

Dandelion blinked rapidly in horror. "Of course not!" he clasped his chest. "Half is yours. You are my friend, after all. If I have food, you have food."

The troubadour tore the pastry in half, and slid one side across the table to Geralt, muttering indignantly the entire time.

"Honestly, what do you take me for, a man who eats in front of his hungry friends. Some people-"

Geralt shoved the food in his mouth, and spoke as he chewed. "You know I'm a witcher, right?"

Dandelion harrumphed as he stuck a piece of pastry in his mouth. "And I am a poet, Geralt, we all have our credentials. You don't see me lording mine around."

Geralt finished swallowing then sighed. "No, I'm not bragging, I--I'm just," he held his hands up, "-warning you."

"What?" groused Dandelion. "Do you think I'm a bloody unicorn, will you be hunting me? What's your point, Geralt?" He took another bite.

Geralt groaned, irritated. "People say we are abominations!" he said it a little too loud.

Dandelion rolled his eyes. "And Veverka told her friends that I have a small prick. It's not true. Would you like proof?" Dandelion reached for his trousers.

"No! No!" Geralt insisted. "Stop it!"

Dandelion shrugged and stuffed the rest of the pastry in his mouth. "Alright, then I have enough coin left for two glasses of wine. Shall we go?"

Geralt looked up at the sky and gathered his wits. Then he looked back at Dandelion. "With you, I'll go anywhere my friend." Dandelion patted the side of Geralt's face. "That's more like it. Now let's get moving. I bet I can convince the barkeep to give me credit for more booze if I sing."

Geralt stood and swept his hand gallantly. "After you."

And off they went.

[ilovedainironfoot]

New little snippet from my very first fanfic about Bortus and Klyden. It takes place during the episode All The World Is Birthday Cake and the idea to write it came because of this post I made.

@skrabnuti2

.........................................................

Back at their quarters, Klyden used his husband's codes to get hold of his weapons, which he stuffed into a bag with a suit of armor thrown in too. He knew he had to wait for the off-peak time, when there would be as few people as possible on the boarding bridge. It meant more ships available and above all, fewer people to see him or to stop him. So he did exactly this and waited, sitting on the edge of their bed, motionless, until the fateful hour.

When the time came, punctual as all Moclan, he made his way to the boarding bridge. He passed through the corridors, the security scans and reached the bridge. There, three small ships stood wide open, as if waiting for him.

Then Isaac appeared in front of him, blocking his way, decimating all his hopes with his mere presence.

��Captain Ed knew you would come.”

The moclan could almost hear his heart breaking : "“I only wish to help my mate !”

"I apologize, but I can't let you do that. Please, step back."

Klyden didn't answer. Nor did he move.

"Should I interpret your silence as a refusal ? I must remind you that your intervention may compromise their safety. I truly advise you to go back to your quarters."

Isaa's scanners showed him that the Moclan still hadn't moved a millimeter. And still didn't answer.

Isaac insisted: “I'm also obliged to ask you to show me what you have in your bag.”

Still no movement.

Realizing that Bortus's husband was clearly very, very reluctant to cooperate, Isaac stepped forward until he was nose-to-nose with the moclan : “Shall I use force?”

Klyden slowly, very slowly, slid the bag off his shoulder then handed it to the android.

"Weapons. As well as an armor. You're not qualified to have them in your possession. I deduce that you used your husband's credentials."

More silence. This time accompanied by a look so murderous that the android finally understood the phrase “if looks could kill.”

"I must warn the captain of what you've just tried to do. Please follow me."

[strangerocsbymouse]

content tags: flayed!Billy, mentions of Billy & Amber's abuse, mentions of El being choked, Amber gets a concussion — not proofread + i have dyslexia so please forgive any typos!

"Jesus fucking Christ, Billy—" Amber wailed as the Camaro came to an abrupt stop in front of Starcourt. "Are you trying to kill me?!"

As Billy gazed at his sister, his stare almost frightened her. It was blank, almost animalistic.

He could.

He could've brought her to Brimborn Steel Works. He could've dragged her into this hell he was in with him.

But something stopped him.

This memory lingered in the back of his mind. They were little, curled up in the bedroom they shared many years ago in California, before their mom left. Neil was in one of his rages, Billy had his arms wrapped around Amber while she sobbed and covered her ears.

"Get the hell out of the car," He grumbled.

Amber rolled her eyes, stepping out. "Don't worry about picking me up. Steve's giving me a lift."

Without an answer, Billy sped off the second Amber grabbed her purse and shut the door. God, she didn't know what was up his ass this morning.

As she headed into the barely open mall and towards Scoops Ahoy, she couldn't help remembering what she felt last night. Something felt wrong, something in her brother felt wrong— but for now, she was gonna choose to ignore it.

Or, at least she tried.

She was distracted all day. Even when Steve tried to get her to fool around a little in the back when Robin wasn't paying attention.

"Have you seen my brother lately?" Amber asked Steve, who stopped kissing her neck.

"What?" He asked. "We're making out, and you wanna talk about your brother?"

"Steve, I'm serious," She sighed. "Have you seen him?"

"Not really, no. Wanted the lifeguard job at the pool but apparently being former swim team captain isn't good enough credentials," Steve grumbled bitterly. "Your brother is such a douchebag. Can't believe you guys are twins."

Amber sighed again, shaking her head. "Something felt off when he drove me to work... he left for a date last night and... he's not the same..."

"Maybe he just got stood up? Girls do that, yknow," He muttered.

Maybe he was right. Maybe Billy had just gotten stood up last night and that was the issue...

Right?

It bothered Amber all night. She could barely sleep a wink. Something about that look in Billy's eye, it just felt so wrong...

So, when Max and El came to her on a mission to see if the mind flayer had possessed Billy like he had Will less than a year ago, she agreed without hesitation. It was her day off, Scoops would manage just fine without her.

She took the two girls to the pool, where they met up with Mike, Lucas, and Will.

As dusk fell and the pool closed, the plan was set in motion. She and Max were both silently begging that it wasn't Billy— but seeing him sitting atop his lifeguard chair, covering up, wearing a hat? Something was definitely wrong.

The pitiful sight that was before them was breaking Amber's heart. Her brother curled up in the sauna, insisting someone else was in control and begging to be let out. Then Mike shouted for them to get away from the door.

Amber grabbed Max and pulled her away as Billy broke the window. He was enraged, she couldn't tell if it was him or the mind flayer.

"Billy, stop it!" Amber yelled as he desperately tried to claw at his sisters. The door flew open with Billy's newfound brute strength, smacking Amber and knocking her down.

She was unconscious, but there was barely time to react as Billy began to choke El. Max panicked, her gaze going between her sister and her friend.

Ultimately, with a little help, El won the battle and Billy took off, and the kids got Amber to the hospital. She'd gotten a concussion, now she was down for the count and couldn't even try to help her brother.

The next afternoon, who should stop by Amber's hospital room, but Eddie Munson.

"Um hey, heard you, uh, banged your head up pretty bad..." He muttered, holding a small stuffed bear in his hands.

Amber smiled a little, somewhat surprised to see him. "Yeah, uh... I fell," She wasn't sure if he'd believe that her brother was possessed by a monster from another dimension.

"So, beyond the concussion... you okay?" He asked gently, handing her the small stuffed bear.

"I'll be okay, yeah," Amber nodded gently, taking the bear and gazing at it. It was small, but it was so... thoughtful. "Hey, um... thanks. For coming to see me. That was really sweet of you."

"Well, uh, I was worried about you," Eddie mumbled softly. "Goin' for some USS Butterscotch at Scoops just ain't the same without you there."

Amber giggled a little, smiling at Eddie. She hadn't expected that...

But maybe this was just what she needed to get her mind off things.

[darkmaga-returns]

Winners

Bomb sniffers - One day in and we are back to bomber, even jihad bomber, attacks. This is immediately after the drones in New Jersey that many suspected were sniffing for radioactive material.

Conspiracy Theorists - Particle fog, bombers, drones that vanished from the news, and bird flu cases. A steady flow of crazy news items.

Trump cabinet nominees - Calmed down a bit. The narratives that were rolling along have stopped.

Losers

Vivek - Can he bounce back after the H1B debate? Stick to DOGE.

Spam Email Producers - AI gave them a new tool, and spam is flooding not just your personal inbox but corporate systems.

British Media and Politicians - After a decade of being a suppressed story, the Pakistani rape gangs issue is mushrooming in the public sphere.

Links

Chinese digital espionage is pretty impressive. This Salt Typhoon op will have long term effects.

When I wrote about Rhodes’ ambitious program to sell the Iran deal, I advanced the term “echo chambers” to describe the process by which the White House and its wider penumbra of think tanks and NGOs generated an entirely new class of experts who credentialed each other on social media in order to advance assertions that would formerly have been seen as marginal or not credible, thereby overwhelming the efforts of traditional subject-area gatekeepers and reporters to keep government spokespeople honest.

An explainer on H1B "shenanigans" but the section on EB5 visas might make for a better dig into our sick union of immigration visa scams and bailing out businesses.

Biden administration stuffing all they cant into green boondoggles before the curtain falls.

[bulletfestival]

Help Unwanted (pt. 1)

I never was the lucky kind of rabbit.

That's not to say I have it worse off than anyone else or I need anyone's sympathy. When pranks and mayhem are a universal constant where you live, you get used to regularly finding yourself as the butt of a joke and eventually learn to laugh along with it, even if it's at your own expense.

So I rarely minded the fact that I would find myself in this position more than the other Inabas due to my unlucky streak. This is just to say I was used to being on the receiving end of zany high jinks, and had the ability to easily shrug, laugh it off and forget it by the next day.

But never had I been faced with hostility intense enough to break the rose-colored glasses I always viewed even my worst bouts of misfortune through.

July 17, Year 127 (11 years ago)

The golden sun beamed down upon me as though its shine were directly proportional to my own mood. I dashed into the mansion once my daily chores were finished, continuing my sprint through the lengthy hall until I reached my room. Today I planned to work independently of my leader for the first time by looking for odd jobs at the village.

The notion of helping someone else could be considered a reward in itself, but I cared more about the potential monetary gain, as selfish as that might sound.

Anyway, with no more chores binding me to Eientei that day, it was time to prepare for my day at the Human Village. I couldn't just waltz in as I was, though; from what I'd heard, youkai weren't particularly welcome unless they had certain credentials marking them as trustworthy--like Reisen for example--which I obviously didn't. I needed to blend in if I didn't want to be immediately shooed off.

I planned in advance for that: a month ago I had snagged one of Reisen's work kimonos while it was hanging out to dry. Fortunately, I don't think anyone saw me, so they must have assumed it got blown away by the wind. Still, it was too long for me since I was only 4'6", but that problem was fixed by snipping the excess fabric and then sewing the end part back on, repeating this process for the sleeves.

The parts I had tampered with looked unusually wrinkled at the edges due to my inexperience with alteration, but I didn't think anyone would notice unless they squinted really hard. As for the problem of my ears, I used the leftover fabric to craft a bandana to put over my head and tuck my ears inside of that. They bulged through the fabric a little, but it didn't look too inconspicuous.

I didn't want to rouse suspicion by wearing it at Eientei where the other rabbits could see me wearing the stolen kimono, so I stuffed the disguise into my pocket and headed out through the forest, stopping to change behind a tree once I was close to my destination.

As I pulled both corners of my bandana together into a knot, I could feel the influx of anxiety beginning to well up inside of me. I couldn't help it; it felt like I was about to take the first step on an another planet--a place that a youkai like me wasn't supposed to be in--but that fact added a certain thrill that drove me to keep walking forward.

My eyes locked at the struggle that was repeatedly making one foot step in front of the other, directing my focus towards that than the voice telling me to chicken out while I still could. My own will ultimately triumphed with my first official step on village grounds.

I looked ahead to be rewarded with the lively atmosphere of the village. It was almost like the bustle of home, but more "advanced", for lack of a better term. Drinking buddies chatting at their favorite booths, customers lining up to purchase handmade goods, kids swarming out from a school to enjoy today's free time, Reisen in her medicine seller getup enticing a customer with her wares--

--Wait a second, that wasn't good.

It somehow slipped my mind that she was going to be here. She hadn't looked in my direction yet, but how was I going to get past her unnoticed? I didn't get much time to contemplate this, and had to act immediately; her head was already turning, and it felt as though time slowed to a crawl as apocalyptic scenarios of an angry Reisen dragging me back home ran through my mind.

Acting faster than I ever had in my entire life, I pulled an old newspaper from my pocket, buried my face in it and blended in with the nearest villager I saw, walking side by side so that their body was blocking her view of me.

The person was obviously disturbed by my invasive behavior, but I just kept walking next to them. While I did, I swore I heard Reisen's voice, but I didn't know if it was directed at me or the customer she had been talking to, nor did I know what it was she said. Either way, I ignored her and kept going until I was in the clear, splitting paths with the person I was bothering at that point, who seemed quite relieved that I did.

I backed against the wall, holding my chest as I released the breath I had been holding. I calmed down with the knowledge that she likely didn't notice me, and whatever suspicions she may have had probably weren't strong enough to pursue me. Letting the relief sink in, I looked ahead to the stretch of houses before me and the business opportunities that lied within.

With a big, friendly smile plastered on my face I went door to door asking if anyone needed any work done for pay relative to the effort required. My first few visits were either ignored, scoffed at, or refused right out the gate because I looked too young to be trusted with any kind of task. It was at this point I understood I wouldn't get anywhere unless I stretched the truth a little.

I knocked at the next door, crafting a story in my head while I waited for the approaching footsteps to open up. No one trusted a little kid like me with to handle a task for them, so it was necessary.

A fit but otherwise average-looking man answered the door.

"Hey, kid--is there something you need?" he asked me.

"Good afternoon, mister! I've been going door to door seeking work--are there any tasks around the house you might need taken care of?"

I spoke this way, thinking it made me sound mature and reliable.

The man hummed in thought and closed his eyes for a moment before giving the disappointing response, "Hmm, well, all I can think of is a small roof leak I need to take care of... but that's not really suitable work for a child. Sorry."

I didn't want to be turned down again, so I reached into the crack just before he could fully close the door on me and pulled it back open while saying, "wait wait wait, just listen!"

He was visibly confused, but seemed willing to hear me out.

"I can handle that, actually! See, I come from a family of talented carpenters--we take care of stuff much more complicated than roof repairs all the time; I could definitely do it for you!"

That lie was delivered confidently because with enough stretching of the imagination, one could say digging pitfalls and engineering various other traps counted as a form of carpentry.

"...Is that so?"

These words carried a hint of doubt.

"How old are you now?"

Obviously I had to lie again; he made it clear just a moment ago that he couldn't trust someone too young for the job, but with my short height, there's no way he would believe me if I gave him a high number.

"...Twelve. Twelve and a half. I'm... not that tall yet though. So anyway, how about it? You think I can help?"

The obvious shame in my tone as I brought up my height must have convinced him I was being truthful. His lips curled into an apologetic smile as he lightly patted my shoulder.

"Aha... Hey, it's okay, my wife was a late bloomer too. All right, sure. I suppose it's good to let a kid show their independence once in a while. You say you have experience this kind of thing, yeah? Here, I'll fetch you the repair kit, just wait out here a minute."

Thanks to sympathy weakening his judgment, I was in! I was so elated that I, of all people forgot to ask about payment while we were discussing what I was supposed to do. I'd do the job regardless; I trusted him enough to believe he would pay me after my work was done, even if I hadn't asked yet.

Oh, and he did ask me what my name was. I didn't want to give that information away, so I told him it was Marie.

Several minutes later, I found myself on his roof with a repair kit on hand. The gist of my task was this: replace any bad shingles I find, tell him if the wood has been rotting anywhere. Easy, right?

I spent a little over an hour simply replacing some as I had been instructed. A little complicated at first, but once I got the hang of it, it felt so simple as to be mind-numbing. But rather than boredom, I felt a growing sense of confidence in what I was doing. I felt a definite self-esteem boost knowing I was doing something right for once, and eagerly awaited the praise and reward that would subsequently come for it.

I had finished patching up a bunch of bad shingles, and fortunately I hadn't spotted any rotted wood under any of them. With the heavy box of replacements in tow, I tramped up the incline a little more. With my last two steps, the wood beneath me felt soft and unfirm. Dread pierced my heart as I realized what I was standing on, and before I knew it, I was lying on the floor in pain after falling through the roof.

The faling debris and dull thud of my body alerted two people to come rushing in with rapid footsteps. My vision was blurred from my head hitting the floor, and the first sight when my eyes could finally resolve the image was some kind of lucky cat ornament broken in half next to me, which apparently fell from the shelf nearby. I was scared how they would react to that, so I hid it behind my back as I sat against the wall.

The man and a woman I assumed was his wife arrived just then, the former grabbing my shoulders and asking if I was all right. Suddenly, his eyes grew large and I could see the concern evaporate from his features, with something that looked like a mix of fear and contempt taking its place.

"It's--it's a youkai!" he shouted while backing up. It was then I realized my bandana must have been snagged and ripped on some wood during my fall. The woman acted with similar fear, and I didn't know what to do other than stare with my mouth agape, trying to form a coherent thought from the stuttering that escaped me.

"What are you hiding behind your back?" he began to pressure me. His wife seemed a little more reasonable, trying to hold him back and offer him some words of reason. That maybe I wasn't the malicious kind despite my mistake. Still, he escaped her hold and I was grabbed by him in turn, tossing me aside to find the broken ornament.

"Oh my God, my mother's Lucky Cat..."

The sorrow in his tone is immediately overtaken by fury when he looks back at me, pulling me up by the collar to get a closer look at the daggers in his eyes.

"That was a gift from my mother! Were you trying to steal it, you sniveling damn rabbit?!"

"I-I didn't..."

"You didn't what?! You didn't think I would find out? You think you can just give me those crocodile tears and I'll forgive you for trying to steal from me?!

I looked at his wife who was standing behind him. My expression begged for any sympathy she could spare, like the kind she had demonstrated just a moment ago. All I could gleam from her in return was disappointment as though she were leaning toward her husband's side of the story.

And something inside of me snapped.

As a rabbit, I wasn't the strongest of youkai, but I could still easily outmuscle a human like the one grappling me then. I harshly shoved him off me, forcing him to to stumble into the wall, eliciting a gasp from the wife who quickly ran over to check on him while I ran out the door.

I realized how tired I was of the humiliation I near constantly felt. This was something I couldn't laugh off--even if I could, I didn't want to. I didn't want to be on the receiving end anymore. I felt more hate than I had ever felt in my life for that married couple for thinking they know everything about me all because of my race and a little screw up of mine.

While I ran, I held the newspaper from earlier down over my head like a hood to hide my features as I choked back my sobs. I think Reisen saw my white hair through the newspaper this time and could have recognized me through that, but I was too upset to care. I swore that as soon as I got out of there, things would change. It wouldn't be me who would look back on this event with shame and regret. Not this time. It would be THEM. If they thought that mistake was an act of malice, they were wrong.

Tomorrow, they would see what it really looks like when I'm being malicious.

[unsealedcube77]

Hey you! Yeah you! Have you ever been living life when you think to yourself, man I wish I could do that. Think to yourself,

Yeah I can do that! Who's gonna stop me!

Please ignore the previous statement if thought involved illegal activities.

Well I hand made a plushie and I'm proud of myself.

When Jaiden Animations uploaded her video reviewing gen 5 pokemon plushies, I wondered what Drifloons official plush looked like. Looking it up, it was kinda disappointing. There were parts I thought I'd change if I made it myself...

Then I thought, why don't I make it myself! So I stopped studying for my exam and proceeded to plan out the designs. However, I'm no expert by any means. My credentials were essentially:

Learned how to sew a quilt in grade 11.

Quick fixes in clothes or toys.

Lots of videos of doll customizations and a few cosplay tutorials I've seen on YouTube.

So, I set my expectations low and kept my self-confidence high. My margin of error for the drifloon plush was going to be huge, so regardless of the end result, I'll be happy.

Above are some of the first drafts of templates I used. The seem-lines excess grew as I learned that more is better. The circular tag for the bottom of Drifloon I had to remake a few times, so it was big enough with the final product. The arms I originally thought to make with fabrics, but once realizing it would look like shoelaces, I challenged myself to use rope.

I also had no plan for the cloud. I did know I wanted to use fabric rather than it to be pure fluff like the official design. I ended up just stuffing and stretching fabric into a sphere shape and sewing it together, hiding all the raw edges.

When I went to buy the material, I didn't buy plush and soft materials. If I remade the plush, I probably would make the cloud part fluffy, but since drifloon is a balloon, the smooth pillow-like sheets (Linen, I think) worked fine.

Gotta love the stitch work of my first attempt. I probably used a total of four stitch methods. One was stitched the machine, then handstitched the rest since I realized it was crazy to machine stitch something so small. Two of the stitches I probably made up. I stuffed the pads, and the end result is smooth enough, and I love each little flaw. The mistakes also helped me understand how to approach the rest of the body.

One, two, skip a few, I stitched 5 oval patterns together to make the body. I then bought an embroidery hoop to make the eyes. I thought of doing an outline for the mouth but settled for machine stitching.

This poor baby wasn't properly stuffed. Originally, I planned on using old stuffing, but then I bought cotton to stuff it properly. I accidentally ripped the material and thought I fixed it, but after stuffing it I realized he had a Dwane Johnson eyebrow. Luckily, with new stuffing, it's less noticeable, kind of.

Above is the finished product immediately after I finished! Ignore the calendar it was actually June. He can sit without rolling and the colours look great together! It wasn't until recently when the weather was beautiful and I took him outside for a photo shoot!

While there was lots of mistakes, I had lots of fun learning. I love my shiny baby who was inspired by a shiny I caught in Pokemon Scarlet, my first non-guaranteed shiny in a main game! Her ingame name is Aurora, but I've been calling the plush a he, so do with that info as you will.

Thank you for reading!

This project was really fun for me, and it all started by just wanting to do it myself. I hope this encourages you to just make something you've been holding out on doing. You may make mistakes like I did, but you may also finish with a final product that YOU made! What's cooler than that?

[zhakyria]

Forged Identities

Summary

*WARNING: May contain spoilers for Chapters 1 & 2 of the Imperial Agent story* Darth Jaedus has been defeated and the Eradicators stopped, yet an operative’s work is never done. Kahl’ryn ends his R&R short after word reaches him that his Sith father is not only missing but also a traitor to the Empire. To ensure the safety of his family from Sith retaliation, Kahl’ryn infiltrates the Imperial Census Bureau on Dromund Kaas in order to doctor his family’s history, unaware that he is already a pawn in someone’s schemes.

The light drizzle grew heavier as Kahl’ryn passed through the atrium towards the Census Bureau. A day rarely went by without rain in Kaas City, but today he welcomed the incoming storm. It would be useful for covering his tracks.

He padded down the crowded halls towards the records office. The weight of the data spike in his pocket felt heavier with each step. He wore dark gray technician coveralls and carried a small tool bag slung over his shoulder. A facial prosthetic covered his cybernetics and burn scars, which were blended in to match the rest of his skin with makeup.

He entered the Census offices and checked in with the front desk. No concerns were raised. No questions asked. The single raised eye brow and half hidden sneer didn’t escape Kahl’ryn’s notice but the receptionist didn’t question his credentials nor his work order.

He joined a group waiting at the elevators. When the doors opened, he stepped inside. A young woman stood near the control panel. She wore a light gray Census Bureau uniform, and her dark brown hair was pulled back into a bun. She cast a glance his way. “Where to?” Her hand hovered over the control panel.

“Records please.” The Lower Kaas City accent rolled off his tongue with ease. It wasn’t that much different then the accent he grew up listening too, but it wasn’t his natural accent either. It took several days of practicing to get the nuances of it just right.  

She nodded and keyed in his floor. He caught her sneaking glances his way, but she made no further move to engage him in small talk. The other occupants were too absorbed in their own thoughts.

He absently tapped the edge of the data pad stuffed into his right thigh pocket. He felt another headache creeping up on him. He’d been struggling with them for a few days now due to the stress and long hours he’d been keeping. He fished a migraine tablet from his pocket and let it dissolve beneath his tongue, ignoring the bitter chalkiness that now coated his mouth.

He exited the elevator into a short hallway the led to the records rooms. Dim ambient light filtered in from overhead. Droids patrolled the narrow corridors between the stacks and their clicks and whirring added a tenor note the otherwise low hum. It would have been an oddly comforting mix of white noise, if not for the claustrophobic placement of the data stacks. He entered his forged credentials into the waiting keypad. A welcoming chime sounded as the force field dropped. It felt too easy and doubt nagged at the back of his mind, he didn’t have time to contemplate that thought; he had a schedule to follow.

He checked the time and counted down the last few seconds. 1….2….3…. The lights went dark and the soft hum of electricity went silent. He hit the stealth generator hidden under his belt, and stepped past the threshold. The back up generators kicked in and the droids switched to attack mode. Security cameras would be out for 60 seconds while the system rerouted power. Kahl’ryn made a bee line for the back terminal, the only blind spot in the droids patrol. He took the data spike from his pocket, connected it to the terminal, and entered the start command.

He didn’t have enough time to clean all the data. Half truths, misleads, and random data corruption were the best he could scrap together on short notice. Enough to throw people off the trail, he hoped, but not enough to raise suspicions. It helped that most records had him and his siblings growing up in an orphanage on Rhelg, with few records directly connecting his Mother and Father, but they did fight in the war together. Without interference, it wouldn’t take much to put two and two together, that put all the children that grew up under their care at risk of retaliation.

New adoption papers, orphanages that no longer operated, forged relationships, it all helped to hide who they were. In less then 45 seconds the family of Lord Xhai’tan, former apprentice to Darth Malgus and a traitor to the Empire, became strangers.

The program finished and Kahl’ryn disconnected the data spike. He left the room, and once back across the threshold he deactivated the stealth generator. The power came back on a few seconds later.

With the force field back in place and the droids no longer hostile, he entered his credentials a second time. The chime welcomed him again. This time he walked over to the nearest terminal and connected his data pad to it. He started a simple diagnostic program, then knelt down to open a maintenance hatch. The plan called for two minutes of playing technician after which he packed up his gear, secured the maintenance hatch, and returned to the elevators.

His foot tapped in time to his heartbeat until the elevator doors opened. The woman from earlier waited inside. Relief flickered across her face before her expression returned to neutral. “Good. You’re not dead.”

Kahl’ryn nodded. “I got lucky. Power went out before I was even inside.”

“Were you able to fix the problem?” She hadn’t moved from her spot and there wasn’t enough space to squeeze past her onto the elevator.

“Nope. The problem must have resolved itself with the power outage.” He made a point of checking the time. “You know how it is, turning it off and back on solves most things.”

A smile twitched at the corner of her mouth. “So, I’ve heard.” She stepped aside so he could enter the elevator. Kahl’ryn punched in the code for the main level then pulled the data pad from its pocket, feigning work. They rode together in awkward silence until he bid her farewell at the floor to her office.

No one bade Kahl’ryn any mind as he hurried through the heavy rain towards the safe house. He wasn’t the only one in a hurry to escape the storm. He soon reached the apartment and tapped his code into the lock. The smell of stale alcohol and cigarettes assaulted his nose as he entered through the open door. He took a measured and thorough look around the studio, taking note of the threadbare rugs and stained bed covers. A mustiness hung like a sour note in the air. The place was empty.

He grabbed his gear from the hallway closet, pulled out his neatly folded uniform and laid it out onto the bed. He gabbed the face cleanser he packed and hopped into the small shower.

The makeup and prosthetic covering his face took longer to remove then he calculated, but he scrubbed until the burn scar once more marred his face.

By the time he’d finished in the shower he needed a stim to calm his shaking hands. He pulled one out from his pack,  injected it in one swift motion, then tossed the spent cartridge in the trash.

Kahl’ryn took a little extra time putting on his uniform and made sure to brush out the wrinkles. Then he re-connected his cybernetic attachments, which included a visual scanner and ear piece. He took one more look in the mirror. The twi’lek that looked back at him seemed out of place in the Imperial Intelligence uniform. His pale yellow skin appeared sallow in the unflattering light, and dark circles had formed under the dull eyes that starred back at him. Satisfied with his appearance, Kahl’ryn pulled on his great coat and stepped back into the pouring rain.

He checked the news while on the taxi ride to the Citadel. Between the propaganda and general reports on the conflicts across the galaxy, he didn’t find any mention of his Father. He wondered if the Dark Council would keep that close to their chest or turn the Empire against the rogue lord. Either could spell disaster. Next he checked the intelligence channels, still nothing.

An encrypted message blinked onto the screen; he entered his encryption key and opened it. Code Green. He huffed out a breath, he was in the clear. The plan worked, for now at least, with no one the wiser about the tampered data. The relief did little for the headache that started to return with a lot more fight then before. He pulled a bottle of pain killers from his pocket and swallowed two.

He arrived at Keeper’s office with no time to spare and walked right in. Watcher Two greeted him. “Cipher 9, come in.”

Kahl’ryn came to attention. “Outside operations are complete. Reporting for duty.”

“Then you’ll be reporting to me.” She stood up. “The Dark Council decided to make changes. My predecessor was elevated to Minister of Intelligence. That makes me the new Keeper of Operations Division.” She kept her tone clipped and professional.

He bowed. “You have my full support, Sir.”

He settled into at ease as she proceeded to fill him in on the next mission. He’d be working as a double agent, infiltrating the Republic SIS as an Imperial Defector to locate and eliminate the spymaster Ardun Kothe. Kahl’ryn followed along the best he could but the meds he’d taken were doing little to keep the headache at bay and the world around him lost focus.

Kahl’ryn woke later on his ship confused and in pain. He didn’t remember much from the briefing other then his main objectives. Returning to the ship felt like a fevered dream. He stumbled to the basin and splashed cold water on his face. His entire body ached and the headache pounded the inside of his skull. He sagged against the basin. His haggard visage starring back at him from the mirror.

As he contemplated dragging himself to the med bay, he glanced over at the bed side table. An orange light flashed on his data pad. He shuffled over and picked it up. It was another encrypted message. Kahl’ryn entered his code. Caution. Sith Interference. That wasn’t surprising, but he didn’t know what to do about it. Not until he had more information.

The light from the message made his vision swim and he swayed. He tried to set the data pad down before his knees gave out, but it landed on the edge of the night stand and tumbled to the floor with him. He sat there reeling for a few minutes, before pulling himself back into bed and dragging the covers over his head.

He woke to the sounds of his team returning. Kahl’ryn groaned as he sat up. His body felt like a punching bag. He must have pushed himself too far, or perhaps the stim interacted badly with the other meds he’d taken for the headaches. Regardless, the headache was gone for now. 

Once done in the refresher he dressed in his usual black pants and light gray shirt. He pulled on the shoulder holster for his small holdout blaster, secured a concealed vibro knife in his boot, and then he buckled his primarily blaster’s holster around his waist. Next he took a few minutes to clean the connectors on his cybernetics before clicking the scanner and ear piece into place.

Before leaving his cabin he picked up the data pad from where it had fallen and scanned the intelligence channels quickly.  No new messages, and still no word about his Father.

Hearing Kaliyo and Vector arguing from the other room, he slung his favorite red jacket over his shoulder, set the data pad back on the bed side table, and left to inform them of the next mission.

[simplesolveblogs]

How Insurtechs Are Strengthening Core Software with Advanced Cybersecurity Measures

As cyber threats continue to evolve in complexity, securing sensitive customer information has become a top priority, particularly within the core software systems that drive the insurance industry. Insurers are enhancing their cybersecurity efforts, and it’s fascinating to see how they are approaching this critical challenge.

Many insurtech companies are leading this transformation by incorporating state-of-the-art technologies, such as AI-powered threat detection systems soc security operations center, into their platforms. Instead of merely reacting to cyberattacks, these companies are taking proactive steps to identify and mitigate risks before they escalate into significant issues.

The Growing Need for Cybersecurity in Insurance

Property & Casualty (P&C) insurance companies are sitting on a wealth of sensitive personal and financial data, making them prime targets for cybercriminals. As insurers embrace technologies like cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT) to streamline operations, they gain substantial efficiencies—but also open themselves to new vulnerabilities.

For insurers, investing in cybersecurity isn’t just about avoiding regulatory penalties. In today's increasingly hostile digital environment, robust cybersecurity is essential for long-term survival.

To underscore this point, let’s take a look at a real-world example that rattled the insurance sector: the 2020 data breach at Folksam, one of Sweden’s largest insurance providers. This incident served as a major wake-up call for the industry. Folksam unintentionally leaked sensitive data for around one million customers, not due to an external cyberattack, but because of an internal oversight. In an attempt to analyze customer behavior and provide more personalized services, the company shared private customer information with tech giants such as Facebook, Google, Microsoft, LinkedIn, and Adobe.

While Folksam stated there was no evidence of misuse by these third parties, the breach raised serious concerns among customers and regulators alike. It demonstrated that even well-intentioned actions could lead to significant security failures if proper safeguards are not in place.

Core Platform Security: A Critical Priority

Your core platform—the system responsible for policy management, claims processing, billing, and customer relations—is the backbone of your insurance business. But it also becomes a prime target for cyberattacks if not adequately protected.

AI: The Ultimate Security Co-Pilot

Leading insurers are increasingly integrating AI-powered soc security operations center “co-pilots” into their core platforms. These AI-driven systems analyze vast amounts of data to:

Detect Anomalies: Machine learning algorithms can identify unusual patterns in claims, underwriting, or policy modifications that may indicate fraudulent activity or a security breach. For instance, an unexpected increase in claims from a particular region or a sudden surge in requests to modify policy details could signal potential fraud.

Automate Incident Response: Once a threat is detected, AI can automatically isolate compromised systems, preventing the breach from spreading. This might involve shutting down affected servers or disabling user accounts to contain the damage.

Predict Attack Vectors: By analyzing data from threat intelligence feeds and the dark web, AI can help insurers anticipate and defend against future attacks. This might include identifying emerging malware strains or pinpointing vulnerabilities in third-party software.

Take Zurich Insurance, for example. Their AI models soc security operations center successfully identified and stopped a credential-stuffing attack targeting their Asian SME clients, blocking thousands of fraudulent login attempts within hours. This kind of rapid response is only achievable when AI is deeply embedded in the core platform.

[harshnirmal]

How to Rank #1 on Google in 2025: Proven SEO Strategies for Massive Traffic

Ranking at the top of Google isn't just about visibility—it's about dominating your market. In 2025, SEO has evolved into a powerful blend of technical precision, content authority, and user experience.

If you want your business to appear on the first page (especially the top spot), you need more than basic keyword stuffing or outdated backlink tactics. You need a strategic, up-to-date SEO approach—and a partner like Pradeep Digital Marketing who knows how to get you there.

In this article, we’ll walk you through the top strategies to rank #1 on Google in 2025, with real-world insights and actionable tips to start growing today.

1. Master Search Intent – Not Just Keywords

In 2025, Google prioritizes user intent over keyword density. It wants to serve users the most relevant result.

That means:

Stop focusing only on short-tail keywords.

Start targeting long-tail, intent-based phrases like “best digital marketing agency for small businesses” instead of just “digital marketing.”

Use tools like Google’s People Also Ask, Ahrefs, or Semrush to understand user questions.

Want help mapping keywords to the right search intent? Pradeep Digital Marketing can build a winning content strategy that turns traffic into clients.

2. Use Topical Authority to Outrank Your Competitors

Google’s new ranking signals favor websites that demonstrate deep topical expertise.

This means creating clusters of content around a core subject. For example:

Main topic: SEO for eCommerce Cluster topics:

SEO product descriptions

Image optimization for eCommerce

Technical SEO for Shopify

Link-building for online stores

Building this kind of content structure helps Google understand you’re a subject-matter expert. This boosts rankings across all related keywords.

Struggling to build authority? Let Pradeep Digital Marketing craft your content pillars and elevate your niche dominance.

3. Optimize for Mobile & Core Web Vitals

More than 70% of searches come from mobile devices. That means your site must:

Load fast (under 2.5 seconds)

Be mobile-friendly and responsive

Pass Core Web Vitals metrics (especially Largest Contentful Paint, First Input Delay, and Cumulative Layout Shift)

Use Google PageSpeed Insights and GTMetrix to test performance. A poor mobile experience can kill your rankings.

Need a speed upgrade or mobile-friendly redesign? The developers at Pradeep Digital Marketing specialize in SEO-optimized website design that performs like a Ferrari on mobile.

4. Win Featured Snippets & "Position Zero"

Want to rank above the first organic result? That’s what featured snippets (Position 0) are for. These are the boxed answers you see at the top of Google search results.

To win snippets:

Use H2 and H3 headings for structure

Answer questions clearly and briefly

Use bullet points, tables, or numbered lists

Add schema markup where relevant

Ranking in Position 0 can double your traffic overnight. The content team at Pradeep Digital Marketing knows how to optimize pages specifically for snippets and voice search.

5. E-E-A-T: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust

Google's ranking algorithm now heavily weighs E-E-A-T signals. Your content needs to demonstrate:

Experience: Have you actually done what you're talking about?

Expertise: Are you a credible source on this topic?

Authoritativeness: Do others refer to you or link to you?

Trust: Does your website appear safe, secure, and transparent?

Build E-E-A-T by:

Adding author bios with credentials

Linking to trusted sources

Earning backlinks from reputable websites

Getting featured in media or industry publications

At Pradeep Digital Marketing, we help you build your online brand, optimize for Google’s trust factors, and position your business as an authority.

6. Video + SEO = The Ultimate Combo

Google owns YouTube, and they reward sites that incorporate video content.

Add videos to:

Blog posts

Product/service pages

Homepages and landing pages

Why it works:

Increases dwell time (time spent on site)

Reduces bounce rate

Builds trust and personal connection

You can even rank YouTube videos for keywords your competitors are ignoring. Ask Pradeep Digital Marketing to help you create and optimize video content for traffic and leads.

7. Internal Linking: The Silent Power Booster

Internal links help Google understand the structure and hierarchy of your site. They also guide visitors to other relevant content—improving engagement and boosting SEO.

Best practices:

Link to related blog posts using descriptive anchor text

Use breadcrumbs and navigation menus

Update old content with links to new content

Smart internal linking can raise your rankings across an entire topic. It’s an underrated but powerful SEO strategy that Pradeep Digital Marketing expertly implements in every project.

Final Words: SEO Success Requires Strategy & Consistency

Ranking #1 on Google is possible. But it’s not about tricks or loopholes—it’s about consistent effort, smart strategy, and deep user understanding.

To win in 2025, you must:

Create high-quality, intent-matching content

Optimize your site technically and visually

Focus on real expertise, trust, and usability

Stay updated with Google’s ever-evolving algorithm

And if you're ready to stop guessing and start ranking, then it’s time to work with experts who’ve done it for hundreds of others.

Let Pradeep Digital Marketing help you dominate your industry and own that top spot on Google.

[topitservices]

Google Omega Update: A New Era for Website Visibility in 2025?

The Google digital marketing landscape is on the verge of a seismic shift. With rumors intensifying about the Google Omega Update, businesses, marketers, and website owners must prepare for what could be the most significant algorithm change since Hummingbird and BERT.

But what does this mean for your website’s rankings? Will traditional SEO strategies still work? And how can you stay ahead in an evolving search ecosystem?

In this blog, we’ll break down: ✔ What the Omega Update is (and why it matters) ✔ How it could impact your rankings ✔ Why expertise and authority will dominate ✔ Actionable steps to future-proof your site

What Is the Google Omega Update?

While Google hasn’t officially confirmed Project Omega, leaks suggest it’s a core algorithm overhaul designed to:

Prioritize high-quality, expert-driven content over generic AI-generated text

Penalize manipulative SEO tactics (like keyword stuffing and thin content)

Enhance E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trustworthiness) in rankings

Reward websites with strong user engagement signals (lower bounce rates, longer dwell time)

This means old-school SEO tricks may stop working, and only the best ecommerce websites and content creators who adapt will survive.

How Omega Could Reshape Digital Marketing Strategies

1. The Death of Cheap AI Content?

With Omega, Google is expected to crack down hard on low-effort AI-generated content. If your site relies on bulk-produced, unedited AI articles, you may see traffic drops.

Solution:

Work with an SEO consultant to audit your content.

Focus on human-first writing with real expertise.

2. Social Signals & Brand Authority Matter More

Google may place greater weight on social proof, meaning brands with strong social media engagement could rank better.

Solution:

Hire a social media marketing expert to boost your brand’s credibility.

Encourage user-generated content (reviews, shares, mentions).

3. E-Commerce Sites Must Level Up

For the best ecommerce websites, Omega could mean: ✔ Product pages need deeper insights (not just sales pitches) ✔ User experience (UX) will impact rankings (site speed, mobile-friendliness) ✔ Customer reviews & trust signals become critical

Solution:

Optimize product descriptions with real expertise (not just keywords).

Improve page load speed and mobile responsiveness.

How to Prepare for the Omega Update (Before It’s Too Late)

1. Audit Your Content for E-E-A-T

Remove or rewrite thin, outdated, or AI-spun content.

Add author bios, credentials, and case studies to prove expertise.

2. Double Down on User Experience (UX)

Fix slow-loading pages (use Google PageSpeed Insights).

Ensure mobile-friendliness (Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test).

3. Build Real Authority, Not Just Backlinks

Guest posts on reputable sites (not spammy PBNs).

Get featured in industry publications and podcasts.

4. Leverage Social Media & Community Engagement

Partner with a social media marketing expert to amplify your brand.

Encourage discussions, shares, and testimonials.

Final Verdict: Adapt or Get Left Behind

The Google Omega Update isn’t just another algorithm tweak — it could rewrite the rules of SEO. Websites that rely on shortcuts will suffer, while those investing in real expertise, user trust, and high-quality content will thrive.

Need Help Future-Proofing Your Site?

For SEO: Consult an SEO consultant to audit your strategy.

For Social Media: Hire a social media marketing expert to boost credibility.

For E-Commerce: Study the best ecommerce websites and mimic their success.

What’s Next? Follow us for real-time Omega Update alerts. Get real-time Google Algo Update alerts and actionable prep guides on our digital marketing agency website.

[hitchzone24]

Digital Payments & Cyber security: What You Need to Know?

Businesses have completely changed how they collect payments from customers thanks to the internet. Not far behind, however, are hackers and other criminals who have increased fraud and security lapses, making the internet a dangerous place.

Current Risks to Cybersecurity

As technology develops, the threats that digital banks face change constantly. Banks can safeguard their clients and sustain the expansion of digital payments by tackling these issues head-on.

Digital payment systems can be disrupted by a variety of cyber threats:

Phishing attacks trick victims into disclosing personal information, including login credentials and financial information, by using phoney emails, phone calls, or texts. Other kinds of cyberthreats may result from the scam.

Malware is malicious software that compromises systems in order to lock accounts, monitor activity, or steal data. Different types of malware, including Trojan horses, worms, and spyware, serve distinct purposes.

Man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks allow hackers to obtain private data or money by intercepting user-bank communications.

Sensitive information, including financial and personal data, is exposed in large quantities when digital bank databases are accessed without authorization.

Ransomware uses malicious software to compromise computer systems in order to steal information, track user activity, or lock accounts. After requesting payment, the attackers continue to interfere with the devices and websites until they are paid.

Credential stuffing obtains unauthorized access to accounts, attackers utilize password combinations and usernames that have been stolen from previous breaches.

Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks overwhelm the bank's servers, preventing customers from accessing online services. DDoS attacks use multiple sources of compromised devices (botnets), as opposed to a single source that floods the target in a Denial-of-Service (DoS) attack.

Workers or contractors who have access to private data may purposefully or inadvertently result in security incidents or data breaches.

Social engineering is the practice of psychologically coercing people into disclosing private information.

Zero-day exploits are attacks that take advantage of undiscovered flaws in hardware or software before fixes are made available.

For online payments, why is cybersecurity important?

Whether you are a consumer or a business, protecting your data is essential. However, the following explains why online payment cybersecurity is even more crucial:

To safeguard private data

An employee in the financial services industry typically has access to 11 million files. Regrettably, hackers can compromise online transactions. Money is a powerful motivator for them to gather data, particularly private banking information. Vulnerable systems are extremely dangerous and can have catastrophic effects on both individuals and companies. Cybersecurity in digital payments becomes essential to safeguarding sensitive data.

To stop fraud

Concerns about fraud, identity theft, and money laundering are frequent in online transactions. Cybersecurity programs are able to analyse transaction patterns for suspicious activity through the use of machine learning and fraud detection mechanisms. This aids in the immediate prevention of fraud and theft.

To avoid significant fines and legal consequences

Customers trust businesses to protect their data (bank/card details) when they transact online. To protect customers, all merchants must adhere to the rules set forth by the payment industry. Multi-factor authentication lessens the likelihood of fraud or theft. If your company doesn't follow these legal requirements, you run the risk of:

If required, compensating victims for their losses

Costs associated with litigation

High fines imposed by regulatory bodies

Cut down on chargebacks

The majority of chargebacks happen when a cardholder contests a transaction or charge made to their account. They might demand a refund from their bank because they don't recognize the charge and think it's fraudulent. This is particularly prevalent in transactions conducted online.

By confirming the cardholder's identity, secure payment gateways can help lower fraudulent chargebacks and protect you from chargeback fees and other financial losses.

Establishing a worldwide company image

One issue is that cross-border regulations are not consistent. It is necessary to accommodate the various legal systems and security standards and regulations of various nations. Businesses can reach a global audience by putting in place secure payment gateways that are compliant with several nations.

Keep your reputation safe.

Customer mistrust and bad press result from data breaches. The most important factor for any business is brand reputation. Millions of dollars are occasionally spent by large corporations to enhance their brand image. You start to understand the significance of cybersecurity for all payment infrastructure when you consider that a single data breach could ruin all of that work.

Measures for Cybersecurity

To transform personal data into a secure format, encryption is necessary. The right key or description is required to unlock this encrypted data. This guarantees that after being intercepted, the data will stay safe and unintelligible.

By requiring some sort of verification before allowing access to the platform, Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) adds an extra degree of security. Tokenization substitutes a random or unique token that is impenetrable once intercepted for important payment information.

By using distinctive physical traits, biometric verification—such as fingerprint and facial recognition—offers an extra layer of security. These include the face's shape and a fingerprint's outline, which are both challenging to mimic.

By using artificial intelligence (AI), financial institutions have also innovated to enhance cybersecurity. Real-time transaction activity monitoring is done with this application. Additionally, it can use the data analytics tool to identify fraudulent transactions or possible threats.

Techniques for Mitigation and Prevention

Enhancing KYC protocols can aid in limiting unauthorised access to UPI accounts. The risk of fraud can be reduced by ensuring that every user is thoroughly vetted and verified.

To strengthen the UPI ecosystem, it is essential to implement sophisticated fraud detection algorithms and fortify authentication systems. Frequent patching and software updates can help eliminate potential weaknesses that hackers could take advantage of.

Fighting UPI fraud requires efficient cooperation from regulators, financial institutions, and law enforcement. Cybercriminal networks can be found and disrupted with the aid of information sharing and coordination.

Quick identification of suspicious activity can be facilitated by real-time transaction monitoring. Financial institutions can avert serious damage by looking at transaction patterns and spotting anomalies.

By increasing user awareness through educational campaigns and training programs, people can be better equipped to spot and steer clear of phishing attempts and other fraudulent schemes. Cybercriminals are less likely to target knowledgeable users.

Financial stability in the face of cybercrime can be obtained with a comprehensive cyber insurance policy. The costs of recovering from a cyberattack, such as legal fees, data recovery costs, and monetary losses, may be covered by these policies. A strong cybersecurity strategy requires cyber insurance, which provides businesses and individuals with peace of mind.

All businesses are becoming increasingly concerned about cyber security. Therefore, selecting an end-to-end payment solution with features and compliance designed for high security is crucial.

[azapiai]

Why OCR and CAPTCHA Services Are Your Website’s Secret Weapon

In today’s fast-paced digital environment, where automation is widespread and cyber threats are more sophisticated than ever, securing your website is not a luxury—it’s a necessity. Among the most effective tools available are OCR and CAPTCHA services. These technologies not only shield your site from malicious bots and spam but also improve user experience, increase data precision, and strengthen the overall reliability of your digital infrastructure. 

Let’s explore why OCR and CAPTCHA services are essential for modern websites and how they enhance both protection and performance. 

Understanding OCR: Why It’s a Game-Changer for Your Website

Optical Character Recognition (OCR) is a powerful technology that converts different types of media—like scanned documents, PDFs, and images—into machine-readable, editable, and searchable text. For businesses handling numerous form submissions, scanned records, or paperwork, OCR delivers a much-needed automation boost. 

Core Advantages of Using OCR and CAPTCHA Services: 

Automated Data Entry

OCR transforms visual information into text, eliminating the need for manual input. This significantly speeds up workflows and reduces labour costs. 

Greater Data Accuracy

By reducing human involvement in data entry, OCR minimizes the risk of errors and ensures high data fidelity. 

Enhanced Accessibility and Indexing

OCR makes previously unreadable image-based text accessible to both users and search engines, enhancing site usability and visibility. 

Accelerated Processing Speeds

By digitizing data on the fly, OCR enables faster operations and better real-time responses for customers and internal teams alike. 

From digitizing legal files to processing invoices in eCommerce or patient records in healthcare, OCR and CAPTCHA services are critical for digital transformation. 

CAPTCHA Technology: Your First Line of Défense

While OCR helps you manage and digitize data, CAPTCHA (Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart) acts as your digital gatekeeper. CAPTCHA services distinguish human users from bots, preventing abuse and maintaining the integrity of your online assets. 

Why CAPTCHA Is Vital for Website Security: 

Défense Against Automated Attacks

CAPTCHA prevents bots from executing harmful actions like form submissions, account creation, or brute-force login attempts. 

Spam Reduction

It keeps your forms, comment sections, and databases clean by blocking automated spam. 

Protection Against Credential Stuffing

CAPTCHA ensures that only humans attempt to log in, reducing the likelihood of stolen credentials being tested on your platform. 

Data Protection

CAPTCHA helps stop unauthorized data scraping and shields your pricing, listings, or sensitive user info from prying bots. 

Modern CAPTCHA solutions—including Google reCAPTCHA, hCaptcha, and innovative math-based CAPTCHA systems like those offered by AZAPI.ai—combine strong security with user-friendliness and accessibility. 

The Power Combo: OCR and CAPTCHA Working Together

When used together, OCR and CAPTCHA services deliver a comprehensive solution for security and functionality. While CAPTCHA ensures only legitimate users access your systems, OCR captures and processes any submitted documents or images efficiently and accurately. 

Use Cases Where OCR and CAPTCHA Services Shine Together: 

Online Forms and Applications

CAPTCHA blocks bots from spamming, while OCR pulls important data from uploaded documents. 

Customer Verification and Onboarding

CAPTCHA keeps bots at bay during registration; OCR helps digitize submitted IDs or proof-of-address files. 

Support and Feedback Portals

CAPTCHA eliminates junk submissions, and OCR extracts relevant user data from screenshots or scanned attachments. 

By integrating these two services, businesses can automate secure data collection, reduce abuse, and enhance digital customer experiences. 

SEO Perks of Implementing OCR and CAPTCHA Services

Beyond their immediate security and functional advantages, OCR and CAPTCHA services also play a role in boosting your search engine optimization (SEO) strategy. 

Reduced Bounce Rate and Increased Engagement

A spam-free, secure website enhances the user experience, encouraging users to stay longer and interact more. 

Improved Content Indexability

OCR enables search engines to read image-based content, improving your site's indexation and search visibility. 

Greater Accessibility and Compliance

By ensuring all content is readable and interactive, OCR helps meet accessibility standards—something search engines reward. 

Google and other search engines favour websites that load fast, are safe to use, and offer accessible, searchable content—all benefits that come from using OCR and CAPTCHA services. 

Choosing the Best OCR and CAPTCHA Tools

The key to unlocking the full potential of these technologies lies in choosing the right tools for your website’s needs. 

OCR Selection Tips: Look for solutions that offer high recognition accuracy, multi-language support, and compatibility with your data formats. Tesseract, ABBYY FineReader, and Google Cloud Vision are solid options. 

CAPTCHA Must-Haves: Prioritize solutions that are mobile-optimized, ADA-compliant, and quick to solve for humans while being difficult for bots. 

For example, AZAPI.ai math CAPTCHA strikes a perfect balance between security and simplicity, offering a lightweight yet effective solution that integrates seamlessly with most web platforms. 

Conclusion

The digital landscape is constantly evolving, and threats are growing more complex by the day. Yet many of the most damaging issues—spam, data theft, bot traffic—can be avoided with the smart implementation of OCR and CAPTCHA services. 

These behind-the-scenes protectors not only secure your site but also streamline operations, improve SEO, and deliver a better experience for your users. Whether you're running a start-up site or managing enterprise-level traffic, investing in these tools is a strategic move that pays off in performance, security, and search visibility.

[codingnectars]

What is On-Page SEO?

On-page SEO refers to all optimization practices you can implement directly on your website to improve its search rankings. These elements help search engines understand your content while enhancing user experience.

Key components include:

Content optimization

HTML tags and meta elements

URL structure

Internal linking

Image optimization

Page speed and UX

The 8 Essential On-Page SEO Factors

1. Strategic Keyword Optimization

Best practices:

Place primary keywords in:

Title tag (most important placement)

H1 heading

First 100 words of content

At least 2-3 subheadings (H2/H3)

Meta description

Use secondary keywords naturally throughout content

Maintain 1-2% keyword density (avoid stuffing)

Pro Tip: Use tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush to identify optimal keyword placement opportunities.

2. Content That Answers User Intent

Google's Helpful Content Update prioritizes content that:

Thoroughly covers topics

Provides unique insights

Solves problems better than competitors

Uses natural language (avoid robotic, SEO-stuffed content)

Content length guidelines:

Commercial pages: 1,000-1,500 words

Blog posts: 1,500-3,000 words

Pillar pages: 3,000+ words

3. Title Tags That Drive Clicks

Formula for perfect title tags: [Primary Keyword] + [Secondary Keyword] + [Brand Name] (if space allows)

Characteristics of high-performing titles:

50-60 characters max

Place keywords toward the front

Include power words (Ultimate, Best, Guide)

Create urgency when appropriate

4. Meta Descriptions That Improve CTR

While not a direct ranking factor, compelling meta descriptions:

Increase click-through rates by 5-15%

Should be 120-160 characters

Include primary keyword naturally

Contain a clear CTA ("Learn more," "Discover how")

5. URL Structure Optimization

Ideal URL format: https://example.com/primary-keyword/

URL best practices:

Keep under 60 characters

Use hyphens to separate words

Include target keyword

Avoid dates/numbers unless necessary

Remove stop words (and, the, of)

6. Header Tags That Improve Readability

Proper header hierarchy:

H1: Main title (one per page)

H2: Main sections (2-5 per page)

H3: Subsections (as needed)

H4-H6: Rarely needed for SEO

Optimization tips:

Include keywords in H2s when natural

Make headers scannable

Use question headers for voice search

7. Image Optimization for Visual Search

Essential image SEO elements:

Descriptive file names (red-running-shoes.jpg)

Alt text with keywords (but don't stuff)

Proper compression (under 100KB when possible)

Responsive sizing

Lazy loading implementation

8. Internal Linking Strategy

Benefits:

Distributes page authority

Improves crawlability

Increases time on site

Boosts conversions

Best practices:

Use 3-5 internal links per 1,000 words

Link to cornerstone content

Use descriptive anchor text

Fix broken links regularly

Advanced On-Page SEO Techniques

1. Semantic SEO and LSI Keywords

Google now understands context beyond exact-match keywords. Incorporate:

Related terms

Synonyms

Questions people ask

Topic clusters

2. Structured Data Markup

Implement schema markup to:

Earn rich snippets

Improve CTR

Help search engines understand content

3. Content Freshness Updates

Refresh content every 6-12 months by:

Adding new statistics

Updating examples

Expanding sections

Improving readability

4. Mobile-First Optimization

With mobile-first indexing:

Ensure responsive design

Test mobile speed

Check touch elements

Verify proper viewport settings

Common On-Page SEO Mistakes to Avoid

Keyword stuffing - Sounds unnatural and triggers penalties

Duplicate content - Hurts rankings across all affected pages

Thin content - Pages under 300 words rarely rank well

Slow page speed - Leads to high bounce rates

Poor internal linking - Wastes link equity and confuses users

Ignoring E-A-T - Lacks author credentials and expertise indicators

On-Page SEO Checklist

Use this quick-reference checklist to audit your pages:

✅ Keyword-optimized title tag ✅ Proper H1 with keyword ✅ 2-5 H2 subheadings ✅ Keyword in first paragraph ✅ Optimized URL structure ✅ Compelling meta description ✅ Internal links (3-5 per page) ✅ Image alt text and compression ✅ Mobile responsiveness ✅ Fast load speed (<2 seconds) ✅ Schema markup (where applicable) ✅ Content length matches intent

Conclusion: On-Page SEO as Your Competitive Advantage

In an era where Google's algorithms evaluate hundreds of ranking factors, on-page SEO remains one of the most controllable and impactful elements of your strategy. By systematically optimizing each page according to these guidelines, you can:

Improve search visibility

Increase organic traffic

Boost engagement metrics

Drive more conversions

Remember that on-page SEO isn't a one-time task. As algorithms evolve and competitors improve, continuous optimization is key to maintaining and improving your rankings.

Ready to take your on-page SEO to the next level? Start with Coding nectar. Small optimizations across multiple pages often yield better results than massive overhauls of single pages.

[711proxy]

How to Protect Websites from Unauthorized Bot Access

In the digital age, bot traffic has become a major challenge for webmasters and security teams. Bot traffic, i.e. web traffic generated by automated software rather than humans, can have a significant impact on a website's data analytics, security, and overall performance. To effectively address this issue, this article will explore a number of advanced strategies to detect and prevent unauthorized bot access.

1. Use of captchas

Captchas are the classic way to prevent bots from submitting requests automatically. By requiring users to complete specific verification steps, such as typing distorted characters or solving simple math problems, they can effectively distinguish humans from bots. Although some bots are already capable of solving simple captchas, in combination with other security measures, captchas are still an effective initial line of defense.

2. Limiting Login Attempts

The success rate of bot login attempts can be significantly reduced by limiting the number of login attempts a user can make to an account in a given period of time. This strategy is particularly useful for preventing credential stuffing attacks, where bots attempt to obtain user passwords using brute force methods.

3. Using IP whitelisting and blacklisting

IP whitelisting allows users with only certain IP addresses to access a website, while blacklisting blocks known malicious IP addresses. While this method is not foolproof, as bots can circumvent it by changing IP addresses, combining it with other techniques, such as device fingerprinting, can significantly improve protection.

4. Device Fingerprinting

Bots and real users can be identified by analyzing the user's device information, such as screen size, operating system, and browser type. Bots usually have unusual or inconsistent device configurations, while real users have more diverse and random device information.

5. Behavioral analysis

Bots can be identified as mimicking the behavior of real users by analyzing the user's behavioral patterns, such as mouse movements, scrolling rhythms, and page dwell time. Robots tend to exhibit systematic and consistent behavioral characteristics, in contrast to the intermittent and random behavior of human users.

6. Use professional security tools

Professional security tools, such as Web Application Firewalls (WAF), Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS), etc., can help detect and stop bot attacks. These tools can monitor network traffic in real time and identify and block abnormal behavior.

8. Keep software up-to-date

Regularly updating applications and operating systems is key to fixing known security vulnerabilities. By keeping your software up-to-date, you can significantly reduce the risk of being attacked by bots exploiting vulnerabilities.

9. Implement multi-factor authentication

In addition to usernames and passwords, additional authentication steps such as SMS captchas and email verification can be used to increase account security. Bots may be able to guess passwords, but they usually don't have access to the second factor of authentication.

10. Monitoring and logging

Monitor access to websites or applications and record logs to detect unusual behavior. This helps to minimize damage by responding in a timely manner before or when an attack occurs.

711Proxy: Benefits of rotating residential proxies

711Proxy provides a proxy server that routes traffic through a real home network with an IP address that is typically considered the residential address of an average user, and therefore not easily recognized by websites as bot traffic. By using 711Proxy, you can rotate IP addresses differently to avoid frequent use of a single IP, thus reducing the risk of being blocked.

By combining multiple policies, you can effectively detect and prevent unauthorized bot access. These strategies will provide strong protection for your website, ensuring its security and stability in the digital age.