#how to change password in database

[hostitsmartcanada]

This comprehensive guide teaches you how to securely change your MySQL database user password directly from cPanel. Let’s get started to know the process!

[mariacallous]

The flood of text messages started arriving early this year. They carried a similar thrust: The United States Postal Service is trying to deliver a parcel but needs more details, including your credit card number. All the messages pointed to websites where the information could be entered.

Like thousands of others, security researcher Grant Smith got a USPS package message. Many of his friends had received similar texts. A couple of days earlier, he says, his wife called him and said she’d inadvertently entered her credit card details. With little going on after the holidays, Smith began a mission: Hunt down the scammers.

Over the course of a few weeks, Smith tracked down the Chinese-language group behind the mass-smishing campaign, hacked into their systems, collected evidence of their activities, and started a months-long process of gathering victim data and handing it to USPS investigators and a US bank, allowing people’s cards to be protected from fraudulent activity.

In total, people entered 438,669 unique credit cards into 1,133 domains used by the scammers, says Smith, a red team engineer and the founder of offensive cybersecurity firm Phantom Security. Many people entered multiple cards each, he says. More than 50,000 email addresses were logged, including hundreds of university email addresses and 20 military or government email domains. The victims were spread across the United States—California, the state with the most, had 141,000 entries—with more than 1.2 million pieces of information being entered in total.

“This shows the mass scale of the problem,” says Smith, who is presenting his findings at the Defcon security conference this weekend and previously published some details of the work. But the scale of the scamming is likely to be much larger, Smith says, as he didn't manage to track down all of the fraudulent USPS websites, and the group behind the efforts have been linked to similar scams in at least half a dozen other countries.

Gone Phishing

Chasing down the group didn’t take long. Smith started investigating the smishing text message he received by the dodgy domain and intercepting traffic from the website. A path traversal vulnerability, coupled with a SQL injection, he says, allowed him to grab files from the website’s server and read data from the database being used.

“I thought there was just one standard site that they all were using,” Smith says. Diving into the data from that initial website, he found the name of a Chinese-language Telegram account and channel, which appeared to be selling a smishing kit scammers could use to easily create the fake websites.

Details of the Telegram username were previously published by cybersecurity company Resecurity, which calls the scammers the “Smishing Triad.” The company had previously found a separate SQL injection in the group’s smishing kits and provided Smith with a copy of the tool. (The Smishing Triad had fixed the previous flaw and started encrypting data, Smith says.)

“I started reverse engineering it, figured out how everything was being encrypted, how I could decrypt it, and figured out a more efficient way of grabbing the data,” Smith says. From there, he says, he was able to break administrator passwords on the websites—many had not been changed from the default “admin” username and “123456” password—and began pulling victim data from the network of smishing websites in a faster, automated way.

Smith trawled Reddit and other online sources to find people reporting the scam and the URLs being used, which he subsequently published. Some of the websites running the Smishing Triad’s tools were collecting thousands of people’s personal information per day, Smith says. Among other details, the websites would request people’s names, addresses, payment card numbers and security codes, phone numbers, dates of birth, and bank websites. This level of information can allow a scammer to make purchases online with the credit cards. Smith says his wife quickly canceled her card, but noticed that the scammers still tried to use it, for instance, with Uber. The researcher says he would collect data from a website and return to it a few hours later, only to find hundreds of new records.

The researcher provided the details to a bank that had contacted him after seeing his initial blog posts. Smith declined to name the bank. He also reported the incidents to the FBI and later provided information to the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS).

Michael Martel, a national public information officer at USPIS, says the information provided by Smith is being used as part of an ongoing USPIS investigation and that the agency cannot comment on specific details. “USPIS is already actively pursuing this type of information to protect the American people, identify victims, and serve justice to the malicious actors behind it all,” Martel says, pointing to advice on spotting and reporting USPS package delivery scams.

Initially, Smith says, he was wary about going public with his research, as this kind of “hacking back” falls into a “gray area”: It may be breaking the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, a sweeping US computer-crimes law, but he’s doing it against foreign-based criminals. Something he is definitely not the first, or last, to do.

Multiple Prongs

The Smishing Triad is prolific. In addition to using postal services as lures for their scams, the Chinese-speaking group has targeted online banking, ecommerce, and payment systems in the US, Europe, India, Pakistan, and the United Arab Emirates, according to Shawn Loveland, the chief operating officer of Resecurity, which has consistently tracked the group.

The Smishing Triad sends between 50,000 and 100,000 messages daily, according to Resecurity’s research. Its scam messages are sent using SMS or Apple’s iMessage, the latter being encrypted. Loveland says the Triad is made up of two distinct groups—a small team led by one Chinese hacker that creates, sells, and maintains the smishing kit, and a second group of people who buy the scamming tool. (A backdoor in the kit allows the creator to access details of administrators using the kit, Smith says in a blog post.)

“It’s very mature,” Loveland says of the operation. The group sells the scamming kit on Telegram for a $200-per month subscription, and this can be customized to show the organization the scammers are trying to impersonate. “The main actor is Chinese communicating in the Chinese language,” Loveland says. “They do not appear to be hacking Chinese language websites or users.” (In communications with the main contact on Telegram, the individual claimed to Smith that they were a computer science student.)

The relatively low monthly subscription cost for the smishing kit means it’s highly likely, with the number of credit card details scammers are collecting, that those using it are making significant profits. Loveland says using text messages that immediately send people a notification is a more direct and more successful way of phishing, compared to sending emails with malicious links included.

As a result, smishing has been on the rise in recent years. But there are some tell-tale signs: If you receive a message from a number or email you don't recognize, if it contains a link to click on, or if it wants you to do something urgently, you should be suspicious.

[vidukon]

Submissions open 25 & 26 March | How to submit a vid

Submissions for VidUKon 2025 will open early next week \o/ If you've registered for this year's con, you should receive an email either on Tuesday or Wednesday (25 or 26 March) containing details about how to log in to the new platform. 

Before we get into how to submit a vid, just a quick note on which browsers to use to ensure you get the best out of your con experience. Our platform is new and we haven’t been able to thoroughly test it on a wide range of browsers, so we would recommend Firefox as your go-to.

Browsers that should also work: Chrome, Brave, Edge, Vivaldi

Browsers that may struggle (but may also be fine, try it out!): Safari, Opera, others not named here

Browsers that will struggle and that we don't recommend: Firefox mobile on Android

If stuff looks broken, before you let us know, please check if you have the latest browser version installed. Speaking from our own bug testing experience over the past few days, updating the browser will fix quite a lot of things!

Below are instructions on how to submit a vid (or three!) to VidUKon 2025. 

Eligibility

You must be registered for VidUKon in order to submit a vid. If you haven’t yet registered, you can do so at vidukon.org. Once you’ve registered, you will be emailed a temporary password to log in to your vidukon.org Dashboard, which is how you will submit your vid. This process is not automated, so don’t be alarmed if it takes some time to receive the email, though we will do it as quickly as possible.

There are three submission-based vidshows: Vidder’s Choice, Premieres, and the Themed Premieres show. You can submit up to one vid to each of these shows. As implied, submissions to the Premieres and Themed Premieres shows must be new vids that have never been posted publicly or shown at a con or similar event. Conversely, Vidder’s Choice vids cannot be premieres. Additionally, Vidder’s Choice submissions must be no longer than four minutes and thirty seconds in length.

Technical specifications

Please follow these if possible, as it makes it easier for us to set up the virtual vidshows. However, we do not want these specs to be a barrier to submission for anyone – if you’re having trouble, please contact us.

File format: MP4

Video codec: H264

Max video bitrate: 7-8 Mbps

Max resolution: 1080p 

Audio codec: AAC

Max audio bitrate: 256 kbps

If you don't know how to follow these guidelines: If your vid is roughly under 350 MB and definitely not 4K, go ahead and upload it. If it’s not 4K but well over 350 MB in size and you don’t know how to reduce the file size, please contact us.

Please do not upload 4K vids. Things would likely break, one of them being your vid upload! Even if things don't break, we don't support 4K on the platform, so your vid will be converted to 1080p and will likely end up with bleached colors, since that tends to happen with automated conversions from 4K to 1080p.

How to submit your vid

Once you get your password, you can log in to vidukon.org and change your password. Please note that for now, the name you enter in the vid submission form must match your username. If you chose a different username when you registered than the name you vid under, you can change it by clicking on “Profile”. We plan to change this in the future but don’t have the capacity to do so this year.

To submit, click on “Dashboard”. Your dashboard will display what vidshows you can upload to and also lets you manage existing submissions. Click on “Submit”. This takes you to the page to enter the vid details. If the source(s), both visual and audio, are not yet in our new database (which at this point is very likely), then you won’t be able to add them on this page, but you can do so later. 

In the description field, please enter a brief description of your vid. This doesn’t have to be comprehensive; for example a common approach is to choose a lyric from the vidsong that is particularly evocative of the vid, but it is also fine to write something like, “A Dylan G. character study” or “All the f/f ships in Xena”. Be as creative or straightforward as you like, but please keep this brief as every vid description has to fit in our printed conbook!

Please tick any of the mandatory content notes that apply to your vid. For custom content notes, you may provide additional detail about any of the mandatory notes as well as add any non-mandatory notes, e.g. warnings for spiders or snakes.

At this point you can hit submit even if you didn’t enter any sources or audio due to them not being in the database. From here, you can click “Enter Sources” (add new visual sources that aren’t yet in the database), “Enter Audio” (add new songs or other audio not yet in the database), and finally upload the vid file. For the sources, you can click “search metadata” to get search results from IMDB and similar, this will help you find the year of release, full title, etc. Adding sources and audio in these pages automatically adds them to your vid.

Finally, don’t forget to upload your vid! You can add new uploads, and edit all other details of the vid, up until the submission deadline.

The vid upload takes a moment. Let it do its thing and don't close the tab or browser. If it takes longer than ten minutes, it's probably failed and you can contact us about it. You won't irreparably damage anything by closing the tab while the spinner is going, but we may have to remove all the vid data and make you resubmit. We don't know yet how the site will behave with multiple people uploading at the same time, so please be patient with the site, especially if you're uploading close to the deadline.

[thetriumvirate]

[ callum kerr, pansexual, cis male + he/him, smoke manipulation ] alistair macgregor is a neutral evil agent of pandora selected for their gift with words in the world of politics, well-versed in backstabbing and plotting as well as influential contacts and underwent the top-secret mutation process. to the rest of the world, the thirty-six year old originally from glasgow, scotland is deceased or missing. however, in atlantis, they are now known as smoke of envy after developing the ability to create, control and manipulate smoke as well as become intangible in a gaseous form, suitable for either cover tracks or assassination. the agent has been with pandora for seven years and is trusted for being confident & easy-going, but once reprimanded for being possessive & envious.

»»»ACCESSING DATABASE««« »»»PASSWORD REQUIRED««« »»»CONFIRMED««« »»»SMOKE FILE SELECTED: DO YOU WISH TO PROCEED?««« »»»Y/N«««

PERSONAL FILE: Name: MacGregor, Alistair Callsign: Smoke Division: Envy Service Time: Seven years Age: 36 years old Original from:Glasgow, Scotland Height: 6’0’’ Hair Color: Light Brown Eye Color: Blue PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE: SMOKE hails from a world of politics so it is expected that he can keep up a façade no matter the circumstances. His true intentions and thoughts are difficult to access, for SMOKE appears to know always the right thing to say and how to say it. Gifted with a charming personality, it is not hard no evaluate his ability to quickly befriend friend and foe alike. In depth analysis cannot access his true allegiance. He is confirmed to the loyal to PANDORA but he is also loyal to himself first and foremost. As long as our interests and his align perfectly, no further actions are required. CURRENT SKILLSET: Expertise: intimidation, marksmanship, culture and politics Proficiencies: acrobatics and evasion, deception, battlefield endurance, stealth and infiltration, insight Substandard areas: seduction, perception AUGMENTED ABILITY ANALYSIS: SMOKE is capable of creating, manipulating and shape smoke under a wide array of effects.

His primary use is to become intangible by transforming himself into a cloud of smoke that can easily slip through cracks, keyholes and other usually inaccessible places. In this form, he can also enter someone’s lungs and make it impossible for them to breathe, often leading to death. This ability is not limited to a single target but to the location it is used. Closed spaces are preferential for SMOKE to use this particular ability. SMOKE is also able to become tangible or intangible at will – often resulting in any blows that would make contact pass through him as he becomes a cloud of smoke. He is capable of becoming intangible in the form of smoke to also cloud someone’s field of vision and make their eyes burn due to this.

In his smoke form, he is capable of flying but this appears to only affect his gaseous form. His physical form is currently unable to fly or even levitate. SMOKE can also change the density of the smoke he creates to make it either resemble a light mist or become so thick that makes it unable to cross due to extensive periods without oxygen. The longer a mark is exposed to his gaseous form, the more adverse and potentially lethal the effects become: these vary from extreme coughing fits, burning eyes, lack of oxygen to the brain which may cause hallucinations, lung damage and in specific cases – death.

AUGMENTED ABILITY KNOWN LIMITATIONS: While SMOKE possess extraordinary abilities, his primary weakness resides in air. Strong gale winds may dissipate the smoke curtains or even his gaseous form – which in turn will require a larger period of time for him to reform himself after being disbanded. Large spaces may also prove a complex challenge for the larger the area to cover in smoke, the longer it will take for him to expand his gaseous form to cover more ground. In these cases, it is preferable for SMOKE to target groups of people or single individuals. Places with access to the exterior may also pose a problem – for the stronger the air current, the more effort is required of him to remain in his gaseous state.

[psalm22-6]

Hey! Hope you’re having a good day! I’m sorry if you’ve been asked this before and you’re repeating yourself, but how do you find these 19th century print culture materials that you often post? Where do you look for them? How would one go about finding this stuff?

Hello!! :-) thanks for the question. The answer is that I just spend hours sorting through any and all freely available digital archives. So Gallica is a big one of french materials available through the French national library (they also have retronews which is a bit harder to access for free but possible.) There's the Paris Museums archive which has lots of awesome and strange finds. Australia has Trove which is quite useable. The US has the library of congress but their website is very annoying to use. Each US state seems to have a digital newspaper archive (for example the California Digital Newspaper Collection), but some are easier to use than others. I love archive dot org though the function I use right now doesn't seem to be back up and working yet. Hathitrust digital library often has books I want but you have to know what you're looking for, I don't think you can just make a general search. I have access to some ProQuest newspaper archives through the university I went to. My dream would to get access to Newspapers dot com without paying for it (the archivist at a local museum one time gave me her password but she sadly changed it rip). What archives are useful to you will have to do with the subject you are researching.

So in short, I just find a database and the. i think of my search terms. Optical character recognition (OCR) is what allows you to search these papers but it's not perfect so you'll get some very random results sometimes or you might have to be creative with your search term. Sometimes you'll want to set date parameters to narrow your search. Then I just spend hours scrolling through the results (my idea of fun) and I like to use a free software called Zotero to help me organize what I find.

Hope that was helpful! Feel free to message me if you want to continue talking about this.

[polyphonetic]

It's been like 6 months and I'm trying to figure out again how I was able to set up a MediaWiki server on my computer... been looking all over my computer and history trying to figure it out. It's hard because I don't know where to look for how to learn how the website structure works beyond the MediaWiki startup guide. I had it working in the past! So it should be replicable!

At the very least I can run like a test php script with XAMPP... some sort of database connection error due to wrong password but I forgor 💀 how to change or even enter the password. So taking a break while internet is out

[lunarsilkscreen]

Government OS Whitepaper

I didn't know what else to call it; maybe they'll call it "MelinWare" and then somebody will invent a scam under that name for which I will inevitably be blamed.

We have a demand for systems Government and Corporate alike that are essentially "Hack Proof". And while we cannot ensure complete unhackability...

Cuz people are smart and mischievous sometimes;

There is growing need to be as hack safe as possible at a hardware and OS level. Which would create a third computer tech sector for specialized software and hardware.

The problem is; it's not profitable from an everyday user perspective. We want to be able to use *our* devices in ways that *we* see fit.

And this has created an environment where virtually everyone is using the same three operating systems with loads of security overhead installed to simply monitor what is happening on a device.

Which is kind of wasted power and effort.

My line of thinking goes like this;

SQL databases are vulnerable to a type of hack called "SQL Injection" which basically means If you pass on any text to the server (like username and password) you can add SQL to the text to change what the database might do.

What this looks like on the backend is several algorithms working to filter the strings out to ensure nothing bad gets in there.

So what we need are Systems that are like an SQL database that doesn't have that "Injection" flaw.

And it needs to be available to the Government and Corporate environments.

However; in real-world environments; this looks like throttled bandwidth, less resources available at any one time, and a lot less freedom.

Which is what we want for our secure connections anyway.

I have the inkling suspicion that tech companies will try to convert this to a front end for their customers as well, because it's easier to maintain one code backend than it is for two.

And they want as much control over their devices and environment as possible;which is fine for some users, but not others.

So we need to figure out a way to make this a valuable endeavor. And give companies the freedom to understand how these systems work, and in ways that the government can use their own systems against them.

This would probably look like more users going to customized Linux solutions as Windows and Apple try to gobbleup government contracts.

Which honestly; I think a lot of users and start-up businesses could come up from this.

But it also has the ability to go awry in a miriad of ways.

However; I do believe I have planted a good seed with this post to inspire the kind of thinking we need to develop these systems.

[mystery-fic-anon]

Pull me close, and hold my hands

Summary: A cute, fluffy slice of winter life where Edge and Stretch go on an ice-skating date together.

Warnings/rating: T, no major warnings, just some ice shenanigans

This is for the wonderful @alennyah for Gyftmas, I hope you enjoy your gift! I loved this prompt, I knew I had to do something with it :D

Thank you to @sin-cognito for beta reading this, you are the best!! And thanks again for putting on Gyftmas, it's been a blast to participate in!

Read it on ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/52826791

Or below the cut:

Hello

As I stated the first time I graded your project, your database’s code is fucked up broken. Even with the password, I am unable to read or search through files which if you were paying attention, is the only thing the project is asking you to do . I CC’d you on a previous email, but I will send the GitHub link here again. I highly suggest you try debugging the code, and if you are still unable to figure out the issue, please let me know and we can set up a time to meet.

Worst Best regards,

Stretch flinched as someone knocked on the door. He glanced down at the bottom right corner of his screen, then quickly stood up. He had only planned on replying to a couple of quick emails, but he’d gotten sucked into a failed attempt to debug his students’ latest attempt at the final project.

“I’ll be right there!”

He powered off his screen and pushed his swivel chair away from his desk. He got up and grabbed an orange jacket off of the back of the chair, sliding it on and picking up a gift bag as he headed over to the door. He usually wore his regular hoodie while skating, but he didn’t know how long he and Edge would be out. While Edge would offer him his coat like a gentleman, Stretch didn’t want to deprive him, so it was better to layer up.

His skates were still in his inventory, and so was his wallet. He shoved his feet into his boots, then leaned over and opened the door.

Edge stood there, cutting a gorgeous figure in a soft red turtleneck, leather jacket, and some tight jeans. He held his own gift bag in his phalanges, and Stretch couldn’t help smiling as he saw him.

Edge’s face didn’t change, but Stretch could see his shoulders lower ever so slightly. He was always tightly wound when they were outside of the privacy of one of their apartments, but Stretch didn’t mind it too much. After he’d learned to start decoding him, Stretch had found that the most standoffish skeleton of their little group had a kind soul.

Edge handed him the gift bag, gently tugging the other one out of his hands. He put it into his inventory, then looked back at Stretch. “Are you ready?”

“Yeah, yeah. Sorry, I was just finishing up a quick email.” Stretch locked the door, and put his own gift bag away.

He was eager to see what Edge thought of his gift, but there was no rush to open it right away. They had a whole date to do that.

“I thought you were off for the holidays?” Edge asked. His hand twitched, and Stretch happily reached out and took it.

He shook his head, slumping a bit as they began walking to play it up. “Hah, I wish. Students can still submit regrade requests until the 28th, and I have to finish all of them before the next semester starts.”

“That sounds difficult.” Edge squeezed his hand gently, his phalanges curling against Stretch’s metacarpals.

“Yeah, well, I’ve TA’d for worse classes before. I’d rather not talk about work right now.”

“Understandable. We should get going.” Edge turned, pulling Stretch with him as they headed over to the elevator. “Since it’s only fifteen minutes, I assumed we would be walking.”

“Yep, that works for me,” Stretch said. “I bet trying to take a car and parking would only get us a couple of minutes closer, and it’s such a hassle.”

The traffic around his place had been locked up for the past few days by the city’s latest attraction. A pedestrian square that was usually home to cobblestones, a fountain, and some pretty flower patches had been turned into a “holiday village” combining Gyftmas with a few human holidays. It was a bit more lively than what Stretch usually preferred, but he knew that Edge would enjoy it, if only as a chance to prove his athleticism.

“Have you skated before?” Stretch asked. He didn’t usually skate much. He preferred saying awful jokes and teleporting across the ice to get away from any repercussions.

As they stepped out into the streets, Edge looked around, and when he didn’t see any trouble, he began walking and talking. “I used to when I was a child, but it wasn’t like what I’ve seen others doing. It was more about evasive training on a slick surface.”

“Well, that might come in handy if there are any new skaters still figuring out their balance.” Stretch playfully nudged Edge. “Would you catch me if I fell on the ice?”

“Not if it meant I would fall with you,” Edge said dryly, but he smiled when Stretch laughed. It was barely there, but Stretch had gotten used to watching for even the slightest upturn of his mouth.

“That’s fair. I’ll try to keep my legs under me then.”

Neither of them felt the need to speak, so they fell into a comfortable silence. Stretch could see more decorations had migrated into the street, especially in the shops and offices on ground level. He could also see Edge’s handsome face out of the corner of his eye, and he wasn’t ashamed to look clearly and admire his partner.

The skating rink took up a little over half of the square, with a wooden fence surrounding the fountain to keep anyone from running into it by accident. It was a few hours after school had let out, so only a few students were left. There were only about ten people skating, with most of the humans and monsters mingling near the food stands in the holiday village.

Stretch couldn’t help smiling. This was ideal; he and Edge could have some romantic moments, but also people-watch if they wanted to. He led Edge over to the benches next to the rink, squeezing his hand again. 

“This is gonna be fun.” He pulled his skates out and sat down, pulling at the laces of his boots already. They barely went up past his ankles, but he wasn’t wearing them for fashion reasons like Edge usually did. He just didn’t want to soak his usual sneakers.

“I’m sure it will.” Edge sat down and crossed one leg over the other, getting to work.

His movements were elegant and controlled, and Stretch couldn’t help watching for a few seconds before he turned back to his own feet. He had no idea how he’d managed to land someone as elegant as Edge, but he wasn’t going to complain.

Even if Edge hadn’t skated much before, he had no issue lacing them up. He had chosen a pair of black figure skates, the blades polished to military perfection. Once he was done, he helped Stretch lace up his second skate, effortlessly pulling the laces tighter than Stretch had before. Stretch could feel his face flushing, but he didn’t try to look away. Edge deserved to have his care appreciated properly.

He leaned in before Edge could pull away, kissing his forehead quickly. “Thank you.”

Edge’s cheekbones had definitely gotten redder, and he rubbed them as he stood. “Well, it’s easier to do up someone else’s.”

“It’s still nice of you to do.” Stretch stood up. His balance was off, and he threw his arms out as he wobbled. “Oh, damn, looks like I lost my sea legs.”

“That part of the ground is uneven. Come here.” Edge took Stretch’s arm, guiding him over to the well-trodden snow path leading up to the closest door.

A human with a bright yellow vest stood next to the ice rink, and they opened up the door as Edge and Stretch approached. “Hi there! Have you already got your tickets online, or will you be buying some here? It’s eight for a full hour.”

“We’ve got ours.” Stretch let go of Edge and pulled out his phone, showing the tickets to the human.

“Perfect! Here.” They stepped back, gesturing to the door. “Enjoy your time today, and if you want a coupon for some free hot chocolates after your skating, come visit the rental stand! We still have a few left, but they’re going fast.”

Stretch pulled off his skate guards, then stepped over the edge of the doorway. He put them into his pocket, sliding a metre away from the door.

Edge stepped over slower than he had. He kept his eyes on the ice the entire time, and Stretch noticed his blades were wobbling a bit. As Edge closed the door behind him, firmly, Stretch skated up to him.

“Do you want to try together or hold the wall?” He asked, offering his hand.

Edge looked at him skeptically, but Stretch didn’t waver. He wouldn’t judge if Edge did need to hug the wall the entire time; he just wanted to make sure he was comfortable. Maybe he should have found a smaller rink, or somewhere with fewer people, so Edge didn’t feel self-conscious.

“I’m fine.” Edge moved forward and grabbed Stretch’s forearm. “Let’s go.”

Stretch turned so Edge would be close to the wall on his other side, then pushed off with one foot. Edge was pulled into a slow glide with him. He wobbled, but then took a deep breath and bent his knees slightly. He glided forward slightly, but Stretch could feel that he was more in control of it.

“Feeling better? Here, let’s move.”

Stretch shifted one skate, pressing against the ice at a diagonal angle. He pushed three times in a row then stood normally on the ice, riding out the glide with Edge. He could feel a few deeper lines on the ice, but it must have been Zamboni’d recently, because it was pretty smooth.

By the time they were halfway around the rink, Edge had gained some confidence. He used both feet instead of just moving once and then gliding. Stretch was easily pulled along. Edge was staring straight ahead, probably making sure no one zipped in front of them at the last minute. Stretch just smiled, putting his other arm on Edge’s elbow and hanging on.

Edge was strong and precise, and each of his movements were designed to push them along at the perfect pace. Stretch reached out and tapped his fingers on the boards next to the fountain as they skated past it, then scrambled to match Edge’s speed again. He laughed as Edge slowed down, rolling his eyelights as he let Stretch easily catch up with him. The air was getting a bit cooler, but it couldn’t cut through Stretch’s jacket too much, so he was fine.

As they reached the door where they had started, Edge suddenly pushed his feet out. He pulled Stretch to an abrupt stop, ice spraying out from his skates. Stretch yelped, flinching at the cold as some of the ice got into the top of one of his skates.

“What was that for?” He shook his foot, but that only made the ice slide deeper in, soaking his sock.

“You can skate on your own.” Edge smirked at him, then turned around and zipped off.

Stretch knew a game of tag when he saw one. He stamped twice on the ice to make sure the ice shavings in his skate were settled, then took off. He curved to the side, sticking to the direction that most people were using to skate around the rink to avoid any collisions.

Edge must have been faking earlier; he was practically a speed skater now. He leaned forwards, the tails of his scarf flapping behind him as he whirled around the rink. He deftly slipped around another couple, and Stretch smirked as one of them flinched, then turned to look at Edge with wide eyes. He really was a force of nature, and he was killing it tonight.

Stretch could just use a shortcut, but that would end the fun too early. It was rare for Edge to get so playful in public, and he wanted to enjoy it while he could.

Instead, he summoned a small bone attack diagonally jutting out from the wall. It was right at the level of the tips of Edge’s skates. Stretch held his breath, slowing down and crossing his fingers.

He shouldn’t have worried. Edge glanced down just in time, and easily hopped over it. He wobbled again for a moment when he hit the ice again, but he quickly straightened out his blades and began skating normally again. Stretch had to get rid of the bone before continuing, so he wasn’t able to catch up to Edge. He still skated along, moving as close to the middle of the rink as he dared.

After a few more laps, Stretch was finally getting closer. He doubted Edge’s stamina was actually waning, but he appreciated that Edge was giving him a chance to catch up. The sun had almost completely set, throwing some dramatic shadows across the rink and Edge’s figure in front of him. Faint smells of cinnamon and ginger wafted over from the food stalls, and someone in that area was playing holiday music as well.

Stretch threw his arms out for extra balance, speeding up as much as he could. This was it; he would be able to catch Edge. He reached for Edge’s coat, aiming to tap him in the middle of the back.

Edge turned around, grabbing Stretch’s arms and then twisting to the side. The two of them spun wildly, and Stretch yelped as they careened towards the side wall. Edge pushed both of his skates out, bringing them to a stop with his own back only a couple of inches away from the boards.

“Got you,” he said, his eyelights glittering with triumph.

It took Stretch a few seconds to muster a response. He glanced down at where Edge was holding his arms, then back up at his datemate’s face.

“Yeah, you sure did.”

At that moment, the bulbs around the edge of the rink came on. Edge was suddenly bathed in golden, white, and red tones, throwing the small smile on his face into detail. He was slightly out of breath, panting as he squeezed Stretch’s arms gently.

“Are you alright?” He asked, reaching down to take Stretch’s hands instead of holding on to his arms.

Stretch blinked, then squeezed Edge’s hands back. “Yeah. I’m good.”

Edge let go of one of Stretch’s hands, still smiling at him as he turned to stand next to him. “Do you want to do another few laps, then go get some hot chocolate?”

Nothing sounded better. “Yeah, I do.”

“Good. Let’s go a bit slower this time.”

Edge pushed off, and a second later Stretch followed him. He could feel the smooth leather of Edge’s glove through the material of his own, their arms brushing against each other as they glided around the rink. The air was filled with light and sound, warmth and colour, but what truly captivated Stretch was Edge’s profile. The light framed everything; the strong angles of his face, the scar on his jaw, and the lingering grin on his teeth. It might be corny, but Stretch couldn’t think of a better gift than this.

[wizardfamiliarchan]

Connecting...

Connecting...

You have now connected to the Grand Database. Please enter your credentials to proceed.

username: crowelrynthixthree

password: ************

Now entering the Grand Database...

Loading...

Loading...

Now entering the Grand Database. Please choose a destination.

> crow's character bio | main menu

Operator Note: The text below is not required reading, but if you want to know more about Crow, read to the bio section and stop. The wizard tower and trivia section are super not-required.

WIZARDBLR LORE SHEET: CROW, THE HELPFUL FAMILIAR

Name: Crow (see bio for full name)

Age: Unknown (looks middle-aged)

Species: Qhuvois (half-familiar (changeling type), half-qhunqroiks)

Appearance: Crow, in her base form, has pale skin, no nose, and two large orbs that seem to function as rudimentary "eyes". These eyes on their own cannot move, so she has to physically move her head in order to look around. Her head, which floats just above her body, is a shade darker than her skin, and her "eyes" sit directly in the middle of her face. She has no nose, just two small slits underneath her "eyes", and no mouth, as she speaks telepathically with those she comes across. She has long, thin fingers and toes, each of which has webbing in between them, and a long, thin tail. Her entire body is covered in a thin slime, but as it is not waterproof, she cannot swim, despite having webbed fingers and toes. No images of her in this form have been found, but many artists have tried to replicate this, though to no avail.

In her common human form, she has white skin, long hair, and dark brown eyes. Her hair is often hidden underneath a flowing headpiece, upon which she attaches things such as small lanterns, charms, and ropes. She never shows off her hands, as she prefers to wear gloves. She has a slightly-crooked nose in this form, and her mouth is often painted in a shade of dark red. The headpiece she wears is styled after the traditional hairstyles of her people, and she rarely ever takes it off.

In her other common form, she takes on the form of a large crow. She has dark purple-black feathers, a long beak, and beady eyes. She cannot fly, as her wings have been clipped, but she refuses to anyway, even if she could. In this form, she is unable to speak, though she understands human words better than in either of her other forms.

In all of her forms, she is recognizable by the red Binti-like dot on her forehead, though in her human form, she hides it under her headpiece. She is also easily recognizable because of her height, as she stands at a formidable six feet, seven inches, the average size for her people, though this only applies to her human and base forms. In her crow form, she is just slightly larger than average.

Powers: Despite being biologically a familiar, she possesses all the standard wizarding abilities, such as minor spellcasting and "animal control" abilities. However, each ability comes with a price. In order to cast spells of any kind, she must recite a haiku that relates to the spell she wants to cast, something she can often do silently. She cannot control any animals that she cannot change into, so this means she cannot have a familiar of her own that isn't either a primate, ghost, or a bird of any kind. Because familiars cannot go to wizard school, she has learnt everything she knows on her own, and, as such is adept in grimoire-reading. She is able to speak three languages, though she rarely ever does. She is also able to understand the animals she turns into, something that has proven useful several times throughout her life. She has a constitution of fifteen, a wisdom of seventeen, and a charisma of fourteen, though despite these high stats, she prefers to be alone rather than use them for the greater good. She cannot manipulate any sorts of elements or spaces, no matter how hard she tries. She cannot cast anything unless she has a wand in hand, and she uses a dragon-forged wand made of brightsteel to accomplish this.

Companions: Despite her love of being alone, she has two companions, a howler monkey named Khan and a ghost familiar of her own named Ashaya. Ashaya is the exact opposite of her, and Khan is extremely loyal, though this wasn't originally the case. She met her companions while working for a former wizard in the city of [REDACTED], where she had lived for four years at the time, when she left the city to go on a "gathering mission" for her boss.

Bio: The earliest known appearance of Crow in any known historical records has her listed under the name "Mlinf", a word in the ancient Onynyoft language that means "wicked". At the time, she was working for a teacher at the Shtiwi-Hwany School for Alchemy and Wizardry, a school that, despite her being employed there (through proxy), she could not attend due to her race. Her boss, the well-endowed-financially Thuahh Nalwo, was the principal (or Headmaster, depending on where you're from) at the time, and, as such, she was the first familiar Vice-Chaplain (yes, chaplain; they stick to their religious private school roots hard) at the school in its seven centuries of operation. Because of this, despite being treated with respect by the students, she was often bossed around by her superiors, as the school was, and still is, known for its anti-familiar ways. During this time, because most people she encountered could not pronounce her name, she started going by the name Crow, a name derived from her real name, C'Fawkaal'wotdiar Dashengan Mall-Kotmà, a name only a select few knew in full at the time, and took up a semi-permanent residence in the school library, where she could often be found reading the latest books or researching the newest mysteries. However, after a house fire four years later, she was kicked out of the establishment, with which she had spent her entire working life at the time, as everyone seemed to believe the fire was her fault (it wasn't. Someone had accidentally used a fireball spell on the wooden walls of the mess hall). Following this, she moved halfway across the country she called home, taking up residence in the city of Bankyoji. She lived there for two years before moving of her own accord, during which time she went fully vegan. She spent eight years in [REDACTED], then moved to Mezhyni, where she lived for twelve years as a member of the city's world-famous quintalix team, the Firebulls. Following the end of her quintalix career, she moved to K'xalm, where she lives to this day.

Wizard Tower: Crow's wizard tower is a rather antiquated work of "art", as she calls it. It's a large, castle-like building, itself reminiscent of the castle towers of old, but everything about it screams "goth". It is fifteen stories tall, and each story has its own use. There is a garden behind the tower, and she can often be found tending to it. The first five floors of her tower are all libraries, each one dedicated to a certain subject and only that. The first floor is a science library, the second social studies/history, the third English literature of old, the fourth law, and the fifth spells/all things magical. The next five floors are all in various state of mess, though the bottom-most of the set is perfectly divided into several guest bedrooms. Crow's room takes up the entirety of the seventh floor, and both her familiar Ashaya and her howler monkey Khan live on the eighth floor. The ninth floor is a potion-making laboratory, and the tenth floor is a fully-functioning shop from which she sells customized robes and hats she ships by rented dragoncart. The eleventh floor is a "weapons" room of sorts, as it is where Crow trains to better her health and improve her skills. The twelfth floor is an art gallery, where Crow shows off the robe and hat test swatches she makes as well as art pieces she buys, and her roommate, Luna, lives on the thirteenth floor. The fourteenth floor is the top of a giant elevator that spans the entire tower, as it is bespelled to block any and all teleportation spells. The fifteenth and final floor is a porch of sorts, as it allows her to look over the city if she so chooses. Flags line the walls, and there are two large windows positioned seemingly at random on the front face of the tower. Her bedroom is full of spellbooks, and several large maps can be found laying on her floor. A large, almost-regal-looking canopy bed sits next to a wall, black curtains pulled shut over a black bed covered in light gray sheets. There are dragons carved into the bedposts, and there is a bookshelf opposite the bed. She has a computer on a desk next to the bookshelf, but it is turned off, as it isn't plugged in. It is believed she stole this computer from a junkyard, but only her tight-lipped roommate knows the truth about this. She has a lute hanging above the bookshelf, which was given to her by her roommate Luna, and a pencil holder on her desk in the shape of Julius Caesar's back. It is believed that the pencil holder used to be a coffee mug, but nobody can confirm this. She has many stuffed animals scattered across her floor, though this is because she refuses to pick them up as she has too many to carry at once.

Trivia

She is aroace.

She hates swimming. Ironically, she lives on a lake.

Her favorite food is tofu.

She is colorblind, as changelings see the same colors as dogs.

Her favorite thing to do is watch quintalix matches.

Before settling down in K'xalm, she was a professional quintalix player herself. She played for the Mezhyni Firebulls.

When she lived in [REDACTED], she was forced to wear boyish clothes, as it was seen as sexist for a man to have a female servant of any race (and it still is).

She now adores dresses and refuses to wear anything else.

She is lactose intolerant.

She uses she/her, king/kingself, and it/its pronouns.

Of her entire family, she only gets along with two people: her parents.

As they were not allowed on the quintalix field and were not commonplace when she was a child, she hates wearing shoes and will not go anywhere that requires them.

She refuses to drink elixirs unless she knows about and can pronounce every ingredient in them. This means there are only three things she drinks: tea, water, and almond milk.

She is a twin.

Her birthday falls on the Tsîksyù, a holiday celebrated amongst the chimaera familiars that is often confused for Christmas despite being celebrated in March.

She has a twin brother. They do not talk much.

Her favorite game is Call of the Wild, a board game a close friend made several years before she (Crow) joined the Firebulls.

She has seven fingers on each hand and five toes on each foot.

In her human form, she has longer nails than most. This is supposed to make up for the length of her hands in her base form.

King hates watching people play games. She'd rather play them itself.

She is the longest resident of K'xalm, having lived there for eighteen years as of the present.

She is immortal. It is unknown when she was born.

The languages she can speak are Qur’ashath, Pandemonic, and English, though she is only fluent (not native) in one of them. She is a native speaker in one, and learning another.

She is an avid reader.

She doesn't like heights unless she's walled in.

She has a Scottish accent. This accent changes every time she "dies".

She cannot truly die, as she gets reincarnated within seconds of it.

Every time she gets reincarnated, she retains all memories leading up to her death, but not the death itself. She also does not remember the event that caused it.

She loves coffee. But just the smell.

Despite her name, crows are not her favorite animal. Her favorite animals are ravens and wolves. She chose her name because it was easy to pronounce.

Like most changelings, she rarely ever uses her real name. This is because it is seen as extremely rude to do so. For this reason, she rarely shares her real name.

She loves caramel.

Has several candles in her bedroom.

Prefers to walk places and teleport short distances as opposed to using public transportation or driving places, but will if must.

Is very friendly. Luna and Ashaya are not.

No-one knows what a qhunqroiks is. Crow is the main reason why. (She refuses to talk about her family, but people know there are two qhunqroiki in it.)

She often refers to her most prized grimoire as "book" (as she looks up to the Sanderson Sisters, rather well-known goddesses in her world that bear little resemblance to the human creations of the same collective name) and her wand as "Melody", the name it was given by the merchant she bought it from.

She is the honorary mayor of K'xalm. The city doesn't officially have one, but she pretends to be so they don't get fined by the Regents Council.

She is extremely protective of her tower. Like so much so king could get hurt if it isn't careful.

It loves to eat tofu pot pies, and is good at making them.

Her favorite possessions are her prized grimoire and her dragon-forged brightsteel wand.

She loves piano ballads, yet doesn't like to play piano.

It has taken to sharing its full name now that her species is going extinct, as king believes this will do more good than harm...contrary to what her roommate and ghost familiar believe. She only shares her full name with those she trusts.

Has not traveled since she moved to K'xalm. Unless she has to for work.

Loves fae-made foods.

Does not like most tattoos. She thinks they're too permanent. (The only tattoos she likes are Luna's two.)

Thinks script/word tattoos are stupid, but understands why people would get them.

"Familiars are rather elusive creatures, as only a select few people have ever been able to catch a glimpse of them. There are five known types: Chimaera, Changeling, Summoner, Construct, and Ghost. Each type has their own strengths and weaknesses, but none more so than the changeling breed, if you wish to call them as such. [...] The changeling breed is known for their uncanny ability to mimic the appearance of anything they come across, though this ability only extends to living creatures. Alongside this, they are said to be the rarest type of familiar, with employment rates ranging between 1.5-3.3% as of my last foray into the Forbidden Forests."

- Kingston Brass, Guide to the Magical World IV: Familiars and Apprentices

Crow is a character I have created solely for this blog! She is a new character, but one I plan to flesh out as time goes on. She has her own loreset, and all of the colors she uses in her posts have specific meanings.

Red: spells

Purple: crow form

Black: base form/dialogue/*roleplay text*

Green: healing/shifting

Orange: monkey form/all other forms

Blue: telepathy

This blog, to keep it consistent with the lore, is run by three different entities, the Qhuvois Crow, her roommate Luna (a half-orc), and her ghost familiar, Ashaya, all characters within the world of Crow. You can find information about my blog under the cut, as well as my DNI.

Welcome to my blog! I'm Crow, but you can call me Kalmiya, Diphda, or Leona; I'm fine with any of those names, though I prefer Crow for this blog specifically, and either Leona or Kalmiya for my others.

I have a main blog over at @crowstar-in-a-hat, a couple side blogs over at @littlebunnydiphda and @voidromantic-culture-is, to name a few, and this one. They're all dedicated to different things, so be sure to check them out! I haven't posted on them in a while though...(to see a full list, go here!)

(DNI ID: transphobic, TERF/radfem, homophobic, anti-Mspec, racist, pedo (MAP/NOMAP) or supporter, supportive of incest, sexist, ableist, ace/arophobic, anti-non-binary, anti-microlabels, anti-neopronouns, anti-xenogenders, and/or an exclusionist. END ID)

[digitalworldvision]

Cyber Security Threat For Local Businesses

In this article learn the cyber security risks for Australian small businesses and how to protect your business future.

Australian local businesses face an ever-growing threat from cybercriminals. While many small business owners believe they're too insignificant to attract hackers, the reality is quite different. Cybercriminals often target smaller enterprises precisely because they tend to have weaker security measures in place. This blog post will explore the cyber dangers that small businesses in Australia may face and offer some practical advice on how to protect your livelihood.

The Growing Menace of Cyber Attacks

Why Small Businesses Are Targets

You might think your local shop or service isn't worth a hacker's time, but you'd be wrong. Cybercriminals often view small businesses as low-hanging fruit. Here's why:

1. Limited resources for cybersecurity

2. Less sophisticated defence systems

3. Valuable customer data

4. Potential gateway to larger partner companies

Common Cyber Threats to Watch Out For

Ransomware Blackcat Ransomware Gang.

Ransomware attacks have skyrocketed in recent years. These nasty pieces of software encrypt your data and demand payment for its release. For a small business, this can be devastating. Imagine losing access to your customer database or financial records overnight!

Phishing Scams

Phishing remains one of the most common ways cybercriminals gain access to your systems. They send seemingly legitimate emails that trick you or your staff into revealing sensitive information or downloading malware.

Data Breaches

Small businesses often store valuable customer data, making them prime targets for data breaches. A breach can result in hefty fines under Australian privacy laws and irreparable damage to your reputation.

Protecting Your Business from Cyber Threats

Essential Security Measures

1. **Use strong, unique passwords**: Implement a password policy that requires complex passwords and regular changes.

2. **Keep software updated**: Regularly update your operating systems, applications, and security software to patch vulnerabilities.

3. **Educate your staff**: Your employees are your first line of defence. Train them to recognise and report suspicious emails or activities.

Invest in Cybersecurity

While it might seem costly, investing in cybersecurity is far cheaper than dealing with the aftermath of an attack. Consider these steps:

1. **Install and maintain firewalls**: These act as a barrier between your internal network and external threats.

2. **Use encryption**: Encrypt sensitive data, especially if you store customer information.

3. **Implement multi-factor authentication**: This adds an extra layer of security beyond just passwords.

Create a Cybersecurity Plan

Don't wait for an attack to happen before you start thinking about cybersecurity. Develop a plan that includes:

1. Regular risk assessments

2. Incident response procedures

3. Data backup and recovery strategies

The Cost of Ignoring Cybersecurity

Failing to address cybersecurity can have dire consequences for your business:

1. Financial losses from theft or ransom payments

2. Damage to your reputation and loss of customer trust

3. Legal consequences for failing to protect customer data

4. Potential business closure due to inability to recover from an attack

Don't become another statistic in the growing list of small businesses crippled by cyber attacks. Take action today to protect your business, your customers, and your future.

Remember, in the digital age, cybersecurity isn't just an IT issue—it's a critical business concern that demands your attention and investment.

Kelly Hector creator of YouTube channel focused on cyber security risks and local marketing

[galaxywarp]

I don’t like the ending of that one Black Mirror episode where the company gives that grieving mother the password to her dead daughter’s social media account. That’s not how passwords work. Websites don’t know your password. They’re supposed to be securely encrypted by backend programming and stored in a database. The best they can do is just help you change the password to something else either by setting a new temporary password that they share with you or by giving you a password reset link so that you can change it yourself. I know it was supposed to be all deep and emotional cuz the password was from an old picture of the mother and daughter but it bothered the hell out of me lmfao

[track-maniac]

I believe it's my company's wish to be hacked. We're part of a larger group that cares about security (somewhat) but today we got a reminder to make good passwords while my company asks, I kid you not:

Password must be exactly 8 characters long

No special characters or accents.

No I didn't mistype these. Re-read them in case you didn't understand how bad this is. That's around 218 trillion possible passwords. Big number but it's ridiculous in this context.

Now I'm told that it's because of technical reasons, because we still rely on legacy servers that can only handle-

WAIT

ARE THEY STORING THEM IN FUCKING PLAINTEXT??

But it gets better. They have us change our passwords every 3 months. They also prevent changing the password to one of the last 10 passwords. I've heard from multiple colleagues that it's not uncommon to just end the password with two digits and just increase them every time.

So if someone gets our database, they either have to just start collecting passwords, or use pre-computed hashes. Then they can predict what our new passwords will be accurately for at least a year.

[aidenlyons]

Rocco meet Derrick the next morning and together they make their way to the crater where the lab building still stands, long abandoned.

D: I'll ask you one last time, are you sure?

R: Ain't come this far just to turn back.

D: Had to ask, lets go.

Derrick throws the breakers before they make their way inside the one door he knows is open.

D: Surprised they haven't cut the electric.

R: Really? Probably planning on reopening it in the future.

D: I doubt it. Too much bad press.

(Wardrobe change. Oops. Shh...)

(Fixed outfits!)

R: I hate it here. I hated it here then, and it hasn't changed.

D: Only got more dusty. Doesn't look like this computer is working.

R: Lets keep moving.

When they pass the front door, Rocco can't help drifting over to look at the security door, remembering what lay beyond.

D: I have the card, if you want to...

R: I really hope we don't have to.

D: Yeah. The labs are on the other side, and the library. We should keep going.

Rocco checks the computers in the next office before the secured lab.

R: These computers are working.

D: Okay. I'll check the one over here, lets see if we can get anything from the databases. The passwords from before should be good.

Before they were looking for other things.

Rocco is not great with computers but he remembers enough to know how to get past the initial security to be able to access the database.

D: Never understood why the military didn't wipe these.

R: Arrogance. Who would come poking around here?

D: More people than you'd think.

Derrick is a bit better with computers but he notices these computers don't have much actual information.

D: I think we'll have to go back into the labs. I think those computers are isolated.

R: Mm. You go, I want to make sure and I'll join you.

It's an excuse. That's fine.

This lab isn't as bad as the ones below, but it still bothers Derrick. The items that are still somehow kept dormant in the tanks and containers.

Experience lets him ignore it despite the way the fine hairs lift on his arms and the back of his neck. He has a mission.

Rocco jumps back when the computer sparks and a puff of smoke comes from it just as he was starting to get into a file that looked promising.

Coincidence? Rocco stopped believing in those a long time ago.

Rocco switches to searching some boxes of files, procrastinating going back into the lab. There must be something here, but being back in the place that changed his life is difficult.

Even so many years later he can't believe what they had tried to cover up.

Rocco steps back into the lab and zeroes in on Derrick, ignoring everything else in the room.

R: Find anything?

Derrick sits back as his computer sparks and smokes as well.

D: Yeah, actually. Almost. We might need to check downstairs. I triggered some sort of failsafe.

R: Same thing happened to me.

D: The hell is going on here, what have you gotten us into?

R: Still not sure, D. The more I look into it, the more I wonder who this Ghost is.

D: Well I'm annoyed now. So we're gonna figure this shit out, even if I have to call up Colby.

R: Do NOT call Colby.

D: Man, he settled in Chestnut Ridge, it's not THAT far.

R: No.

D: Why, Rocco? He agreed with you, got out.

R: Exactly. Didn't even want you in this. Don't need t' drag him in. We don't need 'im.

D: If you say so, but I think he'd want to help.

R: No. Lets jut see if there's anything downstairs, get this over with.

D: Whatever you say, Rocco.

Rocco is already walking away but Derrick doesn't think this conversation is done. It's hard after they lost one of their own. But time doesn't heal all wounds.

[masterjedilenawrites]

AHH Lena ive got a problem!! so i think my blog got hacked into???? but theres nothing diffrent/changed so im not sure but it i was looking at stuff and it says i was "active" at some place ive never been to? but the thing is that weekend i had traveled and somewhat close (like to the neighboring state but it was on the other side away from me) and im not sure if it could just be a glitch? but im still quite worried. i mean i just changed my password but it says it was active recently and i dont know what to do and i dont want to delete my blog (its super small anyways so it wouldnt matter tho)

Don’t panic friend! I’ve got some ideas for you based on some research I’ve done.

(Also apologies for any typos, i’m typing this out on mobile in a waiting room lol)

So, i hadn’t heard of this “active sessions” section of Tumblr before, but quickly found it on the web version under account settings. According to Tumblr’s FAQs, this shows any log ins/access sessions to your Tumblr account by browser, and includes location info, to help you keep your account secure.

Looking at mine, I recognized various devices I’ve used over the past several months, with the locations as my home town. Two logs stood out to me though. 1 - my current session (marked as “current” in green) says my location is in a different part of the state. Odd, but could be due to having a new phone? 2 - apparently a session back in April came from a completely different state. Very odd right?

If i’d come across this back in April, i probably would’ve freaked out like you anon. But the fact it happened 3 months ago (and i haven’t noticed any unusual activity on my account), i couldn’t help but wonder how accurate these locations are…

Hence a research rabbit hole about IP addresses. You’ll notice underneath the city/state display is a string of numbers. This is the IP address of the browser’s network connection. There are several free websites where you can search that IP address and get a much more accurate location… Apparently, IP addresses may not always be accurate due to the geolocation databases they run through. So at the time of that connection, my location was displaying as one place when I was really somewhere else. But when I search that IP address now, it shows my current and accurate location.

I’ve also experienced odd location issues in other areas… like when I access Netflix from a new device and it sends a confirmation email, it usually has the city wrong.

So… this is what I did to look into the odd location activity on my account and i’m comfortable saying it was a IP address geolocation error. It’s possible that’s what you’re seeing on your account too.

If not… next step i would recommend is to double check the email address you have on the account. If someone actually hacked your account, that would be one of the first things they’d change in order to keep access. Really look at the address because sometimes they’ll try to throw you off by making a similar email but with like an added dot, or an extra letter that you wouldn’t catch at first glance. You can change it back to your own address in addition to changing your password.

Those are my two main ideas. I’m not an expert in these things but that’s where i would start, especially if you’re not seeing any suspicious activity on your account. Anyone else with ideas or experience here, feel free to chime in!

[mornyavie]

From the looks of this it's a database containing information from old leaks, not a new leak. That means the Tumbler data is probably years old, as the last tumbler leak I remember hearing about was like. 2015. It looks like I'm probably not in it, for instance, and I've been here since 2016.

That said they do stress that the database discovered is large enough that it's not yet known how much newly leaked data it might contain. It also contains data from many other leaks from various websites.

It's not a terrible idea to change your passwords, of course, especially if you use the same or similar passwords repeatedly.

Change your Tumblr password now.

Humongous data breach just happened, with loads upon loads of sites being affected. Tumblr's among those. Also on the list is Wattpad for you fanfic people out there- among many, many other places.

There's a searchable list at the bottom of the article. Highly recommend scrolling or searching through, seeing what places you may be on that have been affected, and securing all your accounts. This thing's kind of big.

If you know people on any of the sites affected, let them know about this too, and spread the article around.

[top10seostrategiestorankyo]

Most useable core Creational Design Patterns in Java(Singleton & Prototype)

Explore how Singleton and Prototype patterns streamline Java applications by enhancing performance, reuse, and maintainability in real-world scenarios.

Design patterns are tried-and-tested solutions to common software design problems.  In Java, they help developers write clean, reusable, and scalable code.  This post focuses on two creational design patterns:  1. Singleton Design Pattern 2. Prototype Design Pattern

1. Singleton Design Pattern: The Singleton pattern ensures a class has only one instance and provides a global point of access to it.

Why Use It: Use Singleton when you want exactly one object to coordinate actions across the system. It’s perfect for things like: Configuration settings Database connections Thread pools  Logging  Caches

Java Implementation (Thread-Safe Singleton): public class ConfigManager {  private static volatile ConfigManager instance;

private ConfigManager() {  // private constructor  }

public static ConfigManager getInstance() {  if (instance == null) {  synchronized (ConfigManager.class) {  if (instance == null) {  instance = new ConfigManager();  }  }  }  return instance;  }

public void printConfig() {  System.out.println(“App config data…”);  } }

Database Connection Manager: import java.sql.Connection; import java.sql.DriverManager; import java.sql.SQLException;

public class DatabaseConnectionManager {  private static volatile DatabaseConnectionManager instance;  private Connection connection;  private static final String URL = “jdbc:mysql://localhost:3306/app_db”;  private static final String USER = “root”;  private static final String PASSWORD = “password”;

private DatabaseConnectionManager() {  try {  this.connection = DriverManager.getConnection(URL, USER, PASSWORD);  } catch (SQLException e) {  throw new RuntimeException(“Failed to connect to DB”, e);  }  }

public static DatabaseConnectionManager getInstance() {  if (instance == null) {  synchronized (DatabaseConnectionManager.class) {  if (instance == null) {  instance = new DatabaseConnectionManager();  }  }  }  return instance;  }

public Connection getConnection() {  return connection;  } }

public class UserService {  public void getUserData() {  try {  Connection conn = DatabaseConnectionManager.getInstance().getConnection();  // Use the connection for a query (using Statement, PreparedStatement, etc.)  } catch (Exception e) {  e.printStackTrace();  }  } }

2. Prototype Design Pattern: The Prototype pattern lets you clone existing objects instead of creating new ones from scratch. It’s especially useful when object creation is expensive (e.g., loading from DB, complex setup).

Why Use It:  When object construction is costly.  When you need many similar objects with slight variations.  When you want to avoid subclassing   Document Template System: Building an enterprise app that generates business reports (invoices, summaries, charts). Each report starts from a base template, but the content is customized per user or client.

Instead of recreating everything from scratch, we clone a base report object and make changes.

public class ReportTemplate implements Cloneable {  private String title;  private String content;  private String footer;

public ReportTemplate(String title, String content, String footer) {  this.title = title;  this.content = content;  this.footer = footer;  }

public void setContent(String content) {  this.content = content;  }

public void print() {  System.out.println(“=== “ + title + “ ===”);  System.out.println(content);  System.out.println(“ — — “ + footer + “ — -”);  }

@Override  public ReportTemplate clone() {  try {  return (ReportTemplate) super.clone();  } catch (CloneNotSupportedException e) {  throw new RuntimeException(“Failed to clone ReportTemplate”, e);  }  } }

public class Main {  public static void main(String[] args) {  // Base template  ReportTemplate monthlyReport = new ReportTemplate(  “Monthly Report”,  “This is a placeholder content.”,  “Confidential”  );

// Clone for Client A  ReportTemplate clientAReport = monthlyReport.clone();  clientAReport.setContent(“Revenue: $10,000\nProfit: $2,500”);

// Clone for Client B  ReportTemplate clientBReport = monthlyReport.clone();  clientBReport.setContent(“Revenue: $12,000\nProfit: $3,000”);

// Display both  clientAReport.print();  clientBReport.print();  } }

When to Use What: Use Case Singleton Prototype One shared instance needed ✅ ❌ Performance matters in object creation ❌ ✅ Slight variations of the same object ❌ ✅ Global access point required ✅ ❌

Test yourself on what you’ve learned above, and compare your answers with the correct ones provided below.

Q1. What is the main purpose of the Singleton pattern? A. Ensure multiple instances of a class B. Allow cloning of objects C. Ensure only one instance of a class D. Avoid subclassing

Please visit our website to know more:-https://cyberinfomines.com/blog-details/most-useable-core-creational-design-patterns-in-java%28singleton-&-prototype%29