This Week I Learned - Week #1 2021

 This Week I Learned - 

Microsoft Cloud App Security (MCAS), a cloud access security broker (CASB), helps you gain control over shadow IT with tools that give you visibility into the cloud apps and services used in your organization, asses them for risk, and provide sophisticated analytics.

Source: SharePointTalk.net

* Azure AD Conditional Access What If tool allows you to select a user, the app that user is trying to access, and the conditions of that sign-in to see which policies will apply. The simulation estimates the impact this sign-in has on your policies and generates a simulation report. 

* Defense in depth means we don’t rely on a single security mechanism, but have multiple layers of security instead.

* The LinkedIn breach in which 6.5 million user accounts were compromised was caused by passwords being stored as unsalted SHA-1 hashes.

The Periodic Table of M365

* A Helm chart is a collection of files that describe a related set of Kubernetes resources.

QR codes can be malicious and can trigger malicious action. Scammers stick their fake QR code above the legitimate QR code in a legitimate poster. Phishing is the main security issue involved with QR codes. It is also described as QRishing by some security researchers. Drive by download attacks are attacks in which a website forcefully downloads software in your device when you visit the website. It does not need any action from the user’s side. Visiting the website is enough to trigger the download action. Scammers try to install malicious apps and then exploit that device. These infected devices can join an existing botnet or can send SMS to premium numbers. It can also leak your data. Sometimes websites have browser exploits which can enable microphone/camera access, access browser data, send emails or join a botnet to perform a DDOS attack on any legit website. All these actions occur in the background, so users never know about this.

* Twitter’s recommendation is to keep Moments, the feature to stitch together multiple tweets into slideshow-like stories, around 10 tweets long.

* The maximum number of people you can follow on Twitter is 400 per day or 1,000 if your account is verified. In 2017, the number of characters in a Tweet has been increased from 140 to 280. The maximum number of Tweets you can post per day is 2,400 spread across a 24 period. There is a limit of 5,000 "friends" on Facebook.

* Speech recognition systems from five of the world’s biggest tech companies — Amazon, Apple, Google, IBM and Microsoft — make far fewer errors with users who are white than with users who are black. Separate tests have uncovered sexist and racist behavior in “chatbots,” translation services, and other systems designed to process and mimic written and spoken language. All these systems learn by analyzing vast amounts of data. In many cases, the systems mimic the biases they find in the data, similar to children picking up bad habits from their parents.  - NYT

* Gaslighting is a set of manipulative tactics composed of deceit, intimidation, criticizing, judging, guilt-tripping, bullying, and withholding. Gaslighting is a form of psychological abuse where a person or group makes someone question their sanity, perception of reality, or memories. A person using this technique may pretend not to understand someone so that they do not have to respond to them. For example, they might say, “I do not know what you are talking about,” or “you are just trying to confuse me.” People experiencing gaslighting often feel confused, anxious, and unable to trust themselves. 

* Words formed by duplicating or repeating certain sounds are called reduplicative words. Examples are pooh-pooh, riff-raff, okey-dokey, and pitter-patter.

* The church plays a massive role in the U.S. economy — spending some $170 billion in 2010, with much of that going to health care services. Catholic institutions themselves employ over 1 million people in the United States. That would make the church one of the nation's largest employers, behind only Walmart. It employs far more people than General Electric or McDonald's or GM or the U.S. Postal Service - Washington Post

2020 is year the internet came of age

Arrogance is weaponized pride

* Zhong Shanshan, 66, is now the sixth-wealthiest person on the planet. Zhong, chairman of Nongfu Spring Co., a bottled-water company, dethroned India’s Mukesh Ambani as Asia’s wealthiest person last week. His firm has produced dozens of millionaires, including more of Zhong’s relatives and employees. While Covid-19 upended much of the global economy in 2020, it was a good year for the world’s ultra-rich. The 500 wealthiest people added $1.8 trillion to their fortunes and were worth a combined $7.6 trillion by year-end. Jack Ma who was until recently Asia’s richest person, is now the world’s 25th-richest person - Bloomberg

* At 70, Benjamin Franklin was drafting the U.S. Constitution, Winston Churchill led the United Kingdom in World War II, Golda Meir became prime minister of Israel and Helen Hayes won her second Oscar.

* The reconnaissance efforts of Colonel Narendra "Bull" Kumar on the Siachen glacier were key to the Indian Army's reclamation of the forward posts of the glacier in Operation Meghdoot in 1984. He was the deputy leader of the first successful Indian Mount Everest expedition in 1965. He was a recipient of multiple military and civilian honours including the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (the only Colonel to have received the PVSM), Kirti Chakra, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, MacGregor Medal, and the Padma Shri.

* Prabodh Chandra was determined to become India’s best wrestler. His poor eyesight led to mishaps on the wrestling mat, especially when he wore glasses while competing. He soon changed careers and became known as Manna Dey, enthralling millions with his music. 

Savitribai Phule is regarded as the first female teacher of India and mother of Indian feminism. Savitribai's birthdate, i.e. 3 January, is celebrated as Balika Din in the whole of Maharashtra, especially in Girl's Schools. At the time of her marriage Savitribai was an illiterate. Her husband, Jyotirao educated Savitribai at their home. Savitribai and her adopted son, Yashwant, opened a clinic in 1897 to treat those affected by the worldwide Third Plague Pandemic. While nursing victims, she contracted the plague and passed away on 10 March 1897.

* Nelson Mandela was locked in prison for 27 years but came out as a great reconciler.

* Akbar’s name itself means ‘great’, in Arabic. Akbar did not start out as the beacon of tolerance he is considered today. The defeat of Chittor was stridently proclaimed to be the victory of Islam over infidels. This was a path that was soon forsaken, quietly assigned to past mistakes and experiments. Akbar believed that all religions are either equally true or equally illusory. He just realized that he could not keep the country together without including Hindus. He abolished the jiziya and aware of the sentiments of his people prohibited the slaughter of cows and the eating of their flesh. On weekends, he was vegetarian. In 1582, he had the Mahabharata translated from Sanskrit to Persian. Akbar was effectively unschooled and practically illiterate. In the parlance of the 21st century, (he) may have suffered from attention-deficit disorder. Other historians have said he was dyslexic. - Akbar: The Great Mughal by Ira Mukhoty

* Humayun-nama, the biography of Humayun was written by Gulbadan Begum, Akbar’s lively and adventurous aunt.

* The world population in 1CE (birth of Jesus) was 170 Million (17 Crores). In 1800CE, it reached 1 Billion. In 2000CE, it reached 7 Billions, increased by 7 times in a span of 200 years. Today, the world population is 7.8 Billions(780 Crores) - American Museum of Natural History


Virologist Peter Piot was one of the discoverers of the Ebola virus in 1976 and spent his career fighting infectious diseases. He headed the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS between 1995 and 2008 and is currently a coronavirus adviser to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. He fell ill with COVID-19 in mid-March 2020. 

* Russian-born Waldemar Haffkine is recognized as the first microbiologist who developed and used vaccines against cholera and bubonic plague. He tested the vaccines on himself.   Haffkine considered India, where hundreds of thousands died from ongoing epidemics, as the best place to test his vaccine. He proceeded to India in 1893 and established a laboratory in 1896, which was later called the Haffkine Institute. Haffkine worked on the plague and by 1902–03 half a million were inoculated. He retired in 1915 and suffering from malaria, had to return to France.

* Bharat Biotech has partnered with the National Institute of Virology and the Indian Council of Medical Research to develop an inactivated coronavirus vaccine called Covaxin. It is a vaccine made from Coronaviruses. Covaxin works by teaching the immune system to make antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. Inactivated viruses have been used for over a century. Jonas Salk used them to create his polio vaccine in the 1950s, and they’re the bases for vaccines against other diseases including rabies and hepatitis A - NYT

* Many people do not die from the tissue damage caused by the COVID-19, but from the exaggerated response of their immune system, which doesn’t know what to do with the virus. The cytokine storm is a result of your immune defense going into overdrive.

* The third plague pandemic was a major bubonic plague pandemic that began in Yunnan, China, in 1855. This episode of bubonic plague spread to all inhabited continents, and ultimately led to more than 12 million (perhaps 15 million) deaths in India and China, with about 10 million killed in India alone, making it one of the deadliest pandemics in history. According to the World Health Organization, the pandemic was considered active until 1960, when worldwide casualties dropped to 200 per year.

* The Punjab-Haryana large farmer (farm ownership over 4 ha) earns Rs 1.25 lakh a year per ha from cultivation of wheat and paddy - ET 

* Be more interested than interesting. Expressing curiosity by asking thoughtful questions (without interrogating) creates connection and emotional bonding, which makes the other person like you. Interrogation-style questions produce facts, but not an emotional connection. Great first impressions are about establishing an authentic, deeper connection. Your online presence primes someone to see you through a positive or negative lens. - HBR

* Dante’s describes the nine circles of Hell  in Inferno, the first part of his epic poem, "The Divine Comedy".

* "We are learning while we are sailing. That’s why I get so annoyed by the many commentators on the sidelines who, without much insight, criticize the scientists and policymakers trying hard to get the epidemic under control. That’s very unfair." -  Peter Piot, Virologist

* “If you want a job in five years, study computer science. If you want a job for life, study computer security.” - Aaron Levie, CEO of Box

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