Managed Server Provider (MSP)

A Managed Service Provider or MSP is a company that remotely manages a companies servers and other IT infrastructure.  These services are great for small companies that can't support a full IT Team.  There are several different types of MSP pricing models.  The main 5 options for pricing are as follows 1. Monitoring only 2. Per Device 3. Per User 4. All Options. The first option Monitoring is pretty simple.  In this tier they simply monitor your systems which is basically making sure that all  your equipment is running properly and this could potentially also include monitoring what is going in and out of your network.  The second tier is per device which means that they will monitor and keep the equipment on the device up to date.  The 3rd tier Per User, in this tier all the same services are applied however they company is billed on how many employees they have.  The 4th tier is the most expensive tier, this tier companies can mix and match which features they want to use.  MSP's are great for companies that do not have the budget for a full IT team or if the company that has a satellite office that needs to monitored.

Containers or VM's?

Containers are the equivalent to a sever core install.  It has only the basics needed to run the OS.  VM Ware takes up a lot of space since it has a full suit of tools and capabilities.  Containers sound all good and fun however they have some slight issues due to how light weight they are.  One issue is their security.  Since containers are stripped down they have to use part of the OS to store files for the OS that they are hosting which can be a bad thing if they are not secured properly.  These files contain important files that the OS needs to run.  However these files can easily be protected by changing them to read only however that is not their default setting.  Another factor to think about when deciding on containers vs VM's is what type of applications are running.  If you want to run one instance of several different programs then containers are the way to go.  If you want to run multiple instances of the same program then you should use a VM.  Containers are good for supporting many different types of things and VM's are good for running several of the same programs.

Open Source vs Closed Source

We use several different types of software each and everyday whether it be apps on our smartphone or the operating system on our computer.  The software that we use is either open source or closed source.   Some examples that come to mind are apple and android.  Apple locks down there software so that no one can look in modify it or change how it works.  Android on the other side is open so you can look under the hood so to speak and see how everything works on the inside and change things around potentially.  Each type of software has there pros and cons.  Closed source software is generally more secure than open source however it is harder to develop apps for/on because those companies can require developers to buy expensive licenses.  Open source applications can be less secure since they allow you to see how the application works, however this means that users can more easily customize there phones and easily build custom software for them.  Recently someone replaced the Linux Mint iso with a hacked version that had a back door this shows how dangerous open source software can be.

Pros and Cons of Apple vs the FBI

In the case of Apple vs the FBI there are many things to take into consideration.  As explained by Apple's CEO Tim Cook creating the tool which the FBI is requesting would be dangerous to the general public.  This tool if in the wrong hands would destroy the idea of privacy for all iPhone users.  If Apple were to create a backdoor tool everyone's personal data would be at risk.  As the cartoon below demonstrates once you open an iPhone once it becomes a Pandora's box for not only the FBI but potentially the highest bidder to open up any iPhone one chooses.



Data on anyone's device belongs to them.  It is the same concept as a house, you own everything inside of it.  There is no reason it should be any different with digital data.  Additionally it should not matter if you are a terrorist or not.  At the end of the day it comes down to one vs all.  If one person has information the could cause enough other people harm then it is reasonable to break into their digital data/home.  Otherwise that person's data should not be tampered with.

Linux vs Windows File Permission Settings

Linux and Windows have very different ways of setting file permissions.  I personally prefer the Linux method.  I find that it is easier and more efficient once you know how to do it.

In Linux the command ls will show you all the directories and files inside of the directory/folder you are currently in.  In this folder there are 3 items: file1, test.conf and the directory called Directory.

However using the ls command with the -la argument will show all the files and associated permissions with that file.  So the command would look like this: ls -la

As you can see in this directory there 3 files mentioned above with all the associated permissions with them.  There is also 2 other files . and ..these files are hidden files and should not be deleted.  These files are necessary for the Linux file system to work.  The file permissions are located at the beginning of each line.

These file permissions can be very confusing at first.  There are 4 sections of the file permission or 10 dashes ---------- The first dash signifies the file type.  A dash signifies that it is a normal file a d signifies a directory.  The next 3 dashes signify read write and execute permissions for the owner of the file then the next 3 dashes signify the read write and execute permissions for the group and the last 3 dashes signify read write and execute permissions for all users.  In the picture above file1 has the following permissions. -rw-r--r-- In English this means that the owner has read & write permissions the group has read only permissions and all other users have read permissions.

These file permissions can also be expressed in a numeric value.  If we were to look at the same 

file1 again which has -rw-r--r-- for permissions the numeric representation would be 644.  As you can see the picture on the right 6 stands for read & write and 4 stands for read only.  Common file permissions are 777, 755, 700, 666, 644 and 600.  Now that you know all about how file permissions work here is how you change file permissions.  Changing file permissions is fairly easy.  File permissions can only be changed by the owner of the file or a root user.  The command used is chmod  this allows files to be changed.  So if we wanted to change file1 permissions to read,write & execute for all users you would put chmod 777 file1 This would successfully change the file permissions.

File owners and groups are to right of the file permissions.  As you can see in the picture below box 1 is where owner of the file is specified and box 2 is where the group is specified.  As you can see file1 is owned by root and is also in the root group.

To change the file ownership and group owner ship there is an easy and simple command called chown.  If we wanted to change the ownership of file1 we type chown tyler file1 into the command line.  You can also use the chown command to change the group that a file belongs to.  For example chown tyler:test file1 If you wanted to just change the group you would use the chgrp command for example chgrp test file1

Linux color coordinates their file types and directories that way they are easy to find and sort through.  Blue means that it is a directory, Green means that it is an executable or a file that can be ran, Sky Blue is a linked file, Yellow with a black background is a device, Pink is an image file and Red is an archive file.  The 2 files shown below are both an executable file, you can tell because they are green and if you look at the file permissions they have the ability to be executed. 

Windows File permissions

Windows file permissions are a little more complicated than Linux file permissions.  Below is an example of some files and folders.

If we wanted to change the file permissions of file1 we would start by right clicking on the file and choosing the Properties tab.

Once in the Properties tab click on the Security tab which will bring you to the security and file settings.

For file1 there are 3 groups that have one level or another of access to it.  There is SYSTEM, Tyler and Administrator which is like root.  If you wanted another user or group to have access to this file you would simply click Edit... where you will be able to change each user/group permissions along with the ability to add and remove groups and users to the selected file.

Data Diode

Data Diode's are not something talked about regularly when discussing system security even though it should be.  Unfortunately many companies do not want to invest in the necessary cyber security technology until they have been attacked.  Data Diodes allow for secure one way data transfer.  They are typically used in factory settings to securely monitor factory settings and other necessary production data.  Data Diodes utilize patented one way fiber optic technology.  In addition to secure file transfer Data Diodes can also provide real time video playback.  Firewalls are a good measure for securing your network however Data Diodes can provide an extra level of  protection to keep you important digital information secured.

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Commonly Used Linux Commands

Linux Commands can be pretty tricky for first time users and advanced users.  That is why I am going to make a list of the commands I use the most.

Basic Navigation commands

pwd “Print Working Directory”  This command can show you the path to your exact location in the system.

EX:

pwd

/etc/sysconfig/networking

cd “Change Directory” This command is used to change your location in the system by adding the location path after it.

EX:

cd etc/sysconfig/networking/

.. can also be used with cd

EX:

cd ..

This will bring you up one level in the directory so if you were in /etc/sysconfig/networking cd .. would bring you up to /etc/sysconfig

ls will print out all the files inside of the folder or directory

EX:

ls -la will print out all the files in the long format which includes information such as file size, ownership and permissions

  

File management commands

cp "copy" this command works just like any other computer it copies the file to a specified location.

How to use:

cp filename filelocation

EX:

cp net.conf /etc/sysconfig/networking/

mv "move" this command lets you move a file to a new location and it can also be used to rename a file.

How to use move:

mv filename filelocation

How to use rename:

mv filename newfilename currentlocation

rm "Remove a File" This command simply deletes any file specified

EX:

rm net.conf

mkdir "Make Directory" This command simply makes a directory/folder

EX:

mkdir myfiles