Free access to learning sites for NMU students!!!

"Due to the impact of the COVID-19 on the University’s academic year, cellular service providers have offered to zero-rate certain learning websites for all universities. This means a user can access content via their cellular service at no cost.

ICT has submitted the following sites for zero rating:

• https://learn.mandela.ac.za
• https://Incoko.mandela.ac.za
• http://unitube.mandela.ac.za/
• https://wowza.l.nmmu.ac.za
• https://www.mandela.ac.za
• https://assessment.mandela.ac.za
• https://students.mandela.ac.za
• https://webservices.nmmu.ac.za
• https://itsweb.mandela.ac.za
• https://webapps.nmmu.ac.za
• https://applyonline.mandela.ac.za

To date, Telkom has confirmed implementation of the zero-rate service. Administrative processes to enable other telecom service providers to activate a similar service on their networks have been completed and we expect to get their confirmations soon."

From the NMU MEMO

Free Online learning material for Learners and Varsity Students

Most of you know of Vodacom's e-school website, this website has helped me a lot as I was struggling to understand some teachers in High School. The website has free videos and other learning material for all subjects in Primary and High School. You get to understand a subject better with the use of videos and exercises from a different person.

 Click here to go to the Vodacom e-school website (Only for Grade R to 12). Provide your information and make sure that you have a Vodacom sim card to do this, as it is only free on Vodacom!

I know many varsity students are stressing and struggling with data and access to the internet. Vodacom allows Access to zero-rated university websites. You can even access moodle and get access to all your learning material free of charge!. Get a registered vodacom sim card while its still early, then check these university websites freely:

• University of Pretoria
• University of Cape Town
• University of Stellenbosch
• Tshwane University of technology
• University of Western cape
• University of the Witwatersrand
• Sun learn
• Durban University of Technology
• University of South Africa
• Nelson Mandela University
• University of Kwa-Zulu Natal
• Central University of Technology
• Sol Plattje University
• Wits Business School

Watch as Suraya Hamdulay explains the challenge of teacher training in terms of digital education:

Covid-19 (Corona Virus) causing disruptions in South African Universities [21 days Lock-down in South Africa]

As a University student I'm very much sad about the situations taking place in South Africa because of Corona Virus. Nonetheless we have to understand why all these drastic measures are taken.

The outbreak of the pandemic in the country was a big thing to everyone as its cases quickly rose to hundreds. People were panicking, especially in the province(state) I was in (Eastern Cape). At the Varsity I'm in (which is a great varsity by the way) we were told that we should leave the campuses
by Friday (20th of March). It was a shock to some of us as we were still enjoying being on campus studying. It was a sad moment that we had to leave as we were getting used to the place and we had access to lots of resources on campus.

For me personally I got used to studying at the labs and studying during the night. Now Since I got home I have to study during the day of which is something I'am not used to. The problem with me at home is that I have a lot of things that distract me, one of them being music. As an artist/producer signed to a record label I have to make music all the time as some has to be released by the label. So if I'm at home, I think about making music and that distracts me from my school work.
So as I'm now home. I have to think of alternative ways to study efficiently as I used to on-campus.

As of the 26th of March we are expected to be in our homes as it will be the first day of the 'National Lock down'. It is said that the South African Army will be deployed in communities to maintain order. The National Lock down is more like a State Of Emergency. There will be no unnecessary activity taking place country wide. This means we can't even access community libraries. (I fully support the South African government for this Lock-down anyway).

One thing that students don't mind though is that they have lots of work in their hands. Students are happy about the early recess and they were more happy when the President announced the 'Lock-down' that will take 21 days. As soon as normal academics resume we will be filled with tests and exams. We need to be ready and prepared. Students should use this time to study like they never did before.

Why learn Kotlin for Mobile App development? and Explaining Web Technologies & Web Framework

As I completed my 12th grade back in 2018, all I wanted to do was to study I.T as I had already started building projects using HTML (of which I once thought it was a programming language😅). I somehow understood how to give the browser instructions. I later found out that you also do the same when programming (you are giving the computer a set instructions).

In 2019, I studied at Boston City College... I did my Systems Development and Mobile App development there and funny enough... we were using Java for both the modules. Most students were struggling with the programming language as it is hard. Java code is long, even when doing a simple task such as printing "Hello World". All I'm trying to say is that tertiary institutions need to be up to date with the new technologies almost introduced almost everyday.

So I started learning Kotlin late in 2019 and as I know a little bit of python, I found that Kotlin is somehow similar to it. It is easy and straight forward. It is also beginner friendly too.

Kotlin is easy and was primarily developed for mobile app development in 2016. Many developers are scared to move from Java to Kotlin because they think Kotlin might not do the job that Java does. Funny enough... you can even convert your Java code into a Kotlin code inside Android Studio. As you know that Android was developed by Andy Rubin for Google. The project 'Android' has to be managed by Google itself. Therefore Kotlin has been made the language of choice for Mobile App Dev for Android from 2019. It seems Google wants to move away from Java... But nonetheless the option for Java is still available in Android Studio.

It is very important to learn a new language like Kotlin, especially if you are in the mobile app world. Many companies are still using Java for now but I promise you that most of them as it is 2020 are going to move to Kotlin as Google is forcing Java out bit by bit. Maybe your next employer might be using Kotlin for app dev, so it will be an advantage for you to learn the language.

As a developer or a Software Development student, you have to know that in I.T you learn everyday. There are new technologies introduced almost everyday. Don't stick to one programming language. If you happen to be free, just check out a new language. Trust me, that helped me a lot. As you build multiple projects you will need to implement some functionalities using other languages because maybe they are efficient to do the job better than the main programming language of the project. We know that massive web apps like YouTube and Instagram are built with Python, but that doesn't mean Python is the only language existing in the web app. I find that people often confuse programming languages and frameworks. Although YouTube is built with Python, it means it is built with a Python framework such as Django or Flask. Almost all websites have JavaScript but most of them just like YouTube itself use JavaScript frameworks such as Node.js or React.js. Frameworks are often developed by developers and companies to satisfy their needs. Its like creating a template that you would like to use or refer to in future. These frameworks are often made open source by their developers so that other developers can also use them if facing similar problems in their projects.

Making my first JavaScript tool - Clickjacking script

As some of you know that I've been doing bug bounties for a while, today I was busy hacking a website that I cannot disclose as it was a private program from Hackerone. I was looking for a clickjacking vulnerabity. Luckily as I was scanning the website with Nikto, I found out that the website lacks some of the important headers that could prevent clickjacking and also it didn't have the Anti-CSRF tokens. So I then decided to create a basic HTML clickjacking file and re-directed it to the website. This is how I created the simple HTML file:

Note that this is just a basic HTML file with nothing fancy. This  code simply just verifies if the website is vulnerable to clickjacking or not. Hackers normally don't use such a basic "script", they modify the code and place their own website so that when they collect data from the victim, it sends it to their website(hackers). Its like one of those pop-ups where they tell you that you've won something then once you click - 'Get Prize!' and you enter your details, the hackers can collect your sensitive information. Another example could be a pop-up that asks for your Facebook information, then when you enter your details it and stores it to their servers (hackers). Clickjacking can be broad and it depends on who the hackers are targeting. Check the Owasp explanation for more info on clickjacking.

So as I'm learning JavaScript, I decided that I should make a script that could check for me if a website is vulnerable to clickjacking. The script is very much basic as I'm still a NOOB in JavaScript and I hope that people will contribute to this little project I have made. The script is Open source and hosted on GitHub. You can check out the script here.

Which programming language to learn in 2020?

There are many programming languages out there and and it is hard to choose the best one to work with.

 I personally believe that you have to choose a programming language depending on what you want to build. If you are new to programming and probably you've read this somewhere... The best language to learn is Python. Why Python?, its very easy, has a broad community and I have to say that it has the best ever documentation. There are many YouTube content creators that give the best tutorials on Python like  Dev Ed and Clever Programmers (Qazi).

Right, Let me list all the languages you need to learn in 2020... especially in South Africa.

Python Programming Language

1. Python - Python is very easy and can do the job very fast. It has different frameworks for web development... frameworks such as Django and Flask. Google and Instagram are built with Python.

2. Java - Unlike in the US, Many companies in South Africa are looking for Java developers. Most systems are powered by Java. As we know that Java runs on almost every device, Java developers are in high demand. In South Africa Java is still the most used language for Mobile App Development than Kotlin (But I suggest you should check out Kotlin too as it is easy to learn).

3. C# and .Net - .Net is said to be one of the best languages to run a website's backend service. C# is the best language to develop systems and softwares especially for windows. I'm currently studying C# at Nelson Mandela University.

4. JavaScript - JavaScript has become the 'beast'. It is now not only limited to web development. There are blockchains that are developed with JS. I think JavaScript managed to grow much because of its frameworks. Frameworks are used to suit and make developer's work easy. Facebook developed React.js of which is one of the best JavaScript Frameworks out there. There is also node.js, vue.js and hammer.js just to name a few.

So as I said, choosing a programming language depends on what you want to build. You may find out that there is a JavaScript framework that has the tools to build your project than a python framework. Remember to choose wisely and make sure you don't lose focus to other languages.

Why get the new Kali Linux 2020.1?

You know that Kali Linux just released a new 2020.1 version right?... Well, let me tell you the truth... I think it is worth it to get the new version. The new version is light weight and is very fast. Before I upgraded to my new i7 laptop I was using a normal dual core, 4GB RAM laptop. I could run most of my softwares on the host but when I tried running the previous versions of Kali Linux on the virtual platform (VMware), I suffered a lot with memory and it was not productive for me to work on a slow lab as I was busy introducing myself into Ethical Hacking.

This year (2020) I heard that Kali Linux v2020.1 was released. I think the team behind Linux (and the contributors) blessed me as I have always wanted a light weight operating system that gets the job done. As soon as I installed the new Linux on my 4GB RAM laptop, It was really fast and responsive. I also think it is great for people who want to learn Kali Linux as it is more user friendly if I may say.

One thing that I saw with the new Linux is that some of the packages you would normally find in the previous versions of Linux are not present. I was doing some Reconnaissance and wanted to find sub-domains on a particular website. I wanted to use a python script called Sublist3r. As I tried to run the script, it required me to install some requirements using python pip and pip was not there. That's when I saw that some packages have been removed to keep it light weight. What I'm trying to say is that you will have to install some packages manually in the new Linux. Softwares like  OWASP-ZAP are not there too. But don't worry, Burp is there 😉. The new Kali Linux is the best because of its speed even when you are running on a device with less memory.

Download Kali Linux here.