Vision and dreams are the blueprints of soul and achievements.
-Mohammed Ahmed F

Hacking - The Legal Way!


Hacking is often discreet, and so the ones being hacked do not even realise that their information is being stolen.

Tech-savvy and looking for an exciting career? Try your hand at ethical hacking.

The information security industry is growing at a rate of over 21 per cent. This is because information security is mandatory for all companies with an IT backbone in India. However, Internet security is no longer a grave concern for IT companies alone. Every business has some form of online presence today, and, therefore, cyber security has become a key focus area across sectors.

Hacking is a term that is often portrayed negatively. It is a term used to describe virtual crimes. But changing that is another term that is coming up fast — ethical hacking. Ethical hackers are trained professionals who are hired by companies for hacking into their networks and find the loopholes in their systems. They also help find solutions to these problems. LearnSocial as a portal which provides Ethical hacking as a course, uses their training sessions to make people understand what ethical hacking is and also about the ethics surrounding it. ​ The company hopes to create a secure IT system and deliver knowledge that can build skills in an individual for the IT Security Domain.

Different types of hacking:

Hacking is often discreet, and so the ones being hacked do not even realise that their information is being stolen. A few ways of hacking that are prevalent today are —

Trojan viruses: Programmes that share files via messengers.

Hijacking and impersonation: There are various ways a hacker can impersonate someone else. Eavesdropping on unsuspecting users to retrieve user accounts, passwords and other user related information is one way.

Denial of service: A hacker can launch a denial of service (DoS) attack on an instant messenger user and a partial DoS attack will cause a user end to hang, or use up a large portion of CPU resources, causing the system to become unstable.

Phishing: Not all phishing attacks require a fake website. Fake text messages from banks or other companies can often tell users to dial a phone number regarding problems with their bank accounts.

In India, hackers also work their way into company servers to retrieve sensitive information. There are also those who try to use phishing techniques and hack individual computers to get their user account passwords and bank credentials. They create fake websites and make the user key in sensitive information.

Ethical hacking as a career:

Ethical hacking provides enormous opportunities for those taking it up as a career. Renowned companies like Wipro, IBM, Infosys, Reliance and Airtel are always on the lookout for efficient hacking professionals. Ethical hacking aspirants can work in departments that need network security, system administrator or manager, network security engineer, systems / applications security executive, ethical hacker, data security specialist, computer forensics investigator, security certified programmer and so on. With more people turning gadget-friendly, India has emerged as a country that has a vast potential for e-commerce and online financial transactions. Online payments come with the risk of sharing sensitive data which might be misused. Hence, it is pivotal for denizens to train as many as possible to equip them to track data theft.


In order to become an ethical hacker, one needs a solid grounding in the Computer Science. This is imperative if one has to outthink sharp, aggressive and dedicatedly malevolent criminal hackers. It is therefore advisable to study ethical hacking at the postgraduate level, after pursuing a B.Tech or B.Sc course from a reputed institution. This equips the student with strong theoretical foundations as well as practical specialisations to work in a rapidly-changing and extremely challenging environment.

In India, there are several institutes where one can study to become a professional legal hacker. Some of these are Ethical Hacking Training Institute, New Delhi; School of Vocational Education and Training, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and Indian School of Ethical Hacking, Kolkata. NIIT and the International Council of Electronic Commerce Consultants (EC-Council) have also recently started programmes to train aspirants in professional hacking.

Ethical hacking emerged as a $3.8 billion industry in the U.S. alone, last year. As per the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM), there is a requirement of over 77,000 hacking professionals in India. Despite the escalating demand, ethical hacking has still not been able to grab the interest of students who wish to take it up fulltime. Hence, India has only 22,000 professional hackers as of now. NASSCOM also iterated that the digital security scenario in India is threatened at $8 billion, annually.

-Chief Administrative Officer.
Resolution Job Seeker Should Make

Resolution Job Seeker Should Make


The new year is a great time to look at your job hunt so far, step back and reevaluate your priorities in order to make your search go as smoothly as possible.

Take these four steps to bolster your job hunt in 2015:

1. Create a schedule for yourself, and prioritize your tasks.

Better time management is one of the most common New Year's resolutions, whether or not it's related to a job hunt. Set a daily, weekly and monthly schedule for yourself. When you make this schedule, consider these questions:

-- When will you make the calls to keep up to date with people in your network and make appointments for informational interviews?

-- How much time will you budget for online activities, like networking on LinkedIn?

-- Don't forget to plug into your schedule times for networking at group meetings, professional associations and alumni functions.

Volunteering should be a part of your schedule as well! It's a great way to get out of your house, do some good for a group or cause larger than yourself and meet people who have similar interests and values to yours. Plus, you can never tell when a fellow volunteer will know the person you really want to meet and help pave the way for you.

Remember that you need to continue to have a life, even in the midst of a job hunt! Include time for your spouse, partner, kids and even your dog. Be realistic. Include your TV and other downtime activities.

2. Reimagine your elevator speech.

You are probably familiar with this standard and altogether boring format for your 30-second elevator speech to use when introducing yourself: "Hi. I'm so-and-so, and I'm a [fill in job title here] with X years experience in the Y industry doing this, that and the next thing. I'm looking for ..."

The problem is that this format defines you by your roles and responsibilities. Worse, when you include the number of your years of experience, you are often inviting the idea that you are a "same old, same old" kind of employee. You shouldn't be selling your years of experience above the value you can add for your future employer.

Take the time to think about the positive impact you've had on your employers, boss and co-workers. What have you done that even indirectly has led to greater efficiencies or productivity, lowered costs or increased revenue? Then you'll be better able to articulate your value in a more compelling fashion.

Here's an example: "Hi! I'm so-and-so. In my last job as a [fill in the blank], I enabled my company to increase widget production by 18 percent by redesigning the assembly line. My value for my next employer will be to provide fresh perspective and apply that to ..." Notice: No years of experience or job description.

In short, try to use your elevator speech to connect the job you want to the value you bring, rather than to the job description you have had.

3. Keep learning, and keep your skills up to date.

Whether or not you are currently employed, the way just about everything gets done today is different than it was not that long ago. You can only remain relevant if your skills are in-line with an employer's needs for today and tomorrow.

Sure, you've gotten results doing things this or that way in the past, and maybe you just don't feel like changing. But if you take this attitude, don't be surprised if you are labeled as both outdated and lazy. It is a sure way to make your competition look better!

4. When embarking on a career shift, measure twice and cut once.

There are many valid reasons why you might be considering doing something very different than you have done up to now. Whether you are fleeing from a horrible situation or following your passion to something new and different, be certain to do your due diligence.

What's professional life like for those who are already doing what you aspire toward? What do they find both fulfilling and frustrating? What are their challenges, and how do they see the future panning out for themselves, their company and industry? How well are you prepared, and how willing are you to deal with the frustrations and challenges that would await you?

These are the kinds of questions you should be asking in a whole series of informational interviews with key people in your proposed field before you even begin to apply for these new roles. Do your research carefully, lest you go from the frying pan into the fire by following a dream you never researched.

Moreover, as you gain greater knowledge, you will be able to make a stronger case for yourself when you do get to the stage of actually interviewing for new dream role.

Happy hunting!


-Chief Administrative Officer.
10 Communication Skills for Developers

10 Communication Skills for Developers


10 Rules to Build English Communication Skills For Developers


Today's world is about distributed teams across the globe. A team member sitting in the Indian Silicon Valley or a software company of the financial capital of India might be reporting to a manager sitting in Microsoft Headquarters in Redmond, Washington (a suburb of Seattle, Washington, USA). This is almost as if you have travelled around the world. Hence, long-distance communication has become prominent over the last couple of years.

How it matters

But I am technically strong, so how does it matter to me?

Well, if you are really interested in moving up the career ladder then communication is the key. For instance, if you want to be promoted to be a Tech/Team Lead then good communication skills will help in the longer run. 

Good communication demonstrates good leadership skills and so helps you to pave the road to new roles and responsibilities. Would you like to send a software architect to a client or listen to him on the phone when he can barely communicate; would you like to work with a team/tech lead or on-site coordinator that can barely explain what the client wants? I am sure not. 

Why English has become so important

Do I really need to explain that? If you are reading this article of mine, then you are in the same boat as I am. In other words, the software development field. English is a global language to communicate with anyone whom you don't know how to connect with. Besides, if you are planning to travel, work abroad, deal with higher management in your company and pave your road in a highly competitive society then a good command of English is like “Cherry on the Cake".


Consider that, even for technical interviews, how to express that you are a good candidate and understand the technology. That time is gone when you can cram for the questions and spit them out to the interviewer. The trend of interviews have changed. For instance, now people don't really ask the difference between “Abstract class and Interfaces”.

Instead they will ask you a scenario where you choose to implement an interface instead of an abstract class or vice versa. Even, based on your project description they drag you into a totally un-imagined situation and ask for your views. Such just-in-time situations and scenarios are hard to cram for, or even prepare for. So you end up sharing your thoughts or thought processes during the interview. Do you feel little sweating in your palms or forehead?

Techniques to develop good English Communication Skills

So what's the technique to have good English communication skills?

The following is the Rule of Thumb as it appplies to those candidates whose Mother Tongue or Native language is not English, just like me.

Don't panic about or fear English communication; rather work on it. I can share how I (a small town's boy of Hindi medium from northern India) made it possible. 

Rule #1: Focus on learning English grammar to strengthen the fundamentals. If there is a need to improvise your English grammar then work on it for some time and the remaining can be learned by listening and speaking with others. Here is a good E-Book to strengthen the fundamentals from the basics to the extreme expert level.

Rule #2: Don't focus on accent (American, British and so on) immediately; instead focus on grammar for the correct usage or words and accurate sentence formation. Accent will come automatically later when you work with people across the globe and have developed a good grasp of the language.

Rule #3: Your skills building, in other words learning, must be by using English only. For instance, I see some people prefer to learn technology in their native language. I don't understand how learning .NET or any other topic will help you better in your native language, because most of the terms are English only; C#, CLR, Framework, Language, Compile, Code, Debug and so on. So why to worry so much for some of the plumbing or the gluing together of words in the middle to make sentences.

For example, if I need to learn what is .NET then what is it you won't understand in: “.NET is a platform and framework that allows you to build applications using many .NET compliant programming languages and even deploy and run those on many non-Microsoft platform OSs”.

I am totally against the reading of novels and so on to build an English vocabulary. Instead start a book of your choice on MVC, .NET, C#, ASP.NET, WCF and so on cover to cover. Yes, cover to cover; you read that right, from the About the Author to About the Technical Reviewer to the Acknowledgement, Dedication and so on and the chapters of your choice. I guarantee that the first few sections has much to teach you about general-purpose English communication. So your time is better invested into building your skills with books of your areas instead of reading a 1000 pages fiction novel like Harry Potter, especially for this cause.

However; if you wish to read a book other than for your technical benefits then reach out to me, I can guide you to some good books that might be helpful in various ways.

Rule #4: Listening is very important. When I was in college I heard people saying that listening to English songs will help you to learn English; well to be honest I never found time to double up my efforts to listen to English songs and then learn my study topics in English. By the way, I also don't recommend listening to English music and trying to read English material at the same time; it could turn out to be pretty messy, especially at the beginner level.

So listen to some of your favorite speakers for the topic of your choice. Listening causes great learning, especially in terms of the usage of words, sentence formation, accent, pitch, pace, sound quality and so on. My YouTube channel MyPassionForDotNet has a couple of videos from 10 minutes in length to 2+ hour long sessions. 

In your free time, even listen to the people in your office, market, shops, conference calls, elevators, parking and so on. 

Rule #5: No slang language; say “Yes”. I have often seen people saying “yeah” “bro”, “You know after each line”, “cool” and many more terms. Well, I suggest always say “Yes”; believe me this has an impact on your way of building skills. When you are good with English communication then an occasional use of yeah is OK. Basically, this puts you into a habit of strictly respecting the core of the language and also teaching your tongue what to utter, which is very important.

Rule #6: Hang out with the right people. If you know someone that can help you to polish your communication skills then find such people if possible. Well, I was not able to find any because I grew with people like me but time has changed. I am sure you might have someone around you.

Rule #7: Think big, start small. If you are in a discussion then start whatever you can using English and see how far you can go. Anyways, in our native land we speak in a mixed mode (some English and some native language) so instead you should focus on speaking only the English part and as precisely as possible.

Rule #8: Go slow. I have observed many people think that good English communication is all about speaking fast. Actually, that's a myth. I have earned a large amount of my professional experience working outside of India with people from various English speaking continents. One thing I have found common in all of them is that they speak slow, soft and clear. 

Rule #9: Pronunciation, when speaking no matter what language you are using, the way to utter a word is very important. It becomes very important when you speak in English. Here is a great pronunciation tool to help you learn how a specific word is pronounced. 

Some examples; I would like you to try and see what you thought was and actually how these must be pronounced. For example Scythe, calcium, pronunciation.

Rule #10: Get away from your native way of pronunciation. Our native place (town, city, country) has a huge impact on how we learn how to pronounce a word; many times we continue to speak the same way, but with an associated cost with that approach. If you have been speaking incorrectly then it can take a while to practice speaking it right.

For example, most of the Indian people, even Doctors, pronounce Calcium as “Cal-Shi-um” but actually there is no “Sh” sound in it. It's just a very small example of how our native culture has an impact on our way of speaking. Many people have the tendency to add the sound of other letters when speaking something. Try again how most of the people say “Pronunciation” and compare that with the tool I referred to in Rule #9.

Such issues can be fixed with caution, awareness and practice. There is nothing a human mind can't conquer or achieve. 

So let's summarize the rules:

Rule #1: Learn grammar for better English communication.
Rule #2: Don't focus on Accent immediately
Rule #3: Learn technology in English only; strictly books, audio, video and so on
Rule #4: Listening results in great learning.
Rule #5: No slang, use words that reflect a respect of the language.
Rule #6: Right company, connect with people who speak good English.
Rule #7: Think big, start small.
Rule #8: Speak slowly but steadily and you will win the race.
Rule #9: Pronounce correctly; this is impressive in its own way.
Rule #10: Go global; to some extent, get away from your native tongue and pronunciation.

-Chief Administrative Officer.
TechMahindra Interview Date

TechMahindra Interview Date


Insha Allah, TechMahindra Campus Interview is expected to be held on 11 / 12 / 2014 (Thursday).

Here is the download link for you which contains selected materials that will groom you for your Campus Interview / Off-Campus Drives. It also contains Technical Interview Questions and Answers as well apart from grooming you for the Interview Attending Skills.

-Chief Administrative Officer.
75 Mini-Project Topics

75 Mini-Project Topics


The following is a list of Mini-Project Topics that can be chosen for the "N-Tier" Architecture.

The Mini-Project can be done in ASP.Net, JSP, PHP or VB.Net - All in "N-Tier Architecture".

Ensure that you have to choose a unique topic and submit a one page abstract of the same to your class counsellor on or before this Friday (05 / 12 / 2014).

Abstract means existing in thought or as an idea but not having a physical or concrete.

To study the latest Technology to do your project easily, go to - Educational Resources.

1. Vehicle rental system 
2. Courier information system
3. Crime record management system
4. Customer query management system
5. Customer service management system
6. Water Marking
7. E-post office
8. Online tax management
9. Remote network group 
10. Hotel administration and management system
41. Class Scheduling and Time Tabling System
42. Library management system project in JAVA
43. Inventory management System
44. Online Mobile Shopping
45. Employee Management System
46. Social Networking
47. Boutique Management System
48. Online Voting System
49. Video Streaming in PHP
50. Online Advertising
51. Point of Sales and Inventory System
52. Online Hotel reservation system
53. Best business opportunity for college students.
54. Study of Financial Performance Based On Ratios
55. Shopping Website with Payment Gateway
56. Human Resource Management System
57. Hospital Management System
58. Matrimonial Website Script
59. College Management System
60. Online Recruitment Site
61. Library management system project in JAVA
62. Social Networking project synopsis
63. Online Examination System Project
64. Online Job Site Report
65. Sales and Inventory management system
66. Classroom Management Software
67. Barcode Enabled Attendance Record System Project Report
68. Gas Agency Management System
69. Sugar CRM customer relationship management Script
70. Sales and Inventory Management System
71. Audio and video conferencing System
72. Online Courier Management System
73. Enquiry form script
74. Stores Management System
75. Hand Written Pattern Recognition System

The topics would have been repeated in the above list! Ignore them.

About "N-Tier" Architecture - From wikipedia article I read:

Generally, the term tiers is used to describe physical distribution of components of a system on separate servers, computers, or networks (processing nodes). A three-tier architecture then will have three processing nodes. Layers refer to a logical grouping of components which may or may not be physically located on one processing node.

I do think that the concept of "layer" and the concept of "tier" got mixed up with time. I personally like to talk about layers only rather than tiers as I prefer PAAS solutions where my concerns are only on the software, and the industry is slowly moving in this direction.

Also when you plan for an application that could greatly expand I still don't think that you should think about n-tier for scalability. In fact, very popular websites with a lot of traffic only separate themselves into 3 components: Database servers, web servers (including the caching servers), and a few CDN (content delivery networks). This kind of separation can be achieved in any application.

But to conclude, I think a programmer should only think about layers and separation of concerns within the application to achieve the most important (and difficult) task: maintainability in the long run.

-Chief Administrative Officer.