Clear Byte decodes the hidden layers of hacking, privacy, and digital systems — delivering academic clarity in byte-sized, actionable insights for tech-curious minds. - Medium
Article Cover: Technical Breakdown of AEAD Introduction Authenticated Encryption with Associated Data (AEAD) is an extended encryption method. AEAD is useful when only part of a message needs encryption. Network traffic is a typical example. A network packet has two parts: a header and a body. The header remains in plaintext. Routers must read the header to process the packet. The body of the…
Article Cover: Visualization of random strings Introduction This article explains entropy and randomness in the context of information security. Both concepts are important, but they are not easy to understand. Many people need to study them more than once before the ideas become clear. This article gives a simple and correct explanation. Randomness What is randomness, and why do we need it? In…
Article Cover: Image of Solid State Drive (SSD) Hard disks and SSDs are often examined in digital forensics. Images are acquired and later analyzed. The images are acquired using a write blocker so that no write commands are transferred to the original disk. This is possible because the hard disks and SSDs can be removed. However, this is not always possible, as is the case with sealed devices…
Article Cover: Image of Hard Disk This guide shows how to acquire an image of an external device (such as a USB stick or hard drive) on Linux for forensic analysis. The method shown is generally applicable and works for most devices (there are variations depending on the device). The acquisition is performed on a Linux host and only standard Linux commands are required. Disclaimer: Although the…
File Integrity Monitor Cover Introduction There are countless ways for attackers to gain access to your servers. Whether it’s an unpatched system, a zero-day vulnerability, or weak security systems. Once an attacker is on your system, it’s usually too late. File integrity monitors can be used to detect unauthorized access and protect key files. This article explains what a file integrity monitor…
Bitten retro apple next to Tux. Running Linux on Apple’s M-series Macs isn’t as straightforward as it used to be on Intel-based machines. Because Apple Silicon uses an ARM-based architecture instead of x86, many traditional installation methods don’t work out of the box, leaving even experienced users scratching their heads. In this guide, I’ll walk you through three reliable ways to get Linux up…
Privacy By Design Cover Image We live in an advanced digital age. Digital media are part of our lives and life without them is no longer conceivable. In Switzerland, 90% of 15- to 29-year-olds spend more than five hours per week (private use) online, with 50% of the same group spending more than 20 hours per week on the internet [1]. For the latter group, that amounts to approximately three hours…
Short History Exactly 3 years ago today, I made the career change from finance to the tech industry. I started as a web development intern at a local web agency. This is where I gained my first real experience in this industry. The internship was limited to one year, but I was offered a permanent position as a software developer after just 8 months. Shortly after receiving the permanent position,…
Shark eating network packets (IMG-1) Introduction There are various reasons why you might want to analyse your network traffic. It could be to check for suspicious activity on the network. Or you want to check whether the connections have been configured correctly and the devices are communicating with each other. But it may also be that network traffic analysis is (or will be in the future) a…
Geek Talk Cover Image: Setup Local LLM Introduction You don’t want to pay for LLMs like ChatGPT? Maybe you’re not carefree when it comes to your data. Or maybe you’re just a curious tech nerd. This article explains how to set up a local GPT. The setup is free, the data stays local and is possible without a lot of technical know-how. If you find it difficult to set up a mail account, then this…