The Dark Assassins Podcast

Apple, as promised, released some new Macs this week, and as a result, many people's wallets are lighter as a result. In this episode, we look at what’s new and if it's compelling enough to upgrade. We are covering all of this and more on this episode of The Dark Assassins Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a rating, review, and subscribe if you haven’t already. Also, share it wi...

What is the most rewarding experience for a software developer to have? While there is no one right answer to this question, it doesn’t make the answers any less interesting. In this episode, we delve into some experiences developers face and explain why they might find those rewarding. We are covering all of this and more on this episode of The Dark Assassins Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode,...

Mozilla announce an actively exploited zero-day vulnerability in their Firefox browser due to a use after free vulnerability. In this episode, we dive into what a use after free vulnerability is and how it works. Also this week, we look at some of the shenanigans OEM’s try to pull to prevent you from upgrading your systems. Lastly, we unpack the idea of the “solved problem” and how it can save you...

In this episode, we’ll explore the evolution of Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) from its conceptual origins in the 1960s to its rise as a dominant paradigm with languages like C++, Java, and Python. By understanding the key breakthroughs that made OOP essential, we’ll explain how it helps structure complex systems and discuss real-world examples of OOP in action. We are covering all of this and...

Imagine something that has absolutely nothing to do with programming, and you make it about programming. In this episode, we play a little game called “If ____ were a programming language.” Where we take everyday things and concepts and compare them to programming languages. We are covering all of this and more on this episode of The Dark Assassins Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please give...

What do homelabs, data centers, Kubernetes and mainframes all have in common? They all can thank virtualization for their success and existence. In this episode, we dive into the fascinating history of virtualization, tracing its origins from the early days of mainframes and time-sharing systems in the 1960s to the cutting-edge cloud technologies of today. We’ll explore how virtualization evolved,...

Over the past few years, but year especially, there has been a large spotlight shined on memory unsafe languages, like C/C++, with organizations like The White House putting out statements encouraging industry to transition to memory safe languages. While not memory-safe, C++ has apparently gotten sick of this, and a collaboration has been made to make C++ memory-safe. In this episode, we discuss...

Unlike in decades passed, it seems like the days of monumental leaps forward are behind us. Now a days, with subscriptions and stock prices being the name of the game, companies seem more focused on marginal and incremental updates and improvements rather than radical new changes or break-through performance. This is evident in Apple’s latest keynote, but also in other software manufacturers, like...

The ability to write good code involves more than just knowing algorithms, data structures, and programming languages. In this episode, we look into some habits you can utilize as a developer and how they can help you write better code. We are covering all of this and more on this episode of The Dark Assassins Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a rating, review, and subscribe if...

Penetration testing is the process of legally trying to breach security by exploiting vulnerabilities. However, you don’t need to be a penetration tester in order to spot and think of possible exploits for a given security measure. In this episode, we take a look at a real-world example from hotel security to walk through how a penetration tester would go about performing an exploit. We are coveri...

One of the most core and fundamental tenants of homlabbing is virtualization via a hypervisor. In this episode, we take a look at a few of them, as well as some features, tips, and tricks to optimize your virtualization setup for both performance and security. We are covering all of this and more on this episode of The Dark Assassins Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a rating, r...

Some people think software engineers hide in dark rooms with only the glow of their computer screening RGB as they furiously type away on their keyboard. Others think they just do nothing all day. Similarly, some believe software engineers are intentionally making software bad for job security sake. In this episode, we delve into what software engineers actually do today and some of the career pat...

When people think of tractors, probably the last thing they think of is an AI tool to translate C code into Rust, but that is exactly what DARPA is proposing. In this episode, we break down what DARPA is proposing and all the hurdles, risks, and challenges that will need to be addressed and overcome before AI-translated code can be trusted to take over for the battle-hardened legacy code. We are c...

Those with more of an analytical brain, like software developers, tend to not be seen as the most creative. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. In this episode, we look at how, through algorithm design, problem solving, and various aspects of game development, software developers are, in reality, very creative people. We are covering all of this and more on this episode of The Dark A...

Swift is a programming language best known for two things: being developed by Apple and being used to create applications for Apple devices. However, Swift is much more than that. In this episode, we look at the Swift language and understand why it's actually a pretty good and versatile language for all kinds of cross-platform applications and not just for Apple devices. We are covering all of...

Code reviews play an integral role in any professional software development environment. One of their major selling points is their ability to ensure quality code. In this episode, we dive into code reviews to unpack whether these claims have any merit and if the pros outweigh the cons of code reviews. We are covering all of this and more on this episode of The Dark Assassins Podcast. If you enjoy...

You know what’s worse than a website having it's account database get breached? A complete list of billions of passwords from thousands of sites being freely available to anyone. We also have a long-awaited update to the GitHub copilot story and are revisiting the conversation about: Is programming really that hard? We are covering all of this and more on this episode of The Dark Assassins Pod...

The dark web has a reputation of a shadowy underworld of the dark web filled with illicit activities thriving within its encrypted layers. In this episode, we bring this dark part of the internet into the light and uncover how to access it, the ethical considerations, proactive defense strategies, and future trends shaping the landscape of cybersecurity in the age of the dark web. We are covering...

Version control is vital to the success of any software project, and knowing how to use version control is a vital tool for any software engineer or developer. In this episode, we go beyond the surface-level Git commands to some less widely known but incredibly powerful features of Git to massively improve how you manage your source code. Speaking of source code, who would have thought that hardco...

Once again, calls for removing or putting backdoors into encryption are being made. In this episode, we address why that is a horrible idea and why doing so would completely undermine encryption and privacy. Also in this episode, we look at a massive Windows vulnerability that could be exploited by just being in the same room as someone else. Finally, some people find peace watching a movie or rea...

Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference just happened this week where Apple announced new updates to there Operating Systems, the Swift programming language, along with other developer tools. In this episode, we are diving into what is new, and what it means for developers. We are covering all of this and more on this episode of The Dark Assassins Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please give...

“Grinding LeetCode” is somewhat of a controversial topic when it comes to growing your skills as a software developer. In this episode, we’ll break down the pros and cons and how the debate of whether to do LeetCode problems or personal projects is akin to running on a treadmill or playing a sport that requires running. Also in this episode, we answer a fascinating cybersecurity question from one...

Microsoft revealed a new AI-powered feature called "Recall" for Copilot+ PCs at their event they held last week. This Windows 11 feature allows users to search for and retrieve their past activities on their PC. That, of course, comes at a cost to not only system resources but also raises concerns over privacy. In this episode, we dive into what this “Recall” feature is all about and if...

Anyone remember the Apple Developer Transition Kit (DTK)? Dr. Frankenstein (aka. dosdude1) sure does. In this episode, we look at developing for Apple Silicon and how an iPad chip beats the pants off of a, albeit former, top-of-the line workstation in not only performance but also at a fraction of the power. We are covering all of this and more on this episode of The Dark Assassins Podcast. If you...

Ansible is a popular open-source configuration management and automation tool that is loved by many system administrators and DevOps professionals, and today we are going to dive into why it is so freaking awesome and just some of the many use cases for it. We are covering all of this and more on this episode of The Dark Assassins Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a rating, revi...