Blogs on Bader Alrowaiei

How to Secure Ubuntu 24.04 on a KVM VPS - RackNerd

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 20:45:16 +0300

After setting up a fresh Ubuntu 24.04 VPS, the first priority is hardening it before hosting anything public. In this guide, I’ll walk through the essential steps: securing access with SSH keys, disabling password login, creating a non-root sudo user, enabling automatic updates, setting up a firewall, and adding brute-force protection with Fail2Ban.

I’ve always wanted to own a VPS as a small corner of the internet where I could run web apps, test scripts, and learn by doing. But I could never quite justify the monthly cost or find the time to manage one. Instead, I stayed busy with virtual machines on my PC and laptop, which kept my curiosity satisfied for a while.

KC7 CloutHaus: Social Media leads to Compromise

Sun, 19 Oct 2025 17:02:15 +0300

This post is a write-up or clues on how to resolve the KC7 investigation case of CloutHaus: Social Media leads to Compromise . You can use it as a helpful guide when you encounter an obstacle, as it structured as a fill-in-the-blanks solution.

Section 1: Got Clout? 🤳

Question 1: Based on Afomiya’s Instagram profile, what is the email address she uses for brand deals?

You Got this 👾

Valdoria Votes: A Political Mystery (Part 2)

Wed, 22 Jan 2025 18:47:01 -0600

This post is a walkthrough of the KC7 investigation case of Valdoria Votes . You can use it as a helpful guide when encountering an obstacle or trying to understand a question. Different ways to answer questions might exist, so don’t be afraid to explore your path.

Section 3: A vote of no confidence

Question 2: What IP address did they forget to hide in the poster?

You Got this 👾

How to Export Firefly III Data

Mon, 13 Jan 2025 16:47:18 -0600

In this article, I will cover the steps I took in OpenMediaVault to export all the data from Firefly-III to Unraid on my new server, EVE 6, a ZimaBlade powered by Unraid . As I transition to this new setup, I document my process and progress to facilitate future improvements and enhancements. I also hope this article will inspire others to tackle similar projects.

How to Build a ZimaBlade‑Powered Unraid NAS – Step‑by‑Step Guide (2025)

Mon, 30 Dec 2024 13:16:01 -0600

Learn to assemble a high‑performance Unraid NAS on a ZimaBlade board, with detailed hardware setup, OS install, Tailscale VPN and share configuration.

The Evolution of EVE: Lessons from a Home Lab Enthusiast

In an era where data drives everything from work to leisure, the Network-Attached Storage (NAS) concept has moved from corporate server rooms to the homes of tech enthusiasts. My story of starting with OpenMediaVault on a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ in 2019 and evolving through a series of hardware upgrades and software experiments to my current ZimaBlade powered by Unraid EVE 6.0 is a testament to the power of curiosity, adaptability, and the never-ending quest for optimization.

KC7 Frognado in Valdoria

Wed, 11 Dec 2024 17:12:49 -0600

This post is a write-up or clues on how to resolve the KC7 investigation case of Frognado in Valdoria . You can use it as a helpful guide when encountering an obstacle or trying to understand a question. Different ways to answer questions might exist, so feel free to explore your path.

Section 1: Maybe it’s just a tadpole? 😢👀

Question 1:

You Got this 👾

KC7 The Great Elf Conflict SANS Holiday Hack Challenge 2024

Mon, 09 Dec 2024 20:07:05 -0600

This post is a write-up or clues on how to resolve the KC7 investigation case of SANS Holiday Hack Challenge 2024 The Great Elf Conflict . You can use it as a helpful guide when encountering an obstacle or trying to understand a question. Different ways to answer questions might exist, so feel free to explore your path.

Section 1: KQL 101

You got it 👾

KC7 HopsNStuff

Wed, 11 Sep 2024 23:00:38 -0500

This post is a walkthrough of the KC7 investigation case of KC7 HopsNStuff . You can use it as a helpful guide when encountering an obstacle or trying to understand a question. Different ways to answer questions might exist, so don’t be afraid to explore your path.

Section 2: 🥚Info💰

Question 1: Let’s take a look at our SecurityAlerts. A security alert flagged on a file that was quarantined on March 31, 2023. Which host was this identified on?

The question provided us with the timestamp and flag reason.

KC7 Inside Encryptodera

Mon, 29 Jul 2024 21:10:48 -0500

This post is a write-up or clues on how to resolve the KC7 investigation case of Inside Encryptodera . You can use it as a helpful guide when you encounter an obstacle, as it structured as a fill-in-the-blanks solution.

Section 1: Offensive Odor 👽

Question 1: What is Barry’s role at the company?

Employees
| where name contains "Barry"
| project name , role

Question 2: What is Barry’s email address?

Employees
| where name contains "Barry"
| project name , role, email_addr

Question 3: What was the subject of the interesting email (the one on January 16th) that Barry sent?

Email
| where sender == "barry_shmelly@encryptoderafinancial.com"
| where timestamp between (datetime(2024-01-16T00:00:00Z) .. datetime(2024-01-16T23:59:59Z))

Question 4: What was the role of the employees that received Barry’s email?

Find the list of the recipients.

Email
| where sender == "barry_shmelly@encryptoderafinancial.com"
| where subject == "I'm not coming in today. I'm sick of this place. We're all getting laid off anyway."

Find the role.

Employees
| where email_addr in ("christopher_naylor@encryptoderafinancial.com", "michelle_collins@encryptoderafinancial.com", "jarrod_rodriguez@encryptoderafinancial.com")
| distinct role

Advanced operators:

Email
| where sender == "barry_shmelly@encryptoderafinancial.com"
| where subject == "I'm not coming in today. I'm sick of this place. We're all getting laid off anyway."
| project recipient
| join kind=inner (
Employees
| project email_addr, role
) on $left.recipient == $right.email_addr
| project recipient, role
| distinct role

Question 5: What was the role of the recipient of that email?

Email
| where subject == "YOU ARE A GREEDY PIG!!!! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?????"

Employees
| where email_addr == "les_goh@encryptoderafinancial.com"
| project role

Question 6: What’s Barry’s IP address? (Paste the full IP address )

Employees
| where name contains "Barry"
| project ip_addr

Question 7: What was the complete URL that Barry was browsing on his computer regarding Cybersecurity Insiders on the afternoon of December 26th?(Paste the full url)

OutboundNetworkEvents
| where src_ip == "10.10.0.1"
| where url contains "Insiders"
| project url

Question 8: What website did he visit first on January 15th? (Paste the full URL)

OutboundNetworkEvents
| where src_ip == "10.10.0.1"
| where timestamp >= datetime(2024-01-15T00:00:00Z)
| top 1 by timestamp asc
| project url

Question 9: Could you provide the full URL for the website Barry searched for USB Flash Drives?

OutboundNetworkEvents
| where src_ip == "10.10.0.1"
| where url contains "usb"
| project url

Question 10: What “secret” document on business transactions did Barry download?

InboundNetworkEvents
| where src_ip == "10.10.0.1"
| where url contains "secret"
| project url

Question 11: What document (docx) did Barry download about salaries?

InboundNetworkEvents | where src_ip == “10.10.0.1” and url contains “salary” and url contains “docx” | project url

KC7 Balloons Over Iowa

Fri, 14 Jun 2024 21:51:01 -0500

This post is a write-up or clues on how to resolve the KC7 investigation case of Balloons Over Iowa . You can use it as a helpful guide when you encounter an obstacle, as it structured as a fill-in-the-blanks solution.

Section 2: Aliens 👽

Question 1: Which email address sent a message containing the domain invasion.xyz?

Table
| where <field> <operator> "invasion.xyz"

Question 2: How many users received email with links to the domain invasion.xyz?

Table
| where <field> <operator> "invasion.xyz"
| count

Question 3: What was the subject of the email sent in (1)?

Answer from question 1.

KC7 A Scandal in Valdoria!

Wed, 22 May 2024 22:30:15 -0500

This post is a write-up or clues on how to resolve the KC7 investigation case of A Scandal in Valdoria . You can use it as a helpful guide when you encounter an obstacle, as it structured as a fill-in-the-blanks solution.

Section 2: Welcome to Valdoria!

Question 1: What is the Newspaper Printer’s name?

Clark Kent

Question 2: What is the Editorial Intern’s name?

Employees
| where <field> == "Editorial Intern"

Question 3: When was the Editorial Intern hired at The Valdorian Times?

Answer from question 2.

Jackaroo World board game how to play?

Fri, 17 May 2024 22:33:00 -0500

Jackaroo is a board game that shares similarities with the Wahoo game board . It is designed for 2-4 players and involves the use of playing cards and marbles. In this game, two players facing each other to form a team. The objective is to skillfully maneuver your marbles around the track zone and ensure they reach the safety zone without being captured. The movement of marbles is guided by playing cards.

Hello World!

Tue, 30 Apr 2024 20:41:40 -0500

Welcome to my brand-new blog powered by Hugo and PaperMod ! I’m thrilled to start this blog to share part of my personal interests, including self-hosting, Open Source Intelligence (OSINT), data analysis, travel, and whatever comes in mind.

This blog will serve as a space to document my thoughts, connect with like-minded individuals, and explore new perspectives. As an avid learner, I’m excited to share my knowledge and insights with you while learning from your contributions and feedback.