Building secure and scalable web applications means more than just having strong code—it’s about protecting your infrastructure and optimizing performance.

In my latest article, I explore the critical role of reverse proxies in modern web architecture. From enhancing security and load balancing to leveraging modern solutions like Cloudflare Tunnels and Workers, I’ve covered it all.

Plus, I dive into practical configurations with Node.js, NGINX, and Apache to show how you can secure locally hosted applications while keeping your backend protected from threats.

Read more to see how you can elevate your web architecture:
https://blog.eyaadh.net/2024/11/reverse-proxy-essential-tool-for-modern.html

X Post: https://x.com/eyaadh/status/1858815531098534115
LinkedIn Post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ahmed-iyad-a0109063_reverse-proxy-an-essential-tool-for-modern-activity-7264580914842611712-hDVm?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

🚀 The Ultimate Guide to DNS: Building Your Own DNS Server and Managing It Effectively 🌐
Ever wondered how the internet knows where to take you when you type in a website? DNS (Domain Name System) is the unsung hero behind every URL we use!
In my latest post, I dive into:
🔍 How DNS Works and What It's Used For
🔗 Understanding Domain Components
📂 Common DNS Record Types and Their Uses
💻 Building a DNS Server: Node.js and Python Examples
☁️ Managing DNS with Cloudflare
From the basics to hands-on projects, this post has something for everyone looking to master DNS. Let's decode the web, one domain at a time!

🌐 Link: https://blog.eyaadh.net/2024/12/the-ultimate-guide-to-dns-building-your.html

X Post: https://x.com/eyaadh/status/1870571056790188035
LinkedIn Post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ahmed-iyad-a0109063_the-ultimate-guide-to-dns-building-your-activity-7276335290665869312-74B2?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

Ransomware continues to evolve, posing ever-growing threats to businesses and individuals alike. In my latest blog post, I take a deep dive into ransomware from a programmer's perspective, focusing on key defense strategies and advanced technologies. I cover:
🔒 How ransomware works and its devastating effects
🗞️ The history of major attacks and lessons learned
💾 The importance of immutable backups, offsite storage, and shadow copies
🛡️ Why EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response) & XDR (Extended Detection and Response) are crucial in detecting and neutralizing threats
👮 The critical role of Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) in ransomware defense
🐍 Simulating real-world ransomware attacks using Python to better understand and prepare for potential scenarios
With proactive measures, cutting-edge technologies like AI-driven solutions (e.g., SentinelOne), and the right MSSP partners such as OXIQA, we can stay one step ahead in the fight against cybercrime.

Read the full post here: https://blog.eyaadh.net/2024/12/ransomware-programmers-perspective-on.html#python-simulation-how-ransomware-works

X Post: https://x.com/eyaadh/status/1871142499408117809
LinkedIn Post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ahmed-iyad-a0109063_ransomware-a-programmers-perspective-on-activity-7276908208198184960-4BsS?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

💻 "Have you tried turning it off and on again?"

It’s the phrase every IT professional swears by—and for good reason. Rebooting isn’t just an IT cliché; it’s a powerful fix that resolves everything from frozen screens to misbehaving apps.
In my latest blog, I dive into the technical and hilarious reasons why this simple act works so well. From diva-like kernels to memory hoarding RAM, your computer’s quirks might be more relatable than you think!

Check it out and learn why rebooting is the ultimate IT hack:
https://blog.eyaadh.net/2025/01/why-restarting-your-computer-fixes.html

X Post: https://x.com/eyaadh/status/1875125406891966903
LinkedIn Post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ahmed-iyad-a0109063_why-restarting-your-computer-fixes-almost-activity-7280891542418898944-wD-V?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

🌟 Exciting News! 🌟

I’m honored to be nominated for IT Personality of the Year 2025 by Hotelier Maldives! 🚀💻

Throughout my journey in the hospitality tech industry, I’ve been passionate about designing and implementing innovative IT solutions that enhance operational efficiency, security, and guest experiences. From network infrastructure upgrades to custom software solutions, I’ve always strived to push boundaries and make a meaningful impact.

Now, I need your support! 🙌 If you believe in my contributions to the industry, I’d truly appreciate your vote.

🗳️ https://hoteliermaldives.com/awards/

Thank you for your support—it means the world to me! Let’s make this happen! 🔥💪

The proliferation of IoT devices presents significant security challenges. In my latest blog post, I share practical strategies and code examples for securing your network, including VLAN isolation, firewall configurations, and Python-based monitoring. Learn how to mitigate risks and protect your infrastructure.


https://blog.eyaadh.net/2025/03/taming-iot-zoo-locking-down-your-smart.html

🎥 Zapping Through Multicast Madness – Monitoring IPTV Streams with Python
If you’ve ever wrangled IPTV setups in hotels, sports bars, or cruise ships, you know the struggle: UDP multicast streams are efficient, but also sneaky. They don’t care to say hello—or goodbye. A stream can go silent, and your screens might freeze without warning.

So I built a solution. 🛠️

I wrote a Python script that checks whether your multicast or unicast UDP streams are actually alive. Not just “port is open” alive, but real data flowing alive.

💡 Features at a glance:
✅ Parses stream URLs from a simple JSON config
✅ Detects multicast and joins groups with IGMP
✅ Optionally checks for real video packet data
✅ Retries flaky streams before sounding alarms
✅ Sends alerts via Telegram (with channel names!)
✅ Runs scheduled checks on autopilot

Whether you're running 500 hotel rooms or a few Raspberry Pis at home, this tool helps you confidently monitor your streams and know exactly when things go dark.

🔗 Full blog + code breakdown: https://blog.eyaadh.net/2025/04/zapping-through-multicast-madness-fun.html
Git Repo: https://github.com/eyaadh/IPTV-Stream-Checker.git
X Post: https://x.com/eyaadh/status/1914374760915722499
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ahmed-iyad-mohamed-a0109063_zapping-through-multicast-madness-monitoring-activity-7320142715885682689-vBGc?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAA1cDqEBQzA_24aKtZKsZQ2vnF0TAIDJZoQ


I’d love to hear how you’d use or extend this.

🔒 Tor: Not Just the "Dark Web" — A Love Story in Layers 🧅

You’ve probably heard of Tor, but there are a lot of misconceptions floating around about it. In my latest blog post, I dive deep into the real Tor — and trust me, it’s not just a h@(k3r’s tool or a way to browse the "dark web."

Here’s what I cover:

✨ What Tor Actually Is
Tor is more than just a privacy tool; it’s an open-source project designed to help people anonymously access the internet. But it's not as mysterious as it sounds — Tor is actually for everyone who values privacy!

⚙️ How Tor Works (Onion Routing + Relays)
Ever wondered how Tor protects your identity? It uses a system called onion routing (yes, like an onion 🧅) that encrypts your traffic and bounces it through multiple relay nodes, making it super hard for anyone to track you.

📜 A Quick History of Tor
From its roots in the U.S. Navy to becoming a global privacy tool, Tor has evolved a lot over time. It’s fascinating to see how it’s gone from a niche project to a widely used tool for privacy protection.

🧍 Why Normal People Use Tor (Not Just Hackers)
Contrary to popular belief, Tor isn't just for people who are up to no good. Ordinary users, journalists, activists, and those in oppressive regions use it to protect their privacy online and safeguard their communications.

🧠 When Tor Makes Sense (And When It’s Overkill)
Not every online activity requires Tor. Sometimes, using Tor can actually slow you down. I share practical advice on when to use Tor for privacy and when it might be overkill for your needs.

🐍 Real Python Experiments with Tor
To wrap things up, I run a few Python experiments showing you how Tor can be used in real-world scenarios. It’s time to see the magic in action!

🔗 Read the full blog post here 👉: http://blog.eyaadh.net/2025/05/tor-is-not-darkweb-love-story-in-layers.html
X Post: https://x.com/eyaadh/status/1919034807272775875
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ahmed-iyad-mohamed-a0109063_tor-is-not-darkweb-a-love-story-in-layers-activity-7324800463617302531-Pl6E?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAA1cDqEBQzA_24aKtZKsZQ2vnF0TAIDJZoQ

Whether you're just curious or you’re someone who values online privacy, this blog post will give you a clear understanding of what Tor is and how it can benefit you. 🌐

👋 Meet Joe Biden.
No, not the President — our Joe is a junior engineer fresh out of college, full of energy, and recently assigned one of the most painfully manual tasks in our preventive maintenance program: backing up 100+ Aruba switch configurations manually through a browser.

❌ No SSH
❌ No API
✅ Just a Web GUI

As the head of the department, I couldn’t let valuable engineering time be spent on something so repetitive. So we got to work — reverse engineered the web interface, understood how the login and download process works, and built a fully automated Python script to do it all.

What once took days now takes minutes — reliably, concurrently, and without the grunt work.

In this post, I break down how we did it, the tools we used, and why automation like this matters more than ever.

🔗 Read the full post: http://blog.eyaadh.net/2025/05/automating-aruba-instant-on-1930-switch.html
X Post: https://x.com/eyaadh/status/1922001423149019276
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ahmed-iyad-mohamed-a0109063_automating-aruba-instant-on-1930-switch-backups-activity-7327767200109383680--DOW?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAA1cDqEBQzA_24aKtZKsZQ2vnF0TAIDJZoQ

📖 Is your multi-factor authentication truly foolproof? My latest blog post dives into a chilling reality: how modern phishing attacks are evolving beyond simple credential theft to bypass MFA and hijack sessions, particularly on platforms like Telegram.

I explore the core principle of these attacks, showcasing that technical prowess isn't always the primary weapon; psychological manipulation is the true "mind game" at play.

In the post, I share insights from building a small Python-based demo (leveraging Telethon and aiohttp) to illustrate this process. We dissect each step, from setting up the web server to mimicking Telegram's precise UI details (yes, even that infamous animated monkey! 🐒) that cunningly disarm user suspicion. It's a fascinating, if unsettling, look at how easily trust can be exploited.

More importantly, this isn't just about showing how it's done. I've included practical, actionable steps for preventing these attacks and recovering your accounts if you ever find yourself caught in the trap. Understanding the attacker's playbook is your strongest defense.

If you're curious about the technical mechanisms behind these scams, why common sense sometimes fails us, and how to better protect yourself and your organization, this post is for you.

Read the full breakdown and see the demo in action:
https://blog.eyaadh.net/2025/06/dont-get-hooked-why-phishing-is-more.html
X Post: https://x.com/eyaadh/status/1937204748035457140
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ahmed-iyad-mohamed-a0109063_is-your-multi-factor-authentication-truly-activity-7342970734266224640-OF-G?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAA1cDqEBQzA_24aKtZKsZQ2vnF0TAIDJZoQ

I'm incredibly proud to share a project that went from a simple idea to a fully functional live application in less than 24 hours.

It all started while planning the Staff Recognition 2025 at Vakkaru Maldives. We needed a fast, reliable, and engaging way for our entire team to vote for "Mr. and Miss Vakkaru" in real-time. My friend and colleague, Hassan Solah Thalhath, and I put our heads together, and fueled by a tight deadline (and our shared passion for detail!), we built a solution from the ground up.

The result is a serverless, real-time polling app built with Vue 3 and Firebase. It’s designed for anyone who needs to run a live poll for a presentation, workshop, or event.

To celebrate the launch, I've written a detailed blog post that covers the entire journey: from the initial spark of an idea to a deep dive into the technical architecture, including our use of Pinia, VueFire, and Headless UI.

Read the full story and technical breakdown here:
https://blog.eyaadh.net/2025/07/the-poll-app-we-built-in-day-story-of.html

And yes, the app is live and completely free for anyone to use!
Try it out: https://pollapp.eyaadh.net/

X Post: https://x.com/eyaadh/status/1948366763680465349
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ahmed-iyad-mohamed-a0109063_the-poll-app-we-built-in-a-day-a-story-of-activity-7354130110267969536-aHdf?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAA1cDqEBQzA_24aKtZKsZQ2vnF0TAIDJZoQ

Excited to share some powerful new updates for the real-time polling app, driven directly by user feedback! The core focus of this release is to give poll creators more granular control and enhanced privacy over their content.

Here’s what’s new:

🔒 Listed vs. Unlisted Polls: You can now create "unlisted" polls. These won't appear on the homepage list and are only accessible via a direct link, perfect for private meetings or drafts.

👁️ Open vs. Private Results: Choose who sees the results and when. "Open" polls show live results to everyone, while "Private" polls keep the results hidden from participants until you officially close the poll.

🔐 Enhanced Host Controls: The host experience for a closed poll has been completely revamped. Instead of being redirected, you now have a dedicated control panel to view final results or permanently delete the poll.

🗑️ Permanent Deletion: For ultimate control, you can now permanently delete a closed poll and all its data using your unique closing code.

These features make the app even more versatile, whether you're running a public event or a confidential team vote. A huge thank you to everyone who provided their thoughts!

Try the new features on the live app: https://pollapp.eyaadh.net/
Check out the code on GitHub: https://github.com/eyaadh/pollApp
Read how we created it: http://blog.eyaadh.net/2025/07/the-poll-app-we-built-in-day-story-of.html
LinkedIn Post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ahmed-iyad-mohamed-a0109063_the-poll-app-we-built-in-a-day-a-story-of-activity-7354796723266883584-leVr?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAA1cDqEBQzA_24aKtZKsZQ2vnF0TAIDJZoQ
X Post: https://x.com/eyaadh/status/1949029765631148510

#ProductUpdate #VueJS #Firebase #WebApp #Privacy #UserFeedback #SideProject

My wife's favorite TV show often gets geo-blocked while we are traveling. Anyone who's been in a similar situation knows the kind of... domestic tension this can create. 😅

I tried everything: the official streaming apps that demand a local phone number I don't have, bandwidth-hungry P2P solutions that crawl on hotel Wi-Fi, and other services with inexplicable regional locks. The options were either unavailable or unreliable.

Frustrated, I decided to build my own solution.

The goal was simple: create a personal, private, and bandwidth-efficient bridge back to our home TV feed that "just works." My new blog post is a deep dive into how I built this personal streaming gateway using a powerful trio:

▶️ A Raspberry Pi as a low-power, "set it and forget it" home server.
▶️ UDPXY to smartly convert the local TV stream for the internet.
▶️ Cloudflare Tunnel for rock-solid, secure access from anywhere, without opening a single risky port on my firewall.

This is a step-by-step guide for anyone tired of fighting geo-restrictions—whether you're an expat missing home news, a sports fan locked out of a game, or just a tech enthusiast who loves a good weekend project.

Learn how to build your own private bridge to your home content. Full guide below! 👇
http://blog.eyaadh.net/2025/09/the-quest-for-big-boss-husbands-tale-of.html

LinkedIn Post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ahmed-iyad-mohamed-a0109063_the-quest-for-big-boss-a-husbands-tale-activity-7370356455939616768-YG51?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAA1cDqEBQzA_24aKtZKsZQ2vnF0TAIDJZoQ
X Post: https://x.com/eyaadh/status/1964590629348135375

🚨 Why every CRUD app needs audit trails?

Imagine this: Someone deletes a key reservation in your admin panel, and you have no clue who did it. Panic, chaos, and lost data. 😬

That’s where audit trails come to the rescue.

In my latest blog, I break down how to implement Hono + MongoDB middleware that:

- Captures who did what and when
- Stores full snapshots for critical operations and deltas for updates
- Works for both CRUD and non-CRUD actions
- Sanitizes sensitive data automatically

💡 Bonus: Includes example routes and real audit log documents so you can see it in action.

Your apps get transparent, reliable audit logs with minimal effort; perfect for debugging, compliance, and detecting suspicious activity.

Read the full guide here 👉 http://blog.eyaadh.net/2025/10/audit-trails-for-crud-apps-why-you-need.html
LinkedIn Post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ahmed-iyad-mohamed-a0109063_audit-trails-for-crud-apps-why-you-need-activity-7385049882656563200-gkRW?utm_source=social_share_send&utm_medium=member_desktop_web&rcm=ACoAAA1cDqEBQzA_24aKtZKsZQ2vnF0TAIDJZoQ
X Post: https://x.com/eyaadh/status/1979284261464346863

It’s been a while since I wrote something outside of pure programming, so this one is a bit different.

Recently, while working on a domain controller upgrade, I found myself thinking less about how attacks get in, and more about what actually happens after they do.

Because that’s where things usually go wrong.

👉 New blog post: https://blog.eyaadh.net/2026/04/laps.html

In this article, I walk through a very real and very common attack path inside a Windows Active Directory environment:

- How an attacker lands on a single endpoint
- What happens during local enumeration
- How credentials get extracted (LSASS, SAM, cached sessions)
- And how something as simple as a reused local administrator password turns one compromised machine into full lateral movement across the network

No buzzwords. No theory. Just how it actually plays out.

I also break down:

- What lateral movement really is (it’s just authentication)
- Why “standardized environments” can unintentionally help attackers
- How attackers move from one machine… to many… to eventually domain-level access

And then we get into the core of it:

👉 Microsoft LAPS

Not as a feature to enable, but as a design decision.

- How it eliminates credential reuse
- Why that alone disrupts lateral movement
- What actually changes internally (AD attributes, client-side rotation, ACLs)
- And how to deploy it properly without creating new problems

I also cover the parts most guides skip:

- Schema extension considerations
- Permission boundaries (the part that actually matters)
- ADMX / Central Store consistency
- Client behavior and password rotation logic
- Real-world operational challenges like replication, imaging, and backups

This isn’t a step-by-step guide.

It’s about understanding how one small design choice can determine whether an incident stays contained… or spreads across your entire environment.

If you’re running Active Directory, this is something you’ll want to look at.

LinkedIn Post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ahmed-iyad-mohamed-a0109063_its-been-a-while-since-i-wrote-something-share-7452748188987576320-0FjS?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAA1cDqEBQzA_24aKtZKsZQ2vnF0TAIDJZoQ
X Post: https://x.com/eyaadh/status/2046983076027465917?s=20