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Password Security: A meaningful policy

May 24, 2018April 5, 2019/jalaimei16/Leave a comment

Note: Article has been updated since original submission March 12, 2015 for a college assignment.

Introduction

Definition of Problem

A password is a mean of authentication for the user to an application. It is of common occurrence and used daily by many applications. Passwords can tend to be a weak point for users, since hackers can get to their information if they have the password. It is important to safely secure a password that only the user has to prevent unwanted access to a user’s application. The following document recommends and highlights a carefully planned out way to create a secure password so that unwanted users may not have access and as well as the destruction or changing of old passwords.

Problem scope

The following document is meant for individual users who need to create multiple passwords for various applications (commercial, private, etc.). This procedure will generate unique online (electronic) alphanumeric passwords including special characters that enable users to access their applications. Contrastingly, the procedure will also entail the changing or destruction of passwords, following the guidelines of creating online passwords. The passwords created by this procedure are limited to online passwords, and not physical tokens, keys, passphrases, etc. Though further research can be expanded upon non-online passwords, the securing of online passwords is currently the most scalable and available to users.

Policy

Single password

Once someone has a password, they have access to important information. If the information that an application contains were not important, then there would be no need for a password to protect it. A password is a way of restricting access for unwanted users. Hence, most users do not want other people to know their information. As stated earlier, hackers can access a user’s applications by the use of their password. The most common way of getting someone’s password is “brute force” attacking where a hacker will guess a password until it is correct. They are able to do this by using generators/automated programs that randomize different inputs (alphanumeric combinations, dictionary inputs, etc.). It becomes crucial that a user takes care in creating their password or else they risk the possibility of a hacker figuring out their password relatively easy. Users should make it difficult to where no one else would be able to retrieve their password. Common passwords such as personal information, significant things about a user’s life, or any common patterns such as ‘1234’ or ‘abcd’ must be ultimately be avoided since they are predictable. The following is a more extensive of list of what must not be considered when creating a password; passwords less than eight characters, words from a dictionary, slang, common phrases, patterns, work information, and personal information. Anything that is predictable or readily available information is a poor choice when choosing a password because most likely someone else, albeit being a hacker, may have created the same password. A person’s password can be relatively common in comparison to the millions of users who have passwords to some application in the world. It is necessary to create a unique password that is highly unlikely to be replicated anywhere else. Passwords should avoid the list said above, and each character of the password should be chosen randomly. This will include a variety of upper and lower case letters, numbers, and special characters (see Appendix A for more information). The length of the password will be longer than eight characters. The longer the password, the more time and effort it would take for someone to hack it. Passwords may also be generated by password generators instead of the user creating the password, but they must follow the guidelines stated earlier and then some (see Appendix B). Every password that a user has should be created in either of these manners. Although having each character of the password randomly chosen seems hard to remember, it will reduce the likelihood of hackers, and creating a common password.

Multiple passwords

Ultimately, a person has many applications they need a password for. People have to protect different types of applications and information, hence more passwords are needed. Users will follow the policy for creating a single password in order to create multiple passwords. Each password created must not replicate any other password the user currently has or had. Otherwise, a hacker or unwanted user can figure out that a user has one password for multiple applications. They would be able to access much more information about the person without having to get multiple passwords. Having multiple distinct passwords can be a strong point for protecting a person’s information if made correctly.

Changing/Destroying passwords

Passwords are never truly destroyed. Upon changing a password, the password may look destroyed to the user, but the application may store old passwords to a certain extent. Hence, it is important to change passwords often. Although, this policy outlines creating a unique password, it does go “bad”. Eventually, with use of the same password within an application, the password becomes gradually “weaker” because of time. It is necessary to assume that any possible unwanted user is becoming “stronger”, that they have had time to find, brute force, and get the password a person has for an application. Another possibility is that the once unique password could be a common password because someone else could have created. Therefore passwords are to be changed regularly, having a “time stamp” with them. A user should make their own sort of “time stamp” of their password, by recording of how long the password has been in use/when the password was created. Then a user should use a timer (either by regularly checking the time stamp or creating a timer of sorts) to know when said password has gone bad. A timer and time stamp are necessary for every password a user has regardless of the significance of the information the password protects. Another need to change password may be that the application has been accessed by a user’s password without their use/knowledge. Usually the application will notify the person, but a user should always check the status of their password of the application. Users should be aware of when their password is being used. If their password with an application has been stolen or possibly compromised, users must immediately change their password in accordance to password creation policies. Not all applications require people to change their password regularly or at all. User must stay aware of the status of their password. hat the password create was good.ins good for as long as it can, users must actively protect their password, which will ensure tOnce a password is needed to be updated, they must be changed in accordance to application password standards, or better yet a timely enough interval that depends on the security sensitivity of the information in the application. These time lengths vary, but a recommendation is taking a scale of sensitive information, where 1 is least important and 5 is of the utmost importance and is secured beyond means of a password. Then take the number of months in a year, then divide by the rating. This is possible estimation of when to change passwords. Upon the need to change a password associated with an application, users must first change/update old password to new password following the single password policy, and secondly destroy any location where the password may have been stored. This is to prevent any hackers from using old passwords and storing it to their bank of possible passwords, or even a person’s old password may be valuable to some other application of user.

Procedures for Passwords

Create a password

User identifies need for password.
User creates passwords according to requirements of application and requirements (listed in Appendix A).
User tries using password in application and checks that it works, otherwise application will reject password and most likely ask for password again or ask to change password (in this case go to Create a password).
User creates time stamp and timer on each created password.
Users will follow Changing a password(s) when timer of password expires or when password become compromised.

Alternate possibility for creating a password

User identifies need for password.
Instead of User creating their own password, user uses a password generator (which does the random choosing of each character of the password instead of the user creating it) to create password (list of requirements for password generator in Appendix B).
User tries using password application and checks that it works, otherwise application will reject password and most likely ask for password again or ask to change password (in this case go to Create a password).

User creates time stamp and timer on created password.
Users will follow Changing a password(s) when timer of password expires or when password become compromised.

Create multiple passwords

User identifies need for creating a password(s) in addition to a user’s already existing set of password(s).
Users uses Create password procedure as needed to created password(s).
User checks that new password(s) is not the same as old password(s) and existing password(s) for other applications by self-checking or using an automated program.

User tries using password application and checks that it works, otherwise application will reject password and most likely ask for password again or ask to change password (in this case go to Create a password).

Changing a password(s)

User has kept track of current passwords by maintaining time stamps/timers on passwords and user has checked validity of password with application (checking if application has been compromised with use of password).
User identifies need to change password (timer has expired or password with application).
User requests to change old password to a new password within an application.
User creates new password in accordance to Create a password
User tries using new password in application to see that it works.
User creates time stamp and timer on created password.
Users will follow Changing a password(s) when timer of password expires or when password become compromised.

Validation of Password Policy

Managing password(s)

People have many needs for passwords. The majority of applications require some sort of password, such as email, social networking, bank accounts (by use of pins, but they are passwords), company servers/accounts, etc. Hence, users must track what passwords they have, what passwords they have to create/change, and what passwords may be a point of risk and liability. This will validate the creation and changing password process. In general, users have to be able to monitor the behavior of their passwords. Users should know which passwords have access to applications, when these passwords are used, and if these passwords are used on devices (computer, phone, etc.) authorized by the user. In addition, if users are following the procedures to create and protect passwords, they must be able to repeat the same policies and also be able to remember said passwords. Passwords may be remembered by memorization, but more realistically, a user will need to “write them down”. Although this seems contradictory to the password protection policy of having written down passwords, it is necessary to have some way to access a user’s passwords if there happen to be more than are able to be memorized. Users may store passwords in vaults, not physical vaults, such as a password manager which will store online a user’s many passwords (see Appendix C for recommendations).

Password Protection

In order to protect a password(s), users must avoid the spreading of password information. This tends to be a common point of failure for many. Users may unknowingly write down their passwords, but it is a huge risk, especially if it is in plain sight (ex. post-it note next to computer screen) or in an easily accessible place. Another liability that users neglect is sharing a password. A password is no longer a secure password for a user, if it is known by others who do not really need the password. Sharing passwords across email, texts, or even the “Remember Password” function of many applications is not protecting a password. If a password has been believed to be compromised, users must either change the password or users must delete/change their application information, and then proceed to create a new password. In order to make sure that a password created remains good for as long as it can, users must actively protect their password, which will ensure that the password create was good.

Checking validity of password

This list is meant for those who have followed through the password creation/changing policy at least once. Passwords are ultimately validated by the user, because only the user will be affected by the use of the password. User can use the following methods in any given order to validate policy of creating and changing password(s).

Avoid sharing passwords.
Use of a password management system (go to appendix b for a recommended checklist of what to look for in a management system), which will do many features in this list.
Visit applications regularly and check validity of passwords (checking if they work, if they have been compromised, etc.), even though application is not needed at time.
Checking time stamps/timers on passwords and then update accordingly.
Change passwords regularly and when needed.
Use a password strength checker upon creation of password (usually included in password generators and managers).
Set up application in order to receive updates from applications if password security is compromised.
Store passwords in an authenticated encrypted vault.
Monitor password use behavior by use of password management system or some independent application.

Appendix

Appendix A

List of Recommendations for Passwords (see Reference 2)

Contain at least 12 alphanumeric characters.
Contain both upper and lower case letters.
Contain at least one number (for example, 0-9).
Contain at least one special character (for example,!$%^&*()_+|~-=\`{}[]:”;'<>?,/).
Creation of a timestamp and timer for each password
Avoids words from a dictionary, slang, common phrases, patterns, work information, personal information, and anything else readily discoverable or predictable
Each character is randomly generated

Appendix B

Recommended requirements for password generator (see Reference 7 and 8)

Allows user to have the option to choose when creating password (such as password length, use of special chars, upper and lower case letters, etc.)
Tells user the strength of the password generated
Has authentication abilities for using application
Is able to store created passwords in an encrypted vault
Can synchronize passwords across multiple applications and devices

Appendix C

Recommended features of a password management system (see Reference 7)

Continuously being updated/fixed
Easy/Simple to use
Encrypts passwords as they are stored
Generates passwords in accordance to Appendix A
Can judge strength of passwords
Has tools that allow management of time stamps and timers of passwords
Works on all of user’s intended applications and devices
Can be synchronized across different platforms and devices
Is well known and reputed

References

SSL/TSL: A Weak Point

May 24, 2018May 25, 2018/jalaimei16/Leave a comment

Note: Article has been updated since original submission January 30, 2015 for a college assignment.

Everybody is listening. Whether a person is talking on the phone while waiting in line, or someone is conversing with another sitting in a food court. It is easy enough to see that anyone, purposely or not, can see and hear things that someone else does not want to be known. All pla0 is based on SSL 3.0, and they vary little. As stated in Request for Comments (RFC) 2246, “The differences between this protocol and SSL 3.0 are not dramatic, but they are significant enough that TLS 1.0 and SSL 3.0 do not interoperate,” (Dierks and Allen 4). SSL 3.0 and TLS 1.2 (soon to be 1.3) are the most recent versions of the protocols which work together to secure information sent over the internet.

These protocols are layered upon other protocols, such as TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) and IP (Internet Protocol), to secure internet communications. Before SSL and TLS, TCP/IP protocols and alike did not have a means of protecting information against unwanted users (Garfinkel and Spafford 107). TCP and IP allow for the passing of information between applications but do not necessarily secure the connection. SSL and TLS are mechanisms that are able to encrypt the information and the session between applications. By using asymmetric and symmetric cryptography to encrypt the data between two applications, such as a client and server, SSL and TLS can maintain a safe session. The first thing that occurs when a client is initiating a session with a server is a handshake. A handshake is a greeting and a first welcome sign that acknowledges another’s existence (Garfinkel and Spafford 690). In a SSL and TLS handshake, the handshake begins with the use of a ClientHello, which is a message containing the protocol version, a random string including a time stamp, a session id, a list of supported cipher suites, and a list of compression methods that the client supports (Garfinkel and Spafford 693). The SSL/TLS server, upon receiving the ClientHello, will then respond with a handshake failure alert or a ServerHello message that contains similar things to the ClientHello, except the server will have chosen a cipher, which is an algorithm for encryption, and a compression method to use during the session (Garfinkel and Spafford 694). The next possible steps are certificate exchanges and key exchanges between the server and the client. This will be further discussed later on when discussing the weaknesses of SSL and TLS. At the end of the handshake, the client and server send ChangeCipherSpec messages, which allows all following message to be encrypted according to the agreed-upon cipher suite and compression method. TLS has further actions, such as a record protocol that transmits information called as records between applications. A record has more information pertaining to the security such as the content type, data payload, and message authentication codes (MAC) (Garfinkel and Spafford 690). In either case, with the use of SSL and TLS, messages are sent between applications, and the connection is protected.

Successful use of the SSL and TLS protocol provides authentication of the server and client through digital signatures, data confidentiality through the use of encryption, and data integrity through the use of message authentication codes (MAC). SSL and TLS are highly extensible and adaptive with internet security. Some internet applications that are protected are web emails, login credentials, and other stream related information. Yet, because the protocols are so extensible and adaptive to other protocols such as TCP and HTTPS, there is uncharted ground that is not protected. While SSL and TLS do support popular protocols, they do not work well with others, such as UDP (Viega, Chandra, and Messier 20). Specifically, SSL does not have support for non-repudiation (need to use S/MIME), does not protect against buffer overflows, race conditions, protocol errors in the design or implementation in the application (Viega, Chandra, and Messier 21). SSL, and ergo TLS have many openings for creating compromised security measures.

When SSL 3.0 was released, there were conflicting issues with the older version SSL 2.0. For example, if one has not upgraded to the latest versions of SSL/TLS, it is possible to downgrade/pretend that SSL 2.0 is SSL 3.0. Considering the SSL 2.0 had errors, security can be compromised with having SSL 3.0 look like SSL 2.0 (Freier, Karlton and Kocher 63). It seems easy enough to fix this problem by configuring their browser to allow SSL 3.0 and TLS, but most people do not configure it to only allow the most recent versions. Another issue associated with SSL is the certificate validation process. During this process, the client extracts a public key from the certificate, and the server gets a private key used later for encryption of data through public key cryptography (Garfinkel and Spafford 693). This is the only validation that happens during the connection between server and client. It is possible to protect certificate validation through Certificate Authorities (CA), who are third-party negotiators that deal with proving the validity of certificates for servers, but deciding on which to trust is potentially a lot of work (Viega, Chandra, and Messier 17). Certificates used as an authentication mechanism may prove to be faulty for SSL and TLS. Adversaries could potentially get certificates representing other people that is not themselves. CAs may make the mistake of believing someone is who they claim to be. It becomes troublesome to deal with someone having a “fake” certificate, a certificate given to the wrong person. A method that deals with stolen certificates is the creation of Certificate Revocation Lists (CRL), in which the CA reports bad certificates and numbers them, so that clients or servers can monitor their activity (Viega, Chandra, and Messier 16). Yet, there are factors that delay this process. An example of such could be a time delay of not noticing what has been stolen. For a CA, it could potentially take time to update CRL, not including that the client has to download them. The process of finding a potential certificate stealer becomes lengthy when a client must depend on a CA acting in real time (Viega, Chandra, and Messier 17). Also, it is questionable if having CAs are substantial enough security for security. They lack mobility, which is important with trying to protect information in a timely manner. In addition, some clients or servers may fail to check the entirety of the contents of the certificate, and a potential attackers may be able to get credentials. More often than not, people are unaware of what digital certificates they do have access to, since most digital certificates are hidden in the web browser. It is a weak point that some attackers may prey upon. They know what to look for in SSL/TLS protocols.

Associated with certificates are private keys. These keys are later used to help encrypt data being sent over a connection between client and server (Viega, Chandra, and Messier 15). The possible error with using keys along with certificates is that they may not be hidden on the server, specifically their hardware. An attacker who has access to their hardware is able to extract the key if the key is unencrypted (Viega, Chandra, and Messier 16). Even if the key were to be kept in memory of the system, it would have to remain unencrypted in order to allow for new connections to be made. Again the attacker would be most likely able to access this information if they knew what they were doing. In turn, SSL and TLS could fail to protect data because of weakly protected keys.

Since SSL and TLS attempt to defend data from attackers, it takes a lot of effort. This effort could be seen as cost or consequence of the abilities of SSL. Assuming one would like to exchange a vast amount of information back and forth between a client and server, it takes time. SSL and is slower than TCP/IP transmissions because its main job is to encrypt and authenticate information over a connection. One of the first steps when starting a session with SSL is handshaking. The initial handshake is slow because it uses public key cryptography, which requires large keys, hence the computational math required to encrypt takes longer (Viega, Chandra, and Messier 12-14). It is an issue when first doing this because TCP/IP is not secure on its own. The earlier it is in an SSL/TLS session, the less secure it is likely to be.

With slow workings, faulty certificates, weak keys, these are possible reasons to have Man in the Middle Attacks. Potentially, the failure of validating certificates may make for a potential Man In The Middle attack (MITM), where an eavesdropper puts himself in between the client and server, somehow accessing their session credentials and listen and put forth his own agenda during the connected session (Opplinger, Hauser, and Basin 54). Generally, MITM attacks are when an attacker intercepts server or client messages by pretending to be the client or server by using a proxy connection and listens to the data exchanged between the applications. There are many variations of possible compromised connections with the use of a MITM attack. One example of such case is called a BEAST attack, or Browser Exploit Against SSL/TLS. BEAST attacks assume that a possible attacker can see an encrypted session taking place between a client and server. Hence, the attacker, if knowing what to look for, can also see the initialization vector used for encryption. Initialization vectors are used to randomize plain text messages (information before being encrypted) before encryption during cipher block chaining, which is the encryption of data in blocks with each blocks’ encryption depending on the one before(Rohit). If an attacker were to have IV information, they could use it to uncover what the original plaintext message was (Rohit). BEAST attacks deal with finding multiple IVs to get the most information they can get by sniffing the network. An attacker will know that the plaintext message with the known IV is correct by checking the session cookie and seeing if the ciphertext matches. It seems relatively easy for attackers to use the BEAST, but one failure of BEAST is that it has to modify traffic over the connections used in the browser. Also, when checking the plaintext message with the IV, it is only possible to guess one block at a time due to the next block’s information is dependent on the one before it (Rohit). Yet, it is important to note that SSL/TLS provides leeway with its encryption standards. If the initialization vector of the cipher block chaining process can be exploited, it is reasonable to see that other parts of the encryption process could be seen as well.

Even though TLS is more recent, it has its vulnerabilities. One of the key features of TLS is that when it encrypts data, it compresses it. This is necessary in order to reduce bandwidth used during Internet sessions and latency requirements while maintaining the security features of TLS (Hollenbeck). Possible attackers could force a browser to compress and encrypt requests with attacker controlled data. It is known as Compression Ratio Info-leak Made Easy or a CRIME attack. Attackers find this method as another way to see information encrypted with SSL/TSL protocols. First, assuming that attackers are aware that an SSL/TSL connection is occurring, attackers are able to see cookie information. Cookies are stored pieces of data saved from a client’s previous sessions with a server that provides information on the activity of their sessions (Goodin). These cookies are available during SSL/TLS connections because they are located in the messages between clients and servers. With the cookie information, it is possible to make attacker requests look like it belongs in the connection. In a CRIME attack, an attacker is trying to compress their request into the client’s request. Since there is no space for some of the request, it becomes lossless data (Goodin). Basically extra, but not unnecessary. The attacker uses this information to find out to see if what the client’s now lossless data matches the encrypted data the attacker cannot read matches. If it the two sets of data match then it is successful information stealing. TLS tries to maintain the effectiveness of the browser by compressing data, but it may give up some security points in the process.

Going along with the idea of compressing data as a method of weakness, BREACH attacks focus on using compressed data against clients. BREACH stands for Browser Reconnaissance and Exfiltration via Adaptive Compression of Hypertext. During a BREACH attack, clients are forced, without knowing, into using or visiting an attacker’s website (Leyden). When a client visits/uses the website, bytes of data from the attacker are made to match the ones encrypted in the connection between the server and client. The web browser notices that there is an excess amount of data and tries to compress it to reduce the size of the transmission. Eventually, an attacker can compile bytes useful enough to create useful information, such as an email address, a security token, etc. (Leyden). Attackers do not need to know much in order to use this technique. They do not need to know the encryption algorithm or cipher. Their only job is to continually listen to the traffic of client and server. Knowing that a connection exists is enough for attackers to get what they want. SSL and TLS cannot do much to stop people from watching traffic.

In some cases, connections over the internet have to be re-authenticated. SSL and TLS are in an already existing state, and suddenly there may be a change on the client or server’s side where they must authenticate themselves. This is known as renegotiation (Rohit). Perhaps a user was buying something online and they made it to checkout, but want to use their account with the website, or the server has a timed out session with a client, which makes it necessary to sign in with their credentials again. In an SSL/Renegotiation attack, an attacker inserts plaintext into a client’s request to a web server during renegotiation (Rohit). The attacker’s plaintext is what they want, it is their own personal request (agenda). The client will have seemed to be the one to put forth the request themselves, but really it is the attacker’s. Renegotiation can be a fatal point depending on what the attacker requests, but there are limitations. Attacks can only send their requests and not alter the requests of the client and server during this process. Hence if an attacker wants something useful to them, they would make a request to make the HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) to an HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol). HTTP is responsible for being able to exchange or transfer hypertext (interactive text used for the Internet) (Goodin). On its own, HTTP isn’t secured, HTTPS is able to use the attributes of SSL/TLS and protect hypertext (Goodin). So, if during a renegotiation, an attacker’s request to change an HTTPS connection to an HTTP is made, the web browsing session is compromised. It fails without it being directly the fault of SSL or TLS.

For conclusion, it is arguably to say that even with recent versions or capabilities of SSL/TLS, there are underlying security concerns. The attacks mentioned, BREACH, CRIME, BEAST, are some to name a few that have recently been more pertinent in recent years. Attackers focus their attention more on finding the tradeoffs that SSL/TLS give in order to secure a session. It could be a slower encrypting time or perhaps compressing data in order to save bandwidth. SSL and TLS cannot do it all. Although it seems like a miracle cure, it is still in its early stages. Nothing is ever truly secure. People have to start understanding how their information, their interactions are secured over the internet. If they begin to understand how attackers do what they do, maybe then will SSL/TLS be used to the best of its abilities. In order truly to have a secure connection, SSL and TLS, along with the other protocols it works with, have to be improved to the point where everyone knows about them.

Works Cited

Dierks, T.,Allen, C.. “The TLS Protocol Version 1.0.” Request for Comments 2246 (1999): 9-10.

Freier, A., Karlton, P., Kocher P.. “The SSL Protocol Version 1.0.” Request for Comments 6101 (1996): 4-6. Print.

Garfinkel, Simson; Spafford, Gene. Web Security, Privacy & Commerce. Sebastopol: O’Reilly Media, 2001. Ebook Library. Web. 24 Jan. 2015.

Goodin, Dan. “Crack in Internet’s Foundation of Trust Allows HTTPS Session Hijacking.”Arstechica. Condé Nast, 13 Sept. 2012. Web. 26 Jan. 2015. <http://arstechnica.com/security/2012/09/crime-hijacks-https-sessions/>.

Hollenbeck, S.. “Transport Layer Security Protocol Compression Methods”. Request for Comments 3749 (2004): 1-4.

Leyden, John. “Step into the BREACH: HTTPS Encrypted Web Cracked in 30 Seconds.” • The Register. The Register, 2 Aug. 2013. Web. 26 Jan. 2015. <http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/08/02/breach_crypto_attack/>.

Rohit, T. “SSL ATTACKS – InfoSec Institute.” InfoSec Institute. InfoSec Institute, 28 Oct. 2013. Web. 26 Jan. 2015. <http://resources.infosecinstitute.com/ssl-attacks/#disqus_thread>.

Oppliger, Rolf, Ralf Hauser, and David Basin. “Protecting Ecommerce Against The Man-In-The-Middle.” Business Communications Review 37.1 (2007): 54-58. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 24 Jan. 2015.

Viega, John; Messier, Matt; Chandra, Pravir. Network Security with OpenSSL : Cryptography for Secure Communications. Sebastopol: O’Reilly Media, 2002. Ebook Library. Web. 24 Jan. 2015.

Jobless Log # 2 : What to do when you have all the time in the world?

April 3, 2018/jalaimei16/Leave a comment

Now that it has been established that I am job hunting, the next question that everyone asks is “what do you do with all your free time?”.

I will keep it simple and just list it off below.

Things that I do that keep me busy.

Watching those TV shows and movies that I have been meaning to catch up on. Netflix, my all mighty savior.
Doing all the hobbies, projects, or crafts. In my case, I paint or bake. Cookies, cakes, that type of baking.
Reading novels, newspapers, etc., and actually having time to enjoy it. The last time I actually enjoyed reading was in middle school. All reading required afterward was academic and drained my soul. I was a good student so I actually read the textbook.
Playing all the video games. Hey, I like my handheld systems.

This was pretty entertaining for the first two months of unemployment. It was summer vacation again like when I was in school. However, this became very boring very fast. Now, these things do not bring me any particular joy. They are only activities to pass the time.

But worry not, eventually I learned what to do with my spare time. There are things you can do even if you are unemployed. More specifically, you can do something to help your job applications and resume. Even more so, you now have something to say when you have your next job interview and the interviewer asks, “What have you been since your last position?”.

Please see my list below and maybe this will shine a light on what to do with your free time.

Actually useful things to do in your spare time and what I do now.

Learning a new skill.
- There are many ways to pick up new skills. You can pretty much type in what you want to learn about in Google and thousands of sites are listed of which are ‘How to…’ videos or tutorials. Just make sure you have some proof that you actually learned it. For example, having a mobile/web application after learning a new programming language, or getting a completion certificate for attending a course.
- First, I suggest trying to pick up skills that would be beneficial for your desired career field. For example, if you are into software development, you can learn a new programming language and create a project. If you are in a field like IT that values certifications, you can start studying for one and then get it.
- More importantly, even if there are no skills that you can learn outside of having a job in your field, you can and should learn a new skill. My reasoning for this is that you will look more unique to a potential employer and you can bring something new to the table. You can prove that you are a go-getter who is not afraid to learn something new. Given, this is my own speculation. It is possible that your future interviewer does not value random skills that do not pertain to the job. However, at least you have something to talk about at your next interview.
Volunteering or picking up some freelance work.
- It may be difficult to find your next salaried job, but you can definitely find ‘work’ to take up some of the hours of your week. If you can, I suggest finding small things that may relate to your next job.
- If there is a volunteering opportunity that mirrors what you want to do but is unpaid, you should do it. Not only do you look dedicated, you are helping out a good cause. And most importantly, you have something that you can list on your resume and talk about with an interviewer. I suggest looking for volunteer opportunities through https://www.volunteermatch.org/. There is something for everyone there. Even things that you can do remotely!
- You can also try finding freelance/contract work. This option usually works best for certain fields, like writing or graphic design, but depending on where you look, you can find project-based work. If you do find an opportunity and your work is selected, not only do you have more experience, but your resume will be a lot better than it used to be. Again, something to talk about at your next interview.
Networking
- Most likely, you probably just want to curl up in your shell and hide from the world. I get it. It is hard to talk with people when you do not have a job. However, a common saying of today’s job hunting process, “It is not what you know, it is who you know”. Hmm, that is messed up in its own way, but it works out well for a lot of people. Like the time I was passed over for an internship because another applicant had an internal reference at the company. I’m still salty.
- Networking events, your college alumni gatherings, *insert career field* type conferences/conventions, college guest speaker events, there is somewhere you can go to meet people. Google it. I bet there is something happening near you. If you do go somewhere, just act natural and be interested. You may meet someone or learn something that is a step closer to your next job.
- Last, but not least, you can talk with your family and friends. Given this option is probably the most uncomfortable and maybe no one that you know has a position open or has something related to your field, but you never know.

There you have it. My sort of guide for the past few months and for the next couple. Find something to do, so that you have something to talk about at your next interview. I keep reiterating this point because interviewers will ask the question, especially if you have been unemployed for a couple of months.

Moral of the story, be proactive even when you seem inactive. And more importantly, do something so you do not go crazy and depressed from being unemployed. Well, you will still probably go crazy, but at least you did something productive with your day.

Jobless Log #1 : Life as a NEET

March 19, 2018March 20, 2018/jalaimei16/Leave a comment

For me, the worst thing about being unemployed is having to talk about being unemployed with other people. It isn’t the lack of money nor is it the wave of lackluster motivation that I feel when I wake up in the morning. The most agonizing pain to me is having to interact with other people.

Usually, conversations begin something like this, “Oh, what are you up to these days?”. Or maybe it goes something like, “Are you working?”. This is the question I always hope to avoid when talking with friends, family, and other adults. The gut reaction when I hear these words is to run away. You may ask why, but I know when I tell people that I’m still looking for a job, their faces fall flat. Pure looks of pity, sadness, and a slight twinge of empathy describe the next moment.

The conversation proceeds to then have said person say “You will find something,” or “What have you been doing in the meantime?”. Either way, I just want the conversation to end. I already know that I am a NEET.

NEET is an acronym that stands for “Not in Employment Education or Training”. Depending on where you use this word in the world, this can refer to young youths trying to find their way in the world or it can refer to someone who just stopped trying. Hmm, NEET to me sounds pretty fudging accurate in both senses. In my case, I’m jobless, no longer attending college (though a near future goal is to get my masters), and I’m not taking any certification classes. So what am I doing with my life?

Warning: Mini flashback Commencing. I had been previously living in Chicago after graduating college with degrees in Computer Science and French. Afterward, I landed a job with an amazing software company. The company was great and a path for growth was possible. I worked in customer support and since this was a software company, customer issues were more varied and technical. This was perfect for me since I did not know what I wanted to do within the realm of computer science.

But why did I leave it all? Well, I was feeling pretty awful. I felt disconnected from my family and work just seemed to drone on and on. On the other side, my family was becoming more worn and torn. They were having problems too. So when the end of my lease came up and my roommate decided to go on her own path, I took the opportunity to take some time and move back with my family to deal with stuff.

Here we are… seven months later. That time was spent moving, job hunting, depression, studying for the GRE (of which I still need to take), picking up random tech skills here and there, occasional freelance work, but I’m still figuring out what I want to do.

I feel that this is a common sentiment for other NEETs or jobless people. Time just slips away, and you don’t really know what to do next, especially if you have tried everything to get a job. All you know is that you wake up every day and know that you should probably get something accomplished that day. The minimum, wake up at a reasonable time, say 9:30 AM and definitely apply to at least 5 jobs that you may sort of qualify for. It is difficult. So when you ask me next time, “how’s life?”, all I can say is that I’m working on it.

The first

February 2, 2018April 3, 2018/jalaimei16/Leave a comment

Greetings,

I’m Julie, a twenty something millennial who loves pandas. This is my first post of my newly born blog. Usually this is the part where people explain why they are starting a blog, but I will just leave that story for later. Actually, I will just leave writing a real post for another time.

Till next time,

Julie

PandaByte

A strange place where pandas and technology meet.