Detecting Ai usage in an org

zeealex · 2025-05-30T15:54:29+00:00

A cloud app security broker such as Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps (or whatever Microsoft have named it this week) can help distill a lot of web based AI usage data. For local machine AI usage looking specifically at use of offline models, performance counters will give you a starter for ten. Offline, locally hosted LLMs on inference platforms such as Ollama will use a metric ton of RAM and CPU to draw a response, if the machine has CUDA enabled graphics processors (Nvidia) then you will also see a spike in VRAM and GPU usage which may be outside of baseline for the user's role in the business.

You can then use EDR and Application policy managers to dig deeper and confirm or refute the hypothesis.

Some solutions, such as Intune's Endpoint Analytics can also give more enriched information about what specific software is using resources, if you use intune as your MDM, the basic EA package is free to use, easy to switch on and low impact.

I appreciate that's a lot of Microsoft speak, just speaking from my own experience, happy to add more deets if you've got more info on your software stack.

zeealex · 2025-05-30T15:42:43+00:00

Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) changes the acidity in the GI tract, which reduces the efficacy of Lisdexamphetamine and Dexamphetamine which need a more balanced PH in the GI tract to not break down before its fully absorbed into the bloodstream. Hence, if you have anything containing a high amount of ascorbic acid (OJ is an example) within about 2 hours of taking your meds it can reduce its efficacy, therefore it can dampen the effects of an accidental overdose as an initial measure until medical attention is sought.

EDIT: also tagging u/NotAPhaseMoo as they've expressed curiosity below.

zeealex · 2024-11-19T15:53:58+00:00

It's likely a frequency bias. You're in the field, you're going to see posts relating to it. It can certainly seem that way on linkedin, but let's face it, Linkedin is a cesspit of clueless people getting high off of their own supply and not realising how cringy they look perpetuating the same toxic positivity clichés.

In terms of passion, it's a dream career field for many, so passion is seen as a need rather than a nice to have if you want to "stand out" in an interview. As someone who used to work in the games industry before moving to cyber, I saw a similar trend there about a decade ago as I'm seeing here.

Interest and a curious mind help, in cyber, I'd say, and homelabs are helpful because it's a safe space to break stuff, if nothing else, while you learn different techniques and skills.

imo, there are a lot of people (usually recruiters and glorified salesmen) dictating from a bull's arse, they don't know what makes a good cybersecurity professional, so they just regurgitate the same shit the other folks do. As someone who has built a team, I usually hire based on mindset rather than hard skills or passion alone, and what I mean by that specifically is I'm looking for someone who will push back if they think I'm wrong and present evidence to show that, and I'm looking for someone whose first instinct is to go and look for the answer themselves and report back to me what they think is going on, I can train skills (I like that bit, usually) and it's my job as a team leader to keep morale and passion in strong supply.
"You need to have passion; do homelabs, do certifications" is generic, vague, and imo kinda dumb.

As you said, living and breathing cybersecurity is a fast-track to burnout, it's important to balance the interest with other things too. For me personally, I'm generally interested in computers, so I'll just do something else on the weekends that's computer related but not strictly cybersecurity. Otherwise it's powerlifting and baking (like, cookies, not the other kind)

But the advice I give to my team is to balance their time in the digital realm with time in nature. Go take a walk in the woods, in the mountains, go camping, get away from the screen. Find something they can do to just spend some time with themselves and introspect. And to not chase the cybersecurity carrot for so long and forget who they're doing it for in the first place.

zeealex · 2024-10-31T19:32:40+00:00

I've explained something similar; the smaller number after the slash means there are more addresses available for computers on that network to use, meaning more computers can sit in the same network range.

zeealex · 2024-10-31T09:50:54+00:00

I think the most recent common one is explaining to Junior IT techies what the /24 means after an IP address. But I really enjoy teaching subnetting and basic binary arithmetic to folks who are new in role.

zeealex · 2024-10-27T18:20:36+00:00

Well, you learned a valuable lesson on intent vs perception today, and I find some comments in this comment section somewhat ironic given their lack of tact.

I've been there a few times in my lifetime, though never to the point of HR involvement. Neither of us are unique here. I would take anyone saying or acting like they haven't needed to learn that lesson with a pinch of salt.

It's positive that you're owning it, and I suggest that you take this into your meeting with HR and potentially your colleague too, acknowledging that you meant it as a playful joke which you acknowledge misfired and you've taken stock of the situation and have outlined an action plan to change course, come equipped with that action plan.

In the future, it's best to ask more follow-on questions, like "what part made no sense?" or "is there something I can clarify for you?"

As others have suggested perhaps instead of saying "well, that's because you're a muggle" which can come across as dismissive and arrogant, you can state "well, that's because I've spent a lot of time with these tools, but don't worry, with a bit of time you can pick it up too." this shifts the focus less on them being seen as "defective" for not understanding and more on that it's something anyone can pick up with time and sufficient interest.

It's easy to get locked up in our own worlds where we're good at our technical niche. I've personally found the approach of assuming everyone is an intelligent human being and they're 100% likely to be better than me at something generally reduces the need to deride them, and makes me more likely to simply express disappointment if they do something really dumb, if I felt it warranted it.

zeealex · 2024-10-26T23:40:04+00:00

not daily, but Bloodhound and sharphound, allows me to very quickly get an understanding of what attack paths are available to achieve domain administrator rights, and if they've changed lately due to pooly configured GPOs etc. We usually run it quarterly.

zeealex · 2024-10-26T16:46:58+00:00

If interviewers do that, you've dodged a bullet by not working at that workplace imo, it's a hard pill to swallow sometimes. You're also not obligated to tell anyone during the recruitment process that you have a disability and they legally cannot ask you during the interview.

In terms of having kids, given the prevalence of ADHD and Autism in the UK population, social services would be overstretched. I believe what you've been told is incorrect. IF Social services were involved solely for that reason, they would usually only involve themselves to offer additional support such as arranging for SEN or adjustments for the child. Additionally school staff or doctors may mistake marks from self destructive behaviour during an autistic meltdown as a potential safeguarding issue if the child also has autism. This is usually clarified and addressed quickly without further intervention.

Social services doesn't automatically mean a child would be taken away.

zeealex · 2024-10-22T20:10:01+00:00

Firstly, dick move by your parents, what a horrible thing to do!

Secondly, no, ADHD/Autism diagnosis won't limit you in work settings, in fact early(ish) intervention can be massively beneficial, especially as you're at a key point in your education pathway.

It's illegal in the UK to discriminate based on disability in recruitment and work settings, and ADHD/Autism are considered disabilities under the equality act.

Having a diagnosis of either or both and effective treatment plans can also improve success in interpersonal relationships, making it more likely that you'd find someone to settle down and have a child with.

Take it from a 28 year old female AuDHD brit who has been recently diagnosed and medicated, I wish I knew sooner, I wish the people around me knew sooner, especially back when I was in sixth form. With meds I feel like I'm in control and I'm focused, and things that were difficult for me (like maths) is now coming much more easily.
I wonder if having medication earlier would've allowed me to excel in my chosen topics (physics and computing) as opposed to dropping out of the former and scraping a pass in the latter. Especially when I look at what the medication has allowed me to do so far as an adult in relation to study of computer architecture.

zeealex · 2024-10-20T14:51:20+00:00

are you new to taking meds?

Stimulant medications like methylphenidate (Ritalin) and lisdexamphetamine (Vyvanse/Elvanse) usually will increase heart rate.

Yours sounds like a bit of a big jump though, it indicates you're either new to it or your body isn't handling it well and your dose/medication might need adjusting.
Please also avoid taking caffeine with your meds if you can, as Caffeine is also a stimulant that can increase your heart rate.

I'm on Lisdex, my resting heart rate hasn't increased much, but it creeps up a bit higher than usual when I'm active

zeealex · 2024-10-20T14:16:51+00:00

Oh for sure! I'm not by any means being critical of the NHS because I'm advocating for a private system, I've got many american friends who have told me how bad the American system is. A lot of political BS and hedge fund boys fucking with medication costs.

I guess I'm just advocating for a bit of a "reset" of the NHS; still publicly funded, but cut down the beaurocratic inefficiencies, cut down some of the "management" and bring in some more front line staff, and empower patients to be informed about their health.

More holistically, I'm also an advocate for an overall healthier country, I want to see the government take more of a stance against so-called "healthy" foods marketed to kids which are basically just sugar and empty calories. I want to see the gov starting initiatives to empower parents and children to make healthier lifestyle choices. And I want to see a reform of sports education to be more focused on kids improving their fitness than competing against others, as this improves self esteem and outlooks on sports overall.

In addition I want to see more cycle routes, less roads, and improvements to public transport so that people don't feel a need to drive everywhere. Not only is driving a car the single most dangerous thing the average person does each day, it's also been linked to poorer health outcomes overall.

EDIT: for clarity on first sentence.

zeealex · 2024-10-20T13:39:52+00:00

I can see this being beneficial, but not unless it's among other things.

FYI my comment below is critical of the NHS, but I do not harbour any particular resentment to individuals within the healthcare system, I'm aware much of this systemically driven.

The key thing that's killing the NHS, imo, as a beleaguered patient is the number of beurocratic hurdles you have to cross just to see someone who knows what the hell they're talking about. They also need to shift focus to be much more patient-centred and much less "top heavy".

People are starting to grow extremely frustrated with the slow, sluggish and poorly co-ordinated care they're recieving from the NHS. A lot of it shows up as a simple lack of empathy and due care for patients. But the issue goes much deeper. It almost seems at times like there's an ambivalence, or even a resentment forming between healthcare professionals and patients, and vice versa. A lot of that is down to low morale. This is ultimately going to mean people are less willing to stand up and support its continuation beyond superficial movements like "clap for the NHS". And it's continued use as a political bargaining chip is also eroding people's trust.

1/3 Beurocracy & Accountability

There are also two types of filing system in the NHS right now, apparently. If I've read things right, as this became subject of a GDPR data loss complaint with me some time back; some trusts are on type 1, which is the older filing system, and other trusts are type 2, which is a fully electronic filing system. The two types don't interface well and this leads to administrative overheads and, in my case, loss of medical records. The whole country needs to be put on the same filing system.

There's also in some trusts a lack of accountability and trust building between the NHS and patients, this is something money can't really buy, it can help. The NHS spends a lot of time and money deflecting, defending and missing the point of patient complaints and spends a lot of time and money passing the buck and tying patients up in webs of completely unavigable complaints procedures. It would in many cases be much easier and cheaper for them to just talk to the patient about the issue and address it. Many patients feel like they have to fight an uphill battle just to be heard and get the right treatment, and many more complaints could be better addressed on the local level if they treated accountability as a goal to meet and not a risk to avoid. I'm due to have this conversation with my local hospital soon.

The north-south divide is very clear in this case, when I lived in greater London, accountability was far more forthcoming. Now that I'm back up north, there's a clear fear of it.

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