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Loops are handy when you want to run the same code repeatedly with different values in each execution. There are 3 types of loops in JS:

for () loops → these loops contain 3 statements: the first is the initial expression, executed before the loop begins; the second is the condition that runs the loop; the third is the increment with each execution of the loop. If the second statement in a loop returns true, then the loop will begin again with the incremented value. If it runs false, the loop will end. A loop can also be ended using break, otherwise the loop will run forever if it can.

while () loops → these loops are used to repeat a block of code over and over until a certain condition (enclosed in the parentheses) is met. These are useful when you don’t know the exact amount of times you want the code to be repeated. The result of this expression will always be a Boolean value.

do…while () loops → this is a variation of the previous loop, except in this instance, the code is executed once before testing the condition. The loop will continue repeating as long as the condition is true.

Conditional statements are used in JavaScript to perform distinct actions based on a set of conditions and determines whether a code can run. If the condition is true the code can run, and if it is false it cannot run. if / else is the most common conditional statement in JS. A condition is enclosed in the parentheses after the if statement, and the resulting output is enclosed in curly brackets. The code tests to see if the condition is true. If there are multiple conditions, they can be declared using else if (different condition). The output will run for the condition that tests true. If all conditions test false, then the output for else {} will run.

example:

if (condition) {

var output = “output”;

} else if (different condition) {

var output = “output2”;

} else if (different condition) {

var output = “output3”;

} else {

var output = “output4”;

}

In JS, a function is a reusable block of code designed to perform a specific task to avoid having to reenter the same information over and over, creating a cleaner code and saving a lot of time. They can be executed as many times as needed.

They are defined by the word ‘function’, followed by whatever you wish to name the function, a set of parentheses (that contain the arguments for the function, however arguments are not necessary for the function to run), and then curly brackets that enclose the code to be executed. Once defined, a function can be used by entering the name and parentheses. The parentheses can be left blank if there are no arguments, but must contain a value if there are. Multiple arguments are separated by commas inside the parentheses.

A variable in JavaScript is a way to name the storage of a piece of data, so that the data can be referred to throughout the code by its variable name as opposed to reentering the data every time. Declaring a variable is indicated by var or let followed by what you wish to name the data, and to assign a value you would add an equals sign followed by the value. If you want to return a string, the value must be in single or double quotation marks (ex: let myText = “Today is March 2nd”.) There are rules as to what a variable can be named in JS: it can only start with a letter, an underscore, or a $. Though they can’t start with a number, a variable name can have numbers in it after the first character. It’s important to remember that JavaScript is case-sensitive, so myVariable1 & MyVariable1 would represent different pieces of data.

There are a few ways to display outputs:

console.log() to test code on the console

alert() to create a popup

document.write() to write directly on the webpage

 

Concatenation is putting two strings together and can be done with a + or += :

Example with + → 

firstName = “Steven”, lastName = “Sclarow”

fullName = lastName + “,” + firstName

fullName= “Sclarow, Steven”

 

Example with += → 

let a = 10;

let b = “hello”;

console.log( a += 5 ); // this is addition

// Expected output: 15

console.log( b +=  “world” ); // this is concatenation

// Expected output: “hello world”

Accompanying the digital revolution is our reliance on digital systems, as well as the risk that comes with it. Technology will continue to grow exponentially, and threats evolve with an ever changing digital landscape. Hackers are able to move fast, and as soon as a hole in a system is patched up they’re already finding another way in. Businesses and institutions realize the growing risk of cyberattacks and certain sectors, like finance, invest a lot of money into cybersecurity and are subsequently not considered the largest targets (in terms of the number of attacks, when they are attacked, they face huge financial consequences.)

While in class we discussed healthcare being a major target of ransomware attacks because of its overall reliance on legacy systems, another target that made up a larger % of attacks in 2022 was the educational sector. Most institutions, however, don’t pay the ransom, and in fact only 3 out of the 45 reported cyberattacks paid the hackers off. Despite this, the educational sector has seen the amount of attacks double from 2021 to 2022. This is because schools are easy targets with a lot of personal information on their students, parents, faculty, etc… Lack of funding means many schools nationwide don’t spend a significant amount on cybersecurity, and the systems in place are vulnerable and often outdated. Additionally, public schools within a designated locale operate on the same networks, servers, systems, etc, meaning that if a hacker can get into one school’s database, it’s easy to gain access to multiple schools.

Schools have become the leading targets of ransomware attacks – CBS News

When should you purchase software, platform, or infrastructure services?

Software-as-a-Service: allows companies to manage their data without the tediousness of having to develop their own software. SaaS uses a subscription-based web delivery model and vendors handle the technical side of things, streamlining processes for businesses. This option is best for small companies who don’t have the time or resources to develop their own, short-term projects, applications that aren’t used often, and apps that need both web & mobile access. Examples: Dropbox, Salesforce, Google Workspace

Platform-as-a-Service: this provides developers a framework for creating customized applications. This allows the devs to focus on the launching of applications while servers are managed by vendors. PaaS is also delivered via web and allows users to create software on their platform. This option is more scalable than SaaS and makes it easier for devs to manage by greatly reducing the amount of code needed without having to worry about maintaining the software. PaaS is useful when multiple devs are working on the same project, for creating customized applications, and for rapid deployment of applications. Examples: AWS Elastic Beanstalk, Google App Engine, Windows Azure

Infrastructure-as-a-Service: IaaS is a completely self service cloud computing model that gives entities full control over their application management, middleware, data storage, etc, while the vendors are responsible for managing servers and networking. This model is the most scalable of the three and is typically delivered via API or dashboard. Additional resources are available to purchase as needed, cost varies depending on consumption. This option is good for large companies, companies experiencing rapid growth, or startups who want to avoid spending resources on purchasing hardware and software. Examples: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Compute Engine