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#i found out how to make a poll on desktop. its called use the hack where if you zoom in enough you enter mobile
catgirlkirigiri · 1 year
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actutrends · 4 years
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Election probe finds security flaws in key North Carolina county but no signs of Russian hacking
” I think [the investigation is] incomplete,” states Jake Williams a previous NSA hacker who is founder of the security firm Performance Infosec and trains forensic experts. “It’s the best examination that can be carried out under the situations. We can’t examine what we do not have, [and] a great deal of the crucial evidence is missing.”
To name a few security problems, the greatly redacted DHS report shows that somebody had actually used a “high worth” desktop computer managing Durham County’s voter-registration information to access a personal Gmail account on Election Day. The report provides a prolonged list of recommendations– all blacked out– for how the county can improve the security of its election facilities.
Election authorities in North Carolina– a state President Donald Trump brought by more than 170,000 votes– however said the evaluation fixed the more dire questions about issues that arose in Durham County in 2016, which contributed to long lines at the polls that deterred an unidentified variety of voters from casting tallies. The report shows “that outdoors disturbance did not play a part in what happened in Durham County,” said Noah Grant, a spokesperson for the North Carolina Board of Elections, which had actually requested the federal assessment.
However DHS’ findings are really more narrow than that conclusion, the professionals sought advice from by POLITICO say, and show just that malware was not discovered on the systems that private investigators examined. Williams stated the DHS report doesn’t entirely close the door on the possibility that Russian hackers might have been inside Durham County’s computer systems.
DHS’ Cybersecurity and Facilities Security Firm introduced the review in June 2019, three years after problems developed with the VR Systems software application utilized for handling voter lists and signing in voters.
VR Systems has actually formerly attracted attention because of government reports that Russian nation-state hackers had actually attempted to breach its computer system networks 2 months prior to the 2016 election. The company states those attempts were unsuccessful, but last year’s release of special prosecutor Robert Mueller’s report on Russian election interference renewed interest in VR Systems, the problems in Durham, and whether the two belonged, when it indicated that an election company was successfully hacked by the Russians in 2016 and had actually malware set up on its network. The report didn’t identity the company by name, the description of the victim in this and other federal government files matches VR Systems.
A previous examination of Durham County’s problems, performed by a security firm worked with by the county in 2016, had pointed to mistakes by poll employees and election employees as the likely cause– however that probe didn’t examine the computer systems themselves for evidence of foul play.
A VR Systems spokesman revealed fulfillment Tuesday with the newest DHS report, stating it reveals that the business software utilized in Durham’s polling locations “was not breached or compromised.”
” We are pleased but not surprised to discover that the Department of Homeland Security review found no evidence of malware or a cybersecurity attack related to the Durham County election in 2016,” spokesperson Ben Martin stated in a statement.
Election integrity activists aren’t so fast to accept the results, however, considered that evidence used in the investigation wasn’t gathered on Election Day.
” Absence of evidence should not be mistaken for evidence of absence,” said Susan Greenhalgh, vice president of policy and programs for National Election Defense Coalition. “I would hope the lesson learned here is that we require to be watchful about irregularities from their onset … and quickly start investigations to eliminate harmful cyber events.”
Generally, forensic investigations take a look at mirror images of a computer device or system, captured at the time they experience problems to protect the state of the system’s hard drive. In this case, though, the image of a critical county desktop computer that DHS examined was not captured till “mid-November” 2016, according to the DHS report launched today. This was at least a week after the Nov. 8 election.
The VR Systems software application in concern is not used to cast tallies or count votes, so hackers might not have actually exploited it to directly change vote totals. However the software application issues experienced in Durham County indicated some of the other manner ins which cyberattacks can hinder elections– for instance, by obstructing voters from the surveys and triggering long lines that depress turnout.
Cybersecurity professionals have ended up being significantly concerned about the vulnerabilities of the suppliers, software application providers and other election 3rd parties as channels for hackers to attack vital election systems.
The current DHS probe did not reevaluate at VR’s networks. Instead, the private investigators looked only at two dozen laptops that Durham County had actually utilized as so-called electronic poll books to sign in citizens at the polls in the 2016 election. The examination likewise involved a home computer that managed voter-registration records and 21 flash drives that county workers utilized to transfer those voter records from the desktop computer to the laptops.
The issues in Durham started on Nov. 6, the Sunday before the election, when a county employee found it was taking eight to 10 times longer than regular to transfer that citizen information from the desktop computer to 227 flash drives– an issue that a VR Systems employee attempted to help troubleshoot the following day by acquiring remote access to the home computer. If VR Systems had been hacked, the latter could have possibly opened an entrance for the hackers to pass from VR Systems’ network to the county’s computer. On Election Day, a few of the laptop computers being utilized as electronic survey books crashed or froze or showed false information, such as improperly showing that a citizen had already voted.
The county switched to utilizing paper printouts of the voter rolls to contain the problem, however that service caused extensive delays at some precincts.
The DHS examination taken a look at just a subset of the 227 laptop computers and flash drives the county used in that election; its report shows that detectives discovered no malware on the laptops they analyzed, the USB drives or the county home computer and no proof that harmful code had actually when been set up and deleted. A DHS authorities informed POLITICO that the company likewise found no indications of more advanced techniques that skilled enemies may utilize to cover their tracks.
The DHS private investigators also concluded that while Durham’s desktop computer consisted of a software application tool that could allow someone to access and control it from another location, the tool had actually never ever been utilized. The report doesn’t discuss how they reached that conclusion, though, and Williams said some kinds of remote-control software application make it simple to avoid accurate tracking by erasing a log file.
System administrators typically utilize remote-access software tools to fix a system, however its addition in a computer system utilized for running elections raised warnings with security professionals.
The private investigators did discover that a screen-sharing tool had actually been used on the Durham system, but this would have allowed someone just to view the computer system’s screen without having the ability to engage with it. The tool was used in November 2016, according to the report, which suggests that this might have been what VR Systems used as part of its pre-election troubleshooting.
But VR Systems’ access to that system wasn’t the only potential entrance for the Russian hackers to breach the county’s desktop computer that handled voter data. The DHS report indicates that somebody using that county computer system on Election Day accessed his or her personal Gmail account and also clicked on a site link, utilizing the computer’s internet browser.
Asked if the state’s board of elections plans to issue new security directions to counties prior to the 2020 elections to enhance security practices around their election systems, Grant informed POLITICO, “We will be sending out an in-depth security memo to all county boards in the very near future, which is in addition to the existing security steps that remain in place at both the state and county level.”
The post Election probe finds security flaws in key North Carolina county but no signs of Russian hacking appeared first on Actu Trends.
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thisdaynews · 4 years
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Election probe finds security flaws in key North Carolina county but no signs of Russian hacking
New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/election-probe-finds-security-flaws-in-key-north-carolina-county-but-no-signs-of-russian-hacking/
Election probe finds security flaws in key North Carolina county but no signs of Russian hacking
“I think [the investigation is] incomplete,” says Jake Williams a former NSA hacker who is founder of the security firm Rendition Infosec and trains forensic analysts. “It’s the best investigation that can be conducted under the circumstances. We can’t investigate what we don’t have, [and] a lot of the crucial evidence is missing.”
Among other security issues, the heavily redacted DHS report indicates that someone had used a “high value” desktop computer handling Durham County’s voter-registration data to access a personal Gmail account on Election Day. The report provides a lengthy list of suggestions — all blacked out — for how the county can improve the security of its election infrastructure.
Election officials in North Carolina — a state President Donald Trump carried by more than 170,000 votes — nonetheless said the review resolved the more dire questions about problems that arose in Durham County in 2016, which contributed to long lines at the polls that deterred an unknown number of voters from casting ballots. The report shows “that outside interference did not play a part in what happened in Durham County,” said Noah Grant, a spokesman for the North Carolina Board of Elections, which had asked for the federal examination.
But DHS’ findings are actually more narrow than that conclusion, the experts consulted by POLITICO say, and indicate only that malware was not found on the systems that investigators examined. Williams said the DHS report doesn’t completely close the door on the possibility that Russian hackers could have been inside Durham County’s computers.
DHS’ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency launched the review in June 2019, three years after problems arose with the VR Systems software used for managing voter lists and signing in voters.
VR Systems has previously attracted attention because of government reports that Russian nation-state hackers had tried to breach its computer networks two months before the 2016 election. The company says those attempts were unsuccessful, but last year’s release of special prosecutor Robert Mueller’s report on Russian election interference renewed interest in VR Systems, the problems in Durham, and whether the two were related, when it indicated that an election company was successfully hacked by the Russians in 2016 and had malware installed on its network. Though the report didn’t identity the company by name, the description of the victim in this and other government documents matches VR Systems.
A previous investigation of Durham County’s problems, conducted by a security firm hired by the county in 2016, had pointed to errors by poll workers and election workers as the likely cause — but that probe didn’t examine the computer systems themselves for evidence of foul play. DHS later examined VR Systems’ network in 2018 at the company’s request and found no signs of malware, but the assessment didn’t occur until two years after the attempted Russian breach. If the hackers were successful in breaching the company’s network, they could have erased their tracks in the interval.
A VR Systems spokesman expressed satisfaction Tuesday with the newest DHS report, saying it shows that the company software used in Durham’s polling places “was not breached or compromised.”
“We are pleased but not surprised to learn that the Department of Homeland Security review found no evidence of malware or a cybersecurity attack related to the Durham County election in 2016,” spokesman Ben Martin said in a statement.
Election integrity activists aren’t so quick to accept the results, however, given that evidence used in the investigation wasn’t gathered on Election Day.
“Absence of evidence shouldn’t be mistaken for evidence of absence,” said Susan Greenhalgh, vice president of policy and programs for National Election Defense Coalition. “I would hope the lesson learned here is that we need to be vigilant about irregularities from their onset … and promptly initiate investigations to rule out malicious cyber events.”
Generally, forensic investigations examine mirror images of a computer device or system, captured at the time they experience problems to preserve the state of the system’s hard drive. In this case, though, the image of a critical county desktop computer that DHS examined was not captured until “mid-November” 2016, according to the DHS report released this week. This was at least a week after the Nov. 8 election.
The VR Systems software in question is not used to cast ballots or count votes, so hackers could not have exploited it to directly change vote totals. But the software problems experienced in Durham County pointed to some of the other ways that cyberattacks can interfere with elections — for instance, by blocking voters from the polls and causing long lines that depress turnout.
Cybersecurity experts have become increasingly concerned about the vulnerabilities of the vendors, software suppliers and other election third parties as conduits for hackers to attack critical election systems.
The latest DHS probe did not take another look at VR’s networks. Instead, the investigators looked only at two dozen laptops that Durham County had used as so-called electronic poll books to check in voters at the polls in the 2016 election. The investigation also involved a desktop computer that handled voter-registration records and 21 flash drives that county workers used to transfer those voter records from the desktop computer to the laptops.
The problems in Durham began on Nov. 6, the Sunday before the election, when a county worker found it was taking eight to 10 times longer than normal to transfer that voter data from the desktop computer to 227 flash drives — a problem that a VR Systems employee tried to help troubleshoot the following day bygaining remote accessto the desktop computer. If VR Systems had been hacked, the latter could have potentially opened a gateway for the hackers to pass from VR Systems’ network to the county’s computer. On Election Day, some of the laptops being used as electronic poll books crashed or froze or displayed false information, such as incorrectly indicating that a voter had already voted.
The county switched to using paper printouts of the voter rolls to contain the problem, but that solution caused extensive delays at some precincts.
The DHS investigation examined only a subset of the 227 laptops and flash drives the county used in that election; its report indicates that investigators found no malware on the laptops they examined, the USB drives or the county desktop computer and no evidence that malicious code had once been installed and deleted. A DHS official told POLITICO that the agency also found no signs of more sophisticated techniques that skilled attackers might use to cover their tracks.
The DHS investigators also concluded that while Durham’s desktop computer included a software tool that could allow someone to access and control it remotely, the tool had never been used. The report doesn’t explain how they reached that conclusion, though, and Williams said some types of remote-control software make it easy to prevent accurate tracking by deleting a log file.
System administrators normally use remote-access software tools to troubleshoot a system, but its inclusion in a computer used for running elections raised red flags with security experts.
The investigators did find that a screen-sharing tool had been used on the Durham system, but this would have allowed someone only to view the computer’s screen without being able to interact with it. The tool was used in November 2016, according to the report, which suggests that this may have been what VR Systems used as part of its pre-election troubleshooting.
But VR Systems’ access to that system wasn’t the only potential gateway for the Russian hackers to breach the county’s desktop computer that handled voter data. The DHS report indicates that someone using that county computer on Election Day accessed his or her personal Gmail account and also clicked on a website link, using the computer’s browser. If the website had been a malicious one, it could have surreptitiously downloaded malware to the county computer. The DHS report, however, says investigators found no signs in this case that anything was downloaded to the computer from the site or that the site was malicious.
Asked if the state’s board of elections plans to issue new security instructions to counties before the 2020 elections to improve security practices around their election systems, Grant told POLITICO, “We will be sending a detailed security memo to all county boards in the very near future, which is in addition to the current security measures that are in place at both the state and county level.”
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jesicajparksuk · 7 years
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How Do Instagram Stories Work
Simply stated, Instagram defines a story as, “a way of sharing photos and videos with your followers that disappear after 24 hours.” If you want to know exactly how Instagram Stories work and how to make them work for you, this is your blog post!
Every brand, blogger, influencer, and business is different, so what works for your Instagram Stories strategy may not work for someone else. Truth be told, when IG Stories first hit the scene, a great many influencers found it a bit absurb. Why, they would ask, would I want to showcase something for 24 hours and then poof… it’s gone? Maybe this very writer thought that to herself. This is a brave new world, folks, and there is a method to this madness. Keep reading, as we’re sharing tips on making Instagram Stories work in your favor by maximizing it to the fullest:
Why Do Instagram Stories Disappear After 24 Hours?
According to The Guardian, “Beyond the design of the app, there’s the unique culture that’s grown up around it. Nobody wants a sad profile of pictures that no one has liked.”
In other words, the concept of things being transitory and lasting for a brief time is on trend and showing no signs of slowing down. There’s only so much content a person can post and consume in 24 hours. FOMO is a very real condition. We live in a “want more, what’s new” culture and a 24-hour window is the new norm. We want to know what the dog in Japan is doing today, what the cat in California had for breakfast, and what the latest pet products are according to today’s modern pet influencers.
How to Maximize Instagram Stories
Know How to Add to Your Story:
Go to your Instagram Profile page and click on your icon.
Go to your main Instagram feed and click the camera icon.
Use Hashtags: When in the Instagram Stories feature, after you upload your content, click the stickers icon and hit “hashtag” or just type in the hashtag using the text icon. The end result is a tappable, searchable hashtag.
Tag Brands and People: Click on the text icon and type the handle of the brand or person. Instagram will generate a listing of Instagrammers who you might be trying to tag as you type. If you see an underline under the tagged name, then you know it is working.
Add Links to Your Instagram Stories: Verified business accounts are able to embed links into an Instagram story. Pet influencers can use this feature to maximize their Instagram Stories. Ideas include:
Promote a blog post
Go live and share stories from an in-person event (remember to hashtag it)
Share content
Share adoptable pets
Get on the radar of brands
Promote sponsored content
Go behind the velvet ropes and show your followers a slice of your day
NOTE: Always include a call to action (CTA) in your story so that followers know what you want them to do. Examples of a CTA on Instagram Stories include  “See More” or “Swipe up.”
Learn more about getting creative with a Call to Action.
Creative Ideas for Instagram Stories
How many pieces of content should you put in your Story? Between 7 and 12 is generally the sweet spot, but if you are at a live event, a few more are fine. You don’t want to bombard your audience with content overload. Quality over quantity is key.
Use non-vertical images with ease. Make your IG Stories vertical, even if they aren’t shot that way. Try the InShot app.
Think outside your images and try flatlays. Upload a flat lay, infuse your own typography/font/colors, and you’ve got the makings of a branded, on-point template. Using an app like Canva on mobile or desktop, you can create your own branding style.
Try a “Day in the Life” for a behind-the-scenes look. Maybe you do this once or twice a month and promote it on other social media platforms so your fans know where to find you.
Invite your followers to engage with you. No one likes a spammer who makes their feeds all about them them and more them. Make your audience feel connected and involved by running a poll, asking questions, or even getting feedback on future posts. “Today, I am blogging about cats who don’t use the litterbox. What cat health questions do you have? DM me and let me know!”
Save and repurpose the story on Facebook. Open the story, and click the three dots at the bottom right and a screen pops up with a variety of options. If you add it to your timeline feed, then your account’s privacy settings apply.
Working with a brand? Show the product in action on IG Stories. I recently did a post for Petmate that features my medium-sized dog and also my friend’s larger dog. We infused an Instagram Story from video into our blog post. If your video was not shot within the previous 24-hour time period, and you want to share it now on Instagram Stories, there are hacks. Keep reading.
Get Analytical with IG Stories
Instagrammers are able to see who viewed their story by swiping up when viewing their photo or video.
Instagram Business Accounts have access to a wealth of Instagram analytics by clicking the bars at the top right of your Instagram screen. If you want to be seen as a business, you are a business, you want the contact button in your profile, and you want access to basic analytics, yes. If you ever want to switch back to a regular profile, you can do so in Account Settings.
Alternatively, here are a few basic Instagram Analytics tools:
Social Bakers Free Instagram Report
Simply Measured Free Report up to 25K IG Users
Use Tools Wisely In Instagram Stories
When you share a photo or video to your story, you can use creative tools to help capture and edit them.
Tools on the bottom portion of the Instagram Story panel include:
LIVE: Go Live and show folks what you are up to or where you are. If you don’t want to publish a live IG Stories segment, then no need to do so.
Normal: Shoot in normal mode.
Boomerang: Sort of a forward and backward cute way to showcase video. I use this to show my dog in action.
Rewind: Backwards, in reverse. Try it.
Hands-Free: Perhaps this blogger’s favorite IG Stories tool, I go hands-free to shoot my IG videos.
Note: IG Stories segments are 15 seconds at this time, so string your storyline together. Here is a screen shot of those tools:
Is This a Millennial Thing?
According to HubSpot, “Chances of Stories catching on is much higher because it’s housed within the Instagram platform, and not the Facebook platform. The demographic overlap between Snapchat and Instagram makes it much more likely users will simply migrate their goofy stories to the other platform. But only if Instagram gets on the facial recognition game, and quickly. Millennials love that puppy filter.”
To that end, face filters are now a part of Instagram Stories. #justsayin
Uploading Hacks
How to Hack Instagram: How to add stories or videos to Instagram beyond the 24-hour window
Hack Part 2: According to The Verge, “Instagram Stories are meant for sharing of recent content, but there are several ways to post something older. There are two key apps that adjust the timestamp of an image or video automatically. If you are sending the file to yourself: Slack and WhatsApp do the job. I frequently bombard my sister with WhatsApp messages of random creations in order to renew the timestamp. If you don’t have either of those, other apps can also get around the 24-hour rule. Story Uploader is the best option.”
Don’t Stop Now
Now that you know how Instagram Stories works, how to maximize it to your advantage, check out these helpful related posts:
Creative Ways to Use Instagram Stories to Increase Blog Traffic
5 Popular Instagram Tips to Ignore
Your Turn
Do you use Instagram Stories? Do you like it? What is holding you back if not? Share in the comments below. BlogPaws is on Instagram. Follow us and we will follow back!
Carol Bryant is the Marketing and Social Media Manager for BlogPaws and runs her own dog blog, Fidose of Reality and its fundraising arm, Wigglebutt Warriors. When not busy playing with her Cocker Spaniel, Dexter, she stays far away from cooking. Her trademark is her mantra and is tattooed on her arm: My Heart Beats Dog.®
Images: Giulio_Fornasar/Shutterstock.com and nenetus/Shutterstock.com
The post How Do Instagram Stories Work appeared first on BlogPaws.
from News And Updates About Pets http://blogpaws.com/executive-blog/blogging-social-media-info/social-media-strategy/how-do-instagram-stories-work/
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mindthump · 7 years
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Employers Are Paying Freelancers Big Bucks for These 25 in-Demand Skills http://ift.tt/2rvFxZS
Want to join the freelancer revolution? Did you know that there are thousands of freelancer jobs that pay six figures?
Over the past ten years, I've both worked as a freelancer and hired countless freelancers, some for six-figure positions. And along the way, I've noticed that there are a few freelancer skills that pay more than others. Want to join the ranks of six-figure and other well remunerated freelancers? Here are the skills that hirers are looking for:
1. Natural language processing/Twilio API Development
Thanks to the emergence of voice-activated assistants, such as Amazon ($AMZN) Echo and Google ($GOOG) Home, natural language processing has become one of, if not the most in-demand freelancing skills.
This particular gig, in which you enable machines to understand human language, requires a background in computer science, artificial intelligence, and linguistics, and can command at its highest levels a salary of well over $100,000 annually.
Related: Why Freelancing Is Perfect for Introverts
2. Swift development
The Apple Watch was developed using the programming language Swift. Since sales for the Apple Watch broke records during the 2016 holiday season, demand for freelancers skilled in developing this iOS app is surging, with an average salary of $85,000. 
3. Social media management
This one shouldn’t come as a surprise. After all, businesses of all sizes are in need of talented individuals to implement and manage the day-to-day activities for their social media marketing campaigns.
While not as high-paying as more-tech related skills, social media managers average between $67,750 and $94,250 per year.
4. Amazon Marketplace Web Services (MWS)
Amazon Marketplace Web Service (Amazon MWS) is an integrated web service API that assists Amazon sellers to programmatically exchange data on listings, orders, payments and reports. Since this online ecommerce site is showing no signs of slowing, there’s a need for freelancers with python skills. This also includes devops companies.
The amount freelancers can charge clients will vary depending on the scope of the project.
Related: Entrepreneurship vs. Freelancing: What's the Difference?
5. AngularJS development
With this skill, you can extend HTML vocabulary in order to build either mobile or desktop web applications. Since this is the framework for dynamic web apps, the demand for this skill should continue to increase.
The average national salary is over $102,000. For a better understanding of this job, check out our programmer guide.
6. MySQL programming
As the world’s most popular open-source database, this skill -- which requires knowledge in web-scripting languages like PHP -- can earn freelancers between $45,495 and $99,187,depending on their experience.
7. Instagram marketing
Out of all the social media channels, Instagram is rapidly becoming the most popular. It’s also underutilized for anyone wanting to grow a business. That’s why the company is searching for marketers experienced with the Gram.
While there professional “Instagrammers” who are making six figures, the average Instagram marketer should expect around $15 per hour. 
8. Twilio API development
Those who can build SMS, voice and messaging applications on an API -- specifically, Twilio’s cloud-based communication platform -- are in high demand; and they can also earn up to a solid $35 per hour.
Related: Repealing Obamacare Will be a Disaster for Freelancers and Entrepreneurs Who Rely on Them
9. Brand strategy
Branding is all the rage these days, which is why both individuals and companies are searching for people who can develop positioning recommendations, guide market research analysis and define brand elements and tone.
The average pay for a brand strategist is $61,044 per year.
10. Business consulting
Business consultants work with clients on everything from strategy, planning and problem solving, to the development of business skills and knowledge. On average, a business consultant earns $71,254 per year. 
Here are a few tips to becoming a better Instagram consultant.
11. Machine learning
According to Upwork, “data science is the fastest-growing category on its site for the second quarter in a row. Machine learning moved from Upwork's spot in Q3 to  number 12 in Q4 "but continues to see rapid growth.”
The average machine learning engineer salary is $114,826. I've found that some of the best engineers in machine learning are found on Toptal. It's another place where you can both hire and get six-figure jobs.
12. 3D rendering
In general, freelance designers are one of the hottest gigs around. Technology like 3D printing has become increasingly prevalent. In fact, it’s anticipated to grow from $4.1 billion in revenue in 2014 to $12.8 billion by 2018. Currently, the average national salary is around $56,000.
13. Zendesk customer support
As support inquiries continue to skyrocket, customer-service software companies like Zendesk are looking for individuals to build customize experiences by placing products into existing APIs, apps and mobile SDKs. Software engineer salaries at Zendesk can range between $76,969 and $134,061. Another option would be to work with a company like Support Ninja. I've used that company and love its service.
14. Information security
Information-security analysts plan, as well as carry out, security measures to protect an organization’s computer networks and systems,  to thwart the increasing number of cyber-attacks.
Information security analysts can charge over $44 per hour.
Related: Hacking Elance: How to Make Money Freelancing
15. R development
R is a programming language and software environment used for statistical computing and graphics, such as polls and surveys, which is commonly used by data miners. It’s supported by the R Foundation for Statistical Computing. An R programmer can earn an average salary of $76,607 per year.
16. User experience design
Both website and app designers demand to be blown away whenever they land on a website or download an app. UX designers are responsible for these tasks through the creation of products that are simple and improve the experience of visitors.
The average national salary is $87,883. I have found most of my best designers on 99Designs, it's a great place to pick up great paying gigs.
17. Node.js development
A Node.js developer is responsible for writing server-side web application logic in JavaScript, as well as variants like CoffeeScript or IcedCoffeeScript. The average salary for a NodeJS developer in the United States is $107,562.
Related: 7 Steps to Launch Your Freelancing Career Full-Time
18. Bluetooth specialist
Now that the iPhone 7 has eliminated the headphone jack, expect a rapid increase in the companies searching for people experienced with this ubiquitous technology. 
IOS Bluetooth QA Engineer salaries at Apple, for example, range between $130,910 and $142,567.
19. Stripe specialist
As more and more businesses look for affordable and flexible options to accept payments, they’re turning to freelancers to help them build a payment platform using APIs from payment infrastructures like Stripe. Stripe specialists can charge up to $95 an hour on freelance sites like Upwork. Looking for other options? Here is a list of the top payments companies, most of which have similar needs!
20. SEO/Content Writing
SEO and content writers help clients increase their visibility online, especially on search engines like Google or Bing, by creating engaging, relevant, and keywordoptimized content. The average salary, nationally, is $40,951.
21. Virtual assistant
Businesses are continuing to restructure and downsize. As such, everyone from business owners and managers to entrepreneurs is turning to virtual assistants to help manage administrative tasks, such as responding to emails, scheduling appointments and even handling public relations services.
The average salary is $15.56 per hour.
Related: The 7 Best Freelance Sites to Find Work
22. Immigration law
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) expects a 6 percent job growth for all lawyers between 2014 and 2024. However, with the anxiety and uncertainty surrounding immigration under the Trump administration, immigration law is on a rapid rise. The median annual salary for lawyers as $115,820.
23. Accounting (CPA)
Despite the plethora of accounting software available, the freelancer generation is still in need of accountants to better understand complex issues like tax codes and deductions.
The average national salary is $65,940.
24. Photography/video editing
According to a report released by Freelancers.com, jobs for photographers have grown by about 22 percent, thanks to the fact that employers are “finally understanding the importance of high-quality pictures on their landing pages.”
The demand for video editing, in particular, saw a 19 percent increase due to the same factors that caused the increase in photography jobs.
25. Voiceover artists
“While voiceover work has been around for decades, the move to digital is enabling talent to record from virtually anywhere," CNBC has noted. “Telephony, audiobook readers, dubbing work, e-learning instruction, animation dialogue and video game voices are just some of the jobs calling for voice actors.”
A voice actor can charge such fees as $100 for a 15-second recording and $250 for a 30- or 60-second commercial, to about $3,000 per audiobook.
Related: Employers Are Paying Freelancers Big Bucks for These 25 in-Demand Skills How to Avoid Regulatory Fire in the Gig Economy 4 Ways Gen Z Will Change Company Culture
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