Elamb Cybersecurity

Category: Super GEEK

  • Are You Prepared For A Hard Drive Crash?

    Its just a matter of time before you experience a hard drive problem. Are you prepared to loose your data? If your hard drive crashed right now do you have an action plan to follow?

    Most people only think of backing up their data after they experience a problem. Don't set yourself up for a data loss disaster.

    Your data integrity action plan should consist of the following:

    1) How often you will back up your data

    2) What data you will back up

    3) What back up procedure you will use

    How often you back up your data can only be determined by how important you feel it is. Answer this question “If my hard drive crashed right now, I would be alright if I had the data from at least (time) ago”.

    Of course you would want everything but if you could have the data from 1 month, or 6 months ago would that be sufficient? Whatever time is sufficient mark it on your calendar both a hard copy and set up a meeting on your PC to remind you.

    You change your smoke detector batteries when you turn your clock back and when you turn it ahead right? Well back up your data then too.

    If you don't change your clocks then pick some holidays or special dates that happen close to the timeframe you want to back up your data so you won't forget.

    What data you back up depends on how you use your PC. Some of the key directories, if you are using Windows, are the My Documents, Favorites and Desktop directories.

    Remember if you are using multiple profiles on your PC then the three directories above can be different for each profile and each one would need to be backed up.

    You will also want to include your email data. Don't forget to write down the email accounts you have. You should also write down any username and passwords so they are not lost. You should look at every directory to see if it has information that you would need.

    Make a list of all the software programs you are using. If you have the physical CDs put them all together in a safe location.

    Don't forget the CDs for your peripherals like your scanner, digital camera, PDA etc… Collecting these CDs may remind you of additional data that you need to back up.

    If you are running software that you installed from downloaded files, burn them to a CD-R and add it to your collection. If you use a CD-R or DVD-R you can update it as you download and install new applications.

    What procedure you use to back up your data can be determined by the amount of data you want to back up. Your data might fit onto a CD or DVD in which case you just need to burn it and you're done.

    If it spans multiple DVDs then you might want to consider getting a second hard drive to copy your data onto. If you are not comfortable with adding a second internal hard drive or you are using a laptop then you can purchase an external hard drive to back up your data.

    The information you have on your hard drive could disappear in a flash. If you don't want to spend up to $3,000 to have a data recovery company retrieve what information they can from your hard drive, then take a few minutes right now and create your back up action plan.

    If you ever have a data emergency your action plan will be your insurance policy. If you adhere to it, your valuable data will adhere to you!

  • CEO of Microsoft Smoking Crack!

    Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer, says he will “CRUSH GOOGLE” the search engine and its brilliant Ad system.

    Hey, Steve.  Get off the pipe!  MSN search sucks. 
    Altavista is better than MSN.  Here is a suggestion from some
    stupid nameless blog, Write better search code.  Beat Yahoo's
    search engine, then come after Google.  The Internet is Google's
    house they are slam dunking on you all day.  They've done
    things with Firefox and NOW:

    On Tuesday, Google may strike back at Redmond's heart: Microsoft Office.

    Google and Sun Microsystems will hold a press conference
    on Tuesday at which they're expected to announce a collaboration to
    bring StarOffice productivity applications to Google users.

    If you can say that Microsoft has an Arch enemy I guess it
    would be a combination of Sun Microsystems, Google, and Mozilla. 

    In 2001 Baller named the following:

    1. Linux – The rock: invading Microsoft territory from below.
    2. Unix – The hard place: unyielding in the enterprise space above.
    3. Oracle – The database giant that won't give ground.
    4. Sun – Big, powerful Unix boxes stymie Windows 2000.
    5. AOL – Still the king.

    In 2005 it would be:

         1.   Linux – Still going

         2.   Unix (OSX on x86?) – Still going

         3.   Oracle

         4.   Mozilla – the viral spread of Firefox on inferior IE

         5.   Google – Undisputed Search Engine, Internet Kings

         6.   Sun
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  • Sony cracks down on PSP hacks

    O.k. I don't get it, Sony:

    Sony is engaged in a tug-of-war with
    hackers who keep cracking its PlayStation Portable software to unlock
    the device and run their own applications on it.

    The company is preparing another update to the PSP firmware to fix a
    recently disclosed bug that lets hackers downgrade the PSP system
    software, a Sony representative said Thursday.

    Hacking is the coolest thing you can do with a device!  Sure it
    voids the warantee but isn't that worth moding that bad boy to your
    specifications? 

    I don't know, it I spend $200 dollars on a device I should be able to
    mod it, chuck it off a three story building, or wipe my ass with
    it!  As long as I'm not breaking any laws, or taking money out of
    companies pocket.  

    You are telling me that AVERY can enforce the intended use of the paper
    they sell!?  Common now.   Once you buy it you can put
    it on the side of your toilet and make Rorschach Inkblot Test
    after cleaning yourself.  Now if you buy the paper and re-wrap it
    and call it SAVERY's, and under cut AVERY, then that is not right.

    read more | digg story

  • Security Issues May Be a High Priority for Internet 2

    Security is one of the main focuses on Internet2. But realistically:

    Security and transparency can be
    expected in any future network. But computer experts like to remind the
    public that there is no such thing as a completely bug free computer
    except, as the joke goes, “one that is encased in concrete and sitting
    at the bottom of the ocean.”

    Some might say it is impossible to secure Internet2.  In some ways
    I would say that they were correct.  Or let me put it this way, it
    could be secured but I couldn't really be called the Internet any
    more.  I guess if they did something like in which all systems
    were connect with Peer to Peer VPN connections like Tor connections in
    which all data is encrypted and digitally signed.  I suspect that
    eventually even the encryption would get cracked  since all crypto
    eventually meets its processor match.

    It could be called the CryptoNet!  Anyone logging on would have to
    sign on with a digital signature stored on some sort of Certifing
    Authority (CA).  Of course, this would make it possible to do
    MITM, man in the middle, attacks unless it was an enclave network in
    which ALL nodes with IPs had to have a digital signature.

    Such an implementation would greatly reduce the speed of connection but
    would give incredible nonrepudiation, confidentiality, and
    integrity.  The availability would suffer big time.

    Frankly, a “CryptoNet” would only be good for all the important
    transactions such as banks, hospitals and time sheets.  I would
    not want something like that for 95% of what I do on the Internet.

    Does anybody have any information on how I can get the hook up on “testing” the Internet2?

    read more | digg story

  • Mobile viruses could get nasty fast

    Dan Nystedt's article on PCWorld tells of the good, the bad and the
    ugly about connecting mobile systems to home system to the Internet:

    “The dream of a connected world where
    PCs and mobile phones can communicate with the digital home and other
    devices is supposed to make life easier. But it could instead make life
    far more dangerous if malware developers have their way.”

    And my favorite part:

    “For example, mobile phone services in some countries let people see
    what's going on inside their house via a Web cam connected to motion
    sensors, snapping a picture and sending to the homeowner if anything
    seems awry. But a hacker could use that same Web cam to see if anyone's
    home, and perhaps break in. Or invade people's privacy by taking
    pictures of what's going on in the house. And could a marauder hack
    into a driver's mobile phone use it to shut down certain automobile
    systems, like the brakes?”

    The article goes on to mention something very interesting, 3G phones
    are online all the time.  This feature make them HIGHLY
    vulnerable to attacks.  I won't be surprise if one day soon these
    phones will have to have little built in mobile firewalls.

    “F-Secure, another vendor of antivirus tools,
    says the current total count of known mobile malware stands at 87, up
    from less than 10 early last year. A total of 82 of those viruses were
    written to run on the Symbian series 60 operating system.”

    Symbian is a very popular mobile phone operating system.  Much
    like the Microsoft OSes and apps, Symbians popularity makes it a huge,
    juicy target to mobile phone black hats.

    read more | digg story

  • How much of a geek are you?

    A recent survey suggested that hi-tech jargon is proving tricky for
    many people to understand. Find out how technically smart you are with
    our quiz that tests how much you really know about the world of the web
    and computers.

    This is cute little test. 

    I scored a 9 out of 10.  I got the DRM one wrong.  
    Digital Right Manager?!  I thought it  was Data Resource
    Manager!  Oh, well.  Guess I'm not as big a geek as I thought
    I was.

    On my road to geekdom, I found that the biggest obstacle was the
    language just as the article suggests.  Its like a different
    langauge to the layman.  After a year or so of being on and off
    the help desk I could speak geek.  The great thing about it is how
    quickly the geek world evolves.  Geek speak evolves faster than
    street slang.

    read more | digg story

  • Beer Can Padlock Shim aka "Masterlock Master Key"

    How to build a better padlock shim using a very special hacker tool… A beer can.

    This was picked from Deviant Ollam at Defcon 13.  This is yet
    another reason I love Defcon.   I've heard the arguement that
    we [security professionals] should NOT “promote” hacking or do anything to suggest that it is cool.

    But I think that is a pretty stupid thing to say… because hacking IS
    cool.  Its not always bad and definitely not always good.  As
    far as going to events like Defcon… The IT and Security Industry are
    so slow and firewalled with corporate BS that they will actually hide
    things the consumners need to know.  Just look at CiscoGate. 
    Or, do like a typical government, know that there is a problems but be
    so filled with overhead and beauracracy that they can not do any thing
    about it even if they cared enough to.

    You don't have that kind of big brother crap at the Defcon.  If
    its broke you fix it and if it is fixed you break it to see if its
    possible. 

    If
    the locks on the doors into your house are no good don't you want to
    know about it ASAP?

    Ollams Site:
    http://deviating.net/

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  • Motorola RAZR 2 appears online

    It is still as svelte as it ever was, but the original Motorola RAZR V3
    is getting a little long in the tooth, if you know what we mean.

    A few people I've talked to said they didn't think the RAZR was worth
    the money because its not intuitive and its load time is slow.  I
    think I'll hold out for a PDA/Phone. 

    As for the RAZR II, it seems to look just like the first.

    read more | digg story

  • Become ungoogable

    Site to hide your text online; or chat or bypass company sniffers… pretty handy.  I think this make for a decent Anti-Google Hack.

    This site is pretty cool.  It hides text by turning it into a
    picture file.  Pretty creative!  You see, search engines can
    usually find what you type in forums, websites, blog and even some chat
    sessions.  But what if you didn't want your text to be found on
    the Internet.  There are some plugin tools you could use or you
    could encrypt the text but here is another way called Hiddentext.net.

    This site turns your text into a picture with a randomly generated name
    like LYe776e.jpg so that it isn't picked up by Google/Images.

    Hiddentext.net also loads it on there server –> http://www.hidetext.net/hide/1RCet5KbrQ.jpg

    Although I'm not sure how long, the site gives you the option of deleting the message permanently.

     This could be great for privacy if your trying
    to get an online message to a select group of people.  On the
    negative side, this would work really great for Al Qeda, but so would
    encryption.

    read more | digg story

  • First potential virus risk for Windows Vista found

    “Virus writers are targeting a new Microsoft tool that will be part
    of Windows and is set to ship as part of the next Exchange e-mail
    server release.” – C|Net

    F-Secure has already found a possible flaw in the Windows Vista
    (code named Longhorn) command Shell called Monad also know as MSH.

    Representatives of F-Secure stated that if Microsoft released Windows
    Vista with MSH enabled, it could cause and outbreak of scripting
    viruses.  Examples of Scripting viruses include Macrovirues, the
    ILOVEYou VB scripting virus and the Melissa virus.

    The exploit aiming at MSH is discussed here.

    Microsoft my chose to disable MSH by default or simply add it as a plugin.