The HP Procurve 2524 switch can perform at 9.6 Gbps. It supports layer two switching and offer VLAN capabilities.
The switch can be locked down on a per port basis and offers TACAS as well. There is also a web interface so that you can manage the switch remotely.
Technical Details
General Information
Manufacturer: Hewlett-Packard
Manufacturer Part Number: J4813A#ABA
Product Name: ProCurve 2524 Ethernet Switch
Brand Name: HP
Manufacturer Website Address: www.hp.com
Product Line: ProCurve
Product Type: Ethernet Switch
Interfaces/Ports
Number of Ports: 24
Interfaces/Ports: 24 x RJ-45 10/100Base-TX LAN
1 x DB-9 Console Management
Fast Ethernet Port: Yes
Media & Performance
Connectivity Media: Twisted Pair 10/100Base-TX
Performance: 9.6Gbps Switching Fabric
6.6Mpps Throughput for 64-byte Packet
I/O Expansions
Number of Expansion Slots: 2
Expansion Slots: (2 Total) Expansion Slot
Network & Communication
Flow Control: IEEE 802.3x (Full-duplex)
Address Table: 4K MAC Addresses
Orange County Computer Consultant
- Orange County Computer Security Consultant
- Orange County Computer Consultant helps small businesses with networking, installations and small business software.
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Cisco ASA 5505
The Cisco ASA series provides best of class security protection for networks. Security features include firewall, VPN with IPsec, intrusion prevention. The Cisco ASA series has replaced the PIX line of products. There are five different modules that can be integrated.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Information Security Consultation Costs Call 714-786-5878
Phuture Networks provides information security services starting at $30 an hour. We will provide a security assessment of your home network or business network. Phuture Networks will provide you with a full report of security vulnerabilities. Remediation of these threats can be provided at additional costs.
Phuture Networks can test your network remotely. If needed a security consultant can come on-site for a physical analysis. Travel costs will be incurred. Phuture Networks serves the Orange County, CA area.
Phuture Network Services offered Call 714-786-5878
Phuture Networks offers the following services in the Orange County Area:
- Information Security
- Process Security
- Internet Technology Security
- Communications Security
- Wireless Security
- Systems integration and configuration
- Procurement Services.
Please email today for a free consultation.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Linkedin Profile
I decided to post my Linkedin profile. Please feel free to view it. Potential clients can email me at benjamin.hargis@gmail.com.
Asus EEE and Backtrack 3 Beta
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Need a Router Password?
If you ever need to look up your default router password check out this website. It allows you to search by manufacture as well.
Redhat Linux Videos Online
I learn allot from watching videos online regarding Linux, computer science and security from websites like You Tube and Google Tech Videos. These are great tools to use and learn for free.
Relaunch of Phuture Networks website
I temporarily brought down Phuture Networks for upgrades. Phuture Networks new website will have a more user friendly feel to it. Client's will receive their own login username and passwords so you can check on project status, billable hours and post any questions, comments or suggestions regarding Phuture Networks or your security project.
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Phuture Networks
This is shameless self promotion. I'm really trying to get my consulting business going. It is allot of work. I work 8 hours daily doing solutions selling in IT. I tell clients to think of me as a consultant for free.
I want to be on my own in three years. With my own clients. I want to provide security consulting on a contractual basis. I will handle all aspects of security. This includes updating servers. Patching software. Keeping virus signatures up to date. Managing firewall rule sets.
I spend my nights and evening eating breathing and sleeping IT security. Anyone need a security consultant?
I want to be on my own in three years. With my own clients. I want to provide security consulting on a contractual basis. I will handle all aspects of security. This includes updating servers. Patching software. Keeping virus signatures up to date. Managing firewall rule sets.
I spend my nights and evening eating breathing and sleeping IT security. Anyone need a security consultant?
Monday, September 24, 2007
CA Arcserve
There are reports from Secunia that CA Arc Server has multiple vulnerabilities. The exploits can used to bypass security restrictions.
Secunia has a very good list of up to date alerts.
Secunia has a very good list of up to date alerts.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Hacker Methods
So how do hackers and crackers go about attacking networks and hosts? The best ones do research first. They want to know about your company, workers names, hobbies. The more information the better.
The first step would be to scan your target to determine which ports are open on your network. This can be done with many tools on the Internet. I will not list the tools as this is not a hacker tutorial but more of a heads up. Once they find what ports are open they can determine what services are running. A simple scan on Google or other websites can tell you which vulnerabilities are known for this application or service.
The next step would be to search for exploit code for that open port/service. At this point the attacker could craft a packet with a payload with the exploit code. The exploit code can tell the remote host to send back a shell or any other numerous things. Most attackers want access to the system to look for things. Others are malicious.
Attackers will often install a sniffer to grab more passwords on the network. Then cover their tracks and come back at a later time to grab the information or use your host as a jump off point for more attacks. Some hackers use mulitple systems to do Denial of service attacks. DDos is used with multiple systems.
The lesson here is patch and patch often, install IDS systems and have a firewall that will drop any suspicious traffic. Monitor your logs and encrypt your data!
The first step would be to scan your target to determine which ports are open on your network. This can be done with many tools on the Internet. I will not list the tools as this is not a hacker tutorial but more of a heads up. Once they find what ports are open they can determine what services are running. A simple scan on Google or other websites can tell you which vulnerabilities are known for this application or service.
The next step would be to search for exploit code for that open port/service. At this point the attacker could craft a packet with a payload with the exploit code. The exploit code can tell the remote host to send back a shell or any other numerous things. Most attackers want access to the system to look for things. Others are malicious.
Attackers will often install a sniffer to grab more passwords on the network. Then cover their tracks and come back at a later time to grab the information or use your host as a jump off point for more attacks. Some hackers use mulitple systems to do Denial of service attacks. DDos is used with multiple systems.
The lesson here is patch and patch often, install IDS systems and have a firewall that will drop any suspicious traffic. Monitor your logs and encrypt your data!
Layered Technologies Hacked
It appears that hackers have managed to get into Layered Technologies databases. There are reports that over 6,000 user id's and passwords were compromised. This just shows why encryption should be used more vigilantly.
It looks like the hacker got in over HTTP. He then accessed the database and copied the information. Passwords for SSH, MySQL, Cpanel and other applications were taken. I would suggest to anyone using this company to switch their passwords or think about another hosting company.
It looks like the hacker got in over HTTP. He then accessed the database and copied the information. Passwords for SSH, MySQL, Cpanel and other applications were taken. I would suggest to anyone using this company to switch their passwords or think about another hosting company.
Intrusion Detection Systems
In my previous post I talked about a IDS. IDS is a system that is used to monitor your network or hosts for behaviour that is out of the norm. They look for known attacks and alert you. You can usually have a back end database to store this information.
IDS systems can protect against zero day exploits, directory traversal, SQL injection attacks, buffer overflows, worms and othe Mal ware.
A good IDS should be able to do the following:
SNORT is a great and free IDS. It can do network analysis and logging.
There are plenty of books availiable to learn and configure SNORT.
Cisco also has a IDS, they call it IPS or Intrusion Prevention System.
IDS systems can protect against zero day exploits, directory traversal, SQL injection attacks, buffer overflows, worms and othe Mal ware.
A good IDS should be able to do the following:
- Deep Packet Inspection
- Behaviour analysis
- Logging
SNORT is a great and free IDS. It can do network analysis and logging.
There are plenty of books availiable to learn and configure SNORT.
Cisco also has a IDS, they call it IPS or Intrusion Prevention System.
McAffee Intrushield
McAffee Intrushield is a IPS. Intrusion protection system. The Intrushield can scan data at up to 10Gbps. Their are different models. I was told by a security enginerr by McAffee security engineer that it is effective because it uses FPGA's and ASIC's to transfer data. I noticied a bullet point that stated that the device could even scan for encrypted threats. I asked how can the IPS device determine if it is legit traffic or Malware? He stated that the device decrypts the packets and then scans the contents.
This device also supports QOS. Which will allow you to prioritize data. For instance VoiP would need more bandwith than P2p. They also have a technology called Vitual IPS to protect VLAN's.
The Intrushield is compatabile with McAffe Orchestra and and Mcaffee NAC.
This device also supports QOS. Which will allow you to prioritize data. For instance VoiP would need more bandwith than P2p. They also have a technology called Vitual IPS to protect VLAN's.
The Intrushield is compatabile with McAffe Orchestra and and Mcaffee NAC.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence is used to find patterns and trends to spot opportunities. This is awesome technology. Databases can be modeled to look for this data, then turn it into information. The saying information is power is true. Business Intelligence allow you to peer into all the data to see your best customers, best locations for real estate, stock trends, and economic data.
It can be used to look at customer behaviour, what magazines they order, websites visited to, and much more. This is information can then be used by marketing and advertising companies or even worse spammers or telemarketers.
The future hold real time data analytics and business intelligence. Where decision's can be made on the spot. Talk about pressure.
There is a open source data mining tool called Rapid. Data mining, AI, data warehousing and analytics are interesting topics. I will be taking SQL next semester.
The government uses a similar technology for homeland security using databases to look for patterns and similarities to detect threats to our nation.
It can be used to look at customer behaviour, what magazines they order, websites visited to, and much more. This is information can then be used by marketing and advertising companies or even worse spammers or telemarketers.
The future hold real time data analytics and business intelligence. Where decision's can be made on the spot. Talk about pressure.
There is a open source data mining tool called Rapid. Data mining, AI, data warehousing and analytics are interesting topics. I will be taking SQL next semester.
The government uses a similar technology for homeland security using databases to look for patterns and similarities to detect threats to our nation.
Microsoft Products
It seems like everyday there is a new Microsoft software title. It's mind boggling. There is Microsoft Expression. Which is web design suite. It allows for CSS layouts and also works well with .NET. This is not a surprise. There is also something called Microsoft accounting. I found this interesting, because I need accounting program for Phuture Networks to bill my clients.
Microsoft also has something called start up center. It's a good resource covering everything from tax laws to office setup. I like the fact it has list's of things that can be needed as office supplies and then links to Kinko's and other office supply places. It's a startup portal.
They have a certification called Microsoft Small Business Specialist. This is a test that I'm planning to take. Microsoft has allot of good information.
Microsoft also has something called start up center. It's a good resource covering everything from tax laws to office setup. I like the fact it has list's of things that can be needed as office supplies and then links to Kinko's and other office supply places. It's a startup portal.
They have a certification called Microsoft Small Business Specialist. This is a test that I'm planning to take. Microsoft has allot of good information.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Microsoft Working with Sun on Virtualization
According to a article in CRN, Micros0ft is working with Sun to make sure that their virtualization will be compatible. This means that if I purchase a Sun server with Solaris, It should, emphasis on *should* be able to run MS Server.
Do I want this? Sure why not. I like running multiple operating systems to see what I like the best. They all have benefits and flaws. For instance MS Windows is great for the business world. i.e. applications. I love Mac OS X for it's beauty and simplicity. It is the perfect OS and system for home users.
If I want to code, I then use Linux/UNIX depending on what platform I need to try to write or debug software on. I'm no expert programmer, but can read and write some C, HTML (not a programming language) PERL and Assembly X86.
With Web 2.0 taking off. A popular buzzword. What it really is is services using AJAX. Think of applications on the web to use. Google Apps comes to mind, Facebook and Myspace.
To sum this up I think it is a smart move for Microsoft. After all Novell has Xensource.
Do I want this? Sure why not. I like running multiple operating systems to see what I like the best. They all have benefits and flaws. For instance MS Windows is great for the business world. i.e. applications. I love Mac OS X for it's beauty and simplicity. It is the perfect OS and system for home users.
If I want to code, I then use Linux/UNIX depending on what platform I need to try to write or debug software on. I'm no expert programmer, but can read and write some C, HTML (not a programming language) PERL and Assembly X86.
With Web 2.0 taking off. A popular buzzword. What it really is is services using AJAX. Think of applications on the web to use. Google Apps comes to mind, Facebook and Myspace.
To sum this up I think it is a smart move for Microsoft. After all Novell has Xensource.
Windows Vista Encryption Algorithim
A few months back I asked a Microsoft Sales Rep what encryption was used for Vista. He did not know. The encryption algorithm implemented is AES-CBC. This is Advanced Encryption Standard in cipher block chaining mode.
AES is a block cipher developed by our government. The key sizes can be 128, 192 or 256. The block size is 128bits. It can change the plain text 10, 12, 14 rounds.
To learn more detailed information. Wikipedia has a excellent article.
AES is a block cipher developed by our government. The key sizes can be 128, 192 or 256. The block size is 128bits. It can change the plain text 10, 12, 14 rounds.
To learn more detailed information. Wikipedia has a excellent article.
Artificial Intelligence
When will AI come to the point that we live in a world like IRobot. I often think of developing a massive database of information. It would be very sweet to have AI, running in the database. It would look for patterns, learn and try to make logical decision's. I read about data mining, data warehousing, and data modeling. This is all in the field of informatics.
Artificial Intelligence is developing intelligent systems to mimic human behavior. AI can be applied to all fields of research. There is also the thought that AI will one day take over humans. Pretty scary.
There are so many databases out there on the Net. Imagine if someone developed a intelligent spider to crawl the net looking for correlations, trends over even try to predict future events. This is already a reality.
Artificial Intelligence is developing intelligent systems to mimic human behavior. AI can be applied to all fields of research. There is also the thought that AI will one day take over humans. Pretty scary.
There are so many databases out there on the Net. Imagine if someone developed a intelligent spider to crawl the net looking for correlations, trends over even try to predict future events. This is already a reality.
VM Ware Products
Their are several products that VW Ware offers. There are products for first time virtualization users, for enterprise users, technical and programmers and products for locking down the desktop and as well as management.
For Servers there is VM Ware Server -----> VM Ware Infrastructure
For desktops there is VMWare player. You can run virtual machines on any machine. These are free downloads.
Virtual Manager allows you to create virtual machines.
VM Workstation allows developers to run multiple virtual machines for software development.
VMWare Ace is used on desktop for security, it can be used to lock down endpoints.
VMWare Infrastructure.
ESX Server is the flagship or foundation for distributed virtualization. ESX server takes care of managing memory, hardware, networking and splits them up into virtual machines. Virtual center gives you a birds eye view of your virtual machines. It also handles workloads, optimizing and it has templates.
There are several add-ons for ESX server.
VM Ware is great for Malware analysis. You can view and run the source code in the vitual machines in a controlled enviroment. There are Anti-Virus companies that use VMware and software debugging tools such as Soft Ice to look into worms and see what there are meant to do. What worms, viruses and othe Malware is contained in the payload.
For Servers there is VM Ware Server -----> VM Ware Infrastructure
For desktops there is VMWare player. You can run virtual machines on any machine. These are free downloads.
Virtual Manager allows you to create virtual machines.
VM Workstation allows developers to run multiple virtual machines for software development.
VMWare Ace is used on desktop for security, it can be used to lock down endpoints.
VMWare Infrastructure.
ESX Server is the flagship or foundation for distributed virtualization. ESX server takes care of managing memory, hardware, networking and splits them up into virtual machines. Virtual center gives you a birds eye view of your virtual machines. It also handles workloads, optimizing and it has templates.
There are several add-ons for ESX server.
VM Ware is great for Malware analysis. You can view and run the source code in the vitual machines in a controlled enviroment. There are Anti-Virus companies that use VMware and software debugging tools such as Soft Ice to look into worms and see what there are meant to do. What worms, viruses and othe Malware is contained in the payload.
Open Source Search Engine
Today while working I came across Koders. Koders is a open source search engine. This is nice. There is also Google Code search. The beauty of this is that you can search for functions and routines that other programmers have written. Why reinvent the wheel?
I also went through a hour of Microsoft licensing training. There are so many options. I'm currently working on loking for companies that need Enterprise Agreements. This can be for SQL, Windows Server, Microsoft Exchange, Server, Windows Vista all the favors. You can also get software assurance which alows you to get software upgrades. This can be valuable because Microsoft is coming out with Microsoft Exchange 2008.
I also went through a hour of Microsoft licensing training. There are so many options. I'm currently working on loking for companies that need Enterprise Agreements. This can be for SQL, Windows Server, Microsoft Exchange, Server, Windows Vista all the favors. You can also get software assurance which alows you to get software upgrades. This can be valuable because Microsoft is coming out with Microsoft Exchange 2008.
Microsoft Security Alerts for Sept 2007
Microsoft released some security alerts. There is only one critcal alert. It allows an attacker to run code remotely on your machine. This is dangerous because they can ask fr a shell back to their computer to execute commands.
Here are four of the alerts:
To update your system. Click here.
Microsoft has a ton of use full information on security.
Here is their security portal.
Microsoft also has a security response center. The one thing I wonder is why there are so many holes in the first place? There is software that will scan your source code for known vulnerabilities. This should be done before shipping the product!
Here are four of the alerts:
| • | MS07-051 - addresses a vulnerability in Windows (KB 938827) |
| • | MS07-052 - addresses a vulnerability in Visual Studio (KB 941522) |
| • | MS07-053 - addresses a vulnerability in Windows (KB 939778) |
| • | MS07-054 - addresses a vulnerability in MSN Messenger and Windows Live Messenger (KB 942099) |
To update your system. Click here.
Microsoft has a ton of use full information on security.
Here is their security portal.
Microsoft also has a security response center. The one thing I wonder is why there are so many holes in the first place? There is software that will scan your source code for known vulnerabilities. This should be done before shipping the product!
Monday, September 17, 2007
Cyberwar
The DOD has stated that Cyberwar is real. Our US networks have been attacked by China. I heard on CNN that our Secretary of Defense's computer was also penetrated. I do not know if this is true. President Bush says it's not.
The Air force has some of the best cyberwarriors. They have classes to train our troops on information warfare. The have a degree in Cyberwarfare. It's in the electrical and engineering department. They train on IP networks, telecommunications, radars, satellites, transportation systems, and power systems.
The NSA also does try to stop these attacks. The DOD had one of the lowest security rating's out of goverment agencies. The National Science foundation had some of the best security.
The Air force has some of the best cyberwarriors. They have classes to train our troops on information warfare. The have a degree in Cyberwarfare. It's in the electrical and engineering department. They train on IP networks, telecommunications, radars, satellites, transportation systems, and power systems.
The NSA also does try to stop these attacks. The DOD had one of the lowest security rating's out of goverment agencies. The National Science foundation had some of the best security.
Virtualization
Virtualization is hot right now. I sale VM Ware products. I'm currently studying for the VM Ware professional sales. There are plenty of other player in the field right now. There are open source solutions. Such as Virtual Box.
There is also Novell is Xensource.
Virtualization allows you to run multiple virtual machines on one computer or server. It is handy. I run Parallels here at home on my Macbook. The benefit is that I can run Mac OS X and then have Redhat Linux in another window. This allows me to focus on programming in Linux and using Mac OS X for my photos or running ITunes.
Companies can use virtualization to reduce IT cost's, There does not have to be as many desktops. You can run multiple virtual machines on the server and have clients connect with dumb terminals.
Virtualization is also good for security. A virus or worm will only stay in the virtual machine and not infect other machines, or virtual machines. Virtual machines can also be transported with VMware. This can be carried on person in a USB drive.
There is also Novell is Xensource.
Virtualization allows you to run multiple virtual machines on one computer or server. It is handy. I run Parallels here at home on my Macbook. The benefit is that I can run Mac OS X and then have Redhat Linux in another window. This allows me to focus on programming in Linux and using Mac OS X for my photos or running ITunes.
Companies can use virtualization to reduce IT cost's, There does not have to be as many desktops. You can run multiple virtual machines on the server and have clients connect with dumb terminals.
Virtualization is also good for security. A virus or worm will only stay in the virtual machine and not infect other machines, or virtual machines. Virtual machines can also be transported with VMware. This can be carried on person in a USB drive.
Microsoft Automatic Updates
It appears that Microsoft has been installing updates without our permission. Tommorow is patch Tuesday. I wonder how many holes they are going to patch?
You can view the knowledge base articles to see what they are installing on your computer there are allot of updates. It would be nice of Microsoft to let users know that they are going to be installing software. It's bad enough that I cannot see the source code. How do I really know what is in those updates? More Spy ware? This is why I love Open Source/Linux. I can view the code and run MD5 checksums to insure that the software has not been tampered with.
I was reading this article in Eweek that stated that they have been doing this for quite some time.
You can view the knowledge base articles to see what they are installing on your computer there are allot of updates. It would be nice of Microsoft to let users know that they are going to be installing software. It's bad enough that I cannot see the source code. How do I really know what is in those updates? More Spy ware? This is why I love Open Source/Linux. I can view the code and run MD5 checksums to insure that the software has not been tampered with.
I was reading this article in Eweek that stated that they have been doing this for quite some time.
AOL Instant Messenger Attack
It appears that it is possible to send HTML code to AOL messenger, to shut it down or try to gain information from the clients computer.
Here is the link to Bugtraq.
Here is the link to Bugtraq.
Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance
Every morning I get up and sign into My Yahoo and IGoogle. I have them configured to show me the days exploits and vulnerabilities. I do this to keep my clients informed. My clients consist of Network administrators, CIO's, CEO's and business owners.
Today I recommended a Cisco ASA to a client with IPS. IPS stands for intrusion prevention system. The Cisco ASA comes standard as a firewall. You can then add different modules such as VPN, Content filtering and Anti-X.
The VPN can support different users depending on the module selected. It does SSL and IPsec. There are different encryption protocols that can be utilized as well such as DES and 3DES. A VPN is a virtual private network. It allows you to login remotely form home or Starbucks securely. When you do this without a VPN, you send your data in clear text. A simple sniffer between your computer can pick up these packets and read what is in them. Encryption slows the process of reading the contents. 3DES and DES are very strong and it would take years or even longer to crack it. When you are surfing at your local Starbucks, the guy next to you can run a wireless sniffer and grab your bank account information, Yahoo Login ID, or Amazon login.
The content filtering module allows network administrators to implement security policies. Like blocking Yahoo instant messenger, Myspace, and ESPN during work hours.
Anit-X is a anit-Malware application. It defends against viruses, trojans, key-loggers, exploit code and other goodies that attackers like to use to gain info, mess up data, and just for fun.
The IPS module is nice. It attempts to stop attacks before they happen. How? It has a signature database, the firewall does deep packet inspection. This means it looks at the content of the packets and compares it against a updated databse of known attacks. It it looks suspicious it is dropped or quarantined for later inspection.
Today I recommended a Cisco ASA to a client with IPS. IPS stands for intrusion prevention system. The Cisco ASA comes standard as a firewall. You can then add different modules such as VPN, Content filtering and Anti-X.
The VPN can support different users depending on the module selected. It does SSL and IPsec. There are different encryption protocols that can be utilized as well such as DES and 3DES. A VPN is a virtual private network. It allows you to login remotely form home or Starbucks securely. When you do this without a VPN, you send your data in clear text. A simple sniffer between your computer can pick up these packets and read what is in them. Encryption slows the process of reading the contents. 3DES and DES are very strong and it would take years or even longer to crack it. When you are surfing at your local Starbucks, the guy next to you can run a wireless sniffer and grab your bank account information, Yahoo Login ID, or Amazon login.
The content filtering module allows network administrators to implement security policies. Like blocking Yahoo instant messenger, Myspace, and ESPN during work hours.
Anit-X is a anit-Malware application. It defends against viruses, trojans, key-loggers, exploit code and other goodies that attackers like to use to gain info, mess up data, and just for fun.
The IPS module is nice. It attempts to stop attacks before they happen. How? It has a signature database, the firewall does deep packet inspection. This means it looks at the content of the packets and compares it against a updated databse of known attacks. It it looks suspicious it is dropped or quarantined for later inspection.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Working for a VAR
I have not posted to this blog for a long time. There has been allot of good stuff going on in my life. My son Alexander was born in May. I have not had allot of time to do anything really. I started working for a value added reseller. I enjoy my work. I focus my sales on storage, security and networking products. I.m trying to gain as many certifications as possible to increase my knowledge and provide solutions to clients.
Right now I'm going for VMware sales professional. I enjoy learning, it keeps my brain going. I work with some people who dont have the drive to really learn the new technologies. They just want to make the sale. I understand that and am not putting them down. I'm different. I want to know what I'm selling and how it works. I want to see if I can make it better. It can be software that needs added functionallity or hardware that could run faster or cheaper.
In five years from now I want to be running my own business Phuture Networks full time. I'm looking to provide managed security solutions for clients. This can include remote and onsite penetration testing. Wireless assesments, web server hardening, OS hardeing and verification of firewall rulesets. Recommendations on intrusion detection systems and physical security.
Right now I'm going for VMware sales professional. I enjoy learning, it keeps my brain going. I work with some people who dont have the drive to really learn the new technologies. They just want to make the sale. I understand that and am not putting them down. I'm different. I want to know what I'm selling and how it works. I want to see if I can make it better. It can be software that needs added functionallity or hardware that could run faster or cheaper.
In five years from now I want to be running my own business Phuture Networks full time. I'm looking to provide managed security solutions for clients. This can include remote and onsite penetration testing. Wireless assesments, web server hardening, OS hardeing and verification of firewall rulesets. Recommendations on intrusion detection systems and physical security.
Friday, December 01, 2006
Computer Security News
Its Friday night. I'm listening to some techno and reading many different feeds. The one that caught my attention is about an Israeli computer security firm, discovered how to read enrypted pin traffic used by banks. The secret service is investigating this claim. It makes me wonder what type of encryption protocols are in place to protect me at my local ATM ? Are they strong ? Is there a standard or do banks get to choose ?
There were also some reports that Wall Street and other financial institutes could be attacked shortly. The goal of the terrorists is to hurt the US economy.
I also read a article today about how mainframes seem to have been forgotten. There are still IBM mainframes and I'm sure many other supporting our nations infrastructure. Security needs to be considered for all hardware and software on the network regardless of how old it is. Even printers are open season for experienced crackers.
In other news a hacker from Romania, hacked into NASA the department of energy and the US Navy. This worries me. Were talking the Navy and DOE. What type of testing is our goverment doing to protect against these attacks ? We have the NSA who is supposed to be protecting our networks and communications. But they choose to listen to US citizens. Protect first guys.
I still don't get why people don't use encryption. You hear almost every day. they got access to all these records. Is it that its too difficult to implement. I admit my grandma does not need it but our universities and goverment sure does.
There were also some reports that Wall Street and other financial institutes could be attacked shortly. The goal of the terrorists is to hurt the US economy.
I also read a article today about how mainframes seem to have been forgotten. There are still IBM mainframes and I'm sure many other supporting our nations infrastructure. Security needs to be considered for all hardware and software on the network regardless of how old it is. Even printers are open season for experienced crackers.
In other news a hacker from Romania, hacked into NASA the department of energy and the US Navy. This worries me. Were talking the Navy and DOE. What type of testing is our goverment doing to protect against these attacks ? We have the NSA who is supposed to be protecting our networks and communications. But they choose to listen to US citizens. Protect first guys.
I still don't get why people don't use encryption. You hear almost every day. they got access to all these records. Is it that its too difficult to implement. I admit my grandma does not need it but our universities and goverment sure does.
Friday, November 17, 2006
Review of HP iPAQ hx2495
I just picked up one of these PDA's from Amazon. Im quite happy. It is a little heavy compared to my Toshiba PDA, but so much more powerfull. It has built in WiFi and Bluetooth. I connected to my corporate network with no problem at all.
I really missed having my PDA around. One day my Toshiba just quit. It was a refurbished model. I picked this up for $288.99. It was a good deal.
I really missed having my PDA around. One day my Toshiba just quit. It was a refurbished model. I picked this up for $288.99. It was a good deal.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
McAffe Secure Internet Gateway
I just done with a presentation on the McAffee Secure Internet Gateway. This is a unified threat solution. It has Anti-Virus, Anti-Spware and firewall capabilities. It also has anti SPAM system.I stayed after the presentation to ask what operating system runs on the device. It is a modified version of RedHat. It is also checked by a outside third party for any vulnerabilities.
It comes in different models like the 3100, 3200 and 3300.
These models also have web filtering capabilities. This device is capable of protecting both POP 3 and SMTP fro email security.
To find out more go to www.mcaffee.com
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Math and computer science
I'm currently in school majoring in computer science with a focus on security. I'm really need to brush up on my math skills. I was on Slashdot and came across this post about what type of math CS majors should look into.
Article on Slashdot
Article on Slashdot
CCNA Notes
Flow Control provides data integrity prevents the sending host from overflowing the buffers of the receiving host. Sends data in segments. Synchronization and windowing is also handled at this layer.
Routing is handled at the network layer. The network layer is also responsible for routing thru the internetwork and network addressing.
Router update packets include RIP, IGRP, and OSPF.
Routing is handled at the network layer. The network layer is also responsible for routing thru the internetwork and network addressing.
Router update packets include RIP, IGRP, and OSPF.
Kevins Mitcnicks Security Advice
I came across this on Wired Magazine site. This is quoted from Kevin Mitnick. One of the most famous hackers of all time.
Here's my Top 10 list of steps you should take to protect your information and your computing resources from the bad boys and girls of cyberspace.
- Back up everything! You are not invulnerable. Catastrophic data loss can happen to you -- one worm or Trojan is all it takes.
- Choose passwords that are reasonably hard to guess -- don't just append a few numbers to a no-brainer. Always change default passwords.
- Use an antivirus product like AVG or Norton, and set it to update daily.
- Update your OS religiously and be vigilant in applying all security patches released by the software manufacturer.
- Avoid hacker-bait apps like Internet Explorer and disable automatic scripting on your e-mail client.
- Use encryption software like PGP (pretty good privacy) when sending sensitive e-mail. You can also use it to protect your entire hard drive.
- Install a spyware detection app -- or even several. Programs that can be set to run frequently, like SpyCop, are ideal.
- Use a personal firewall. Configure it to prevent other computers, networks and sites from connecting to you, and specify which programs are allowed to connect to the net automatically.
- Disable any system services you're not using, especially apps that could give others remote access to your computer (like Remote Desktop, RealVNC and NetBIOS).
- Secure your wireless networks. At home, enable WPA (Wi-Fi protected access) with a password of at least 20 characters. Configure your laptop to connect in Infrastructure mode only, and don't add networks unless they use WPA.
Friday, November 03, 2006
I love Open Source Software
I can do anyhting with Open Source, I love it. Need a webserver ? Get Apache. How about a web proxy why not try Squid ? Lets not even mention security. Vulnerability Scanners, Intrusion Detection Systems and its all free. The only thing I see is the learning curve and time it takes to configure and manage this software.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Attack can disable Windows Firewall
A attacker can send a crafted packet to shut down Microsoft Windows firewall. Not shocking. Microsoft has never been known for security. The attack involves ICS or Internet Connection Serivce.
The attacker would have to be on the local LAN for this to work properly.
The attacker would have to be on the local LAN for this to work properly.
Google picks up JotSpot
Jotspot was one of my prospects for a company who shall remain nameless. When I talked to a guy over there, I told him him how I thought that there idea was good and was amazed that Google has not bought them yet. Now I read this morning that they bought them.
They offer wikis to families and businesses.
http://www.jotspot.com
They offer wikis to families and businesses.
http://www.jotspot.com
Cisco ASA 5500
Cisco ASA 5500
This is a review on the new Cisco ASA 5500
The Cisco ASA or Adaptive security appliance can use different modules for different security needs.
There are currently four unique modules. They include the firewall module, IPS which is a intrusion
protection system. Anti-x module and a VPN (virtual private network) module.
The benefits of this appliance is that modules can be added as your needs grow. All in one device.There is a business edition provides small to medium businesses with VPN and gateway capabilities.
The firewall module can be implemented to stop corporate users from abusing instant messaging, theintroduction of spyware and adware onto the corporate network.It will also protect against externalthreats suck as hackers or crackers. Policies can also be set up to bloak peer to peer file sharing.
The Cisco ASA 5500 can also provide VPN access for remote users. The SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) and also IPsec protocols can be used to encrypt traffic.
Different forms of authentication can be used such as Kerbeos, Microsoft Active directory, LDAP lightweight directory protocol and RSA secure ID.
Everythinbg can be controlled through the Cisco Security Manager, a all in one management platform. I watched a video on this at Ciscos website. I like the interface, you can even see attacks in real time and decide to section off that part of the network. Thats pretty slick. Another way to do this is through MARS, which is Cisco's analysis tool.
There are diffrent modules for different needs Some firewalls can support up to 1.2Gbps.
The Anti-X technology is based on Trend Micros technology to stop threats like viruses, spyware, trojans and worms.
This is a review on the new Cisco ASA 5500
The Cisco ASA or Adaptive security appliance can use different modules for different security needs.
There are currently four unique modules. They include the firewall module, IPS which is a intrusion
protection system. Anti-x module and a VPN (virtual private network) module.
The benefits of this appliance is that modules can be added as your needs grow. All in one device.There is a business edition provides small to medium businesses with VPN and gateway capabilities.
The firewall module can be implemented to stop corporate users from abusing instant messaging, theintroduction of spyware and adware onto the corporate network.It will also protect against externalthreats suck as hackers or crackers. Policies can also be set up to bloak peer to peer file sharing.
The Cisco ASA 5500 can also provide VPN access for remote users. The SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) and also IPsec protocols can be used to encrypt traffic.
Different forms of authentication can be used such as Kerbeos, Microsoft Active directory, LDAP lightweight directory protocol and RSA secure ID.
Everythinbg can be controlled through the Cisco Security Manager, a all in one management platform. I watched a video on this at Ciscos website. I like the interface, you can even see attacks in real time and decide to section off that part of the network. Thats pretty slick. Another way to do this is through MARS, which is Cisco's analysis tool.
There are diffrent modules for different needs Some firewalls can support up to 1.2Gbps.
The Anti-X technology is based on Trend Micros technology to stop threats like viruses, spyware, trojans and worms.
Friday, October 13, 2006
CCNA Progress
Im still studying working on my CCNA, I'm studying IP addressing and subnetting currently. its going well. I have decided to rewrite my business plan for Phuture Networks. I'm going to focus solely on IT Security.
I injured my knee, I have been out of work for about a week since I cant drive. Its my right knee. The one good thing I can say about it, it has given me time to think. I have been analyzing allot of code in C, PERL and Python. I want to be able to read the stuff like English.
I have almost completed my introduction to engineering class. I like it. It has made me more methodical and detail oriented.
My son is getting huge, I cant believe how fast kids grow. Its really amazing.
I injured my knee, I have been out of work for about a week since I cant drive. Its my right knee. The one good thing I can say about it, it has given me time to think. I have been analyzing allot of code in C, PERL and Python. I want to be able to read the stuff like English.
I have almost completed my introduction to engineering class. I like it. It has made me more methodical and detail oriented.
My son is getting huge, I cant believe how fast kids grow. Its really amazing.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Microsoft Vista and Pirates
Microsot has come up with a plan to thwart illegal software copies. The solution ? They will lock out anyone who does not register their OS within 30 days ! I wonder how long it is going to take for some skilled cracker to reverse engineer the code.
It will not actually lock you out just give you real limited functionallity. Which would suck. During the 30 days you will get popups. Lovely. Letting you know that you must register.
During this grace period warnings will be displayed and Vista will block access to the Windows Defender anti-spyware tool, ReadyBoost memory expansion feature and Aero advanced graphics option, Microsoft said.
Just run Linux. IMAO
It will not actually lock you out just give you real limited functionallity. Which would suck. During the 30 days you will get popups. Lovely. Letting you know that you must register.
During this grace period warnings will be displayed and Vista will block access to the Windows Defender anti-spyware tool, ReadyBoost memory expansion feature and Aero advanced graphics option, Microsoft said.
Just run Linux. IMAO
Day 1 Studying for CCNA
I have made up my mind to stay focused on obtaining my CCNA or Cisco Certified Network Associate, I have downloaded many study guides and plan to read one chapter daily, out of my CCNA book. When I pass the exam I will focus on security. I would like to become a expert with firewall technologies, configurations and setup.
The main subject for today is the OSI layer or open systems interconnect. This is a standard that allows vendors software/hardware to communicate. There are seven layers for the OSI model. They include: Application, Presentation, Session, Transport, Network, Data and Physical layers.
The Application layer provides network access to programs, it also does error recovery and flow control. It makes sure that communications can be established by checking resources. The following protocols can be found here. NCP, SMB, Telnet, SMTP, Appletalk and SMB.
The Presentation layer does protocol conversion and my favorite encryption and data compression. This layer uses protocols such as NCP, TDI and AFP.
The Session layer does just that it opens a session it does connection establishment, data transfer and cloese the connection. The protocol NetBios can be found on this layer.
The Transport layer put messages into smaller packages adn does error detection and correction. Some of the protocols here NetBeui, NWLink, IP, IPX, and TCP.
The Network Layer does routing, handles addressing, translates logical addresses to physical ones as well as traffic management. The protocols here are IP, IPX, NWLink and NetBeui.
The Data Link Layer packages bits into frames so they can be transported over the network layer. There is also the MAC sublayer that puts the MAC address into the frame header.
The Physical Layer would bethe actual cabling, connectors and electrical signals transmitted on the wire.
That is my quick synopsis of the OSI layer.
The main subject for today is the OSI layer or open systems interconnect. This is a standard that allows vendors software/hardware to communicate. There are seven layers for the OSI model. They include: Application, Presentation, Session, Transport, Network, Data and Physical layers.
The Application layer provides network access to programs, it also does error recovery and flow control. It makes sure that communications can be established by checking resources. The following protocols can be found here. NCP, SMB, Telnet, SMTP, Appletalk and SMB.
The Presentation layer does protocol conversion and my favorite encryption and data compression. This layer uses protocols such as NCP, TDI and AFP.
The Session layer does just that it opens a session it does connection establishment, data transfer and cloese the connection. The protocol NetBios can be found on this layer.
The Transport layer put messages into smaller packages adn does error detection and correction. Some of the protocols here NetBeui, NWLink, IP, IPX, and TCP.
The Network Layer does routing, handles addressing, translates logical addresses to physical ones as well as traffic management. The protocols here are IP, IPX, NWLink and NetBeui.
The Data Link Layer packages bits into frames so they can be transported over the network layer. There is also the MAC sublayer that puts the MAC address into the frame header.
The Physical Layer would bethe actual cabling, connectors and electrical signals transmitted on the wire.
That is my quick synopsis of the OSI layer.
Monday, October 02, 2006
Monday, September 25, 2006
Alexanders Doctor Visit
I took my son to the doctors today, he had to get four shots. I hated every second of it. He is only 4 months old. But its over for at least a couple months. My girlfriend went with me.
I made it into work late today, doctors note and all. I find my inbox is full of spam. We sell spam firewalls and but I guess the rules are not configured properly on our network. Today is a typical Monday, making cold call and not reaching anyone.
I'm currently enrolled in Engineering at a community college. It is ok. I can say it is making me think about things differently. It's like programming in the sense of breaking the complex problems into smaller chunks. I have always liked taking things apart as a kid. Now here is my chance to start building. Next semester, I will be taking more math and physics. I do not want to stop going to school. There are so many subjects that interest me. I'm a geek :)
I still want to take technical writing and drawing, CAD, CAM and more advanced electronics. I'm still undecided on my major. I'm thinking about information assurance or computer engineering.
I made it into work late today, doctors note and all. I find my inbox is full of spam. We sell spam firewalls and but I guess the rules are not configured properly on our network. Today is a typical Monday, making cold call and not reaching anyone.
I'm currently enrolled in Engineering at a community college. It is ok. I can say it is making me think about things differently. It's like programming in the sense of breaking the complex problems into smaller chunks. I have always liked taking things apart as a kid. Now here is my chance to start building. Next semester, I will be taking more math and physics. I do not want to stop going to school. There are so many subjects that interest me. I'm a geek :)
I still want to take technical writing and drawing, CAD, CAM and more advanced electronics. I'm still undecided on my major. I'm thinking about information assurance or computer engineering.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Stolen Laptops and Data
It seems like daily I hear about security breaches, laptops being stolen. All this personal information is being leaked. I dont understand why people dont use encryption ? I admit it seems daunting, but there are programs out that now that require you to click a button. Its that simple. But what standard do you encrypt with ? I personally like AES which stands for Advanced encryption standard. It is FIPS compliant another lovely acronym that stand for federal information processing which means the goverment uses it to secure unclassified data.
If you want to know the ins and outs of the algorithihm here is a paper published by NIST.
AES Text
After finishing the document, I feel like I need another Red bull.
It talks abouts ciphers, bits, plaintext and other goodies. A knowledge of C C++ or Unix is helpfull. There are alot of functions.
XOR is used in the algorithim to encrypt plaintext into ciphertext.
The cipherkey itself can have lengths of 128, 192 or 256 bits.
There is to much math for me, gives me a headache, although I can understand some of the code.
If you want to know the ins and outs of the algorithihm here is a paper published by NIST.
AES Text
After finishing the document, I feel like I need another Red bull.
It talks abouts ciphers, bits, plaintext and other goodies. A knowledge of C C++ or Unix is helpfull. There are alot of functions.
XOR is used in the algorithim to encrypt plaintext into ciphertext.
The cipherkey itself can have lengths of 128, 192 or 256 bits.
There is to much math for me, gives me a headache, although I can understand some of the code.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Microsoft Presentation
We had Microsoft come out to our office to show us Vista. It looks clen but the hardware requirements are going to require allot of people to upgrade. Thats good new to me but bad for consumers. Personally I love Linux. Vista looks allot like OS X. Apple's OS.
There are some new security feautures including a way to encrypt directories and filesystems. When I asked what encryption protocol would be used, I did not get an answer. That's marketing for you. I also read that Microsoft released 12 security alerts. 8 are critical. You can read about the here .
There are some new security feautures including a way to encrypt directories and filesystems. When I asked what encryption protocol would be used, I did not get an answer. That's marketing for you. I also read that Microsoft released 12 security alerts. 8 are critical. You can read about the here .
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Goals and Career
I currently work for a large IT company consulting enterprise accounts on hardware software needs. I'm working on obtaining my Associates degree and have decided that my major is going to be information assurance. (IT Security). I plan on studying for my CCNA and have a goal of obtaining it by January of 2007. After I complete my self-study. I will go after my CISSP. Currently I'm a MCP or Microsoft Certified Proffesional.
Here is a sample of the courses:
Here is a sample of the courses:
Bachelor of Science - 127-128 credits
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Final Project for Internet Technologies Class
My final project is about having a Internet presence. I already have this blog up, so I'm going to point a link here to my blog. This was my first online class and I enjoyed it. I will be taking critical thinking in August for my next online class.
I also have some articles that I have written that I would like to share with my classmates here is the link.
I also have a business website I made called Phuture Networks.
I have also beent thinking about doing some security podcast's. I keep up with numerous RSS feeds in my Firefox browser. I had a great time with this class and encourage my classmates to keep in touch. I can be emailed at phuturegenius@yahoo.com
I also have some articles that I have written that I would like to share with my classmates here is the link.
I also have a business website I made called Phuture Networks.
I have also beent thinking about doing some security podcast's. I keep up with numerous RSS feeds in my Firefox browser. I had a great time with this class and encourage my classmates to keep in touch. I can be emailed at phuturegenius@yahoo.com
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
A new Morning
It has been some time since my last post, things have been great. My son was born on May 5, he is awesome, most of my time now consists of working, and spending time with my family. Time management skills are in order here. There is so much going on in the IT industry. I like the fact that Apple has released a new Macbook. Its Intel Dual Core,and goes for $1099. I'm in the process of seeking for a new laptop. I have one, but could see myself owing 3. One for the windows platform, anohter for Apple Mac OS and well a third for Unix. Why ? Not only because Im a geek, but I write, try to code and just now getting into photos. I found my dads old 35mm. He is no longer around. So I like photography now. Some many gadgets to get, baby formula to buy. I feel like there is not enought time in the day. Not to mention blogging, soon podcasting. Well thats it today folks have a great one !!!!
Friday, April 28, 2006
The mischief makers BOTS
Bots can be automated to do just about anyhing, there really just scripts that are deisgned to do do network snooping. Here is the scenario, a new exploit is announced online, within minutes a cracker firs up his *nix box, code some PERL and bingo, this script is sent loose to probe networks looking for vulnerable PC's and delivering the result to a system in Finland.
First step is to keep your updates current, run a firewall, and dont use file sharing networks. I cannot stress this enough most malware comes thru those networkds even with Spyware running.
First step is to keep your updates current, run a firewall, and dont use file sharing networks. I cannot stress this enough most malware comes thru those networkds even with Spyware running.
Phishers and VOIP
Now it seems that Phishers are reocrding automated services with VOIP, just imaagine calling into Bank Of America, your call is routed over a VOIP network and someone is on the the line with a digital recorder. Man does that suck, Im sure they already nknow how to decoded DTMF codes to get your banking account number. My suggestion get PGPhone, its a product that will encrypt your Voip traffic. That way they can try to do cryptanalysis and by the time they crack (they wont) You will no longer even need a bank account.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Search Engine Marketing Job
Well things are changing for the better in my life, I got a new job placing ads in search engines thru Yahoo Search Marketing and Google Adwords.Its a cool company too. I cannot beleive how much money is in the industry, and all the new stuff I'm learning about. The biggest issue? Click Fraud. There is alot but not as much as people think.
I'm currently learning about Google's API's and plan on taking PHP next semester. Everything is going webbased. This is cool and scary at the same time. Most of the stuff on the net is vulnerable on the net there are exploits posted daily. How much stuff of mine do I really want on the web? Besided this and a couple of other blogs not much.
I'm currently learning about Google's API's and plan on taking PHP next semester. Everything is going webbased. This is cool and scary at the same time. Most of the stuff on the net is vulnerable on the net there are exploits posted daily. How much stuff of mine do I really want on the web? Besided this and a couple of other blogs not much.
What Linux Live CD's are good for security?
I use Whoppix alot, it is a great CD, with alot of good tools, categories include penetration testing, wireless testing, it has compilers being that is Linux, it has a ton of usefuill perl scirpts and a vulnerability DB.
You can find it here:
You can find it here:
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Apple and Dual Boot
This is great, but why not triple boot? I know its possible, what if I want to run Windows 2000 Mac OS X.. and BSD or any flavor of Linux? I like many operating systems for many different reasons. Im looking at VMware so I can run virtual machines to test code in a controlled enviroment. I want to analyze malware and peek beneath the hood to see what functions and system calls it might be trying to access.
Microsoft now offers a virtual server, for free :) I like free stuff Go open source. I have not tested it yet. Im curious to see how stable it is lol.
Microsoft now offers a virtual server, for free :) I like free stuff Go open source. I have not tested it yet. Im curious to see how stable it is lol.
Pay Per Click Management
I have created another blog for my day to day activities at a PPC management firm I work for check it outby clicking on the title Pay Per CLick Management.
DRM- Digital rights management
The word for the day is Digital Rights Management
Is it ok to burn and copy music or to use servies for Limewire? I know it's illegal. I cant think of someone nowadays that does not burn music, I personally notce everything that I read I can find online and it usually more up to date.
The copyright protection schemes will continue to be cracked. Is it of any use?
DRM is used on DVD's, product activation, and digital water marketing.
Is it ok to burn and copy music or to use servies for Limewire? I know it's illegal. I cant think of someone nowadays that does not burn music, I personally notce everything that I read I can find online and it usually more up to date.
The copyright protection schemes will continue to be cracked. Is it of any use?
DRM is used on DVD's, product activation, and digital water marketing.
Monday, January 30, 2006
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Krav Maga
Today I woke up and went to my first Krav Maga class.It was fun and a great workout. They also played really cool music which was a plus. I have been blogging alot I have three blogs up currently and one website. I have decided to blog my classes online, not only for a learning experience, but to rehash my studies and to give back to the online community. My classes this semester are HTML and Ecommerce.
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Southern California Linux Expo
Well SCALE is around the corner. Im excited, I think I'll drag my girlfriend along with me to introduce her to Linux. She uses MS Windows which I do as well at work and at home. I use Linux as well. I prefer Linux for the reason that so much good software is availiable and its free. I also have my choice of compliers ready at my disposal.
What is SCALE? Click on the link above to check it out.
This is my plan:
These are the talks I will be attending.
Day 1
A Look at the Current and Future Face of PHP
Lunch
Fighting Spam using Linux and Open Source Tools
phpWebSite Open Source CMS
Linux Network Security
Day 2
Performance Tuning Linux Applications With DTrace
So you want to be a consultant
Exhibiton
New Features in MySQL 5.0, 5.1, and beyond
What is SCALE? Click on the link above to check it out.
This is my plan:
These are the talks I will be attending.
Day 1
A Look at the Current and Future Face of PHP
Lunch
Fighting Spam using Linux and Open Source Tools
phpWebSite Open Source CMS
Linux Network Security
Day 2
Performance Tuning Linux Applications With DTrace
So you want to be a consultant
Exhibiton
New Features in MySQL 5.0, 5.1, and beyond
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Department of Justice VS. Google
The Department of Justice wanted access to search queries on Google. The DOJ asked Google to release search records for a particular week. Then they asked for a list of all URL's indexed in Google. This is insane thats like over a billion URL's.
Google said no.
Yahoo did release search results. No personal information was released.
AOL did comply. No personal information released as well.
Google said no.
Yahoo did release search results. No personal information was released.
AOL did comply. No personal information released as well.
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Sunday
Its Sunday morning, I got up early lifted some weights and got my car washed. Then me and my girlfriends made a trip to Costco to return a DVD/VCR combo. We already have one. There was no problem with the return which was nice.
We are now watching Lord of War with Nicholas Cage. It 's about a gun runner, I like it. I will probably be going back to Blockbuster today to return the rest of the movies. I also rented Pirates of the Silicon Valley, its about the making of Apple and Microsoft. Its also good. It shows how crazy Steve Jobs actually was. I dont know if he still is :)
We are now watching Lord of War with Nicholas Cage. It 's about a gun runner, I like it. I will probably be going back to Blockbuster today to return the rest of the movies. I also rented Pirates of the Silicon Valley, its about the making of Apple and Microsoft. Its also good. It shows how crazy Steve Jobs actually was. I dont know if he still is :)
Friday, January 13, 2006
Back to School
I have enrolled back into school I'm taking HTML and Ecommerce, lets see how I can profit from this.
Thursday, December 29, 2005
Thursday Morning
I decided to take the rest of the week off for vacation. I will be bloging and gaming. I'm going to go see Narnia later today, which should be cool. I will be posting a review about it today.
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Yet another blog I started
I have started a new blog to test out WordPress. Here is the link: http://phuture.wordpress.com. Why did I decide to try Wordpress? Why not. Its free currently for a lite version and the interface is clean and simple to use. This is very important to me. Dont get me wrond I feel comfortable in any *nix shell enviroment and can move around but I think about other people who are lacking the skills in the computer department.
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Keep It Simple Stupid
KISS- I have been applying this to my life lately, throwing out alot of junk. Organizing and enjoying the things that I have not what I want. I can honestly say Im happy. How does this relate to computer security? It doesnt I just felt like ranting.
More papers on security.
Its back to work for me. I will be posting some more articles here shortly. I'm currently working on a physical security paper expalining about CCTV, Alarms and Biometrics. This should be a good paper. This weekend I studied ARP poisining and spoofing and ways to try to prevent it. It really is amazing how hackers change their MAC address to get free Internet access at your local starbucks on your dime.
Saturday, December 17, 2005
Cisco PIX 506E
Cisco Pix 506E Security Appliance
This firewall is a enterprise class security appliance. It could be used for small to medium sized businesses, sattelite offices and regional offices.It supports two 10/100 fast ethernet cards and also two 802.1q virtual interfaces.This alows your business to create a DMZ or demilitarized zone. This is a spot on your network that you put your webservers but not your backend servers like SQL or Exchange. Cisco took the approach of multilayered defense again with this product and it has alot of nice feautres to help protect your network and data.There are no moving parts making it more reliable.
The Cisco Pix 506E uses what Cisco calls Cisco Adaptive Security Algorithim.This provides statefull packet inspection it logs all authorized attempts to use the network as well as trying to block unauthorized access.The firewall is designed to look for common vulnerabilities, it looks for about 55 well known attacks.It inspects layers 4 through 7 os the OSI layers. The Cisco Pix 506E also looks at application data traversing the network and even protocol status.The designers of this firewall did a good job. The Cisco Adaptive Security Algorithim does protocol field checking and also URL length checking. It does not mention anything about if it can filter Unicode.It has over 100 applications already documented so you can allow or disallow them easily.
Cisco PIX Device manager allows administrators to manage their network remotely.Network or Firewall administratos can still create their own ACL's or access control lists and user and group based policies. Network administrators can decide which applications that are and are not allowed thru their network as well as protocols.Protocols that this device checks are HTTP, FTP,SMTP, DNS, SQl*Net,NFS,ILS, SCCP and many more.For instance I would not allow my employess to use Telnet, if they needed remote connectivity at all I would suggest SSH using a cool program called Putty for Windows based machines.
Since Im on the topic of remote management I will talk about some of the Cisco Pix 506E solutions.The are many different ways to mange this device. It can be troubleshooted and configured remotely.If you have a web browser which I hope all admins have, you can access this firewall through the Internet. It uses SNMP simple network management protocol for monitoring devices on the network.You can use Auto Update server, security monitor and management center for firewalls.
The firewall does auditing, has support for Dynamic devices on the network and can do software images.
The Cisco Pix 506E also has support for VPN's or virtual private networks.You can use either IKE Internet Key Exchange or IPsec.Cisco also offers VPN concentrators to speed up connections. I will be writing articles on those shorlty. The encryption standards it supports are DES data encryption standard, this is crackable. 3DES which is more secure and AES advanced encryption standard. I recommend the later. The VPN can work with NAT or network address translation which hides your internal IP address from the Internet. Support for up to 10 VPN uers.The firewall also supports TACAS+ and RADIUS.
VoIP- Voice over Internet protocol can also be ran thru this firewall. So that you can sleep well at night knowing that your multimedia and voice connections are secure.
This is probably my favorite about this device. Intrusion Prevention. This firewall has tools that protect it from many well-known attacks.
Dos or denial of service attacks are prevented from bringing down your network and firewall. I do question how much data this device can take before shutting down or how many packets it can drop quickly. There tools are called DNSGuard, FloodGuard, MailGuard, IPVerify and TCP intercept.
This firewall can also contact adminstrators real time thru a cell phone SMS or email thru a devich such as a RIM Blackberry.I have read of software that will allow you to SSH to your router, computer thru the Blackberry. Cisco's auditing software is called CiscoWorks Information management Solutions or SIMS.No not the game. It collects and anayzes data from across your network allowing you to prioritize threat levels.
Benjamin Hargis
Phuture Networks
http://www.phuturenetworks.com/
http://www.computersecurityadvice.com/
This firewall is a enterprise class security appliance. It could be used for small to medium sized businesses, sattelite offices and regional offices.It supports two 10/100 fast ethernet cards and also two 802.1q virtual interfaces.This alows your business to create a DMZ or demilitarized zone. This is a spot on your network that you put your webservers but not your backend servers like SQL or Exchange. Cisco took the approach of multilayered defense again with this product and it has alot of nice feautres to help protect your network and data.There are no moving parts making it more reliable.
The Cisco Pix 506E uses what Cisco calls Cisco Adaptive Security Algorithim.This provides statefull packet inspection it logs all authorized attempts to use the network as well as trying to block unauthorized access.The firewall is designed to look for common vulnerabilities, it looks for about 55 well known attacks.It inspects layers 4 through 7 os the OSI layers. The Cisco Pix 506E also looks at application data traversing the network and even protocol status.The designers of this firewall did a good job. The Cisco Adaptive Security Algorithim does protocol field checking and also URL length checking. It does not mention anything about if it can filter Unicode.It has over 100 applications already documented so you can allow or disallow them easily.
Cisco PIX Device manager allows administrators to manage their network remotely.Network or Firewall administratos can still create their own ACL's or access control lists and user and group based policies. Network administrators can decide which applications that are and are not allowed thru their network as well as protocols.Protocols that this device checks are HTTP, FTP,SMTP, DNS, SQl*Net,NFS,ILS, SCCP and many more.For instance I would not allow my employess to use Telnet, if they needed remote connectivity at all I would suggest SSH using a cool program called Putty for Windows based machines.
Since Im on the topic of remote management I will talk about some of the Cisco Pix 506E solutions.The are many different ways to mange this device. It can be troubleshooted and configured remotely.If you have a web browser which I hope all admins have, you can access this firewall through the Internet. It uses SNMP simple network management protocol for monitoring devices on the network.You can use Auto Update server, security monitor and management center for firewalls.
The firewall does auditing, has support for Dynamic devices on the network and can do software images.
The Cisco Pix 506E also has support for VPN's or virtual private networks.You can use either IKE Internet Key Exchange or IPsec.Cisco also offers VPN concentrators to speed up connections. I will be writing articles on those shorlty. The encryption standards it supports are DES data encryption standard, this is crackable. 3DES which is more secure and AES advanced encryption standard. I recommend the later. The VPN can work with NAT or network address translation which hides your internal IP address from the Internet. Support for up to 10 VPN uers.The firewall also supports TACAS+ and RADIUS.
VoIP- Voice over Internet protocol can also be ran thru this firewall. So that you can sleep well at night knowing that your multimedia and voice connections are secure.
This is probably my favorite about this device. Intrusion Prevention. This firewall has tools that protect it from many well-known attacks.
Dos or denial of service attacks are prevented from bringing down your network and firewall. I do question how much data this device can take before shutting down or how many packets it can drop quickly. There tools are called DNSGuard, FloodGuard, MailGuard, IPVerify and TCP intercept.
This firewall can also contact adminstrators real time thru a cell phone SMS or email thru a devich such as a RIM Blackberry.I have read of software that will allow you to SSH to your router, computer thru the Blackberry. Cisco's auditing software is called CiscoWorks Information management Solutions or SIMS.No not the game. It collects and anayzes data from across your network allowing you to prioritize threat levels.
Benjamin Hargis
Phuture Networks
http://www.phuturenetworks.com/
http://www.computersecurityadvice.com/
Friday, December 16, 2005
Voice over IP
I hear allot about VOIP what is it?
VOIP stands for voice over internet protocol. Basically it means making phones calls over your local area network (LAN) or even across the Internet.
VOIP is normally cheaper than your PSTN that’s public switched telephone network i.e. your local carrier.
VOIP is a good choice for businesses as well to save money on long distance calls if they have many satellite offices. VOIP service providers usually have lower fees because they are not a government regulated currently as the phone systems which at one time were a monopoly. VOIP can even be free if you connect directly to another VOIP client.
VOIP routers can send your incoming phone calls to you anywhere thus cutting down on the number of lines and you can be reached anywhere you have a Internet connection.
This and the combination of technologies like WiFi are going to make for one huge network. That voice, data and video will be sent everywhere and from anywhere. With this VOIP technology you have allot more features as well such as Caller ID, Call Forwarding and answering services all from your computer or PDA.
There are some issues to still be worked on.
Here are some:
The amount of band with required.
Security issues- what type of encryption should be used and how much is going to slow down the call and network?
This is a exciting and new technology which I will be writing more about.
Benjamin Hargis
VOIP stands for voice over internet protocol. Basically it means making phones calls over your local area network (LAN) or even across the Internet.
VOIP is normally cheaper than your PSTN that’s public switched telephone network i.e. your local carrier.
VOIP is a good choice for businesses as well to save money on long distance calls if they have many satellite offices. VOIP service providers usually have lower fees because they are not a government regulated currently as the phone systems which at one time were a monopoly. VOIP can even be free if you connect directly to another VOIP client.
VOIP routers can send your incoming phone calls to you anywhere thus cutting down on the number of lines and you can be reached anywhere you have a Internet connection.
This and the combination of technologies like WiFi are going to make for one huge network. That voice, data and video will be sent everywhere and from anywhere. With this VOIP technology you have allot more features as well such as Caller ID, Call Forwarding and answering services all from your computer or PDA.
There are some issues to still be worked on.
Here are some:
The amount of band with required.
Security issues- what type of encryption should be used and how much is going to slow down the call and network?
This is a exciting and new technology which I will be writing more about.
Benjamin Hargis
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
More info on Cisco PIX 501
Cisco Firewall PIX 501
This firewall is designed for homes and small businesses.This firewall can support up to ten users on a basic license from Cisco. It has a 133 MHz processor and comes with 16MB's of RAM. In addition it has 8MB of Flash RAM.
The Firewall also comes with 1 uplink port and a four port switch. It does not support Layer 2 transparent fire walling. It also does not support the routing protocol OSFP which stands for Open Shortest Path First. There is no VLAN-Virtual Local Area Network.
The PIX 501 allows you to setup a VPN-Virtual Private Network easily with the Cisco Easy VPN Server.
The firewall supports speeds up to 60Mbps bidirectional.
When you implement cryptography such as 3DES or DES it slows down the traffic.The PIX 501 can support anywhere from 50-unlimited users depending on your license
This firewall is designed for homes and small businesses.This firewall can support up to ten users on a basic license from Cisco. It has a 133 MHz processor and comes with 16MB's of RAM. In addition it has 8MB of Flash RAM.
The Firewall also comes with 1 uplink port and a four port switch. It does not support Layer 2 transparent fire walling. It also does not support the routing protocol OSFP which stands for Open Shortest Path First. There is no VLAN-Virtual Local Area Network.
The PIX 501 allows you to setup a VPN-Virtual Private Network easily with the Cisco Easy VPN Server.
The firewall supports speeds up to 60Mbps bidirectional.
When you implement cryptography such as 3DES or DES it slows down the traffic.The PIX 501 can support anywhere from 50-unlimited users depending on your license
Cisco PIX Technology
Cisco PIX Security Appliance.
Cisco PIX Security applications can enforce policies on users and applications.
Cisco PIX can protect you from many different network and Internet based attacks.
Cisco PIX offers secure connectivity, using methods such as SSHv2 Secure Shell Two and VPN virtual private networks.
This is fairly easy to setup.
Cisco PIX can provide you with secure VOIP voice over internet protocol.
IPSec or Internet Protocol Security IPSec can be setup for VPN's.
Cisco PIX Security appliances provide multiple layers of security.
This hardware/software based solutions is designed to look for anomolies aka weird traffic thats not normal on your network, which could be an indication of a attack.
There is over thirty different engines looking for different attack signatures.
The current version is Cisco PIX appliance version 7.0
Here are some of the feautures:
You can rollback previous configurations in IOS.
QOS- Quality of Service
You can update software on the fly with bringing down the hardware. No rebooting.
VPN client security
Layer 2 transparent firewall.
This is really interesting 3G mobile security services.
You can configure the firewall to block instant messaging, point to point networking P2P.
You have the ability to block applications trying to tunnel thru your network with encrypted
traffic.
Cisco PIX provide rich statefull packet inspection PIX can protect your voice, data, and video
traffic.
Version 7.0 also supports IKE or Internet Key Exchange.
Everything can be managed from Cisco Adaptive Device Manger which can be console and web based.
Benjamin Hargis CEO Phuture Networks
http://www.phuturenetworks.com
http://www.computersecurityadvice.com/
Here are some other sites for you viewing pleasure:http://www.checkmategame.blogspot.com
http://www.realestatelead.blogspot.com/
Cisco PIX Security applications can enforce policies on users and applications.
Cisco PIX can protect you from many different network and Internet based attacks.
Cisco PIX offers secure connectivity, using methods such as SSHv2 Secure Shell Two and VPN virtual private networks.
This is fairly easy to setup.
Cisco PIX can provide you with secure VOIP voice over internet protocol.
IPSec or Internet Protocol Security IPSec can be setup for VPN's.
Cisco PIX Security appliances provide multiple layers of security.
This hardware/software based solutions is designed to look for anomolies aka weird traffic thats not normal on your network, which could be an indication of a attack.
There is over thirty different engines looking for different attack signatures.
The current version is Cisco PIX appliance version 7.0
Here are some of the feautures:
You can rollback previous configurations in IOS.
QOS- Quality of Service
You can update software on the fly with bringing down the hardware. No rebooting.
VPN client security
Layer 2 transparent firewall.
This is really interesting 3G mobile security services.
You can configure the firewall to block instant messaging, point to point networking P2P.
You have the ability to block applications trying to tunnel thru your network with encrypted
traffic.
Cisco PIX provide rich statefull packet inspection PIX can protect your voice, data, and video
traffic.
Version 7.0 also supports IKE or Internet Key Exchange.
Everything can be managed from Cisco Adaptive Device Manger which can be console and web based.
Benjamin Hargis CEO Phuture Networks
http://www.phuturenetworks.com
http://www.computersecurityadvice.com/
Here are some other sites for you viewing pleasure:http://www.checkmategame.blogspot.com
http://www.realestatelead.blogspot.com/
Sales Tips
-Here are some tips for people in sales, hope this helps.
Anticipate objections and be ready with rebuttals.
Get down to the real objection.
Follow up with all leads.
Do it the best its ever been done.
Its all numbers, dial more.
Provide value for customers.
Control the conversation, listen even more.
Follow ethical practices.
Planning, goal setting, decision making, delegation and communication work on improving these areas.
Toss out ideas at meetings.
Keep abreast of the market
Look for multiple sources of income.
Assume responsibility for your actions.
Build relationships.
Network like crazy.
Be resourcefull, ready, remebered and relentless.
Help customers discover the best solutions.
Persist and dont give up!
I've been in sales for 15 years this can be valuable to new sales people and veterans.
Anticipate objections and be ready with rebuttals.
Get down to the real objection.
Follow up with all leads.
Do it the best its ever been done.
Its all numbers, dial more.
Provide value for customers.
Control the conversation, listen even more.
Follow ethical practices.
Planning, goal setting, decision making, delegation and communication work on improving these areas.
Toss out ideas at meetings.
Keep abreast of the market
Look for multiple sources of income.
Assume responsibility for your actions.
Build relationships.
Network like crazy.
Be resourcefull, ready, remebered and relentless.
Help customers discover the best solutions.
Persist and dont give up!
I've been in sales for 15 years this can be valuable to new sales people and veterans.
Building Internet Firewalls
Building Internet Firewalls by Oreilly
This book covers the basics of firewall technology to the nitty gritty details. I highly recommend it. It is well written and covers such interesting topics as protocols, databases, security strategies and examles of firewall setups.
Building Internet Firewalls covers packet Filtering, Proxy Services, NAT- network address translation and VPN's virtual private networks. Firewall architecture such as single box, screened host, bastion host, multiple screened hosts, modems and internal firewalls for your intranets.
The different ways to filter traffic are also discussed in depth. You can filter based upon address, protocol, source and destination addresses amongst many other variables. It discusses both Micorsoft Windows and *nix based solutions.
It goes over Internet Services such as RPC, DCOM, DOM, CIFS, SMB, SSL, RAS, PPTP and so many others.
This book is a awesome reference to add to your security analyst book collection.
This book covers the basics of firewall technology to the nitty gritty details. I highly recommend it. It is well written and covers such interesting topics as protocols, databases, security strategies and examles of firewall setups.
Building Internet Firewalls covers packet Filtering, Proxy Services, NAT- network address translation and VPN's virtual private networks. Firewall architecture such as single box, screened host, bastion host, multiple screened hosts, modems and internal firewalls for your intranets.
The different ways to filter traffic are also discussed in depth. You can filter based upon address, protocol, source and destination addresses amongst many other variables. It discusses both Micorsoft Windows and *nix based solutions.
It goes over Internet Services such as RPC, DCOM, DOM, CIFS, SMB, SSL, RAS, PPTP and so many others.
This book is a awesome reference to add to your security analyst book collection.
Microsoft Security Update
Microsoft has released several security alerts for Microsoft Internet Explorer. Here are four of them:
HTTPS Proxy Vulnerability (CAN-2005-2830)
File Download Dialog Box Manipulation Vulnerability (CAN-2005-2829)
COM Object Instantiation Memory Corruption Vulnerability (CAN-2005-2831)
Mismatched Document Object Model Objects Memory Corruption Vulnerability (CAN-2005-1790)
This can cause problems ranging from attackers reading web addresses sent to a proxy server to running malicious code on your hosts to gain admin access.
MS05-055Vulnerability in Windows Kernel Allows Elevation of Privilege (908523)http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS05-055.mspx
This one allows attackers to escalate or gain higher privleges than allowed an example would be a user with no rights gaining administrative control of the machine. It is possible to change kernel memory with this vulnerability. This can lead to remote code execution as well.
HTTPS Proxy Vulnerability (CAN-2005-2830)
File Download Dialog Box Manipulation Vulnerability (CAN-2005-2829)
COM Object Instantiation Memory Corruption Vulnerability (CAN-2005-2831)
Mismatched Document Object Model Objects Memory Corruption Vulnerability (CAN-2005-1790)
This can cause problems ranging from attackers reading web addresses sent to a proxy server to running malicious code on your hosts to gain admin access.
MS05-055Vulnerability in Windows Kernel Allows Elevation of Privilege (908523)http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS05-055.mspx
This one allows attackers to escalate or gain higher privleges than allowed an example would be a user with no rights gaining administrative control of the machine. It is possible to change kernel memory with this vulnerability. This can lead to remote code execution as well.
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Cisco PIX 501 security appliance
The is a firewall thats easy to set up for home or small office. It has a four port fast Ethernet switch built in.
This firewall can provide up to 60Mbps data transfer or 3Mbps of encrypted traffic using (3DES) . This can be used for VPN's Virtual Private Networks.
It supports AES which is the Advanced Encrytion Standard at up to 4mbps.
Here is Cisco's overview of their product
SANS going to start IT college
SANS will create a IT college! This is great news. Its going to be in Maryland, hmm I wonder why. Maryland is famous for computer security why do you ask? The National Security Agency is there. I would love to attend this school, it would be fun. They will offer two programs for Masters Degrees:
Information Security Engineering
Information Security Management
This will not be easy there looking for high GPA's and recommendations from employeers.
Information Security Engineering
Information Security Management
This will not be easy there looking for high GPA's and recommendations from employeers.
Security Warrior
This is a great book that gets more technical than most books I read. What does it contain? What does it not :)
It has assembly programming tutorials, reverse engineering concepts and tools. Overflow attacks and ways to stop them or at least make it more difficult.
TCP/IP analysis and tools to help in your network engineering chores. It breaks down protocols and their strengths and weaknesses.
It also covers forensics, and anti-forensics. SQL, Wireless, VPN's and SSL.
There is so much in this book and its a great read and handy reference this is my third time reading it so I recommend it to any security analyst's bookshelf.
Bidding for Excel Vulnerability
A cracker discovered a hole in Microsoft Excel and try to auction it off! This is a first, kinda funny in my opinion. Ebay quickly pulled it from their website. This is a goodthing. There are tons of free software out on the Internet to recover Microsoft Office passwords.
I use many Linux Distributions on bootable CD's to recover these from clients who have forgot or lost their passwords. I can recover most files even ones that have been deleted.
I use many Linux Distributions on bootable CD's to recover these from clients who have forgot or lost their passwords. I can recover most files even ones that have been deleted.
Virus Definitions
I'm amazed on how so many people think that antivirus software is a cureall its only as good as your last updates. Malicious users write malware daily to exploit and corrupt your systems. Turn on your auotmatic updates! YOu should also use a firewall, if your using wireless use WPA with strong paawords.
Spyware is also rampant on the Internet is your homepage changing automatically? There is also the threat of keyloggers which could be logging your bank account info, or even your Amazon account information! Use tools such as SpyBot Search and Destroy or Adaware.
Spyware is also rampant on the Internet is your homepage changing automatically? There is also the threat of keyloggers which could be logging your bank account info, or even your Amazon account information! Use tools such as SpyBot Search and Destroy or Adaware.
Monday, December 12, 2005
What is PERL?
Practical extraction and reporting language. Perl is a stable programming language. It is great for automating tasks, especially system administration chores. It is Open Source which means its free.
PERL was created by Larry Wall. PERL is sometimes called the duct-tape of the internet. PERL can be used with popular database programs and implemented into websites as well.
Where can you get PERL? http://www.perl.org/get.html
Website on PERL http://www.perl.org/news.html
The PERL Journal http://www.tpj.com/
Examle of PERL code:
A cheap alarm clock: perl -e ’sleep(120); while (1) { print "\a" }’
PERL was created by Larry Wall. PERL is sometimes called the duct-tape of the internet. PERL can be used with popular database programs and implemented into websites as well.
Where can you get PERL? http://www.perl.org/get.html
Website on PERL http://www.perl.org/news.html
The PERL Journal http://www.tpj.com/
Examle of PERL code:
A cheap alarm clock: perl -e ’sleep(120); while (1) { print "\a" }’
Random Password Generator
Steve Gibson writes great software. This tool will generate random passwords for you you, this is usefull for alot of things such as WPA and WEP.
https://www.grc.com/passwords
It gives you 3 choices!
63 random alpha-numeric characters (a-z, A-Z, 0-9)
63 random printable ASCII characters
64 random hexadecimal characters (0-9 and A-F):
https://www.grc.com/passwords
It gives you 3 choices!
63 random alpha-numeric characters (a-z, A-Z, 0-9)
63 random printable ASCII characters
64 random hexadecimal characters (0-9 and A-F):
Friday, December 09, 2005
Want to learn ARM assembly?
So what exactly is ARM, its a RISC based processor it can be used for mobile applications such as cellphones, it also can be used for routers, switches and hubs. I like embedded programming and figured I would include a link to learn to code in assembly for ARM.
Microsoft Security Video
This come from Microsoft in Japan- it is so cool.
From Microsoft Japan
http://www.microsoft.com/japan/athome/security/images/thinksecurity/tv/thinksec_1m.wvx
From Microsoft Japan
http://www.microsoft.com/japan/athome/security/images/thinksecurity/tv/thinksec_1m.wvx
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Firefox Vulnerability
We all new this one was coming. I love Firefox but the more popular it gets the more were going to see holes and exploits. Its still alot safer than IE.
http://isc.sans.org/diary.php?storyid=920
This code was written just to test Firefox, and it worked.
http://isc.sans.org/diary.php?storyid=920
This code was written just to test Firefox, and it worked.
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Voice Over IP
This technology is hot, it allows you to make phone calls over the internet with the IP protocol, companies like Google might have plans to use this nationally already. There is also VONAGE.
You can check them out here : http://www.vonage.com/
You can check them out here : http://www.vonage.com/
Looking for a great debugger?
IDA Pro dissasembler is perfect for looking at machine language. Word of warning it is difficult to use, but it is the best in my opinion. It works with different processors as well. It also serves as a dissasembler. This is great for looking at Malware to find it what makes it tick and see which system calls its using. It call also allow you to view HEX. Stacks, jumps, tables it has it all!
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Wired buffer overflow show
I came across this on Wired's website www.wired.com It's a flash program showing how a buffer overflow works. Pretty cool yet makes it look way to easy :) Generating shellcode is not for the faint. Here is the link http://ly.lygo.com/ly/wired/news/flash/special_reports_bugs_1.html
Microsoft Internet Explorer Vulnerability
Another one? Come on Microsoft, Smart people use Firefox www.mozilla.org. There is a window() object that fails to check code passed thru it correctly. An attacker can execute code to launch a shell and take over the computer. The IE user would have to view a HTML documnent or email to be affected.
Disable Active scripting.
Follow this link to check out a paper on malicious active scritping:
http://www.cert.org/tech_tips/malicious_code_FAQ.html#ie56
Disable Active scripting.
Follow this link to check out a paper on malicious active scritping:
http://www.cert.org/tech_tips/malicious_code_FAQ.html#ie56
Cisco Vulnerability
Cisco just released a report warning of a flaw with OpenSSL www.openssl.org/ It is possible for an attacker to perform a man in the middle attack by spoofing IP addresses thru DHCP. DNS posioning is also a possibility only certain version of BIND are affected. For more information go here: http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/707/cisco-response-20051202-openssl.shtml
Best computer security websites
Here are websites I frequent alot:
http://www.securityfocus.com
http://www.packetstormsecurity.nl
http://www.sans.org
http://www.cert.org
http://www.securiteam.com
http://www.linuxsecurity.com
http://www.phrack.org
http://www.neworder.box.sk
http://www.slashdot.org
http://www.google.com
http://www.securitynewsportal.com
http://www.infosyssec.com
http://www.snort.org
http://www.honeynet.org
http://www.dshield.org
http://www.astalavista.com
http://www.whitehats.com
http://www.incidents.org
http://www.microsoft.com
http://www.iss.net
http://www.cisecurity.org
http://www.networkintrusion.co.uk
http://www.isc.incidents.org
http://www.grc.com
http://www.foundstone.com
http://www.securityfocus.com
http://www.packetstormsecurity.nl
http://www.sans.org
http://www.cert.org
http://www.securiteam.com
http://www.linuxsecurity.com
http://www.phrack.org
http://www.neworder.box.sk
http://www.slashdot.org
http://www.google.com
http://www.securitynewsportal.com
http://www.infosyssec.com
http://www.snort.org
http://www.honeynet.org
http://www.dshield.org
http://www.astalavista.com
http://www.whitehats.com
http://www.incidents.org
http://www.microsoft.com
http://www.iss.net
http://www.cisecurity.org
http://www.networkintrusion.co.uk
http://www.isc.incidents.org
http://www.grc.com
http://www.foundstone.com
Web Programming
Have you ever seen acronyms like SOAP, XML, HTML and wonder what they are. Would you like to learn how to code in DTD, CSS or learn server scripting like PHP? This site shows you everything has awesome tutorials and is laid out easily.
http://www.w3schools.com/
http://www.w3schools.com/
Global Information Assurance Cert
Sans http://www.sans.org came up with a certification called GIAC. The basic cert is for security fundamentals. There are advanced topics like forensics, firewalls, incident handling, hacker techniques, and windows and unix OS information. This looks like a solid cert to obtain.
Here is all the certifications they offer:
http://www.giac.org/certifications/
Here is all the certifications they offer:
http://www.giac.org/certifications/
TCP/IP
Need hep understanding IP addressing? Here is one of the best papers that Ive found on the net. Explains everything from subnetting to broadcast addressing. It also explains about the different classes such as A, B, C and D. http://www.bergen.org/ATC/Course/InfoTech/Coolip/
One of the best sites for Computer Security Training
I came across this site and it has a ton of information on different security certificates that are out there. http://www.cccure.org/
Looking for Information on CISSP
This is the official site to get information on obtaining your CISSP certificate. This site has alot of great information on it. Check it out here: https://www.isc2.org/cgi-bin/index.cgi
Hardware Modification
If your anything like me you like to take things apart and make them better, faster, smaller, lighter etc. Here are some great sites to help you out with your modding.
http://www.hackaday.com
http://www.makezine.com/blog/
http://www.hackaday.com
http://www.makezine.com/blog/
Cpanel
My friend decided to host my website, I know have access to this program called Cpanel, its sweet, I have many scripts I can play with and best of all its running on a Linux server. Say goodbye to be stuck in some lame program where I cant even view the HTML :) It has full support for PERL, PHP its looks awesome.
http://www.cpanel.net
http://www.cpanel.net
Monday, December 05, 2005
Cisco CCNA Certification: Broadcasts, Unicasts, And Multicasts
When you begin your CCNA studies, you get hit with a lot of different networking terms right away that you might not be familiar with. What makes it a little more confusing is that a lot of these terms sound a lot alike. Here, we're going to discuss the differences between broadcasts, multicasts, and unicasts at both the Data Link (Layer 2) and Network (Layer 3) layers of the OSI model.
A broadcast is simply a unit of information that every other device on the segment will receive. A broadcast is indicated by having every bit of the address set to its highest possible value. Since a hexadecimal bit's highest value is "f", a hexadecimal broadcast is ff-ff-ff-ff-ff-ff (or FF-FF-FF-FF-FF-FF, as the upper case does not affect hex value). The CCNA exam will demand you be very familiar with hex conversions, so if you're not comfortable with these conversions, get comfortable with them before taking the exam!At layer 3, a broadcast is indicated by setting every bit in the 32-bit binary string to "1", making the dotted decimal value 255.255.255.255.
Every host on a segment will receive such a broadcast. (Keep in mind that switches will forward a broadcast, but routers do not.) In contrast to a broadcast, a unicast is a packet or frame with only one destination. There is a middle ground between broadcasts and unicasts, and that is a multicast. Where a broadcast will be received by all, and a unicast is received by only one host, a multicast will be received by multiple hosts, all belonging to a "multicast group". As you climb the Cisco certification pyramid, you'll be introduced to creating multicast groups and controlling multicast traffic, but for your CCNA studies you need only keep certain multicast groups in mind.Class D addresses are reserved for multicasting this range is 224.0.0.0 - 239.255.255.255.
The addresses 224.0.0.0 - 224.255.255.255 are reserved for use by network protocols on a local network segment, and like broadcasts, routers will not forward these multicast packets. (Packets with these addresses are sent with a Time To Live of 1.)As a CCNA candidate, you should know that OSPF routers use the address 224.0.0.5 to send hellos, EIGRP routers use 224.0.0.10 to send updates, and RIP version 2 uses 224.0.0.9 to send routing updates. RIP version 1 and IGRP both broadcast their updates.Multicasting gets a bit more complicated as you go from your CCNA to the CCNP and CCIE, but by simply understanding what multicasting is, you go a long way toward securing the CCNA.
A broadcast is simply a unit of information that every other device on the segment will receive. A broadcast is indicated by having every bit of the address set to its highest possible value. Since a hexadecimal bit's highest value is "f", a hexadecimal broadcast is ff-ff-ff-ff-ff-ff (or FF-FF-FF-FF-FF-FF, as the upper case does not affect hex value). The CCNA exam will demand you be very familiar with hex conversions, so if you're not comfortable with these conversions, get comfortable with them before taking the exam!At layer 3, a broadcast is indicated by setting every bit in the 32-bit binary string to "1", making the dotted decimal value 255.255.255.255.
Every host on a segment will receive such a broadcast. (Keep in mind that switches will forward a broadcast, but routers do not.) In contrast to a broadcast, a unicast is a packet or frame with only one destination. There is a middle ground between broadcasts and unicasts, and that is a multicast. Where a broadcast will be received by all, and a unicast is received by only one host, a multicast will be received by multiple hosts, all belonging to a "multicast group". As you climb the Cisco certification pyramid, you'll be introduced to creating multicast groups and controlling multicast traffic, but for your CCNA studies you need only keep certain multicast groups in mind.Class D addresses are reserved for multicasting this range is 224.0.0.0 - 239.255.255.255.
The addresses 224.0.0.0 - 224.255.255.255 are reserved for use by network protocols on a local network segment, and like broadcasts, routers will not forward these multicast packets. (Packets with these addresses are sent with a Time To Live of 1.)As a CCNA candidate, you should know that OSPF routers use the address 224.0.0.5 to send hellos, EIGRP routers use 224.0.0.10 to send updates, and RIP version 2 uses 224.0.0.9 to send routing updates. RIP version 1 and IGRP both broadcast their updates.Multicasting gets a bit more complicated as you go from your CCNA to the CCNP and CCIE, but by simply understanding what multicasting is, you go a long way toward securing the CCNA.
Cisco Router Security
Network security is a hot topic today, and will only increase in importance in the months and years ahead.While most of the attention is paid to exterior threats, there are some steps you can take to prevent unwanted Cisco router access from within your organization.Whether you want to limit what certain users can do and run on your routers, or prevent unauthorized users in your company from getting to config mode in the first place, here are four important yet simple steps you can take to do so.Encrypt the passwords in your running configuration.This is a basic
Cisco router security command that is often overlooked. It doesn’t do you any good to set passwords for your ISDN connection or Telnet connections if anyone who can see your router’s running configuration can see the passwords. By default, these passwords are displayed in your running config in clear text.One simple command takes care of that. In global configuration mode, run service password-encryption. This command will encrypt all clear text passwords in your running configuration.Set a console password.If I walked into your network room right now, could I sit down and start configuring your Cisco routers? If so, you need to set a console password. This password is a basic yet important step in limiting router access in your network.
Go into line configuration mode with the command “line con 0”, and set a password with the password command.Limit user capabilities with privilege level commands.Not everyone who has access to your routers should be able to do anything they want. With careful use of privilege levels, you can limit the commands given users can run on your routers.Privilege levels can be a little clumsy at first, but with practice you’ll be tying your routers down as tight as you like. Visit www.cisco.com/univercd for documentation on configuring privilege levels.Configure an “enable secret” password.It’s not uncommon for me to see a router that has an enable mode password set, but it’s in clear text. By using “enable secret”, the enable mode password will automatically be encrypted. Remember, if you have an enable password and enable secret password set on the same router, the enable secret password takes precedence.These four basic steps will help prevent unwanted router access from inside your network. If only preventing problems from outside your network was as simple!
Author: Chris Bryant
Cisco router security command that is often overlooked. It doesn’t do you any good to set passwords for your ISDN connection or Telnet connections if anyone who can see your router’s running configuration can see the passwords. By default, these passwords are displayed in your running config in clear text.One simple command takes care of that. In global configuration mode, run service password-encryption. This command will encrypt all clear text passwords in your running configuration.Set a console password.If I walked into your network room right now, could I sit down and start configuring your Cisco routers? If so, you need to set a console password. This password is a basic yet important step in limiting router access in your network.
Go into line configuration mode with the command “line con 0”, and set a password with the password command.Limit user capabilities with privilege level commands.Not everyone who has access to your routers should be able to do anything they want. With careful use of privilege levels, you can limit the commands given users can run on your routers.Privilege levels can be a little clumsy at first, but with practice you’ll be tying your routers down as tight as you like. Visit www.cisco.com/univercd for documentation on configuring privilege levels.Configure an “enable secret” password.It’s not uncommon for me to see a router that has an enable mode password set, but it’s in clear text. By using “enable secret”, the enable mode password will automatically be encrypted. Remember, if you have an enable password and enable secret password set on the same router, the enable secret password takes precedence.These four basic steps will help prevent unwanted router access from inside your network. If only preventing problems from outside your network was as simple!
Author: Chris Bryant
Tips On Buying A Cisco CCNA / CCNP Home Lab Kit
Buying a CCNA / CCNP home lab is the best way to be totally prepared for your Cisco exams.
Most home labs are put together one router or switch at a time, but many CCNA / CCNP candidates prefer to buy kits where you get multiple routers and switches, along with all the cables and other connection devices you'll need.
While this is a good idea, keep a few things in mind when purchasing Cisco home lab kits.
Don't buy anything you don't need. The problem is that when you're first starting out with your Cisco home lab, you don't know everything that you need. (I sure didn't!) Keep in mind that you only need one transceiver per AUI port on a Cisco router, so if you're getting routers with two AUI ports in all, you don't need five transceivers in the kit. It doesn't hurt to have one spare, but three is a little too much.
More importantly, don't buy kits with old CCNA or CCNP study guides included. I've seen kits with books that were three years old and were of no use to the candidate. If you see a kit that looks good but includes books or manuals you just don't want, ask the vendor for a price that doesn't include the books. It never hurts to ask.
Watch the IOS version. Unless you've got access to IOS upgrades, you'll be working with the
IOS version that's on the routers and switches when you buy the kit for a while. You don't necessarily need the latest and greatest IOS version for CCNA study, but don't buy routers with IOS versions beginning with "10" unless you have an IOS to upgrade them with. (And make sure the routers have enough memory to handle the IOS you plan on putting on them.)
Purchasing a Cisco CCNA / CCNP Home Lab is one of the best investments in your career that you will ever make. Exercise just a bit of caution when purchasing your kit, and you'll be on your way to true Cisco success, in the exam room and on your network!
Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage , home of free CCNA and CCNP tutorials! Pass the CCNA exam with Chris Bryant!
Most home labs are put together one router or switch at a time, but many CCNA / CCNP candidates prefer to buy kits where you get multiple routers and switches, along with all the cables and other connection devices you'll need.
While this is a good idea, keep a few things in mind when purchasing Cisco home lab kits.
Don't buy anything you don't need. The problem is that when you're first starting out with your Cisco home lab, you don't know everything that you need. (I sure didn't!) Keep in mind that you only need one transceiver per AUI port on a Cisco router, so if you're getting routers with two AUI ports in all, you don't need five transceivers in the kit. It doesn't hurt to have one spare, but three is a little too much.
More importantly, don't buy kits with old CCNA or CCNP study guides included. I've seen kits with books that were three years old and were of no use to the candidate. If you see a kit that looks good but includes books or manuals you just don't want, ask the vendor for a price that doesn't include the books. It never hurts to ask.
Watch the IOS version. Unless you've got access to IOS upgrades, you'll be working with the
IOS version that's on the routers and switches when you buy the kit for a while. You don't necessarily need the latest and greatest IOS version for CCNA study, but don't buy routers with IOS versions beginning with "10" unless you have an IOS to upgrade them with. (And make sure the routers have enough memory to handle the IOS you plan on putting on them.)
Purchasing a Cisco CCNA / CCNP Home Lab is one of the best investments in your career that you will ever make. Exercise just a bit of caution when purchasing your kit, and you'll be on your way to true Cisco success, in the exam room and on your network!
Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage , home of free CCNA and CCNP tutorials! Pass the CCNA exam with Chris Bryant!