Need of Encryption : Your files - Your Data

1.   In today's times when every spying eye,every hacker on the web is eyeing your info.... apart from hardening your OS and configuring your system securely what else can you do to secure your info after some one gate crashes into your system?.....I mean after someone gets your root privileges via remote access...what are the options to save your self from sharing your critical data with him?The answer is ENCRYPTION...

2.   Encryption is the process of encoding your information) in such a way that hackers cannot read it, but that authorized parties can.So without getting into the nitty gritties of what is Encryption and how it works..i am focusing here of what all opensource and free applications are available for encryption...

3.   First I would mention about TrueCrypt,this is the one I have been using for years...the reliability of this application can be gauged from the fact that in 2008, the FBI attempted to break encryption on hard drives using a program called TrueCrypt, but the equipment was finally returned after a year of failed tries.(Source : http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=g1.globo.com/English/noticia/2010/06/not-even-fbi-can-de-crypt-files-daniel-dantas.html)

4.   The other strong opensource software's available for encryption are :

    - E4M ie ENCRYPTION for MASSES)
    - Free OTFE
    - Scramdisk

5.   TrueCrypt remains the best bet for all present users.The popularity can be gauged from another fact that this is being used by cyber criminals to!!

TrueCaller : Is it Stealing your Info?

1.    TrueCaller is one famous application doing the rounds on Twitter Google+ Facebook Android Phones.The claim by the application goes like you login from either of the applications and you would be able to know the name of the mobile phone number owner by name.The claim actually stands right in over 90 % of the cases that I tried.This made me wonder how?...i thought like all those free forms that we keep regularly filling on the internet or some grocery shop for some free bundles or if TrueCaller has tied up with the mobile phone service providers?But then something happened that made me a little suspicious about this app.It so happened that I tried my mom's number on the application and so came the answer like "TIWARI MAM"....this made me think of how would the application know that my mom is a teacher...

2.   So I wondered if the application after installation on your mobile device actually makes all the contacts phone number available on the site with the name that I have typed against that number!!!So I tried mine which was not available, by the name "anupam CCCSP"

3.  Though it did not show promptly but after a day after I typed my phone number it came to be seen as "anupam CCCSP".So this actually means that the application is actually stealing and making my contacts info on my phone public!!!!...but then I also realized that it was me only who agreed to the terms and conditions while installing the app on my phone which most of us including me never read.

4.   So it comes actually to the naiveness of the common user who invariably without reading any of the terms and conditions agrees to install.....:-) 

FACEBOOK : The New Playground @ Dangerous

1.    It does not date back long in the past time corridors when I as a kid used to go to play grounds in the evening to play with my friends...meet them....fight with them...abuse them...get abused and then get back home for studies and prepare for next days school work and the cycle repeated every day...week and months.But what happens today with a typical metro kid....a school child in the bracket age of 10+ goes to Facebook to play with friends...he meets them.....abuses them at times...gets abused on the wall or vide posts.So more or less....things stand at the same place ,only the grounds have changed.First it was the actual play grounds and now it is all getting virtual.....blame it on lack of infrastructure with concrete eating much of space in metro's or lack of parental monitoring owing to their ultra busy lives.....for the new era generation...social networking sites like Facebook is the new PLAYGROUND.....the virtual one for a change!!!!

2.    So the rules remain the same....ie we have our social circle like we used to have in past...we meet vide post and comments...we like each other for something and dislike each other for some thing...here we cannot shake hands and hug each other but yess we can take grudges out of each other via so many means like hacking....cyber bullying...post hatred... cyber stalk...mobbing...sexting,internet trolling etc...the list is actually endless and the related terminology is on a phenomenal increase.So a typical new gen kid for whom Facebook kind social networking sites are the new playground to play....the proneness to the bad elements in the society remains actually higher then in past....for here it is just a matter of few compromised screenshots...hacked passwords and the kid is on way to become a victim...

3.   The recent case of Amanda Todd is indeed beginning of such sad but many in line expected incidents waiting to happen....today we may allow our kids to have a Facebook account or some social networking website account but without effectively monitoring the kid remains as prone as Amanda Todd.For this to happen the parent have to have basic IT IQ quotient to monitor to avoid any such incident.Like past when a child could be left at home assuming safe..it does not remain the same today....he has access to smartphones....he has access to tablets...internet via so many means.Even basic forensic knowledge possessed by the parents is bound to fail if the same is happening in Cloud rather then on the machine at home...

4.   Its time for the parents to equip themselves with the tools and knowledge required to monitor and watch the kids...also realizing that today's kids are more smarter in terms of grabbing the technology then ever....if you have reached reading till here...u must read the complete story here

TRUE CRYPT IN FEDORA 17: INSTALLATION

1.   The earlier version of Fedora had some token issues to deal with while installing True Crypt but not with this Fedora 17 Beefy Miracle.

2.   Few commands to be run from root after downloading the requisite version from the True Crypt site go as follows :

tar xvf truecrypt-7.1a-linux-x86.tar.gz 

yum install nss-pkcs11-devel fuse-devel wxGTK wxGTK-devel

yum load-transaction /tmp/yum_save_tx.2012-12-13.14-20.laXbNn.yumtx

yum install gnome-keyring-devel gcc-c++

export PKCS11_INC=/usr/include/gp11

./truecrypt-7.1a-setup-x86 

3.   Well if there are some token issues like shown below : 

../Common/SecurityToken.cpp:660: error: ‘CKR_NEW_PIN_MODE’ was not declared in this scope

../Common/SecurityToken.cpp:661: error: ‘CKR_NEXT_OTP’ was not declared in this scope

then you need to Open Common/SecurityToken.cpp in any editor and Scroll to line 660 and simply Comment out line 660 and 661. It should look like this after you edit:

//TC_TOKEN_ERR (CKR_NEW_PIN_MODE)

//TC_TOKEN_ERR (CKR_NEXT_OTP)

SMART TVs : OUTSMARTED & HACKED

1.   In the land of Hacking,no one can be spared.We all keep hearing about how websites have been hacked,how smartphones are getting out smarted by various exploits in recent times.Now comes something new ,that makes smart TV owners prone .Yess!!all the proud owners of Smart TVs(SAMSUNG LEDs specifically)...can start checking if they are the lucky ones to get bitten here..this one is all about SMART TVs getting HACKED...So now on all the data that is available in their respective HDDs connected vide the USB is vulnerable to be accessed by undesired third party.So now it is not just that you watch the TV....its time for the TV to watch you.Few valuable briefs given out here :

- The Vulnerability exposed in all Samsung's Smart LED TV Software.

- This Vulnerability allows remote attackers to swipe data.

- ReVuln,a Malta-based security firm claims to have discovered this vulnerability.

- Remains a zero-day vulnerability as on date.

- A demo video by ReVuln shows how a "vulnerability for such devices can be used to retrieve sensitive information, monitor and root the device.Click on the video below to have a glimpse of how the vulnerability is exploitable.

2.   I am sure whatever efforts are made by the typical user as on date,he remains vulnerable round the clock in all the fields.How can a normal user who is not so tech savvy be aware of securing his PC,his Laptop,his smartphone,his TV,his external HDD with his personal data without encryption,his pendrives and the list is actually endless.He simply remains one of the choices by any hacker..if he is chosen he is gone...or he can remain lucky ..but how long can anyone remain lucky? The hackers community is growing at a pace which is pretty fast owing to the lure of what else but DOLLARs and more DOLLARs.With "Crimeware as a Service" readily available as a service at the click, NO ONE IS SECURE.It will actually take years to stabilize the current security environment from perspective of a typical user as he understands that giving an equal importance to his IT assets security is more important then locking his house as he leaves for work.

Ubuntu 12.10 @ SPYING

1.   What happens when someone you trust eyes closed,some you promote amongst ur friends is labeled a SPYWARE...or a Spying agent... that's what was felt by millions of UBUNTU followers and fans.I read about this two days back at ZDNET. The news doing the rounds goes like this :

Richard M. Stallman,creator of the Gnu General Public License (GPL) and the Free Software Foundation has announced that as far as he's concerned, Ubuntu contains spyware and that Linux supporters should shun Ubuntu for spying.

Specifically, Richard M. Stallman hates that Ubuntu 12.10 incorporated Amazon search into its default search function. So, if you searched for say "CISSP." you'd get results from both your PC and Amazon. When it was introduced, Mark Shuttleworth, founder of Ubuntu, defended this change by saying Ubuntu wasn't going to incorporate ads into the operating system, which Microsoft has done with Windows 8, and that no personalized data would be sent to Amazon.

2.   You need to re-read this yellow highlighted text above to exactly understand what goes on behind the scenes when you actually search for some string in your PC operating on UBUNTU connected to Internet.After the millions of immediate disapproves by the user community,it was announced by UBUNTU that now on Users of the upcoming Ubuntu 12.10 will be able to turn off a controversial 'shopping lens' feature that displays Amazon-stocked products when the user performs a unified local and online search....so the spying becomes optional....:-)

3.   What can be the need of a responsible OS community like UBUNTU to get into all this....if its my view it is not intentional for the purpose of spying.....but it could have been designed in the name of giving the user better results and experience!!!!!Jono Bacon, Canonical's community manager flatly states, "This is FUD" ie "Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt (FUD)...now yess!!so it seems to be....

4.   All said and done..UBUNTU is doing a wonderful job and provisioning one of the best OS free editions for users like us who wish not to pay to WINDOWS and believe in FREE SOFTWAREs :-)

CYBER SECURITY COURSES IN INDIA

1. Most of the guys interested in cyber security keep looking and searching for Cyber Security Courses on the web and that included me too till some time back.So though I started like any body would do ie google and Bing around the web....so I found out so many courses being offered by so many unknown unheard institutions....but the best of what are accredited to some university and of some good valuable repute here in India are discussed in brief down along with the links.You can click on the course and u will be taken to the respective site for full details :


CDAC : Offers the following courses vide elearn :

C-DAC's Course On Cyber Security [CCCS] at http://elearn.cdac.in/eSikshak/help/English/eSikshak/cccs.htm

C-DAC Certified Cyber Security Professional ( CCCSP ) at http://elearn.cdac.in/eSikshak/help/English/eSikshak/CCCSP.html

Being from CDAC,these courses are valid in all govt organisations and public sectors.

GUJRAT FORENSIC SCIENCES UNIVERSITY AT http://www.gfsu.edu.in/institute_of_forensic_science.php offers following courses online :

GFSU CERTIFIED CYBER CRIME INVESTIGATOR
GFSU CERTIFIED CELLPHONE FORENSIC PROFESSIONAL
GFSU CERTIFIED COMPUTER FORENSIC EXPERT
GFSU CERTIFIED CYBER SECURITY EXPERT
PG CERTIFICATE DIPLOMA IN CYBER LAW
PG CERTIFICATE DIPLOMA IN IPR

Details about the courses offered at http://www.gfsu.edu.in/pdf/online_certificate_course.pdf

ASCL(ASIAN SCHOOL OF CYBER LAWS) : The Website is at http://www.asianlaws.org/ .The following courses are offered in cyber domain including security :

Advanced Executive Program in Cyber Security AT http://www.asianlaws.org/cyber_security.php#.UMC5Zn_SFI0

Advanced Executive Program in Cyber Security, Audit & Compliance AT http://www.asianlaws.org/csac.php#.UMC5mX_SFI0

DIPLOMA IN CYBER LAW AT http://www.asianlaws.org/glc.php#.UMC353_SFI0

DIPLOMA IN CYBER LAW(INTERNATIONAL) AT http://www.asianlaws.org/dcl.php#.UMC4Cn_SFI0

PG IN CYBER LAW AT http://www.asianlaws.org/pgpcl.php#.UMC4LX_SFI0

CYBER LAW FOR POLICE OFFICERS AT http://www.asianlaws.org/police.php#.UMC4TX_SFI0

PG Program in Cyber Crime Prosecution & Defence AT http://www.asianlaws.org/ccpd.php#.UMC4fH_SFI0

Advanced Program in International Cyber Laws AT http://www.asianlaws.org/icl.php#.UMC4p3_SFI0

ASCL Certified Cyber Crime Investigator AT http://www.asianlaws.org/cci.php#.UMC4xn_SFI0

ASCL Certified Digital Evidence Analyst AT http://www.asianlaws.org/dea.php#.UMC46n_SFI0

ASCL Certified Digital Forensic Investigator AT http://www.asianlaws.org/dfi.php#.UMC5JH_SFI2

Advanced Executive Program in IT Act Audit & Compliance AT http://www.asianlaws.org/audit.php#.UMC5RH_SFI0

DATA64 website at http://www.data64.in/index.php#.UMC54X_SFI0 offers a range of courses similar to ASCL as mentioned above.

IMT,GHAZIABAD.Details at http://www.imtcdl.ac.in/. The following courses are offered in cyber domain including security :

ONE YEAR PG DIPLOMA IN CYBER SECURITY at http://www.imtcdl.ac.in/opgdcs_about.htm

TWO YEAR MS IN CYBER LAW & SECURITY at http://www.imtcdl.ac.in/mscs_about.htm

IGNOU OFFERS Post Graduate Diploma in Information Security (PGDIS) at http://www.ignou.ac.in/ignou/aboutignou/school/sovet/programmes/detail/428/2

ANKIT FADIA Certified Ethical Hacker (AFCEH) AT http://www.ankitfadia.in/afceh.html

1 Gigabit Per Second : The dream comes to Kochi,INDIA

1.    Are you happy surfing Internet speeds at 2 Mbps and around....and have you read about speeds of 1Gbps in future.....if yesss....its time to realize that this future that we keep reading and dreaming about has reached us...ie our desktops!!!....

2.  Astonishing as any one may find that when I read about the 1 Gigabit per second connectivity made available to the people of Kansas City in the US of A, I never imagined that the same day around it will be some where offered in India too...and where else but KOCHI..........

3.  Startup Village at Kochi joined the 1 Gig speed club by becoming the second place in the world to experience lightning fast 1Gbps internet connection. Chief Minister Shri Oommen Chandy formally introduced the facility on November 17.Guys in the state of Kerala can now make the most of upload speeds that are 1000 times that of Broadband and download speeds 100 times as fast.This is a wow moment for the Kochi residents....upload and download tons in minutes and seconds :-)

4.    Congrats Kochi guys!!!!!

How to find if Python is installed in Linux ?

I was recently playing with Matriux Krypton tool chaosmap....but was unable to use this tool for some error that kept popping up...so I though if at all the PYTHON is installed or not?......the way to check this is to go to the terminal and write :

python -V

and u should see like  : Python 2.6.6

                                         (click on the image to enlarge)

The power of ALGORITHMS : Writing Articles/Reports/News!!!

1.  We all are pretty aware that whatever works on the net ,cyberspace web,applications is all backed by many codes and algos running in the background..,,it is these algorithms and codes that actually decide how things happen at the front end ie the user interface.Designed by coders and programmers these algorithms perform herculean tasks in all our routine IT activities...now for all those of us who work in offices and corporate ....we generally keep coming across compiling and analysing reports on various aspects ,be it the views...the summary...the monthly/quarterly feedback... the main article for some journal....or some regular feed etc.So now making these reports and feedbacks etc actually requires manual intervention...and the quality of these reports are proportional to the amount of quality work man hours that have gone into making it....but what if these manual intervention is replaced by intelligent algorithms...ie the reports being compiled are made out of algorithms???

2.   This is what has happened at Narrative Science,a company that trains computers to write news stories...yes you heard it write!!! "Trains computers to write News Stories".The first story that I read about this is available here.The brief points from this story goes like these :

     -  Every 30 seconds or so, the algorithmic bull pen of Narrative Science, a 30-person company occupying a large room on the fringes of the Chicago Loop, extrudes a story whose very byline is a question of philosophical inquiry.

  - Kristian Hammond is the CTO and co-founder of Narrative Science.According to Hammond, these stories are only the first step toward what will eventually become a news universe dominated by computer-generated stories....(amazing amazing future!!!!:-)

   - If one wishes to know the percentage of news that would be written by computers in 15 years.......according to Hammond is going to be more then 90%

3.   So guys the above example is for the news world...where else we can think? Can it compile Intelligence reports for the FBI and our CID based on inputs from so many sources....Off course this is being handled manually as on date....but imagining a intel report compiled by a algorithm is a serious contender for making a permanent place in such agencies.Well...this is one imagination...how about demographic repots...election reports...infact the list is endless.....

4.    Thanks http://www.wired.com