Definite Bounds

DNSCrypt by OpenDNS; securing the last mile.

2012-01-28T07:50:00.001-05:00

OpenDNS has recently announced what purports to be a game changing innovation; DNSCrypt. This "new technology" actually applies an old concept to an older protocol. DNSCrypt acts as a secure wrapper for all DNS traffic between you and the OpenDNS servers; much as SSL acts as a wrapper between you and the secure website you are talking to.
While it does not use the same encryption standard as SSL (it uses Curve25519) it encompasses the same concept. There is a client that must be installed to achieve the secure connection and it is still in the development stage. Also, only a Mac client is currently available though they assure users that a Windows client is in the works. However, this looks to be a very nice compliment to the DNSSEC standard that will help those without a VPN connection feel much safer browsing at public wifi hotspots; not to mention help keep their ISP from snooping traffic. Read more about it and get the Mac client at the following link: http://www.opendns.com/technology/dnscrypt?utm_source=n012012&utm_medium=em&utm_campaign=home

MySQL Flaw

2012-01-24T10:51:00.001-05:00

While there is little information about what is being patched, Oracle has included MySQL in their monthly CPU (Critical Patch Update). One of the 27 flaws being fixed is listed as, "Remotely exploitable without authentication." Definitely patch any web facing MySQL servers and think serious about anything else accessed by users you may not entirely trust.

Zappos Hacked

2012-01-17T11:14:00.001-05:00

Zappos was hacked over the weekend exposing user accounts, email addresses, and the last 4 digits of credit card numbers. The one "good" (if it can be called that) thing about this was that the database server with full credit card numbers were not compromised. The user passwords were stored cryptographically, but as anyone with knowledge about cryptography knows; if you know the algorithm, have the ciphertext, and have time you can decrypt it. So, I applaud them forcing all users to change their passwords and suggesting that, if you use the same default password for other sites as well, that you change that too.

http://redtape.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/16/10163952-zappos-says-hacker-may-have-accessed-info-on-24-million-customers?ocid=ansmsnbc11

The Beast.....

2012-01-13T11:34:00.004-05:00

....is a new toolkit used to exploit a flaw in TLS 1.0. From what I garner from brief research, it allows someone to decrypt SSL 3.0 / TLS 1.0 transmissions to plaintext without having to insert oneself into the stream; man-in-the-middle attacks. It is a flaw that was addressed in versions 1.1 and 1.2 of TLS. However, as standards do, these new revisions have not caught on and leave millions of "secure" transactions a day open to possible exploitation. Read more in depth analysis in this article at the Register: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/09/19/beast_exploits_paypal_ssl/

WPA Flaw leads to Crack.... in 10 hours (or less)

2011-12-31T10:42:00.001-05:00

A new weakness in WPA wireless encryption has lead to the possibility of cracking a WPA secured wifi network (with WPS enabled) in 10 hours or less. http://www.devttys0.com/2011/12/cracking-wpa-in-10-hours-or-less/

17 Patches Coming Your Way

2011-04-08T15:10:00.002-04:00

That's right.... 17 .... with 8 of them being critical. Look for them this patch Tuesday (4/12/2011).

Installing Toshiba Copier (with private print and Department Code) on a Mac.....

2010-10-15T11:03:00.002-04:00

1.)First, goto Toshiba's Website and grab the pertinent driver: http://copiers.toshiba.com/support/index.jsp

2.)Run the installer package just as you would any standard mac DMG

3.) Go to "System Preferences"

4.) Go to "Printers" and then "Add Printer"

5.) Go to "IP" then enter the IP address for the copier in the "Address:" location

a.) enter a name for the Copier

b.) Select "Select Printer Software...." from the "Print Using" drop down

c.) Select the driver "Toshiba TEC Corp. Toshiba GL-####" where #### is the Controller number that can be obtained from the copier's web administration page

d.) Select the "Installable Options" ***Auto detection does not seem to work

e.) Choose "Continue" and the printer will be added to the list

6.) This is the important "Gotcha" step. The Private Print selection and Department code cannot (as of this writing) be entered into a menu anywhere. You MUST follow these steps:

a.) Launch Safari (last time I tried Firefox would not render the following page properly to get to all the options)

b.) enter the following URL: http://localhost:631 (this is the CUPS printing system that OSX uses behind the scenes)

c.) Click on "Printers" tab at the top-right of the screen

d.) Select the printer in question

e.) under the drop down box currently showing "Administration" select the "Set Default Options" selection

f.) Select "Printing Modes"

g.) Under "Print Mode:" select "Private - Document ID (DIN)"

h.) Choose the "Enable" radial button next to Department Code

i.) Go to "DIN" along the top next to "Printing Modes" and enter your 5 digit release code

j.) Go to "DC" next to "DIN" and enter your department code

k.) Make sure to press "Set Default Options" to save these settings

Your users should now be able to print to the copier and then go release their job with the (DIN) entered above.

Fix a Dual Boot Mac that won't boot into Windows...

2010-10-15T08:44:00.002-04:00

We have several dual boot Macs in our CIST lab that I manage and came across a problem where 3/4 of them were not booting into Windows anymore. The OSX side was fine and I could even access the Windows volume under OSX, but it just would not boot. Doing some extensive Binging (yeah, trying that out instead of Google for a change :-) I found several posts saying all you needed to do was the following:

1.) Boot from the installer CD

2.) Launch repair console DOS prompt

3.) Enter the following sequence of commands:

a.) bootrec /fixmbr

b.) bootrec /fixboot

c.) bootrec /rebuildbcd

Upon trying this on a couple of them, I still could not get them to boot. Finally, what I manage to figure out on my own, was that you needed to add to this step the diskpart command to tell it what the active partition is. We have actually have two Windows NTFS formatted partitions in our lab; one for the Windows install, and one for Virtual Machines that our used in some of the labs. So the complete repair process is as follows:

1.) Boot from the installer CD

2.) Launch repair console DOS prompt

3.) enter the command "diskpart" at the command prompt

a.) ***Note: you can type "help" at any time while in the diskpart menu to get a list of possible commands

b.) type "list disk" to show all disks in the system

c.) type "select disk #" where number is the number of disk you need to view

d.) type "list partition" to see what partition number you need to make active (the one that Windows is actually installed on)

e.) type "select partition #" where number is the number of the partition that you need to set active

f.)type "active" This should activate the currently selected partition so that the following commands know what partition to set as the bootable volume

4.)bootrec /fixmbr

5.)bootrec /fixboot

6.)bootrec /rebuildbcd

With any luck, if you have a similar setup like ours, your macs will once again boot into Windows. Since figuring this process the rest of the Macs have started exhibiting this problem and had to have this fix applied. So, I can only think that some Windows or Mac update is what caused the problem, but do not know which for sure.

Zero Day Exploit for Adobe Flash (Update to 10.1 immediately)

2010-06-11T08:45:00.002-04:00

To save re-inventing the wheel, here is a link to Steve Gibson's write-up on this issue: http://steve.grc.com/2010/06/06/adobe-flash-forward-to-v10-1/

A Backhoe Strikes Again

2010-04-30T16:42:00.003-04:00

Billie Backhoe Strikes Again

I always tell my Sysadmin and Intro to Security students, "You cannot plan for a backhoe". It has happened here at the campus where I work, and happens time and time again. In this instance it was a cherry picker; same genus IMHO :-)

New Mac Malware - HellRTS

2010-04-24T07:41:00.002-04:00

Seems there is a new piece of Mac Malware that can infect OS X. Of course, a security firm that makes malware protection for the Mac is the same that is warning people about it. The reality is that there are no known cases of this malware "out in the wild"; just proof of concept floating around hacker forums. This is not to say that someone couldn't easily create a tojan with the available code. I think one of the main security concerns on the Mac is that of Safari's practice of "opening safe files after downloading". As I always suggest for my Windows users's; use Firefox :-)

F-Secure deams W32.torrent.a trojan

2010-04-22T09:17:00.006-04:00

F-Secure has named a new trojan :

W32.torrent.a

Like many of the fake AV programs that are hitting home users
around the world, this one installs itself and takes note of
whether or not you are using a bittorrent program.  If so, it
displays a message that you have been caught downloading
illegal material and that, for a low fee of $400 dollars, you
can take care of this matter pre-litigation.

The sad part, quite a few people are paying the "ransom". 
They obviously know what they are doing is wrong and fear the
hundred plus thousand dollar fines that you hear about on the
news.  Even worse, they could end up going through litigation
for their activities after already paying said ransom; as
always, it pays to be legit.

New Direction

2010-04-22T09:02:00.002-04:00

I have decided to take this blog in a new direction. As I am now an adjunct professor teaching CIST 0261 and CIST 0262 (Introduction to Information Security and Systems Administration respectively) I will now start posting security related topics/stories that I run across preparing for my courses.

Do You Wanna Date My Avatar?

2009-08-18T08:17:00.001-04:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urNyg1ftMIU

The scary thing is how true this has become. The only way to top it would be for a guy to be singing the song about his female avatar....

Weather and Driving

2008-12-08T16:10:00.000-05:00

Just a sample of some of the weather that we have been having here in good ol' Northern PA ;) I know most people complain about driving in these conditions. However, I have never really had much of a problem with winter driving accept in the most exteme of conditions. In fact, I quite enjoy it. I think where most people go wrong is in panicking. If you start to slide you can't just correct yourself like you are on dry roads. Yes, you may be staring the ditch down, but if you crank that wheel like a kid pulling taffy that is where you will end up anyways. Winter driving is all about slight movements and minor corrections. Yes, the snow/slush/sleet is going to move you around and throw you out of your lane. You can't expect to go as fast as on dry roads either. But, with the right amount of caution (especially towards "the other guy") a winter ride can be quite fun.

BlackBerry Storm Sucks?

2008-12-06T19:12:00.002-05:00

http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/12/the-votes-are-i.html

While I haven't had a "hands on" with one could it really be that bad?

Despite all the negative feedback on the Storm, I think most of it has to do with the OS. Most people forget how limited (and crash prone) the iPhone was when it first debuted. I am still loathe to install any apps directly to my iPod touch sans the crashfest that ensued after my first foray with the wirless wonder. Tethered syncing on my mac is still my ticket to untethered bliss. I would think Verizon will be fixing/adding stuff to make the Storm more worthy of it's earlier praise; hopefully, in short order.

Super-Ant Invades Europe

2008-12-06T18:46:00.002-05:00

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20081203/sc_livescience/superanttakingovereurope

Seems a newly dubbed "Super Ant" species that originated in the black sea is sweeping it's way across Europe. I say we pitt them against the killer bees here in the Americas and see who wins ;) The winner could then take on the Kane toads that run rampant in Australia.....

The Saga Continues

2008-07-19T14:02:00.003-04:00

Six months from the time of Sydney's second, most critical, seizure and nary a sign of any more seizures; lest any that we could tell. Here comes the but, as buts always do. But, one night while visiting the great-grandparents in Port Allegany, something happened. It was a hot day in May and we moved inside to get some relief from the heat. As we sat there in the great-grandparents living room Sydney, now 18 months, toddled on over to me and wanted picked up.
As I picked her up I felt that she was quite warm, and then immediately knew something was wrong. Her back, as she lay in my lap, gave a funny spasm and then the same blank lifeless stayer as before. A glazed look gave no hint of a response from a normally sparkling set of eyes.
We tried to get her to respond and quickly removed her clothes hoping to cool her down. Having went six months with no seizure activity we had gotten lax, as I guess most people do, and didn't take the Diastat with us EVERYWHERE we went. We took it most times, but this was one in which we forgot. No Diastat to administer and still no response. A quick call to 911 and the fireman were at the house within minutes followed shortly by the ambulance. I again drafted the ambulance on it's way to the hospital the whole time telling myself that it would be ok; this happened before and eveything turned out alright.....right?
Once we reached the hospital I found out that the paramedic administered some rectal Valium on the way, which is basically what the Diastat was. So, mere minutes between the time we could have given it to her and the time she did receive it. Nervous agitation was met by the continued reassuring of everyone in the family that, this turned out alright before and it will again. A long wait was finally abated by the life flight team arriving. Again, I just had this feeling that we had been through this before and there was no reason to believe this would be any different. They preferred that no parents ride along in the helicopter due to closely controlled wight regulations. As before, we knew the helicopter would reach Buffalo much faster than we could by car. So, we said our goodbyes to our medically paralyzed princess and started the two hour ride to Buffalo yet again.

The Death of Old-Man Winter

2008-04-12T10:02:00.000-04:00

Tis a laborious end,
wrought with peril my friend....
the death of old man winter.
The reason of spring
just isn't a thing
he is willing to consider.

Like a stubborn mule put to the task.
For his willing cessation don't even ask.
But the world of ice he clings to has begun to splinter.
With loathsome fury
he drives back those that scurry
forth to herald the victor.

The inevitable end is known to all.
Yet the reaper is left with no answer to his call.
His death is the only way the spring maiden may enter.
With one last flurry
the maiden unleashes her fury
and he is finally unable to fend her.

The maiden's victory is heralded.
New flowers and bushes spring forth from their dead.
For new comes from death's blunder.
The old nourishes the young.
Old man winter reluctantly thrusts forth daisies
from his resting place six feet under.

The Other End of the Ride

2008-04-10T22:41:00.000-04:00

The ride was a long one; filled with anxious chatter. I must have prayed every 15 minutes of the trip. Finally, we arrive at the hospital; one none of us had ever been to before. We parked in a lot we found out later wasn't even for hospital parking. At the time, we didn't care. Mere minutes separated us from our baby girl.
A quick stop at the security desk and we were headed up in the elevator to the floor with the PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit for those fortunate enough to be oblivious to the acronym). The site that awaited us was much the same as when we left her on her way to the helicopter. She had a mass of tubes protruding from her small frame and was laying as if lifeless. A nurse and, soon enough, a resident doctor were at hand to explain the situation and that they had good hope for Sydney's recovery.
Recover shed did, and at quite an amazing pace. By the next night, what once was a lifeless figure, was regaining awareness and activity. The second morning would bring a crawling, crying baby face to face with her parents who were elated beyond anything I could have imagined. The birth of my children are of the most memorable moments of my life. But this....this was like a rebirth. It was if she had been taken from us, then given back.
After three nights and a round of tests the seizure was determined to be Febrile in nature; ie fever related. As such, we were sent home with Diastat that was to be given after 5 minutes of seizure activity. If a seizure persisted past this, then a call to 911 would be in order. We went home feeling safe with the thought that it would probably never happen again, and, if so, we had the Diastat to stop it.

Bathtime Fall

2008-03-06T23:56:00.001-05:00

About a week after the spaghetti incident another saga in Sydney's short life was about to unfold. My wife and I had endured yet another messy one year old / two year old supperfest and were moving on to the bathfest phase of the night. We were going to give the kids a bath together, as we often did.
My wife set about stripping the kids of their food slimed clothes as I drew the bath water and got the towels and wash clothes at the ready. Syd was down to her diaper and sitting on the floor when she suddenly fell backward and hit her head; thunk. It was no harder than any of a hundred other spills I had seen my children take; or other children for that matter. My wife quickly scooped her up to calm the ensuing cries.
The cries commenced, but were soon replaced with that nauseating stare from a week ago. We immediately ushered both children out of the bathroom and set about covering Sydney with blankets to keep her warm as the staring continued. After a quick frantic call to the in-laws (who live close by) a call to 911 was deemed necessary and made. In short order the neighbor with child care/seizure experience was called upon again while I went to her house to keep an eye on her children.
I paced the floor while talking to the neighbor's kids; more to keep myself calm than anything. Time swirled into a sea of dizzying proportions leaving me stranded in the rip-tide of unknown minutes passing by..... the ambulance was finally there.
Before I knew it I was once again in the minivan tailing the ambulance like Earnhardt and Stewart bump drafting at Daytona. We arrived at the ER, were whisked into a waiting room, and....... waited. Waited, while they worked on our daughter for what seemed like hours. Finally, they said we could come in and see her.
The site that was to meet us was not an easy one. It is never easy seeing your child in a medically induced coma being bagged to keep up her breathing. We stood there, uneasy in our uncertainty as to what would happen next. As we live in a very rural area the medical facilities are by no means "state-of-the-art". The ER was ill-equipped for a pediatric patient in such a state, so a life flight to a much larger hospital in a much larger city was arranged.
It took the life flight helicopter about a half hour to get there, the whole time our baby girl breathing with the aid of what would later become known to us as an ambu bag. The life flight crew made short work of "stabilizing" her for the first flight of her life and they were off. As they departed the crew uttered some encouraging words and gave us directions to get to the hospital they were taking her to. In the helicopter it would take about 20 minutes to get there, by car it would take us 2 hours. Two of the most grueling, heart-wrenching, worry-filled hours ensued; all the time not knowing what sights would meet us at the other end of our ride.......

Hillside Moony

2008-02-05T19:41:00.001-05:00

A little something lighthearted to break the mood. From my hometown tales of yore.....

If I were a hillside moony

If I were a hillside moony, I'd
be short, and fat, and round.
If I were a hillside moony, one
leg would be shorter to stand the
uneven ground.

If I were a hillside moony, you'd better
run from me. Down the hill or up the hill;
or even in a tree. For I can't climb a lick,
up or down I'd fall. For when you have
uneven legs, goin' round the hill's your call.

If I were a hillside moony, I'd be every
campers' fright. During the day you needn't
worry, for I would only come out at night.

If I were a hillside moony, I would live
carefree.
If I were a hillside moony, my plumber's crack
is all you'd see.

Spaghetti Dinner

2007-12-20T04:37:00.000-05:00

After turning one, life for our daughter (and for us) continued on normally. Until, one evening, something abnormal happened. I had prepared a supper of spaghetti, corn, and a salad; quite typical fair of which we all would partake. Our daughter ate a healthy share of the spaghetti I had chopped up for her. Then, it was bathtime with bedtime soon to follow. The little angel went to bed before her brother; again, normal.
Minutes later I went to the kitchen to fetch a drink for her brother and heard a strange gurgling sound coming from their bedroom; this, was not normal. I timidly went in to investigate the source of the sounds. The sight that met my eyes made time stand still and race at the speed of light all at once. It was a paradox, but one I am sure many parents have encountered at seeing their children in peril.
She was lying there, next to spaghetti vomit, gagging and choking with her eyes fixed in a straight-forward gaze. I picked her up immediately clearing as much vomit from her face and mouth as I could. She was catatonic for only a few frantic moments, or maybe it was several minutes; again the time paradox construed any concept of time we might have had. At some point in the ensuing amalgam of brief seconds/expansive minutes 9-1-1 was called as well as a trusted neighbor with lots of child care experience. The ambulance came, whisked my baby girl away with my wife in tow, and I followed frantically in our minivan.
By the time we reached the hospital our daughter was her "normal" bouncing baby self. A short consultation with the doctor about what happened and we were on our way back home confident in the knowledge that it was probably just a reaction to shots she had received the day before and not a seizure as originally suspected.

A Perfect Beginning

2007-12-13T22:19:00.001-05:00

She was a normal child. Well, as normal as any child can claim. My wife was induced early in the morning on November 19th and, several hours later, our perfect little girl joined her older brother in this journey called life.
Do not get me wrong, there were some tense moments. My wife chose to forgo the epidural she had with our first child. This lead to one of those "I hate you for doing this to me" type moments straight out of the movies. Our baby girl also had the umbilical chord wrapped around her neck twice.... but a couple snips and it was gone. As we had seen this with her brother, albeit only a single wrap, we were not as alarmed as some first timers might be.
Her lungs proved themselves from the first as she started crying almost immediately. Strong lungs that would later have to prove themselves again.... and again; but I am jumping the gun here.
Three days later we took our lovely new addition home. We settled in to a new routine with our family of four and even braved our first excursion to the family gathering for Thanksgiving the following week.
Time flew by; as it tends. Before we knew it our daughter was crawling after her older brother who was using his 11 month advantage to out pace her. One year after the birth she had grown to be a beautiful little girl. Dark auburn hair with natural streaks of brighter red here and there that no stylist could have ever done justice in imitating.
Her first birthday party was a family affair; as I would think most first birthdays are. Grandma's, Grandpa's, Great Grandma's, Great Grandpa, Uncles, Aunts, and Cousin filled the list and filled our small house. She wore a dark red dress with black trim, looking just like a china doll you might find upon the shelf of an heiress' estate. With brother's help she made quick work of the presents and it was on to the cake. She got just the right portion of messy to make for some good photos; the perfect end to a perfect party.

The Story

2007-12-13T22:12:00.000-05:00

I, like many bloggers (least I presume), have struggled a little bit about what I want to do with my blog. As you can see I have done several links to gaming stuff, but does the internet really need another gaming/fun stuff blog? So, I have decided to interject some more serious stuff and, in the process, get a little therapy through writing about the tragic events that have happened to me and my family this past year. I may also share some writings here should time/creativity strike me down.