Bruce Schneier on Security

10min video on security from an expert. Could be useful for your 358 exam revision...

Application Threat Modeling

Check this out, could be useful for 358 AS3...

Application Threat Modeling

View more presentations from Marco Morana. (tags: risk management)

Disconnectedness in a connected world

I write this in the hope that maybe I can talk some sense into you before you click. Yes. Before you click 'send' to pass on that e-mail.

Some questions to ask yourself, what exactly are you reading? Do you really believe you will suffer from bad luck if you do not pass it on to 10 people? Do you really believe you will receive a free laptop? Who is at the receiving end of the CC recipient list? Could it be somebody who is being sabotaged to drown in the countless flooding e-mail replies?

I am astounded by the fact that there is a long line of people who pass on chain mails... I wonder if it is maybe they have too much time on their hands? Or maybe they think its fun? Maybe they are simply disconnected.

This disgustingly long line of chain mail distributors tells us that they are disconnected. The brain from the clicking finger, that is. Yes, the Internet is free. Your bandwidth is of unlimited usage. But please do not complain when your internet experience slows down, because you are contributing to it. Don't complain of receiving so many junk mail when you are in fact a perpetrator as well.

How much is your time worth? Your value of time may be worthless but other people's worth per unit time could be much more. To me, there is no excuse for being gullible, inconsiderate and ignorant at the same time. This is a big problem with the Internet. All of you are behind your monitor screens typing and clicking away happily as the "people" factor gets pushed out of the equation. People start to get rude with one another, do stupid inconsiderate things and treat it with a simple click.

If you want to be a part of technology, then keep up with it (which includes being responsible) or else go fly a kite.

sudo

Comic from xkcd.com

Google Chrome

PC vs Mac... Spoofed!

Keeping the door closed and locked

Hello everybody! EXAMS ARE OVER hahahaah...

I'm really excited with the lineup of activities eunice and me have planned for the holidays... cant wait to do all of them!

I have wanted to write this post for a damn long time, but haven't really got the chance to do it. This article is more for people who are not so aware of how to keep their Windows PC (especially XP and older) safe and sound. For those who are more aware, maybe you can exchange ideas with me, and I can add them in here.

I have thought to myself a long time ago, why do people's PCs keep getting bugged down with viruses, spyware and other malware? Is it because they surf alot of porn? What could be the reasons? After many experiences of troubleshooting infected PCs (some FUBAR-ed...), I have come to realise the 3 grave mistakes people make, which led to their PC's horrible deaths...

1. Performing daily tasks using an administrator account, especially web surfing. Most people don't even know what is an administrator account.
2. Windows not updated. Most people simply don't care or don't know how to do it.
3. No anti-virus software installed, or not updated. Most people have a few months of trial period on their anti-virus and just leave it there to rot after it expires, because they have to pay to renew the license.
   

Now I shall share with you how to do things the proper way. This is how I have kept my computers safe for years without ever needing to reformat my disks.

1. Use the admin account only for installation of programs and other admin tasks. Create a limited account for your normal work (especially web surfing). If you have to download files for installation, use the limited account. Trust me, the little amount of trouble from switching accounts is worth it.
   
2. Set your Windows installation to update itself automatically. This will allow your Windows installation to be patched with security fixes regularly. The malicious software removal tool which is updated monthly will also be provided automatically through Windows update.
3. Set your anti-virus software to update its virus database regularly. If you can afford to, then pay for an extension of licenses. If not, just simply download a free anti-virus solution from the internet. e.g. AVG free

Take note that these are simple solutions for common day-to-day security problems people face at home, and should be rather easy to practice once you get used to them.

Many users are simply not aware of what to do, and a little education can help alot. Do not be ignorant about these matters, knowing what you should practice as a user can help save alot of your precious time. You do not want to keep reformatting your hard disks right?

Black and White

Hello people, its early into the new year, and chinese new year is approaching... I think I will be doing assignments even when people around me are celebrating...

I want to share with you about the definition of the term or label "Hacker". For this topic, there are general two schools of thought regarding the understanding of what or who a "Hacker" is. I am a computer science student, i love programming alot, i love learning new types of programming languages, i love to play around with linux/unixes. For one school of thought, I most likely will be labeled a hacker.

The other school of thought will think that hackers are bad people who break into bank accounts, wreak havoc on systems with viruses etc. This is the media's interpretation of what hackers do. But for the first school of thought, these bad people are termed "Crackers".

For the first school of thought, the meaning of a Hacker basically means a person who does an "appropriate application of ingeniuty". Please take a look at the following link, credits to Eric. S Raymond. http://www.catb.org/~esr/jargon/html/meaning-of-hack.html
I draw alot of inspiration from his literature at his website.

I hope that the next time you hear the word "Hack" or "Hacker", perhaps you will give a little thought into the understanding of how we feel when we are given a bad name by the media. Comments welcome!

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