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11651

General Software Discussion / Is Whole Disk Encryption Just Wishful Thinking?

« Last post by 40hz on July 20, 2008, 04:32 PM »

A little while ago, there was quite a bit of discussion in the TrueCrypt 6.0 thread on the issue of encrypted drives. I've always been a big promoter of encrypted file systems. I never thought they were completely bulletproof (since nothing ever is) but I just read an article over at ghacks that has got me wondering if they're really worth the trouble at all:

Software to defeat Disk Encryption released
www.ghacks.net/2008/07/20/software-to-defeat-disk-encryption-released

Looks like some researchers over at Princeton U have a workable crack for several disk encryption techniques. They have published their study (available for download), along with the tools they used to pull it off.

Here's the abstract from the Princeton website: http://citp.princeton.edu/memory

Abstract

Contrary to popular assumption, DRAMs used in most modern computers retain their contents for seconds to minutes after power is lost, even at operating temperatures and even if removed from a motherboard. Although DRAMs become less reliable when they are not refreshed, they are not immediately erased, and their contents persist sufficiently for malicious (or forensic) acquisition of usable full-system memory images. We show that this phenomenon limits the ability of an operating system to protect cryptographic key material from an attacker with physical access. We use cold reboots to mount attacks on popular disk encryption systems — BitLocker, FileVault, dm-crypt, and TrueCrypt — using no special devices or materials. We experimentally characterize the extent and predictability of memory remanence and report that remanence times can be increased dramatically with simple techniques. We offer new algorithms for finding cryptographic keys in memory images and for correcting errors caused by bit decay. Though we discuss several strategies for partially mitigating these risks, we know of no simple remedy that would eliminate them.

Very interesting. And very sobering! Can't wait to try this one out at home...

11652

Living Room / Re: Anyone Here Using a Drobo?

« Last post by 40hz on July 20, 2008, 04:10 PM »

SNAFU has always seemed like a fine comment on the world in general at just about all times and places.

-Grorgy (July 19, 2008, 06:23 PM)

SNAFUs frequently turn out to be JOOTTs.

From the Information Security Glossary:

JOOTT

Pronounced 'Jute'; it stands for 'Just One Of Those Things'. Sooner or later every organisation/user will run into problems which are not amenable to logical or technical solutions, or even plain common sense. JOOTT is used to describe those inexplicable computer problems which fix themselves, or are fixed by turning off the machine and restarting, or in more persistent cases, reinstalling the software.

[If] Nobody knows what caused the problem, or why it went away, it was JOOTT!

edit by jgpaiva: fixed color tag

11653

Living Room / Re: Book Mini-review of "The Best of 2600: A Hacker Oddyssey" (now shipping)

« Last post by 40hz on July 20, 2008, 11:35 AM »

I got it and I think it's great. Marvelous and disappointing. And both at the same time. Just like the magazine.
I guess you either love it or you don't. I love it.

Now if somebody could just dredge up a complete collection of Jack Rickard's Boardwatch Magazine I'd be in 7th heaven. That magazine was the Bayeaux Tapestry of the start of the whole online thing - from single user BBS systems right up to the start of he Web. In some respects I really miss the days of Fidonet and RBBS. Those Days of Text where what someone had to say was more important than how it got presented on the screen. Where anybody with a modem, some software, and a voice line could host a thriving online community without getting bogged down in ISP politics. Jeeze! I'm blathering. Must be getting old...

Fortunately (for me at least) the DC Forums come pretty close to the feeling I used to get when I logged on in of those days.

11654

Living Room / Re: Latest Bit of Insanity in the World of Patent Law

« Last post by 40hz on July 20, 2008, 10:58 AM »

Actually, for this (global) state of mind the one's to blame are....the Dire Straits! (mainly because they even sang about: "Money for nothing and chicks for free"). Now who wouldn't want that? 

-Shades (July 19, 2008, 02:43 AM)

 
Can't speak for the money, but I wouldn't want any chicks - for free or otherwise. Our local zoning laws don't permit poultry keeping on residential lots. And my town's animal shelter won't take livestock.

-40hz (July 19, 2008, 01:17 PM)

Who would cry fowl, unless there were Private Investigations?

-cranioscopical (July 19, 2008, 03:04 PM)

INS might. They're the ones who deal with Illegal Avians. 

11655

Living Room / Re: Latest Bit of Insanity in the World of Patent Law

« Last post by 40hz on July 19, 2008, 01:17 PM »

Actually, for this (global) state of mind the one's to blame are....the Dire Straits! (mainly because they even sang about: "Money for nothing and chicks for free"). Now who wouldn't want that?  

-Shades (July 19, 2008, 02:43 AM)

 
Can't speak for the money, but I wouldn't want any chicks - for free or otherwise. Our local zoning laws don't permit poultry keeping on residential lots. And my town's animal shelter won't take livestock.

11656

Living Room / Re: Anyone Here Using a Drobo?

« Last post by 40hz on July 19, 2008, 12:55 PM »

I swear that sometimes, people think of a cool acronym (or "acronym pattern") and then work out what it's supposed to be an abbreviation of

-f0dder (July 17, 2008, 04:39 PM)

You're correct. They do. So much so that there's a term for them. They're called bacronyms.

11657

Living Room / Re: Advice: Never use your ISP provided email address

« Last post by 40hz on July 19, 2008, 12:33 PM »

Excellent advice.  

My original ISP was SNET. Which got bought out by SBC Global. Which got bought out by AT&T. Rather than deal with more changes, I now use a GMail account I created just for registrations. With all that free storage space it's easy to keep a permanent save file of all my registrations (except financial institutions). It's also good place to keep software and product warranty correspondence.

For one-off product key registrations - or for places I have no intention of going back to - I suggest using a disposable e-mail account (via TrashMail.net et al) and pointing them to a second GMail account that you just purge every couple of months. 

11658

Living Room / Latest Bit of Insanity in the World of Patent Law

« Last post by 40hz on July 18, 2008, 11:19 PM »

Are you ready for this?

A Florida based company called Channel Intelligence is asserting that they hold a patent (US Patent 6,917,941 ) giving them exclusive rights to store "wish lists" in a database. They are also selectively targeting over a dozen small web startups for lawsuits - although they have conspicuously avoided any legal action (so far) against bigger players (such as Amazon) who have the resources to fight back.

See the posting Channel Intelligence files patent law suit against wishlist web startups
at the following link: http://www.heise-onl...eb-startups--/111129

When will it ever end?

11659

General Software Discussion / Re: My favorite software! What's yours?

« Last post by 40hz on July 18, 2008, 05:05 PM »

My current hands-down favorite is the oddly named Write Monkey.

-40hz (July 17, 2008, 09:31 PM)

I tried WriteMonkey ("WM") a year or so ago, but found it to be too 'odd'. Your praise made me give it another try, but once again it failed to please me. I made myslef acquainted with the strange GUI, and I accepted the various features, I guess you must call them. ...

I did find find some features about WriteMonkey that I like. Nevertheless it will now leave my PC.

-Curt (July 18, 2008, 07:55 AM)

 
Sorry it didn't work out for you. I think the thing that has to be kept in mind about software like this is what audience (and intended use) it is attempting to address. I would hesitate to characterize WriteMonkey as a text editor per sce. It is intended to be a tool for writers who are looking for something to facilitate a practice known as "writing hot" or "writing in the zone." It's basically just for brain dumps. Go outside that audience/usage and the program is sadly lacking in many respects. Everybody in my writer's group (including the techno-weenies) loves it for getting a raw first draft out of their head and onto the page. After that it's MS Word all the way.


As far as "strange" GUIs go, WriteMonkey pretty much borrows from the venerable XYWriter - an old DOS dragon that was extremely popular (or at least widely used) by journalists, writers, and other odd types back when dinosaurs roamed the earth. In short, it doesn't have a GUI. The thing that is interesting about command-key driven apps is that they are somewhat difficult to learn - but easy to use once you do. Contrast that with many mouse/menu oriented apps that are easy to learn, but less convenient to use once you master the basics - until you start using the hot-keys!

11660

General Software Discussion / Re: I am looking for no install firewall.

« Last post by 40hz on July 18, 2008, 04:39 PM »

You can always bop over to www.grc.com and run the well known ShieldsUP to see what ports are "open" on your current setup.

ShieldsUp is probably more entertaining than useful, but at least it will give you some general insight into what ports do what if you're new to the firewall game.

If you're really paranoid, and you don't mind a little tinkering, you can roll your own industrial strength firewall/router combo by taking a look at any of the following. They're absolute overkill for a home network (and they suffer from the same security weaknesses discussed above) but they are available if you want to further your own education.

SmoothWall  http://smoothwall.org
PFSense      http://pfsense.org
m0n0wall     http://www.m0n0.ch/wall

11661

General Software Discussion / Re: My favorite software! What's yours?

« Last post by 40hz on July 17, 2008, 09:31 PM »

My current hands-down favorite is the oddly named Write Monkey.

From the website:

Zenware for full screen distraction free creative writing. No whistles and bells, just empty screen, you and your words. WriteMonkey is light, fast, and perfectly handy for those who enjoy the simplicity of a typewriter but live in modern times.

Write Monkey is a writer's tool.  It comes up as a blank screen that you can type on. But beneath that simple interface there are a host of features just a right click or keystroke away. Mouse or command key - the choice is yours. (F1 brings up the help screen. See below)

(This screenshot shows the fullscreen view reduced to a window. It can be toggled back and forth by hitting ESC F11)




There's even a feature to turn on a typewriter sound for those of us old enough to appreciate the crutch that old clickety-clack provides.

Does not require installation. Just unzip to a pendrive (or the directory of your choice) and get writing.

Download link: http://pomarancha.co...ritemonkey/index.php

11662

Living Room / Re: Show us your (physical) desktop

« Last post by 40hz on July 17, 2008, 09:55 AM »

Too many people playing! (*me-too mentality kicks in*)

-nosh (July 17, 2008, 12:55 AM)

Sorry. Looks like I'm guilty of starting it back on page 5.
My apologies to the thread.

Wasn't trying to offend.

11663

General Software Discussion / Re: I am looking for no install firewall.

« Last post by 40hz on July 17, 2008, 09:41 AM »

Router with NAT + Windows Firewal,l and you're all set... isn't much reason for using anything else, really.

-f0dder (July 17, 2008, 07:39 AM)

I agree. A cheap hardware router will block anything you're likely to encounter that wants to come in from the outside. Pair that with a basic inbound firewall and a good anti-malware app and you're pretty much bulletproof.

Just be careful with e-mail attachments and software downloads. If you're careless about them, then might want some outbound protection as well. Online Armour is a good one to try. Less "in your face" than some of the others.
Download from:

http://www.tallemu.c...ection-software.html

11664

Living Room / Re: Anyone Here Using a Drobo?

« Last post by 40hz on July 17, 2008, 09:19 AM »

Sorry about my ignorance about UFS - live and learn

-Carol Haynes (July 17, 2008, 04:09 AM)

That's not ignorance! It's merely a temporary gap in your expertise.

That's what I love about this field we're in. There are just so many interesting and useful things to discover and learn about. (Sometimes I wish I didn't have to sleep...)

11665

Living Room / Re: Show us your (physical) desktop

« Last post by 40hz on July 16, 2008, 10:35 PM »

Anyone who is that tidy must be on medication ...

-Carol Haynes (July 16, 2008, 05:28 PM)

I do keep taking the tablets... but Wacom makes me give 'em back  

-cranioscopical (July 16, 2008, 07:22 PM)

But you licked the batteries from all those pens first didn't you?   

-Shades (July 16, 2008, 08:30 PM)

Yeah, but I could afford to, they don't charge much.

-cranioscopical (July 16, 2008, 08:56 PM)

They'd taste better if you'd season em first. You up for a little salt & battery? 

11666

Living Room / Re: Anyone Here Using a Drobo?

« Last post by 40hz on July 16, 2008, 10:15 PM »

FreeNAS looks worth watching but given that they describe is as Alpha/Beta software would you really want to commit your data to it.

-Carol Haynes (July 16, 2008, 01:45 PM)

Don't know what to say to that other than I've done four of these. All of them have been running for 9-12 months and none of them have experienced any data losses or other reliability issues. Can't say the same about my experiences with Windows Home Server.

I also think the alpha/beta designation sounds a lot scarier than it actually is. I suspect the FreeNAS people are doing a little CYA here. FreeNAS is built out of established well-tested software components (FreeBSD Unix, Samba, PHP5, Lighttpd, NFS, etc.) so it's not quite the same as the beta of a product built from scratch. It's also open source, so should something go wrong, there's an active community of support available to get things fixed.

Also it uses its own filing system so you have to have FreeNAS running to be able to get to the data - realistically what are the chances of troubleshooting problems if anything goes wrong?

-Carol Haynes (July 16, 2008, 01:45 PM)

Very good actually! 

FreeNAS uses the Unix File System (UFS) which is not specific to FreeNAS. UFS is one of several file systems used in the Unix world. It may be a stranger to the Windows and Linux crowd, but it has been around for years. There's a nice intro article about it here:

http://en.wikipedia....iki/Unix_File_System

You can also mount and read UFS formatted drives under Linux. A quick Google will point you to several how-tos if you ever need to do that. One example: http://ubuntuforums....wthread.php?t=683493

You can also do it under Windows with ufs2tools available from SourceForge. See: http://ufs2tools.sourceforge.net/

One big caveat:

Most problems with FreeNAS come down to ignoring, misreading, or misunderstanding the documentation. RTFM is not an option if you have critical data. So unless you're willing to put the time into reading and following the manual you're probably better off going with a turnkey product like Drobo.

11667

General Software Discussion / Re: Turning a pc on and off remotely

« Last post by 40hz on July 16, 2008, 06:28 PM »

Also, I'd blank your IP and blank your password better. I think I could guess that username and password...

-mediaguycouk (July 16, 2008, 01:44 PM)

S'ok. I changed the user/pw combo before I took the snapshot.  And 10.xxx.xxx.xxx is a non-routable IP address range.

BTW: Thanks for identifying Switch Off. If it runs as a service I'll be using that instead. Thankee!

11668

Living Room / Re: Show us the View Outside Your Window

« Last post by 40hz on July 16, 2008, 01:46 PM »

Ugh...you guys live in beautiful places.  My view would look right into the next townhome, so out of respect for my neighbor's privacy, I won't even post.  And I'm probably paying twice as much.  That's what I get for living in California, I guess.

-superboyac (July 16, 2008, 10:21 AM)

Not necessarily. I live in Connecticut and I'm staring out the window directly into my neighbor's AC unit.

Maybe it has something to do with states whose names begin with a "C"  ???

11669

Living Room / Re: Anyone Here Using a Drobo?

« Last post by 40hz on July 16, 2008, 01:26 PM »

Believe it or not, I already started a small project with the older of the two - turning it into a "hidden" safe!  (Pretty cool - I'll post more when it's complete, but basically I gutted all but a small power supply and a few lights so that it will look as if it'sconnected to my network and running as a server.     )

-J-Mac (July 16, 2008, 12:08 PM)

Hide in plain sight? A man after my own heart. That is very cool. 

We once hid a server room.

Instead of all those AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY and keypad deals, we suggested our client put in a standard bolt lock, paint the door a dull gray, stencil the word JANITOR on it, and add a few scuff marks. They did. Nobody ever gave it a second glance after that.

 

11670

General Software Discussion / Re: Turning a pc on and off remotely

« Last post by 40hz on July 16, 2008, 12:59 PM »

Why can't you set your router to port forward xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx.nn to your box where nn is an arbitrary high port number you select within Shutter? I use port 5678. I have my fixed IP forward to my internal address with no problem. You could even assign separate port numbers to different machines if you need to shutdown more than one device. You may need to adjust your firewall settings to allow the port you select to pass http. See below. (1= Setup 2=Firewall setting 3=It Works!!!)

(Note: I'm showing the web interface from inside my network, but it works from outside it as well.)



Oh yeah...this isn't documented: After you do your web admin setup, launch Shutter, and then minimize it. It then will be active in the task tray. You'll want to set it up to autostart minimized. Sorta obvious when you think about it. It doesn't run as a service, so it needs to be invoked in order to open and listen on the port you select.

11671

Living Room / Re: Computer mods: What odd things have you done?

« Last post by 40hz on July 16, 2008, 11:24 AM »

I don't know if this is odd, but I equip almost all of my workstations with removable drive bays. I work with a lot of different operating systems and special configurations - and I don't like multibooting. So I do up different setups and plug them in as needed. I usually buy the hot-swap models. I don't use the hot-swap feature, but it's nice to have "just in case." Hot-swap hardware is usually of better quality (i.e. smoother install and removal) but you can save considerable money opting for non-hot swap models.

I also keep a few virgin "swappy" XP and Vista drives on hand for when I need to test something on a "known good" configuration. These get reghosted once I'm finished so I'm always set to go.

I've had very good luck with stuff from Granite Digital. Their build quality is excellent, although there are also many less expensive products out there that I'm sure would work equally well. My current favorite is this beastie:



http://www.granitedi...WPROD&ProdID=354

For server use, I prefer to go with external bays when running multiple drives to keep the heat down inside the server case. Drive replacements are relatively cheap compared to CPU/Mobo repairs.

11672

Living Room / Re: Anyone Here Using a Drobo?

« Last post by 40hz on July 16, 2008, 10:47 AM »

Not exactly a response to your question, but if you have an old PC lying around you might want to take a look at a very nice storage server over at www.freenas.org prior to dropping $400.

From the website:

FreeNAS is a free NAS (Network-Attached Storage) server, supporting: CIFS (samba), FTP, NFS, AFP, RSYNC, iSCSI protocols, S.M.A.R.T., local user authentication, Software RAID (0,1,5) with a Full WEB configuration interface. FreeNAS takes less than 32MB once installed on Compact Flash, hard drive or USB key.
The minimal FreeBSD distribution, Web interface, PHP scripts and documentation are based on M0n0wall.

You can check out the interface screenshots at:

http://www.freenas.o...;id=15&Itemid=28

It's free for the download and comes with no use/user restrictions. I put together one of these as a temporary fix for a nonprofit client who was waiting for a backordered SnapServer. They wound up keeping it and canceled their order for the Snap. Sweet!

11673

Living Room / Re: Gizmo's Tech Support Alert Newsletter Merges with Windows Secrets

« Last post by 40hz on July 16, 2008, 10:30 AM »

J-Mac I think you made some really insightful comments, and I got the same feeling from reading the announcement that Tomos got, that there is a real difference in the way Ian is coming into it compared to Langa.  So I really think it would be a good idea to keep an open mind and give this new merger a fair chance at doing good.  The same as we would want for any of our own projects.

-mouser (July 15, 2008, 07:44 PM)

You're both absolutely right. And I'm sure we are all hopeful this is going to work out to everyone's satisfaction. I think a lot of the angst comes from the steady erosion of all those great newsletters and tech sites over the years. Many of us miss the classic days of Ars Technica, The LangaList, Extremetech - the list just goes on and on. But Ian Richards has always been "different" in the way he did things, so if anybody can pull it off without a glitch, it will probably be him. And if he doesn't, we always have Mouser and DC so no worries, right mates?

11674

Living Room / Re: Show us your (physical) desktop

« Last post by 40hz on July 16, 2008, 10:12 AM »

I do think though that we are going to have to start a new thread entitled "How to clean up your work space in 10 easy steps"..

-mouser (July 16, 2008, 05:58 AM)

But I think it's safer not to allow Carl and 40hz to post on that thread, or they might teach bad examples!

PS: updated my post above. f0dder: doh! 

-jgpaiva (July 16, 2008, 06:39 AM)

I usually just toss a match every few months and hope for the best.

P.S. To jgpaiva: Too Late!   

11675

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: GridinSoft NotePad ($59) Free today only

« Last post by 40hz on July 16, 2008, 10:09 AM »

It's always dangerous to get into discussions about: sex, politics, religion, or text editors...

I also got GS's Notepad from an earlier giveaway. It's a nice editor as far as it goes. The web validation feature is an interesting addition.

But inertia always wins in the end. I continue to use  my "old faithful" Notepad++ (now at version 5).