Awesome Techs

Here is a video created by g0tmi1k on WEP cracking with Aircrack-NG.

How does this work? – ARP beacon is needed (depending on the attack method), so this can be re-injected back into the network. To get this packets the attacker needs to disconnect a connected client currently on the network (if the attacker keeps on repeating this part, it will be a DoS to the client). Once the key beacon has been captured and enough data injected/collected, it is now an offline attack either by brute force or a dictionary attack. Then its just a question of waiting then the attacker will have the key (brute forcing WEP can be less than 60 seconds!) From here, the attacker can use that key to decrypt the captured data from before, and now is able to ‘read’ it as well as join the network.

Everyone who uses FACEBOOK, will know lamebook. Well if you don’t know, just goto lamebook.com. But being so famous (well, because of facebook), now facebook, don’t like them. Facebook disabled all postings, shares, like’ings etc etc that relate to lamebook.com.

To know more about this issue, Read the following story , a story which techcrunch.com reported today!

Just make sure not to do something that might make Facebook angry. Otherwise it might nuke every link to your site, choking off this river of traffic that you’ve worked so hard to build.

That’s the message Facebook sent today with its censorship of links to Lamebook, a humor site that posts lewd conversations spotted on the social network. Facebook has confirmed that it is automatically blocking all links to Lamebook and that it has also removed the company’s ‘Fan’ page. Not because the content was offensive, mind you, but because Facebook doesn’t like Lamebook.

The move was precipitated by a legal battle between the two companies. Lamebook filed for a declaratory judgement earlier this month that would assert that it is not violating Facebook’s trademark (the two parties have apparently been in negotiations over this for some time). Unsurprisingly, Facebook followed that up with a suit alleging that Lamebook violated its trademark.

Okay, so Facebook doesn’t like Lamebook’s name. I don’t agree with Facebook’s stance, but fair enough — it isn’t the first big company that’s overzealous when it comes to protecting its trademark. But by blocking Lamebook’s content, Facebook is crossing a line.

Not only is it currently impossible to share a Lamebook link to your News Feed or a friend’s Facebook Wall — you can’t even include them as part of a direct message or email to friends (you get an error message indicating that it’s “abusive or spammy”, which isn’t even accurate). That’s completely outrageous, and it’s a warning flag that comes only a few days after Facebook announced a new hybrid email/IM/SMS product. Do you really want someone to be censoring your outbound email?

The Computer Security Giant McAfee along with the Social Community Networking Giant Facebook are taking a big step to improve the security of normal computer users. Today USAtoday posted anews saying,

Tonight, they announced McAfee will make a complimentary six-month subscription of its Internet Security Suite software available to Facebook’s 350 million users.

After six months, Facebook users will be eligible for a special discounted subscription for the software package, which offers PCs protection from viruses, spyware and other online threats.

All users should join the fan page for McAfee to avail this offer. McAfee Internet Security Suite will initially be available to Facebook users in the U.S., UK, Australia, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, France, Canada, Mexico and Brazil.

A major Wiltshire town is to become the first in the UK to offer free public wireless internet access to its entire population, it was claimed.

The plan is to  to have blanket “Wi-Fi mesh” coverage for all 186,000 citizens  by April 2010.

BBC news reported,

If successful, there is an intention of working on similar roll-outs of the technology in other towns and cities across the UK.

Swindon Borough Council leader Rod Bluh said: “This is a truly ground-breaking partnership which will have real benefits for everyone living in Swindon.

“We’re doing it, we’ve done it, and we’re the first to do it.”

The service will also have the potential to provide free internet phone-calls and remote medical consultations.

Using the internet and surfing the web can be as sweet as candy, but sometimes, as sweet as it is, it’s very easy to type in personal info. This article is just the beginning of internet safety. Here are a few ways to stay safe during your online activities.

Steps

1. Do not give out your full name, address, or phone number to anyone online that you don’t trust and/or don’t know and that don’t live in the same town as you. They might not be who they claim to be, so do not trust them if they guess the actual name of the person you are chatting with. To avoid confusing your friends with strangers, make a password you must say. (for example,” If you are Ashley, say our password.” Then Ashley will say,”Clever one true not example example totally unweird refrigerator magnets banana apple dancing Ugg boots.”) Just mix a bunch of words together and make it pretty hard to guess by a stranger. Also call your friend to make sure they are online.
2. Never give out your bank account or credit card information unless you are shopping with a well known or highly rated online business. Check for secure transaction info. The best companies will have many security devices in place. You may see a gold lock at the bottom of the page to indicate a secure site. When giving any bank details or other information make sure the connection is secure (https) and the site is perfectly trustworthy. Not every site which runs https or accepts payments is trustworthy. Good sites are Amazon.com, Buy.com, eBay, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, and sites owned by major shopping centers such as Wal-Mart and Best Buy.
3. Never open e-mail attachments from strangers unless you can trust them and you have security settings on your computer. Some junk e-mails may contain viruses or spyware that can harm your computer. These e-mails may be automatically marked as “spam” or “junk”.
4. Beware of spoof email claiming to be from eBay, PayPal, or a bank or a company name you know asking for personal or sensitive information. This is called phishing. The e-mail may inform you that there is a problem with your account/password. There may be a link to click inside. Forward any of these e-mails to the company it claims to be sent from. They will confirm whether the e-mail you received was real or not. Also, bear in mind that email programs like Yahoo!, MSN, etc. will never ask you for your email password. Don’t fall for it.
5. If you decide to meet someone in person from online, go to a public place and let friends and family know your plans. Have an alternate plan if things turn out badly.
6. Get a good anti-virus program, spyware remover, and firewall. There are free programs available online, such as avast! antivirus, Grisoft’s AVG Free, Microsoft Anti-Spyware and Webroot, and Sygate personal firewall. They will block most attempts and alert you if problems are found.
7. Read the fine print. There are many survey sites that pay you for answering questions and filling out forms. If you do not want to receive junk mail or get put on a telemarketer list, look for a small box near the bottom of the page that asks if you want to receive information and offers from other companies. The best sites will have a statement listed that they will not sell your name to other companies. Some sites require you to give all your information to get the product. Although sometimes, you may get a ton of spam. Only fill in required fields that are marked with a *. If the info box does not have an asterisk, it is optional and you can leave it blank.
8. Monitor young children’s (under 16) activities closely and use parental controls when available. Use a password a child will not guess. Install parental control software. The Internet is not child-friendly.
9. Tell your young children (under 14) to write down every website they go to. Also monitor them when they are signing up for a website. Also, do not let your children sign up for or any other chat sites (MySpace etc.) They are focused for an older audience so here are some recommendations for children ages 6-13. (See External links)
10. Change your passwords every month or so. Try not to use the same password more than once at a time. Also, make your password something original such as,”arjnfeurgbvaeurig@yahoo.com.” A harder way to do it is by mixing up a jumble of letters, but be aware, it might be harder to memorize, so write in on a piece of paper – keep this hidden from view (not, for example, on a note stuck to your monitor). Make it exceptionally hard to guess, especially if it has your personal information.
11. Check the URL Always make sure the site your using is really what you think it is before you enter your details or a password For example, if you want to log into Facebook you would check to make sure the site ENDS with (what-ever).facebook.com not “.facebook-videos.com” or anything like that. usually when a site ends like that (very close to a popular website) it means that they want to try and either get your password or get your personal details.
12. Be careful with your details Always be careful what you say on the internet, remember only say what you would be happy to say to some random person on the street, (This means on sites like twitter, facebook, bebo, myspace etc. don’t say sentences like: I am going to a party at (Insert address/venue here) or My name if (Full name) stuff like that can get you into a whole lot of trouble with people you have never even met before

Tips for staying Safe

• Web services such as AOL, Yahoo, or MSN have messengers that allow you to chat with others with an instant message (IM) or private message (PM) box. Go to the preferences or options menu and carefully choose settings. It is best to turn off messages from all users and only add people to your buddy list that you know very well or someone you choose to talk to. Bad or annoying programs may invade your messenger box or chat windows, such as spam bots, boot codes, or tools. These can damage your computer and record your online activities. Always set your preferences to the highest security.
• Other programs are available to provide even more features and can be used with your messengers. YTunnelPro and YahElite are very good and helpful companions to Yahoo Messenger.
• If you subscribe to things, have a phony account. This will help keep you from getting spam to your regular address, and will protect your identity. A good site which allows you to create temporary email addresses on the fly is Spam Motel (see external link below). When you register on an unknown site, go to Spam Motel and create an email address and delete it when you have no further use for it.
• If you feel uncomfortable giving away your credit card number, you can buy a prepaid credit card or use a gift credit card instead. These often work the same as a regular credit card, but they only have a set amount on them, so that if someone gets ahold of the prepaid card’s number, they don’t do the damage they can with a real card.
• Some banks offer ‘on-the-fly’ credit cards, which you can generate yourself within 10 seconds, and you can limit the amount and the validity on them (of course they charge to your real credit card when they are used). Also, only one merchant can ever use them. That way, even a stolen card number is useless to the thief, and the maximum damage is severly limited. Make one for every internet buy; that is a very good security mechanism.
• If you`re using firefox, download the extensions WOT, which tells you how trustworthy sites are, and NoScript, which denies Javascript and other potentially malicious add-ons except on trusted sites.
• When shopping online, take advantage of one-time-use virtual credit card numbers.

Warnings to be beware of:

• Be careful what you say on the internet and understand that it is becoming common practice for employers to research what you have said online as part of the hiring process. What you say today could keep you from getting hired to your dream job five years from now.
• If you mention that you had a birthday recently, don’t be specific about the date, or your exact age. These two items are enough to figure out your date of birth, a piece of info the banks use to help identify you.
• Remember, people can lie as much as they want online, so be careful. If you think that you may be talking to someone who is a lot older than they say they are, look out for clues which may give them away.
• Never arrange to meet someone in real life from the internet. (Not unless you’re sure it’s someone you know, then that’s an exception.) It is highly risky and dangerous. Everything you have and know is at risk. Be careful, young ones…
• Be careful of what you download. If it’s not open source/GNU, then make sure it’s from a reputable site (widgets.yahoo.com, cNet’s Download.com, etc.)*
• When using P2P software such as Limewire, only download music and age appropriate video. Anything else could be filled with viruses and who knows what.
• Never send anyone you met on the internet any money. No matter what sob story they may tell you.
• Don’t look at pornography. Most pornographic sites contain malware of some kind, and a trip to such a site is analogous to its real life counterpart in the unwanted side effects that may spring up.

source: WikiHow

According To WikiPedia,

Fraud has existed perhaps as long or longer than money. Any new sociological change can engender new forms of fraud, or other crime. Almost as soon as e-mail became widely used, it began to be used to defraud people via E-mail fraud. E-mail fraud can take the form of a “con game” or scam. Confidence tricks tend to exploit the inherent greed and dishonesty of their victims: the prospect of a ‘bargain’ or ‘something for nothing’ can be very tempting. E-mail fraud, as with other ‘bunco schemes‘ relies on naive individuals who put their confidence in get-rich-quick schemes such as ‘too good to be true’ investments or offers to sell popular items at ‘impossibly low’ prices. Many people have lost their life savings due to fraud.

So its always better to stay away and avoid these email scams.  Here I have given some tips by the help of which you can recognize and stay away from these EMAIL SCAMS.

1.The from address is the first thing to look at. If it says something like “undisclosed receipts” or “unknown,” than this email has been sent as a mass email. The Scammer sent the email to a whole bunch of people in hopes that a few will buy into the line. Fortunately, most of these type of emails get filtered to the spam box.

2.If the email address is from a certain person, run the unknown name through the search engines. Oftentimes, these names are made-up or come from a different country. These emails are scams. Be very careful to check the name that seems to come from a legitimate source. Scammers often use a tiny variation of the source name to fool people into thinking they are actually legitimate. Always go to the real source if you aren’t sure.

3.Read through the email text. You want to look at grammar and spelling. Scam emails are rife with such errors. Either run your browser spell checker for a quick check, or copy and paste into Word for a more thorough check.

4.The biggest email scam is when the email requests a password, log in information, or asks you to verify an account. DO NOT GIVE THIS INFORMATION OUT. DO NOT CLICK ON ANY LINKS INSERTED IN THE EMAIL. Those links are designed to steal your information. This is a blatant attempt to steal your information and passwords. Banks, Paypal and other sites will NEVER ask you for this information in email. Always go directly to the site for your account information.

5.Scam emails more often than not butcher the English language. You can run the email through the spell checker in your browser or copy and paste it to word.

6.Sob stories are a cheap play on your emotions to try and get you to make the mistake of giving them money. Step back, if you feel yourself getting to emotionally involved. Think about and then do an investigation into their story. They will turn out to be pure fiction.

7.Scam job offers include the words “accounts receivable” or “transfer funds.” These are hot topic words that literally scream scam. Delete these type of emails immediately. Either these Scammers want your bank account info, or they want you to launder money for them. Also, be wary of any that want you to pick up packages. Remember that money orders can also be forged.

8.Protect yourself and delete such scam email immediately. Report the emails that want your information directly to the site and to www.ic3.gov which is the Internet Crime Complaint Center of the FDIC.

Tips & Warnings

* Never give your log in information, or passwords out.
* Never click the links in information stealing emails.
* Always go directly to the source.
* Step back, and access the situation when your emotions become involved.
* Do not give out any information pertaining to any accounts. Go directly to the source.
* This will not guarantee that you will avoid all email scams. Scammers are constantly coming up with new tactics. You must stay vigilant.