How to secure your PC in 11 steps

So you have just bought a new personal computer for your home (rather than for a workplace or as a server) and want to secure it (including protecting it from viruses and spyware). Privacy (including encryption, cryptography and  anonymity) is a part of security but broad enough to need covering separately. Think of Privacy as the flipside of the coin. Making backups of data, defragging, system restore points are only indirectly related. Backups can actually make your data easier to steal and retrieve.

This article assumes you wish to use a network (such as the internet), share files on pendrives and that your PC might be physically accessible to others. If none of those apply, then your many of these steps may be redundant as your PC will already be quite secure.

1. Choose an operating system based on its security and vulnerability (Linux has no known active viruses in the wild, OpenBSD is focused on security). Find out if it uses limited user accounts, file permissions and is regularly updated. Make sure you update your operating system with security updates and update your other software too.
2. Choose a web browser based on its security and vulnerabilities because most malware will come through via your web browser. Disable scripts too (NoScript, Privoxy and Proxomitron can do this). Look at what independent computer security analysts (such as US-CERT) and crackers (similar to hackers) say.
3. When setting up, use strong passwords in your user account, router account etc. Hackers may use dictionary attacks and brute force attacks.
4. When downloading software (including antivirus software), get it from a trusted source (softpedia, download, snapfiles, tucows, fileplanet, betanews, sourceforge) or your repository if you are using Linux.
5. Install good antivirus software (particularly if you use P2P). Antivirus software is designed to deal with modern malware including viruses, trojans, keyloggers, rootkits, and worms. Find out if your antivirus offers real-time scanning, on-access or on-demand. Also find out if it is heuristic. Avast and AVG are very good free editions. Choose one, download and install it and scan regularly. Keep your virus definitions up to date by updating regularly.
6. Download and install software to deal with spyware such as Spybot Search and Destroy, HijackThis or Ad-aware and scan regularly. I can't state this enough - you need to run a good anti spyware and anti malware program like Spybot if you search the web at all. Many websites out there exploit weaknesses and holes in the security of Microsoft Explorer and will place malicious code on your computer without you knowing about it until its too late!
7. Download and install a firewall. Either ZoneAlarm or Comodo Firewall (Kerio, WinRoute or Linux comes with iptables). If you use a router, this gives an added layer of security by acting as a hardware firewall.
8. Close all ports. Hackers use port scanning (Ubuntu Linux has all ports closed by default).
9. Perform Penetration Testing. Start with ping, then run a simple nmap scan. Backtrack Linux will also be useful.
10. Consider running intrusion detection software (HIDS) such as ossec, tripwire or rkhunter.
11. Don't forget to think in terms of physical security (in case of theft/unauthorised access), like setting a BIOS password and preventing access to your machine or its removable devices (USB, CD drive etc.). Don't use an external hard drive or USB device for important data, these represent another vulnerability, as they are easier to steal/lose.

Encryption can be effective against theft. Encrypt at least your entire user account rather than just a few files. It can affect performance but can prove worth it. Truecrypt works on Windows, OS X, Linux, FreeOTFE works on Windows and Linux. In OS X (10.3 or later) System Preferences Security, click FileVault (this can take minutes to hours). In Linux Ubuntu (9.04 or later) installation Step 5 of 6 choose "Require my password to login and decrypt my home folder". This uses ecryptfs.

Article Source – WIKIHOW

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Disable UAC in Windows 7 easily

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Crack iPhone passwords

“ Download, point and click “ yups..its that simple to crack an iPhone backup password, using a software which was unveiled by Elcomsoft this Thursday.Elcomsoft is the same forensic team behind wireless password cracking and Quicken  password cracking  and many other applications. The Elcomsoft iPhone Password Breaker is a novel piece of software that uses wordlist based attacks to recover passwords for iPhones and iPod Touches by trying thousands of phrases per second. It is speculated that the final version will be able to perform dictionary based customized attacks too.

The basic logic behind the cracking lies in the use of iTunes application which allows users to make backup of iPod and iPhone that contain a wealth of potentially sensitive information, including call logs, address books, SMS archives, calendars, pictures and voice mail. Elcomsoft password Cracker cracks these backup files and doesn't requires the use of iTunes.

The software makes use of multi-core processors, extended CPU instructions and will run faster on certain types of graphics cards. It runs on the XP, Vista and 7 versions of Windows.

You can download the beta from here

Via – The register

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Nmap 5.20 released !!

Nmap is of course of the most famous port scanners and hacking tools of all time, the last stable release was back in July 2009.For those that may not know, Nmap (“Network Mapper”) is a free open source utility for network exploration or security auditing. It was designed to rapidly scan large networks, although it works fine against single hosts. Nmap uses raw IP packets in novel ways to determine what hosts are available on the network, what services (application name and version) those hosts are offering, what operating systems (and OS versions) they are running, what type of packet filters/firewalls are in use, and dozens of other characteristics.

Nmap 5.20 offers more than 150 significant improvements, including:

• 30+ new Nmap Scripting Engine scripts
• Enhanced performance and reduced memory consumption
• Protocol-specific payloads for more effective UDP scanning
• A completely rewritten traceroute engine
• Massive OS and version detection DB updates (10,000+ signatures)

You can download Nmap 5.21 here (more options):

• Linux – nmap-5.21.tgz
• Windows – nmap-5.21-win32.zip

Or read more here.

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Learn to Crack any version of WinRAR – An Introduction to cracking

Hi folks,its been a long time since I have posted some thing technical,so I will be writing about the challenge I got at NIT KU, where I cracked WinRAR 3.80 using a disassembler and will tell you the same here. You can crack any version of WinRAR using this method and need not to pay for the registration fee and you can do this all by your self,easily. Furthermore, major software are cracked using the same way,but just get a bit complex in the methodology. This tutorial is intended for those who are new to cracking and disassembling.

Disclaimer – By Reading this tutorial You agree that this tutorial is intended for educational purposes only and the author can not be held liable for any kind of damages done whatsoever to your machine, or damages caused by some other,creative application of this tutorial.

In any case you disagree with the above statement,stop here.

The Tools

To perform this hack you will be needing -

1. Any De-assembler (I use Hackers Disassembler and Hview )
2. Resource Hacker
3. A patch Creator ( Use Universal Patch Creator or Code fusion)

You will be able to get them by googling ..

How to Crack ?

You need to have a bit knowledge of assembly language,and in case you don't have it,just cram the steps and it will work anytime,every time. Download the latest version of WinRAR from their website and install it.

I will be cracking Winrar 3.80 here (cuz I already have it:P ). This is basically a 2 step process ( 4 step ,if you want to do things with a professional touch,period) .

Now copy the WinRAR.exe file to desktop. Make a copy of it there.

Step 1 – Hunting for Memory Address

Now load Hackers Disasembler and load the copy in it.

The Disassembler will disassemble the executable in assembly code. Now you need to search for strings that are used in WinRAR program. Press Ctrl + F and type “evaluation” without quotes and search in the assembly code. Hit enter..

After you have reached this block of code by searching, just look at the block of code above it. There you will find that some assembly values are being compared and then code is jumped to some other function. Now see carefully, the “evaluation copy” function must be invoked after some specific condition is met. We need to look for it at the code and the make certain changes to the condition so that the program doesn't checks for the condition.

In the above code you can see this code -

00444B6A: 803DF4B84B0000 cmp byte ptr [004BB8F4], 00

00444B71: 0F859B000000 JNE 00444C12

This is the code responsible for validating you as a legal user :) . Just note down the memory address that leads to jump (JNE) at some memory location. In this case, note down 00444B71 .

Note : For any WinRAR version, this code and memory address might be different,but the JNE will be same. Just note down the respective memory address that checks.

Now you need to search for the code that brings that ugly nag screen “Please purchase WinRAR license” after your trial period of 40 days is over. For this,look over your toolbar and click on “D” which stands for looking for Dialog references.

Now in the dialog box that opens,search for “please” and you will get the reference as -

ID-REMINDER, “Please purchase WinRAR license”

Double click on it and you will reach the subsequent code.

The code will be something like

* String: “REMINDER”

0048731A: 68EB5E4B00 push 004B5EEB

Just note the memory address that invokes the REMINDER dialog. In this case its 0048731A. Note it down.

Note : For any WinRAR version, this code and memory address might be different.But the Reminder Memory address code will always PUSH something. Just note down the respective memory address that PUSH ‘s.

Step 2 – Fixing and Patching

Now in this step we will be patching up values of memory addresses we noted earlier. I will be doing this using HVIEW.

Now load the copy you disassembled in Hacker’s Disassembler in Hview.

After you have loaded it, you will see the code is unreadable. Its just like opening an EXE file in notepad. You need to decode it. To do that, just press F4 and yoiu will get an option to decode it. Hit DECODE and you will be able to see code in the form of assembly code and memory addresses.

After you have done that, you need to search for memory addresses you noted down earlier. Just hit F5 and a search box will be there. Now you need to enter the memory address. To do that, enter a “.” and the type memory address neglecting the earlier “00” . The “.” will suffice for “00”. ie -

Type .444B71 in place of 00444B71

and search in the code.

After you have reached the respective code, you need to make changes to it. Press F3 and you will be able to edit the code.Now make the following changes -

After you have done it, save it by pressing F9.

Now search for next memory location by pressing F5 and entering it. Reach there and make the following changes by pressing F3 -

Save the changes by pressing F9 and exit HVIEW by pressing F10.

Congrats..You have cracked WinRAR :) Replace the original WinRAR.exe with this copyofwinrar.exe by renaming it. It will work 100% fine :P

Step 3 – Spicing up the EXE

Now U have a 100% working version of EXE, you might want to change your registration information in WinRAR. TO do this, you can use Resource hacker.

Launch Resource Hacker, load the copyofwinrar.exe in it

Now go to DIALOG –> Expand tree –> ABOUTRARDLG and click it. Now Find Trial copy line and replace it with your favorite one :P

and click on Compile Script button.

Now save the file with any name on your desktop or any location what so ever.

Now you have a fully patched WinRAR.exe file :)) you can either use it, or also can distribute it like a real cracker. If you want to learn that, move on to next step.

Step 4 – Creating a working Patch (or giving Professional touch :P )

I will be using diablo2oo2's Universal Patcher (UPE) for creating the patch. The patch will work like any authentic one for that WinRAR version. Just like the one U downloaded at anytime of your life from any Crack and Keygen website.

Launch Patch Creator and click on add new project. Enter project Information and click on save.

Click on Add – > Offset patch

After you have done that, double click on offset patch and then

1. Give path of original winrar.exe
2. Give path of unmodified Winrar.exe (again)
3. Give path for fully patched Winrar.exe (ie Cracked Winrar.exe in this case)
4. Click on compare and it will show difference between both files
5. Click on save.

Now in the next window, click on Create Patch and save it. The Patch will be created. Now copy it in WinRAR installation directory and hit on patch, it WILL work.

Congrats you have created a patch of your own and have learned to crack WinRAR :)

You can crack other software in the same way…just practice,debug and disassemble and you will get the way :)

[PS: The above is the long way to do it, I will be telling you the shortest way to crack WinRAR in just 1 step, the main aim of this tutorial was to introduce you to disassemblers and tools, and do some dirty work with your hand. ]

Cheers

XERO

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Winners at NIT KU

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Heading towards NIT-KU

Hi Folks..wanna meet me ? I will be heading towards Literati 2010 at NIT KU on 23 – 24 Jan and will be presenting my whitepaper on computer security on 29 Jan 2010. See you guys there :) Cuz of this event I have been quite busy with the preparations,but I bet it will pay off.

Cheers .

- Rishabh Dangwal

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Compress Videos to smallest size

• BITRATE/Datarate- The parameter of quality of Video,Higher Bitrate,greater size and gr8 quality.Reverse is ALSO true !
• FPS - Nopes..its not FIRST PERSON SHOOTER (Sorry gamers :P) Its Frames per second.Simply changing from 30 fps to 24 fps could result in as much as 20 percent file size reduction!It's better to choose a slightly lower, 'round-number' frame-rate in most cases, such as 24.0, or 25.0.
• CBR - Constant Bitrate.Variable Bitrate in compression leads to high quality audio/video with less file size.
• VBR - Variable Bitrate.Variable Bitrate in audio compression leads to less high quality audio as compared to VBR.Its Used for streaming purposes.
• MP1/2/4 or MPEG1/MPEG2/MPEG4 - A video format developed by Motion Pictures Experts Group and Hence the name.MPEG 1 was the first in series allowing for video playback.MPEG2 allows DVD quality and MPEG4 aims at steaming internet media and High compression technique.
• AVI - Audio Video Interleaved.One of the oldest formats available,It enjoys itself in new incarnations as DIVX and XVID.Its a shell in which other techniques/compression/encoding methods -are worked out.
• High Definition- Very high bitrate media used for home/personal viewing.

• NERO - Available like booze and (almost) free. Make it enterprise (if u have not one already) and use NERO VISION to squeeze it out.Also supports editing.
• Avid - Professionals Use it...nice interface..but still costly.supports editing.
• IMTOO MPEG ENCODER - Terrific performance,supports exhaustive list of formats.Noobs and Newbie's,do yourself a favor and just stick to it.It will deliver almost everything you want (except editing).
• FFDSHOW - A collection of collective codecs.Use command line (if you like) to encode videos,or just watch/decode videos using it. It comes free with K-Lite mega codec pack :)
• VIRTUAl Dub - Free,fantastic and supports everything.But you might need to brainstorm for using it.supports editing and a lot of stuff !! Highly recommended for Geeks .
• AC3DEC - Used to decode AC3 audio files.Most of DVD's use this audio compression method.Get its GUI program to get the best out of it.
• FLASKMPEG - used to rip dvd's..well you have plenty of choices out there...

"SPEED VS QUALITY"

• Choose a good codec like DIVX/XVID,MPEG4 or WMV.
• When Aiming for MAXIMUM compression with MINIMUM quality loss,So just choosing the compressor is NOT ENOUGH..tweak accordingly bitrates (lower for low quality small file size and higher for more quality LARGE file size)
• If a larger video is shrunk to 320x240 or similar size, the quality will be MUCH HIGHER than by simply capturing the same video at 320x240.Shrinking the frame size from say 640x480 to say 320x240,will often result in about the same picture quality as the original 640x480 video,but the new 320x240 file will probably be much much smaller.
• Crop the video to get small frame size.
• Use low bitrate audio to get small size video.
• USE NO AUDIO for silent tutorials.
• Frame rate can drastically affect filesize.

• CODEC - MPEG4
• VIDEO BITRATE - 128/160 KBPS
• AUDIO BITRATE (if any) - 32/48/64 KBPS
• FRAME RATE - 15/24/25/30 FPS (choose your pick :P )
• VIDEO SIZE - 320 X 240 for internet,176 X 144 for mobile phones

1. open IMTOO.
2. Select Movie File.
3. Select video size from menu.For DVD quality,choose 720 X 480.
4. Set Birate to 700-900 KBPS.
5. Set Framerate to 25 FPS.
6. Set aspect as you wish.
7. Set Audio Codec to MP3,Audio bitrate to 160 KBPS/192 KBPS
8.  Set Audio sample rate to 44100 Hz
9. Hit Encode and leave the PC alone for encoding of file.

C:\MI3> ac3dec vts_01_1.vob -allvobs -out c:\windows\desktop\MI3.wav

1. If there is less than 5% compression,the compression is probably about as good as it will get.
2. If there is more than 5% compression,the audio and/or video can probably be compressed even further.h.264 or xvid/DIVX are your best bets for smallest file size at any given quality. Just keep in mind that eah has various quality settings that effect the compression, and thus the output size. You could use the same program to convert to each, but if the default settings are different,your output file size testing would be skewed.

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Google Attacked – May Leave China

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Finally I got my PC back

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