Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
Free calling in Gmail extended through 2011 - Official Gmail Blog
Free calling in Gmail extended through 2011
Monday, December 20, 2010 | 10:00 AM
Posted by Robin Schriebman, Software Engineer
When we launched calling in Gmail back in August, we wanted it to be easy and affordable, so we made calls to the U.S. and Canada free for the rest of 2010. In the spirit of holiday giving and to help people keep in touch in the new year, we’re extending free calling for all of 2011.
In case you haven’t tried it yet, dialing a phone number works just like a regular phone. Look for “Call phone” at the top of your Gmail chat list and dial a number or enter a contact’s name.
To learn more, visit gmail.com/call. Calling in Gmail is currently only available to U.S. based Gmail users.Happy New Year and happy calling!
How to Open/Extract RAR files in Ubuntu Linux | TechSource
On 12/18/2010If you happen to download a file that contains .rar extension, you will have to unpack or extract it first in order to view or use its content since it is a compressed or archived file. RAR (Roshal ARchive) is a proprietary documented archive file format that supports data compression, error recovery, and file spanning. RAR files are often created using the commercial software called WinRAR.
If you are using Ubuntu Linux and want to extract or unpack .rar files, there are several free and open-source applications that can help you get the job done. So far, I've only used two applications for extracting RAR archives under Linux - Peazip and Unrar.
Installing and Using Unrar:
For those of you who prefer a quick and lightweight RAR unarchiver, you may use Unrar. You can easily install it using the Ubuntu Software Center or from the Linux terminal:
$ sudo apt-get install unrarAfter installing Unrar, you can immediately unpack or extract a .rar file (in current directory) using this command:
$ unrar e your_file.rar
If you only want to view the list of files the RAR archive contains, use this command:
$ unrar l your_file.rar
Installing and Using PeaZip:
For those of you who are not comfortable with the command line, you may use PeaZip. PeaZip is a file manager and file archiver that has an intuitive graphical user interface and has support for a wide variety of archive formats including RAR. You can download PeaZip from HERE.PeaZip is really easy to use that I think there is no need for me to give you a step-by-step instruction on using it to extract or unpack a .rar file. But if you have questions or need a little help, fee free to drop me a note via comment.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
How to Setup a VPN Server Using a DD-WRT Router
We have previously covered how to set up a PPTP VPN Server using Debian Linux here on Sysadmin Geek, however if you are already utilizing a DD-WRT firmware based router in your network then you can easily configure your router to act as the PPTP VPN Server.
DD-WRT Configuration
Before setting up the VPN Server, you must first make sure your installed build of DD-WRT includes the PPTP VPN features. The DD-WRT feature list shows this as “PPTP / PPTP Client” on their chart. Check the installed version on your router (which you can see in the upper right corner on the configuration pages) against the chart. If the feature is not included in your build, you will need to flash your router with a DD-WRT version which does include the “PPTP / PPTP Client”.
To turn on the PPTP VPN Server, navigate to the Services tab and then the VPN sub-tab and select the option to enable the PPTP Server.
Once enabled, several previously hidden options will appear. Configure them as follows:
- Server IP: Public IP address of the router
- Client IP(s): List of local IP’s (respective to the VPN network) to use when assigning IP addresses to clients connecting through the VPN. In our example, we are setting aside 5 IP addresses (192.168.16.5, .6, .7, .8, .9) for use by the VPN clients.
- CHAP-Secrets: User name and passwords for VPN authentication. The format is “user * password *” (user[space]*[space]password[space]*), with each entry on its own line. In our example, there is just a single accepted user name (jfaulkner) and password (SecretPassword1).
You can view detailed documentation on all of these options by clicking the “Help more…” link on this page on the right side of the DD-WRT configuration.
Once you are finished, click the Apply Settings button to push the configuration through to your DD-WRT router and you are finished.
Connecting to the PPTP VPN Server
Once you have your DD-WRT router configured, all that is left is to simply connect your client computers to the VPN. For our example, we will be showing how this is done using Windows 7 Professional.
In the Network and Sharing Center of the Control Panel, click the option to set up a new network connection.
Select the option to connect to a workplace VPN.
If you have existing connections, they will be displayed here. For our example, we want to create a new connection.
Select the option to use your Internet connection to connect to the VPN.
Enter the domain or IP address of your VPN Server (the public IP address of the DD-WRT router configured above) and give a title to the VPN connection.
Enter the credentials for your VPN login which was configured in the DD-WRT router settings. Click Connect.
After a few moments, if everything is configured correctly, you should be connected to the PPTP VPN Server on the DD-WRT router.
Running ‘ipconfig’ on the local machine should show you are connected to both the VPN and your existing internet connection.
Once connected, you can now access all the resources on the VPN as though you were connected to the network locally.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Top 10 Most Infamous Black Hat Hackers of All Time | TechSource
On 12/03/2010In the world of information technology, black hat hackers (also known as crackers or cyber-criminals) are known as the bad guys or villains. Most of them break into computers or networks without authorization to steal money and classified and sensitive information, while others are doing it simply for the challenge or the thrill of hacking. To accomplish their sinister work, crackers often create malware (malicious software) like viruses and worms to gain control of computer systems.
I have gathered here a list of ten of the most popular cyber-criminals the world has ever known. These evil geniuses were involved in high profile hacking that possibly caused millions, if not billions of dollars in total damages. However, some of them have now turned to the good side and are using their talents for the benefit of mankind.Without further delay, here are the top 10 most infamous black hat hackers of all time:
10. Jonathan James
At the age of 16, Jonathan James (also known as c0mrade) became the first juvenile imprisoned for cybercrime in the United States. James carried out a series of intrusions into various systems including the computers of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) of the US Department of Defense. James had installed an unauthorized backdoor in a computer server in Dulles, Virginia that he used to install a sniffer allowing him to intercept over three thousand messages passing to and from DTRA employees while collecting countless usernames and passwords. This intrusion caused NASA to shut down its computers for three weeks costing them $41,000 to check and secure their systems. Jonathan James committed suicide in 2008.9. Kevin Poulsen
Kevin Poulsen (also known as Dark Dante) is a notorious black hat hacker in the 1980s. One of his popular hacks was a takeover of all of the telephone lines for Los Angeles radio station KIIS-FM, assuring that he would be the 102nd caller, and the likely winner of a brand new Porsche 944. Poulsen went underground as a fugitive when the FBI started pursuing him, but was finally captured in 1991. He pleaded guilty to seven counts of mail, wire and computer fraud, money laundering, obstruction of justice, and for obtaining information on covert businesses run by the FBI. Kevin Poulsen was sentenced to 51 months in prison, which at that time was the longest sentence ever given for cracking. He is now a free man and is a senior editor at Wired News.8. Albert Gonzalez
Albert Gonzalez is a cyber-criminal accused of masterminding the biggest ATM and credit card theft in history. From 2005 through 2007, he and his group have allegedly sold more than 170 million card and ATM numbers. Gonzalez's team used SQL injection techniques to create malware backdoors on several corporate systems in order to launch packet-sniffing (specifically, ARP Spoofing) attacks, which allowed him to steal computer data from internal corporate networks. When he was arrested, authorities seized $1.6 million in cash including $1.1 million in plastic bags placed in a three-foot drum buried in his parents' backyard. Earlier this year, Gonzalez was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison.7. Michael Calce
In February 2000, Michael Calce (a.k.a. MafiaBoy) launched a series of highly publicized denial-of-service attacks against large commercial websites. His victims include Yahoo!, Amazon.com, Dell, eBay, and CNN. He hacked Yahoo! when it was still the web's leading search engine causing it to shutdown for about an hour. Calce exploited websites primarily for pride and to establish dominance for himself and his cybergroup named TNT. In 2001, the Montreal Youth Court sentenced him to eight months of open custody, one year of probation, restricted use of the Internet, and a small fine.6. Markus Hess
Markus Hess is a German hacker in the late 1980s that was recruited by the KGB and was involved in a Cold War computer espionage incident. All the way from Germany, he was able to access computer systems from the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory (LBL) located in California. By using LBL to “piggyback” to ARPANET and MILNET, Hess attack 400 U.S. military computers including OPTIMIS Database (The Pentagon), Anniston Army Depot, U.S. Air Force (Ramstein Air Base, West Germany), Fort Buckner, Camp Foster (Okinawa, Japan). He went to trial in 1990 and was found guilty of espionage. Hess was sentenced to a one to three year prison sentence but was eventually released on probation.5. Vladimir Levin
Vladimir Levin is known for his involvement in the attempt to illegally transfer 10.7 million US dollars via Citibank's computers. In 1997, Levin was brought into U.S. custody, and he admitted to only one count of conspiracy to defraud and to stealing $3.7 million. The following year, he was convicted and sentenced to three years in prison, and ordered to pay more than $200,000. Of the stolen $10.7 million, Citibank claimed that only around $400,000 had been recovered. At the moment, Levin is free and now lives in Lithuania.4. Robert Tappan Morris
Robert Tappan Morris is an 'accidental' black hat hacker infamous for creating the first ever computer worm on the Internet known as Morris Worm. In 1988, he created the worm while he was a graduate student at Cornell University with the original aim of measuring the size of the Internet or counting the number of computers connected to it. The Morris Worm spread rapidly and infected thousands of computers. The cost of possible loss in productivity caused by the worm at each system ranged from $20,000 to more than $530,000 as estimated. Without serving jail time, Morris was sentenced to community service, probation, and a fine of $10,000. He is currently a professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), in the Institute's department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.3. Adrian Lamo
Adrian Lamo is widely known for breaking into a series of high-profile computer networks that include The New York Times, Microsoft, Yahoo!, and MCI WorldCom. In 2002, he added his name to the The New York Times' internal database of expert sources and used LexisNexis account to conduct research on high-profile subjects. The Times filed a complaint, and a warrant for Lamo's arrest was issued, followed by a 15-month investigation by federal prosecutors in New York. After several days in hiding, he surrendered to the US Marshals, and then to the FBI. Lamo was ordered to pay around $65,000 in damages and was sentenced to six months house arrest at his parents' home, plus two years probation. In June 2010, Lamo disclosed the name of Bradley Manning to U.S. Army authorities as the source of the July 12, 2007 Baghdad airstrike video leak to Wikileaks. At present, he is working as a threat analyst and donates his time and skills to a Sacramento-based nonprofit organization.2. Gary McKinnon
Gary McKinnon has been accused of what one US prosecutor claims is the "biggest military computer hack of all time". Between February 2001 and March 2002, he reportedly exploited 97 United States military, Department of Defense, and NASA computers. McKinnon allegedly deleted critical files from operating systems that shut down the US Army’s Military District of Washington network of 2,000 computers for 24 hours. He supposedly deleted US Navy Weapons logs, causing a naval base's network of 300 computers unusable after the September 11th terrorist attacks. McKinnon is also charged with copying of sensitive data, account files, and passwords onto his own computer. He expresses that he was only looking for evidence of free energy suppression, a cover-up of UFO activity, and other technologies that may be useful to the public. At present, McKinnon is awaiting extradition to the United States.1. Kevin Mitnick
Kevin Mitnick was once considered as the most wanted computer criminal in United States history. He was involved in a highly publicized pursuit by authorities that his misadventures were depicted in two hacker films: Takedown (a.k.a. Hackers 2) and Freedom Downtime. While he was a fugitive, he cracked dozens of computer networks and copied valuable proprietary software and stole corporate secrets from some of the largest cellular telephone and computer companies in the US. Mitnick also intercepted and stole computer passwords, altered computer networks, read private e-mails, and cloned cellular phones to hide his location. In 1999, he confessed to four counts of wire fraud, two counts of computer fraud and one count of illegally intercepting a wire communication. Mitnick was sentenced to a total of 68 months in prison and was incarcerated for 5 years that included 8 months in solitary confinement. He was released in 2000 and is now a well-known computer security consultant, public speaker, and author.
Friday, December 3, 2010
How an RC airplane buzzed the Statue of Liberty, with no arrests
The video is absolutely stunning: a remote-controlled plane flies over and around the Brooklyn Bridge, buzzes the Statue of Liberty, and explores New York from a point of view even "real" airplanes rarely see. While the police were curious about what was happening, no arrests were made, and the creators of the video praise the police and the TSA for their professionalism.
This is the story of how one group of enthusiasts made flying a plane around New York City fun again.
The video was shot with a remote-controlled aircraft that has one video camera feeding images back to the operator, along with a second, passive camera taking the video that was edited together for the official release. The video was shot between 7 and 8am, those being the only hours they could safely avoid air traffic. If you'd like more information about the aircraft or the build itself, there is a thread on RCGroups with a wealth of information.
The video speaks for itself.
New York CitySo how difficult was the flight? "In a city it is very tricky due to the widespread interfering sources," Trappy, from Team Black Sheep, told Ars. "I'd say you need at least six months to do any kind of city flying, especially in big cities. Other than that, to control the model in a safe environment without interfering sources it's possible to fly solo after 2 to 3 hours on the sticks. It's a bit like a flight simulator, only easier."
While you may think this sort of flying would catch the attention of the authorities and lead to terrorism scares, the response from the police was measured and sensible. "The reaction was very professional. They asked me what I was doing and I told them I'd land and explain it to them. After that we got talking and I showed them how it all works, what I'm doing and so on."
What's even more impressive is that the video was shot without any kind of official blessing. "I did not clear any of the flights through the authorities beforehand, but I did check local laws and regulations prior to departure."
The footage has gained the team a huge mess of publicity, with the link making its way around the tech blogs and Twitter. Trappy says he knew he was capturing something special even before the plane landed. "I sort of knew the video was going to be impressive before I launched," he told Ars. "But in the air I was totally overwhelmed by flying over the statue of liberty and Brooklyn bridge with all their historic association. I smiled from ear to ear when rewatching the video back at home."
Thursday, December 2, 2010
How to sync your iPad with Linux | Linux User
This article originally appeared in issue 94 of Linux User & Developer magazine.
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Even if you are not a technology buff, it’s hard not to notice how the iPad has taken over the world of gadgets. Before its launch, the iPhone and the iPod touch had a similar impact and they are visible just about everywhere you go. All of Apple’s portable devices use iTunes to synchronise their information with a computer, and iTunes is only available on Windows and Mac systems. So where does that leave Linux users like you and me? Thankfully it’s not a lost cause – let’s take a look at how you can get the maximum out of your fruit branded mobile device on an Ubuntu desktop setup. You’ll also be pleased to hear that all the solutions that we look at here will work on your Apple mobile device without the device requiring to be jailbroken.
You’ll have to forgive the obligitory disclaimer however – all the software and syncing solutions discussed in this article are not built or approved by Apple, and therefore cannot be guaranteed to work as intended. Now, on with the guide…
Required resources
libimobiledevice The project that allows you to sync your iPod, iPad, or iPhone to your Linux machine
Handbrake For converting videos from one format to another
Fuse File system This allows read-write access to your Apple devicesInstallation
1. Getting libimobiledevice
Both Ubuntu 10.04 and 10.1 support the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad out of the box. This is using the libimobiledevice project, which is hosted here. You can visit the project’s website and download the source code, along with that of the supporting packages. Ready-made binaries for several popular distributions are also available from this website. However, the easiest way to get hold of the libimobiledevice packages is by using your distribution’s package management system. For example, Ubuntu Linux and openSUSE have the software in their official repositories. Ubuntu 10.04 and 10.1 users can skip the next step.2. Installing on Ubuntu 9.10
Although Ubuntu 9.10 does not ship with support for the Apple devices, you can set things up reasonably easily. Launch the package source manager by going to System>Administration>Software Sources. Click on the Other Software tab and then on the Add button. Now add the line ‘ppa:pmcenery/ppa’ as the source. Save it and hit the Reload button to reload the repository information. Now launch the Synaptic Package Manager and install the package ‘libimobiledevice0’. Note that you will need to restart your computer for the installation process to complete correctly.3. Installing libimobiledevice for everyone else
If you have landed on a computer which does not have libimobiledevice pre-installed and you can’t find it in your distribution’s binary repositories, you can always download the source release of libimobiledevice and compile it yourself. First, make sure that you have the development tools required for compiling packages installed. Download the source package from the libimobiledevice project website and extract it to a temporary location. Get into the source directory and execute the following commands:./configure make sudo make install4. Plug and play
When you have set things up, you should plug your iPad, iPod or iPhone into your Ubuntu computer. Connect it with the USB cable that you got with your device. When you plug it in, you should see two windows pop up, like the ones shown in the screenshot below, and your device’s icon appear on the Desktop. The two window panes will ask you which applications you want to use to view and manage the photos and the music on your device. The list that will appear depends upon what applications you have installed on your computer. If you see this screen, you should be in business. Let’s proceed and see how you can manage the music, photos, video and other data on your Apple device.
Continue to page 2 – working with your music
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