logicalconfusion

Thanks for the links. The hard part now is configuring vsftp via cmdline to backup existing files. I'll give it a shot...

My gf, who's new to linux, accidentally deleted 80% of her var directory when she was trying to configure her sound card on BT5 R2. So, now its like she can root into the system but the desktop won't load. She tried installing foremost and testdisk using the apt-get cmd. The system apparently can't execute the cmd since the dependencies are missing, which ironically were in the var directory. What would be the best way to recover the lost directory. The videos on on YouTube adv Foremost. The msg boards recommend a USB testdisk/Foremost approach. Whats the best way to back-up the existing files (bkup directory) from the cmdline and re-store the lost directory?

That's true. Free is just a way for them to pull the old bait 'n switch. This is neat. I wonder how this compares to proxy services like hidemyass. I wish all sites would use https, including hak5!

Thats an option. I don't understand how it works. Do you know of any free VPN services that support openvpn?

You might be able to un-cap, jtag, etc. The bottom line here is that it's their network and equipment. Although they don't have access to your PC/equipment, they have every right to monitor and upload firmware to their devices, which gives them a certain level of control. You're right most cable modems are stand alone and usually not NAT'ed. DSL/FIOS/4g modems are modifiable (firewall, wifi, portwarding, etc), compared to cable DOCSIS modems. Regardless of the modem, all consumer packets/info go through the ISP's network and is usually un-encrypted unless a third party application such as HTTPS everywhere or hidemyass encrypts it. I wouldn't want them to collect and sell info....they don't pay me to enough to participate B). Now the hard part is figuring out a and SSL/VPN/SSH solution that's portable (nix, windows. os x, and droid). hmm....

Okay, from what I've gleaned so far during my coffee breaks. Theres ARP watch/ARTP on, VPN SSH tunneling, proxies like hidemyass that implement SSL and foxy proxy and Layer 3 swtiches? Hm. Now the hard part is figuring out how to implement it the most efficient techniques....got my research cut out for me.

This is all very confusing, as I don't personally snort. I know ISPs collect data to sell to "marketing agencies," its all a part of the fine print. I don't want them to know when I log in to Facebook or who I chat with on the internet. Its none of their business.They can actually read this particular post. We're all shielded by the first amendment so they cant interfere but they can monitor. They have more rights since I'm using their servers and its cyberspace. I'm not naive to think they the feds and state law enforcement agencies can't monitor traffic either. Anonymity on the internet really doesn't exist, even with a proxy and advanced routing techniques. I've heard of a group that got busted a couple of years ago for ripping off ticket master. They set up a large bot net with sophisticated algorithms that can actually decipher captchas! The fools got busted scalping. Anyway, the website and cloud techniques seem pretty interesting. I'll have check my domain service to see if they offer VPN and shell acnts...TOR is just a headache. It wont speed up until millions of people use it.

Good Ol' Hiren's bootdisk! It was a formatting issue. As soon as I loaded the WINDOWS version of partition wizard the second drive appeared, with approx 7MB of bs allocated which I will soon wipe with partition magic. Anyway, the drive is working...g2g. Thanks!

Ok. It looks like I can't add the drive that listed in the device manager as new hardware. For some reason XP recognizes that its connected but won't allow me to format it. So, I loaded Hiren's CD in an attempt to format as NTFS, again. Although I can check its specifications, its not available to utilities such as partition magic or fdisk. I dont think its a BIOS issue. The HD appears in the device manager. I think it might be an issue with the MBR/LBA like you suggested. Its drivng me nuts...I can't format a drive that's listed in the device manager...wtf!

youre right its weird! Its like it lost the second drive after I formatted both. I'll try what you suggested and re-connecting it. Maybe it'll kick in...thanks for the info

Nothing! its just that TOR is slow - snail slow. Not only that, there's like a negative connotation associated with services like TOR. I shouldn't have to route my traffic to from Zimbabwe to China back to NY just to check the Superbowl. I'll check out the cloud solution....test accnt?

Onion routing was meant for free speech, the 1st amendment. There are places in world where amendments don't exist. I don't think the developers of TOR intended to host porno or death threats to Obama. It would be great if they made it text only - like lynx, to support encryption methods already in use.

Theres FIOS, Cable, and DSL. Cable bandwidth tends to be shared. Unlike DSL, the cable IPs don't change frequently. The only difference is that DSL, FIOS, and 4G type lines are dedicated, so its a 1:1 connection, which means its very hard to sniff traffic since the ISP assigns dynamic public addresses - its NATed. The real question here is how can I encrypt traffic when browsing the web and transferring files directly. I know a VPN would relay encrypted traffic at a price. Is there a safe freeware solution that I can use to block my traffic from the ISP and sniffers? Is it possible to sniff FIOS/DSL connections? I've heard of Open VPN and TOR. TOR is as slow as dial-up, and really isn't safe considering all the FBI exit nodes that already exist. Almost all ISPs sell customer info to to textbook companies for demographic use. Its a known fact.

I got an old XP sp3 machine w/ a p4 that was recently upgraded with ram and an rather old WDC 40 gig HD. I set the pin on the back to slave and the primary HD to master. The bios is set to use the maxtor as the primary master HD. For some reason the system is not detecting the recently added IDE drive. I got info on the drive using a sys analyzer utility on Hiren's boot disk - WDC400BB-75JHC0, so the system knows its on board(plugged into the mb) but wont allow partitioning. The XP device manager also shows the drive as a component of the system. How can I get explorer to recognize and partition it? BIOS?

yes for the most part its m$ on the front end and nix/oracle on the back-end. most people dread the cmd line and lotus notes is now history. you must learn both to thrive in IT.

The DSL modem that I use has a built-in firewall, which is set to the highest setting. So, its behind a firewall and public IP changes often. I also have a host file setup to block common ads. Now how can I encrypt all the traffic to and from my network, when browsing the internet? Wouldn't the ISP have to support encryption. Is it possible to use SSL all the time?

Its easy to analyze network traffic using applications like wireshark and snort if the person is on the same network(subnet) as you. Cable networks are infamous of allowing attackers to intercept traffic since they use a static ip addressing scheme (unlike DSL which is dynamic). Cable bandwidth is shared with everyone in the neighborhood so its relatively easy to pick up packets. Whats the best way to stop a sniffer dead in his tracks on a DSL that doesn't offer ssh as a service? Please don't mention TOR.

so, dropbox is apparently insecure. Who in their right mind would store un-encrypted data on a public service such as dropbox anyway. There's probably a way to program the dropbox to reach for its data outside the network where its actually stored, after its been encrypted by a app like truecrypt. Its hard to believe that it would reveal info to a packet sniffer. I guess they dont pay their developers enough to encrypt and obfuscate network traffic.

why not contact the carriers outside the US to find out. Most ppl use VoIP now. I cant believe that you want to dial-up like an old ATM ;]

You guys are awesome! I forgot about this little post. Its actually pretty trivial (and insecure on DMZ, although you can pswd protect the share). All you would have to do is modfiy a config file and chmod 777 a directory to share files across a network, basically. Of course its possible to go nuts and include subnet and pswds but its not the way to go to share files securely, especially on a public network. SFTP would be the way to go ihmo. Thanks!

TOR is crap. The service depends on the exit node for "onion routing" which can be tracked. I actually hidemyasss by using anonymous proxies when visiting questionable sites.

I got an XP machine set up in the DMZ of my network. Can I use Samba to share files with BT5 and Ubuntu 12 on the through the firewall of my modem?

IT environments that implement enterprise level freeware are horrible. It's a lot like working in a thrift store loaded with donated packard bells. Ever think of limiting their traffic through a proxy and pre-defined host file.

correct! It's all available through the good ol' cmdlne. sudo lshw | less really hit the nail on the head. I bet they're working a nifty tool that combines aida32 and CUP-Z now. Thanks for the info. You can write it out to txt uising re-direction, makes it a bit easier to read. sudo lshw | less > hdwre.txt

Actually its best to start with VB if you're on Windows. C/C++ was designed for nix. Theres more of a learning curve involved and the syntax can get pretty confusing. The ony difference is performance and protability. Check out books written by Knuth.