Access Everywhere: The Definitive Guide to Wi-Fi

For the last decade, as wireless networks have grown in popularity, so has the number of hot spots around the globe.

The leading online hot-spot directory, JiWire, lists 215,666 locations as of this writing. Those are just the ones people bother to report. Believe it or not, they’re not all in coffee shops—in fact, hotels host the most hot spots, followed by restaurants. With that many venues offering Wi-Fi, it should be easy to find Internet access wherever you go, right? It is, if you know where, and perhaps how, to look. Here are some tips on finding locations, both free and for a fee, unique venues where Wi-Fi may flourish (think: air travel), and how to make your own mobile hot spots on the fly if you’ve got the equipment, the cash, and the gumption to unwire beyond your home network.

Source:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2325670,00.asp?kc=PCRSS03129TX1K0000625

Posted in Internet, Linux, Networking, Privacy, Security, Windows | No Comments

How to break into registry to explore HKLM\SAM and HKLM\SECURITY keys

The Registry Editor will not allow you to navigate through HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SAM and HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SECURITY hives. These hives are protected by the System Account and currently logged on user or member of Administrators Group do not have permissions to view them.

To view the the registry entries under SAM or SECURITY hive, you need to run the Registory Editor under the security context of System Account. To run Registry Editor under the security context of System Account, use the following command with Psexec.exe:

Psexec.exe –s –i regedit.exe

Psexec.exe can be downloaded at the following URL: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896649.aspx.

Source: http://www.windowsnetworking.com/kbase/WindowsTips/Windows2000/RegistryTips/RegistryTools/HowtobreakintoregistrytoexploreHKLMSAMandHKLMSECURITYkeys.html

Posted in Privacy, Security, Windows | No Comments

Five Things Kevin Mitnick Knows About Security

Reformed hacker-turned-security-consultant Kevin Mitnick served five years in federal prison for breaking into phone and software company networks. He talks about his past hacking exploits, computer security, and how he turned an illegal hobby into a useful career.

Source:
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/148430/five_things_kevin_mitnick_knows_about_security.html

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Finding the name behind a gmail address

Ever wondered what name is behind some obscure gmail address? Maybe your preferred gmail address was taken and you’re wondering who took it?

Here’s a cute vulnerability in the gmail system that comes from the strong tie-ins between gmail, the google calendar and all the other services.

Source:
http://blogs.securiteam.com/index.php/archives/1113

Posted in Internet, Privacy, Security, Software | No Comments

New service tracks missing laptops for free

Lose your laptop these days and you lose part of your life: You say good-bye to photos, music and personal documents that cannot be replaced, and if it’s a work computer, you may be the source of a very public data breach.

But now, researchers at the University of Washington and the University of California, San Diego, have found a way to give you a shot at getting your life back. On Monday, they plan to launch a new laptop tracking service, called Adeona that is free and private.

Named after the Roman goddess credited with guiding children back to their parents, Adeona uses software that has been under development for the past year.

Here’s how it works: A user downloads the free client software onto a laptop. That software then starts anonymously sending encrypted notes about the computer’s whereabouts to servers on the Internet. If the laptop ever goes missing, the user downloads another program, enters a username and password, and then picks up this information from the servers, specifically a free storage service that has been around for several years, called OpenDHT.

Source:
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/071408-new-service-tracks-missing-laptops.html?fsrc=rss-security

Posted in Hardware, Privacy, Security | No Comments