WPA Security Can Be Cracked

Not good news. WPA is the best we have for securing our wireless networks at home and at the workplace. A solid and secure network prevents theft of our data as it streams within the network, and prevents thieves from stealing our Internet connection bandwidth. This new hack doesn’t steal data (yet), but it is probably the first step in a series of steps that will lead to an all-out data breach.

Cracking the WPA Security Standard

Analysis: As security researchers prepare to discuss how they were able to subvert the WPA wireless security standard, eWEEK Labs outlines what this means to wireless administrators.

At the PacSec conference in Tokyo the week of Nov. 10, researchers Erik Tews and Martin Beck will outline the attack they created to subvert WPA wireless security protections.

Although the attack is limited in scope at this time—as it only affects TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol)-protected networks and can only be used to inject traffic but not to steal data—there is sure to be significant confusion about the effects of the attack.

So while I think we may still have some time before every common crook goes roaming through neighborhoods, the Geek Gurus had better get going on providing an even more secure way for us to protect our Internet connections and our data.

Do you have your home network secured? If not, see this tutorial here and an excellent photo tutorial here.

A Little About Vista 64-bit

Vista is the first Windows operating system to be 64-bit. A “bit” is bascially a data unit. Most Windows machines have 32-bit (32-bit processors, and 32-bit operating systems to make full use of the processors). But as we use computers to manage more and more data and manage it all simultaneously, the 64-bit processor was made. However, most computers didn’t make good use of these processors, because they ran 32-bit operating systems.

Enter the 64-bit operating system. Here’s a good summary from the Microsoft site:

Today, 64-bit processors have become the standard for systems ranging from the most scalable servers to desktop PCs. The way to take full advantage of these systems is with 64-bit editions of Microsoft Windows products.

The 64-bit systems offer direct access to more virtual and physical memory than 32-bit systems and process more data per clock cycle, enabling more scalable, higher performing computing solutions. There are two 64-bit Windows platforms: x64-based and Itanium-based.

And this tidbit from Wikipedia:

64-bit processors calculate particular tasks (such as factorials of large figures) twice as fast as working in 32-bit environments (given example is derived from comparison between 32-bit and 64-bit Windows Calculator; noticeable for factorial of say 100,000). This gives a general feeling of theoretical possibilities of 64-bit optimized applications.

By now you may be wondering why I am mentioning all this. I personally don’t see any reason to be on the “cutting edge” of everything (and the cutting edge changes, what, every month or two? Remember when magnets used to be the cutting edge?!). However, 64-bit machines are becoming the new standard. It would be of good use to start to learn about them; before long, you’ll probably be looking at machines that have them.

That’s an old Mac from the 80s. Believe it or not, I still own one, and it still works!

In a very simplistic way, I think about 32-bit and 64-bit in this way:

A juggler has two arms. He can juggle up to 3 balls. Think of it as if the two arms are the 32-bit machine. He can juggle three balls with his 32-bit machine. But start adding more balls, and he will start to drop some. It will be more than he can manage.

Suddenly, the juggler sprouted two more arms, for a total of four arms. Think of this as he is now a 64-bit machine. He can now juggle twice as many balls efficiently and simultaneously.

That’s how I explain 32-bit and 64-bit to my kids. It’s a very simple description, but I think it helps them understand.

We are using computers to do more and more things now. Thirty years ago, it was mere word processing and calculating. Today, we watch video, make video, listen and create music, manage and edit images, connect to the Internet, and so much more. 64-bit enables the computer to manage a lot of multi-tasking without straining the hardware components.

But like I said, operating systems were still stuck in 32-bit mode. Even if you had a 64-bit processor in your computer, if you had a 32-bit operating system, half of the processor’s capabilities were left unused.

Vista has changed this. Vista has two versions– 32-bit and 64-bit. I have computers with both the 32-bit and 64-bit. And there is a noticeable change, definitely.

This is all on my mind, because I’ve been discovering that the 64-bit, while not noticeably different on the outside, is very different as I manage my software. Last week, I wanted to use Windows Movie Maker to edit a video I made with my Samsung camcorder. I’d downloaded the Samsung software and codecs for Windows Media Player, and was able to view my raw videos with WMP. However, I could not get the raw video to play in the Windows Movie Maker. It was driving me beserk! I’d downloaded, tried, and uninstalled about a dozen different codec packages to get it to play. (A codec is short for compressor/decompressor; a codec is like a little translator package that tells your computer how to communicate with the software you want to use).

I could NOT get the Movie Maker to work. I first thought the issue was with Vista (some things are still incompatible with Vista, like my Konica laser printer). But the Windows Movie Maker worked just fine with the Samsung files on my laptop that has Vista. Finally, it dawned on me– I was downloading codecs designed for 32-bit software. I have a 64-bit operating system; no wonder nothing was working! I had to find out the hard way that my choices are limited and may be difficult to locate. Software manufacturers really aren’t making a whole lot of stuff for 64-bit systems yet. So a lot of my old software won’t work on this new machine.. BUT…

1.) Software makers are starting to come around. A year or so ago, there was no firewall or anti-virus that would work with Vista 64-bit. Now, both AVG and Comodo (two free programs that I use) have it.

2.) My Vista machine has some compatibility software that enables me to use both 32-bit software and 64-bit software (most of the time). This does cause my computer to work harder, and some programs (like the ULead Video Editing Studio) run painfully slow.

So my points in all this? You’re going to be coming across these new 64-bit machines very soon, as they are becoming standard. The next Windows operating system (code named Windows 7) is going to be 64-bit. And Vista already is. I have seen several computers on sale in stores with 64-bit software. Know what you are getting into when you’re out shopping. Just as you had to learn about “hard drive,” “RAM,” and “modem,” you’ll have to learn about processors and “bit” capability. If you realize what you’re getting into now, the changeover will be much easier later.

Once more people start buying more 64-bit machines (and we will once such machines become a more popular standard), the software makers will accomodate it. The 64-bit machine and operating systems are here to stay. I am glad, as I think they perform better and run faster.

The Christmas for Payatas Fund

One thing about the Internet is that it has certainly brought us all closer together. I love learning about all the wonderful things in the world– the art, the cultures, the food, the people. It’s a real thrill and a terrific education!

But the Internet has also made known the plight of the world’s poorest people. And the great thing about the Internet in this regard is that we can change things. Ever hear of the organization Christmas For Payatas? I know I have a lot of Filipino readers here, so I’m sure you are aware of these children of the Philippines, living in the most deplorable conditions.

The landfill in Payatas, The Philippines, is notoriously known the world over as Smokey Mountain. For over 35 years, the smoking dump site has grown to become a stark and heart-tugging reminder of the desperate onditions of humanity.

On a daily basis, children pick through newly arrived garbage to
collect material to sell. The earnings made by one child are not enough to even buy food for the day. Hence, entire families are forced to climb the mountain each day, hoping to earn enough to feed everyone. Children as young as four years old are forced to work in this daily struggle for survival.

In response to the plight of these children, Totedaddy.com is working with Lighthouse Center For Children Foundation to bring a little cheer to the children this Christmas.

Totedaddy.com has kicked off with a cash sponsorship of USD 10,000 to enable the children to celebrate Christmas. FusionExcel International has also pitched in a USD 5,000 in cash sponsorship. The money raised will help fund the projects already in place, and help fund additional projects aimed at providing better housing, and a means of livelihood for the Payatas community.

It is hoped that by creating better awareness to the plight of these children, more support can be garnered towards their betterment. Together we can bury poverty!

There’s a video that gives a visual example of the plight of these children.

The http://www.christmasforpayatas.com organization is asking for help. There are already many peoplw who support this cause– sports people, celebrities, politicians, and etc– but we know that it is the consistent efforts of ordinary people who really make the difference. Please check out the website and consider making a donation. See this site, Christmas For Payatas, for more details.

A Ready-Made Wordpress Package

Seek and ye shall find! My quest for more Wordpress themes continues. I found another site dedicated to Wordpress themes and plugins. Don’t be fooled by the plain theme; there are a lot of good tips, techniques, and a smattering of themes available. The themes are a little on the technical side for me, but they are incredibly functional and versatile. And there are many of them quite suitable for just about every niche blog topic there is.

This is a universal-type of package– it’s something you purchase and download. You pay via PayPal ($24.95) and are directed to a download page. The package includes all sorts of Wordpress goodies, like 118 most useful Wordpress plugins, a WP Auto Content Generator, and the Super Adsense Wordpress Themes, which looks very tempting. The cost for this whole package is much less than what you pay for a premier Wordpress theme (most premier themes cost $60-$150!). I really like the sounds of the Super Adsense Wordpress Themes; they come built-in with advanced SEO titles, are clickbank-ready and adsense-ready, have a flexible navigation menu, and more. Basically, all the Wordpress hacking and difficult stuff is already done for you with this package. Check it out, especially of you are one of those bloggers who hates html coding and theme hacking.

Brusheezy Photoshop Brushes

Do you use Photoshop? I use it and a few other image editing programs. I have to say, the built-in picture frames, brushes, and patterns in Photoshop are lame. It’s a good thing people put up their creations online; I just don’t have a ton of time to spend, creating new brushes and stuff. One EXCELLENT site for finding patterns and Photoshop Brushes is Brusheezy.com. Like the site says, “Stupid name, cool brushes.” lol. It’s a treasure trove of stuff there, and it’s ALL FREE! (But please abide by their terms of service). Artists upload their art and you can download the stuff. It’s one of my favorite for finding new stuff for Photoshop. They’ve got a blog, too, for tips and good advice. Bookmark this one! I favorited it in Technorati for future reference, too.

Filezilla FTP Software

I’m always trying out new software, and I recently checked out Filezilla FTP software. It’s got a very clean interface, so that’s a plus.

I found Filezilla to be a little clunkier than my other FTP programs. For one, the login seems to have too many steps. And the software signed me out after a period of time. I tried to change the settings, but couldn’t figure out how to do it. Changing the settings is not user-friendly.

I was amazed by Filezilla’s speed. Uploads went very smoothly. Navigating around my FTP files was a little difficult; like I said, there seem to be added steps here and there. But overall, Filezilla is a great FTP program, and it’s one of the few remaining that are free. It is very competent to do the job.

Cell Phone Text Messages Via IM

Did you know that you can send text messages to cell phones from certain Instant Messaging programs? Yes! I use the MSN Instant Messenger, and I have my friends’ mobile phone numbers in the contact lists. When I want to send them a text, I right-click on their icon and choose “Send a message to a mobile device.” There is a special phone number the receiver must allow in his phone contacts before receiving regular messages.

I use it a lot, but I will say that it is not 100% reliable. I don’t know if it’s an MSN thing or not, but sometimes my husband doesn’t get his messages right away. So if you have an emergency message, it’s probably best to use your cell phone. But the IM texts are handy, and they are free to send!

Free Online Scientific Calculator

When my two daughters were taking Algebra, we scrambled to find scientific calculators. This was before WalMart had them, and there was no office-supply store nearby. We used a regular calculator for a while, but it didn’t go far. Finally, we plunked down $25 for a scientific calculator! And we had to get TWO of them! Ugh. God forbid if one of the girls had homework but left the all-important calculator at school. That happened a few times, ugh.

I have found an online scientific calculator! It’s eCalc. What a lifesaver! It’s free to use. Computer calculators are a little hard to use, especially the one that comes with Windows operating system. You have to click the mouse to punch the calculator “buttons,” which I find very tedious. But an online calculator is better than no calculator, and the one at eCalc is pretty nice. It’s a great back up for those forgetful evenings.

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