Best Way To Get Your Password: Social Engineering

In 2003, Ebay users received an email that their account were about to be suspended unless they update their credit card information. The attacker had set up a similar looking website in order to trick the users that they were accessing the legitimate website. A number of people had their credit card information compromised. Information were obtained without the hacker even trying to crack Ebay's servers.

Hello there buddy. I just need your credit card information.

In 2012, a hacker in a devcon event tried to hack a Wal-mart executive in just 20 minutes. He got every detailed information about the executive within that time span just by using his social engineering skills and a little bit of technical tools of the trade. The executive was compromised when he was called and he gave out all the information that the hacker needed. Computer OS version, Web Browser version and Anti Virus Software. Finally he was asked to fill out an online survey form which completed the exploit. This was done at devcon with hundreds of people watching the attack as it happened.

Yes Sir, please click that link. Thank you very much. We're done.

These incidents were made by a hacker which had no direct access to the system's server. This method is by far, easier and more practical because it gave the hacker a broader access to the victim's profile which may directly relate to how he secures his/her online identity. Cracking a system with hacking tools may take time and may not even be successful at worst.

One of the greatest hackers of all time, Kevin Mitnick (who later turned into a security consultant) was, at one time, the most wanted man in America. He gained unauthorized access to various network and systems by using his social engineering skills. He believed that the weakest link in computer security is the human element.

In order to protect yourself from such attacks, you must first know thy enemy.


Commonly Used Social Engineering Techniques

Phishing
Method of acquiring usernames, passwords, credit card information etc. by sending fraudulent emails to users and redirecting them to a non-legitimate website which may collect personal information from them.

Quid Pro Quo
It means "Something for Something"

• An attacker calls random numbers at a company, claiming to be calling back from technical support. Eventually this person will hit someone with a legitimate problem, grateful that someone is calling back to help them. The attacker will "help" solve the problem and, in the process, have the user type commands that give the attacker access or launch malware.

• In a 2003 information security survey, 90% of office workers gave researchers what they claimed was their password in answer to a survey question in exchange for a cheap pen. Similar surveys in later years obtained similar results using chocolates and other cheap lures, although they made no attempt to validate the passwords

Baiting

This is also known as the physical or the real world Trojan Horse. It uses physical media such as USB, CDs and other removable drives as an attack vector. This kind of attack relies heavily on malware and other malicious codes in order to carry out its goal. This may also trigger a wave of infection, affecting a large number of victims in a short span of time.

Now that we have known thy enemy, we can now protect ourselves from the threat.

Yes we can put him out of work.

How To Protect Yourself From Social Engineering Attacks

Password

• Create a strong and unique password by using combinations of upper and lowercase letters, characters and numbers. 
• Do not use easy to guess passwords such as your dog's name or your mothers maiden name.
• Do not use the same password for multiple sites.

Browser Security

• Always log out of devices which you do not own.
• Regularly update your web browsers. They regularly do updates in order to patch malicious exploits.
• Always look for the HTTPS when logging on websites that require personal information.
• Do not click on unfamiliar links.

Computer Security

• Regularly scan your computer for viruses.
• Do not install any unfamiliar applications which may execute malicious codes on your operating system.
• Unless you know what you are doing, steer away from pirated software.
• Do not entrust the security of your computer to strangers.
• Trust only certified technicians when it comes to your PC's maintenance or repair.

Remember, with a little bit of common sense and technical know-how, you can protect yourself from malicious hackers who exploit the human weakness in order to get personal information for their own gains.

Stay tuned and please like our facebook page in order to receive a daily stream of information.

Reference links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_engineering_(security)

http://blog.hotspotshield.com/2013/08/08/how-to-protect-yourself-from-hackers/

http://money.cnn.com/2012/08/07/technology/walmart-hack-defcon/index.htm

Geeky Troll: Scheduler

Introduction

This tutorial will cover a somehow, hidden tools on Microsoft Operating System (Hidden in a way that most users don't know about it), it's called Task Scheduler.

Step 1: Go to Run and type "Task Scheduler"

Step 2: Click "Create Basic Task"

Step 3: 
Type anything in the name then click "Next"
Choose "When Computer Starts"
Choose "Start a program"
Now browse for the browser he is using like firefox or chrome (shortcut in the desktop will do)
In the "Add Arguments" type any website you want

That's it!

Whenever his/her computer starts his computer will open that website.

You can also try to experiment with this trick like instead of "When computer starts" set it at 12:00 in the evening then open a scary website, if he's already browsing the internet it will be opened as a new tab which is scarier.

Happy Trolling

Geeky Troll Part 1

Introduction

Trolling or simply annoying some people using jokes and pranks. Well you cannot complete your trolling experience without using one of the most used device in the world, the computer. But I will show simple tricks and those tricks that cannot harm someones PC.

Okay Let's start

The shutdown prank

This prank will simply shutdown and display a message when a user clicked the shortcut/program.

Step 1: Right-click in your desktop and Click New--Shortcut

Step 2: Type "Shutdown -s -t 100 -c "Trojan Horse Activated"

Note: -t 100 means that in 100 seconds the computer will shutdown (change it for more fun)

-c "Trojan Horse Activate" will display the text inside the "" when they clicked it.

Click next then finish

But that doesn't look convincing right?

Now let's pick a software in the desktop to follow. 

In this tutorial i'll choose chrome because it is a frequently used software.

Step 3: Now Right-Click the software you want to copy and click "Properties" Then "Change Icon"

Copy the link you see above

Step 4: Now do the same with the shortcut you created, Right-Click it, Choose "Properties"--"Change Icon". Paste the path you copied recently to the path now and hit Enter.

You'll now see the icons of Google Chrome, Choose the appropriate Icon then click ok then apply.

Just rename your shutdown.exe icon then delete/hide the google chrome original icon.

Enjoy!

The 101 Guide to use torrent

Introduction

Most of us already heard about "Torrent", using torrent to download a file is the easiest and most convenient way to download a file, there is no "interrupted download" with torrent, because you download a file piece by piece and when you shutdown your PC you can still resume it the next time you open it, it's also easier to find a software,movie,song or other files (legal or illegal). But many people don't know how to use this amazing software, in this article I will teach you how to use it.

Downloading the software
Bittorrent: http://www.bittorrent.com/downloads/
Utorrent: http://www.utorrent.com/downloads/complete?os=mac

You need to download the software first, there are different torrent engines (I prefer uTorrent), so you can use whatever you want.

Looking for a torrent file

Now that you have a software to download a torrent file, the next thing we will do is to find what to download, in this tutorial we will download a Men in Black 3 movie.

First search for something you want to download and add a "Torrent" in it, in this case this are the top results for that torrent, try to download a torrent file on trusted sites like thepiratebay, isohunt and other sites.

Choosing the best torrent:

When choosing what torrent file to download we must consider some factors.

1. Video Quality (For movies): Quality copy of newly released movies are hard to find because there are no DVDRip version yet, so your best shot is to look for a Cam version of the movie and look for the comments about its quality.

2. Seeders and Leechers: This is a very important part of a torrent, a healthy torrent usually has 1,000+ seeders. Seeders are computers that has the complete the file where you can download it, leechers are people who are downloading that file too, so it is good to choose a torrent with 5:1 ratio of seeders and leechers for a fast download.

3. Comment and ratings: Some losers will try to upload a file with binded virus in it, so try to read the comment first if it is a legit copy or if its working or not.

Downloading the torrent:

There are two ways to download a torrent:

Using magnet links: When you click a magnet link (magnet icon or sometimes in text) your torrent engine will open and ask if you want to download it. (Image Below)

Using .torrent file: You can also download the .torrent file, just click the part where it says "Download .torrent" or "Download Torrent" then you'll be prompted to save it, when you finish downloading it you can drag it inside your torrent engine.

Open your file:

When you finish downloading the torrent you can now right-click it (in torrent engine) and click "Open Containing Folder" in this torrent you'll see a .avi file and that is your downloaded file, you can now watch and enjoy it.

Speed Up the download:

To increase the download speed simply click Options -- Preferences -- Bandwidth.

Then change Global maximum number of connections into higher number (5000 for example) also change the "Maximum number of connected peers per torrent to something like 1000.

Note: This will only work if you have a fast internet.

For question, suggestion and violent reaction just leave a comment and we'll try to answer it as far as we can.

Easiest way to solve Rubik's cube

Introduction

I think all of us know about the famous puzzle game "Rubik's Cube", many can solve it but not all, they all say that it is hard to memorize tons of algorithms. In this article I will teach the first algorithm that I learned (from my cousin), this algorithm is composed of 5 patterns only, but first you must know on how to solve the first layer all by yourself.

If you don't have a Rubik's cube right now you can use this software: http://bit.ly/MCApIJ

Just simply drag the side you want to rotate then right-click and hold to change view.

You can see the actual solving of the cube in the last part of this article.

Second Layer

To begin this tutorial first you need to solve the first layer, in this case we will use the white side as our base layer.

Note: The side of the first layer must be the same color, some starters do not solve it in that way.

Find a piece:

To begin solving the second layer you must first find a piece that belongs to the second layer. The piece we are talking about here is a piece that MUST be in the second layer but present in the 3rd layer.

In this case we need to move the blue-orange piece to its destination.

Right-Side

Step 1 (Align):

First align the "piece", the color must be the same with the color in the 2nd layer. In the picture above the blue part can be aligned with the blue center of the 2nd layer.

Note: If the piece is flipped, then you must align it in the orange side.

Step 2 (Move away):

Move the top part away from the "destination"

Step 3: Left (Upward)

Step 4: Top (Leftward)

Step 5: Left (Downward)

Step 6: Top (Leftward)

Step 7: Front (Clockwise)

Step 8: Top (Rightward)

Step 9: Front (Counter-Clockwise)

Left Side

Step 1: Find the piece

Step 2: Move it away

Step 3: Front (Clockwise)

Step 4: Top (Rightward)

Step 5: Front (Counter-Clockwise)

Step 6: Top (Rightward)

Step 7: Left (Upward)

Step 8: Top (Leftward)

Step 9: Left (Downward)

Explanation of the Picture (above):

We first aligned the piece where it must be, in this case the blue side is the one that we need to align.

The next step is to move the top part away from it's destination.

We now apply our algorithm (face the blue side) which is:

Right: 

Left (Upward)

Top (Leftward)

Left (Downward)

Top (Leftward)

Front (Clockwise)

Top (Rightward)

Front (Counter-Clockwise)

Left (after moving away):

Right (Upward)

Top (Rightward)

Right (Downward)

Top (Rightward)

Front (Counter-Clockwise)

Top (Leftward)

Front (Clockwise)

If you did it right the piece should be in it's proper position.

Note: Just decide what must be used between those patterns, they are just the same pattern, they're just mirrored.

3rd / Last Layer

The last layer is made up of 3 parts, first is we create a "cross" that match all the colors of its side. Second is we arrange the corners so that they end up in their proper position, then lastly we rotate them in the correct way they must be.

Building the "Cross"

To start building the last layer we must create a cross first (In this algorithm only).

Possible Cases:

When you finished the 2nd layer there are 4 possible outcome.

1: The cross is already there

2: There is a small inverted "L" in the patterns

3: There is a horizontal pattern

4: No pattern at all

Pattern:

Video

Text

Front (Clockwise)

Right (Upward)

Top (Leftward)

Right (Downward)
Top (Rightward)

Front (Counter-Clockwise)

Situation:

The cross

That is how the "cross" should look like, just disregard the other yellow pieces, you must have that pattern in order to move to the next part.

Small inverted "L":

The part highlighted in cyan is the inverted "L", it must consist of 3 piece wherein 1 of them is the center. It must also face in that way.

The red part will be your "Front" part where you will start to apply the given algorithm (above).

Note: If you did it right then you'll now have a cross.

Horizontal Line

The picture above is the "Horizontal Line", as you can see our top pieces form a horizontal line (disregard other piece/s). The red part is where you will face and start the algorithm that I posted above.
Note: If you did it right then you'll now have an "Inverted L.

No pattern at all

This is a formation that do not have any pattern (no cross, inverted L or the horizontal line). In this kind of formation you just apply the algorithm I gave above, and you're free to choose where to start.

Cross Done!

At this time your final layer must have the cross now, the next step is to arrange the cross so that the pieces are placed in their proper order.

Arranging the "Cross"

The next step to solve a rubik's cube is to arrange the cross like the picture below, as you can see all four piece of the "Cross" is aligned in their own color, but sometimes you'll only get 2 aligned parts.

The Algorithm:

Right (Upward)
Top (Leftward)
Right (Downward)
Top (Leftward)
Right (Upward)
Top (Leftward)
Top (Leftward)
Right (Downward)
Top (Leftward)

Where to start?

First rotate the top layer and see if you can have two (2) sides in their proper position. There are two possible position here, adjacent or opposite to each other.

If they are opposite to each other then you can perform the algorithm above anywhere. But if you have an adjacent side the two arranged piece must be in your back and in your right (see the video).

Note: if you did the right thing then all of those 4 sides must be in their proper order now.

Arranging all four corners

This is the 2nd to the last pattern, now that you have a perfect cross that are placed where they must be we will now arrange the corners so that they are placed in their proper order (it doesn't matter if they are solved or not).

Look at those two encircled corners, the first corner is already in its proper position, why? It is composed of Blue-Yellow-Orange and the color around it is the same (but not in the same order). The 2nd picture has a corner which is not in its correct position, Blue-Red-Yellow corner while the colors around it is Yellow-Red-Green.

The pattern

Now that you saw what we are looking for we will now proceed to the algorithm.
Note: The "in-position" corner must be in your front-right side, if there is no corner in position then you can start anywhere.

Top (Leftward)
Right (Upward)
Top (Rightward)
Left (Upward)
Top (Leftward)
Right (Downward)
Top (Rightward)
Left (Downward)

Note: Do it repeatedly until all four corners are in their proper position.

Final Step

At this time you must now have this, a cross in their proper order and all corners in their proper location. The final step will arrange those corners properly.

Note: Sometimes you'll have 4 corners , 3 corners or 2 corners to arrange.

Algorithm:

Right (Downward)

Bottom (Leftward)

Right (Upward)

Bottom (Rightward)

How to use it: First you start in the right most unsolved corner (if all corners are unsolved then choose anywhere), from that corner implement these four moves and do it repeatedly until the piece is solved.

Note: When you implement the 3rd pattern (Right [Upward]) you'll see that the piece is already in its place, but you must implement the 4th move because it will not be solved if you skip it.

After you solved one (1) corner you proceed to slide up the next corner (rightward) and do the same algorithm.

Full video of solving the rubik's cube using the those patterns (sorry for the low quality it's hard to upload videos):

This is my first tutorial so please pardon my words if they are hard to understand, feel free to comment any question, suggestion for next article or other concerns.

For serious cubers: If you want to learn the pattern that professionals used then visit this site: http://cubewhiz.com/, but you need to memorize tons of algorithms (around 200+).

Source: My memory

Special Thanks to my cousin Brandel Don Magdangan for teaching me this pattern (first pattern that i've learned 4 years ago.)