So an appropriate update, I think, to let you guys know where x86computing is currently, and where, if anywhere, it's going...
So if you don't know already, I moved to Kentucky to be with my kids. Obviously with any move, it takes a while to get your legs back under you. However, this move has not been quite as kind as I would have liked. I have been left relatively broke. The good news is I just started a job last week, so hopefully it won't take long for me to get myself back up on my feet.
With that being said, if you need help, or you know anyone that needs help, please feel free to email me or call. I look to have Skype up on a regular basis here soon (again) so I can assist you in that way as well.
It looks like the "future" of this project isn't a dead one. At least I'd prefer it not to be a dead one. I'd love to start serving this members of the community I currently reside in as well as assist those from the community I come from. Obviously, any hands on work would be a little difficult, but I will be visiting from time to time and I'd happily stop by and take a look at any issues.
With that being said, I'm gonna throw this little button up. If I've helped you, or you are just a nice soul, feel free to use it. It is a donate button that goes straight to my paypal. No limits, no worries. I know we are all strapped. However, if I've ever helped you and you are interested in paying in forward, somewhat, feel free to use this donate button here:
You have no idea how much you guys means to me! Good luck to everyone, and feel free to contact me about anything.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
x_SegaCD_x Project (Part 3)
Just in case you have been dying to know what's been going on with this, here's an update. Given the move, I didn't have the time to work on it. I returned one to PittsLawMan and kept the other for myself, as agreed. However, it didn't make the journey with me to Kentucky, so this project has been suspended indefinitely. I really hope to get it up and going one day, but it looks like that's gonna take a little time...
Thursday, June 30, 2011
x_SegaCD_x Project Part 2
x_SegaCD_x Project
So if you read up the other day, you saw that I came into temporary possession of a couple Old School Sega Genesis as well as a couple Old School SegaCDs to go with them. I broke them down, cleaned them up the best I could and inspected the parts to see if "theoretically" they would still run. However, they still needed some testing, and this is where part 2 comes in: testing...
Testing these beasts would be no easy task, not because they are hard to plug in, but because I would have to hunt down cords. Keep in mind that when they were found, it was just the systems. No cords, no controllers, nothing else that may aid in bringing them back to life. That being said, it's a good thing I'm a pack rat from time to time. I indeed found a controller, a TV hookup and DC adapter for the Seags themselves (thank you Curlin) and I also had a universal adapter and a A/V cord lying about that I could use to test. Excellent!
System one (the one with the extender) seemed to work just fine. The system powered on and showed the SegaCD welcome screen. That's always a good thing. I plopped a cd in, put a controller in and! ... ! ... ! ... ... .. nothing. I wasn't too excited, however, I figured it was because I was trying to use a burnt cd to test. So I tried another cd. This one...worked, kinda. It skipped all over the place. Almost made me think the cd motor wasn't spinning fast enough (or too fast) for the cd to operate correctly. So I went ahead and broke everything down before realizing I haven't tested the actual Sega Genesis yet. DOH! So I took the Sega Genesis off of the SegaCD and tested it with the game that was found (I think, Ms. PacMan) and sure enough, it worked. Excellent. I had to fight with the RF Unit. I think there is a short somewhere in it, I'm not 100% sure, but I fought with it long enough to see that it was indeed working. SWEET! On to system numero dos...
After the few mistakes I made on the first one, this one was a little bit easier to test. The cd seemed to work just fine, at first. At some point it did start getting faster and skipping. I'd like to attribute that to the fact that it's sitting on top of the XBOX 360 currently, but I can't be 100% sure on that either. However, the game worked as well (2 working Sega Genesis systems, alright) and the cd continued to play while I was playing Ms. PacMan. Excellent.
So where to now? I need to do a little research to see if this cd skipping was a general problem given the SegaCDs. If it was, there is probably an easy solution on how to fix it. I also need to test it with an actual SegaCD game. That will be the tell all as to whether it really does work or not. That will also be the best troubleshooting opportunity. Stay tuned while I get these beasts up and running, and back as good as new!
Currently Playing: Kenny Chesney - Down the Road (feautring Mac McNally)
So if you read up the other day, you saw that I came into temporary possession of a couple Old School Sega Genesis as well as a couple Old School SegaCDs to go with them. I broke them down, cleaned them up the best I could and inspected the parts to see if "theoretically" they would still run. However, they still needed some testing, and this is where part 2 comes in: testing...
Testing these beasts would be no easy task, not because they are hard to plug in, but because I would have to hunt down cords. Keep in mind that when they were found, it was just the systems. No cords, no controllers, nothing else that may aid in bringing them back to life. That being said, it's a good thing I'm a pack rat from time to time. I indeed found a controller, a TV hookup and DC adapter for the Seags themselves (thank you Curlin) and I also had a universal adapter and a A/V cord lying about that I could use to test. Excellent!
System one (the one with the extender) seemed to work just fine. The system powered on and showed the SegaCD welcome screen. That's always a good thing. I plopped a cd in, put a controller in and! ... ! ... ! ... ... .. nothing. I wasn't too excited, however, I figured it was because I was trying to use a burnt cd to test. So I tried another cd. This one...worked, kinda. It skipped all over the place. Almost made me think the cd motor wasn't spinning fast enough (or too fast) for the cd to operate correctly. So I went ahead and broke everything down before realizing I haven't tested the actual Sega Genesis yet. DOH! So I took the Sega Genesis off of the SegaCD and tested it with the game that was found (I think, Ms. PacMan) and sure enough, it worked. Excellent. I had to fight with the RF Unit. I think there is a short somewhere in it, I'm not 100% sure, but I fought with it long enough to see that it was indeed working. SWEET! On to system numero dos...
After the few mistakes I made on the first one, this one was a little bit easier to test. The cd seemed to work just fine, at first. At some point it did start getting faster and skipping. I'd like to attribute that to the fact that it's sitting on top of the XBOX 360 currently, but I can't be 100% sure on that either. However, the game worked as well (2 working Sega Genesis systems, alright) and the cd continued to play while I was playing Ms. PacMan. Excellent.
So where to now? I need to do a little research to see if this cd skipping was a general problem given the SegaCDs. If it was, there is probably an easy solution on how to fix it. I also need to test it with an actual SegaCD game. That will be the tell all as to whether it really does work or not. That will also be the best troubleshooting opportunity. Stay tuned while I get these beasts up and running, and back as good as new!
Currently Playing: Kenny Chesney - Down the Road (feautring Mac McNally)
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
x_SegaCD_x Project
A couple months ago I got a phone call from a friend saying that he had acquired a couple SegaCDs, with the older style Sega Genesis in each one. However, he wasn't entirely certain if they worked or not. Well, I finally got around to getting hold of them last Tuesday. Today, I finally got around to taking a good look at them. That was while #TheVoice was on. I was extremely excited to get in there and start taking a look at what was going on, and a little surprised at what I found.
It took me a minute to get the first one open. It wasn't because I couldn't figure out where the screws where, or the best way to get in it (side note on these older systems, they all pretty much use the exact same screw, which makes working on them extremely easy), but the culprit was: Deep Screw Holes. Yep, I had to search the house, and be find some ingenuity just to be able to reach the screws. With that done, it was time to let into it :)Keep in mind that I had two of them to get into. The first one, albeit much cleaner than the second, had a massive amount grass (that's my guess) as well as a bee. I broke it all the way down, removing every screw and every piece, trying to clean and inspect. Keep in mind that I have NO cords that I know of, so I can't test the SegaCD itself. Board inspection didn't show anything wrong with it however, with the exception that maybe the onboard battery is showing wear. I'm not completely certain, however. I pieced everything back together, took some pictures in between, and then started work on the second one!
The second one was much cleaner as far as the grass is concerned (some still fell out) but seemed to be much worse in a rust department. I did my best to clean it up with a dry paper towel and did a pretty close inspection of the boards. Once again, nothing seemed to be extremely noticeable except some wear where the onboard battery is (two for two? Shame Shame Sega) but it could be normal wear given how it's been handled. I can't speak on how they have been handled before @PittsLawMan got a hold of them.So this is where you come in handy, people of my life. I'm actually looking for DC adapters for this. Apparently they are only supposed to use 1602 DC 9V 1.2A Sega Approved adapters. I'm still gonna see if I have a universal one that will work though. Additionally, I can test to see if it plays cds, but I still need to see if it will play an actual game. So if anyone has one they would be willing to let me borrow, or can point me in the right direction of a store that has them relatively cheap (please, avoid the Vault. I like being tetanus free) please let me know! And as always, if you have something you want fixed, and you don't mind me taking a look at it, feel free to hit me up x86computing@gmail.com
Currently Playing: Dia Frampton - Inventing Shadows
Monday, June 20, 2011
LulzSec sides with Sega
In an interesting turn of events, LulzSec (you know, the people who brought down Sony...twice) has agreed to side with Sega in attempting to find the cyber infiltrators that made their was into Sega's database last week, making off with names, birth dates, e-mail addresses, and encrypted passwords of some 1.3 million users.
It speaks volumes to say that LulzSec is willing to put aside their seeming "torch the world via exploits one large company at a time" to back Sega and their holdings. Their reasoning? Well, perhaps their tweet best says it:
@Sega- contact us, We want to help you destroy the hackers that attacked you. We love the Dreamcast, these people are going down
They love the Dreamcast. Now that's a whole 'nother can of worms that I would love to discuss with anyone. I'm sure @KevinisSpiderman and @Oxynerd would happily join in on my side, as well as most of LulzSec when I say Dreamcast owns. But that's neither her nor there...
The side point that I would like to make, for those of you who read my previous blog, web security is a must. Outside of the fanboy (right on LulzSec!) love for the Dreamcast, loyalty does not exist. Imagine if money was involved? Loyalty goes right out the window (I'm assuming the same could be said for an endearing love of a game system, but I'm not one hundred percent positive). LulzSec even went as far as setting up a hotline asking for people to make requests for their next targets.
No me personally, I'm not a fan of the senseless hacking by LulzSec, however, they are making an extreme point. Security, across the board (you can ask Nintendo, EVE Online, Playstation, Escapist Magazine, PBS, and more) needs to be ramped up. If these corporations insist on keeping our data, they need to find a better way to protect it. It's pretty simple. Lemme try this again, for those of you out there not listening: PROTECT OUR DATA!
And to LulzSec, keep up the good work, the holes exist, and people need to know why...and Dreamcast Rocks!
Currently Playing: Bad Meets Evil - Lighters (featuring Bruno Mars)
It speaks volumes to say that LulzSec is willing to put aside their seeming "torch the world via exploits one large company at a time" to back Sega and their holdings. Their reasoning? Well, perhaps their tweet best says it:
They love the Dreamcast. Now that's a whole 'nother can of worms that I would love to discuss with anyone. I'm sure @KevinisSpiderman and @Oxynerd would happily join in on my side, as well as most of LulzSec when I say Dreamcast owns. But that's neither her nor there...
The side point that I would like to make, for those of you who read my previous blog, web security is a must. Outside of the fanboy (right on LulzSec!) love for the Dreamcast, loyalty does not exist. Imagine if money was involved? Loyalty goes right out the window (I'm assuming the same could be said for an endearing love of a game system, but I'm not one hundred percent positive). LulzSec even went as far as setting up a hotline asking for people to make requests for their next targets.
No me personally, I'm not a fan of the senseless hacking by LulzSec, however, they are making an extreme point. Security, across the board (you can ask Nintendo, EVE Online, Playstation, Escapist Magazine, PBS, and more) needs to be ramped up. If these corporations insist on keeping our data, they need to find a better way to protect it. It's pretty simple. Lemme try this again, for those of you out there not listening: PROTECT OUR DATA!
And to LulzSec, keep up the good work, the holes exist, and people need to know why...and Dreamcast Rocks!
Currently Playing: Bad Meets Evil - Lighters (featuring Bruno Mars)
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Can I get some Security, PLEASE!
Dear super big companies (but everyone else, listen up): IT'S TIME TO RAMP UP YOUR SECURITY.
So Sony gets hit twice in six weeks, we see a string of other companies get hit, and the latest to fall victim to hacks is Sega. When are you going to catch up? You as a big company have a right and a duty to protect our information as consumers, and it doesn't seem like you are doing a great job. Sure, we can argue the fact that groups like Anonymous and LulzSec are trying to make companies look bad by getting into their system. You know what I say? Let them keep trying. As a matter of fact, let them try harder. How about this, Mr. multi-billion dollar company. Try reaching out to some group like this and actually pay them to get into your system (or try). In today's day and age one little hole in your security wall can allow anyone with access to wreak havoc on said system, or entire network. Do SOMETHING, Please?
With that being said, to the consumer, because really, that's why this blog is all about. I know I've said it before. I know it's been said time and time again. Be careful what you put out there. We are all interconnected, whether we know it or not. It's simply a matter of knowing how to control a computer half way across the world without it's owner knowing about it. And part 2 of that, is DEMAND that these companies start doing more to protect your information. You trust enough in their product to pay for it, companies should care about it's clients enough to protect sensitive information. And, if for some reason your trusted company of choice screws the pooch, demand restitution, and make sure that you are getting some kind of monitoring for any given time period after a breach. You never know when someone may have your information and are simply waiting until later to use it. It's been said that up to 1 out of every 3 (that's right, 33%) of people's identities have already been compromised. Whether or not someone chooses to actually go ahead and steal your information from there is on them.
It's a crazy world out there. Be safe, demand that the people you do business with keep your information safe, and if there is a breach, demand restitution and protection. Keep yourselves safe in the cyber world.
So Sony gets hit twice in six weeks, we see a string of other companies get hit, and the latest to fall victim to hacks is Sega. When are you going to catch up? You as a big company have a right and a duty to protect our information as consumers, and it doesn't seem like you are doing a great job. Sure, we can argue the fact that groups like Anonymous and LulzSec are trying to make companies look bad by getting into their system. You know what I say? Let them keep trying. As a matter of fact, let them try harder. How about this, Mr. multi-billion dollar company. Try reaching out to some group like this and actually pay them to get into your system (or try). In today's day and age one little hole in your security wall can allow anyone with access to wreak havoc on said system, or entire network. Do SOMETHING, Please?
With that being said, to the consumer, because really, that's why this blog is all about. I know I've said it before. I know it's been said time and time again. Be careful what you put out there. We are all interconnected, whether we know it or not. It's simply a matter of knowing how to control a computer half way across the world without it's owner knowing about it. And part 2 of that, is DEMAND that these companies start doing more to protect your information. You trust enough in their product to pay for it, companies should care about it's clients enough to protect sensitive information. And, if for some reason your trusted company of choice screws the pooch, demand restitution, and make sure that you are getting some kind of monitoring for any given time period after a breach. You never know when someone may have your information and are simply waiting until later to use it. It's been said that up to 1 out of every 3 (that's right, 33%) of people's identities have already been compromised. Whether or not someone chooses to actually go ahead and steal your information from there is on them.
It's a crazy world out there. Be safe, demand that the people you do business with keep your information safe, and if there is a breach, demand restitution and protection. Keep yourselves safe in the cyber world.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Dust Bunnies
Computer slowing down? Is your system hot? Are you getting a thermal warning upon a restart of your system? The answer could be quite simple, and the fix easily so. A big issue that many people rarely consider when dealing with their own system is the dust build-up that occurs within the system.
Keep in mind that while the computer is blowing air in the system to keep it cool it's also picking up dust that is floating around and pulling that into the system as well. So what can you do to ensure that system doesn't get overrun with those nasty little dust bunnies?
1. Think about where you are putting your system. Stored in the corner, out of the way, and on the floor will only increases the chances of dust buildup inside your system. Keep this in mind when trying to find a home for your system.
2. Vacuum, just don't "feather dust." When you dust your house you are doing a great job of removing that dust from it's current place. However, when that dust gets in the air and begins to settle, you will see a lot of that dust begin to settle (on the floor) and thus pulled into your system by the system fans. Finding ways to minimize that dust getting into the air, such as vacuuming or using a damp paper towel/cloth when dusting will help in this process.
3. Minimize the dust in your house. Seems like something impossible? Check this website out to learn how to "dedust your house." House Dust
4. This is by far the most important step of all: clean your computer. Don't be afraid to open the side of your computer and then take a bottle of compressed air to blow the fans out. A vacuum will work well to put on the other side of the fan you are blowing out in order to collect the dust that you are blowing out of your system.
Sometimes, a simple can of air won't help (especially for those systems who has never had a dust cleaning). Using a few Q-Tips (they aren't just for ears anymore!) to knock of some of that caked on dust can do wonders for your system. Just keep in mind that you don't want that dust to fall back into your system. Continue using that vacuum to gather up the dust. If you feel comfortable in doing so, remove the entire part from the system and then clean it independently of the system (such as a fan on the side, usually require you removing two screws and replacing those screws when inserting it back in). Just be careful when choosing which pieces to clean (such as a Power Supply) and if you have ANY questions about this, or anything else technical, feel free to drop us a line a x86computing@gmail.com
Currently Playing: Lupe Fiasco - I Don't Wanna Care Right Now
Keep in mind that while the computer is blowing air in the system to keep it cool it's also picking up dust that is floating around and pulling that into the system as well. So what can you do to ensure that system doesn't get overrun with those nasty little dust bunnies?
1. Think about where you are putting your system. Stored in the corner, out of the way, and on the floor will only increases the chances of dust buildup inside your system. Keep this in mind when trying to find a home for your system.
2. Vacuum, just don't "feather dust." When you dust your house you are doing a great job of removing that dust from it's current place. However, when that dust gets in the air and begins to settle, you will see a lot of that dust begin to settle (on the floor) and thus pulled into your system by the system fans. Finding ways to minimize that dust getting into the air, such as vacuuming or using a damp paper towel/cloth when dusting will help in this process.
3. Minimize the dust in your house. Seems like something impossible? Check this website out to learn how to "dedust your house." House Dust
4. This is by far the most important step of all: clean your computer. Don't be afraid to open the side of your computer and then take a bottle of compressed air to blow the fans out. A vacuum will work well to put on the other side of the fan you are blowing out in order to collect the dust that you are blowing out of your system.
Sometimes, a simple can of air won't help (especially for those systems who has never had a dust cleaning). Using a few Q-Tips (they aren't just for ears anymore!) to knock of some of that caked on dust can do wonders for your system. Just keep in mind that you don't want that dust to fall back into your system. Continue using that vacuum to gather up the dust. If you feel comfortable in doing so, remove the entire part from the system and then clean it independently of the system (such as a fan on the side, usually require you removing two screws and replacing those screws when inserting it back in). Just be careful when choosing which pieces to clean (such as a Power Supply) and if you have ANY questions about this, or anything else technical, feel free to drop us a line a x86computing@gmail.com
Currently Playing: Lupe Fiasco - I Don't Wanna Care Right Now
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Oh the things I have done...
Big last couple days for me here. Unfortunately, the big is with my own equipment. However, that's not necessarily a bad thing. I've managed to learn (and remember) a few things in the process of it all. Ready to see what has went down in the past 48 hours? Here we go...
Problem 1: The printer has (not so) randomly decided to stop operating correctly. Crazy lines randomly through printed pages started irritating me. What happened? My child decided he was going to attempt to pull the cartridge case completely out of the printer. Luckily he failed, but it did affect the printing overall. A quick download of the printer manual, overview of how to align, and a quick alignment, I'm back in business. The printer is working just fine (even though there is pen ink all over the top of it, but that's a completely different issue).
Problem 2: My video card doesn't support Open GL 2.0. Which is a lie, it does, but apparently the driver was out of date. A quick glance at the Device Manager, finding the device in the list, and clicking "Update Driver." One minute later the driver is updated and I'm freeing birds in Angry Birds: Rio
Currently Playing: Dia Framption - Heartless (Live)
Problem 1: The printer has (not so) randomly decided to stop operating correctly. Crazy lines randomly through printed pages started irritating me. What happened? My child decided he was going to attempt to pull the cartridge case completely out of the printer. Luckily he failed, but it did affect the printing overall. A quick download of the printer manual, overview of how to align, and a quick alignment, I'm back in business. The printer is working just fine (even though there is pen ink all over the top of it, but that's a completely different issue).
Problem 2: My video card doesn't support Open GL 2.0. Which is a lie, it does, but apparently the driver was out of date. A quick glance at the Device Manager, finding the device in the list, and clicking "Update Driver." One minute later the driver is updated and I'm freeing birds in Angry Birds: Rio
Currently Playing: Dia Framption - Heartless (Live)
Sunday, May 29, 2011
New Facebook Group
Finally, a place for my collective groupies to hang out and talk about non-nonsensical stuff. Excellent. Wanna hop on the facebook group? Follow this link here and you will be swooshed away to the facebook group page of x86computing. Feel free to join!
Currently Playing: Meg and Dia - Monster
Currently Playing: Meg and Dia - Monster
Monday, March 21, 2011
Merger: AT&T and T-Mobile
In case you haven't heard, AT&T and T-Mobile are attempting a merger. Looks like that are going to be called AT&T-Mobile. (heh) But seriously, the anti-monopoly camps have come out saying that if the 2nd largest mobile company (AT&T) and the 4th largest (T-Mobile) combine it would essentially created a duopoly (AT&T-Mobile, Verizon). What are your thoughts on the matter? Like it? Love it? Hate it? Let me know!
Friday, March 11, 2011
How Secure is Your Browser? Pwn2Own 2011
For those of you not in the know, there are plenty of internet browsers out there to choose from. The most popular and widely used is by far Internet Explorer. However, it's not from it's effectiveness or its ability. It is the most popular because many users just want a computer than can get online. For them, that's any Windows machine. For that machine, it's most likely IE (shorthand for Internet Explorer, which will be used when referring to this browser for the remainder of this article). So with that being said, mister mister, what exactly are you talking about? Well I'll tell you. For the past five years a contest has been run to offer money/prizes to development teams that can successfully compromise internet browsers that you and I use every single day. Well, mister mister, why is that important, to give hackers a pat on the back for their illegal activities? Well, lets start at the beginning. The contest is called Pwn2Own. Second, these aren't "hackers" so to speak, or at least hackers that you think of (mister mister illegal activites) but genuine IT professionals who donate their time and energy to find exploits in current software and report those exploits back to the software developers for patches or other fixes. This competition is an opportunity for these people to show off their unique skills in software exploitation and provide software developers the necessary information (on a somewhat large scale) to fix the problems that exist.
So enough of that, let's take a look at what exactly happened at this year's Pwn2Own competition.
For the Apple users, Safari was the quickest to go down. 5 seconds. For their efforts, VUPEN, a penetration copmany based in France, won the $15,000 dollar prize in addition to the 13" MacBook Air on which the exploit was demonstrated.
So what, I'm not a Mac user, and I definitly don't use Safari. Well then, next up was IE 8. A Sony Vaio running a 64-bit version of Windows (SP1) got popped as well, earning Mr. Stephen Fewer (Irish security researcher) $15,000 as well as the Sony Vaio.
So the article states that that Google's Chrome and Mozilla's Firefox both got through the competition unscathed. No bugs or hacks to report. Not to say that they aren't there, but in the days leading up to the challenge both Google and Mozilla spent a fair amount of time finding and exterminating the bugs in their programming. However, it should also be noted that the two teams were scheduled to make an attempt to take out Chrome. One didn't show up and the other decided to spend more time on the Mobile part of this competition.
So what does this mean to you, the average user. Well, first and foremost I have always advocated the use of Firefox, Chrome, or even Opera (not listed in the competition for it lack of popularity). However, if you are a little hesitant to move to something completely unknown, there is some good news (especially if you are an IE user). Microsoft has assured that the bugs that were present in IE8 are not present in IE9. Link for assuredness.
So what can we deduce from this? Is Chrome better than everything else? Well, by default, and in the eyes of the competition, yes. However, as most will tell you, a competition is just that, a competition. Google Chrome was never made an attempt on. There are some things that we can say, for absolute certainty, however.
When it comes to software, regardless of who's software it is, you must stay up to date. As you can tell, many of these companies are quickly making changes to it's software and offering updates and bug fixes relatively quickly. Second off, as far as security goes, making sure you have valid and up to date virus/malware software running can help secure you while you are out watering your crops or checking your email. Above all, stay informed. This one is extremely hard in the everchanging landscape that is IT security. I guess that's what IT professionals, and me, are here for.
Want to try out a new browser? Try these one of these:
Google Chrome
Mozilla Firefox
Opera
Internet Explorer (version 9)
If you would like to check out the original article please go here. There is plenty of more information to be had if you google Pwn2Own 2011
If you appreciate this article please click one of the links below (completely safe and on the up and up) and help me pay some bills. LOL. I really just want to see how much can possibly be earned, so please click a link. Pretty Please.
Currently Playing: Gene Wilder - Pure Imagination
So enough of that, let's take a look at what exactly happened at this year's Pwn2Own competition.
For the Apple users, Safari was the quickest to go down. 5 seconds. For their efforts, VUPEN, a penetration copmany based in France, won the $15,000 dollar prize in addition to the 13" MacBook Air on which the exploit was demonstrated.
So what, I'm not a Mac user, and I definitly don't use Safari. Well then, next up was IE 8. A Sony Vaio running a 64-bit version of Windows (SP1) got popped as well, earning Mr. Stephen Fewer (Irish security researcher) $15,000 as well as the Sony Vaio.
So the article states that that Google's Chrome and Mozilla's Firefox both got through the competition unscathed. No bugs or hacks to report. Not to say that they aren't there, but in the days leading up to the challenge both Google and Mozilla spent a fair amount of time finding and exterminating the bugs in their programming. However, it should also be noted that the two teams were scheduled to make an attempt to take out Chrome. One didn't show up and the other decided to spend more time on the Mobile part of this competition.
So what does this mean to you, the average user. Well, first and foremost I have always advocated the use of Firefox, Chrome, or even Opera (not listed in the competition for it lack of popularity). However, if you are a little hesitant to move to something completely unknown, there is some good news (especially if you are an IE user). Microsoft has assured that the bugs that were present in IE8 are not present in IE9. Link for assuredness.
So what can we deduce from this? Is Chrome better than everything else? Well, by default, and in the eyes of the competition, yes. However, as most will tell you, a competition is just that, a competition. Google Chrome was never made an attempt on. There are some things that we can say, for absolute certainty, however.
When it comes to software, regardless of who's software it is, you must stay up to date. As you can tell, many of these companies are quickly making changes to it's software and offering updates and bug fixes relatively quickly. Second off, as far as security goes, making sure you have valid and up to date virus/malware software running can help secure you while you are out watering your crops or checking your email. Above all, stay informed. This one is extremely hard in the everchanging landscape that is IT security. I guess that's what IT professionals, and me, are here for.
Want to try out a new browser? Try these one of these:
Google Chrome
Mozilla Firefox
Opera
Internet Explorer (version 9)
If you would like to check out the original article please go here. There is plenty of more information to be had if you google Pwn2Own 2011
If you appreciate this article please click one of the links below (completely safe and on the up and up) and help me pay some bills. LOL. I really just want to see how much can possibly be earned, so please click a link. Pretty Please.
Currently Playing: Gene Wilder - Pure Imagination
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
E-Mail Alert - Subject: Verified by Visa&MasterCard Tech
As most people are aware, there are some very unscrupulous people in the world who would stop at nothing to get your hard earned money into their pocket in any way they can. I came upon this email in a relatively new email account I have over the weekend. Please note that this is indeed a FAKE email and the purpose is solely to steal your identity, or at least your credit card number.
Please not that while I am cropping a certain amount of my personal email account, this is in fact a real email. Please do not think I am in some way trying to fool you. I only wish to educate.
Here is a cropped portion of the email: (click the image to make it larger)
When clicking on the "Confirm and unsuspend" link you are redirected to this website:
Eh, bleh. It must have been taken down already. That's a good thing considering. However, the page looked somewhat official with both the MasterCard and Visa logos as well as a form page that asked you to input a variety of information, such as your Name, Credit Card Number, Social Security Number, Address, and so on.
So let's start at the beginning. Why are emails like this so successful? It's these type of emails that prey on fear. Fear that our account may not be secure, fear that our hard earned cash is at risk, and fear that if I don't respond quickly that if my account hasn't been touched it certainly will be soon enough. Ironic enough, however, that this act of "securing" your account plays into the hands of those people trying to get a hold of your information.
Next up, how in the world did they acquire my email? This is a much harder question to answer. There is possibly no way to determine exactly how they got your email address. There are so many bots (software designed to perform a specific task without needing user intervention) designed to troll the World Wide Web and store email addresses for these purposes.
The actual email has so many giveaways as to being fake and malicious that's hard to think that someone actually gave in, but I'm going to take a look at those anyway, for your sake. Let's start with the subject line: Verified by Visa&MasterCard Tech. Let's be honest with each other for a second. Visa and MasterCard are two independent companies. They have two different business structures, different support technicians, different ways of doing things all the way down the line. To think that a technician who works for both Visa and MasterCard sent you an email is a little absurd.
Next up: "Dear Visa/MasterCard member." Visa and MasterCard are two huge companies. One thing about huge companies is that they are pretty good in the customer service department. Addressing their customers in anyway other than their name is demeaning to the customer and thus potentially destroys what bonds that company has with any given customer.
The email mentions your account was accessed by an unauthorized computer. Every banking website I've ever worked with has allowed you to access your account from whatever computer (that has internet access) that you like. Claiming unauthorized use is just another way into scaring you into thinking something that is not true.
One of the more subtle giveaways is the actual wording (grammar, spelling, presentation, etc.) of the paragraph. For me it's hard to put into words as to why the paragraph seems weird, but it just doesn't seem like something a big company would create. It seems like something a high schooler would write in an attempt to sound official (trust me, I would know, I try to sound official all the time).
Just to reiterate the fact, in order to sound more official this email is branded as coming from the Mastercard&Visa Security Department. We mention earlier how these are two very separate entities and as such do not have a single "Security Department."
But even if all the above weren't dead giveaways (and trust me, I know, it's hard to stay ahead of the curve at times when it comes to dealing with the internet) the actual link pretty much proves this email is all kinds of fake. When I first viewed this email I did it through my phone (and the link itself has been taken down). However, the link takes you to this website: "http://secure-update-of-your-info-on-anon.teloptica.com/In%20order%20to%20keep%20your%20information%20secure%20/online_iccp_verify_card_vbpsi_error.htm." A little bit of googling shows that Teloptica "is an optical communications technology company" (from the actual website http://www.teloptica.com. Most likely a hacker managed to use a computer (or even server) on the teloptica network to serve as home for it's evil purposes.
Last but not least, when you click on the link in Google Chrome, you are taken to a page that informs you that it thinks you are about to enter a Phishing site. Chrome normally does a really good job telling you when you are about to enter something that seems to be a little phishy (heh, punny!) or malware infested. So if you are a Chrome user make sure to keep your eyes peeled for this sort of warning. If you are not a Chrome user (and I know there are some out there that isn't and there is some browsers out there that isn't as good at letting you know these things) there are some steps you can take to protect yourself and your hard earned money.
So, what are those steps you ask? Well, in the case of your money, it's quite simple. Don't give your personal information out online unless you are absolutely comfortable in doing so. When putting personal information online, look for a couple things in the URL (or the address bar). First off, look for this: "https://". This means that you have established a secure connection and that your information should be protected. Next, make sure the name it the URL matches that of the site you expect. If you expect to be visiting Visa you would expect the address to be http://www.visa.com, not http://www.roboticscommunity.com (or something else off the wall). And keep in mind that each one of these companies has a great customer service department at hand that is more than willing to help you with whatever problem you may have. It may be a little time consuming but it's better than waking up with no money in your account. Use those 1-800 (or 1-888) numbers and call those customer service departments and talk to an actual person if you feel that there may be something wrong with your account.
I hope you really enjoyed the article (or blog, as it may be). I know there are plenty of people out there that may disregard this as general knowledge. Even so, there are plenty more people out there that will fall victim to this trap. These are the people I'm hoping an article like this will reach. Please feel free (and I insist that you do) to forward this, share this, and whatsoever with the general public. Facebook it, tweet it, myspace it, link it in an email, print it and snail mail it, whatever you have to do.
If you really enjoyed this article and would like to thank me for my time, please click on one of the ads below. I promise you they are safe. They will simply open up a new window. Feel free to close that window after it has loaded. Thank you for your time. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them here or email them to me at x86computing@gmail.com.
Currently Playing: Lupe Fiasco - All Black Everything
Please not that while I am cropping a certain amount of my personal email account, this is in fact a real email. Please do not think I am in some way trying to fool you. I only wish to educate.
Here is a cropped portion of the email: (click the image to make it larger)
Eh, bleh. It must have been taken down already. That's a good thing considering. However, the page looked somewhat official with both the MasterCard and Visa logos as well as a form page that asked you to input a variety of information, such as your Name, Credit Card Number, Social Security Number, Address, and so on.
So let's start at the beginning. Why are emails like this so successful? It's these type of emails that prey on fear. Fear that our account may not be secure, fear that our hard earned cash is at risk, and fear that if I don't respond quickly that if my account hasn't been touched it certainly will be soon enough. Ironic enough, however, that this act of "securing" your account plays into the hands of those people trying to get a hold of your information.
Next up, how in the world did they acquire my email? This is a much harder question to answer. There is possibly no way to determine exactly how they got your email address. There are so many bots (software designed to perform a specific task without needing user intervention) designed to troll the World Wide Web and store email addresses for these purposes.
The actual email has so many giveaways as to being fake and malicious that's hard to think that someone actually gave in, but I'm going to take a look at those anyway, for your sake. Let's start with the subject line: Verified by Visa&MasterCard Tech. Let's be honest with each other for a second. Visa and MasterCard are two independent companies. They have two different business structures, different support technicians, different ways of doing things all the way down the line. To think that a technician who works for both Visa and MasterCard sent you an email is a little absurd.
Next up: "Dear Visa/MasterCard member." Visa and MasterCard are two huge companies. One thing about huge companies is that they are pretty good in the customer service department. Addressing their customers in anyway other than their name is demeaning to the customer and thus potentially destroys what bonds that company has with any given customer.
The email mentions your account was accessed by an unauthorized computer. Every banking website I've ever worked with has allowed you to access your account from whatever computer (that has internet access) that you like. Claiming unauthorized use is just another way into scaring you into thinking something that is not true.
One of the more subtle giveaways is the actual wording (grammar, spelling, presentation, etc.) of the paragraph. For me it's hard to put into words as to why the paragraph seems weird, but it just doesn't seem like something a big company would create. It seems like something a high schooler would write in an attempt to sound official (trust me, I would know, I try to sound official all the time).
Just to reiterate the fact, in order to sound more official this email is branded as coming from the Mastercard&Visa Security Department. We mention earlier how these are two very separate entities and as such do not have a single "Security Department."
But even if all the above weren't dead giveaways (and trust me, I know, it's hard to stay ahead of the curve at times when it comes to dealing with the internet) the actual link pretty much proves this email is all kinds of fake. When I first viewed this email I did it through my phone (and the link itself has been taken down). However, the link takes you to this website: "http://secure-update-of-your-info-on-anon.teloptica.com/In%20order%20to%20keep%20your%20information%20secure%20/online_iccp_verify_card_vbpsi_error.htm." A little bit of googling shows that Teloptica "is an optical communications technology company" (from the actual website http://www.teloptica.com. Most likely a hacker managed to use a computer (or even server) on the teloptica network to serve as home for it's evil purposes.
Last but not least, when you click on the link in Google Chrome, you are taken to a page that informs you that it thinks you are about to enter a Phishing site. Chrome normally does a really good job telling you when you are about to enter something that seems to be a little phishy (heh, punny!) or malware infested. So if you are a Chrome user make sure to keep your eyes peeled for this sort of warning. If you are not a Chrome user (and I know there are some out there that isn't and there is some browsers out there that isn't as good at letting you know these things) there are some steps you can take to protect yourself and your hard earned money.
So, what are those steps you ask? Well, in the case of your money, it's quite simple. Don't give your personal information out online unless you are absolutely comfortable in doing so. When putting personal information online, look for a couple things in the URL (or the address bar). First off, look for this: "https://". This means that you have established a secure connection and that your information should be protected. Next, make sure the name it the URL matches that of the site you expect. If you expect to be visiting Visa you would expect the address to be http://www.visa.com, not http://www.roboticscommunity.com (or something else off the wall). And keep in mind that each one of these companies has a great customer service department at hand that is more than willing to help you with whatever problem you may have. It may be a little time consuming but it's better than waking up with no money in your account. Use those 1-800 (or 1-888) numbers and call those customer service departments and talk to an actual person if you feel that there may be something wrong with your account.
I hope you really enjoyed the article (or blog, as it may be). I know there are plenty of people out there that may disregard this as general knowledge. Even so, there are plenty more people out there that will fall victim to this trap. These are the people I'm hoping an article like this will reach. Please feel free (and I insist that you do) to forward this, share this, and whatsoever with the general public. Facebook it, tweet it, myspace it, link it in an email, print it and snail mail it, whatever you have to do.
If you really enjoyed this article and would like to thank me for my time, please click on one of the ads below. I promise you they are safe. They will simply open up a new window. Feel free to close that window after it has loaded. Thank you for your time. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them here or email them to me at x86computing@gmail.com.
Currently Playing: Lupe Fiasco - All Black Everything
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Free Printer that Somewhat Works...if your are interested...
More of a blog for those people in the immediate area. I got hold of a printer the other day and it serving me any purpose for a multitude of reasons. Perhaps someone else would like to have it. You could open it up and play with it, perhaps beat the mobo out of it, art project perhaps. You never know! More information on this printer can be found here: http://lynchburg.craigslist.org/zip/2220800272.html
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Looking for an External Hard Drive?
Currently Playing: Lupe Fiasco - Switch (The Science Project)
Friday, January 21, 2011
Website: mint.com
As an aside, mint.com lists your expenses for the month. One of the cooler features is that it even lists transactions that have not yet posted, giving you an almost complete idea of what your financial situation is. I say almost because there are some instances where even the bank is a little off (i.e. paying for gas at the pump or leaving a tip on the credit card).
All in all it seems like a really decent website to manage finances, especially if you do the bulk of money managing online. And the best part about it? It's free! The price is right, the service is great, why not give it a try.
You may be thinking to yourself, where did you come across such an amazing place like this? Well, believe it or not, PTC (paid to click) sites do come in handy once in a while. This website was sent to me in an email that I got paid to read. Granted, it was two cents, but that's ok. I was also offered one dollar I do believe to sign up for it. The check out amount is 30 bucks for this website, and I just made 1.02 off of mint.com. That's 3.4 percent. If you enjoyed the site and want to check it out, just click the link below for inboxdollars:
x86computing, why and how!
As a service to all, and to those who enjoy the services of a simple IT company, I decided that I would start up a blog to talk about things IT based, such as cool and interesting websites, useful programs, interesting stories, almost anything. I want x86computing to be more than just a computer repair business, and I feel this is one way to do so. If you have anything you would like to share with me, the world, or whatnot, please feel free to email me at: x86computing@gmail.com
In addition, for those people who find this blog intriguing, interesting, helpful, or otherwise useful, feel free to pass it along to anyone.
And last but not least, x86computing needs funding. I've decided to create a few accounts online that pay you to do things online. I will have a separate blog set up for interesting sites that you can legitimately make money off of. However, here's my reference link for one of those sites. Please feel free to click it and log into and have some fun. A little bit of time per day can get you a little bit of cash per day. It's not much, but after a few weeks you could have an extra twenty or thirty bucks in your pocket, all from just clicking a few links.
In addition, for those people who find this blog intriguing, interesting, helpful, or otherwise useful, feel free to pass it along to anyone.
And last but not least, x86computing needs funding. I've decided to create a few accounts online that pay you to do things online. I will have a separate blog set up for interesting sites that you can legitimately make money off of. However, here's my reference link for one of those sites. Please feel free to click it and log into and have some fun. A little bit of time per day can get you a little bit of cash per day. It's not much, but after a few weeks you could have an extra twenty or thirty bucks in your pocket, all from just clicking a few links.
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