How to get the most protection out of your passwords

Today I stumbled across a neat thing; it’s a list of the 500 most common passwords (not my site, and I have no affiliation with it in any way). So I thought I would talk a little about passwords. A password is the most basic and least secure form of protection for any electronic device. It is the most common form of protection because it is the easiest to implement. And it is considered the least secure form because it relies on you, the user, and you are the weakest link.
So how can you protect yourself and you’re accounts from hackers? I threw together a few pointers to keep you and your accounts safe.

1. Do not use any simple or common passwords. You can find the 500 most common passwords in the above link.

2. Do not use any passwords that have any relation to you, or anything close to you. Do not use family names, birthdays, hometowns, or favorite things. They might be easy to remember, but all of that information can be taken off of, say a Facebook page. Even if you do not have a Facebook page that information can be gleaned quite easily. Either from following you around on the internet, certain types of hacking attacks, or even rummaging through your garbage, if someone out there really wants something they can most likely figure out how to get it.

3. Use a password that is simple to remember, but hard to figure out. While random words are ok, try using a random string of letters or numbers you can remember. I use a mnemonics-like password that is easy to modify. I have about six passwords I use, all based off of one password. That way even I can remember what they are.

4. Change little things in the password. Like if you absolutely need to have a name or date, write it backwards or in an unusual fashion. Take letters and make them numbers or numbers and make them letters. Whenever I need to use a mixture of letters and numbers I don’t add numbers on, I change a letter into a number. For instance, I use 3 for E, 0 for O, and so on and so forth.

5. Do not use the same password for each and every website you have an account on. Especially for bank and other important sites like email. I use one password for most of my little accounts such as forum accounts, but my email, bank, and paypal passwords are all different.

6. Do not write your password down anywhere. Especially on a sticky note stuck to your screen. In fact, If you need to write it down anywhere for some odd reason, keep it away from your computer. Also do not write just one word, or one word with “password” written before it. Put it in some odd sentence or in a line of gibberish. But really, unless you have no short/long term memory, do not write it down. One of the first things people do when attempting to hack onto a computer physically is to check around the computer, under the keyboard, and inside the drawers of the desk for odd slips of paper with one word or phrase. If it’s a password to a computer in your organization that you have written down, be aware that you have singlehandedly compromised your entire office, and possibly even the entire organizations network. Congratulations!

7. The strongest passwords of all are random numbers, letters, and characters. Its impractical but impossible to break. Such as 5u8f#@d43&^.

These are seven of the most important pointers to consider when creating a safe password that is worthy of protecting you're accounts.
Good luck,
Milandon

How to crack DRM protection and convert your Ebook format

So a while ago I bought an Amazon Kindle. To be short, it is a very useful device. I have stopped getting regular books and have started buying eBooks from the Amazon website. Each eBook is usually around $6 - $12 dollars, and I usually read a book and a half each week. So as you can imagine it gets kind of expensive for a college student. About three and a half weeks ago I received my birthday present from my aunt, who lives in Alabama. My birthday is in September, and while my aunt is usually late sending gifts, this took the cake. It was not her fault, I talked to her today and she said that gift was sent a long time ago. I suspect it got lost somewhere. Anyways it was $40 dollars in borders gift cards, so I was very happy with my gift. Once I finished the current book I was reading I surfed over to borders, and purchased a book. It took me less than five minutes to realize that borders only allowed you to download eBooks in two formats; one is for the Borders Nook, and the other is in the very popular .epub format.
.epub, short for electronic publication, is a free and open file extension format created by the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF). It is one of the most common ebook formats, due to its flexibility with reflowable content, which means that the text can be optimized to fit any type of display device. Unfortunately the kindle won’t read .epub files. This is weird because it is one of the most popular file formats for ebooks out there. So while trying to figure out what rational thinking person would leave .epub out of their “compatible” list, I stumbled across a fix. There is a file format program out there that can convert .epub files into another format. No, it is not Mobi. This program is called Calibre, and just like Mobi, but Mobi cannot convert .epub files. My favorite format to convert my files to is the .mobi format which is readable by my Amazon Kindle. Easy enough right? Well, sometimes it’s not so simple. Many .epub formatted ebooks that you purchase from a website such as Borders have DRM protection on the ebooks. DRM stands for Digital Rights Management, which is the management system used to control access to digital content. This is what is supposed to keep you from illegally copying files and content and distributing them over the internet. However DRM’s can be very annoying while trying to access or convert certain files. Therefore in order to use my eBook that I just purchased (and is non-refundable by the way) with my Amazon Kindle, I need to break the DRM protection. So here is how I broke the DRM protection and converted the file into a readable format for my Kindle.
Disclaimer: Breaking DRM protection is usually against the Terms Of Service for any given digital content product, but it is not illegal. Please use the information below responsibly.
You will need to download the latest Python library, Pycrypto, Calibre and the latest adobe Digital Editions. You also need the other two files which are called ineptkey.pyw, and aineptepub.pyw.
1. Install the Python Library, Pycrypto, Calibre and the latest Adobe Digital Editions.
2. Open the link that puts your Ebook into Adobe Digital Editions (the download link)
3. Run ineptkey.pyw you should get a message saying “Key successfully retrieved to adeptkey.der” this has created a new file called adeptkey.der in your current directory, you do not need to run this file.
4. Run aineptepub.pyw. Chose the directory of the Adobe Digital Editions, and then the output directory which is where the cracked copy of your ebook will go.
5. Launch Calibre, and drag the cracked copy into the Calibre window. Or you can use “add ebook”.
6. Click the convert book button, you might need to hover your mouse over the buttons to find the right one. Select the type of file you want your ebook to be converted to.
7. Click “ok” and the window will close. At the bottom right of the Calibre window it will show you how many jobs you have working and if it is done or not.
8. Once that is done open the file location and find the newly converted ebook in your chosen format. Copy that to your favorite reading device and enjoy!

IF you guys have trouble with this or want a more indepth how-to, please dont hesitate to tell me that in your comments, and I will attempt to make a better guide!

Stuxnet Computer Attack

So this new virus called Stuxnet was discovered by Symantec's security team, and its purpose was revealed when it was reverse engineered. They figured out that it was designed to get into a computer, and once it's there it injects code into the programmable logic controllers for specialized equipment. This means that it can cause equipment to function in an undesired way, such as causing a pipe to backup, or releasing clamps at the wrong time causing cargo to fall or roll out of place. This can not only be dangerous for a company's bottom line and deadlines, but it can also cause a massive loss of life and limb. While reverse engineering the virus, the Symantec team found out that this virus was engineered to target two high profile targets in particular, the Bushehr nuclear power plant, and the Natanz nuclear power plant which are both located in Iran. This virus has already infected the Bushehr Nuclear Facility, but fortunately it was detected.

Now, there are quite a few countries that have the capabilities and resources to do it. Pretty much the USA, Israel, and most of the other Arab countries are the suspects. Personally I think America did it, because the other countries are located in the middle east. Chance is if one of these power plants had a meltdown it would devastate a huge region of Iran, and if there were winds on that day the fallout could be carried for miles. So it's very unlikely that one of Iran's neighbors programmed the virus. It is possible a country farther away from Iran did it, also. But Bandar-e-Bushehr, Iran which is near where the Busehr Nuclear Facility is located. It is quite a popular place, seeing how it is the provincial capital of Busehr Providence, the city is home to around 816,115 people.

So, seeing as how so many countries don't want Iran to build nuclear missiles, how can I put the blame on America, rather than other country or terrorists? Well, first off the USA has been making quite a stink for quite a while about it. For some reason they do not want Iran to achieve nuclear missiles. I always found this to be a double standard because I don't consider Iran with nukes to be any less dangerous than the USA with nukes, and that's still pretty dangerous. Also, we already have enough nukes and the capabilities to launch them anywhere in the world. There is a term for the nuclear war that will come if one country launches a nuke, it's called the Sixty Minute War because that's how long it would take for every nuclear capable country to detect and launch all their nuclear missiles. It is widely believed that if one country launches a nuke, another country who is not the target will see it, and think they are being attacked and then launch their nukes. Now, if the United States got rid of all their nukes I would stand behind them and demand they do something about Iran. But they won't.

So, now that we all understand there is STILL a constant threat of nuclear annihilation, I will see you guys next time!

Signing off and thanks for listening to my rant,

Milandon

What is a virus, and why is it on your computer?

So your computer has a virus. Don't panic. A computer virus is nothing to be scared of. Most viruses are harmless, and the ones that are damaging to your computer can be removed quickly and easily with a little know-how. What is a computer virus? Well, a computer virus is simply a program written to cause havoc with your computer. During the early years of computers and the internet, viruses were written mainly for fun. Nowadays however viruses are either written to wreck havoc or as a dirty way to make money. For instance, recently a new virus sprung up that targets industrial computers and the equipment it is attached to, specifically two Iranian nuclear power plants. There are other more common viruses that were written to steal money from hardworking people. One such virus is called AntiVirus Soft, which locks down your computer claiming that you have a malicious virus, until you buy their overpriced and thoroughly useless "anti-virus" program.

How do you know you have a virus?

A virus can take many forms, some are right in your face and prevent you from using your computer. Some mess with a certain component or program. But what if you just have a bug? A bug in your computer is not a literal bug, though that is how it got its name. A bug is a problem with a piece of software or your computer that prevents a function or the whole thing from working correctly. A good way to tell if you have a bug is to see if there is an error message. Another way is to run an anti-virus scan and then remove what comes up. If that doesn't work, try googling the errors you are getting to identify the problem. You might not think it, but Google is a very useful tool for any tech savvy person, including professionals and people who pretend to be professionals.

How can you remove said virus?

So now you are probably asking how do you get rid of this virus. Well you could take it to a professional, where you are probably charged by the hour, and will most likely run you upwards of $150 -$200. Or you can opt to do it yourself. Before you make a decision, don't worry. As long as you are careful and read up on what you are going to do before you start fixing your problem, you should be all set. But you shouldn't just read one page on one site and think you know everything. It's good to use multiple sites for information, though make sure every site or guide you find is knowledgeable enough about computers.

What guides should you use?

So now you are probably wondering what guides are the good ones, and what ones are the bad ones. Well, there is one guide in particular which was written by a person who worked in the computer industry for 20+ years. Take a look at his guide, and it will most likely help you out in ways you can't even imagine.

Windows Readyboost 9/22/08

Hello again, today I would like to talk to you about a new feature added onto Windows Vista called Windows Readyboost. Windows Readyboost is a program which allows you to use a flash drive to create a bigger paging file, or virtual memory as it is more widely known as. 

Virtual memory is a file that is written to a harddisk on your machine instead of to RAM.  Virtual memory was made so computer with very little RAM can still run IE and other programs at a reasonable speed.  

Despite the ads and hype about this new feature, it is really not that great. Any harddrive with sufficent space can run a pretty good sized paging file, for all those programs that dont need extremely fast data, like Internet Explorer, or Microsoft Word. One of the biggest points of this feature is that it is supposed to be a replacement for actually adding physical RAM. Nothing can compare to physical RAM. Games especially need physical RAM, because everything in a game reads and write things very fast. 

This paging file however, can be useful in day to day tasks such as reading email. However, once you go over a certain limit (limit differs per computer) it doesnt matter anymore. 

What I am trying to say is that you really dont need readyboost unless you have limited harddrive space. If you are on a laptop or even a computer with very little RAM this can be a handy feature. 

Greetings from the World of Tommorrow!

Hello, my name is Milandon and I am going to talk about different types of technology, their functions, and ways to make them better.

Today I will start off with a simple way to stop all your applications from starting up when you first boot up your computer.

I will start off with some explanation of this Windows tool.

This tool is called Msconfig. Apart from being used to disable random/unwanted programs from starting up this can also be used for troubleshooting purposes. This can tell your computer how to start up, and what system services to start up, and which .ini files to load and read.

Now first thing you want to do is go to start and click "run" and then type in msconfig and click okay.

Note: if you are using Windows Vista (god forbid) go to start and type in msconfig. Double click on the msconfig program.

Now, there are seven tabs. The first tab is "general" it allows you to select how you want you computer to start up. It also allows you to do a system restore. The next three tabs are "system.ini" "win.ini" and "boot.ini" these are extremely important to the system and they tell how everything boots up, which windows are loaded and so on. DO NOT TOUCH THEM UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING. The tab "services" shows what windows services actually start up. You probably wont need to do anything in this tab. Now "startup" and are what we are going to be focusing on. The tab "tools" shows you different windows tools for fixing you computer.

In "startup" there is a whole list of programs. Most of them are the programs that you have installed on your computer. There are three categories where your stuff is listed. We are going to focus on "startup item" and "Command".

First up, the commands that end in .exe without specifiying a path are not to be messed with unless you have a certain problem.

Now first find a program you dont want starting up. Here are a couple ones that I have on my computer. aim6 which is Aol Instant Messenger. (If you have a different version it might say something like aim5 or aim7). Reader_sl is Adobe Reader and avgtray is AVG anti-virus.

To figure out what the programs are that you want to disable you might have to go into My Computer and trace the path. A path is the location of your program.

Once you find the program all you have to do is uncheck the checked box and then click "apply" and "ok" and follow the prompts. I would recommend choosing to restart your computer now becuase you might have a problem otherwise. It is rare but it can happen.

Once you have restarted you want to tell it to never show up on startup again. Now your are rid of those pesky programs that start up when you boot up your computer.This is also a good way to get rid of programs that track your movements or keystrokes.

Disclaimer: In no way do I take responsibility for what happens to your computer if you decide to mess around with settings in your computer. Please do not go off and mess with something you dont know about.