Thursday, July 29, 2010

6 of the Best Hackers of all Time

"Hackers"... the moment we hear that word a chill runs down our spine with excitement.We also want to be like them.They are someone special., some with extra knowledge and who are very intelligent. I know and am confident that everyone interested in computers has at some point of time wanted to become a hacker.
But the word 'hacker' is misunderstood by many of us.Hackers are actually intelligent computer professionals. Some people use this knowledge for the good and some people for bad purposes to bring down a system,cracking passwords. And thats how the hackers are divided: White Hat and Black Hat. White Hat are the good ones and Black Hats as you might have guessed are the opposites.
While the real experience of hacking might not be accurately represented in movies, hackers certainly do become famous for white and black hat —good and bad— deeds. The following are six of the most famous hackers of all time:
White Hat

1. Linus Torvalds
Creator of the famous Unix-based operating system, Linux, Torvalds used his hacking skills to change the fundamental programming on his home computer. This initial foray into the inner workings of a Sinclair QL inspired Torvalds to create his own system. Thanks to his efforts, the now extremely popular, open source OS was born.

2. Tim Berners-Lee
This inventor of the World Wide Web was caught hacking into Oxford files while he was a student at the university. He was then banned from the university. Eventually, he ended up working at CERN Laboratories, a European nuclear research organization. While there, he figured out a way to send hypertext through a network. At that point, the Internet as we know it was born.

3. Stephen Wozniak
While he is known known for being one of the co-founders of computer giant Apple Computer, Stephen Wozniak once made blue boxes to bypass telephone switching mechanisms. In this way, the user could get free long distance coverage. He was caught when he started selling the blue boxes to classmates.

After dropping out of college, Wozniak collaborated with his friend, Steve Jobs, to build the first Apple personal computers in their garage. The rest, as they say, is history.

Black Hat


1. Kevin Mitnick
Described by the Department of Justice as “the most wanted computer criminal in United States History,” Mitnick hacked into corporate computers, stole designs and product information, hacked the Los Angeles bus punch card system, and scrambled phones. He was eventually captured when he hacked into the computer of fellow hacker Tsutomu Shimomura. Shimomura then made it his mission to find Mitnick, and soon afterward Mitnick was in custody.

Today, he runs a computer security-consulting firm and has authored several books.

2. Robert Tappan Morris
The Morris Worm was the first such virus to be introduced to the Internet. While studying at Cornell, Morris wrote the code and released it. He claimed that he was only trying to see how large the Internet was. Unfortunately, the worm caused at least 6,000 computers to become unusable.

Three years of probation, 400 hours of community service, and $10,500.00 later, Morris had paid his debt to society. He now works as a tenured MIT professor.

3. Jonathan James
At 16 years of age, James was the youngest hacker to ever be sent to prison. The mot notable of his offenses was a back door he installed in a Defense Threat Reduction Agency server. This backdoor allowed him to access some e-mail correspondence as well as to isolate the usernames and passwords of key government employees. He also hacked into NASA’s computer system and stole technological information worth $1.7 million. To remove the inserted code, NASA had to shut down their computers. This cost them $41,000.00

James was sentenced to six months of house arrest, but was sent to prison for six months when he violated parole.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Indian Browser called 'Epic' Launched

It gives me immense pleasure while writing this post because I am feeling elated to inform my friends,especially Indians that a browser named 'Epic' has been launched which proves the mettle of Indian software professionals. A Bangalore based startup company Hidden Reflex have developed this wonderful browser.


"Hidden Reflex is a software product startup founded by Alok Bhardwaj in 2007 and based in Bangalore. Alok, who was raised in the U.S., was inspired by the success of open source software and web 2.0 innovations. Hidden Reflex began as a team of three but soon progressed and now has dedicated teams working on two products simultaneously – the Epic Browser and NewsDrink. The company also has three patents pending related to its product innovations."            source

The company claims the browser to be the first-ever web browser for India.This is the only browser to have an inbuilt anti-virus scanner and other features like In-Private Browsing.Accessing My Computer and loads of innovative features makes this browser a power packed bundle and enhances your computer experience. Based on the popular Mozilla open-source platform, internet surfing was a breeze and the browser is very lite and beautiful to look at. I was awestruck at this tiny Indian marvel. Some cool features like peacock theme, Taj theme, Katrina Theme are surely will be an Indian surfer's delight.

One thing worth mentioning is the sidebar which has shortcut icons of frequently used applications. How can an Indian browser forget Indian scripts widget.Its been over a week I started using this and guess what? It is my default browser leaving behind Internet Explorer,Mozilla Firefox,Google Chrome . "The Browser War" has just begun..
Download Epic Browser Here
Screenshots
Home Page

Saturday, July 24, 2010

iDisplay Extends Windows And Mac PC Display Screen On iPhone/iPad

Apple’s iPad is so popular now as a great companion tablet PC or even being used as home centralized control system or merely as an expensive Digital Photo frame. With its relatively large screen size, have you ever wonder how you can use it as an extended secondary display? Now with the help of apps named as iDisplay, users can easily transform the famous iPad into external display via WiFi connection.
For the start, there are two apps that need to be installed on both your laptop and iPad. And since Apple iPhone doesn’t come with standard Ethernet port, users will have to establish the link between both through WiFi, so that the desktop screen can be shared just like having additional secondary screen in extended mode.
Once installed and launched the program at both ends (with WiFi connection turned ON), a message with available lists of computers will be prompted. Tap on the respective PC name will connect both with extended display ready to be used. Since iPad is capacitive touch based and so there is a bit tricky to use it as your mouse cursor on the secondary display (iPad screen) will not be displayed correctly. Some simple tips here: Just tap on your iPad screen with two fingers will show keyboard and application menu. Besides, users can drag with two fingers to pan, pinch to zoom, or tap and hold to simulate right click and etc.

Tested on a jailbroken iPad 16GB WiFi version and it works great without significant lagging when sharing the screen. But for first time users, you will have to spend few minutes familiarizing with virtual screen position as well as its control function but once you get used to it, it is no doubt an effective tool as extended view for both your Windows and Mac PCs.Specifically designed to run on iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, iDisplay (costs $4.99 at iTune) is compatible with Mac OS X and Windows XP(32-bit) (Windows Vista and 7 is on the way) and users can get free installer download at ShapeServices for more effective work.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Block and redirect websites using HOSTS file

I am sure after reading my previous post you all might be wondering about how to block websites using HOSTS file, or even how to redirect them? It would be so cool to type http://www.google.com and see http://www.yahoo.com open infront of you!!! Excited then read on!

Navigate to C:\Windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts in your windowsXP,Vista or 7. (if C is the windows directory)

As you might have all known by now that hosts file does not have an extension and so you might be wondering as to how to open it.To open the HOSTS file drag it into a notepad or rightclick>open with>notepad.. It will look like the image I have put in.

BLOCKING WEBSITES
To block a website. Simply put
127.0.0.1     www.example.com     

Replace example with the website you desire. For e.g if you want to block facebook,myspace and orkut you need to type
127.0.0.1    www.facebook.com
127.0.0.1    www.myspace.com

127.0.0.1    www.orkut.com

Now save the file. You are done. Whenever you type these websites in your browser it will display an error "The page cannot be displayed".

REDIRECTING WEBSITES

If you want to redirect google to yahoo,you need to know the IP address of google. For this you need to type ping www.google.com in command prompt. That will give you the IP address which is 209.85.231.104
Now in you hosts file you need to type

209.85.231.104     www.yahoo.com


So whenever you type www.google.com in your browser it will open www.yahoo.com.

This can be used for hacking also. Think how???  :) :)

What is a hosts file?

Hi friends!! I am back with yet another interesting post! Many of you might have heard about the hosts file isn't it? Well actually The short answer is that the Hosts file is like an address book. When you type an address like www.yahoo.com into your browser, the Hosts file is consulted to see if you have the IP address, or "telephone number," for that site. If you do, then your computer will "call it" and the site will open. If not, your computer will ask your ISP's (internet service provider) computer for the phone number before it can "call" that site. Most of the time, you do not have addresses in your "address book," because you have not put any there. Therefore, most of the time your computer asks for the IP address from your ISP to find sites.


If you put ad server names into your Hosts file with your own computer's IP address, your computer will never be able to contact the ad server. It will try to, but it will be simply calling itself and get a "busy signal" of sorts. Your computer will then give up calling the ad server and no ads will be loaded, nor will any tracking take place. Your choices for blocking sites are not just limited to blocking ad servers. You may block sites that serve advertisements, sites that serve objectionable content, or any other site that you choose to block.

You can find your hosts file in:
Windows 95, 98, Me -                  %WinDir%\
NT, 2000, XP, 2003, Vista, 7-      C:\Windows\system32\drivers\etc\
Windows Mobile-                          Registry key under \HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Comm\Tcpip\Hosts


Do read my next post on blocking and redirecting websites

Monday, July 19, 2010

Making Invisible Folders

I hope, almost everybody familiar to the computer might have an idea as to how to hide a folder.Today I am going to tell you how to make a file that is invisible which means it does not have an attribute that is hidden.It actually stays there but becomes invisible. Confused!! Let me tell you how..

Make a new folder and name it as Alt+0160(Numpad). You will see that the folder is created but has no name. Now you can still see the icon. I hope many of you know how to change the icon. Right Click on the folder and go to Properties and Customize tab. There you will find Change Icon.Click on it . Scroll Right and you will find a blank icon.Click there and whoosh!! You have your invisible folder. To find it and access it drag your mouse on the screen.By doing this you will find that a small square in blue colour is selected. Click on the square. You can now access it.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Make an empty file of any specified size

Hey friends I am back with yet another interesting post.Yes you read the topic right. You might be wondering how can an empty file have a size? Its like we are saying a massless object has a weight of 5kgs!! But this is computer world friends.Everything is possible here.And you always wondered as to why you end up downloading fake torrent files.How do people create Space-Eater Viruses? The solution to all these questions are here..

To make an empty file goto command prompt. Start>Run and type cmd. or Win+R. Once you are in the command prompt, type
fsutil file createnew <filename> <size in bytes>
to create a file name with a specific extension,type
fsutil file createnew <filename.extension> <size in bytes>

for example if u want to create a file called hello.txt of size 5 mb, first convert 5mb to bytes which will be 5*1024*1024 bytes.
So you need to type fsutil file createnew hello.txt 5242880.
 If you forgot to mention the extension you can always do that by typing ren hello hello.txt.

I suppose you have got an idea of Space Eater Virus. Try to make out how to make it on yourselves or wait for my next post and you will get your answers.I will show you how to do it.You also got an idea of fake files and how those dirty uploaders do it but dont do it yourselves while uploading torrents.


Hope you enjoyed the post!!Feel free to comment if you have any problems.
===================================================
Note:Windows Vista and Windows 7 requires administrator privileges to use fsutil command so open cmd using administrator privileges. To do this go to Start>All Programs>Accesories>Command Prompt(right click >run as administrator)
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Changing Extensions Using command Prompt

MS-DOS although not used now is a very powerful OS. Command prompt can do many things which even windows cant do and learning it has always been fun and I personally have always liked it.
To goto command prompt go to Start>Run and type cmd or press Win+R.
To rename a file in command prompt,type
ren <original file name><new file name>

To change the extension, type
ren <original file name.extension> <old file name.new extension>



Happy command prompting!!

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Send a SMS using emails(free)

I have a doubt that many of you might not be aware of this method of sending SMSes. Are you aware of the fact that every time you send an sms it has to go through a gateway. So if you are aware of the email gateways you can just send an e-mail to that address and you will be able to send SMSes free of cost.

Steps:
1. Open your mail provider.
2. In the To field type in phonenumber@domain.name
3. Click here to get a list of email to sms gateways.
http://www.tech-faq.com/how-to-send-text-messages-free.html
http://www.mutube.com/projects/open-email-to-sms/gateway-list

Make your own .exe files

Guys! I am sure many of you might have had previous experiences with batch files(.bat) or visual basic scripts(.vbs). Many of you might have wondered as to how could you convert it to exe files. exe files dont only look standard, they have become a standard platform for software distribution. Moreover it protects your scripting to be copied or modified. It is a well known fact that .bat files can be easily read and modified in notepad and so is the case with .vbs. In this post i would explain how to convert your .bat files or .vbs files to .exe and that to without using any third party softwares..

There is a very good tool inside windows called IExpress 2.0. It is actually located in C:\Windows\System32. But you can access it by typing iexpress or iexpress.exe in Start>Run(or Win+R).

1. Click on Next.
2. Next you will be presented with the Package Purpose screen. For our purposes select “Extract Files and run an installation command” and click the Next button.You will be presented with the Package Title screen, which will give you the opportunity to give your project a name.
3.
You will next be presented with the Confirmation Prompt Screen. We would like the batch file to just be extracted and run so just choose “No Prompt” and click the Next Button.If you want some prompt for the user before your .bat comes into action u can do that.
4. You always see long license agreements in software distribution packages.. You can do that here in the screen you are presented with.
5.
The Packaged Files window is where you will select your batch file (or .vbs). Click the Add button and browse to your desired file. Then click next.
6. Here you are presented with a window titled Install Program to Launch. Use the drop down control next to “Install Program and choose the only option that will be present, the .bat or .vbs file that you chose in the previous window. The Show Window screen is next. I didn’t want my users to be prompted in any way so I chose Hidden. Click Next.
7. Select a finish message if u would like.
8.
The Package Name and Options window is where the new .exe specified. Type in a path or browse to the folder you would like your .exe in, type a name in the file name box and click save. Also check the box that says “Hide File Extraction Progress Animation from User.” If you’re worried about long file names go ahead and click the other box as well.
9.
Since we really aren’t installing anything we probably want to tell the Configure Restart window to not restart. So choose the option that says “No restart” and hit Next.
10. This window is where you have a chance to save all of the options you have chosen into a project file so that if necessary you may later return and make modifications. I have no need to retain the file, but if you would like to be able to come back to it, by all means choose “Save Self Extraction Directive (SED) file” and tell it where to put it. As always, click Next.


Monday, July 5, 2010

Make a Shutdown Virus

This is an interesting tutorial in which we will create a fake "virus" which can shutdown, restart and log off your pc(Can also write a message and specify the countdown time). This is actually a faster way to turn off your pc, ’cause it doesn’t require clicking START>TURNOFF button etc….And you can always do a little mischief by sending it to your friends ;)
1.Create shortcut,(Right click on your desktop and go to new>shortcut)
2.After this will appear window and that is where you type the code.
shutdown -s -t 300 -c "Your Message" -this will shutdown the computer.
 To log of computer type shutdown -l -t 300 -c "your message"
To restart computer type shutdown -r -t 300 -c " your message"
The number after -t is the number of seconds countdown there will be before shutdown . After -c write own message , that will come up when shutdown box pops up.


3. Type the name for the shortcut and click on finish.
4. After this will appear icon on desktop, when someone clicks it, shutdown box will pop up.

5.How can I stop system shutdown ? Go to Start->Run , then open cmd,write shutdown -a and press ENTER on keyboard, as shown below.