Too Much Mercy

When Jesus Christ walked the earth he was said to have mastered every virtue. He was perfect in his mercy, but also in his justice. He was able to juggle these two contradictory virtues because he understood that every situation was different and contained different variables. When the exercise of pure justice was deserved, Christ knew it and acted accordingly. Likewise when someone deserved mercy in their circumstance, mercy was applied.

In the world of computers and information too much mercy is extended to those guilty of cracking and stealing sensitive data. Company executives are too afraid of what the news might do to their stock. In situations such as these, the executives bring the blame upon themselves and they should be persecuted. Because of their actions those who are in a position to steal or destroy the data continue to do it with out consequence. They need to learn to be more Christ-like and be honest to their stock holders. While doing this they need to seek out law officials to bring those guilty to justice. If they would all do this there would be a lot less attacks.

Network Stumbler

Ruth and I were given the coordinates of 2nd South where it meets the Gateway mall. The laptop we used had a very short wireless range and so our results were few compared to other classmates assigned to the Gateway. Network Stumbler found 15 wireless networks in range, of which 5 were open/unsecure.

It’s interesting to me to find out that 5 out of 15 of the businesses we sampled (that’s 33%) had no security on their wireless routers. A good number of these are very likely connected to computers with sensitive customer information on them. They’re just making it that much easier for a cracker to steal sensitive information from them.

I was also thinking how unless it’s meant to be a public wifi access point, these unsecured wireless networks are absolutely not be run by anyone that knows the first thing about information security. It’s very basic knowledge that, especially in places of business, you should protect your sensitive data with secure connections. I think the more businesses are forced to adopt information technologies the more emphasis there will be on information security. So in the near future I would guess that the percentage of unsecured wireless networks in places of businesses will drop significantly.

 

No Driver Found for Old Webcam

Symptoms:

I plugged in and old USB webcam, but Windows did not recognize the device because there were no local drivers compatible with it.

Gathering Information:

First I clicked the help link in the error pop-up window (pictured above) that said “What can I do if my device did not install correctly?”. I read that if I am connected to the internet Windows Update will search for drivers in a much larger online database.

It also said that if this was unsuccessful, to go to the hardware manufacturers website and download the driver from them directly.

 

I also found an article (click here to view) on pctipsbox.com which explained that if both of these fail I can manually search the internet for a compatible driver using the hardware id of the device.

Hypothesis:

H1. Use Windows Update to automatically find the driver online.

H2. Look up the webcam’s manufacturer website and download the driver from there.

H3. Do an internet search using the hardware ID as the key word and see if any drivers come up in the search results.

Results:

H1 was rejected. I connected to the internet, and allowed Windows to search its online driver database, but it still found no compatible driver.

H2 was rejected. Upon studying the device more closely I found that it had no branding whatsoever. I had no way of knowing the manufacturer and therefore could not  locate the manufacturers website to download a compatible driver.

H3 was successful. I found the steps at this site: http://www.pctipsbox.com/how-to-search-for-hardware-device-drivers-download-more-effectively/

1. Plug in your device first and ignore any windows message like unknown device detected.

2. Now open device manger control panel>>administrative tools >>computer management>>device manager.

3. Right Click on the Hardware device and go to properties in the context menu.

4. Now click the details tab and choose ‘Hardware Id‘, select the last a entry copy it into the clip board and use this to search from any search engine you like to get all the information about that hardware device and download links for the hardware device.

I found my driver at driverguide.com (http://members.driverguide.com/driver/detail.php?driverid=1264180)

Reflection:

These steps don’t only apply to webcams, but to any unrecognized plug and play hardware. H1-H3 can be tried in order, but you should rarely, if ever, end up needing to test H3.

Computer Security at Home

At school or at work most of us find that great measures are taken to secure information and maintain computer functionality. On the other hand, when we go home, most of us do little or nothing to secure our own personal computers and the information they hold from threats of data loss, attacks, or novice users. For instance, in my home we run no automated backups; we use an unencrypted wireless network; and most computers log on automatically with no password as an administrator. Throughout this blog post I will explain what I have learned about these security holes and what I will be doing to patch them. I will focus on three main points, those being (1) backups, (2) network security, and (3) user account permissions.

Everyone has information on their computer that they would consider important. I have a home recording studio, so for me the important things are the audio and project files associated with the songs I write. The truth is all hard drives go bad eventually and sometime files are corrupted by malicious code or programing errors. I have not up to this point done anything to back up my data. I realize it is inevitable that data loss will happen so I have decided to buy an external hard drive to back-up to. I will then put this back up elsewhere to keep it protected against theft and natural harm. (PCMAG.COM)

As far as my wireless network goes, I just need to require a password to use the wireless network. If I fail to do this, other people could park outside my house and access my personal files. They could delete them or get information about me to potentially steal my identity. (identitytheftfixes.com)

Finally I need to require passwords on all computers. And when I let others use my computer I need to log them in with a non-administrator account so that they cannot purposefully or accidentally destroy my data. (Microsoft)

In the future as I make these three things a consistent practice I will protect myself from the headaches of data loss. Also I won't have to worry about having important information stolen. Employing these practices will not only protect me, but everyone that uses the computers on my home network.

Why Use a Flash Drive to Install Windows 7?

For class on Monday we were assigned to burn and bring a Windows 7 DVD. I noticed that one of my fellow class mates instead brought a USB flash memory drive. He had formatted it to make it bootable and had copied his entire Windows 7 installer to the thumb drive. So why would he do such thing? I asked myself the same question and I've got some answers.

First of all, CD and DVD ROM drive read speeds are slow! The time it takes to copy the same files from the average USB jump drive is significantly faster, which means faster install times. That's nice for anyone installing Windows, but especially for those us having to upgrade multiple machines at once.

Another good reason to do this has to do with the portability of flash memory drives. CD's and DVD's are pretty big in comparison. On top of that they require CD/DVD cases to keep from scratching and breaking. Thumb drives are generally very durable and always small. Also, if you buy a large capacity drive, you can even tout around your most essential post Windows installation software all on the same device.

Lastly, you'll be able to pat yourself on the back for being green next time a new version of software comes out, because you can just replace the old version with the new one. No more throwing away old CD's/DVD's and burning new ones.

Greased Lightbox

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The Debate Over Biometrics

What is biometrics?

It is a technology that uses the unique human characteristics of a person as a means of authentication.

What are the different types? (SOURCE: PC WORLD)

1. Fingerprint Scan
   
2. Hand Measurements
   
3. Retinal Scan
   
4. Iris Scan
   
5. Facial Scan
   
6. Voice Recognition
   

Advantages of biometrics? (SOURCE: Quest Biometrics)

• Increase security - Provide a convenient and low-cost additional tier of security.
  
• Reduce fraud by employing hard-to-forge technologies and materials. For e.g., minimize the opportunity for ID fraud, buddy punching.
  
• Eliminate problems caused by lost IDs or forgotten passwords by using physiological attributes. For e.g., prevent unauthorized use of lost, stolen or "borrowed" ID cards.
  
• Reduce password administration costs.
  
• Replace hard-to-remember passwords which may be shared or observed.
  
• Make it possible, automatically, to know WHO did WHAT, WHERE and WHEN!
  
  • Unequivocally link an individual to a transaction or event.
    

Disadvantages of Biometrics? (SOURCE: PC MAG)

• Biometrics is still expensive
  
• It can often produce false positives or block out those with clearance
  
• It doesn't account for the changes in people from day to day or over time.
  

What type of biometrics is the most accurate? (SOURCE: International Biometric Group)

Iris and retinal scans. The eye changes very little with age. The only problem is that for people affected with diabetes, the eyes get affected resulting in differences.

Least accurate?

Face and voice recognition are the least accurate for basically the same reason. They are both affected by day to day and gradual changes caused by age, sickness and fatigue.

What concerns do privacy advocates have about airports using biometric facial scanners to attempt to identify known terrorists? How accurate have these tests been? (SOURCE: Federal Computer Week)

The US Government has been using biometric face scanners in airports against a database of known terrorists. It is said that this method is 80-90% accurate, but only when scanning individuals (accuracy drop significantly when scanning a crowd of people). Privacy advocates say "NO!" to this use of biometrics, because facial scanning is the only commonly used biometric that does not require the subject's cooperation.

Day Zero Attacks and Layered Security

The term "day zero attack" (also known as a "zero-day attack") refers to exploits of computer security vulnerabilities that either (1) have not yet been patched or (2) have not been discovered by those in charge of creating a patch. Simply put, they are vulnerabilities with no ready solution. The number of zero-day attacks is rising steadily from year to year, making it harder and harder to protect victim networks. It is believed that in the near future day zero attacks will account for more than 50% of all reported attacks! And this brings me to the topic of "layered security".

With so many unknown and unpredictable exploits looming on the horizon, having strategically aligned layers of security has never been so essential. You must have organizational rules that are followed to the "t". Software tools are needed that not only patch and stop known attacks, but also recognize and analyze patterns of activity to flag a possible day zero attack before it brings down an entire network. Physical protection is very important as well to protect from theft and natural disasters which can be more devastating than day zero attacks.

On the level of personal computing, you can make sure to update our software regularly. You can encrypt your wireless home network. Also install antivirus software, and just be smart.

The Learning Model

The learning model for LDS Business College is based on basic gospel principals. Its philosophy is, therefore, found all throughout the standard works of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The fundamental parts to the learning model are (1) the Spirit and its role in the learning process between teacher and student; (2) Understanding core concepts and developing lifelong skills; and (3) Preparing, Teaching one another then pondering and proving. The model reminds me of a scripture from the Book of Mormon in 1 Nephi 3:7. It says, "I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that he giveth no commands to his children, except he shall prepare a way that they may accomplish the thing which he hath commanded them." In this scripture we learn that in anything the Lord commands us to do we are promised the needed help to make our weaknesses strengths. First though we must prepare so that we can be worthy of his spirit in the learning process. Also we must share the light and knowledge we receive or "it will be taken even that which [we] have." (D&C 60: 3). Then we must ponder and prove so as to continue to be worthy of and prepared for his continued guidance.

My First Blog

My teacher made me do this!