the way i work…?

now that i think about it, most of my techie-know-how is`nt something that i`ve been spoon-fed with. i`ve had to work alone, mostly and work my way through all the doubts by reading and experimenting. also, im not that quick a learner, hence the low number of projects i`ve done.

the first time i came across a programming language, i simply was`nt interested. C++ seemed boring and of no practical use. that was back in 2006. i had a difficulty in constructing the simplest of loops or even printing out the fibonacci series. then, one fine day, i read about encryption and ciphers(maybe in a book; or was it a webpage? i really don`t remember where…).  i try to make a few basic encryption schemes by hand only to realize that making a code to automate it would be fun. so, i work my way through not just looping – but through most of the programming concepts like functions, file management and pointers, well before they were taught in class. `n this is XACTLY how i got hooked onto coding . after this i went on to graphics programming using c++; for no particular reason though.

Today, im familiar with java, C# and python. Again, the number of projects i`ve done using them are pretty low; i hope to set that right this year.

dress code… hmm…

well… my sense of style varies from time to time; depends on where i am and more importantly, my mood. i mostly go for tees and jeans as they are convenient(obviously); me sporting shirts is rare. i`m a “brand freak”, though not “brand-savvy”(there`s a tv ad which says ‘brand nahi to style nahi’ ; it simply makes me puke) …. i feel that people who go for brands just for the sake of it need remedial classes on uniqueness and personalizing. my favorite color`s blue followed by shades of white `n black(I LOVE GREY). green`s fine mostly; Denim jeans are among my favs……

you`ve heard about ambigrams, have`nt you…?

another hobby of mine`s  from Dan Brown`s other bestseller Angels and Demons; if you`r thinking “ambigrams”, then you are spot on!! For those of you who don`t know, ambigrams are words which read the same even after a 180 degree flip. try googling on them; they`re an interesting read.

That`s about my hobbies…. will let u know if i start another one…

well…. tried writing in reverse….?

my hobbies keep on fluctuating… till my 12th grade i had the usual ones; stamp `n coin collection, bus-ticket collection   , reading and drawing(not that i`m very good at it; i just am not patient enough). i think that Dan Brown`s The Da Vinci Code could well be among the last novels ive read. however, thats where i come across reverse-writing. I tried it out; only to realize that i was actually pretty good at it . Initially, I thought that being left-handed could explain why i could write in reverse with ease. But, later i found that a few of my friends who were right-handed could accomplish the task with a little bit more of effort.So, guess i was wrong there!!!

hmm… linux variants i`ve used….

the very first linux variant i came across was the REALLY old red hat linux. it looked horrible; and i knew little bout operating systems back then. 4 years later, i come across another linux variant was pretty new at that time; Ubuntu. I install it only to find that Linux operating systems had come a long way since i last saw them. Still, i dint feel curious enough to check out the other variants. However, after THREE more years, here i am – having tried out most of the variants. Fedora, SuSe, Red Hat are the favs in my list; though for different reasons.

The last variant i came across topped my list; backtrack, an awesome distro, it is. i hope to make something similar; yet better, one day.

well…. Vista…

i mainly use a windows box with vista running on it; yes; i DO use a windows box; no use hating me for it.

i used to be more of a windows-hater once, too. But then i realized that if you really wish to analyze security and work on penetration testing, taking sides is`nt really a good practice. Also, Microsoft makes good software; and there are more than enough pros to balance out the cons. Yes, their policies, the EULA and their acts of suing Apple and Linux for their similarities with windows qualify as arrogant; but they really can`t be blamed for not supporting open source. After all, if you are good at something, you do deserve to get paid for it(quoting you-know-who ); whether or not you take the pay is entirely your choice.

Using Windows Vista right now, the data execution prevention(DEP) feature is quite cool. A bit annoying to new users, certainly; but definitely useful.

Very few pen-testing tools are available for windows boxes, esp. for wireless networks where most of the tools have trouble injecting packets. Also, ettercap on windows is said to have been experiencing problems(don`t know for sure; read that up somewhere).

I wonder how Windows 7 is gonna be; I`m pretty much sure that its going to be an improvement on the typical features of a Windows OS(user-friendliness and good looks).

And, Microsoft seems to have this uncanny ability to absorb popular technologies, modify, and bring out something equally powerful. An instance is C#. The absorbed technology in this case – java. Thankfully, Sun`s still working on Java(their most useful creation till date); and not all users seem to be keen on moving over to C#, mainly because it`s “cross-platform” limitations.

Ettercap…. WOW!!!

i think the name “ettercap” SUCKS.

but that would`nt stop me from using it, would it?

Last day, i read about ARP spoofing and find out that it can be done the hard way by using just a packet sniffer like wireshark. on googling i find “ettercap”; an exceptionally great piece of work which can perform ARP spoofing, DHCP spoofing and much more….

Its got amazing plugins built into it which can range in functionality from finding out if an ARP poisoning attack was successful, to launching a DoS attack on another system in the network…

This is DEFINITELY a tool you must try out; click here to download Ettercap for linux and here to download Ettercap for Windows. `NJOI!!!

AND OH!!! ALMOST FORGOT… when you run ettercap; it`d better be with root privileges.

excelmec 2k9

Managing to get a duty leave for friday, i leave for ekm that morning. Catch the bus as planned(which felt awkward; being the lazy bum i am, i usually never make it in time)…  reach the college by about 10 in the morning. roam around the college and ekm the entire day and take part in a linux guru contest. unfortunately, fail to make it through though. `n about the events held @ MEC, the contests were well organized but the scheduling could have been better. took part in the hack zone contest too; and the cleared the prelims with ease. the finals were a lot harder and i got stuck in the third level outta a total of four.

NO PROBLEMO!!! i`m clearing them next year; and that too – with ease. meanwhile gotta be on the lookout for more contests heading my way this year….

wanted to attend the FOSS meet on the sunday; but felt REAL lazy; `n decided to stay home..

movie mania…

well…. ill start byconfessing that im an absolute movie maniac… i watch a couple of movies everyday and i simply dont seem to get tired of them… im not genre or language biased; though i mostly prefer hollywood. go through the movie reviews and hope you find your time reading it, worth it.

enumeration using nslookup …

Interaction with a DNS server can be done by using programs like dig,nslookup etc.
nslookup is a very useful tool which can be used for forwarding dns requests to and from a dns server.

I have chosen to use “checkpoint.com” as the site on which commands like nslookup can be used upon. The choice of site is based on no malicious intent.