Archive for 2008
21.09.2008
News
Failure to restart system caused data overload.
A major breakdown in Southern California’s air traffic control system last week was partly due to a “design anomaly” in the way Microsoft Windows servers were integrated into the system, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times.
The radio system shutdown, which lasted more than three hours, left 800 planes in the air without contact to air traffic control, and led to at least five cases where planes came too close to one another, according to comments by the Federal Aviation Administration reported in the LA Times and The New York Times. Air traffic controllers were reduced to using personal mobile phones to pass on warnings to controllers at other facilities, and watched close calls without being able to alert pilots, according to the LA Times report.
The failure was ultimately down to a combination of human error and a design glitch in the Windows servers brought in over the past three years to replace the radio system’s original Unix servers, according to the FAA.
The servers are timed to shut down after 49.7 days of use in order to prevent a data overload, a union official told the LA Times. To avoid this automatic shutdown, technicians are required to restart the system manually every 30 days. An improperly trained employee failed to reset the system, leading it to shut down without warning, the official said. Backup systems failed because of a software failure, according to a report in The New York Times.
The contract for designing the system, called Voice Switching and Control System (VSCS), was awarded to Harris Corporation in 1992 and the system was installed in the late 1990s, initially using Unix servers, according to Harris. In 2001, the company completed testing of the VSCS Control Subsystem Upgrade (VCSU), which replaced the original servers with off-the-shelf Dell hardware running Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server. The upgrade was installed in California last year, according to the FAA.
Soon after installation, however, the FAA discovered that the system design could lead to a radio system shutdown, and put the maintenance procedure into place as a workaround, the LA Times said. The FAA reportedly said it has been working on a permanent fix but has only eliminated the problem in Seattle. The FAA is now planning to institute a second workaround – an alert that will warn controllers well before the software shuts down.
The shutdown is intended to keep the system from becoming overloaded with data and potentially giving controllers wrong information about flights, according to a software analyst cited by the LA Times.
18.09.2008
WiFi
If your computer ever notifies you about a weak signal, it probably means your connection isn’t as fast or as reliable as it could be. Worse, you might lose your connection entirely in some parts of your home. If you’re looking to improve the signal for your wireless network, try some of these tips for extending your wireless range and improving your wireless network performance.
| 1. |
When possible, place your wireless router in a central location in your home. If your wireless router is against an outside wall of your home, the signal will be weak on the other side of your home. Don’t worry if you can’t move your wireless router, because there are many other ways to improve your connection.
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| 2. |
Move the router off the floor and away from walls and metal objects (such as metal file cabinets).
Metal, walls, and floors will interfere with your router’s wireless signals. The closer your router is to these obstructions, the more severe the interference, and the weaker your connection will be. |
| 3. |
The antennas supplied with your router are designed to be omni-directional, meaning they broadcast in all directions around the router. If your router is near an outside wall, half of the wireless signals will be sent outside your home, and much of your router’s power will be wasted. Most routers don’t allow you to increase the power output, but you can make better use of the power. Upgrade to a hi-gain antenna that focuses the wireless signals only one direction. You can aim the signal in the direction you need it most.
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| 4. |
Replace your computer’s wireless network adapter.
Wireless network signals must be sent both to and from your computer. Sometimes, your router can broadcast strongly enough to reach your computer, but your computer can’t send signals back to your router. To improve this, replace your laptop’s PC card-based wireless network adapter with a USB network adapter that uses an external antenna. In particular, consider the Hawking Hi-Gain Wireless USB network adapter, which adds an external, hi-gain antenna to your computer and can significantly improve your range.
Laptops with built-in wireless typically have excellent antennas and don’t need to have their network adapters upgraded. |
| 5. |
Add a wireless repeater.
 Wireless repeaters extend your wireless network range without requiring you to add any wiring. Just place the wireless repeater halfway between your wireless access point and your computer, and you’ll get an instant boost to your wireless signal strength. Check out the wireless repeaters from ViewSonic, D-Link, Linksys, and Buffalo Technology.
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| 6. |
Change your wireless channel.
 Wireless routers can broadcast on several different channels, similar to the way radio stations use different channels. In the United States and Canada, these channels are 1, 6, and 11. Just like you’ll sometimes hear interference on one radio station while another is perfectly clear, sometimes one wireless channel is clearer than others. Try changing your wireless router’s channel through your router’s configuration page to see if your signal strength improves. You don’t need to change your computer’s configuration, because it’ll automatically detect the new channel.
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| 7. |
Reduce wireless interference.
If you have cordless phones or other wireless electronics in your home, your computer might not be able to “hear” your router over the noise from the other wireless devices. To quiet the noise, avoid wireless electronics that use the 2.4GHz frequency. Instead, look for cordless phones that use the 5.8GHz or 900MHz frequencies. |
| 8. |
Update your firmware or your network adapter driver.
Router manufacturers regularly make free improvements to their routers. Sometimes, these improvements increase performance. To get the latest firmware updates for your router, visit your router manufacturer’s Web site. |
| 9. |
Pick equipment from a single vendor.
While a Linksys router will work with a D-Link network adapter, you often get better performance if you pick a router and network adapter from the same vendor. Some vendors offer a performance boost of up to twice the performance when you choose their hardware: Linksys has the SpeedBooster technology, and D-Link has the 108G enhancement. |
| 10. |
Upgrade 802.11b devices to 802.11g.
802.11b is the most common type of wireless network, but 802.11g is about five times faster. 802.11g is backward-compatible with 802.11b, so you can still use any 802.11b equipment that you have. If you’re using 802.11b and you’re unhappy with the performance, consider replacing your router and network adapters with 802.11g-compatible equipment. If you’re buying new equipment, definitely choose 802.11g.
Wireless networks never reach the theoretical bandwidth limits. 802.11b networks typically get 2-5Mbps. 802.11g is usually in the 13-23Mbps range. Belkin’s Pre-N equipment has been measured at 37-42Mbps. |
06.09.2008
Computer Security, News
If you are worried about computer security and would like to go that little bit extra then look at Hide-My-IP.Com Apart from giving you extra security if you purchase one of the monthly subscription services it means you can watch all the content from the BBCs I-player service which is normally only available if you are within the UK.
If you would like more information or wish us to come to your site to configure this service for you please contact us.
31.08.2008
News
Taken from BBC’s dot.life technology blog, written by Rory Cellan-Jones 28 Aug 08, 17:03 GMT
In the last few days, I’ve entered a whole new web world. It’s a place where people speak of getting “dumps… sniffed from ATMs” or using “blinds to cash out” or getting data through “rj 45 taps.” The language belongs to a criminal community – the people who make a living out of credit card fraud.
They gather to swap tips and appeal for information on a number of web forums, and the one we’ve been looking at features some quite astonishingly brazen messages. The one which really caught our attention was about an attempt to use thousands of stolen US credit card details in British supermarkets. You can read the whole of it here.
The discussion on the crooks’ forum is a bit of a wake-up call for all those who think that the introduction of chip-and-pin in the UK has wiped out card fraud. It has certainly made it harder – but the fact that the United States has yet to adopt the system gives the crooks a big opportunity in a crime which the internet has helped turn into a globalised business. So, as in this case, British fraudsters can buy stolen credit card details from the US and use them here because retailers still have to allow the “swipe and sign” option for overseas cards without a chip. Equally, card details stolen from UK consumers can be sold overseas for use in countries without chip-and-pin.
The author of the message appealing for information on where to use his cards – and offering “a ps3, 10 bottle of vodka or jd for weekend” in return – also has another post on the forum, generously offering advice on how to steal credit card details from cash machines. His guide to an “ATM skimmer” features photographs and technical details of a machine which is apparently attached to an ATM and then sends data to a mobile phone. Let’s hope the police and the banks are studying this website too, and working out how to foil the fraudsters.
But a policeman I contacted admitted that it’s a huge struggle to keep track of what’s happening on these fraud forums – and virtually impossible to act against sites that are usually based abroad.
The fraudster describes his “interests” in his profile on the forum as: “Get rich… or Die Trying 
”. By the sound of it, getting rich is still far too easy.
I suppose all of this is more proof that the internet is a brilliant way of organising people around the world with common interests. How sad that, all too often, those interest are criminal.
Here is the full text from the forum.
“Okies guys i need some first hand info from all of you who live in uk smile.gif
Very soon and I mean like in day or 2 i will start getting us dumps from one of my sources in us. They are skimmed from atms and are 101 dumps. I can get both track 1 and 2 but no pin. They are sending these dumps over to me for cash out. Now i have a bit of situation.
As these dumps are sniffed from atms in us, using rj45 taps they can see balance and track info. For dumps with gud balance i have whole network ready of mearchants who do not have any problem to cash them out on thier pos but for dumps below certain balance i know mearchants will not be really keen to swipe. Lets say below average balance is any thing between 350 $ – 1500 $. arnd 250 £ – 1000 £
Now to cash out these dumps i have to set blinds which off course i have pre arranged. My only problem is places to cash out. I know currys pc world etc let u swipe but not every time u have enuff to buy a lap top.
Where i live in mid west region tesco let u swipe on tills but not on self check outs and asda does not let u swipe at all.
How ever i went to wales yesterday to meet a friend and was surprised to see that , there asda have self checkouts with swipe option available. How ever on till u cant swipe.
so this means looking at some specific trends all these super marts have enabled swipe in certain places and blocked in other.
I will be more than happy if you guy can post over here what ever is available in ur asda / tesco and other super markets. I do not need exact city info but sumthing like county name and store name and options will be really help full.I will be specially interested to get feed back from frnds in scotland and ireland if any.
I can say one thing if ur info helps me out in any way … I can assure you a ps3 , 10 bottle of vodka or jd for weekend , or if u need smokes lol 5 10 boxes of ciggies can be easly dropped at ur desired location as gift from my end.
Its shopping spree guys help me out and I will take care of you.
Just for those who are interested …at moment i am getting arnd 2300 dumps 101 ( 85 % debit ) which i have to clear in next month or so b4 next lot form another atm will be ready to use.
Any one who can provide any kind of help will be really appreciated.
one more thing : with in a week or so i can expect loads of electronic gadgets with me etc …so keep an eye on topic coz i will be posting regualr items that will be going on 60 % – 70 % of market price !!!!
Also With in reasonable budget i can full fill demands too. This option is only for Uk users as i will be busy with other stuff and cant be bothered with postage etc. Leme know by pm if u are interested in any specific thing from any super market. If u have to request make sure u put model number of item along with current retail price and in last how much u willing to pay if i get u that .And pls no gift vouchers etc lol they ask too many qs when u buy them.
I will come back to u asap.
p.s
Admins smile.gif u can treat ur self too i guess shipping to holland and lithuania does not cost that much wink.gif
Regards”
09.05.2008
Computer Security, News
The fake file claims to be an mp3 of Girls Aloud
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7389529.stm
Almost 500,000 people have been caught out by a booby-trapped media file, says security firm McAfee.
The fake file poses as a music track, short video or movie and has been widely seeded on file-sharing networks to snare victims.
McAfee said the fake media file outbreak was the largest it had seen for about three years.
Those running the fake file get bombarded with pop-up ads and risk compromising the safety of their PC.
The fake file or trojan has been widely distributed on the eDonkey and Limewire file-sharing networks.
The file has many names and is written in different languages to trick people into downloading it.
The titles make the file appear to be music tracks, pornography and full versions of popular movies.
Anyone downloading the trojan and trying to run it is asked to install a codec that will play the supposed media.
Instead of playing the media, running the file installs a bundle of adware that plagues a user with pop-ups.
Included in the bundle is an MP3 media player that will only play the tracks included with it.
McAfee said seeing such a large outbreak was rare because hi-tech criminals typically prefer to target their malicious creations to keep numbers manageable and to avoid detection.
In the last seven days McAfee said the trojan had been found on more than 500,000 of the PCs that notify the company when a malicious file is downloaded.
It added that, so far, only 10% seem to have gone as far as to install the fake codec and be plagued with pop-ups.
Other security companies have seen the trojan but not in such large numbers as McAfee.
Only those using Windows are vulnerable to the malicious program.
McAfee urged users to update their security software and to be wary when using file-sharing networks.
