firefox 16 vulnerablity forces its withdrawl within hours

Security Vulnerability in Firefox 16

Issue:

Mozilla is aware of a security vulnerability in the current release version of Firefox (version 16). We are actively working on a fix and plan to ship updates tomorrow. Firefox version 15 is unaffected.

Impact:

The vulnerability could allow a malicious site to potentially determine which websites users have visited and have access to the URL or URL parameters.  At this time we have no indication that this vulnerability is currently being exploited in the wild.

Status:

Firefox 16 has been temporarily removed from the current installer page and users will automatically be upgraded to the new version as soon as it becomes available.  As a precaution, users can downgrade to version 15.0.1 by following these instructions [http://www.mozilla.org/firefox/new/].  Alternatively, users can wait until our patches are issued and automatically applied to address the vulnerability.

Michael Coates

Director of Security Assurance

https://blog.mozilla.org/security/2012/10/10/security-vulnerability-in-firefox-16/

Cisco said to cut ties with China's ZTE

Follows investigation into sales to Iran

By Jim Duffy, Network World
October 08, 2012 12:24 PM ET

Cisco has reportedly cut ties with Chinese telecom vendor ZTE after allegations that ZTE sold Cisco gear to Iran.

In June, a Reuters story revealed that Cisco, HP and Oracle gear was being sold to an Iranian mobile operator despite U.S. government sanction on such sales. Cisco conducted an internal investigation into ZTE's practices and as a result, recently ended a longstanding relationship with the Chinese company, according to a Reuters story published this week.

The Cisco/ZTE situation comes amid a report due today from the U.S. House Intelligence Committee that states that equipment from ZTE and fellow Chinese telecom company Huawei pose a security threat to the U.S. The report, which follows a year-long investigation, recommends the U.S. block any attempts by ZTE and Huawei to make acquisitions or mergers in America, and encourages U.S. firms to procure equipment from other sources.

A ZTE spokesperson said of the Cisco action that the company is "highly concerned" and "communicating" with Cisco, according to Reuters. The spokesperson also said ZTE is cooperating with the U.S. government on its investigation into sales to Iran. Cisco did not comment by the time this story was posted. But in June, Cisco said it "... complies with all U.S. export laws and requires our business partners to expressly acknowledge that they too must abide by these laws. Products such as these, which are not subject to individual export licenses, can be purchased from distributors and resold without Cisco's knowledge or control. We continue to investigate this matter, as any violation of U.S. export controls is a very serious matter."
According to this week's Reuters story, ZTE's general counsel at its Texas-based subsidiary alleged that the parent company plotted a cover-up of the sale of Cisco gear to Iran, including possibly shredding documents. The FBI has launched a criminal probe into the allegations, the news service reports.
ZTE has continued to do business in Iran while American-made technology has been subject to U.S. sanctions. A parts list dated July 2011 for an equipment contract between ZTE and an Iranian telecommunications company included several Cisco switches, Reuters reports. ZTE later agreed to sell five Cisco switches to another Iranian firm, according to the news service.
Cisco and ZTE partnered for the past seven years. Cisco viewed ZTE as a means to combat Huawei, which had been beating out Cisco in emerging markets by offering significantly cheaper products, according to Reuters.
But ZTE wanted to expand into the U.S. and Cisco did not want that, according to the Reuters report, which quoted "a former Cisco executive with knowledge of the matter."


http://www.networkworld.com/news/2012/100812-cisco-zte-263143.html?t51hb

Fake Bad Piggies Game hijack Google Chrome browser

Fake-bad-piggies-game-hijack-google

Fake Bad Piggies Game hijack Google Chrome browser

Posted by Mohit Kumar on 10/06/2012 10:26:00 AM

Rovio's latest game, Bad Piggies, is now available via Google Play and the App Store, and as a PC and Mac download, but it has not yet made its way to the Chrome Web Store. These pigs can indeed fly - "Bad Piggies," the spinoff to the monster hit game "Angry Birds," set a new record by soaring to the top of the charts just three hours after release.

Scammers have quickly taken advantage of this, introducing bogus versions of Bad Piggies into the Chrome Web Store that exist primarily to serve up in-browser advertisements thanks to a few plug-in permissions. 

Barracuda Networks’ lab today discovered a knock-off of the new and wildly popular “Bad Piggies” game which includes a phishing plug-in that may have injected an aggressive adware program into more than 82,000 Chrome browsers.

The lack of a free online version for Bad Piggies left space for others to capitalize on the instant success of the game. Just days after the game launched, Jason Ding, a research scientist from Barracuda Networks, found seven free versions of the games in the Google Chrome web store.

Jason Ding notes that all of these games are being distributed by the same site: playook.info. After installation, the games insert their own advertisements into popular websites. Barracuda found that after deploying the games in a test environment, they inserted advertising from playook.com into sites like Myspace, eBay, IMDB, Yahoo and MSN among dozens of other sites on the Chrome browser.

"If you have already installed, uninstall them immediately and change your passwords on other websites if possible," Barracuda said. The firm also warned users to be wary of plugins that requires a lot of suspicious permissions.

really good one

Date: Tuesday, 2 October, 2012, 12:52 PM

Don't scroll past the animals until you have  decided upon your answer.   The Banana Test There is a very, very tall coconut tree and there are four animals...,  A Lion , A Chimp    A Giraffe ,     ...AND...  A Squirrel        They decide to compete to see who is the fastest to  get a banana off the tree.     Who do you guess will win?     Your answer will reflect your personality.  So think carefully . . .     Try and answer within 30 seconds.  Got your answer?        Now scroll down to see the analysis.:  If your answer is:  Lion = you're dull.  Chimpanzee = you're dense.  Giraffe = you're a complete moron.  Squirrel = you're hopeless.  A COCONUT TREE DOESN'T HAVE BANANAS.  Obviously you're stressed and overworked.  You should take some time off and relax  Have two glasses of wine.  A full box of Chocolates.  And a nice lunch.  Now hurry up and forward it to someone else.  They may need those glasses of wine.

Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise Edition: Installation And Configuration

I am starting the series of posts for all those friends asking for information on Windows server 2008 installation and configuration.I hope these would be helpful.

very interesting and easy steps to configure WDS. Sharing a link

http://www.yoyoclouds.com/2012/09/install-http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8856289439150179134#editor/target=post;postID=8604838543427807680and-configure-windows.html

Install and configure Windows Deployment Services

This guide contains step-by-step guidance for how to install and configure the most common scenarios for Windows Deployment Services (sometimes called “WDS”) in Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2. 

NOTE: that you cannot use Windows Deployment Services with the Server Core installation option.

What is Windows Deployment Services?

Windows Deployment Services is the updated and redesigned version of Remote Installation Services (RIS). Windows Deployment Services enables you to deploy Windows operating systems over the network, which means that you do not have to install each operating system directly from a CD or DVD. 

Prerequisites for installing Windows Deployment Services

The following are requirements for installing this role:

• AD DS
  
• DHCP. 
• DNS. 
• NTFS volume.
• Credentials.

Steps for installing Windows Deployment Services

You can install Windows Deployment Services by using the Initial Configuration Wizard, Server Manager, or the command line.

To install the role by using the Initial Configuration Wizard, click Add roles on the Initial Configuration Tasks startup screen.  

Click Next

select Windows Deployment Services and click Next

During the installation, you have the following two role services to choose from:

Deployment Server. To install this option, ensure that both Deployment Server and Transport Server are selected on the second screen of the installation wizard. This is the most common option because it provides the full functionality of Windows Deployment Services, which you can use to configure and remotely install Windows operating systems. 

NOTE: that Deployment Server is dependent on the core parts of Transport Server.  

Transport Server. To install this option, clear the Deployment Server check box on the second screen of the installation wizard. This option provides a subset of the functionality of Windows Deployment Services. It contains only the core networking parts. You can use Transport Server to create multicast namespaces that transmit data (including operating system images) from a standalone server. You should use this option if you want to transmit data by using multicasting, but you do not want to incorporate all of Windows Deployment Services.

In our case, we have selected both these options

Click Install to begin the installation process

The installation will take few seconds to complete

Once the Installation completes, Close the wizard

In your Roles Summary page, you should see the Windows Deployment Service option

After you install the server role, you must configure the server. Once you have used the instructions in this section to configure the server, add a boot image, and an install image, you will be ready to deploy images.

Select Windows Deployment Service role >> Select your Server >> Right Click >> Configure Server

NOTE: Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is not supported for Windows Deployment Services in Windows Server 2008.

If you are running Windows Deployment Services and a non-Microsoft DHCP server on the same computer, in addition to configuring the server to not listen on port 67, you will need to use your DHCP tools to add Option 60 to your DHCP scopes. 

Review the requirements and click Next to begin configuring the WDS

Provide a suitable Path for your WDS Installation Folder. This folder will contain Boot Images, Install Images, PXE Files, tools etc.

NOTE: Choose a NTFS Partitioned drive that has good free space in it.

If Windows Deployment Services and DHCP are running on the same computer, configuring Windows Deployment Services to not respond to any client computers will not work. 

This is because although Windows Deployment Services will not respond, DHCP will. You can try to work around this issue by disabling DHCP option 60 on the DHCP tab or by selecting Do Not Listen on Port 67 and Configure DHCP Option 60 to 'PXEClient' as shown

Select Do not respond to any Client Computers

Once you have configured all the necessary settings, the WDS service will start up

Once the configuration completes, you are now ready to add Images to your WDS Server. Before clicking on Finish, select the "Add Images to the Server now" option as shown

You must add at least one boot image and one install image before you will be able to boot to the Windows Deployment Services server and install an image.
 
I have copied the contents of my Windows 2008 R2 Server ISO DVD and stored it in a separate folder (D:/Win2k8R2). You can do the same with your Windows DVD.

There are two types of Images that you can use in WDS:

• Boot images. Boot images are Windows PE images that you boot a client computer into to perform an operating system installation. In most scenarios, you should use the Boot.wim file on the product DVD from one of the following operating systems:
  • Client: Windows Vista (with at least Service Pack 1 (SP1)) or Windows 7
  • Server: Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2
  You can also use custom boot images that you have created using the Windows AIK (for example, for diagnostic testing).
• Install images. Install images are the operating system images that you deploy to the client computer. You can use the Install.wim file from the product DVD to deploy images for Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, and Windows Server 2008 R2. For operating systems released prior to Windows Vista, you must create a custom install image.

Browse to select the default install image (Install.wim), which is located in the \Sources folder of the product DVD, and then click Next.

Create an Image Group

Review the information before proceeding. Click Next when done

This will now add the Image and the Boot files to your WDS. This can take few minutes to complete

The Windows 2008 Server DVD comes with 8 images or editions of Windows 2008 Server, like Enterprise edition, Datacenter Edition, etc.

Click Finish when done

In your Server Roles >> WDS >> Your WDS Server, you should see your Image Group containing all the Windows 2008 Server Images as shown

After you have at least one boot and one install image on the server, you can deploy an install image. 

Prerequisites for installing an install image

• The client computer must be capable of performing a PXE boot.
• Your user account must be a member of the Domain Users group.
• The client computer must have at least 512 MB of RAM, which is the minimum amount of RAM for using Windows PE.
• The client must meet the system requirements for the operating system of the install image.

To install an operating system

• Configure the BIOS of the computer to enable PXE booting, and set the boot order so that it is booting from the network first.
  
• Restart the computer, and when prompted, press F12 to start the network boot.
  

Select the appropriate boot image from the boot menu. (This boot image selection menu will be available only if you have two or more boot images on the server.)

Follow the instructions in the Windows Deployment Services user interface.

NOTE: you may be prompted to enter the Domain Administrator password as shown

When the installation is completed, the computer will restart and Setup will continue.

Further Reading:

For detailed deployment documentation for Windows Deployment Services, see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=81873.

The govt has also thought about it

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/enterprise-it/security/Power-systems-easy-target-for-cyber-criminals/articleshow/15995104.cms

Power systems easy target for cyber criminals

TNN Aug 30, 2012, 03.12PM IST

Tags:

• power systems|
• India's power systems|
• DMRC|
• Delhi Metro|
• cyber attacks|
• cyber assault

• 

(India’s power systems…)

NEW DELHI: India's power systems could be vulnerable to crippling cyber attacks on a scale that can have serious implications for national security and the economy, an inquiry into the July 30-31 grid collapse that grabbed global attention has said.

Although cyber attacks have been ruled out in last month's grid collapse, destabilization of the energy sector could lead to a "cascading effect on national security and economy", the report says. It points out that the main vulnerabilities are in the transmission and distribution sectors.

"Cyber attacks can be perpetrated from any side, either by outsiders or insiders and may have far-reaching and detrimental effects on power systems' controls," the report says. It points out that "the effect of vulnerabilities in centralized systems in transmission sector is wide and may impact synchronous operation of the entire power system , leading to grid collapse."

The reason why generating units are less vulnerable is because switching operations are independent of computer networking. It is not clear if an outmoded system is a buffer against cyber shocks, but it helped investigators rule out comparisons with a China-based attack on US power systems.

A cyber assault can disrupt services to critical users like hospitals and Metro rail systems and such an attack may choose to target distribution where the bulk of automation is evident. The report says a reliable telecom network — currently not in place — can be built.

"Since Powergrid has its own fibre optic cables ... a proper communication/IT network may be built using dedicated fibres to avoid cyber attacks on the power system," the report says. 
It has also highlighted a serious threat to operations of Delhi Metro in the event of a massive power breakdown.

try your luck....something i stumbled upon on the internet

What Does Your Body Language Say About You? How To Read Signs and Recognize Gestures

Art by LaetitziaAs we all know, communication is essential in society. Advancements in technology have transformed the way that we correspond with others in the modern world. We live in an era when launching apps, using an online QR code generator for immediate information, following turn-by-turn map navigation on our phones, and microblogging with tweets and instant photos have become the norm. Because of the constant buzz in our technological world, it's easy to forget how important communicating face-to-face is. When conversing old-school style, it's not only speech we verbalize that matters, but what our nonverbal gestures articulate as well.
Body language is truly a language of its own. We all have quirks and habits that are uniquely our own. What does your body language say about you? And what can you learn about others by becoming aware of what some of the signs mean?

I thought it would be fun to list some of the well-known signs that body language experts study and recognize. It is said that when talking to a person the information that we receive can be broken down as:

• 10% from what the person actually says
• 40% from the tone and speed of voice
• 50% is from their body language.

• Lowering one's head can signal a lack of confidence. If someone lowers their head when complimented, they may be shy or timid

•  Touching or tugging at one's ear can indicate indecisiveness

• Sincere smiles encompass the whole face (noticeable in the eyes)

• A false smile usually only engages the lips

• Tilting one's head can symbolize interest in something or someone

• Overly tilted heads can be a sign of sympathy

• Closing of eyes or pinching at the bridge of one's nose is often done when making a negative evaluation

• When a listener nods, this is usually a positive message and relays that they are interested and paying attention

• However, excessive nodding can imply that the listener has lost interest but doesn't want to be rude

• Touching/rubbing one's nose may indicate doubtfulness or rejection of an idea

• Sticking out one's chin toward another may show defiance

• Resting a hand on one's cheek is often done if they are thinking or pondering; and stroking the chin can mean the person is trying to make a decision

• Pushing back one's shoulders can demonstrate power and courage

• Open arms means one is comfortable with being approached and willing to talk/communicate

• Folded arms show that there is a sort of barricade between them and other people (or their surroundings) and indicate dissatisfaction

• Resting one's arms behind their neck shows that they are open to what is being discussed and interested in listening more

• Pointing one's finger can be construed as aggression or assertiveness

• Touching the front of the neck can show that someone is interested and concerned about what another is saying

• Hand movements that are upward & outward signify positive and open messages

• Palms that are faced outwards towards another indicate one's wish to stop and not approach

• If one's fingers are interlaced or if the finger tips are pressed together, it usually shows that a person is thinking and evaluating

• If offering ideas to other people, many times the sides of one's palms are close together, with fingers extended

• Putting your hands on your hips can show eagerness and readiness (also, at times, aggression)

• Hips pushed forward, while leaning back can show that one feels powerful (also can be a suggestive gesture)

• A wide stance - where one's feet are positioned far apart - signifies more power and dominance

• When one sits with legs open and part, they might feel secure in their surroundings

• Crossed legs can mean several things: relaxed/comfortable, or defensive - depending on how tense the leg muscles are

• When you cross your legs towards another person, you are showing more interest in them than when they are crossed away in the other direction

• A confident and powerful position is the "Figure of Four Cross" when one's ankle is atop the other leg's knee and the top leg is pointed sideways

• Bouncing your foot if your legs are crossed can show that you are bored or losing patience

• The lowering of the eyes can convey fear, guilt or submission

• Lowered eyebrows and squinted eyes illustrate an attempt at understanding what is being said or going on

• A lack of confidence or apprehensiveness can be displayed when you don't look another person in the eyes

• One tends to blink more often if nervous or trying to evaluate someone else

• If you look directly into another person's eyes you are displaying self-assurance

• Wide eyes show more of an interest in a subject or person

• If you are irritated with a comment made by another during a conversation, a common movement is to take a quick glance sideways

• Staring at someone can be an aggressive gesture or suggest that the one staring feels dominant

• Recalling a memory is usually done by looking up and to the right

• Looking directly upwards can indicate that one is thinking

• Eye contact is normally broken if someone feels insulted by another

http://cybersecuritynews.org/2012/08/24/federal-agency-audits-show-cyber-vulnerabilities/

scarry... defence forces being target of hackers...are we secure enough!!!!!

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/enterprise-it/security/Power-systems-easy-target-for-cyber-criminals/articleshow/15995104.cms

http://squareeater.com

http://squareeater.com/?sms_ss=stumbleupon&at_xt=4dd6501e7ad7d2ae,check this out
....A brain teaser to ttest your spiritual facul;ties.
 

"Your friend added a new photo with you to the album" spam leads to malware

Posted by EHN Reporter on Wednesday, August 29, 2012 |

1

Spam mails which disguised as Facebook notification informs users that a friend has added a new photo with you to the album, intercepted by Sophos

The mail is designed such that it will look similar to the original Facebook notification and are titled "Your friend added a new photo with you to the album"

“One of Your Friends added a new photo with you to the album. You are receiving this email because you've been listed as a close friend. View photo with you in the attachment,” the messages read.

The attached ZIP file contains malware, designed to allow hackers to gain control over your Windows computer. The malware is detected as Troj/Agent-XNN by Sophos products.

"But there are surely many people who could be duped into believing that they have been tagged by one of their friends in a photograph, and want to see if they look overweight, unattractive or simply fabulous (delete as applicable)." Sophos experts says