False Kid Porno Raid Gets Media Play

A Buffalo, NY, man gets an early morning visit (and alleged contusions) from the ICE: His left his Wi-Fi network open, and extremely poor FBI work (according to this AP report) led to a raid on his home because that’s where the IP address led. While it’s no crime in the US—it is in some other countries—to leave your network open for anyone to access, this isn’t the first time this has happened. I’ve written up a few previous similar incidents that led to police or federal agents breaking down the doors for criminal acts conducted over the network at the physical address. In most cases, a neighbor is the guilty party.

You’d think the FBI would be briefing agents on this issue, so that they don’t face multi-million-dollar lawsuits for faulty work that pinpoints the wrong person. The Buffalo man isn’t suing, even though his attorney alleges he was thrown down the stairs by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He says they didn’t properly identify who they were after breaking down the door and brandishing weapons. (Who knows from ICE?)

Even on an open network, it’s possible to track identifiers that would allow relatively easy confirmation of which machine was the case, or to stake out the area for a few nights, tracking signals and locations. Then agents could enlist the homeowner with the open network to ensure the Wi-Fi signal remained available and could be used to track at which exact moment that a perpetrator was engaged in an illegal act and then raided at the same time. (We’re talking child pornography here, not file swapping.)

The AP article says that US-CERT recommends “closing” a Wi-Fi network among other security measures. This option, labeled differently on each maker’s router software, disables default beaconing, and thus the network name and availability isn’t broadcast. However, whenever the network is use by a party that knows the name and has associated with it (encryption or otherwise), traffic can be snooped and connection information extracted. I don’t recommend closing a network as it provides no effective security, and neither does limiting an network to specific MAC addresses (the Wi-Fi adapter’s unique hardware number).

US-CERT has six recommendations for best home practices on its Securing Wireless Networks page, which include these two. Closing a network is noted as “Protect Your SSID.”

Really, using a nine-letter/digit WPA password is the simplest way to protect a network in a reliable and secure way no matter what other restrictions are in place.

I choose to password protect my network in part because I don’t want to be indirectly responsible for anyone’s actions on my network (whether in a raid or just because someone commits a nefarious act using my router), and because Comcast caps my use at 250 GB per month.

Copyright ©2011 Glenn Fleishman. All rights reserved. Please notify us if you find this content anywhere but at wifinetnews.com or wimaxnetnews.com. Reproduction of full articles from RSS feeds is prohibited without permission.

Microsoft releases Windows ‘Vail’ server to manufacturing

Microsoft has released to manufacturing its Windows Home Server 2011 product, codenamed “Vail,” company officials said on March 29.

No St. Patrick’s Day Logo On Google Homepage

This is the first time in 8 years that Google does not a specified St. Patrick’s Day logo on the Google.com home page. Google does have a special logo on Google Ireland but not on Google.com. Speculations abound about Google not posting it globally because of the enormous crisis in Japan, yet no one from the Google camp has confirmed anything yet.

Here is the Google St. Patrick’s Day logo on Google Ireland:

And here is 2010′s St. Patrick’s Day logo offering from Google:

If Google is too busy to get a logo together for the holidays, they should give Pixellogo a call. We have some logos kickin’ around.

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Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7: When bad things happen to good phones

Microsoft really needed to hit a home run with WP7 to make a comeback in smartphones. So far, I’d say they’ve fallen short of what’s needed. What do you think, WP7 users and potential buyers?

NY TImes Wrong about WPA Cracking

This New York Times article has a major inaccuracy related to WPA/WPA2 key cracking: The article is a welcome rundown on the security issues involved in using home and hotspot Wi-Fi networks, along with changes happening at major Web sites in moving to always-encrypted sessions.

The reporter quotes a sysadmin and security videocaster pointing out that essentially all WEP-protected networks are crackable. This is true. WEP is straightforward to crack; it’s just a matter of time, and often not very much time.

But the reporter misses the boat when she writes:

A WEP-encrypted password (for wired equivalent privacy) is not as strong as a WPA (or Wi-Fi protected access) password, so it’s best to use a WPA password instead. Even so, hackers can use the same free software programs to get on WPA password-protected networks as well. It just takes much longer (think weeks) and more computer expertise.

That’s extremely misleading and mostly inaccurate. The distinction she fails to make, which will confuse all readers, is that there are weak and strong WPA/WPA2 passwords. I’ve been tracking this subject for years, as regular readers, know, and that distinction is key, if you’ll pardon the pun.

If you pick a WPA key of 10 characters are more, preferably not including a word found in dictionaries of dominant Roman-character languages, you are nearly certainly protected against cracking. Pick a short phrase of 8 or fewer characters, no matter how random, and you can be cracked by a determined party, possibly in as few as minutes for a short or dictionary-word key.

WPA/WPA2 can only currently be cracked via brute force. The article should have just said more accurately, “it’s best to use a WPA password instead, making sure to create one that’s 10 or more characters long.” Instead, it’s spreading a mistaken impression.

Later in the article, sense reasserts when the writer says to change your SSID (the network name is part of how the key is derived for a WPA/WPA2 Personal), and “choos[e] a lengthy and complicated alphanumeric password.” It doesn’t have to be very long or very complicated. “Abra23dabra” would be a perfectly fantastic WPA/WPA2 password.

Copyright ©2011 Glenn Fleishman. All rights reserved. Please notify us if you find this content anywhere but at wifinetnews.com or wimaxnetnews.com. Reproduction of full articles from RSS feeds is prohibited without permission.

Canon Digital SLR Cameras – First Look

Digital single lens reflex cameras are one of the most envied devices around. Canon’s digital SLR line pushes this fascination to the limit, with lots of powerful and flexible attributes. From enthusiast to professional, no device is more valuable than a digital SLR camera. Bringing clarity, versatility, and an overall first-rate build quality to the market, there is nothing else that can compare, but what features really make it essential?

Canon’s range of DSLR cameras addresses every aspect of photography, even their entry line of digital single lens reflex cameras impresses. You’ll immediately feel like you are handling their top of the range model the build quality across the board is so impressive. Compared to their smaller point and click cousins, Canon’s digital SLR cameras present some amazing, high end attributes. With most Canon digital SLR cameras incorporating a normal lens mount, your choice of camera lenses becomes extensive. This enables you to make use of nearly any lens you may need. Maybe you have a good deal of lenses left from older cameras already, or would like to pick up some classic lenses? This also enables you to choose various second hand lenses from photography merchants or even eBay. Lenses are the heart and soul of any DSLR camera, and the Canon lineup accomodates in spades. The ability to swap so many lenses and filters, or several focal distances and zooms are what matters, and these are all signature aspects of what makes an DSLR camera so desirable. Canon’s digital SLR cameras are no slouch here, with their conventional lens mounts, you can actually bolt just about anything at all onto these to acquire the exact effect you’re in search of.

Canon’s current cameras have excellent battery life too. Most use a lithium ion battery lasting for hundreds of shots. Swappable battery packs are also readily available, so that you’ll be confident that you will not run out of power, no matter where you might be shooting.

Multiple exposure modes give you plenty of value for your money. From speedy, rapid shots or timed, long duration exposures, you genuinely develop a sense of worth with the camera and its workings. If you are away from home, Canon digital SLR cameras have a standard USB port making it easy to store pictures on the go, also, Eye-fi SD cards have become popular among many photographers, allowing users to wirelessly transfer images to computers, over wi-fi. Canon high-end digital SLR cameras are all compatible with the cards, so no worries should you happen to have one already.

Looking at your photos on the fly is significantly less complicated thanks to the built in display. Gone are the washed out displays of the past, instead you are given vibrant, realistic colors on a clear, large resolution display. If you are away from home, Canon digital SLR cameras have a standard USB port making it easy to store pictures on the go too. Fancy shooting some video clips? You are covered! What about HD video? No problem. Full 16:9 widescreen HD movie at 1080p will have you turning out some high quality videos in no time. I’ll go into more depth regarding the video output in another article however…

No matter what your desires or degree of experience, Canon’s range of DSLR’s delivers. Virtually any style of photography (including video clips) can be accomplished, and you’ll be left using the camera to craft the exact visual message you are hoping to convey.

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Generate New Leads with Door Hanger Marketing for Your Business

Door hanger marketing is favorable and a reasonable marketing program. If you’re anything like the average citizen, you’ve probably had some of these advertising materials hanging on your door knob when you get home in the afternoon. Door hanger marketing has long been utilized by some of the largest marketing firms. However, since the production cost of door hangers has continued to diminish popularity has increased substantially in the past decade.

Politicians use door hangers for their neighborhood political campaigns, while mortgage brokers use door hanger marketing to farm local areas for home-buyers and sellers. Anyone can benefit from door hanger marketing campaigns, including small businesses. With the costs having waned dramatically, your business can now contest even the largest of corporations.

Small businesses tend to benefit greatest with door hanger marketing over larger businesses mostly because the locality of the community. While larger corporation’s budgets might be enormous, they must also cover a greater area competing against tens and hundreds of businesses. Small businesses with a drastically lower budget can maximize their investment by understanding how to focus their attention on unique communities and use door hanger marketing to gain new prospects. Most businesses fail to notice door hanger marketing and never really understand its high benefits-to-cost ratio. Knowing this, it is easy to justify door hanger marketing for any size business.

Here are a few reasons why you might consider investing in a door hanger marketing:

Distinctive Marketing Exposure

Door hanger marketing is done by so few, it nearly guarantees unrivaled exposure. Consider being the only business in your industry to utilize door hangers as part of your direct marketing program. Not only would you have the initial advantage, but you’d quickly generate a lot of interest for your services.

Perfect for Regional Marketing

Plan to distribute your own door hangers starting in your own neighborhood. When people start to recognize you, they are more likely to give you their business. Additionally, people may stop to ask you questions offering another opportunity to earn their business.

Personalized Marketing

Consider the area you want to hand deliver door hangers. You might get a increased response if you print and distribute door hangers that actually communicate to the members of a local neighborhood or that have something in common in their community. Personalizing any marketing materials ensures the door hanger marketing program has higher relevancy to your prospect. When your prospect sees that your door hanger marketing piece is relevant to them or their needs, they’ll actually want to read it. Once they realize they could use your services, they call. Door hanger marketing can be as simple as that!

High Visibility Marketing

Consider It. What do you do when you come home or walk out and see something hanging from your door knob? Truth be told, the average person is going to grab door hangers off the knob and glance over them. The fact that the prospect must grab them in hand in order to remove them ensuring they get noticed and substantially increasing the chance they get read. Again, think about it. What would you do with an unsolicited coupon book or letter? Probably, throw it away.

XpressPrint is a nationwide door hanger marketing industry leader offering a variety of products including business cards, postcards, rack cards, pocket folders and much more. Visit www.XpressPrint-Online.com for additional information, the best prices worldwide, instant quotes and conveniently register, order and track your job online anytime – day or night.

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Microsoft moves its Chatter-like OfficeTalk toward commercialization

OfficeTalk — Microsoft’s enterprise-focused microblogging technology — may soon find a home among the company’s product teams and become a shipping product and/or service.

Good Christmas Gift Ideas

Christmas is the most popular festival in many countries. People come together on this day to stay with families and friends. The most important aspect of the celebration is exchanging Christmas gifts. Christmas is the time to share happiness and spread love. The Christmas Gifts that you provide should be unique and special.

Christmas gifts are available in different markets, and the most meaningful gifts should be chosen with a special meaning to the recipient. A Christmas gift basket can hold your homemade chocolates with fresh flowers to your friends. Or you may also send cookies, cakes or soft toys as a Christmas gift. A combination of fruits is also a great idea for celebrating Christmas party. Some useful gifts such as books, portable electronic goods, and home appliances are also amazing Christmas gift ideas. An array of fine wine is another special way of saying Merry Christmas for people who like alcohol. One can also send a decorated Christmas tree to double the joy of a Christmas party. All these Christmas gift ideas are suitable in celebrating Christmas.

Sending Christmas cakes is one of the best Christmas gift ideas. Without Christmas cakes the celebration of Christmas seems to be incomplete. Embellishing the cake with customized messages or a Christmas Cakes complemented with suitable gifts will add panache to these unique Christmas gift ideas.

Christmas cookies are really very special. The cookies may be accompanied with special messages. Cookies in the shape of Christmas bells look good. Children, adults and youngsters all are found of Christmas cookies. Christmas cookies can also be decorated with unique toppings to add to the grandeur of the gift.

Sending flowers is also a very good idea. Christmas flowers on one hand will surprise your loved ones on Christmas day. And the flowers with customized messages will make the recipients’ face cheer with joy and delight.

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Dancing fools Digital

** Need shirts for you softball team? Polos for your golf team? Broken Arrow is a leader in customized digital printing. **

I did not realize that two of my children were such dancing fools. At my nephew’s wedding reception, my seven-year old hit the dance floor as soon as the music started and proceeded to dance like a wild man until he plum wore himself out. He even managed to pull his ol’ mom out on the floor a few times as well. Alright, that really wasn’t too difficult for him to accomplish since his “ol’ mom” still loves to dance! My eleven-year old daughter got out on the floor shortly after her brother did and she would probably still be dancing now if I hadn’t had to drag her off the floor so we could go home. As much as I would have loved to stay longer too, watching her younger brother practically falling asleep on his feet after having danced himself into a stupor was a pretty good indication that it was time to call it a night. Their older brother on the other hand, at fifteen, thought he was simply “too cool” to dance. My sister (who has her own personalized digitally printed sweatshirt that says “Dancing Queen”) managed to drag him out on the floor once for a few minutes, but he split as soon as I told him he was dismissed. What he has not yet learned is that it’s really the cool ones that are out there on the floor, having fun, not caring what people think.  I bet there were a ton of great dancing pictures taken that night and if I can find one that captures the children just right, I will have to have that photo digitally printed on matching t-shirts for the whole family to wear.

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