Grow Up your Linux Security

Thanks to nitot for this nice picture

Hi people… Nice picture, isn’t it? By the way, this isn’t completely true… Now I would explain in a better way my thoughts.

If you are a Linux user you are protected from virus but you should be aware from rootkits… They are worst than virus, because they could working for open some backdoors that malicious people could use to read your data, delete some precious files and in the worst cases they could retrieve your account passwords and became root, using the full power of you PC.

For example, if you aren’t able to check your logs (because they were deleted), it would be an alarm bell… Something is trying to hide its actions to your eyes.

The best way is to prevent these situations, setting up a good firewall policy, using software like Fail2Ban (to make an auto-checking of your logs, looking for some log in errors or other strange situations) and using a software for rootkit checking, like RKHunter.

RKHunter is able to scan your system looking for rootkits and other types of exploits. It could make the following useful things:

• Hash MD5 check
• Looking for files often used by rootkits
• Looking for wrong binary file permissions
• Looking for suspicius strings into LKM and KLD modules
• Looking for hidden files

So that, my advice is to install RKHunter after a clean installation of your Linux System, and after that you should plan some auto-update and auto-check up. You can simply do it editing /etc/crontab to program routine actions.

Install RKHunter:

# cd /opt
# wget http://sourceforge.net/progects/rkhunter/files/rkhunter/1.3.6/rkhunter-1.3.6.tar.gz/download?use_mirror=autoselect
# tar xfvz rkhunter-1.3.6.tar.gz
# cd rkhunter-1.3.6
# ./installer.sh --layout default --install
# cd ..
# rmdir rkhunter-1.3.6

Update RKHunter

# rkhunter --update
# rkhunter --propupd

RKHunter Scan

# rkhunter -c [--createlog ] [--skip-keypress]

Some Links:

RKHunter Official Site

CHKRootkit (Another great tool, you can use it with RKHunter)

Author of the picture below (Nitot)

Share your Trips

Hi readers… In this post I will show you how to share and plan your trips around the world, you could say: “Let me know Mirko… What’s about share some trips? I can share my entire life on Facebook, trips included”. But you are wrong, we are into the social network’s era and facebook is the largest social network all over the world, but it is the most generic.

If you want to share something about your job you surely use Linkedln and equally, if you want to share and plan (paying attenction that they don’t overlap) your trips you must use Dopplr.

Nice experience, a very good service and most of all it is simple to use.

Here you can find my public profile. If you start to use it from this post, let me know what do you think and if you want… Why not? Share your trips with me…

Oh, I forget… Within your Dopplr account, you can surely connect your account with your Facebook, Twitter, Ning and Flickr accounts, that’s nice.

Next Trip: Madrid

I have just bought 2 return tickets for Madrid. I will be there with my girlfriend  from 1 May to 3 May 2010.

Thanks for this picture to marcp_dmoz

It is a great trip, because in Madrid there is my friend Gabriele, he is studying veterinary medicine in Parma, but for the year 2009/2010 he is in Madrid cause he won a scolarship.

Yeah, now it is time to back to study and work hard, until the 1st of May, where I will finally have some rest.

Author of the image in this post: marcp_dmoz

Hungry of Information Technology?

Here the answer… During these days my firend Marco Capoferri is starting his personal blog on wordpress. It is all about technology, programming and coding tips.

You can find this source (that it is programmed to became awesome in few months) directly in my BlogRoll, in the right side of my page… Or you can simply click onto the link below and add it to your Feed.

Marco Capoferri’s Blog (it is written in Italian)

Enjoy his knowledge

Google will stop supporting old browsers

This is a great news for all the developers around the world; in fact, Google is planning to stop supporting legacy browsers from the 1st of march 2010.Here a list of these browsers:

• Internet Explorer 6 (YEAH!!!! nananana nananana ehyehyehy goodbyeeeeee)
  
• Firefox 2.x
• Google Chrome 3
• Safari 2

So that from the next month, Google Docs and Google Sites editor will not work anymore. This is good, because IE 6 is here with us only because lazy people don’t update their PC (because they haven’t got a regular Windows Licence…), it is a big problem for Web developers around the world because IE6 is too much out of standards, and now, after 10 years to pain, Big G is trying to take away the rubbish!

Thanks Big G

PS: if you are an old man, here there is the link to do some upgrades

Superbowl XLIV – Saints in Heaven

Here in Italy it is early morning (about 4 a.m.), and I’m awake… I’m proud of myself, because I’ve just watched The Superbowl XLIV!

Saints are in Heaven, New Orleans is in Heaven… After Catrina Hurricane they have finally won the big one!!!

What a game, it started in the worst way (10-0 for the Colts), but with an awesome tenancy they started to learn how to win the chess game against Payton Manning… And with a strong second half they (great start of the second half, thanks to the Special Team, absolutely superior copared with the Colts’one) reached up the goal.

The memorable moment was the interception on Manning in the 4th quarter, that clearly ended the game! It’s over, it’s over…

The MVP is Drew Brees (voted by me )

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS ARE WORLD CHAMPIONS!!!

ps: honor to the Colts, great team with a great quarterback

Kobe Bryant – L.A. Lakers all-time scoring leader

Last night, against the Memphis Grizzlies Kobe reached the top of the ladder, becoming the ALL-TIME scoring leader in the history of Los Angeles Lakers (passing Jerry West, the man in the NBA logo).

Thanks Kobe… Leggend in the making!

Yes, Kobe did it again…

Great game yesterday night in NBA.

Lakers @ TD Bank North Garden (Boston) versus the Boston Celtics… Both two awesome teams, but on the clutch plays Ron Artest defended hard on Paul Pierce, and after that… Kobe Bryant…

After Kobe…

Only silence…. Enjoy…

Smart Thoughts – Me and Steve Jobs together

24 hours later my cyanide post about iPad, it is now time to explain my smart thoughts and put my hate for the “Fan Boys” in the wardrobe.

27 January 2010

I think that slacabos will enjoy this post, after the little storm that I’ve unleashed with the last one…

PERFACE (Me and Steve Jobs together):

I hate Netbooks… Yes, it is true. I know that you can’t believe it (yes guys, I’m in accord with Steve), but this is it. Why? Because they are too small, the keyboard is too small for me, and it is very hard for me try to write some code with a Netbook.

WHERE JOBS IS WRONG:

Steve is wrong because he compares Netbook to iPad. These are 2 different types of products. Ipad is the device in the middle, between MacBooks and iPhone; Netbook is only a mini-laptop. He can’t compare them! He can’t talk trash about them, because, in this way, he made us think to the comparison… And the result of the comparison (that isn’t right to do) is the last post’s image. And… Steve, not all the netbooks are slow…

APPLE DIDN’T CLONE P88:

In the last hours a Chinese company show how Apple cloned P88, a device similar to the iPad but on the market from about 6 months. Apple didn’t clone P88! The iPad design is the classic Apple’s devices design, so that I’m thinking that the Chinese company has tried to clone something. So that, I hope that this talk won’t be on the newspapers in the future!

HOW TO INCREASE:

Apple must stop to go beyond the physical limit! iPad could be awesome with 2 USB, a web-cam, and HDMI out and if it is possible… multitasking to make the user experience more astonishing. Think about a similar iPad and dream… Yes, you can only dream, because the real iPad is a luxury device (only because they are looking to pass the physical limit). It is too expensive, and it is just for browsing Internet, e-mails, newspaper, e-books (nut for the e-books i prefer the Kindle) and watch TV and photos.

The right one is an iPad not in the middle between iPhone and MacBook, but an iPad next to the MacBook… iPhone is totally another business in my opinion.

Do you call it “Tablet”?

iPad vs Netbook

This image is shocking. Ok, I’m not an Apple addict, but I recognize some merit to Apple when they make something awesome.

Unfortunately Apple is going totally crazy in the last month… Rumors about a possible Tablet destabilized Steve and Co. and this is the result… A poor device with a “cool” (if is it possible to define cool a three years old iPhone enlarged design), and a stupid name… iPad (after iPod, iPhone… yeah, fantasy take me away… lol).

Guys, look at the reality; Apple has created a “cool” notepad. And after months and months of waiting this is so unsatisfying.

A lot of people talks about “an awesome device” or “I must have to had it”… They looks like stupid addicted people that must open up their eyes and take a look at the image above.

500 $ for the entry level iPad… Oh God… It is the right way to spend your money…

Let go Apple, you can so something better than this device…