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Internet Tips and Tricks: TORRENTS!

Torrents, oh torrents. Lets just dive right into what a torrent is. A torrent is a "file", or rather a group of "files", that anybody anywhere can download (assuming they have a torrent client like utorrent, bittorrent, etc etc). The torrent clients connect to others (peers and seeders) that have the file you are looking for and take bits and pieces from them and give them to you. Then the clients take the pieces from you and distributes them to others. This is an ingenious way to distribute files because it takes very little of a users upstream to give back to the community.

Now here comes the big question: Is it legal? Unfortunately this is probably the best answer you're going to get: Yes and no. Of course it depends on the type of file you're downloading. Yes it's less legal downloading a copyrighted file. But it's also equally legal in that you're not actually downloading the file itself but pieces of the file. That's why very rarely do people ever go to jail or get fined for having downloaded a file. Now you can't go downloading any sort of movie or music that isn't technically released yet (that is, without a doubt, fully illegal), but there is virtually no way in court to prove that you didn't buy it or even just "borrowed" it from a friend.

Here are some starting links that I know will "get the ball rolling" for new torrenters.
thepiratebay.org
www.isohunt.com
www.btjunkie.com
Just head these words of warning:
1) Even though you most likely won't get fined or go to jail
2) Please use protection when torrenting. Protection being A) proxy services, B) Antivirus, C) Firewalls, and D) Updates.
3) Be smart when torrenting, don't just go downloading anything that might strike your fancy. There are such a thing as fake torrents that are viruses or malware. Some people just like to watch the word burn.

Internet Safety Tools: Encryption

Encryption is the process of using software to transform plaintext information (just regular data) into unreadable information. The way encryptors work are by using mathematical algorithms to alter the data for use with a key to "decrypt" it back to the original plaintext file.

Normally, most end users wouldn't have any sort of reason to encrypt 99% of their data, aside from "sensitive" documents or files that have to do with their personal information (ie credit cards, bank accounts, sometimes even digital receipts). Businesses on the other hand, have EVERY reason to encrypt their data. Whether it be some project they are working on, personal information of their clients, or even just their emails. I couldn't count how many businesses have gone down because they've been hacked and the information has been released.

There are a number of tools for encryption, and a quick google search will return an almost overwhelming results. But, by far, the best and simplest to use would have to by none other than Truecrypt.

I use it, and at first it might be seem overwhelming, just follow the steps, and you'll be up and running in no time.

Internet News: PROTECT IP Act

I am by far not a political person. But when I learned of this law trying to be pushed through congress, I most definitely took a stand on it. So I'm going to start out this post by saying that I am against the PROTECT IP act. The PROTECT IP act, in a nutshell, is bad. It would give congress and corporations the ability to flat out BLOCK all access by Americans to any site they deem to be "disobeying" copyright laws.

What does this mean to you, who may be the typical end user? EVERYTHING! Okay, I'm just trying to scare you. But it most certainly can affect just about any social site that you go on. Sites like Youtube, facebook, myspace, even Blogger. Any site that anybody says anything from any copyrighted material can compromise not just the page of that site, but the entire site itself.

One of the "major" problems that PROTECT IP are suppose to solve probably won't be in the long run. For starters, PROTECT IP won't be able to block the site by ip address. Meaning you could always enter the ip address instead of the URL and it will bring you back straight to the site. Good game.

Internet Basics: Updating your computer!

Sometimes I feel I shouldn't have to actually tell anybody to keep their computer up-to-date, but every once in a while I'm proven wrong. So think of this as a PSA, if you will. And please, PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF WHATEVER GOD YOU WORSHIP, take it to heart.

Lets demonstrate the importance with a personal story of mine:

When I worked in customer service, we had a customer bring his computer in because he had "corrupted file" errors start popping up whenever he would turn on his machine. Corrupted files are cause by a number of things, especially with mishandling of the program that we supported at the time. After a little digging around in safe mode, I noticed he had multiple instances of a specific file in almost every directory. He most surely had a virus. When I researched the virus and cleaned it out I notice his computer hasn't been updated since the day he purchased it. I confronted him about it when he picked up his computer later that day and he simply said,"Some window named Windows Update kept showing up and slowing my computer down so I just hit cancel every time." This response blew my mind.

Keeping your computer up-to-date is one of the most important things. This means program updates, virus definitions, windows update, or even hardware. Take the time to update at LEAST once a month can be a (computer) life saver. I explained to the customer how easy it could have been for him to lose all of his data (or even his entire computer) in a case like this and I firmly believe what I was saying went in one ear and out the other.

Internet news: Google starts censoring search from piracy sites

 Earlier this month, Google has decided to filter "piracy-related" terms from suggestions. What that means is that you won't actually be given results with their "instant search" if you start typing in words like "torrent", "pirate bay", "bit torrent", etc etc. I find that this is quite baseless for reasoning behind it. They weren't pressured legally, even though I wouldn't be surprised if they were pressured by the MAFIAA (no, not the gangsters! I mean the MPAA and the RIAA).

How can users get around this?! Oh yeah, it's quite easy actually. All you have to do is actually press enter. This only affects suggestions and instant search. So if you know what you're looking for, it's just an extra keystroke away. I find these types of websites invaluable to the denizens of the internet (not just for piracy) and I hate to actually see Google do evil by censoring them and trying to be the "big brother of the net".

Relevent Internet Articles: IT hell!

I know this article isn't really about Internet Safety and Security, but I feel that it affects everybody that has ever found a bug, waited for a product to be released, tried to browse a website, or anything that has anything to do with a computer and the internet. I have worked in the IT field a couple years ago, fresh out of high school. And believe me when I say, it is hell at times. I have a major soft spot for those who try to do it for a living. Because of my soft spot, I urge all of you to maybe give this article a read.

In a nutshell, the article gives the reader quite a true perspective from those who are on the inside of software/hardware/system development/support. I personally haven't been "fortunate" enough to experience every sphere the article mentions, and I find myself thankful.

Here's a short list of all the 9 circles you can find in the article.
1st circle of IT hell: Limbo
Description: A pitiful morass where nothing ever gets done and change is impossible

2nd circle of IT hell: Tech lust
Description: A deep cavern filled with mountains of discarded gadgets, with Golem-like creatures scrambling to reach the shiny new ones at the top

3rd circle of IT hell: Stakeholder gluttony
Description: A fetid quagmire filled with insatiable business users who demand more and more features, no matter the cost


4th circle of IT hell: Corporate greed
Description: An acrid forge where piteous creatures drown in a river of molten gold

5th circle of IT hell: App dev anger
Description: A fiery pit of smoke and brimstone, where geeks and suits alike grow hot under the collar

6th circle of IT hell: Tech-cult heresy
Description: An inscrutable labyrinth where all paths lead to the same destination, lit by the fires of nonbelievers burned at the stake

7th circle of IT hell: Vendor-on-vendor violence
Description: A dismal miasma full of ogres with $200 haircuts, wielding Louis Vuitton briefcases

8th circle of IT hell: Fraudulent practices and malevolent hackers
Description: A slippery pit of deception where daemons lurk in the shadows and nothing is as it seems

9th circle of IT hell: Tech-pro treachery
Description: An icy wasteland, filled with lost souls desperately clawing at the knives in their backs.

Internet News: Sony Hacked. Again.

Yes. Sony had another attack. Was it any where close to as extreme as previously? No, they only gained access to the accounts of the 93,000 users. The attackers really couldn't do anything with that access either. Only a very few accounts had stuff purchased that they didn't do themselves when they logged in again. What happened this time? It was a significantly less sophisticated attack (simply a Brute Force Attack, from the looks of it, much akin to the one below), leading to the idea that it wasn't the same people who have done it before.

The amount of people that were affected because of this attack was SIGNIFICANTLY lower than before. According to the Sony Chief Security Officer, less than one tenth than 1 percent of their users has been affected this time (as opposed to last time where 100 million+ accounts were compromised).  I haven't been able to find REAL specifics on what methods were used this time, unlike last time, but as I previously said all signs point to a Brute Force Attack.

Now, this doesn't restore my faith in Sony. I highly doubt that anything ever will. But I will acknowledge that they might have finally got their stuff together in the security department. And for that, I applaud them.

Internet Safety Tools: TOR

My last post delved into the definition of a proxy. Well in this post I'm going to show you a VERY powerful tool for those who are more interested in it. This tool is called "TOR" short for "The Onion Router". It's named so for how many "layers" you're concealed behind when using it.

The TOR network is easily explained via their site. But for those who don't want to read another webpage it is simply a giant proxy service supported by those using it. Sounds a little confusing? Well it sort of is. But once someone wraps their head around the idea, the only word that comes to mind is brilliant.

Internet Safety Tools: Proxy

This post will be quite special to me in that I find this to be an invaluable tool in the fight for internet anonymity.  The tool is called a proxy. A "proxy" is short for "proxy server" The meaning of a proxy is to talk to the proxy server and the server talks to the requested website in your stead. This means you don't have to show those watching your internet habits and uses what exactly you are looking at, because if they try to track you via the website then all they'll get is the proxy server. Here is a small diagram for a visual on what a proxy server is

As you can see, Charles doesn't actually ask Jonas what time it is, instead he asks the proxy, who then asks Jonas. One might think why would anybody need such a thing? While the abuse potential for such a tool is high, the use for it can also be up there as well. What if someone was being watched or had sensitive information they wanted to reveal? This lets them communicate to others or servers without fear that others would know they were doing so. Do I use a proxy for some things? Yeah. But very very rarely. Would you ever use a proxy? Probably not ever in your life. Most typical end users will probably never know they exist.

Here is a small gif showing how a proxy can change someones "identity" on the web.

Internet Tips and Tricks: Using google for more than searching for your favorite celebrity

Modern day Google is more than just a typical search engine. There are tons of tools and utilities that Google offers to try and become a "one-stop-shop" for denizens of the internet. In fact, you can use it to manipulate, narrow down, or refine your search results from a view million results to just the right result with a few keywords.

Also, if you look hard enough, and you input the right keywords, you can turn Google into your own personal tool for finding your way into some systems that you shouldn't be in. But, alas, I am not going to go into that much depth to teach you that. So here are some keywords and phrases I tend to use (almost on a daily basis) to make life that much easier and to minimize the amount of web pages I have to go to so I can find the information I want.

All of the following keywords can be entered into the normal search box on Google.com just like any other inquiry.

Use Google as a dictionary
The first keyword I use is the "define:x" keyword. Define does just what you think it does, it defines the word following the semi-colon. So here's a screen shot of me using the keyword and what it returns.

Use Google to view old copies of webpages
This keyword lets you view what are called cached (saved) copies of just about any website the Google spider bots have crawled across at just about any point in time. The keyword is used as follows "cache:www.example.com".  So for example you can do "cache:www.slashdot.org" and it will return old versions of that website that you can browse through. Of course you won't be able to do much on that site besides look at it, but it is a means to find out exactly what was going down that day if you ever were curious.

Using Google to find EXACTLY what you want
The last keyword I'm going to throw at my readers is not actually a keyword at all. It's more or less punctuation you can use to refine your search. It is simple the double quotes ( " ) around whatever you would like to search. This will return results that have EXACTLY (and I mean that) what you typed, how you typed it, and in precisely the same order as you typed it. So if I searched for something like...

"I love my fedora"

Google would return this...

And with that last keyword I'm going to leave an info picture (infographic) that has MANY more keywords and tricks for you to use, if you so choose.

(As always, click on my pictures to see the full sized images)

Internet Basics: Antivirus Software

I'm sure all of you have hard this before: ANTIVIRUS IS A MUST HAVE FOR ANY PERSONAL COMPUTER IN TODAY'S WORLD. But before I tell you why to have an antivirus installed on your computer, let me explain what a "virus" is, more or less. A true computer virus is much like any sort of virus in the real world. It has the ability to copy and distribute itself across a computer's file system to cause irreparable harm to the entire system itself. The term "virus" is used synonymously with basically any form of malware on today's market. Examples are trojans, worms, true viruses, or spyware.

Antiviruses today are a dime-a-dozen. Every where you turn, there's antiviruses everywhere! There's a basic one that comes with Windows OS, there's other that you can buy at the store, and there are even a couple 100% free ones floating around the internet. Having one is easy, you don't need to have a $100-a-year antivirus to "stay protected". Simply having a free antivirus like AVG is 8/10 times enough to stay secure. Also having an expensive one like "Norton Internet Security Essentials" is probably about 9/10 times enough to stay secure. The simple fact-of-the matter is having some sort of Antivirus.

Oh, and yes, Apple Mac OS have viruses now. Don't be one of THOSE people who think they're 100% secure because they have a Mac.

Internet Safety Tools: Spybot S&D & anti-malware

Today's topic shall be on a little tool I like to use call "Spybot Search and Destroy (SS&D). SS&D belongs to the anti-malware/spyware family of safety tools. Have you ever had an annoying pop-up keep happening on your computer without you being connected to the internet? Have you suddenly noticed that your computer is loading INCREDIBLY slower from the time you hit the power button until the time you can actually start working? Does it take more than 5 seconds for your e-mail to load? That last one is more or less a joke at the stupid TV commercials to SPEED UP YOUR COMPUTER TO LUDICROUS SPEEDS (oh, how I loathe them).

Malware/spyware can do a range of bad things to your computer/information, so lets just put it this way: YOU DON'T WANT ANY. Here is the wikipedia link if you would like more info on what it can do.

If you've noticed any of these things happening or just generous slowness of your computer, malware/spyware can be at fault. How do you get these nasty things on your computer? Anything from downloading a virus, clicking on a link, or even sometimes going to the wrong page and letting an ad load (they can have secret trojans hidden in their code). Installing anti-malware and running it on your system can help speed up your system, and make securing your personal information that much easier.

Here is the Spybot Search & Destroy download page.

(Old) Internet News: The Sony Hacks

Now it is time for me to talk briefly about an eyeopening event that occurred quite a bit ago on a major corporation. The event that occurred were the "Playstation Network (PSN) hacks". If any of my readers happens to have a PS3 then they might have noticed that the PSN was down for the better half of a month a while back. What happened though? What did the hackers take? Why the hell are you telling me this? All of these are good questions, which I will do my best to answer.

What happened is that the PSN was attacked and brought down by a group of internet hackers who followed in the wake of the group Anonymous. Anonymous is an internet based group of people who try and fight the "oppressive corporations" and "evils of societies" in today's world. In reality, they usually DDOS (Distributed Denial of Service attack) businesses and government websites they deem worthy of at the time. There are legitimate hackers among the group, so they should never be taken lightly. Anyway, I digress, When Anonymous DDOSed and brought down the PSN, the rogue group of hackers found their way into the PSN's internal network and started to mess around. They did this by tricking the system into thinking they were Playstation developers with a couple cracked CD's.

The hackers took any sort of personal information they could get their hands on, including names, addresses, phone numbers, and yes, it is possible they even took credit cards. Sound bad? Well it is. I HIGHLY doubt you would run up to some random person on the street and start blurting out all of your identifying information.

I'm telling you all this to hopefully get in your head that NOBODY IS 100% SAFE ON THE INTERNET. If a good enough hacker (like those hired by foreign governments, yes, those types of hackers do exist) wants into your system, they will get in if it's connected to the internet. The millions of people who trusted Sony Entertainment with their valuable credit card/personal information were let down. This breach in security has cost Sony hundreds of thousands of dollars in credit protection services, hiring better coders to try and ensure something like this doesn't happen again, and potential client loss (myself included).

So please, be safe, be educated, and (try to) be secured!

The following imagine is the "Operation" mission statement that the group Anonymous had for the Sony attack.

Internet Basics: What is a firewall and why should I have one?

By definition a firewall is device or function that permits or denies network access to a device. This can be in 2 forms: hardware or software. Hardware would be a device in your home that is outside your computer and generally hooked to the network in some way, shape, or form. This device could be a stand-alone firewall box most commonly found in business offices, or built into your internet companies router. Software, on the other hand, is something you download or install on a personal computer. This can be in the form of the all-too-common "Microsoft Windows Firewall", Norton Antivirus Firewall, or any stand-alone piece of software.

The importance of a firewall is pretty big. Without a good one "guarding your network", anybody with minor computer knowledge can easily gain access to all your personal files on any computer connected to your network. Most of the time this doesn't involve them doing some voodoo magic with your mouse/programs/operating system to make it seem like they've come alive, no. This usually involves them leaving back doors on your systems to easily find their way back in, if need be. The attacker can also steal sensitive information stored in your internet browser, like saved passwords, names, addresses, etc etc.

This is an image of where a firewall should be located, in some way, in your network to provide the most protection.

All of the routers from internet service providers (like At&t's, shown below) have built in firewalls! So you're most likely secured against basic intrusion attacks right from the get-go.

Internet Safety Tools: How to add a firefox extension

One thing that always grinds my gears (or should I say that always did grind my gears) when viewing a website was seeing about 10% of the actual webpage and see about 90% adds on the rest of the window! This is why I am going to describe to all of my readers how to add a firefox extension (specifically Ad-Block Plus [ABP]), in an effort to make the internet more enjoyable for everyone. Unless, of course, you actually like adds. I will list them all in 6 very simple steps.


1) Install Firefox. Which can be downloaded at this website: http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/fx/
Firefox is another web browser like Internet Explorer. In fact, it's faster and more stable than internet explorer and can be set up to have a minimalist user interface (as little on the screen as possible, as to view more of the actual webpage). Please feel free to look around mozilla's website and find out for yourself the wonders of Firefox.

2) Once Firefox is installed and you have opened it up, you should notice in the upper left hand corner a big orange button that says "Firefox" with an arrow pointing down. This is your menu button. Click the button then click on "Add-ons".

3) A new tab should show up with the title "Add-ons manager". It should load the "Get Add-ons" page with a bunch of extensions listed. In the upper right hand corner of the page you should see a "Search all Add-ons" box. Use this like any other search engine and type in "Ad-Block Plus"

4) "Ad-Block Plus 1.3.9" should show up in the list and you should see the button that says "Install". Click the button and it will be automatically downloaded and installed for you. Some prompts might show up on the screen but they're just 'Are you sure you want to do this' prompts.

5) After the install is complete, Firefox will need to be restarted. Just close and reopen Firefox and the install should be complete. The first time you open Firefox after the install is complete, a webpage will open and ask you to chose a list to subscribe to. DON'T WORRY, no money is involved, it just uses subscribe as a phrase and nothing more. These are nothing more than lists used to tell ABP what to block on a webpage. I personally use Easylist. So just click ok, and forget about it!

6) That's it! Your Firefox extension is installed and ready for use. You will hardly remember what an ad looks like and pages will also load considerably faster too! Happy browsing!

For those that wish to see what this does to your browsing experience before going through the "hassle" of doing it, I have included a couple before and after pictures of a site I frequent.

With Adds

Without

About Me

Hi, my name is Maxwell Torres.

I'm creating and writing this blog for a Web Technology class. I chose for my topic to educate and inform my fellow classmates (also anybody else who may have happened to stumble upon this) about different dangers and happenings among the internet regarding security and safety.

I'm not exactly sure how well I'll be able to tell those who read this how to protect themselves properly. I basically taught myself how to take the necessary precautions while browsing the cyber world that is the internet. Hopefully by the end of this class, I will have helped people steer away from being just another "absent-minded-click-anything-that-has-an-underline-and-funny-name" end-user, to someone who is conscious idea of what they're looking at. Who tries (key word, right there) to keep a lid on what information they let out. The reader may even who know a few tricks or two about using the internet to have some fun.

I hope we all have fun!

PS - I'll do my best! This is my very first blog, so please, leave constructive criticism if I drop a ball here or there.