This time on the show we are making my PC less sluggish with some simple upgrades.

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There are plenty of programs you can download and tools that can help you make your computer faster, but I wanted to go through a refresher of some of the steps we sometimes forget to use.

1. Reboot it! All those background programs you forgot you had open or even some that you closed still may be using a bit of memory. Ever see a computer say it’s ran out of Virtual memory? A reboot can help that.

2. TSR’s – Terminate and Stay Resident programs are little software packages that launch at startup and stay launched. They make you think that the actual program boots up really fast when you really click on it, but- as much as I like vampires- TSR’s sucking up valuable amounts of RAM is just plain unnecessary.

3. Get into the habit of running a disk cleanup tool and defrag your hard disk. I use a program called Defraggler that my friend Dave turned me on to. It’s much cleaner than the built in Windows Defragging tool, and gives you a bit more customization.

4. Watch out for beta tests and brand spankin new software upgrades. Sometimes software upgrades can make your computer not work so well. For example, I had to downgrade my version of Virtual Box so that I could boot off a USB. Though this didn’t really slow down my computer, it did give me a headache.

5. Erase, start over! Maybe you just want to clean up your browser or clean up your whole computer, but sometimes just a bit of Spring Cleaning can go a long way. Uninstall the programs you never use or the ones that have way too many addons and start with a new install. MMM, so fresh n so clean clean.

6. I do this on my mom’s computer every time I visit her- along with defragging and running a registry cleaner, scan for adware/spyware and viruses. You may be the best out there at downloading the safest software, but little things do make it past from time to time.

7. Visual effects like 3D animations or moving backgrounds can really hog memory. Keep it simple and save.

8. One of my favs are all those handy windows optimization tools that you can find for free online. Check out earlier episodes of HakTip for ideas on which ones to use or try the website alternative.to if you want to try something else.

All this and a bag of chips. After the break, I have a few simple hardware upgrades that can really help that old computer if you need a cheap fix.

We’re back! Two hardware upgrades that can deslug your computer are purchasing new RAM and a new harddrive. Now, you don’t have to go as crazy as I did on my most recent computer build and buy 12 GBs of RAM, but upgrading from 512 MB or 2 GB to 4GB can REALLY make a difference.

Second, update that old hard drive. I upgraded my old 500 GB hard drive with a new 2 TB 7200-RPM drive that gave me more rotations per minute as well as more space. For the price of hard drives these days, it’s your call whether you want a solid state or a rotating disk. I like getting 2 TB for less than $100 because I don’t move my computer around much and I can get several years out of my hard drives. But hey, whatever floats your boat!

What does float your boat? Like these tips? Want to add more? Email me: tips@hak5.org or send me a note in the comments below.

And be sure to check out our sister show, Hak5 for more great stuff just like this.

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This time on the show Shannon is comparison shopping! Which is better? KeePass or LastPass?

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Your passwords are crucial to protect, so I love checking out software and tools that can help. Sadly, my memory only goes so far!

The first on my list is LastPass. With this program, your Master Password is the only password you’ll ever need to type in, only when you’re first logging into LastPass. Since your Master Password is encrypted on your machine and only you have access to it to unlock data, it’ll protect you from theft. By using your LastPass account, available at lastpass.com, you can synchronize across a bunch of different browsers and computers. They also have a service for $1/month for your mobile devices. You can securely store notes, automatically fill out forms, import/export already existing passwords, generate hack-proof ones for new sites, and you can try out a portable USB version that is compatible with Firefox and Chrome Portable apps.

To use it, first download the version for your OS. You’ll need to create a Master Password when creating the new account, so make sure this is a very secure one. LastPass doesn’t keep a backup or copy of the master password, so they don’t know what it is. You can let LastPass find unsecure data on your computer, import those items, and It’ll let you delete them as well. Restart your browser and click on the little lastpass star in the corner. Login. Then start browsing the internets as usual and LastPass will remember your passwords as you enter them.

When you first go to a website you’ll have to enter your username and password like usual. Then, a bar shows up at the top asking you to save the password in LastPass. Choose Save Site, and you are redirected to a LastPass form. Here, keep the URL, enter a Name (J!nx), group (Shopping), your Username and Password, and any notes. Then, if you want it to Auto Login, Prompt for PW, etc, just click the boxes and click Save. Now, when you log out and go back to that main page- you’ll see your changes take effect. I chose auto login, so it logs me in and I don’t even have to do anything.

Click on the Red star and it’ll show you a drop down of your preferences, Vault, and other stuff like auto filling forms and whatnot. If you choose your Vault, you can double click on the groups and click on a site to go to it and log in.

Now, if you’re out and about and need to access your Vault from a public computer, you can log into LastPass via their website. Worried about keyloggers? Use the virtual keyboard to enter your password with your mouse.
LastPass is pretty cool when it comes to remembering your passwords, but what about KeePass?

KeePass is a powerful free and open source security tool designed to keep your passwords- and usernames- secure. Everything is encrypted inside a database, kind of like LastPass’s vault, that you can access with a master key password.

KeePass features drag and drop, clipboard copy, a password generator, auto-locking, auto-typing, import and exports of your database, and more. It encrypts everything in AES 256 or Twofish. Did I mention it’s free? Like LastPass, KeePass also can organize your entries into categories.

It’s available in Classic or Professional Editions, with the main difference being the supported OS’s. Professional supports Windows, Mac, and Linux.

After you download the program, first save your new database to begin working on it. You’ll need to create a master key, but you can also access your database with a Windows login or by inserting a key disk. Next you can create a description, name and color, and choose what to protect. Click ok and right click on the sample list. From here, you can add, edit, and delete websites and usernames or passwords.

To use a password or username, click copy username, password, or site by right clicking. This’ll copy it to the clipboard for 12 seconds before wiping it clean. You can also move the new entries into the tabbed categories to the left by dragging and dropping.

Although I do like the fuctionality of LastPass way more than KeyPass, specially it’s ease of use, KeePass is still open source, completely free, and has a portable version as well as it’s mobile version.

I want to hear your feedback. Which one is your favorite? I like both of them for different reasons. Let me know what you think or what program you use by emailing me tips@hak5.org or send me a note in the comments below.

And be sure to check out our sister show, Hak5 for more great stuff just like this.

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Here in the US there are are 4 major carries and all of them use 3g and 4g as marketing speak for speed, but I am here to tell you it not all marketing at all. First lets cover what the G really stands for. It’s generation, so 3G is really the third generation of wireless cell technology. So, when Version says they have the largest 3g network they really mean they started building their network later than, say A&TT, who really started at 2G. So in the case of Verizon, 3G could be slower than AT&T’s 2G network because generation does not directly correlate with speed. But as we all know tech does have a tendency to get faster over time. The generational spec really dictates how the tech of a given generation uses it’s spectrum to push packets.

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Furthermore because of how the given technology uses spectrum it limits the speed of which it can achieve. And that’s why “G’s” don’t correlated to speed.

These generational specs were created by ITU or the International Telecommunication Union.

These are the current popular in-use technologies.

2G GPRS – General packet radio service – Max of 114 kbits but sometimes called 2.5G Att and Tmobile – GSM

2.5G
EDGE – Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution – Max of 1Mbit/s – GSM

3G
1x and 1xRTT – CDMA2000 – Max 153 Kbit/s – CDMA
EV-DO – Evolution-Data only – Max 153 Kbit/s Rev 0 1.8 Mbit/s Rev A 4.9 Mbit/s Rev B. – CDMA
HSPA – High-Speed Packet Access – Max speeds rage from 1.8 Mbit/s to 14 Mbit/s depending on the release. – CDMA
IEEE’s WiMax (Don’t hate, it’ll make sense in just a sec)

3.5G
HSPA+ 42 Mbit/s to 84 Mbit/s and it is the fastest of the 3G specs – CDMA
3.9G
LTE (Again, don’t hate. The original LTE spec didn’t meet the ITM-Advanced spec – a requirement set by the ITU, and thus base LTE is considered 3.9G

4G

LTE and WiMax in there current form are the only 4G technologies. Making the only US carries Verizon and Sprint that have 4G tech at work.
LTE – Long Term Evolution – Speeds upto 100 Mbit/s – GSM
WiMax Advanced (not to be confused with the older, 3G technology known simply as WiMax or, say, WiMax rev0) – Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access – Speeds upto 100 Mbit/s

Check your carries map and don’t fall prey to 3G/4G hype. Know what you are paying for. Take AT&T and T-Mobile’s ability to call and surf the web at the same time for instance, it comes from having different modems in the same phone GSM and CDMA.

Basically what it boils down to is this. In the practical sense, no — generations don’t equal speed. Now you know. But you don’t care about G’s. What you care about is speed. So do this, take out your phone, right now. Run a speed test. I’ll wait. Now do it again, at work. On the bus. At your friends house. At the ice cream shop on the corner. Or anywhere you normally go. Average it all up and tell me this. Does it matter what the theoretical maximum your phone’s technology provides or what generation it’s from? Or do care about your actual bandwidth.

Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter — I’m @Appelbaum

What programs or commands are rocking your world? What technologies are tickling your technolust? Hit me up — tips@hak5.org

And be sure to check out our sister show, Hak5 for more great stuff just like this.

HostGator.com is the place for all of your domain hosting needs. Start a website from just $4.95 a month with 24/7 customer support. That’s right, call at 3 am and get someone who really knows their stuff. HostGator also offers a number of features that differentiate it from the competition. See for yourself what makes HostGator the perfect hosting solution Check out www.hostgator.com and enter the code “Hak5Revision3” to get 25% off your order.

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Checking out an alternative to Virtual Box called VM Ware Player.

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In episode 10 of HakTip we went over Virtual Machines- what they are, why you would use them, and what they are good for.But you don’t necessarily have to use VirtualBox to try out a VM. There are plenty of virtual machine programs on the market, but not all of them are free or easy to use. VMware Player is both of these with a whole bunch of awesome built in as well. This program, available at vmware.com, lets you run several operating systems virtually, as well as give you the comfort and safety of trying out new software in a VM. Because sometimes, software you might download is just downright janky crapware. Over 200 different operating systems are supported including various versions of Windows, Linux, and even Chrome OS.

When you first download VMware Player, you’ll need to register for a new VMware account. They ask for your name, a password, and some geographical data, but that’s about it. The installation wizard is your normal process of yes and next. Upon opening, the general layout is about the same as VirtualBox. On the right you can choose to create a new VM, open one, upgrade to the paid VMware account, or choose help.
Click on Create a new Virtual Machine and choose installer disc image file (iso). From here browse to your .iso for the operating system you want to try out. I’m going to create a Puppy Linux VM so I’ll choose my Puppy Linux iso and click next. Choose Linux and in the drop down menu choose Other Linux 2.6 kernel. If you chose a different Linux distro, find it in the list and click on it. You can then choose how much space is allotted for the VM, so I went with 8 GB.
Once done, you can boot up your VM and test it out.

Before I reveal which one was my favorite between VirtualBox and VMware Player, I’d like to take a moment and mention some extras.
VMware Player comes with some handy tools, such as this one called the VMware Browser Appliance. You download this zip file from the website and extract it, then in VMware Player, choose open a Virtual Machine and browse to the folder. The Browser Appliance allows you to securely browse the Internet using Firefox to protect against adware and spyware, and safeguard personal information- as it can be configured to reset itself each time it’s booted up, so no info is stored.

Also available is this wide array of Virtual Appliances found on VMware.com. These applications can help you with information in the cloud- storage, IT administration, networking, and much more.
So now that I’ve checked out both VirtualBox and VMware Player, I have to say I think I like VirtualBox more. While both are free to use and work with all sorts of VM’s, VirtualBox seems to be a little bit faster in the guest OS as well as the host OS. Also, VMware Player only lets you use on Virtual Machine at a time, while VirtualBox will let you open many at a time.

That’s it — Virtual Machines are actually pretty easy? Ok, so I want to hear your feedback. What program or command have you found? Hit me up — tips@hak5.org

And be sure to check out our sister show, Hak5 for more great stuff just like this. I’ll be there, reminding you to trust your technolust.

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This time on the show, an Ubertooth One Primer – Setup with BackTrack 5. Booting multiple ISOs from a single USB drive, we’ve got plenty of options. And answers to your questions on A+ certs, programming languages, network scanning and more.

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Ubertooth One Primer – Setup with BackTrack 5

We’ve been asked numerous times to do a segment on getting started with the Ubertooth One, and while it’s specific to this hardware in nature the techniques involved are similar to that of many other tools.

If you’re not familiar, the Ubertooth One is an open source bluetooth testing tool made by Mike Ossmann in response to the lack of good bluetooth testing devices, or the ridiculously high price tags in excess of $10,000 for commercial monitoring equipment.

So in the same sense that we have inexpensive WiFi adapters that can go into monitor or promiscuous mode, we now have the Ubertooth One.

Now props to HarvestGardener on the BackTrack Linux forums for putting a lot of this together. Most of the Ubertooth development was done on Mac OSX but getting it going in Linux isn’t too difficult, thankfully.

So today I aim to setup dependencies and compile Ubertooth Tools in Backtrack 5 linux host machine. Currently does not work in VM — Libusb issues.

The first dependency you’ll need is pyside. It’s a PySide adds Qt bindings to Python, letting it use the cross-platform UI framework for some graphical goodness. You can download it manually from PySide.org or simply install it with apt. Unfortunately it isn’t in the default BackTrack 5 repository so you’ll need to add a personal package archive or PPA.

apt-get install python-software-properties
add-apt-repository ppa:pyside
apt-get update
apt-get install libnl-dev libusb-1.0-0-dev pyside-tools

Next we’ll need the PyUSB extension which provides USB access to Python.

wget http://downloads.sourceforge.net/project/pyusb/PyUSB%201.0/1.0.0-alpha-1/pyusb-1.0.0-a1.tar.gz
tar xvf pyusb-1.0.0-a1.tar.gz
cd pyusb-1.0.0-a1
python setup.py install

We’ll also need bluetooth baseband libraries so we can process raw bluetooth data. Thankfully libbtbb does the trick:

wget http://downloads.sourceforge.net/project/libbtbb/libbtbb.0.5.tgz
tar xvf libbtb.0.5.tgz
cd libbtbb
make
make install

Ok so we’re finally to the part where we actually get to the Ubertooth code. As of recording the latest version of Ubertooth software is release 238.

wget http://downloads.sourceforge.net/project/ubertooth/ubertooth-r238.tar.gz
tar xvf ubertooth-r238.tar.gz

This archive contains the latest firmware for both the Ubertooth One and Ubertooth Zero, the KiCad files if you’re so inclined to make your own Ubertooth, documentation and host software including a few bluetooth tools, kismet plugins and a fun little spectrum analyzer.

Since Bluetooth operates in the same 2.4 GHz ISM band as WiFi, we can actually use the Ubertooth One as a basic spectrum analyzer and see all of the WiFi signals for a given area.

python specan_ui.py

Alright, that’s a lot of info so we’re going to stop right here and pick up next time with compiling Kismet from source with the Ubertooth Plugin, capturing our first Bluetooth packets, installing the Wireshark plugin and finally analyzing the good stuff. If you haven’t already checked it out you can find the Ubertooth One at HakShop.com along with the documentation and source files if you’re crafty with the soldering iron and eager to build your own.

Boot multiple ISOs from one USB with these free tools

Having several tools on several USB’s or CD’s can be a pain in the butt, especially when you’re looking for a specific one but don’t remember which USB you put it on. To save us from this trouble, there are many applications available online that let you create one multibootable USB drive. Thus, you can store all your tools on one USB drive instead of ten. We’ve reviewed YUMI, UNetBootin, Darren’s done his MultiPass, and I’ve checked out Katana. This week, I’m checking out a couple of your user picks, XBoot, and Sardu.

The first one is XBoot. Its a light weight utility for creating multiboot USB’s OR CD’s. To use it, download the zip file from their website. Open the application and plug in your USB flashdrive. Now, you’ll need to have some ISO’s already downloaded on to your computer or you can go to File–>Download and choose some of your favorite utilities and linux distros.
Once they are done installing, drag the ISO’s into the box under the Create Multiboot USB/ISO tab. For mine, I chose Ophcrack, Clonezilla, and Puppy Linux. On the side, you can see the total size of the files added, you can remove files, look up the MD5 hash checksum in case you’re wondering if it’s the actual tool, and at the bottom you can choose to create your ISO Live CD or USB bootable flash drive. I’m choosing my FlashDrive. Double check the Selected USB drive to make sure it’s not your operating system drive. Then, this is cool, you can choose your Bootloader. I’ll stick with the recommended Syslinux, but you can also choose Grub4dos or not install one at all.
Then, when you click next, it’ll start copying all your ISO’s to your thumbdrive and create the bootloader. This may take several minutes, so just kick back and relax.

Once the USB is created, you’ll have the option to run it on QEMU to test it. You can also edit the flashdrive, by clicking the tab that says Edit Multiboot USB.

The second one is Sardu. Sardu is a program I found that was apparently made by Vikings using hieroglyphics. You simply plug in your flashdrive, click on your choices for Antivirus, Utilities, Linux Distros, and/or Windows CD’s, and choose make bootable USB. Clicking on the different utilities and linux distros will download them from their websites. You can also click ISO at the top and choose Make ISO, then click on an ISO folder to choose it for your flashdrive. I downloaded all of mine into my downloads folder, so I just navigate to the downloads folder and click OK. When done, click the cute little USB button and wait for it to finish creating the bootable USB. Once done, you can boot off your flashdrive using SuperGrubDisk. The tabs at the top enable you to check the Hash, create and defrag your USB.

Now I’m going to restart my computer and boot into Syslinux for XBoot and Grub for Sardu and try them out!
Looks like it works, and works well. The three ISO’s that I chose boot properly, and I can add more if I want!””

So of these two, I have to say Sardu for Vikings took a bit more time for me to figure out how to get my ISO’s onto the USB and make it bootable. Turns out, I was just thinking too hard when trying to add my ISO folders! Xboot was pretty natural to figure out and it was easier to use. Xboot was my definetly my favorite.

So after googling for other multiboot creators, I found all the ones I could, but are there other ones? Do you use a tool that could make my life easier? Email me at feedback@hak5.org

Bash and Airodump-ng tips

Whether you’re trying to copy a PID from TOP or a BSSID from airodump-ng, when your terminal is constantly refreshing the task is cumbersome at best. So calm that screen with the shortcut CTRL+s. To resume simply hit CTRL+q. And specific to airodump-ng not only can you pause the screen with ‘space bar’, but there are all sorts of handy keystrokes like ‘tab’ – which lets you to scroll up and down the list of stations, ‘s’ which changes the sorting column, and my favorite, ‘m’ which marks connection groups with a colors.

Thanks to Sitwon and Bethany for sending these in and getting some complimentary hak5 swag. Submit your 4-bits at hak5.org/nibble

If you’re into Hak5 you’ll love our new show by hosts Darren Kitchen and Shannon Morse. Check out HakTip!

Whether you’re a beginner or a pro, HakTip is essential viewing for current and aspiring hackers, computer enthusiasts, and IT professionals. With a how-to approach to all things Information Technology, HakTip breaks down the core concepts, tools, and techniques of Linux, Wireless Networks, Systems Administration, and more

And let’s not forget to mention that you can follow us on Twitter and Facebook, Subscribe to the show and get all your Hak5 goodies, including the infamous WiFi Pineapple over at HakShop.com. If you have any questions or suggestions please feel free to contact us at feedback@hak5.org.

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Today as we continue on our WPA cracking adventure it’s all about WiFi Channels and a little fun with a 2.4 GHz Spectrum Analyzer, BackTrack 5 Linux and a microwave.

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In terms of WiFi a Channel is merely a band of spectrum. Whether it’s A, B, G or N the basic idea is that a range of frequencies are allocated to a channel and seperated from their neighbor channels just a bit, typically just a few MHz, which we refer to as whitespace.

For example in the case of 802.11 protocols using the 2.4ghz spectrum the channel width is 22 MHz. Each of these channels or bands, with the exception of channel 14, are separated by 5 MHz of unused spectrum.

For instance Channel 1 is centered at 2.412 GHz and since it’s 22 MHz wide it begins at exactly 2.400 GHz and ends at 2.422 GHz. Then channel 2 centered at 2.417 GHz so it begins just 5 MHz past where Channel 1 started. This continues ever 5 MHz with Channel 3 being centered at 2.422 GHz, and so on, and so on. Until channel 14 that is, which has a 12 MHz spacing.

And as you can see there is quite a bit of overlap so the general recommendation is to use channels 1, 6, 11 and 14 as they are discrete — that is to say they do not overlap each other at all.

Now channel availability is regulated by country. Here in North America we’re supposed to use channels 1 through 11 while the rest of the world get channels 1 through 13. Japan is special, because, well, they’re Japan — so they get all 14 channels.

Watch the video for a spectrum analyzer demonstration of microwave interference on the 2.4ghz band.

The Ubertooth One is available in our HakShop.

Last week I asked “what 802.11b channel is only allowed in Japan?” and youtube commenter markpinegar answered: “Channel 14 is the 802.11b channel that can only be used in Japan, but only in direct-sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) and complementary code keying (CCK)? modes.” Thanks for answering and look out for a direct message so we can send you our favorite USB WiFi radio.

This week I’d like to know what 802.11 standard enables high powered WiFi equipment to operate, with license in the United States, on the 3.6 GHz spectrum.

Answer in the comments to be randomly selected to receive the radio I use here on HakTip.

And as always we value your feedback and suggestions. If you have a tip to share with me, email tips@hak5.org. And be sure to check out our sister show Hak5 for more great stuff, just like this. I’ll be there reminding you to trust your technolust.

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In this episode we’re protecting your PC from keyboard mashers, little ones, and the not so technical with some easy to use free tools.

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Welcome to HakTip — the show where we breakdown concepts, tools and techniques for hackers, network gurus and IT ninjas

I’m your host Shannon Morse and today I am going to show you how to protect your Windows PC from little (or big) nooblettes.

Ever let a kid play on your computer innocently, only then to find that your PC crashes every few minutes because they accidentally deleted an important file? Or perhaps you just need to prevent users on your network from messing with their machines too much? Luckily, there are answers to those problems.

First off, there is Start Killer, a free and open source program that you can find at Tordex.com. This program does just what it says- it kills the Start button, giving you more free space on your taskbar, and removing that button from prying eyes. You can still get into the menu by hitting CTRL+ESC. You can also hide the Start Killer taskbar icon and still access the settings by hitting CTRL+ALT+SHIFT+F12. Start Killer uses just a bit of memory, and can be used on all newer versions of Windows, including 64 bit.

Number two is Taskbar Eliminator, which will hide your taskbar. This program gives you more space for viewing on your monitor or just keeps others from messing with programs sitting on the taskbar. Again, all newer versions of Windows are compatible, and it is free and open source. To use, simply press and hold Control+Alt+T to bring up the Preferences window, from which all options can be adjusted. Press and hold Alt + T to immediately show or hide the taskbar directly.

After the break, I’ll show you my last program to minimalize the threat of child+keyboard, but first, here’s a word from our sponsor.”

My third choice is KeyTweak. This -also- free and open source program for Windows will let you disable, enable, remap, or reset key configurations for your keyboard. Want to disable CAPS LOCK? Who doesn’t?! Want to make the Windows key functionality dissapear before letting little Billy play on your PC? That can be done. KeyTweak is easy to use. Just pull up the dialog settings box, click on a key you want to mess with, and choose how you want to change it in the Keyboard Controls box below. Then click apply and you’re done.

That’s it — how easy? I want to hear your feedback. What program or command have you found? Hit me up — tips@hak5.org

And be sure to check out our sister show, Hak5 for more great stuff just like this.

Go to Source

Soldering 101: Shannon builds a network tap. Perl and GraphViz for mapping twitter connections. Chrome tips and deauthing WiFi. All that and more this time on Hak5.

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Perl and GraphViz for mapping twitter connections.

As you know I’m a huge fan of programming as a hobby. Picking up BASIC was one of the first major steps that led to me becoming the huge computer geek I am today. So when I saw an email from Hak5 fan Jason Cooper about his latest creation I just had to take a look.

Jason has developed a really nifty perl script that maps links between people on twitter. His first version outputs a file ready to be converted by GraphViz into a beautiful image.

I’ll demonstrate how to get started here in Linux, but this will work on any OS that supports Perl and GraphViz which is pretty much all the major platforms.

I’ve wget’d and unzip’d the twittermap code from HeckrothIndustries.co.uk

Running ./twitterMap we’re presented with the arguments. Running more on twitterMap reveals an explination of the options.

As a test I’m going to run twitterMap with –breadth-search –limit=3 –max-pages=3 –output-file=hak5darren1.map –twitterid=hak5darren

This is going to take a moment while the script combs through the last three pages of my tweets and follows back 3 levels deep through messages sent to and from the specified account.

Jason hopes to add the option to map followers in addition to messages and the option to produce word lists from tweets.

Once twitterMap finishes I’ll be left with the output file specified. If I less the output file I can see a list of twitter IDs and their relationships. The colors correspond to relationship. Red is the origin while blue represents neighbors, black third parties and orange IDs that haven’t been looked at.

Using GraphViz the output file can be converted into an image with the syntax “”fdp -o hak5darren1.png -Tpng hak5darren1.map””

This may take a bit so while GraphViz is processing you may want to pop back over to Jason’s site and take a peek at some of his other creations – like sssDetect, which detects when you’ve been a victim of Moxie’s sslStrip tool, or a nifty catch game for the GP2X.

Once complete you’ll find a PNG file in your source directory and honestly, it looks fantastic.

This is a great example of the spring model image GraphViz is able to produce from a simple conversion file.

Thanks so much for sending this in Jason. I wasn’t even aware of GraphViz and playing with the code made my day.

So what are you hacking away at? Got any code to send my way? Hit me up — feedback@hak5.org, maybe we’ll have your program on the show.

Kerby’s I Can Haz Cheezburger Kitty of the week

halp! i not cheezburger!

Packet sniffing with a LAN Tap

Today we’re packet sniffing — and no it’s not a black hat man in the middle attack. If you’re a network administrator or anyone who has to troubleshoot network issues you should have a passive network tap in your toolkit.

A network tap is basically a piece of hardware that lets you see the data flowing across a network. In a lot of cases you can use a computer to monitor the traffic between two points on the network, say between your router and switch.

Suffice it to say, if the network between points A and B are of the physical ethernet cable variety, a “”network tap”” is the best way to take a look at the traffic. A tap has at least three ports: an A port, a B port, and a monitor port.

For example the A port could be connected to the switch providing Internet access and the B port could be connected to the computer you’d like to monitor. And the monitor port is just that- a port that lets you monitor what’s in between.

Network taps are commonly used for network intrusion detection systems, VoIP recording, network probes, and packet sniffing, along with several other uses. Taps are used in security applications because they are non-obtrusive, in most cases aren’t detectable on the network, and can deal with full-duplex connections.

In our case, this network tap will work indefinitely since it doesn’t even need power. Passive network taps are almost the same thing as a general network tap, except these do not need power, there is no built-in computer or moving parts, and it’s just a few wires and connectors that will move data from one point to another.

You can build a passive network tap for under 20 bucks from parts at your local hardware store. A while back our friend Mike Ossmann built a 5-in-1 network admin cable that could do all sorts of stuff like Serial Console, Cross-Over and part of that was a passive network tap in a sort of throwing star design. Since then the Throwing Star LAN Tap has born under the Great Scott Gadgets brand.

This little guy is a small, simple device for monitoring Ethernet communications. To the target network, the Throwing Star LAN Tap looks just like a section of cable, but the wires in the cable extend to the monitoring ports in addition to connecting one target port to the other. You can use the Star along with tcpdump or Wireshark to collect data.

Now the throwing-star comes as a kit so you’ll have to solder it together yourself, which is half the fun. The tap comes in 7 pieces, the printed circuit board, four modular connectors and two capacitors.
Normal gigabit signals travel in both directions and it’s impossible to build a completely passive tap. There are gigabit taps but they’re like 1000 bucks, so yeah – no thanks. To overcome this limitation though, the throwing star gracefully degrades the signal with these two supplied capacitors that force the connection down to 100 Mbits by adding a slight noise to the line. Unless you’re using a really really long cable this shouldn’t become an issue and in most cases the tapped device will just drop down to 100mbit without trouble.
You will also need a soldering iron, some electrical solder (i’m using rosin core solder with flux build in), and a pair of wire cutters. Insert the four connectors into the circuit board. Be careful that each of the leads extends through the circuit board before snapping the connector fully into place. Insert the two capacitors through the circuit board. Once the iron is hot, place just a bit of solder on the tip. This is called tinning, which prevents the tip from oxidizing. Oxidization is bad because the solder wont adhere to oxidized surfaces. Solder both the 8 leads on the connectors and the leads of each capacitor and clip off the excess with wire cutters. There are 36 solder points on this board, which should take just a few minutes once you get going… Ok, with the board soldered it’s time to start using it. For this part I’ve asked Darren to play the victim here and we’ll start tapping his connection.

Connect the computer to the network through the throwing star in line on ports J1 and J2. Connect another ethernet cord to J3 and/ or J4 and plug it into your computer that you’ll be sniffing packets on. One monitor port is send, the other is receive.

Next on your computer, set your ethernet adaptor to promiscious mode. To do so in Linux, type ifconfig eth0 promisc where eth0 is your ethernet adaptor. You can check that the adapter went into promiscuous mode by typing ifconfig eth0 and looking for PROMISC. Now fire up your fav packet sniffer, I’m going to use Wireshark because its built into BT5 already. Click applications> backtrack> information gathering> network analysis> net traffic analysis> wireshark. Then to start viewing traffic, click on eth0 or choose interfaces under capture and click start next to eth0. If all works you should start seeing packets being sniffed. If I want to filter say IRC, I’ll type IRC up in the filter box, click apply, and I should start seeing whatever Darren is sending.

To tap both transmit and and receive you’ll need a second ethernet adapter, like this little USB guy here. Either fire up a second instance of Wireshark or TCP Dump to tap eth0 and eth1 or bridge the connections together.

This is a must for any network geek so head over to ossmann.com for the plans on build your own, or pop by the hakshop to have one delivered right to your door.
”

Nibble: Chrome task manager

I love Chrome. You love Chrome. Well, maybe you love Opera — nothin’ wrong with that. But if a page is harshin’ on your Chrome vibe go ahead and kill it with this keyboard combo. SHIFT+ESC brings up Chrome’s built-in task manager, cluing you into all sorts of details about every tabs memory, CPU and network usage. Right-click to get even more nitty gritty, or just kill the tabs process. There’s even a “”stats for nerds”” link that’ll bring you to about:memory for more than you ever wanted to know about how that flash game’s robbing your resources. Sorry Adobe — just sayin’

You know the deal, hak5.org/nibble — keep ‘em under 8 bits.

If you’re into Hak5 you’ll love our new show by hosts Darren Kitchen and Shannon Morse. Check out HakTip!

Whether you’re a beginner or a pro, HakTip is essential viewing for current and aspiring hackers, computer enthusiasts, and IT professionals. With a how-to approach to all things Information Technology, HakTip breaks down the core concepts, tools, and techniques of Linux, Wireless Networks, Systems Administration, and more

And let’s not forget to mention that you can follow us on Twitter and Facebook, Subscribe to the show and get all your Hak5 goodies, including the infamous WiFi Pineapple over at HakShop.com. If you have any questions or suggestions please feel free to contact us at feedback@hak5.org.

Join modding wizard Ben Heck and friends as they build and modify a host of amazing community-inspired creations. Be sure to watch the most recent episode of The Ben Heck Show where Ben builds an Arduino-powered, exterior-mounted camera system for an off-road vehicle. The setup enables the driver to control the cameras from inside the cabin to get a better view of obstacles while driving on rugged, off-road terrain. This show about building, modding and electronics culture is brought to you exclusively by element14. Be sure to visit element14.com/tbhs for a chance to win one of Ben’s latest builds!

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This time on the show I’m creating a virtual machine inside VirtualBox.

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Now, way back on episode 4 of HakTip, I introduced a program called YUMI (aka Your Universal Multiboot Installer), and I demoed it inside a program called VirtualBox. I got tons of questions about VirtualBox, so I decided to dive in and show you guys how to use it. I’ve been a Windows fangirl ever since I was a kid and my dad was building computers in our living room, but I’ve toyed around with Ophcrack and Puppy Linux a few times. Being somewhat new to the Linux operating system, you may not be ready to dual boot your PC or switch over completely to a new OS, so you might want to just test it out in a Virtual Machine that runs inside your Windows machine.

Today we’ll be setting up our very own VirtualBox Machine, but first it’s time for a few terms.

A virtual machine (VM) is a software implementation of a machine (i.e. a computer) that executes programs like a physical machine. It can be used as an operating system that you can open and boot into on your normal computer. So, for example, I am currently running Windows 7 on my laptop, but I am also running this Linux Virtual Machine inside VirtualBox, a program installed in Windows 7. Using a Virtual Machine means I don’t need any hardware. I don’t have to build a second computer just for Linux, and I don’t have to reboot my laptop every time I want to dual boot into my Linux Operating System. All I have to do is open VirtualBox, choose my Linux VM, and start the OS.

VirtualBox is a handy open source program that you can install on your host computer (the one that is going to be running the VM’s), whether it be Windows, MAC, Linux, or Solaris. Inside VirtualBox, you can boot into a second operating system, whether that means you boot into Linux while still being logged into Windows, or you boot into a MAC while still being logged in on a Linux machine, etc; and it will run as if it’s just another application on your regular operating system. You can run as many virtual operating systems inside VirtualBox as you want, the only limit is your computers disk space and memory. All of these operating systems that you can boot into are called the Virtual Machines.

VirtualBox will interpret any operating system you install as a VMDK, which is a Virtual Disk Image. This image file is considered a hard drive by VirtualBox, which is why it can boot into the operating systems.

So lets get started in the program. When you first boot up, you won’t see any VM’s listed, because you haven’t created any yet. Click on the New button at the top. From here, you will go through a setup wizard. First you’ll need to choose a name for your first Virtual Machine. I’ll call this one Ubuntu 32 bit. Then choose your OS Type that you will install in a few minutes. This will be Linux Ubuntu for myself. Next you will choose how much memory you want to allocate. I would suggest anything higher than 512 MB. I chose 1 GB for mine.

Next you will need to create a new hard disk. Since I’ve never run Ubuntu on my machine in a VM, I’ll need to create a new hard disk, enabling VirtualBox to see and use the operating system I’ve downloaded as a .iso file. Next you need to choose whether you want to store data dynamically or fixed size. I recommend dynamic data storage because it takes up less space and will only use up more space as needed.

Click next and choose the location you want to store data. I’ve created a new folder called Ubuntu and chose 8 GB allotted space.

After this, you’ll see a summary of your choices; click finish.

Now you’re ready to start up your new VM for the first time! Click on your new VM and choose Start. First you’ll need to select your installation media. This is where the Ubuntu .iso we downloaded earlier takes place. Click on the folder icon and find your .iso, then click next and finish. If all goes well, you’ll see a little first-time popup about how your mouse will be captured inside the VM and you’ll have to press a host key to use it in your Host PC again, and the new Virtual Machine operating system should start. After waiting a few minutes it looks like mine worked! Now, you can see I’m running Ubuntu inside my Windows 7 laptop. It’s automatically connected to the internet, and I can tinker to my heart’s desire.

In addition to being able to use VirtualBox like I did previously, you can also choose to add Guest Additions. These are addons that enable you to use the mouse without the need for a host key to uncapture it, share folders and files between the host PC and the guest VM, give you better video support, and plenty of other features.

What program or command is giving you warm fuzzies? Hit me up — tips@hak5.org

And be sure to check out our sister show, Hak5 for more great stuff just like this.

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Today we’re continuing our WiFi series with the example of cracking a WPA-Pre Shared Key. We started by diving into a PSK brute force with John the Ripper with a previously captured 4-way handshake. Sice we’ve taken a step back and covered promiscuous and monitor mode in terms of packet sniffing, and how MAC addresses come into play here. And now we’ll cover the ingredients needed for this recipe of passphrase cracking delightfulness.

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As I just mentioned our wireless NIC is in monitor mode airmon-ng start wlan0. This is just one of 6 modes that our wireless NIC can operate in. The other 5 are: Master, Managed, Ad-hoc, Mesh and Repeater.

A wireless NIC in Master Mode is often referred to as an Access Point or Base Station. Typically it’s an embedded device with a proprietary OS or slim down Linux installation setup to provide network access to clients.

My WiFi Pineapple here for instance is an access point and I can see the NIC is in Master mode by issuing iwconfig ath0

Now if I come back to my localhost and issue lsusb I see I have my trusty Realtek 8187L installed. And if I check airdriver-ng loaded I see that it’s using the mac80211 driver. With that I know to use the iw command to check the cards capabilities. I just need to know the physical ID first, so running airmon-ng shows that it’s phy1. So now running iw phy phy1 info will show me all of its supported modes. Of course this is a lot of output. Typically I’ve been piping this output to more or less, but today I’ll pipe it to grep.

Grep will show me just what I ask for. In this instance I’m looking for the word “modes”. Issuing iw phy phy1 info | grep modes yields a match, but I’ll need to see a few lines past. For that I’ll tack on A8 to get 8 lines following. iw phy phy1 info | grep -A8 modes shows me that my card only supports the managed and monitor modes.

So that brings us to Managed:

Interfaces in Managed Mode, aka Infrastructure Mode, are considered clients or stations and are the devices connected to an access point. Your laptop, nintendo DS, iPhone, etc.

To connect to my open access point here I can issue iwconfig wlan1 mode managed then iwconfig wlan1 essid Pineapple. If I check iwconfig wlan1 I can see it has associated with the access point.

Ad-hoc, aka Peer-to-Peer, is a mode where wireless devices can communicate with each other without the need for a centralized base-station or access point. This can be useful for small groups of devices in close proximity, but the performance will decrease as the number of devices increases.

For all of the devices on the Ad-Hoc network to communicate with each other they must use the same ESSID. To setup my interface I’ll issue iwconfig wlan0 channel 1 essid myadhocnetwork mode ad-hoc

Now I can see here my cell is not associated, and that’s because this radio is the only one on this ad-hoc network. How sad? I’d tell wlan1 to join wlan0 so they can party together, but as we discovered just a moment ago wlan1 only supports the managed and monitor modes.

The next wireless mode is Mesh. You can think of a mesh as a sort of planned ad-hoc network. Mesh networks, or mesh clouds, are comprised of radios acting as routers, gateways and clients. In a mesh network nodes can communicate as long as they have at least one common connection. For example node A can talk to node C if they are both within range of node B. Likewise, if a node were to go down a mesh can heal itself by routing through other nodes in the network.

We could probably do an entire series on mesh networking, but suffice it to say for now that’s the jist.

And our final mode is Repeater. A wireless interface in repeater mode can be configured to connect to a wireless network, and repeat the signal. The practical application here is to extend the range of a single access-point.

And as always we value your feedback and suggestions. If you have a tip to share with me, email tips@hak5.org. And be sure to check out our sister show Hak5 for more great stuff, just like this. I’ll be there reminding you to trust your technolust.

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