Aun’s Blog

Network Security Principles and Practices by Saadat Malik

I’ve read many technical books, on various topics but seldom do I come across a book that is as well written as this book on Network Security Principles and Practices - simple, clear and concise. You will understand all the technologies covered in this book, there is no doubt. Topics covered range from introduction to network security, firewalls, VPNs (IPsec, etc), AAA, Intrusion Detection, and much much more.

At first the title of the book might seem a tad bit intimidating but once you start reading, you will realize how well written it is. If you are thinking that this is just another sleep-aid, you are wrong. I haven’t found myself nodding off even once while reading this book, and I don’t think I’ve read any book in the CCIE Professional Development series with as much fervour! Yes, you will enjoy the book - doesn’t matter if you’re a beginner to network security or a seasoned security specialist. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking to make a gentle landing into the treacherous land of network security… you are in for a treat! The adage “never judge a book by its cover” would be quite fitting.

Well done Saadat!

N.B. This book is slightly dated considering it was published in 2002, but the topics are still valid. A second edition with a few newer topics like SSL VPNs, etc would definitely be a plus.

iPhone

For one, this will get my blog some hits! Second, I read an interesting article about Apple Inc’s new iPhone, by Matthew Lynn of Bloomberg News.

To its many fans, Apple is more of a religious cult than a company. An iToaster that downloads music while toasting bread would probably get the same kind of worldwide attention. - Matthew Flynn

Precisely.

Upside-Down-Ternet

A friend of mine forwarded me this link. If you want to have fun with people piggybacking off your wireless network, check it out. The author doesn’t mention it but a Linux box would serve as your router out to the Internet, using IPtables for NATing / Routing and Squid as the Proxy. His trivial redirector (which can be called through squid) basically uses wget to grab the images and mogrify to modify and present them. It sure looks like fun - I will definitely try it out when I get time. IPTables, Squid and wget are easily available as rpm’s, as I’m sure mogrify is.

Do you Foldershare?

Thanks first of all to Athar for introducing me to this wonderful piece of software. Maybe this is old news to you, but Microsoft acquired a company called FolderShare back in 2005. FolderShare, as the name implies, is basically a folder sharing service for Windows and Mac (bonus), and works over the Internet. What makes it really cool is that you can synchronize certain folders or files between different computers, like work and home. Suppose you have a Word file that you need to work on, at home as well as work (yes, it works behind a proxy as well and can talk to UPnP Gateways). You put this file in a folder at home that you intend on syncing with your work computer. Once its there, every time it is updated, it will be synced with your work computer, and vice versa.

Another great feature is that you can share folders with friends who are members of Foldershare. That way you don’t have to e-mail files, or upload them to your FTP server and have them download it from there. Simply create a “library”, assign the folder you want to share to the library, and invite as many friends as you want. You can even set permissions on this folder for the invitees, like Reader, Contributor, Editor, etc. It is a great way to back some of your non-confidential data up, like your favorite music or e-books. Just share it with a few people that you think will like it too, and you have multiple backups.

You can also access your files through the web, as long as your device is online and has the software installed. Perfect! But is all this secure? Yes, it sure is. The transfers are not only 128-bit RC4 encrypted, they are compressed before being sent. And the access to your files over the web is over Secure HTTP (HTTPS), so you need not worry about losing any confidential data.

Oh yeah, one more thing… it’s FREE. JOY!!

Rich, Poor… The Great Divide

When will humans start to treat the rest of human race as equal? What is it in us that makes us want to first think about us before we think about others? Why is there such a sharp divide between the rich and the poor? Does every child that comes into this world not deserve the same life, education, care that our kids get? Why are corporations so hungry? Why is it always about how well they do, going to any extent to make sure they succeed? What about a child who doesn’t have a roof over his head, has an eye infection that has blinded him because he doesn’t have the care every child deserves? We go and spend 100’s of dollars on things that only satisfy our senses, when we can give just that to a child in one of the many impoverished nations in Africa, and make his/her life so much better? Why are we so selfish? When will poverty be a thing of the past, so it is known as one of the “ages”?

I admit I am guilty of dropping money on “cool” stuff or gadgets… and I feel absolutely terrible when I read the news and see how so many people are suffering - take the Darfur region of the Sudan for instance. What did the children there do to deserve such a life? We all say that those people need help, but what are we doing about it!? Why is it that we don’t give as much as we can? Why are we not trusting enough to hand over money to someone who can help out? Is it because of our own experiences with the organizations we work in that has made us this way? Or are we too “busy” with our own lives to help others out? Countries are being turned into corporations that want to acquire other corporations (US over Iraq), and take advantage of their resources, for their own good, at the expense of people’s lives. What has US done about the Darfur region, where genocide has already been declared by the US itself? Iraq was doing much better before the US went in, even with Saddam there. All those resources that have gone into Iraq, and are still going into Iraq could have been put into improving economic situations of many other impoverished countries. Not only would that have made the US look good, it would have saved a lot of lives that have now been lost in Iraq. Why can’t we be righteous? Why do we let greed take over us? Why does the US provide aide to Israel, a lot of it shouldered by the US taxpayer? Israel is one of the richest nations on the planet, and it still gets all that money, and why? To strengthen its military so it can oppress the Palestinian people? The US is the most powerful nation in the world… and its neighbors south of it, are back in the stone age comparatively. What ever happened to “Love thy Neighbor?” The world is going to be in a state of constant turmoil till the human race starts believing in and working towards equality. It is not about every man (or nation) for himself; we have to think about us… about every child that enters this world.

Here’s an example. I come from a third-world country, Pakistan, where 1 USD equals 60 rupees. In a rural village, 60 rupees can feed one family (= parents + 2 children) a good meal - thats probably how much they earn a day if that. Is that too much to give? This divide between the rich and poor can not be ignored! In any major city in Pakistan, you will see affluence like never before - alcohol, drugs, parties like nobody’s business… and you will see poverty where peoples homes are made out of sand, that are easily washed away by rain. That is not the only difference. A lot of the rich you will see are materialistic, selfish and only care about what kind of designer label is on their jeans - all about me me me… and the poor, though they have nothing but heart, are selfless, will show you more warmth than you could ever imagine. Money is the grease that spins the world… unfortunately, its spinning in the wrong direction. We need to spin it the right way… helping just one child out will satisfy your senses till the day you pass on… an IBM Z61p with a 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2 GB RAM, DVD Writer, and everything you could ever imagine… just a few months. And how much would you have to spend on that one child you help out? 15 dollars a month? $15 x 12 months = $180 (x 10 years) = $1800 - thats less than that IBM Z61p notebook cost me, which is not even going to last 2-3 years. Helping out that child could save his life, and many generations that follow. It is something you will not regret.

Start small, see if you can help… if not monetary, then just making the effort to make people realize, so people who can help, do help. Look at Bill Gates, he is probably not the most righteous person around, but he is making good use of all the extra money he has, through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. We might not have that sort of money, but we can certainly put away some to help out. In my culture / religion, we call it “Sadqa” or a show of kindness and cooperation. You basically take Sadqa “off” yourself and your family… it is like cleaning your soul, and giving what comes out of it to someone. My wife and I take sadqa off our daughter every day - a few cents even and then give away to a poor family in Pakistan. It doesn’t take much, but that person will be grateful to you forever… a machine will not do that for you. When I was 15, a handicapped, partially crippled man came to our house, while I was playing cricket. I just sat and talked to him for an hour or so, and then gave him some food and money. That person was eternally grateful to me, and returns every year to my house from his village to ask about me, and wish me well, when he really doesn’t need to. Of course I’m not there, so my parents convey his wishes to me. It is a great feeling. So people… whoever is reading this… give, so people who are not as privileged as you are, can live a somewhat decent life. Make Poverty History.