Hackers mount attacks on Webmin servers, Pulse Secure, and Fortinet VPNs
Fortinet Problems with SSL VPN which was fixed in May. Use IPSec VPN and set firewall and other security devices to auto-update. More info here
August 2019
Ecosia search engine plants trees
Just the Facts: Ecosia makes their money from advertising sales, the same as every other search engine but 80% of their profits goes to planting trees. Does not seem to be a scam under minimal scrutiny
School Environment
I have been working on a private school project, I haven’t finalized any solutions yet but i hope my notes will guide others in similar predicaments. Server: A Synology NAS makes a good turn-key file server that is easy to use, supports add-in software, supports cloud sync. Alternates are OpenMediaVault running on Rock64, NextCloud running …
WPAD Disable
WPAD is an old method Windows uses to automatically configure a proxy server in a corporate environment. Recently it has been exploited to spy on traffic in-flight, it can bypass encryption. I recommend disabling it on your personal computer. If you are concerned about a work computer you might just forward this article to your …
Disk Space Cleanup
Empty recycle bin, after backup of course Verify De-duplication stats; PowerShell as AdminGet-DedupStatus c: | flpay attention to LastOptimizationTime : 5/13/2020 12:45:07 PM Manually run the Deduplication garbage collection in case the scheduled task has stopped: Start-DedupJob -Type GarbageCollection -Priority High -Volume “c:” Get-DedupJob -Volume “c:” Download Mass Image Compressor (req DotNet) and run it. …
PfSense/OpnSense Firewall Hardware
NewEgg has Protectli hardware $250ca, fanless, 4x Gig eth ports, 0 Ram, 0 HDD. USB Wifi is an option. May have a free m.2 socket onboard. https://www.newegg.ca/p/2DS-001U-00002?Description=2%20nics&cm_re=2_nics–9SIA6XD5UV1629–Product Pfsense does sell official hardware the Netgate SG-3100 (1000 series is not recommended) $350us. 6x Gbe, 2x Arm Cpu cores, 2Gb Ram, 8Gb Ssd, pfsense pre-installed, 1x USB3 …
Win7 Ext Support ends Jan2020
Just a reminder that Windows 7 extended support ends January 2020. Micro$oft will not make software updates after that date. It will quickly accumulate security holes and every bad guy will be targeting it. Take inventory and budget for it. If it’s a personal Workstation your options are; Upgrade to a newer version of Windows, …
VxWorks and Sonicwall woes
Armis has discovered 11 security vulnerabilities in VxWorks real-time operating system TCP stack. VxWorks powers many IoT devices as it requires minimal hardware but it also is the base for SonicWall Firewalls. TCP needs to be exposed to the internet for the Sonicwall to pass packets back and forth. It is unknown if Sonicwall has …