Ask the Geek

Have a safe and happy holiday season!

Ken “The Geek” Harthun

I recently had the opportunity to test drive Chengdu Yiwo Tech Developments’ EASEUS Partition Manager Server 2.1.1 (EPMS). Using EPMS, you can easily create, format, and delete partitions on your hard disk. The most attractive feature is that it can resize/move your partitions by using your hard disk’s free space without destroying data. The program’s main functions allow you to easily:

• Resize/ Move partitions
• Create partitions
• Delete partitions
• Delete all partitions
• Label partitions
• Format partitions
• Check partitions
• Hide partitions
• Create a Bootable CD

EPMS has an impressive list of key features:

• It works perfectly with hardware RAID
• It can handle up to 32 hard disks, which makes it a good choice for server systems
• Resize/Move system partition by simply clicking the system partition and sliding it through the unallocated space
• The data on the system partition is completely untouched
• Hide drives so they will not be visible (or accessible) from Windows even booted in Safe Mode
• Create a bootable CD/DVD to manage partitions easier and faster.

Being a systems engineer, I have a lot of contact with servers. One of the biggest problems I run into is servers that were misconfigured with undersized system partitions that susequently got filled up with too many programs; this is where a partition manager is an essential tool.

I installed EPMS on my work laptop–the program works fine on XP–and put it through its paces. Within a couple of minutes, I had resized my C:\ partition to one-half of what it was. The program required me to reboot and when I arrived back at the desktop, my C:\ drive was fine and I had 57GB of unallocated space. Next, I hooked up a spare 120GB hard drive to my USB interface, plugged it in and ran EPMS. I deleted the existing partition and recreated a new one then formatted it. When you delete a partition, you’re given the option to simply delete it or to delete it and destroy data. Choosing to delete and destroy data wipes all of the sectors on the drive. Every operation I tried went smoothly. The only glitch I experienced was when I tried to make a bootable CD on my laptop; I got an error message “Recorder scan fail!” The message said I had no recorder or one that is unsupported. The feature worked fine on another system with a generic CD writer, though, so this isn’t a big issue.

The acid test was to try the program on a server running in production. I chose a Windows 2000 Server that is running as an application server. Installing EPMS was straightforward and no reboot was required. I launched the application and resized the D:\ partition, creating an unallocated section of about 14 GB. EPMS requested a reboot. When the server came back up, the EPMS batch file ran, carrying out the operation I requested; the server then rebooted again and came back up normally.

The program is easy to use and out-performs every other partition tool I’ve tried, both open source and commercial, earning EASEUS Partition Manager Server a “Superior Product” rating. It’s well worth your money at $149.00. This is a tool that should be in every engineer’s toolkit and one that I’m glad I have at my disposal.

Have a question? It can be about anything from cooking to science, whatever you’re interested in: Click here to Ask the Geek! Kenny “The Geek” Harthun has been playing with geeky stuff since 1965. He’s a former research scientist, currently works as a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer at Connective Computing, Inc. and loves to learn about anything and everything.

Once again, in May 2009, I have had to revise this article because Avira’s updates no longer work (thanks, Cindy, for your help in pointing out the problem to me). You can find the latest revision here as well. This new revision supercedes all previous articles I have posted on this subject; specifically, these two:

http://askthegeek.kennyhart.com/2005/12/how-to-make-bootable-thumb-drive-virus.html

http://askthegeek.kennyhart.com/2007/03/update-how-to-make-bootable-thumb-drive_20.html

“How to make a bootable thumb drive virus scanner for NTFS” is the second most popular article on this site, outranked only by “My Computer Won’t Shut Down!” and I thank you for visiting Ask the Geek for advice on these issues. Because of the continuing popularity of the thumb drive virus scanner, I want to make sure you have up to date and relevant information. The two articles listed above are outdated.

The original DOS-based version of the thumb drive virus scanner used F-Prot Antivirus for DOS, one of the best and most popular DOS-based  scanners for nearly 20 years. Unfortunately, F-Secure is no longer updating the virus definitions for that version. In fact, the F-Prot virus signatures are now almost two years old, making them virtually useless. Other vendors are following suit. I’ve had quite a bit of feedback asking me if I could solve this problem and provide an updated method of offline virus scanning.

The good news is that, yes, I’ve solved the problem, thanks to the fact that several vendors offer free bootable rescue CDs for download. Most of these run under some flavor of Linux and after a bit of hacking, I found it’s a simple matter to make a bootable thumb drive from the images.

Note: Avira has changed the ISO image *again* since this article was first posted. I have had comments from some people that the new ISOs just don’t work right on the thumb drive. As of May 2009, the VDF updates cause the old version to fail. I have revised the steps below and updated the BLTDVS toolkit. Because of  the popularity of this toolkit, I am getting bills for excess bandwidth useage. If you find this toolkit useful, please consider making a donation by clicking the “Donate” button. As soon as I am notified of your donation (any amount, minimum $1), I’ll send you the link to the toolkit that contains the ISO image I originally tested.

I chose the Kaspersky Rescue CD from Kaspersky Lab for my latest incarnation of the thumb drive virus scanner. Since it runs under Linux, it has native NTFS read/write support making it unnecessary to use any third party tools like NTFS4DOS (which is still available, but no longer supported by Avira).

Here’s how to be up and running with your own copy of my latest tool in just a few minutes. I’ve made it easy by providing everything you need, except the rescue CD image:

1. I no longer require that you make a donation, but would appreciate it greatly. I’ve worked hard to keep the BLTDVS toolkit up to date and will contintue to do so.
2. I do require that you sign up on my list. That is the only way to get the download link and password for the BLTDVS toolkit. Once you sign up and confirm your subscription, the welcome email will give you instructions, a link to the new toolkit, and the password.
3. If you bypassed the fade-in sign-up form when you arrived at this page, you can click here to go to another sign-up page or click on Sign Up! in the toolbar to the right.
4. Download the BLTDVS toolkit from the link I send you.
5. Extract the folder to the root of your hard drive.
6. Download the Kaspersky Rescue CD ISO image
7. Move the CD ISO image to the BLTDVS_toolkit folder 
8. Plug in your thumb drive.
9. Open the BLTDVS_toolkit folder and navigate to the DriveKey folder.
10. Run HPUSBF.EXE (command line version) or HPUSBW.EXE (windows version) and format your thumb drive using FAT or FAT32. Deselect the “Create a DOS startup disk” option.
11. Open the BLTDVS_toolkit folder and copy or move its contents to your thumb drive. Don’t move the actual folder.
12. On your thumb drive, double-click avrescd.bat. This will extract the necessary files from the ISO image to your thumb drive. Be sure you specify the right drive letter for your thumb drive.
13. Once the files have been extracted, makeboot.bat will be called automatically. See the caution in the next step!
14. CAUTION! This step is dangerous! Heed the warning message. Please verify the correct flash drive letter is being displayed before proceeding. Do not run this file on your hard drive or your current MBR will be overwritten rendering Windows unbootable. (This isn’t a complete disaster, but it takes some geeky knowledge to fix it.)  NOTE: If you are usingVista, you may see a “failure to update the MBR” error. In this case, right-click the file and specify “Run as administrator.”
15. Hit any key to exit. You now have bootable Linux thumb drive virus scanner that will handle NTFS drives as well as most other formats.

One really cool feature of the Kaspersky program is that it will allow you to update it over the Internet as long as you’re plugged into your network. It doesn’t work well with a wireless connection (which both of my laptops have), but I haven’t had a bit of trouble getting an address and updating when I’m plugged in.

Another great feature of the program is that it has a built in file manager, so you can also use it to recover files from an infected hard drive without having to boot into the native OS.

As always, feedback is welcome. I want to know how this tool is working for you.

(Thanks to PDLA ©2007 http://pendrivelinux.com and Lance ©2008  http://pendrivelinux.com. Syslinux is ©1994-2006 H. Peter Anvin http://syslinux.zytor.com for the files used in this tool.)

Cheers!
The Geek

Technorati tags: bootable linux thumb drive virus scanner for ntfs, virus scanner, ntfs, linux, utilities, USB drive, security toolkit, ask the geek, security corner, security tools, antivirus

Need encryption? Need it to be really simple? Then you can’t beat Encrypt on Click (freeware) by 2BrightSparks. This program is so simple you won’t even need to read the ReadMe file. But don’t let the simplicity deceive you: the encryption algorithm uses 256-bit AES. (In case you didn’t know, AES is certified for use on TOP SECRET government information as long as 192, and 256 bit key lengths are employed.)

After you install the program, this is what you see when you open it:

You can’t get any simpler than that. Make your selection, and you’re prompted to enter a password. Enter the password, click OK and you’re done. Your file or folder will be encrypted and the filenames appended with the .eoc extension. Here’s the list of benefits shown on the web site:

• A very secure encryption method is also used (256-bit AES encryption).
• Files are both compressed & encrypted, which results in a smaller file.
• Password protected.
• Will encrypt single files or all files in a folder.
• Very simple to use interface.
• Can be used on a USB key.
• Fully Unicode enabled so filenames in any language can be encrypted.
• Fits on a floppy disk.
• Files can be opened and decrypted using WinZip 9 provided the correct password is used.

Cheers!

The Geek

This post is long overdue. Having completed my How to Secure Your Computer series of articles, it’s time to get links to all of them organized on a single page.

The series debuted on January 4, 2007 on my Lockergnome blog, Ask the Geek, Too. I continued to post them there until March, 2008 when other commitments forced me to put that blog on the back burner. (Chris Pirillo and the Lockergnome gang have been gracious enough to keep my content live and I hope to contribute there again in the future.) I have since revised and re-posted all of the maxims on my Security Corner blog, most of them having been given more catchy titles. You will find the entire archive in descending chronological order in the Security Maxim archives - Security Corner.

Below are links to the original postings up to and including Maxim #11 which was the last one posted to Lockergnome; nos. 12, 13, & 14 are new and appear only at Security Corner.

2007.01.04 - How to Secure Your Computer: Maxim #1
2007.02.22 - How to Secure Your Computer: Maxim #2 (or, How Not to Invite Attackers Into Your PCs and Networks)
2007.03.03 - How to Secure Your Computer: Maxim #3
2007.03.14 - How to Secure Your Computer: Maxim #4
2007.05.30 - How to Secure Your Computer: Maxim #5
2007.06.27 - How to Secure Your Computer: Maxim #6
2007.07.25 - How to Secure Your Computer: Maxim #7
2007.07.26 - How to Secure Your Computer: Maxim #8
2007.07.28 - How to Secure Your Computer: Maxim #9
2007.08.17 - How to Secure Your Computer: Maxim #10
2007.10.29 - How to Secure Your Computer: Maxim #11

I will soon make available a complete compilation of these articles for download as a free bonus to everyone who subscribes to my feed.

Cheers!
The Geek

Thanks to the latest issue of Popular Mechanics, we Geeks who remember these things can get our hands on some beautiful, handmade digital clocks (kit versions are also available). Nixie tubes have a warm glow that produces an aesthetic that today’s digital displays don’t even approach. Check out Peter Jensen’s site, tubeclock.com and browse around. You’ll learn that,

The 1950s saw the advent of the Modern design aesthetic; clean lines, utilitarian forms, and the motto: "Less is More" (Mies van der Rohe). The Nixie tube made its debut in 1954, and provided some of the first digital displays for the latest scientific equipment of the time.  Once utilized primarily in research and military equipment, Nixies are now prized for their modern aesthetic.

Nixies went out of production in the early 1990’s, but there is some new, old-stock surplus available. Do a Google search on "nixie tubes" and you’ll see. By the way, if you want to own the clock shown above, it’ll set you back $495. Look at it as the work of art that it is.

Cheers!

The Geek

One of these days, I’m going to catch up with this site and get links posted to all the new content I’ve been generating over at Security Corner. For now, I thought you’d like to read the latest article in the How to Secure Your Computer series. I’m up to 13 now. The next post here will be a list of all of them. Here you go:

http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/security-corner/wifi-security-the-only-way-is-wpa/

Cheers!

The Geek

Everyone seems to be doing top five and top ten lists these days, so I figured it’s about time I presented one of my own. Here’s my PC Security Top Five for home computers and home computer users:

1.  AVG antivirus. This is a best-of-breed antivirus program that is free for personal use. I’ve been using it for years.

2. Spybot Search & Destroy. Freeware. Anti-spyware/privacy protection. This is my main tool in the battle against spyware, and as of March 19, 2008, the program includes RootAlyzer anti-rootkit technology.

3. SpywareBlaster. Freeware. Blocks malware (see site for details). You need to update it periodically, but it’s transparent otherwise.

4. Mvps.org HOSTS file. The HOSTS file can be used to block unwanted sites and mvps.org provides a constantly-updated list of sites to block. Complete details can be found by following the link. I’ve used it for more than five years and have never gotten infected by a bad site.

5. Security Now! podcast. Every week, Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte discuss security. If you’re not listening, you’re missing out on some of the best security advice out there. Tell ‘em The Geek sent you!

Cheers!
The Geek

Check out this article in my new IT Knowledge Exchange blog (a paying gig for a change!). Seems the Air Force (which I’m a veteran of) has set up a new Cyber Command division. I’m sure it’ll be the geekiest place in the military.

Cheers!
The Geek

I sometimes enjoy playing with codes and ciphers. In fact, a long time ago (eighth grade, 1966), I got my introduction to cryptography from a book aptly named Codes and Ciphers written by Alexander d’Agapeyeff. My friends and I had some good laughs getting caught passing encoded notes in class; the nun couldn’t decipher them. Being an Edgar Allen Poe fan, I was fascinated by his story “The Gold Bug,” which centers on the solution to a cipher that turns out to be a map to hidden pirate treasure. And then there’s that bit with Ralphie, the hero in the classic holiday hit movie, A Christmas Story, where he anxiously awaits the arrival of his “Little Orphan Annie Secret Decoder Ring.”

But I digress.

I know this isn’t a new concept by any means, but the application of simple cryptographic principles can allow you to generate passwords using patterns that you can safely write down. One of the key elements of authentication is “something only you know” and you can use this to generate secure passwords with simple substitution and transposition ciphers. (WARNING: playing around with this stuff can be habit-forming!)

Let’s take a simple example of a substitution cipher based on a date. This one uses two levels of secret “keys”: 1. a clue or mnemonic for the date; 2. an abstraction of the encoding algorithm. We’ll use Abe Lincoln’s birthday in numeric form–02/12/1809–for our plaintext, leaving out the slashes, i.e., 02121809, which will result in a strong, eight character password. Now, for the first key, we can use “BDAbe.” This immediately reveals the plaintext, but means little or nothing to anyone else. (NEVER use your own birthday, for obvious reasons.)

Next, we decide to use alternating shifted characters, beginning with the first character. So, for key two, we make an abstraction of that: %x#, for example. It doesn’t matter what characters you use, only that they clearly represent shifted and lower-case characters; you could just as easily use AyT or !2@. The pattern of shift-lowercase-shift on the keyboard is what matters to you; the characters mean nothing else. Put the two keys together and you have this: BDAbe%x#. That’s your cipher pattern, the “something only you know,” with an added level of complexity: it’s something only you know (the plaintext) and only you know what it means (the encoding pattern). Anyone who sees BDAbe%x# will have your keys, but it’s likely they won’t have a clue as to what to do with them. Write it down. Post it all over the place. Buy an ad in the newspaper. Tell everyone you know. Who cares? It isn’t your password and only you know what it means; but, it looks like a password and serves as an effective deception.

Finally, we generate the actual password using our cipher pattern of alternating shifted and lowercase characters, so 02121809 becomes our ciphertext of )2!2!8)9: eight characters, each having one of 96 possible choices. In a brute force attack, a modern PC, capable of guessing 10 million passwords per second, would take 23 years to go through all possible combinations of an eight-character password with a 96 character selection space. Not too shabby, eh?

For website logins where high security isn’t a concern, you can drop the “www.” and use the rest of the URL as your plaintext. In this case, you only need to write down the password length and encoding pattern. Let’s say I have a login on the site www.nytimes.com. I don’t care if someone reads the news using my password, so tight security isn’t a concern. I decide on a pattern of lowercase-shift-shift and decide to use a six-character password. The encoding pattern is x%^, so I can write that down as nytimes.com/x%^. Who’s going to know what that means? The password would be nYTiME. At only six characters and despite being based on the URL itself, that password is still relatively secure: it would take a hacker 33 minutes to crack your password; he’d be able to set up his own account in less than 2 minutes. And why would anyone want to crack your password? NYTimes.com doesn’t ask for any personal information other than your birth year and zip code, nothing that’s worth anything to a criminal hacker.

I encourage you to come up with your own method of applying this to your passwords, and of course, I welcome your comments and questions.

Cheers!
The Geek

Have a question? It can be about anything from cooking to science, whatever you’re interested in: Click here to Ask the Geek! Kenny “The Geek” Harthun has been playing with geeky stuff since 1965. He’s a former research scientist, currently works as a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer at Connective Computing, Inc. and loves to learn about anything and everything.