Mar 06

I have the POW-AH!!!

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I Have The PowerWelcome back friends!

I wanted to throw out this quick post because after a great experience, I told the folks I would.

As many of you know, I’ve been on the go lately. A lot. Airports, train stations, and even walking, I have found myself away from home and in unfamiliar places quite often these days. Because of this, I have been finding continued disappointment in my mobile devices and their battery life. My laptop does fairly well and my android tablet does hold quite a good charge despite being almost 3 years old. The biggest problem lies in my Samsung Galaxy S3. Like every other android phone I’ve owned, the battery life isn’t anything to write home about.

So I started reaching out on twitter, asking my friends for some advice on a portable power solution. Unlike the responses I’ve gotten to my requests for help here on this blog, people actually responded more than I’d expected- it was quite nice! I got several solutions from disposable battery packs to small generators that would probably have sufficed to power Jason Statham’s character in Crank for a month until I came upon my final choice: The Astro 3 by Anker.

I got the chance to experience this gem while at Shmoocon in January and I was pleasantly surprised not only by the size and weight, but by the apparent quality, battery life, and the selection of adapters provided with the device. I spent a little time playing with it to make sure it would charge my phone and my tablet, which it did quite well. The only short coming I have is that it doesn’t have an adapter to fit my laptop but that is something I can manage without for now though I’m investigating solutions to remedy that. But after playing with the thing I had to have one, and fate agreed as it went on sale the day after I got home from the con!

I ordered immediately and was thankful for my membership to Amazon Prime as the device arrived in nearly no time at all! As I started unboxing, I came to the sad realization that the nifty little mesh pouch that should have been provided, to hold the accessories, was not included. After my sadness subsided, I decided to use the power of the Internet and reach out on Twitter once more. I tweeted the official account for Anker and had a response the next day. They asked me to email and within 2 more days I had them shipping me the missing piece! They were prompt and very nice in making the situation right. I was actually amazed at the response I got. The service staff was friendly in email and made sure to not only satisfy my concerns but to take steps to be certain I was totally happy with their product- something almost unheard of in today’s world where the customer isn’t necessarily always right! Now, this device is in my arsenal and in full service, and while my travel has slowed for the time being, I’m sure that is only temporary and I am looking forward to putting this thing through it’s paces!

For any of my readers out there looking for something to quell the need for a portable power solution that adapts to their digital needs, I highly recommend the Astro 3 for a spin. And if you do, drop me a line. I’d love to hear what you think about it

Feb 11

Hard CIDR made easy

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Welcome back!

I recently polled my readership asking for some input on the next code release on this site and after a disappointingly small response, we have a winner! Today, we will be talking through the latest code release which parses a network list provided in CIDR notation into a usable host list for interrogation during an assessment.

Some of you might ask “why would we need to break down a CIDR notated list?” Well, after working in InfoSec for several years, one of the biggest pains of my career has been a scenario I see time and time again: A client is looking for some level of security assessment and after going through the motions of scoping the engagement, the assessment team comes to realize that the client doesn’t necessarily know what they have in terms of live hosts, or perhaps they use DHCP and IP addresses shift for whatever reason, but they have certain hosts that they aren’t comfortable with having hit by automated tools (often times even manual interrogation scares them in these cases). At times like these we often get a list of networks, usually in CIDR notation, and a list of individual IP addresses in these ranges that can not be touched. In these instances we would break the network list out into a large host list- a text file containing individual IP addresses per line before searching and removing the specified exceptions. It was not uncommon for this process to become tedious. Often an engineer would results to using a spreadsheet to break the networks out, then combine these into a text file.

Having had the privilege to work with organizations of all sizes through my years in the field, I have seen this range from a single /24 “Class C” (254 usable IP addresses) in smaller environments up to several “Class A” networks (16,777,216 usable IP addresses) in the larger cases. One might see how this becomes exponentially painful and time consuming in breaking down the host list. It is because of this pain that this post, and the script of the day, was born.

As I continue my quest to master the Python language,  I chose to tackle this challenge with code. Thanks to the feedback of my readers, I chose to release the solution I built in hopes that it makes the task easier for the engineers in the field. Better yet, someone might see a better way of accomplishing this task and enlighten me- I’m always looking for the path of least resistance. Without further adieu, I introduce to you cidrbreak.py!

Please take some time to play with this script and post some of your thoughts. I’m interested to hear if this has helped you and how, as well as any improvements, feature suggestions, or other input you might have.

Jan 29

Another project: RFID hacking

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What a long, strange trip it’s been!

I hope your year is going well so far. Mine has started off crazy but the “up side” is that I have a little free time on my hands so I intend to put that to good use. For those of you who haven’t voted, I decided to keep the poll open from my last post while I polish the code on both projects for release. PLEASE help me decide which to put out first by taking a quick second to vote here! I’ll be releasing the winning project with my first post in February so get your opinion in now- No vote, no voice.

In the mean time, I’m also updating the projects page with my newest venture in hacking as I venture into the world of RFID. You’ll be able to play along at home as I get to know the technology and start to learn the Qi and how an attacker could leverage this technology against a target. Hopefully you’ll find it useful and learn something with me, but if you know something I don’t or see me wandering the path aimlessly, please engage and say something! After all, we’re all in this together, right?

I’m looking forward to this project and really excited about what it will bring to the table.

Jan 06

Looking for more input

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Hey again guys!

I hope you’re all having an awesome new year so far! It’s been quite the adventure for me but I’m happy to have gotten a little down time- 2012 really kicked my butt! Anyway, I have been working on several coding projects and thought we should start the year off with a nifty release. But since I have 2 different projects in mind, I was hoping to get your insight on what the first release of 2013 will be. So here’s a quick poll. I’m leaving it open while I go on a sweet little adventure this week but I hope you take the time to vote and let me know what you’d like to see!

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you all around the internet!

Nov 20

Code Update: Socket Listener (myListener_v2.py)

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Well it’s been a while since I’ve gotten to work on any of my code that I can actually release. Been trapped in the cage working on super secret projects and most of my code will never be seen by more than one or two sets of eyes. But the quest to improve continues.

Some time ago, I released myListener.py. This was a pretty basic script which allows a listener to open on a designated port and data can be captured and logged upon connection to that port. I updated and streamlined this code for today’s release. myListener_v2.py takes us from script to program and is still a work in progress. I will be adding a main() function and changing some of the structure. I am also looking for other features that might be useful so if you have any suggestions, please let me know!

Once again I’ve lessened the use of comments in the code. I am hoping these simple programs will help those newer to python as they learn the language. Hopefully these are helpful, informative, and not too over bearing.

As always, thanks for reading!

 

 

Oct 29

Gas Tank Lock Replacement

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Yet another interesting experience while I was riding down the road a few days ago. I was out for a nice leisurely ride as I pulled into the gas station to refuel and head home. When I pulled in I killed the engine and coasted up to the pump, dropped the kickstand as usual before pulling the key from the ignition and inserting the key into the fuel tank cover. But rather than needing to turn the key, the cover just came open! Apparently somewhere on the long, bumpy road of life, the vibrations combined with the wear and tear of regular use caused the locking mechanism to fail and crumble into many tiny pieces. As I investigated the scene closer, I saw that the metal at the  back of the lock where the cam connected to the cylinder was the root cause of the problem and had fallen INTO the tank, along with a couple of the wafer tumblers- NOT a good situation considering that I was on the road and about 40 miles from home.

With few resources at my disposal on the road, I took the chance to ride home and get the iron steed to her stable quickly. Hoping with every passing mile marker that the pieces in the fuel cell were either too big to get into the fuel line or that my fuel filter would help keep the metallic parts from getting into the motor. Fate smiled upon the Jughead when I motored into the neighborhood. The clouds parted, and the sun peaked out and no further problems were had. I popped the tank open and breathed a little easier knowing that I was on home turf now and likely able to bring her back to optimal health quickly. The first thing I did was to disassemble the lock mechanism on the cover and remove all the parts. Once that was done, I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach realizing that only 2 of the 4 tumbler pins in the lock were accounted for- this means there are up to 2 tumbler pins and perhaps other metals deep in the belly of the fuel cell.

Tank Lock Parts

Tank Lock Parts

Well I was now on a mission. I had to get the metal parts out of the tank before something bad happened and just wasn’t sure how aside from to dismantle the bike, pull the fuel cell, and flush it out. Realizing how much a pain in the neck that would be, the hacker in me took over and I started thinking of other ways to skin this cat. After spending some time with the family and not thinking about the problem for a bit, I came to the conclusion that the path of least resistance lay within the problem. To get the metal parts out of the fuel cell, I grabbed a doughnut shaped rare earth magnet, tied it to a string, and lowered it into the fuel inlet.Then I let the magnet sit for a few seconds before fishing it back and forth across the available surface area and lowering it down- trying to take a layered approach in case some piece of metal was stuck somewhere on the upper half of the fuel cell. Eventually, all the pieces were recovered and I was now able to focus on how to fix the gaping hole in the cover to the fuel tank.

Initially, I had just planned to get a used cover off ebay or something, but when my cousin mentioned the ability to just replace the lock, I started investigating the options. I went to a local hardware store and found a lock mechanism that wasn’t perfect, but would certainly be functional- for less than $5. I bought the lock and headed home to start putting it together.There was a little modification needed, but I was pleased as to how simple this was. And as I said, it’s not perfect but it works.

New Tank Lock

New Tank Lock

New Bezel

New Bezel

Side View

Side View

Oct 28

Happy Halloween!

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Halloween - 2012

Halloween – 2012

Well, as the Halloween weekend winds down I just wanted to wish you all a fun, safe time as you celebrate my favorite holiday of the year. Halloween is awesome if you have fun with it. This is a time to be spooked and get spooky. The sexy little costumes come out and the scary imaginations are let loose. Kids get to run amok this week on a sugar high provided by strangers as they terrorize the neighborhoods. And yes, I’ll be out there, on my bike, roaming the streets and tossing out some candy as well. Don’t take it too seriously but be responsible and pay attention! Kids aren’t the best at this sort of thing so while you’re ripping down the streets, slow it down a notch and remember the little crumb snatchers are out here begging for cavity causing confections. And motorcycles are everywhere- watch for them! I had to walk away from my Brother and his wife in the trauma unit because some moron in a cage wasn’t paying attention as they pulled out onto the road and caused him to lay his bike down. This is unacceptable people. You’re operating a vehicle- that is a HUGE weapon you’re wielding! Most of you can barely operate the vehicle under normal conditions let alone when you’re texting, tweeting, or stuffing another McDouble down your gullet! So have fun with it but keep your hands on the wheel, your eyes on the road, and slow down a bit. And for cryin’ out loud, if you’re intoxicated on ANY level, please stay home.

Oct 26

The dawn of a new era and the death of the PC

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rest-in-pc

rest-in-pc

Being a geek takes a lot of work. I spend hours a day just parsing data and managing information that relates to technology. I usually spend some time in the morning reading my RSS feeds and when something comes across that I find worthy of my comment, I blast it out to Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. But once in a while, something strikes me so profoundly that I have to write more that 140 characters about it.

Earlier this week I read this BBC article of an interview with Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer. Right out of the gate he says it is inevitable that Microsoft will continue to ramp up efforts in engineering their own proprietary hardware to run it’s operating systems and applications. This is nothing new really. Apple was started on this concept and has been increasingly closed with it’s hardware since it’s inception in 1976. I’ve conversed with several people  to this end and have found myself torn as we peer over the precipice of a significant paradigm change in how we get our tech fix.

When I got started hacking, it was my thing to take things apart. I would try to put them back together again, and while that often didn’t work out so well, it quelled my curiosity as to how that thing worked. At least until I found something else to take apart. That concept drew me to computers. Sure, you could buy a box already built but it was so much fun to order the parts and assembly my own franken-puter. A one of a kind creation only limited by my imagination and budget. But as we know, all good things must come to an end. As we saw with automobiles, the owners became able to do less and less of the work. Today, when something is wrong with your car, it almost has to go to the shop. Not only must the “technician” as they’re more often called) have to know how to turn a wrench, but he’ll often connect the car to a laptop or other computer. He might even have to do a little Java programming to make things right. The way of the traditional hardware hacker is going the way of the dodo and the auto mechanic.

We saw Apple close access to their hardware, an increasingly popular way of tech. As society became more and more reliant on mobile devices, we saw companies like Motorola implement technologies like IBM’s “eFuse” which is designed to prevent hackers from loading their own home brewed software onto the device. And with this article, as Windows succumbs to the inevitable change in order to stay competitive, we see the dawn of “Windows hardware” available to consumers.

This is bitter sweet to me. I love the fact that software producers are looking to maximize the user experience by integrating their products with hardware that optimizes performance. But it saddens me to think that this will soon sweep over into the culture as a whole. We’ve already seen the beginning as bulky desktop machines are replaced with smaller, equally (or more) powerful laptops. Even I am guilty of plugging a monitor and keyboard into my laptop when I get set up to work in my home office. While traditional laptops are still somewhat mod-able, the certainly limit what users can change or replace.  So embrace your technology. Realize that nothing stays the same and prepare to adapt to the changing market. We’ll soon have an even wider selection of awesome hardware to choose from. I just hope they’re as stable and sturdy as my trusty desktop PC as opposed to needing to be replaced every 12-18 months like every smartphone I’ve ever owned.

GameOver

Oct 18

Time flies..

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Wow… we’re well into the final quarter of 2012. It seems like yesterday I was watching the ball drop and ringing in this year. And what a crazy adventure it’s been! I’ve had a lot of excitement in the recent months and while the seasons turn cold, the wind picks up, the snow will soon fall without a doubt, one would think the project list would wind down. Perhaps we would see the schedules slow and take some time to recuperate and prepare for the onslaught of yet another year. But this isn’t so- not for me!

So what’s new? Well I’ve had some awesome growth professionally. It’s been quite the adventure testing my personal limits in some penetration tests I’ve gotten to perform. I’ve also seen a paradigm shift in my career that has expanded my skills and broadened my horizons. I have some really cool research subjects that I am working on and hopefully will see them turn into talks for some conferences in the coming year. The one I am most excited about and would like to shed some light on is my hardware hacking fun.

Due to some of my involvement with Industrial Control Systems (ICS) and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition systems (SCADA), I have gotten down and dirty with some really cool hardware. Some stuff we interact with every day, some things aren’t even available to consumers yet- this is one of the cool parts of my work. Anyway, getting thrust into a new realm of the physical, I am learning more and more every second. I’ve gotten to learn electrical engineering and used my reverse engineering skills to tear down all kinds of fun stuff. The hope here is that I can soon call myself an expert in taking a given component and bending it to my complete will- BOW TO ME!! All joking aside, this has been extremely stressful and to say it’s been challenging is a gross understatement of the truth. But the learning is totally worth it. It’s great to have the opportunity to learn things that others spend countless hours in school for. Or to manipulate someone else’s hardware with my own code to build new things or improve the existing.

I’m a hacker by nature. I like to tear into things. It doesn’t really matter what IT is, but to learn how it works and to see how far I can push the limits- this is my goal. It’s fun to see where I can go when the designer/creator intended only one path. Despite the hours I’ve spent licking 9v batteries working to master the concepts behind electricity and the wonders it is capable of, I press on in search of now with the quest to make it my slave.

I’ve been contained in the zoo. It’s been hard to break away from my projects and as I’ve been crazily focused I seem to have neglected my family, my club, and many other parts of my life. This, in my perception, is an indication that my personal processes need a remodel. I am taking the time to get back on track and hopefully this will include returning to a more regular blog schedule. It was easy when I was working on more common projects that I could speak about more generally but while I’ve been working on these more sensitive projects and pouring my “spare time” into them, I’ve failed at making the time for sharing among other things. This isn’t for nothing though. I’m planning on ending up with several things to share once the research concludes. I’m hoping things return to some shape of normalcy, but in the mean time I hope you’re MAKING, THINKING, and ENGAGING. I may not be blogging like I was, but I’m all over Twitter and Google+.

Stay safe. It’s cold out there.

Aug 03

This shouldn’t be happening.

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Don’t Text and Drive!

So while my regular readers know me, the newer readers should know I am a biker. I spend a lot of time on the back of my bike cruising because it helps me think, gets me out of the house into the sun, and is the ONLY way I’ve found to keep me from touching technology. The more time one spends on a motorcycle, the more they come to peace with the fact that drivers do NOT pay attention while they’re driving. They use the time in the car to sing along with the radio, apply makeup, or read the morning paper. With the increasing reliance on cell phones talking, texting, or updating facebook and twitter have also been thrown into the mix of the increasingly dangerous things people do in addition to (or often instead of) driving the vehicle. Lately, there have even been massive advertising campaigns aimed at texting while driving and how dangerous it is. There are sad commercials all over the air about people who have been  killed or permanently injured by people as a result of the carelessness here in hopes that people will STOP. I doubt this will work considering the general mentality of society today, but at least the Powers That Be are trying. This is becoming an epidemic that I am personally concerned for as I have two young girls preparing to get their drivers licenses here in the near future and I am terrified of something happening to them because of some other person’s lack of thought or concern for the consequences of their actions and choices. Cars don’t have autopilot.. yet.

Defensively Offensive

As a biker, the risk here is increased exponentially. Where a driver has a roll cage with hundreds of pounds of sheet metal to help protect them during the impact of their negligence, a biker does not. We all have “escape plans” for whenever possible, but there are too many instances where drivers put riders in danger as a result of not thoroughly thinking through the course of their actions. I am no different here than any other biker. I will avoid conflict on the road whenever possible but when it is unavoidable, I will defend myself and make the driver re-think their course so that I can remain safe on the road. This has a wide variety of meaning(s). I try to take the most peaceful path, knocking on windows of inattentive drivers if possible- a nice way to say hi and get them thinking about their surroundings rather that whatever else has them almost running me over. If their actions are too erratic, I have had to use my boots, kicking door panels and side mirrors off vehicles who have chosen to invade my personal bubble. The most extreme cases come in the form of a “kick back whip” (or my trusty wallet chain) crashing into or through a windshield or side window of the vehicle. We really try to avoid this at all costs as the cops almost always come into play. It boils down to one thing that drives my life as a man- At the end of the day, I will be coming home to my family.

So why am I writing this?

I just want to contribute to the awareness. Hopefully you’ll read this and think. Hopefully, you’ll have someone in your life who you can pass the message on to and you just might save my life by keeping their attention on the road. It is a serious problem and it’s happening more every day. I was coming home from my office today when this full sized sedan came into my lane at 70 MPH on the freeway. Traffic was fairly heavy and I had no where to go other than under the wheels of the semi truck on my right as this car came darting into my lane with me right in the middle of his rear passenger door. I see the driver texting on his phone and out of reflex to the situation, my boot landed squarely into the side of the white paint .. and tape markings of the Ohio State Highway Patrol cruiser he was piloting down the road (apparently Ford has an app to allow this from smartphones now). As the trooper snapped to attention and regained his lane, I sped up beside him fully expecting to get pulled over and get to know him personally. The window rolled down and he apologized, to which I replied with a biker’s favorite gesture when a motorist violates the rules of the road, and sped off to get home. When the picture below showed up on facebook, I knew I had to share this with you so that we can continue to spread the word about how important it is to pay attention while driving. It is a privilege to drive a potential weapon, we take it for granted and rarely realize what can happen in the blink of an eye. Please.. DO THINK AND DRIVE.