Download Torrent file in Linux Terminal.

                   Torrent is one of the famous peer to peer file sharing application that has been used by millions of users world wide. Torrent has been blocked in many nations because of many reasons. There is an application with which you can download the torrent file in Linux Terminal.

                    To download the torrent file user needs applications such as utorrent, Bit Torrent and many more. There is an application existing already known as Transmission in Linux for this purpose but the user can do the same with Terminal.

                    Youtube videos can also be downloaded from terminal with simple application known as youtube-dl. Likewise there is an application used to download the torrent file from Internet.

                    The application is known as #rtorrent you can install it with apt-get (Ubuntu) or yum (Fedora). Once installed, to run the application
Type rtorrent in terminal and press enter. 
The terminal will show load.normal> in Terminal which shows the application has loaded up.

                    Copy the torrent file URL and press Enter and select the torrent files available using the Up or Down arrow keys, * indicates selected item. 

                    To initate the download press Ctrl+S and to stop press Ctrl+D and to quit rtorrent press Ctrl+Q.

                     For better understanding on how to use the tool visit this youtube URL.

P.S: The post is to create awareness and not to be misused.

Opera offers unlimited free VPN.

             Opera browser has been used by many users for surfing the Internet. Mobile version of opera is also largely used application. Recently there is a news that opera browser is offering free and unlimited VPN feature.

              VPN is not only used by corporate but also by normal users to evade censorship, to prevent online tracking by service provider or any Governement agencies. VPN establishes a tunnel and also hides the real IP address but providing complete anonymity.

               Opera browser releases its latest developer version in which it is providing free and unlimited VPN feature. All that needed from the user is to enable the VPN in settings page and thats it.

               All the traffic after enabling the VPN are all encrypted and also provides anonymity by offering 256 bit encryption. 

               The version is in developer release and the stable browser version is yet to be released. The developer version is available for download here. 

               The VPN now having VPN connected to three nations such as US, Canada and Germany. This means that you can virtually switch between these three nations.

P.S: The post is to create awareness and not to create any negative impact.

Viber offers End to End Encryption.

               One of the famous application similar to that of WhatsApp is #Viber and it has been used by millions of users across globe. Few weeks back, WhatsApp offered End to End Encryption to all its users. Recently there has been a news that Viber is offering the same service.

                Viber stated that they are offering End to End Encryption to both one to one messages and also for group messages. They are also offering other services such as

Chat PIN lock to hide the conversations

Contact authentication feature to check the contact authenticity.

                Viber if updated to Viber 6.0 will be offered with End to End Encryption and also the other features mentioned above.

                 It has become a trend to offer End to End Encryption to customers. Viber also joined the row along with giants Gmail, WhatsApp, Apple. If the app is updated you can see the padlock icon that shows the messages are encrypted.

P.S: The post is to create awareness and not to create any negative impact.

Google makes new policy for chrome developers.

             It is the time almost all the giants are considering customers privacy as their concern. Apple got into dispute with FBI and WhatsApp implemented End to End Encryption for all users. Recently Google has implemented a new poicy for its developers.

             Google chrome is one such browser which is used by billions of users and almost 40 percent of the users are using chrome extensions or add ons for their ease of use. These add ons or extension are developed by third parties also.

            Now rises a question how to believe that all the extensions are not harmful and so Google has a new privacy policy. All the developers must provide or implement the following 

1. Add on or Extension should tell or explicitly notify what data they are collecting from the user.

2. Should implement the encryption if the data is sensitive one.

3. User must be aware of the data that are being collected by the application.

            In addition to these developers should explain why they are collecting the information if it is not used for the main functionality of the application.

            Google stated that from July 15, 2016 any application or extension failed to comply will be removed from the official chrome store. The existing applications must comply with the new privacy policy.

            Chrome store will have only applications that comply to the new privacy policy from Google from the date specified above.

P.S: The post is to create awareness and not to create any negative impact.

End to End Encryption - The real mechanism.

                 There has been many tweets and many posts regarding End to End Encryption. Recently WhatsApp declared that they are using End to End Encryption and also many giants started using this mechanism.

                 Many are speaking or posting about End to End Encryption but they are not aware of the mechanism and many even dont know what is that means and some considered that it is just a message displayed in their chat window.

                 End to End Encryption is one of the mechanism which is implemented to prevent any third person to read or know what the entitites are transmitting. Let's have a look at the mechanism behind this.

                 Consider x an y are going to transfer the message first both x and y will have their own public key and private key. Private key will be with them only and public key will be shared with the other entity. 

                 x share public key with y and vice versa. If x is going to send a message "hi" to y, x will encrypt it with y's public key and send it. Only the entity with y's private key can read the message which ultimately resides with y only.

                  This way any third party is avoided from reading the text. If in case the private is compromised then the whole system fails.

                  In End to End Encryption this mechanism happens and thus it provides privacy to everyone. There has been a bill named #Anti-Encryption bill passed which will prevent or restrict companies from implementing encryption as a service to their customers.

P.S: The post is to create awareness and not to create any negative impact.

QR code for Blue Screen of Death - Windows 10.

           Microsoft is bringing many new features to #Windows 10 by its Anniversary update. There has been already a cool feature added i.e. Ubuntu BASH for Windows 10. Recently there has been a news about a new cool feature.

            If you are the user of Windows then you will be aware of the famous #Blue Screen of Death (BSOD). It happens whenever Windows encounters a critical error which can be either software or hardware.

            Traditional way of BSOD is with the information of Physical dump of memory but now the GUI has been modifed which will display the information Your PC ran into a problem with a sad smiley in it.

            The only way of getting rid of this problem is to reboot the system and now it has been customized with new feature.

            A QR code will be displayed in the BSOD and it can be scanned using any device with QR code reader. Scanning the QR code will give more information to the reader. Details about the error it encountered will be displayed.

            The information serves several purposes such as it can be used to learn more about the error and the other is that it can be used to contact Microsoft support.

            The feature is yet to be released in Windows 10 along with Anniversary update. The Anniversary update has many features like this and Ubuntu BASH.

P.S: The post is to create awareness and not to create any negative impact.

WhatsApp Encryption - Inside Out.

           Few days back there has been a bang with the famous application #WhatsApp with their default #End to End Encryption ploicy for billion of users. Many assumed that they are now provided with privacy, but here comes the twist. Recently a journalist posted a picture in twitter that explains the encryption policy.

             WhatsApp's license agreement states that the End to End Encryption has been enabled by default to all the users. According to the policy, no third party even the app workers can't see what message has been transmitted between two or more entities.

             According to the working of WhatsApp, no data will be stored in the server and there are only two copies maintained at both ends(Sender and Receiver), if the both entities deletes the message it leaves no trace what message has been transmitted.

             Now they have stated that they are maintaining some information such as sender detail, receiver detail, timestamp of the message. Even after the implementation of End to End Encryption, they are storing these details in their servers.

             The picture posted by a guy in twitter is as shown below

            This shows that WhatsApp is not encrypting all the data and they are maintaining some details about the messages transmitted. In order to go for complete encryption, one can use #Signal application which is the application behind the WhatsApp's encryption policy, Open Whisper Systems.

             There are also other applications that provide complete encryption such as Telegram (In secret chat), protonmail (For mail).

P.S: The post is to create awareness and not to create any negative impact.

         

Google may adopt Apple's Swift Language.

            Apple few years back released a new programming language #Swift in its World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC). Using Swift, developers can develop their application with more ease. Recently there is a talk that Google may adopt Swift for Android development.

            Unlike past languages, Swift allows the user to see the result when the code has been developed and they have made it an Open Source Programming language. Google is already having some legal issues with Oracle on using its Java API.

             The legal suit is yet on consideration and few days back, executives from Google, Facebook and Uber discussed the features of Swift language.

              Few months back, Google made a decision that it will use OpenJDK instead of the Java API. Google may adopt Swift language and it wont eradicate Java from its environment, but makes it easier for developers to develop their applications easily.

              Giants are making some big moves, FBI dispute with Apple slightly came to an end, but a new statement form FBI states that they can't open iPhones from 5s. The trick works only on models below 5s.

              FBI is also concerned about Facebook's End to End Encryption policy as it may be missued by any terrorist for any illegal purpose as it is not traceable without having the proper keys.

P.S: The post is to create awareness and not to create any negative impact.

Ubuntu Bash on Windows 10.

        Few days back Microsoft released a statement that they will be supporting the awesome Bash (Bourne Again Shell) on Windows 10. The statement reveals that users will get the feature in anniversary release but it has been rolled out for developer edition.

         It is already stated that do not expect a virtual machine or any Ubuntu machine running along with Windows, it will get the Ubuntu bash command and will convert them into the equivalent windows call and execute them.

         If you think you cant wait till you get the update you can get them by performing the following steps

1. Enroll in the "Windows Insider Program" and select the "Advanced windows update option" in the system settings.

2. Set the ambition to "fast ring".

3. Via settings turn on "Developer Mode" settings -> Update and Security -> For developers.

4. Check for new updates, install all of them and reboot the system.

5. Turn on Window feature, "windows subsystem for linux (Beta)".

6. Reboot the system again.

7. Go to start menu, type bash the command console will pop up upon hitting the icon.

         It is to be noted that it is in Beta state and it may contain some bugs and so users can continue at their own risks. It also requires 64 bit architecture to enable this feature.

P.S: The post is to create awareness and not to be missued.

WhatsApp - End to End Encryption.

             There is a great battle happening in cyber world and there are many posts and tweets regarding privacy of an individual. Apple, WhatsApp and Google has faced many hard times and now almost all giants are taking a decision from their side. Recently, WhatsApp rolled out #End to End Encryption for all its users.

              End to End Encryption is the mechanism in which if x and y are communicating then the message from x will be encrypted with y's public key and only y can decrypt it with y's private key which is secretly with him only.

              There are many applications running on this mechanism and now its #WhatsApp with this awesome feature. You can see the padlock icon and the notification if you are chatting with the user who's WhatsApp is also updated.

               By this way no third party can see what you are transmitting and of course even WhatsApp can't know what you are sending. This also signifies that if any hard time WhatsApp can't provide any data to Law enforcement.

                 In order to use this facility you must update the application, you can view the notification and also you can find the status of the encryption from the user's info on chat window. There is also an option to verify the connection security.

                 It is very obvious that End to End Encryption is needed to avoid any third party or even Government trying to read the data. Apple rolled out End to End Encryption for iMessages. Google rolled out the same for Gmail. Now its WhatsApp, this shows that giants are supporting individual privacy.

                Another thing to be noted is that consider you are sending a message to a group of 10 people and if two people in the group didn't have updated application, then the message will be delivered as a plain message without encryption to them.

P.S: The post is to create awareness and not to create any negative impact.

Samsam - A new ransomware.

            Ransomware has been a new passion these days and the infection made by ransomware in increasing at rapid rate. Recently hospitals has been targeted by ransomware. A new ransomware targets hospital servers.

             Due to the growth of technology, these days the patient details has been stored in the central database and the data are stored in #Electronic Media Records (#EMR). Compromising the server or taking them down for few days will result in the death of patient due to the loss of medical records.

            A new ransomware named #Samsam targeted a hospital and demanded a huge amount of bitcoins but the hospital refused to pay. They have a copy of data in backup server and they are getting their data back without paying them.

            Few good things implemented by the hospital is that they detect the intrusion earlier and they shutdown their internal network thus preventing the spreading of infection and also maintaining the backup helps at right time.

            #Samsam ransomware if landed will first test for vulnerability in the JBoss application by using the JexBoss, pen testing tool and then after gaining root access infect all the system running windows and it will start spreading the infection.

            Once the server has been compromised no communication takes place between the system and the C&C.

            Due to the increase in ransomware, maintaining backup data has been moved from optional choice to mandatory choice.

P.S: The post is to create awareness and not to be misused.

Secure yourself from deadly Macros.

                Many of the normal users tasks are based on the Microsoft Office products. One of the most common  feature that has been rolled out to ease the complex tasks is #Macros. Recently there has been many attacks by exploiting this feature.

                Macros are the piece of program that has been used to ease the complex activities and it is embedded along with the document and office allows Visual Basic Script to be embedded into the document. Macros can also be used to carry out many malicious activities.

                These days attackers are seeking new methods to compromise the system even a blank pdf file is more than enough to compromise the system. If a document is containing Macros, Office will popup a warning as "This Document contains Macros" and if the user clicks on Allow Macro or Enable Editing option, the system is compromised.

                Once the macro starts executing, it may download the malicious program and it will infect the other documents so as to increase the infection level. There are some settings that can decrease the macro infections.

1. Move the document to the Trusted Location so as to prevent the infection from macro into the network. Trusted Location in corporate infrastructure may be a DMZ (DeMilitarized Zone).

2. Enable the setting "Block Macros from running in Office files from Internet" that is now rolled out and it will prevent the execution of macro unless the file has been moved to the Trusted Location.

                 Ranomwares are also now spreading through these documents containing malicious macros and attackers are spreading the malware with macros through Internet mails with catchy subject.

P.S: The post is to create awareness and not to create any negative impact.