New Threat on the Digital Block: The CryptoLocker Virus

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a screenshot of a computer anti-virusA few months ago, I got an annoying piece of code on my laptop known as the FBI Moneypak virus. It locked down my laptop screen and demanded a ransom for me to have it unlocked – right in the middle of midterm week. Thankfully the virus was easy to remove and I was able to boot my laptop in safe mode before running anti-virus software to remove it. Different variants of the Moneypak virus began popping up over the internet, each strain slightly different and more difficult to remove until two months ago when an infinitely more dangerous began to appear. The Moneypak virus scares victims into thinking their computer will be permanently locked, covering their screen with a digital ransom note that cannot be removed until a victim pays up. Even if you don’t pay the money, or if you remove the virus, your files are (usually) safe. CryptoLocker however is the complete opposite.

Most people are infected through spam mail. Clicking on attachments from people you don’t know, or from friends or family you weren’t expecting to get attachments from is a very easy way to get infected. You can also catch the virus from less harmful malware already installed on your computer. You can also get the virus from computers that share resources on your network. The virus spreads similarly to the Autoplay malware that made its way around campus last semester, it you share network drives, USBs drives or email and receive attachments often, you are also liable to get infected.

This virus is a nasty one, there’s no other way to put it. Very rarely do victims of this virus know when they’ve been infected.  Once it gets onto a computer, it targets files with the following extensions:

*.odt, *.ods, *.odp, *.odm, *.odc, *.odb, *.doc, *.docx, *.docm, *.wps, *.xls, *.xlsx, *.xlsm, *.xlsb, *.xlk, *.ppt, *.pptx, *.pptm, *.mdb, *.accdb, *.pst, *.dwg, *.dxf, *.dxg, *.wpd, *.rtf, *.wb2, *.mdf, *.dbf, *.psd, *.pdd, *.pdf, *.eps, *.ai, *.indd, *.cdr, *.jpg, *.jpe, *.jpg, *.dng, *.3fr, *.arw, *.srf, *.sr2, *.bay, *.crw, *.cr2, *.dcr, *.kdc, *.erf, *.mef, *.mrw, *.nef, *.nrw, *.orf, *.raf, *.raw, *.rwl, *.rw2, *.r3d, *.ptx, *.pef, *.srw, *.x3f, *.der, *.cer, *.crt, *.pem, *.pfx, *.p12, *.p7b, *.p7c.

The virus then proceeds to encrypt them with RSA (Rivest Shamir Adleman) and AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) encryptions.  Any and everything attached to your computer will be infected. Cloud storage won’t necessarily save your files – people who installed have Dropbox on their computers will have the files in their account encrypted. Attached USB or disk storage will also be encrypted. Any new files you create with the above file extensions will also be encrypted, effectively rendering your computer files useless.

Once CryptoLocker has successfully infected all the files on a target PC, it displays a warning message, giving victims 72 hours to pay around $300 or their files permanently encrypted. They aren’t bluffing. There are numerous reports of people and businesses loosing important files because they didn’t pay the ransom. It’s much worse for people who attempt to (or even accidentally) remove the virus from their computers.The ransom can increase anywhere between 3 and 10 times the initial value of $300. Only an infected computer can access the website to pay the ransom to unencrypt their files, but for the people who’ve accidentally uninstalled the virus, don’t worry.The creators of the virus realized that they were missing out on income and so, provide victims with a link to reinfect their computers so that they can pay up.

There’s a serious debate over whether or not people should pay money to retrieve their files. The argument against paying is that giving up the money encourages the hackers to target more people and continue to update the virus to earn more money. Who wouldn’t – the creators of CryptoLocker are said to have earned upwards of $5 Million in on year. For people who risk losing irreplaceable family photos, financial documents and client files worth thousands of dollars each though, there’s no other option than to pay the money.

Open attachments at your own risk.

 

Sources:

  • http://krebsonsecurity.com/2013/11/cryptolocker-crew-ratchets-up-the-ransom/
  • http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/10/youre-infected-if-you-want-to-see-your-data-again-pay-us-300-in-bitcoins/
  • http://krebsonsecurity.com/2013/11/how-to-avoid-cryptolocker-ransomware/
  • http://blog.malwarebytes.org/intelligence/2013/10/cryptolocker-ransomware-what-you-need-to-know/
  • http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/virus-removal/cryptolocker-ransomware-information
  • http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/cryptolocker-is-the-nastiest-malware-ever-heres-what-you-can-do/

 

Hot White Chocolate

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logo: "In the kitchen with Patricia"

Ingredients1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup heavy cream
4 cups half-and-half
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Vanilla whipped topping, for garnish
Mint leaf, for garnishDirections1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine white chocolate chips and heavy cream.

2. Stir continuously until white chocolate chips have completely melted. Stir in the half-and-half, and vanilla extract.
3. Stir occasionally until heated through.
4. Pour into mugs and top with a dollop of vanilla whipped topping and garnish with mint leaf.
Easy as 1-2-3-4! I like this recipe for its simplicity and low sugar content. Other than the white chocolate chips, no additional sugar is added.
a cup of hot white chocolate with mint
Prep Time:
10 minServes:
2 to 4 servings

Avoiding Burnout in the Job Hunt: Stop, Drop, and Roll

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a hand circling classified ads

So you’re finally up to graduation! You’re so excited. Finally you can enter the work force as a proud, educated, eligible employee. You’re on top of the world, no one can ruin your joy. Until you remember, wait, now you need to find that job…

Reality starts to set in. The job market is not that great right now. Maybe you need another certification, maybe even a more advanced degree. You start to search the job boards. Everyone wants experienced employees. Your internship site has a hiring freeze with an indefinite end-date. Maybe this is the wrong field for you. Maybe this was all a waste.

STOP!

Remember, your a highly qualified applicant. That job that you didn’t get, it wasn’t meant to be. A place that doesn’t want to hire a new graduate probably isn’t where you want to work. There are so many potential employers, and it’s possible that your “ideal” is not actually that.

DROP!

Forget the ego. You might need to take a less coveted job to work up to the level of your dream. Drop the frown. It’s time to remember why you wanted to do this career. Remember how idealistic you were when you started college, when you took the first class in your major? Get that dream back. Think about the positive side. Once you have a job, you’ll need to work everyday, all day. Take advantage of your time off to develop some hobbies, take a class, and become a super networker.

ROLL!

Sometimes the job offers come when you least expect them. Roll with the punches. If you get a temporary position, take it. It may lead to a permanent job, looks great for experience, and fills up your resume so that you don’t have too many gaps to explain. Remember that even a day at the movies can turn into an amazing networking experience. Talk to people about their lives, it looks good, and you can find job hunting ideas along the way.

If a job opportunity comes up that is indirectly related to your field, look in to it. You may find a new dream job!

Good luck on your next step!

5 Useful IT Certifications

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This one’s for the Computer Systems students. What our college doesn’t offer in IT certifications, it makes up for with comprehensive courses culminating in a degree. Despite all that, students have a hard time finding jobs when they graduate because more and more employers want their potential entry level techies to have more under their belt than just a degree.

 

CompTIA A+

One of the most basic certifications you can get in IT, the A+ certification is mandatory for Dell, Intel and Lenovo technicians and is held by over 900,000 IT Professionals. The A+ certification consists of 2 exams- covering topics like PC hardware, networking, operation procedure, operating systems, security, mobile devices and basic troubleshooting skills. This test has a little bit of everything, but IT hopefuls who can pass this exam will feel right at home in a help desk or support position while they figure out what they want to specialize in.

For more information, see:  http://certification.comptia.org/getCertified/certifications/a.aspx

 

CCENT / CompTIA Network +

Both of these are entry level networking certifications. The CCENT exam stands for Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician and “validates the ability to install, operate and troubleshoot a small enterprise branch network”. In English, you’re qualified to be a network support technician. The exam focuses heavily on routing and switching, but students in the Networking module (CST 3507/607/707) should have no problem passing the exam. The same goes for the CompTIA Network+ certification. Where the CCENT is focused on routing and switching, the Network + certification covers basic networking concepts, installations and configurations, media and topologies, network management and network security. Which certificate you pursue depends on what  you want to do. If you want to have a career as a network technician, you should consider taking both exams, making sure to pick up the CCENT. It is a prerequisite for the CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate), something any mid-level IT professional is expected to have. Whether you have the skills or not, like a college degree, if you don’t have that piece of paper, higher paying companies are much less likely to consider you.

For more information, see:

http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/certifications/entry/ccent/index.html

http://certification.comptia.org/getCertified/certifications/network.aspx

 

Microsoft Technology Associate

The MTA is recommended for most IT professionals. Like it or not, the world runs on windows – from help desk to CIO, you’re expected to know how to use it. The MTA certification can be earned by passing an exam in one of five areas: Windows Operating System Fundamentals, Windows Server Administration Fundamentals, Networking Fundamentals, Database Fundamentals and Security Fundamentals. This certificate is a prerequisite to become a Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate a.k.a. someone certified to work with and troubleshoot for Windows 7 and 8. If you’re interested in specializing in the Windows OS, you should also look into becoming a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist.

 

For more information, see: https://www.microsoft.com/learning/en-us/windows-certification.aspx

 

Apple Certified Technical Coordinator

There’s also a need for people with the skills to troubleshoot Apple products. The Apple Certified Associate certification is for entry level tech support and lower level system administrators. Obtaining it proves that you can (at least on paper) provide support for Mac OS X users and maintain Mac OS X Server. It requires two exams (Mac OS X Support Essentials & Mac OS X Server Essentials). Like the Cisco and Microsoft Certifications, this certificate is a prerequisite for something more advanced. Having an Apple Certified System Administration Certificate verifies that you are a system administrator capable of managing large multi-platform networks utilizing Apple products.

 

For more information, see: http://training.apple.com/certification/osx

 

Red Hat Certified System Administrator

This isn’t necessarily an entry level certificate, but it will definitely earn points when you put in a resume. Very few people bother learning to use Linux or UNIX but having the RHCSA tells employers you’re capable of doing everything in Linux you can do in Windows. This includes: Understanding essential tools, working in a command-line environment, booting into different run levels, controlling virtual machines, configuring system files, deploying and maintaining systems, services and installations, managing user groups and managing security in a Linux environment. Unlike almost every other certification on this list, the RHCSA is a performance based exam. You aren’t just given a question on a hypothetical situation – you’re given a live system and are judged on your ability to accomplish a task in a timely fashion.

For more information, see: http://www.redhat.com/training/certifications/rhcsa/

 

Depending on whom you ask, certifications may or may not be necessary for starting on your path to a career in IT, but it’s a double edged sword. Yes, you run the risk of being overqualified for a position if you go grabbing up certifications. You could also have someone unexpectedly test you on topics from the certification you‘ve earned during an interview. However, outside of internships, students are not always luck enough to get a job in their field. Certifications are essential for job seekers in IT trying to get a foot in the door, especially when they don’t have the 6 months to a years’ worth of experience most employers want. To test or not to test – is it really a question?

 

One Year Anniversary of Hurricane Sandy

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a car submerged in hurricane water

One year ago, Hurricane Sandy crashed into our coast, killing 285 people, leaving millions without power, and wrecking thousands of homes and lives in the process. Estimates, as of June 2013, assess damage to have been over 68 billion dollars, a total surpassed only by Hurricane Katrina.

Last week, officials announced that more than $2 billion from the U.S. will be sent to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, to fund homeowners and businesses recovering from Sandy. This means that even a year later, people still remain homeless, and jobless due to the storm.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg plans to tour the city and see the repair in progress, including a dune installation in Staten Island, and tidal gate installation in the Rockaways, and the Coney Island Creek.

The city is expressing it’s gratitude to MTA customers, who suffered disruptions to their commutes for months following the storm, by sponsoring free rides for certain A and R train riders.

As a resident of the Rockaways, I remember having to live almost a week in my house, with no power, heat, or hot water. It’s a time in my life that I will never forget.

5 Rules to Prepping for a Midterm

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Tis the season – for exams that is. Midterms are in full swing now marking the middle of what has been proving to be a fast moving semester. While it’s highly hypocritical for me to give study tips to anyone (my study habits are atrocious), hopefully the tips below will leave you one step closer to that A+ you’ve been working for.

 

Don’t cram.

It goes against every instinct we have as students before a major exam, but cramming does more harm than good. While it’s true you can pick up a topic you didn’t quite understand at the last minute, you also run the risk of blanking out on an exam – forgetting everything you crammed along with a sizeable chunk of the topics you had completely down.

 

Find an appropriate place to study.

Personally, I need the occasional distraction to study effectively. As backwards as that sounds, doing something completely unrelated to studying once every half hour or so actually helps me to better focus on my work. On the other hand I’ve met people who seclude themselves in a dark corner of the library, forgetting all their friends and family in favor of studying. It’s up to you. Choose wisely.

 

Eat Right.

This applies most the day before and the morning of the exam. Eating foods that are high in sugar or caffeine can lead to crashing later in the day or during your exam. Students should eat a light breakfast (e.g. toast, eggs, bacon or cereal with nuts or grains), and carry a snack to eat between classes. Fruit, nut mixes and drink plenty of water. Never skip a meal before an exam. Skipping out on food can leave you hungry during an exam. Nobody wants to focus on their empty stomach during a calculus exam.

Relax.

Don’t stress out over your exam. Spending more time worrying over an exam, means spending less time focusing on the material covered on it. Like cramming, excessive worrying over an exam can cause you to forget everything you’ve studied for. When in doubt, find a peaceful place and take deep relaxing breaths. Listen to a calming song or browse Facebook. Whatever gets you to your mental happy place.

 

Be Prepared (Bring a pencil).

Bring a pencil. Or a pen. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve sat down for an exam and watched my classmates sweat because they forgot to bring a writing utensil. Not everyone will have a spare pencil or pen for you to borrow. Not all professors will be nice enough to let you ask to borrow one. While it doesn’t seem like much, the stress of forgetting little things like a pencil or a calculator can throw you off enough to cost you serious points on an exam.

When in doubt, take a deep breath, and relax. Midterms aren’t the easiest time of year to get through and you’ll have to do it all over again later on this semester for finals week but I wish everyone the best of luck!

Lose the Weight

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I know what you think. Even though many of us students have gained weight over the past few semesters, I won’t be preaching about the importance of losing that extra bulge I have enough that I need to lose myself. (Also, in most cases those who need to lose weight wouldn’t realize that I was talking to them, and those girls whose BMIs are close to a scary 15 will think that I am telling them to lose even more.) I’m talking about the weight outside yourbody that you carry with you all the time. And while many don’t know this, that heavy load in your back is apt to hurt you just as much, although in different ways, as the extra layer of blubber that you carry around your waist.

My first semester of college, I bought myself a nice suede bag. I felt that since I am an adult I shouldn’t be using a backpack. Of course, I made sure that the bag was roomy enough for at least two textbooks, a laptop, a looseleaf, notebooks, my planner, lunch. Basically it was a suitcase that I could carry on my one shoulder. However this is even worse because at the rate of what I was putting in to it, I would probably have to pay an overweight fee. I’m sure that at least the ladies reading this know that there is a law regarding handbags. The size of the handbag you carry, is always directly proportional to the things that you will NEED to carry.

By the end of that semester, I realized that something had to be done. The first thing that I did was purchase a more reasonably sized bag. However, there were still some things that I had to bring. I’m one of those students who comes to class prepared. I cannot quite understand those students who show up to class with one piece of paper and not even a pen. How do they plan on writing on that paper? However, by the end of that semester, I also realized that most classes won’t use the textbooks in class. I finally got packing my bag down pat.

The next semester I was thrown a wrench. Not only did my professor want us to bring our books, it was the heaviest book of the program that she wanted us to bring. All of the sudden, I started seeing the tablets, Nooks, Kindles, iPads… in class. Right away that jumped to the top of my school supplies “wishlist”.

I just got a Nook after all this time. It is a miracle. Finally I don’t feel like I’m falling over from the weight. I can actually exercise on my way to school.

If you’d like your schoolbag to join mine on its diet, let me know. I’m sure my bag would love to give your’s some support!

The Soda Ban Is Back!

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several sizes of Coca Cola

A few months ago, I wrote about the City rejecting a possible Soda Ban by Mayor Bloomberg. The law would have barred restaurants, movie theaters, and food carts, from selling sodas and other sugary beverages, larger than 16 ounces. In March, just one day before it was to take effect, a state judge found the policy to be illegal. But it looks as though Mayor Bloomberg couldn’t leave well enough alone, and has continued his fight to get this bill passed. His attempt to limit the size of sugary drinks in New York City, is set to be reviewed by the state’s highest court, the Court of Appeals. This will be his final chance to salvage a plan, that has twice been rejected by judges, as improper.

What’s the good news for you soda lovers? Well, The Court of Appeals is not planning to take up the case until next year, when Mayor Bloomberg is out of office, leaving the decision to pursue the case up to the next mayor. While Bill de Blasio, the Democratic nominee, has supported this bill in the past, he has now changed his tune, choosing to remain ambiguous. The Republican nominee, Joseph J. Lhota, on the other hand, has said that if elected, he would withdraw the city’s appeal, allowing the proposed regulations to die.

Mr. Bloomberg and the soft drink industry both issued statements, each saying it was confident that it’s side would eventually prevail at the Court of Appeals.

You’d think with all the problems going on in the world, so much focus wouldn’t be on SODA!!!

A Slice of Raspberry Pi

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Raspberry Pi - single board computer

Raspberry Pi – single board computer

Not a dessert, or a bad math pun, Raspberry Pi is one of many the many single board computers available on the market today. The device was created by the Raspberry Pi Foundation – a UK based charity founded in 2009 and dedicated to promoting the study of basic computer programming in children. Their ideal is to start from the bottom up. If children are given tools to learn to program early on, they spend less time learning basic programming techniques in college and can move on to acquiring skills that will help them efficiently work in the computer industry. To all the CST majors, think of how much easier Java or C++ would be to pick up if you’d at least touched on the subject in grade school.

That’s not to say the Raspberry Pi is limited to just kiddie stuff. While it was developed to work with Scratch, an educational programming language, the Pi is capable of running operating systems including Debian, Arch Linux, and a custom made OS optimized for use with the Raspberry Pi known as ‘Raspbian’. Various programming tools are available from the ‘Pi Store’ with everything from apps and games to development tool. Programmers who can write in Python, C and Perl will feel right at home here.

Despite being the size of a credit card, the Raspberry Pi boasts some decent specs.

Model A Model B
CPU 700 MHz ARM1176JZF-S
GPU 250 MHz Broadcom VideoCore IV
Memory 256 MB 512 MB
USB 2.0 Ports 1 2
Video Input CSI input connector
Video Output Composite RCA, HDMI, DSI
Audio Output 3.5 mm jack, HDMI
Onboard Storage SD / MMC / SDIO
Onboard Network None 10/100 Ethernet adapter
Power Rating 300mA (1.5 W) 700 mA(3.5 W)
Power Source 5 volt (via MicroUSB or GPIO header)
Operating Systems Arch Linux ARM, Debian, Fedora, FreeBSD, NetBSD, Plan 9, Raspbian OS, RISC OS, Slackware Linux, Firefox OS, Android 4.0, Haiku, Unix

* Both cards are 3.4 x 2.2 inches and weigh 1.6 oz.

Raspberry Pi also has a wide range of uses. One such use was creating a homemade, networked, motion sensitive, HD surveillance system. British native Christoph Buenger used a model B Raspberry Pi, a Raspberry Pi camera module, a housing for the camera, a power supply, an SD card and a Wi-Fi USB adapter (around $100 worth of equipment) to create a system just as capable as one that would cost thousands of dollars. The instructions are available here, and video recordings can be stored to a folder on a computer or viewed as a live stream online via computer or mobile device.

Another person made a Halloween project using a variety of items including a model B Pi, cheap rat toys, red LEDs lights, servo controllers, power regulators and solderless breadboards. Known as the ‘Ratsberri Pi’, the project (with instructions that can be found here ) makes creates creepy glowing eyed rodents that move according to programming.

All in all the Raspberry Pi is a gadget with potential limited only by a person’s imagination. We’re a technology college with plenty of students and faculty capable of coming up with some awesome projects. I’m making one of these an early Christmas present for myself, but what can you guys come up with? Let’s see some projects!

Sources

 

Image Source

What Do Deadlines Really Mean?

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Even though this happens frequently, it always irks me. The paper has a deadline. On the first day of class, your professor told you when the term paper is due. It’s written on the syllabus ands on Blackboard. Why is it that students still use the excuse that they didn’t know it was due?

We’be been discussing this assignment since day one. In fact, you knew about it before the semester, so why do you feel like you’re I entitled to an extension?

I understand that not all students do their work in advance. I know that cramming the night before an exam or trying to write a term paper the night before it’s due is fairly common among college students, but if that’s how you workdo why does it entitle you to an extension?

And for all those professors who grant extensions, don’t you know that you’re doing your students a great disservice? Are they going to be guaranteed extensions in the job? And what about those students who diligently adhere to all your deadlines. How do you think they feel when their deadline is adjusted to accommodate procrastinators?

Please, check your schedules. Make sure you know when things are due and take responsibility for your assignments!