BackBox gets Upgraded to 4.3

 Linux, Security  Comments Off on BackBox gets Upgraded to 4.3
Aug 022015
 

Backbox 4.3The good folks at BackBox have put out an upgrade to their penetration testing distro Backbox Linux.

Release 4.3 of Backbox Linux features Linux Kernel 3.16 and Ruby 2.1.

For those unfamiliar with BackBox, think of it as a younger sibling to Kali Linux, the numero uno penetration testing distro.

BackBox has lesser number of tools than Kali but comes with a better user interface and includes the anonymizing software tor (with Kali, you have to install tor separately).

BackBox distro includes tools for information gathering, vulnerability assessment, exploitation, privilege escalation, maintaining access, malware analysis, forensic analysis, mobile analysis, social engineering and stress testing.

I recently installed BackBox 4.3 as a guest OS via VirtualBox, quickly updated it and happy to report that the upgrade works fine.

What’s new in Backbox 4.3

So you might ask what’s new in Backbox 4.3. Continue reading »

Tip of the Day – Fixing Screen Resolution on VirtualBox

 Linux, Virtualization  Comments Off on Tip of the Day – Fixing Screen Resolution on VirtualBox
Aug 022015
 

UbuntuAfter installing Ubuntu or any other guest distro based on Ubuntu like Backbox or LinuxMint as a guest OS through Oracle’s VirtualBox virtualization software, you’re often bound to experience problems with the screen resolution (the guest OS appears smaller and in the middle of the screen).

Fortunately, the solution to the screen resolution problem is simple.

Open your terminal on the guest OS and run the below command.

$ sudo apt-get install virtualbox-guest-utils virtualbox-guest-x11 virtualbox-guest-dkms

Once the installation is complete, restart your VirtualBox guest OS and the screen resolution problem will be fixed.

Important: I have tested the above method and it works fine on VirtualBox 4.3.28 with a Linux Mint 17.2 host OS and Backbox 4.3 guest OS.

Hail Mary! Kali Linux 2.0 Arriving on August 11

 Linux, Security  Comments Off on Hail Mary! Kali Linux 2.0 Arriving on August 11
Aug 022015
 

Kali Linux 2.0 Penetration Testing ToolsMark your calendar, sound the bugles and herald the dawn of a new era, my good friends.

The angels at Kali have announced D-Day for the newest version of the world’s ultimate Linux penetration testing distribution.

Folks, the spanking new Kali Linux 2.0 will debut on August 11, 2015.

Oh, what a milestone!

How many of you remember that the first version of Kali was born on May 26, 2006 (was that Backtrack 1.0?).

Kali Linux, as we now know it, first appeared on March 13, 2013.

Kali Linux 2.0 – New Stuff

So what should we expect from Kali Linux 2.0? Continue reading »

How to List Software Installed by Date on a Linux System

 Command Line, Linux  Comments Off on How to List Software Installed by Date on a Linux System
Jul 202015
 

Commands to List Software Installed by Date on Linux SystemsIt’s easy to get a list of all the software installed or upgraded on a Linux system.

If you’re running CentOS, RedHat or Fedora, just run the below command on the terminal to get the complete list of all software installed on your PC or server.

$ rpm -qa

If you’re running Debian, Ubuntu or Linux Mint, go with either of the below commands.

$ dpkg --get-selections

The following command will work fine too.

$ dpkg -l

Software Installed by Date

RPM Based Linux Systems

However, there are occasions when we’d like to know about the software on our Linux system by date of installation. Continue reading »

How to Properly Reboot or Shut Down a Linux System

 Command Line, How To, Linux  Comments Off on How to Properly Reboot or Shut Down a Linux System
Jul 092015
 

How to do Clean ShutdownLearning how to do a clean shut down of a Linux system is important if you don’t want to mess up your computer.

Just pressing your finger on the power button will certainly shut down or reboot your Linux system. But it can also cause serious damage like data corruption.

Remember, Linux is constantly writing data to disk even if it’s not apparent to you. Also, Linux keeps data in memory although it might appear to have written the data to disk.

So it’s crucial to do an orderly shutdown of a Linux desktop or server.

When you do a clean or orderly shutdown, you’re essentially informing users and processes on the Linux system of the shutdown and blocking new logins.

In this post, we’ll cover various options to properly reboot and shut down a Linux system.

You must be root or use sudo to run the shutdown command.

When I tried to run shutdown without being root or using sudo, I got the following error:

[thomas@localhost ~]$ shutdown
Must be root.

Continue reading »

8 Devices Doomed to Fail

 Linux, Products, Smartphones, Tablets  Comments Off on 8 Devices Doomed to Fail
Jul 082015
 

In the digital media world, failure is the norm and success an aberration.

For every Xiaomi, MacBook, iPod and iPhone that rock the world and win millions of happy fans, there are countless Surface, Google Glass, Apple Watch, Windows Phone and Zune devices that should never have seen the light of day and ultimately kiss the dust after blowing through hundreds of millions of dollars!

And the story of failed music players, stick PCs, tablets, mini PCs and smartphones plays on year after year with scores of devices shunned by customers, languishing on store shelves and ultimately ending in fire sales.

No Hope Devices

In this post, we’ll look at eight consumer electronics eight devices that are currently available but have an extremely slim chance of success in the marketplace.

Intel Linux Compute StickIntel Ubuntu Stick

1. Intel Ubuntu Stick – It’s hard to believe thinking minds in Intel conjured up a Linux PC stick with 1GB RAM and 8GB of storage (actual storage is lower because of space taken up by the OS). Onboard storage is pitiful and the RAM so woefully inadequate that the device offers little value. If this gadget is around for even six-months, it’ll be a big surprise. Truth be said, it’s doubtful if Intel can get traction even for the Windows stick PC which comes with slightly better specs.

2. Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet – Against the backdrop of declining tablet sales, Sony executives must be living in la la land to dream that the pricey Xperia Z4 tablet has any hope of winning the favor of consumers. A modest improvement over the company’s Z2 Android tablet, the 10.1-inch Z4 tablet made it to Europe in June 2015 after its debut at the Mobile World Congress.

Sony Xperia Z4 TabletSony Xperia Z4

Poor quality speakers, bloatware apps, compulsory bundling of a mediocre dock (in UK), disappointing camera and a ridiculous price ($771 with the keyboard) guarantees that consumers will show little interest in the Sony Xperia Z4 tablet. The LTE version (available for pre-order) costs $897 (including the keyboard). Continue reading »

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