Saturday, July 5, 2008

Free Web Security from Google

Google has made Ratproxy, a tool used for testing the security of web-based applications, available for free.

Released under an Apache 2.0 software licence, Google's internal tool looks for a variety of coding problems in web applications, such as errors that could allow a cross-site scripting attack or cause caching problems.

"We decided to make this tool freely available as open source because we feel it will be a valuable contribution to the information security community, helping advance the community's understanding of security challenges associated with contemporary web technologies," said Google's Michal Zalewski in a company blog.

Ratproxy, released as version 1.51 beta, is quick-and-less intrusive, than other scanners in that it is passive and does not generate a high volume of attack-simulating traffic when running, Zalewski said. Active scanners can cause problems with application performance.

The tool sniffs content and can pick out snippets of JavaScript from stylesheets. It also supports Secure Socket Layer (SSL) scanning, among other features.

Since it runs in a passive mode, Ratproxy highlights areas of concern that "are not necessarily indicative of actual security flaws".

"The information gathered during a testing session should be then interpreted by a security professional with a good understanding of the common problems and security models employed in web applications," Zalewski added.

Code licensed under the Apache 2.0 licence may be incorporated in derivative works, including commercial ones, but the origin of the code must be acknowledged.

A 2006 survey by the Web Application Security Consortium found that almost 86 percent of 31,373 sites were vulnerable to cross-site scripting attacks, 26 percent were vulnerable to SQL injection and 16 percent had other faults that could lead to data loss.

As a result, security vendors have moved to fill the need for better security tools, with large technology companies acquiring smaller, specialised companies in the field.

In June 2007, IBM bought Watchfire, a company that focused on web application vulnerability scanning, data protection and compliance auditing. Two weeks later, HP said it would buy SPI Dynamics, a rival of Watchfire whose software also looks for vulnerabilities in web applications as well as performing compliance audits.

ACA Will Summon Musa, Gani

BANGI, July 5 (Bernama) -- The Anti-Corruption Agency will summon Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan and Attorney General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail to answer allegations over Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's black-eye incident 10 years ago.

ACA Director-General Datuk Seri Ahmad Said Hamdan said the agency would conduct the investigation according to the law and in a transparent and professional manner regardless of Musa and Gani's status.

"The ACA has listed out 10 names including Musa, Gani and several other high-ranking individuals mentioned in Anwar's report to assist in the probe," he told reporters here Saturday.

Anwar alleged that Musa and Gani had fabricated some evidence in the investigation into the 1998 incident where he was beaten by Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Noor who was then Inspector-General of Police.

Said said the ACA would summon Musa and Gani when all the relevant papers were ready.

"We will investigate all those involved from various angles. Hence, we need a bit of time as the investigation requires a fair and professional study," he added.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Infernal War Crisis

MP Seeks To Have Dr M Appear In Court For Explanation Over 1988 Judicial Crisis

KUALA LUMPUR, July 2 (Bernama) -- A member of parliament Wednesday suggested that former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad be given the opportunity to appear in court to explain the allegations hurled at him over the 1988 judicial crisis.

Datuk Abdul Ghapur Salleh (BN-Kalabakan) said this would help resolve the issue and end the arguments between Dr Mahathir and the government on the matter.

"Why don't we bring Tun Dr Mahathir to court to give an explanation? I feel he would be willing to appear in court so that he can personally explain his problem with regard to the judiciary, whether there was abuse of power or otherwise," he said during the debate on the motion on the mid-term review of the Ninth Malaysia Plan in the Dewan Rakyat, here.

Abdul Ghapur suggested that Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Senator Datuk Mohd Zaid Ibrahim raise the matter in the Cabinet.

"It is not good for a person who has served (the nation) for 22 years to be subjected to all kinds of accusations. I believe Tun Dr Mahathir will be willing to appear in court because he wants to clear his name. Perhaps, he may have some evidence which cannot be exposed and can only be revealed in court," he said.

Earlier, Abdul Ghapur, known for speaking out in parliament, questioned the rationale of the government adding on a RM30 billion allocation for the Ninth Malaysia Plan when no new projects were recommended.

He said that based on the mid-term review of the ninth plan tabled by Prime Minister and Finance Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi last week, no details were given on new projects or why the supplementary allocation was made.

As such, he said, his understanding was that the supplementary allocation was to meet additional costs of contracts for old development projects agreed to by the government following the rise in the market prices of fuel and goods.

-BERNAMA-

Monday, June 30, 2008

Vamos Espana

Spain have clinched the euro2008 for the second time after 40 years. Torres hit the winner and only goal of the match.

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Adios Gates

Bill Gates is one of the most influential people in the world. He is cofounder of one of the most recognized brands in the computer industry with nearly every desk top computer using at least one software program from Microsoft. According to the Forbes magazine, Bill Gates is the richest man in the world and has held the number one position for many years.

Gates was born and grew up in Seattle, Washington USA. His father, William H. Gates II was a Seattle attorney and his mother, Mary Maxwell Gates was a school teacher and chairperson of the United Way charity. Gates and his two sisters had a comfortable upbringing, with Gates being able to attend the exclusive secondary "Lakeside School".

Bill Gates started studying at Harvard University in 1973 where he met up with Paul Allen. Gates and Allen worked on a version of the programming language BASIC, that was the basis for the MITS Altair (the first microcomputer available). He did not go on to graduate from Harvard University as he left in his junior year to start what was to become the largest computer software company in the world; Microsoft Corporation.

Bill Gates and the Microsoft Corporation
"To enable people and businesses throughout the world to realize their full potential." Microsoft Mission Statement
After dropping out of Harvard Bill Gates and his partner Paul Allen set about revolutionizing the computer industry. Gates believed there should be a computer on every office desk and in every home.

In 1975 the company Micro-soft was formed, which was an abbreviation of microcomputer software. It soon became simply "Microsoft"® and went on to completely change the way people use computers.

Microsoft helped to make the computer easier to use with its developed and purchased software, and made it a commercial success. The success of Microsoft began with the MS-DOS computer operating system that Gates licensed to IBM. Gates also set about protecting the royalties that he could acquire from computer software by aggressively fighting against all forms of software piracy, effectively creating the retail software market that now exists today. This move was quite controversial at the time as it was the freedom of sharing that produced much innovation and advances in the newly forming software industry. But it was this stand against software piracy, that was to be central in the great commercial success that Microsoft went on to achieve.

Bill Gates Criticism
With his great success in the computer software industry also came many criticisms. With his ambitious and aggressive business philosophy, Gates or his Microsoft lawyers have been in and out of courtrooms fighting legal battles almost since Microsoft began.

The Microsoft monopoly sets about completely dominating every market it enters through either acquisition, aggressive business tactics or a combination of them. Many of the largest technology companies have fought legally against the actions of Microsoft, including Apple Computer, Netscape, Opera, WordPerfect, and sun Microsystems.

Bill Gates Net Worth
With an estimated wealth of $53 billion in 2006, Bill Gates is the richest man in the world and he should be starting to get used to the number spot as he has been there from the mid-ninties up until now. The famous investor Warren Buffett is gaining on Gates though with an estimated $46 billion in 2006.

Microsoft hasn't just made Bill Gates very wealthy though. According to the Forbes business magazine in 2004 Paul Allen, Microsoft cofounder was the 5th richest man in the world with an estimated $21 billion. While Bill Gates' long time friend and Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer was the 19th richest man in the world at $12.4 billion.

See more information the Bill Gates Net Worth page.

Bill Gates Philanthropy
Being the richest man in the world has also enabled Gates to create one of the world's largest charitable foundations. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has an endowment of more than $28 billion, with donations totaling more than $1 billion every year. The foundation was formed in 2000 after merging the "Gates Learning Foundation" and "William H. Gates Foundation". Their aim is to "bring innovations in health and learning to the global community".

Bill Gates continues to play a very active role in the workings of the Microsoft Company, but has handed the position of CEO over to Steve Ballmer. Gates now holds the positions of "Chairman" and "Chief Software Architect". He has started that he plans to take on fewer responsibilities at Microsoft and will eventually devote all his time to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

In 2006, the second richest man in the world, Warren Buffett pledged to give much of his vast fortune to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Bill Gates Receives a KBE
In March 2005 William H. Gates received an "honorary" knighthood from the queen of England. Gates was bestowed with the KBE Order (Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) for his services in reducing poverty and improving health in the developing countries of the world.
After the privately held ceremony in Buckingham Palace with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Gates commented on the recognition..
"I am humbled and delighted. I am particularly pleased that this honor helps recognize the real heroes our foundation (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) supports to improve health in poor countries. Their incredible work is helping ensure that one day all people, no matter where they are born, will have the same opportunity for a healthy life, and I'm grateful to share this honor with them."

The KBE Order of the British Empire is the second highest Order given out, but it is only an honorary knighthood as only citizens that are British or a part of the Commonwealth receive the full Order. This means that Gates does not become Sir Bill Gates.

Bill Gates lives near Lake Washington with his wife Melinda French Gates and their three children. Interests of Gates include reading, golf and playing bridge.

Friday, June 27, 2008

The Law of Attraction

The Law of Attraction simply says that you attract into your life whatever you think about. Your dominant thoughts will find a way to manifest. But the Law of Attraction gives rise to some tough questions that don’t seem to have good answers. I would say, however, that these problems aren’t caused by the Law of Attraction itself but rather by the Law of Attraction as applied to objective reality.

Here are some of those problematic questions (all are generalizations of ones I received via email):

What happens when people put out conflicting intentions, like two people intending to get the same promotion when only one position is available?
Do children, babies, and/or animals put out intentions?
If a child is abused, does that mean the child intended it in some way?
If I intend for my relationship to improve, but my spouse doesn’t seem to care, what will happen?

In subjective reality there’s only one consciousness, and it’s yours. Consequently, there’s only one source of intentions in your universe — YOU. While you may observe lots of walking, talking bodies in your reality, they all exist inside your consciousness. You know this is how your dreams work, but you haven’t yet realized your waking reality is just another type of dream. It only seems solid because you believe (intend) it is.

Since none of the other characters you encounter are conscious in a way that’s separate from you, nobody else can have intentions. The only intentions are yours. You’re the only thinker in this universe.

It’s important to correctly define the YOU in subjective reality. YOU are not your physical body. This is not the egoic you at all. I’m not suggesting you’re a conscious body walking around in a world full of unconscious automatons. That would be a total misunderstanding of subjective reality. The correct viewpoint is that you’re the single consciousness in which this entire reality takes place.

Euro 2008 - Spain 3 vs Russia 0

Scorers: Xavi Hernandez, Guiza, & David Silva (Spain)

With this win, spain are in cruise for their first ever euro championship title.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

The Truth is about to be revealed

My informer states that Acting Colonel Aziz Buyong was the person who placed the C4 on various parts of Altantuya’s body while being witnessed by Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor and Norhayati.

courtesy of Malaysia Today (RPK)

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Xerox’s “Erasable Paper: “This paper will self-erase in 30 seconds”

It could be the next big environmental innovation for paper recycling… Xerox is currently making progress in their experiments with “erasable paper”.

The paper has a special chemical coating that seemingly erases the ink when it is hit by UV light by turning the paper back to its original colour. There’s also the option to leave it for a certain period of time in which the ink will slowly fade away.

Whether it will catch on may be another thing altogether - the paper is useless if folded, crinkled or written on with pen.

As quoted in the Xerox press release:

“The experimental erasable paper uses light to image the paper, which automatically erases hours or days after the page is printed. Erasable paper allows reuse of the same sheet of paper, reducing paper waste. Editors of The Wall Street Journal selected the technology as an innovation that “breaks with conventional processes and goes beyond marginal improvements in products and services.”
Read the full release here: http://www.xerox.com/about-xerox/citizenship/news/erasable-paper/enus.html

Beijing Olympics Theme Song - We Are Ready

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Fuel price rises, Does that affect the increase of criminal cases too? Your thoughts:

KUALA LUMPUR:
Four gunmen made a strange demand from a family when they barged into their house in Sri Petaling here on Sunday - pay them RM50.
Cases:

The incident happened at 10.30pm when there were three people in the house.

Brickfields deputy police chief Superintendent Azri Abd Rahman said one of the family members gave the robbers RM100.

"After taking the RM100, they left in a car."

In another incident in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, two robbers held up a cashier at a fast-food outlet.
In the 10.50pm incident, a gunman and another with a parang approached the cashier and demanded all the cash in the till. They took RM900.

Five customers dining at the time were also robbed of their cash and jewellery.

They sped off on a motorcycle.

Police believe the same robbers may have shot a salesman in the neck during a hold-up at a handphone shop near the Warta Mall in Selayang earlier in the night.

A man armed with a parang had walked into the shop at 9pm and smashed one of the display showcases.

A struggle ensued when the employee tried to stop the suspect from removing the phones.

An accomplice, waiting on a motorcycle, rushed into the shop and fired several shots when he noticed the commotion.

A bullet grazed the neck of the 22-year-old employee.

The man, who was also slashed on the shoulder and chest, was taken to the Selayang Hospital where he is reported to be in a stable condition.

The robbers fled with handphones worth RM5,000.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Euro 2008 - Spain 0 vs Italy 0

Spain have reached the semi-final after a dramatic penalty-shoout against Italy. Cesc Fabregas scored the winner penalty as spain won 4-2.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Euro 2008 - Netherlands 1 vs Russia 3

Russia won it in extra time. Man of the match (Andrei Arshavin)

Saturday, June 21, 2008

How To Add Youtube Video into Blogger

Act of an Evil

Rapist dad thinks its okay to use condom to rape his daughter,

For that precaution, the rapist said he should get a lighter sentence.This mitigation riled Court of Appeal judges Tengku Baharudin Shah Tengku Mahmud, Datuk Sulong Matjeraie, Datuk Ahmad Maarop and those in the court gallery.His counsel S.I. Rajah mitigated that the sentence imposed on the accused was excessive. "Justice should be tempered with mercy.
"The accused used a condom every time he committed the offence," the lawyer said."You mean it is okay to rape using a condom?" asked Tengku Baharudin.Rajah had no reply.The roti canai seller, now 49, appealed against sentence because he was a first offender and was remorseful for his action.Four years ago, the Sessions Court in Petaling Jaya sentenced the accused to a total of 36 years in jail and 20 strokes of the rotan on four counts of rape.Sulong, who delivered the court ruling, said the appellate court found no reason to disturb the sentence of the Sessions Court. He said the sentence was appropriate to send a strong message that such an act should not be condoned and to protect society.According to the facts of the case, the roti canai seller raped the girl between May 2003 and August 2004. The offences took place at their home at night when the mother had gone to work.The victim was then between 11 and 12 years old.Deputy public prosecutor Aslina Joned told the court that the accused, a father of five, had betrayed the trust of his daughter.Aslina said the father would give the victim RM5 as a reward every time he raped her.A class teacher noticed her to be in a state of depression and the girl told her what had happened.Police arrested the man on Aug 12, 2004, and he pleaded guilty to the charges in the Sessions Court a week later.On the first three counts, the then Sessions Court judge Nurmala Salim sentenced him to 18 years' jail and five strokes of the rotan for each offence. The sentences to run concurrently.He was sentenced to a further 18 years' jail and five strokes of the rotan for the fourth count.Nurmala ordered this sentence to run consecutively.

courtesy of New Straits Times.

Euro 2008 - Croatia 1 vs Turkey 1

Turkey win in penalty shootout. Turkey have scored 3 penalty shoouts compare to Croatia only 1.

Friday, June 20, 2008

Who is lying?

According to Star newspaper, the prime minister of Malaysia Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Datuk Yong Teck Lee, Sabah Progressive Party (Sapp) of being greedy.

Malaysia Kini - Sapp meets to discuss next step

Courtesy of malaysiakini:

The Sabah Progressive Party (Sapp) supreme council has started meeting to discuss party boss Yong Teck Lee’s call for a no-confidence vote against Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

What could be the results, i wonder? Am pretty sure Badawi ain't gonna step down.

Techworld - Skype beta promises easier video calls

Skype has made available a test version of its latest upgrade, Skype 4.0, which the eBay unit calls its biggest and most ambitious release in its almost five-year history. This is the most fundamental change in our product since its inception," said Don Albert, general manager of Skype North America, during a press conference on Wednesday.
Best known as a provider of free and inexpensive Internet telephony services, Skype has redesigned its software in version 4.0 to highlight the other modes of communication it provides.
"We want to let people realise the full benefits of our client software," he said.
The user interface has been redesigned from the ground up to make it cleaner, easier to use and better suited to managing multiple conversations by consolidating, for example, several instant message chats, a video call and a photo file-transfer session into a single screen, instead of having one window for each.
In particular, Skype wants to emphasise video calling, which has grown tremendously in the past two years and now accounts for about 28 percent of all Skype call minutes.
"We have doubled down on video," he said.
Specifically, video calls now start by default with a large screen, and its controls have been tweaked so that a video call can be launched with one click and a companion IM chat session also started with a single click.

Euro 2008 - Germany 3 vs Portugal 2

Scorers: Bastian Schweinsteiger, Miroslav Klose, & Michael Ballack (Germany) Nuno Gomes, Helder Postiga (Portugal)