Anonymous

Anonymous is a loosely organized hacktivist collective created to promote free speech, unimpeded access to information, and transparency in government and corporate activities. A The collective's slogan "We are Legion" refers to both the group's numbers and the anonymity of its members.
Anonymous comprises a diverse group of individuals connecting through social networking sites, forums and blogs scattered all over the world. Although the group was initially known for online pranks, it has become more serious and political in recent years.
Activities of Anonymous have included the following:

• In December 2010, Anonymous targeted the websites of organizations that it considered hostile to WikiLeaks or its founder Julian Assange.
• In August 2011, Anonymous sent out a mass email/fax bomb to San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit's personnel and organized multiple protests at the network's Civic Center station, in response to a shutdown of cell phone service. The shutdown was an attempt to prevent the organization of a non-violent assembly protesting a police shooting.
• In October 2011, the collective took down 40 child pornography sites, published the names of over 1500 users of those Web sites, and suggested that the FBI and Interpol follow up.
• Throughout the latter half of 2011, the group was also involved in the organization and support of the Occupy Wall Street movement.
• In January 2012, the collective attacked the United States Justice Department, as well as those belonging to several major entertainment industry organizations. The attack was in response to the government's seizure of Megaupload, a locker service that allows anonymous file transfers.
• In April 2012, Anonymous took several U.K. government websites offline, as a protest against what it called the country's "draconian surveillance proposals" and "derogation of civil rights." The denial of service (DoS) was a response to the proposed "Patriot Act," which would allow government monitoring of all phone calls, emails, social network and Web traffic.

MORE INFO:
> Anonymous attacks: Three phases of an anonymous attack methodology

Mickey

The mickey, in a computing context, is a unit for the smallest detectable movement of a mouse.

The mickey is not precisely quantified but varies depending on the specific equipment. A typical mickey would be about 0.1 milimeters (about 0.0039 inches). 

The cursor moves on the screen proportionally, at a rate of something like 2 pixels per mickey.

The mouse driver converts the mickey count (the number of mickeys that the mouse moves) into pixels to determine how far to move the cursor. Cursor direction is a function of the vertical and horizontal mickey counts.

The mouse mickey is named for Disney's Mickey Mouse.

MICKEY (all capitals) is a stream cipher algorithm.

Outside of computing, mickey means a number of other things, including:

Short form for Mickey Finn, meaning a drugged drink.

Slang for a pint bottle of liquor.

Taking the mickey, meaning to tease.

Six Thinking Hats Retrospective

Six thinking hats is a tool for structuring a discussion to make the process more efficient. The method was developed by Dr. Edward de Bono, a proponent of teaching critical thinking in schools. Dr. de Bono is credited with inventing the term lateral thinking, an approach to problem solving that encourages thinking about the problem in a creative, non-traditional manner.

Six thinking hats segments different aspects of a discussion into pre-defined parts called hats. The hats, which are represented by different colors, can be thought of as imaginary thinking caps. As the discussion progresses, the facilitator urges the participants to change their imaginary hats and the direction of the conversation. The hats focus the discussion and limit the risk of wasting time with off-topic discussions, arguing and wheel spinning.

Because one of the goals of six thinking hats is to use meeting time productively, it can be a very useful tool for agile and scrum meetings.

Mantrap

A mantrap is a small room with an entry door on one wall and an exit door on the opposite wall. One door of a mantrap cannot be unlocked and opened until the opposite door has been closed and locked.

Mantraps are most often used in physical security to separate non-secure areas from secure areas and prevent unauthorized access. They can also be found in high tech manufacturing to provide entry and exit chambers for clean rooms.

In the Middle Ages, mantraps were used to check visitor credentials in prisons. A visitor would be allowed entry into an enclosed vestibule, at which time the entry door would be locked and the visitor's credentials examined. If the credentials didn't check out -- or if the visitor was determined to be a person of interest - the trapped visitor could easily be arrested.

Today's mantraps use interlocking doors that are interfaced so that when one door is unlocked, the other door automatically locks. Pass-through authorization is validated bysmart card, key fob or biometric verification. Some systems may employ three-dimensional optical imaging or thermal imaging technology to prevent more than one person from passing through a mantrap at the same time.

Chromebook


A Chromebook is a notebook computer based on Google's Chrome OS and designed to access the user's applications, files, and configuration and setting information over the Internet.

The user's videos, pictures and documents are stored on cloud-based servers, so that they are accessible from anywhere, automatically synchronized across devices and do not require back-up or other loss prevention. Even if the device itself is lost or destroyed, because the user's data is not stored locally it will still be available and up to date.

The Chromebook is available in two models, one through Samsung and one through Acer. Both models are 3G or Wi-Fi-compatible. Like a smart phone, the 3G version enables use of the Chromebook from any location that has access to the network.

Chromebook features include:

* An eight-second boot time, which goes directly to the browser without any desktop or background.

* Instant resume from sleep.

* Reported battery life up to 8.5 hours.

* A 40% brighter screen than those of conventional laptops.

* Built-in security.

* Automatic updates.

* A memory card slot and USB drive.

* A keyboard tailored to Internet browsing, with a search command on both sides.

The Chromebook is available for purchase through Amazon and Best Buy retailers. There is also a subscription option for business and school use, which includes a Chromebook, warranty, support, routine hardware refreshes and cloud management for a monthly fee.

The first Chromebooks were released in June 2011. At the Black Hat 2011 security conference in August, Matt Johansen and Kyle Osborn of WhiteHat Security demonstrated how cybercriminals could target cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities to circumvent Chromebook security.

SlapOS

SlapOS (Simple Language for Accounting and Provisioning operating system) is a distributed, open source software platform for automating the deployment, accounting and billing of cloud computing services.

With SlapOS, anyone can become a cloud provider and sell Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) or Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). The provider can use their own hardware infrastructure and/or public, shared infrastructure.
A SlapOS cloud is composed of two components -- a SlapOS masterand multiple SlapOS nodes. The SlapOS master is a representational state transfer (REST) web service that stores node configurations and assigns tasks to execute. The SlapOS nodes provide the actual computing resources required for the service.

Google Art Project 

Google Art Project is an online platform through which the public can access high-resolution images of artworks housed in the initiative’s partner museums. The project was launched on 1 February 2011 by Google, in cooperation with 17 international museums, including the Tate Gallery, London; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City; and the Uffizi, Florence.^[1]

The platform enables users to virtually tour partner museums’ galleries, explore physical and contextual information provided about artworks, and compile their own virtual collection. The "walk-through" feature of the project uses Google's Street Viewtechnology.^[2] The virtual images of artworks were reproduced at extremely high quality, and each partner museum selected one artwork to be captured as a Gigapixel image (with over 1 billion pixels).

On April 3, 2012, Google announced a major expansion to the Art Project as it signed partnership agreements with 151 museums from 40 countries. Now, the platform features over 32,000 artworks from 46 museums, and the image acquisition process is underway at the remaining partner museums. Additionally, Google launched a second, improved version of the website with new Google+ features, enhanced search capabilities, and a series of educational tools. ^[3] Google intended for this second-generation platform to be a global resource; accordingly, the Art Project is now available in 18 different languages, including: Bahasa, English, French, Japanese, Polish, and Portuguese.^[4]

Dropbox

Dropbox is a personal cloud storage service (sometimes referred to as an online backup service) that is frequently used for file sharing and collaboration. The Dropbox application is available for Windows, Macintosh and Linux desktop operating systems. There are also apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, and BlackBerry devices.

The service provides 2 gigabytes (GB) of storage for free and up to 100 GB on various for-fee plans. Another option, Dropbox for Teams, provides 350 GB storage. The user data is stored on Amazon's Simple Storage Service (S3) and protected with Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Advanced Encryption System (AES) 256-bit encryption.

After installation of the associated application, a Dropbox folder appears with the user's other folders. Users can save files to the folder, add new folders, and drag and drop files among folders just as if they were all local. Files in the Dropbox folder can be accessed from anywhere with an Internet connection - the user just has to log in to his account to upload, download and share files.

To share a file, the user can generate a URL for it from the Dropbox website and send it out so that others can view it. Folders can be shared by sending an invitation from the Dropbox website. Recipients that don't have Dropbox accounts will have to sign up to access the folder. Once a folder is shared, it will appear in the folder system for everyone who has access to it and all members will be able to make changes to files. All versions of files are saved.

Dropbox has usually been considered a consumer market service. However, it is increasingly being used within the enterprise and as such is an example of the IT consumerization trend.

The service is named for the repositories used by banks, post offices, video stores and libraries to allow people to drop items off securely.

3G card

A 3G card is a modem that allows a computing device to access the Internet wirelessly through a cellular provider's 3G network.

3G cards, which usually have built-in antennas, can be found in several form factors including internal PCI cards and external USB sticks and PCMCIA and Express cards. All such cards are collectively referred to as 3G cards when they implement 3G network standards.

In fact, 3G is not a single standard, but a combination of standardized spread spectrumradio transmission technologies and interfaces used by cellular providers to build regional wireless mobile broadband networks. These sub-standards include UMTS which is typically deployed in Europe, Japan and China, as well as CDMA2000 used in South Korea. In the United States, 3G networks currently employ either UMTS High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA)or CDMA2000 Evolution - Data Optimized (EV-DO).

To connect with the Internet, the consumer must first contract with a cellular provider and select a plan that fits their location, their data transfer requirements and their budget. A cellular provider will typically offer several types of 3G cards, allowing the consumer to select the form factor that best fits their needs. Consumers may choose an external 3G card that matches an empty USB, PCMCIA, or Express card slot in the computer they wish to connect to the Internet, or they may purchase a smartphone or tablet with a built-in 3G card.

A 3G card should not be confused with a subscriber identity module (SIM). A CMDA2000 SIM (or the UMTS equivalent USIM) is a fingernail-sized smart card which all cellular devices use to identify themselves to cellular networks. Each SIM is located inside a cellular device (be that a 3G card or an older cellphone), where it stores information such as phone number, equipment identifier and other addresses needed to connect to a cellular provider's network.

Social Engineering

Social Engineering


Social engineering is a term that describes a non-technical kind of intrusion that relies heavily on human interaction and often involves tricking other people to break normal security procedures.

A social engineer runs what used to be called a "con game." For example, a person using social engineering to break into a computer network might try to gain the confidence of an authorized user and get them to reveal information that compromises the network's security. Social engineers often rely on the natural helpfulness of people as well as on their weaknesses. They might, for example, call the authorized employee with some kind of urgent problem that requires immediate network access. Appeal to vanity, appeal to authority, appeal to greed, and old-fashioned eavesdropping are other typical social engineering techniques.

Social engineering is a component of many, if not most, types of exploits. Virus writers use social engineering tactics to persuade people to run malware-laden email attachments, phishers use social engineering to convince people to divulge sensitive information, and scareware vendors use social engineering to frighten people into running software that is useless at best and dangerous at worst.

Another aspect of social engineering relies on people's inability to keep up with a culture that relies heavily on information technology. Social engineers rely on the fact that people are not aware of the value of the information they possess and are careless about protecting it. Frequently, social engineers will search dumpsters for valuable information, memorize access codes by looking over someone's shoulder (shoulder surfing), or take advantage of people's natural inclination to choose passwords that are meaningful to them but can be easily guessed.

Security experts propose that as our culture becomes more dependent on information, social engineering will remain the greatest threat to any security system. Prevention includes educating people about the value of information, training them to protect it, and increasing people's awareness of how social engineers operate.

Thanks

Employee Life Cycle

this is my first post on my own Blog.. not much with knowledge about blogging but this seems a good app. by google.. lets c.. hw far do i go.. blogggggiiiinnnggggggg...


The employee life cycle (ELC, also sometimes spelled as employee lifecycle) is a human resources model that identifies stages in employees' careers to help guide their management and optimize associated processes.

Specific employee life cycle models vary but common ELC stages include:

Recruitment: This stage includes all the processes leading up to and including the hiring of a new employee. E-recruitment software may be used to automate some of the selection process, for example filtering applications and resumes for requirements. Personality profile assessment tools such as the Predictive Index (PI) are also sometimes used to try to ensure the best possible fit between job and employee.

Onboarding: In this relatively brief stage, the employee is added to the organization's identity and access management (IAM) system. The stage includes ensuring that the employee has access to any applications and systems that are required for his job.

Orientation:In this stage, the employee settles into the job, integrates with the corporate culture, familiarizes himself with coworkers and management, and establishes his role within the organization.

Career planning: During the planning stage, the employee and management collaboratively develop objectives and goals. Personality profile assessments are sometimes used in conjunction with an evaluation of the employee's performance to date.

Career development: In this stage, the employee matures in his role in the organization. Professional development frequently involves additional training. The challenges in this stage are employee engagement and retention.

Termination: In this final stage, sometimes referred to as "transition," the employee leaves the organization. The specific processes are somewhat dependent upon whether the departure is the result of resignation, firing or retirement. However, in any case, offboarding is a feature - the employee is removed from the IAM system. Many organizations schedule exit interviews in an attempt to get useful input from the departing employee.