Reader [Nikolaus] decided that instead of using an existing image based bar code decoder, he would write his own. Using the Processing language he created a scanner that parsed the black and white pattern when a bar code was centered on the image. His code then parsed that data and compared it with the initializing character to provide a reference. Currently his scanner supports three character sets of the Code 128 encoding, and provided his complete code so that others could add as they see fit. He admits that the code is a bit messy due to the lengthy character tables,…
Hack
Barcode scanner in Processing
Automotive
Forget The Bike And Accessorize Yourself With Harley Davidson Clothing
After you have purchased your priceless Harley-Davidson, it is now time not to think about modifying it. Your Harley-Davidson has its own image of toughness and ruggedness and would not need any alteration. What should you be thinking of is how to match yourself to the bike and not the other way around.Of course you would buy things that match your personality- that of course include your bike. And you somehow have to think what type of Harley should you buy based on who you are. Well, you have done that already. Now, its time to dress up and hop…
Tech Support
Armored Camera is Tough Enough For The Job
If you have put a lot of effort into your business, the last thing that you want is to see your hard earned assets stolen by a criminal. Business owners tend to choose surveillance systems to help them.
If you are thinking about installing surveillance cameras, the law generally dictates that you have to inform people that they are being watched in this way and therefore cannot have the element of surprise by hiding cameras from the view of criminals. However, to make sure that they cannot damage them easily and disarm them, armored cameras are now becoming very useful.…
Hack
Color changing paint display
We’ve seen several creative projects from [Sprite_tm] and this one sets a new bar. He got his hands on some paint that changes color with temperature. By covering a circuit board with the paint then heating the circuits he’s created a heat actuated 7-segment display (his post is in Dutch). One second at 3 amps is enough to turn the black paint white. When the segment has been disconnected for about one minute the paint fades back to black. Now that we’ve seen his concept, leave a comment and tell us how you’d use it.
Hack
Smartphone anti-virus software
With DEFCON and Black Hat going on, a lot of security issues are being made public. This year, cellphones have been a larger target than before. More and more people are carrying complex smartphones that have more ways to go wrong. Even worse, since phones are tied to a billed account, it is possible for malicious software to charge phones discreetly. However, Flexilis promises to keep your phone safe. It’s a free mobile anti-virus that works on most smartphones and PDAs with more clients in the works. It also provides easy backup and recovery options, as well as the…
Hack
Black Hat 2009: Parking meter hacking
For day two of Black Hat, we sat in on on [Joe Grand], [Jacob Appelbaum], and [Chris Tarnovsky]’s study of the electronic parking meter industry. They decided to study parking meters because they are available everywhere, but rarely considered from a security perspective.
They focused on the San Francisco’s MTA implementation of electronic smart card meters. To start they purchased several meters on eBay just to see the different styles. SF MTA lets you purchase disposable payment cards with values of $20 or $50. They decided to sniff the interaction between the meter and the smartcard using a shim.…
Life
Magic Touch So Design
You like the rough? Rather than redundant, take advantage of the results are scrawled into a slick graphic design. Can be used for web, mobile phone wallpaper, or even a T-shirt design. Sablon digital services are now a mushroom. Imagine if you wear a T-shirt design is your own, is not proud?Why not make it difficult. You transfer the results of spike-spike to your PC, and made the design-based vectors with the help of CorelDraw x4. Why should vectors? Because the image quality, especially cartoons, will become slick with this format.Once finished, you can bring them to sablon fitter. If…
Tech Support
Hackers Another Day
On the eve of the Black Hat security conference, malicious hackers posted a 29,000-line file detailing embarrassing attacks that took complete control of servers and websites run by several high-profile security researchers, including Dan Kaminsky and Kevin Mitnick.
The file posted on security mailing lists claimed to have obtained more than four years’ worth of data from Kaminsky, and as proof, it offered a smattering of emails, instant messages, and other communications that laid out sensitive research work and intimate personal conversations. It also revealed multiple passwords Kaminsky used and back-end configurations for Kaminsky’s website (doxpara.com), which was yanked offline…
Hack
Black Hat 2009: Breaking SSL with null characters
Update: The video of [Moxie]’s presentation is now online.
[Moxie Marlinspike] appeared on our radar back in February when he showed sslstrip at Black Hat DC. It was an amazing piece of software that could hijack and rewrite all SSL connections. The differences between a legitimate site and the hijacked ones were very hard to notice. He recently stumbled across something thing that makes the attack even more effective.
If you apply for a certificate, the certificate authority looks at the common name on the form and contacts the domain owner. The CA ignores the subdomain. The trick is…
Hack
Black Hat 2009: Powerline and optical keysniffing
The 2009 edition of the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas has just begun. The first interesting talk we saw was [Andrea Barisani] and [Daniele Bianco]’s Sniff Keystrokes With Lasers/Voltmeters. They presented two methods for Tempest style eavesdropping of keyboards.
The first attack was against PS/2 keyboards. Inside the PS/2 cord, the data line isn’t shielded very well from the ground line, so all data could end up being transmitted back to the building’s electrical ground. The clock signal is also very slow compared to other signals generated by the computer. At about 10-16.7kHz, it should be easy…
Tech Support
Hackers launch phishing attack on Facebook and Orkut users
We request all Orkut and other Social Networking websites users to beware of phishing websites. Most of the Black Hat Hackers are hacking Orkut account by creating Fake Login page. If you enter your Username and Password on those website, you will loose you account and then they can easily misuse your confidential information.
How Hackers Hack Orkut Accounts
Phishing Attacks : The act of sending an e-mail to a user falsely claiming to be an established legitimate enterprise in an attempt to scam the user into surrendering private information that will be used for identity theft. The e-mail…
Tech Support
iPhone Crashing Bug Could Lead To Serious Exploit
Exploiting a bug in the way iPhones parse SMS messages, the principal analyst at Independent Security Evaluators has demonstrated how to crash a part of the phone that allows him to temporarily disconnect the device from the network. He’s still trying to figure out if the vulnerability will allow him to remotely execute code, a feat that would allow attackers to do much more nefarious things, including sending malicious commands to monitor the phone’s location or turn on its microphone so it becomes a remote bugging device.
“I can definitely make the thing crash,” Miller said. “I have still…
