Top 10 real hackers

Black Hat Crackers

The Internet abounds with hackers, known as crackers or "black hats," who work to exploit computer systems. They are the ones you've seen on the news being hauled away for cybercrimes. Some of them do it for fun and curiosity, while others are looking for personal gain. In this section we profile five of the most famous and interesting "black hat" hackers.

1.

Jonathan James: James gained notoriety when he became the first juvenile to be sent to prison for hacking. He was sentenced at 16 years old. In an anonymous PBS interview, he professes, "I was just looking around, playing around. What was fun for me was a challenge to see what I could pull off."

James's major intrusions targeted high-profile organizations. He installed a backdoor into a Defense Threat Reduction Agency server. The DTRA is an agency of the Department of Defense charged with reducing the threat to the U.S. and its allies from nuclear, biological, chemical, conventional and special weapons. The backdoor he created enabled him to view sensitive emails and capture employee usernames and passwords.

James also cracked into NASA computers, stealing software worth approximately $1.7 million. According to the Department of Justice, "The software supported the International Space Station's physical environment, including control of the temperature and humidity within the living space." NASA was forced to shut down its computer systems, ultimately racking up a $41,000 cost. James explained that he downloaded the code to supplement his studies on C programming, but contended, "The code itself was crappy . . . certainly not worth $1.7 million like they claimed."

Given the extent of his intrusions, if James, also known as "c0mrade," had been an adult he likely would have served at least 10 years. Instead, he was banned from recreational computer use and was slated to serve a six-month sentence under house arrest with probation. However, he served six months in prison for violation of parole. Today, James asserts that he's learned his lesson and might start a computer security company.
2.

Adrian Lamo: Lamo's claim to fame is his break-ins at major organizations like The New York Times and Microsoft. Dubbed the "homeless hacker," he used Internet connections at Kinko's, coffee shops and libraries to do his intrusions. In a profile article, "He Hacks by Day, Squats by Night," Lamo reflects, "I have a laptop in Pittsburgh, a change of clothes in D.C. It kind of redefines the term multi-jurisdictional."

Lamo's intrusions consisted mainly of penetration testing, in which he found flaws in security, exploited them and then informed companies of their shortcomings. His hits include Yahoo!, Bank of America, Citigroup and Cingular. When white hat hackers are hired by companies to do penetration testing, it's legal. What Lamo did is not.

When he broke into The New York Times' intranet, things got serious. He added himself to a list of experts and viewed personal information on contributors, including Social Security numbers. Lamo also hacked into The Times' LexisNexis account to research high-profile subject matter.

For his intrusion at The New York Times, Lamo was ordered to pay approximately $65,000 in restitution. He was also sentenced to six months of home confinement and two years of probation, which expired January 16, 2007. Lamo is currently working as an award-winning journalist and public speaker.
3.

Kevin Mitnick: A self-proclaimed "hacker poster boy," Mitnick went through a highly publicized pursuit by authorities. His mischief was hyped by the media but his actual offenses may be less notable than his notoriety suggests. The Department of Justice describes him as "the most wanted computer criminal in United States history." His exploits were detailed in two movies: Freedom Downtime and Takedown.

Mitnick had a bit of hacking experience before committing the offenses that made him famous. He started out exploiting the Los Angeles bus punch card system to get free rides. Then, like Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, dabbled in phone phreaking. Although there were numerous offenses, Mitnick was ultimately convicted for breaking into the Digital Equipment Corporation's computer network and stealing software.

Mitnick's mischief got serious when he went on a two and a half year "coast-to-coast hacking spree." The CNN article, "Legendary computer hacker released from prison," explains that "he hacked into computers, stole corporate secrets, scrambled phone networks and broke into the national defense warning system." He then hacked into computer expert and fellow hacker Tsutomu Shimomura's home computer, which led to his undoing.

Today, Mitnick has been able to move past his role as a black hat hacker and become a productive member of society. He served five years, about 8 months of it in solitary confinement, and is now a computer security consultant, author and speaker.
4.

Kevin Poulsen: Also known as Dark Dante, Poulsen gained recognition for his hack of LA radio's KIIS-FM phone lines, which earned him a brand new Porsche, among other items. Law enforcement dubbed him "the Hannibal Lecter of computer crime."

Authorities began to pursue Poulsen after he hacked into a federal investigation database. During this pursuit, he further drew the ire of the FBI by hacking into federal computers for wiretap information.

His hacking specialty, however, revolved around telephones. Poulsen's most famous hack, KIIS-FM, was accomplished by taking over all of the station's phone lines. In a related feat, Poulsen also "reactivated old Yellow Page escort telephone numbers for an acquaintance who then ran a virtual escort agency." Later, when his photo came up on the show Unsolved Mysteries, 1-800 phone lines for the program crashed. Ultimately, Poulsen was captured in a supermarket and served a sentence of five years.

Since serving time, Poulsen has worked as a journalist. He is now a senior editor for Wired News. His most prominent article details his work on identifying 744 sex offenders with MySpace profiles.
5.

Robert Tappan Morris: Morris, son of former National Security Agency scientist Robert Morris, is known as the creator of the Morris Worm, the first computer worm to be unleashed on the Internet. As a result of this crime, he was the first person prosecuted under the 1986 Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

Morris wrote the code for the worm while he was a student at Cornell. He asserts that he intended to use it to see how large the Internet was. The worm, however, replicated itself excessively, slowing computers down so that they were no longer usable. It is not possible to know exactly how many computers were affected, but experts estimate an impact of 6,000 machines. He was sentenced to three years' probation, 400 hours of community service and a fined $10,500.

Morris is currently working as a tenured professor at the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. He principally researches computer network architectures including distributed hash tables such as Chord and wireless mesh networks such as Roofnet.

White Hat Hackers

Hackers that use their skills for good are classified as "white hat." These white hats often work as certified "Ethical Hackers," hired by companies to test the integrity of their systems. Others, operate without company permission by bending but not breaking laws and in the process have created some really cool stuff. In this section we profile five white hat hackers and the technologies they have developed.

1.

Stephen Wozniak: "Woz" is famous for being the "other Steve" of Apple. Wozniak, along with current Apple CEO Steve Jobs, co-founded Apple Computer. He has been awarded with the National Medal of Technology as well as honorary doctorates from Kettering University and Nova Southeastern University. Additionally, Woz was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in September 2000.

Woz got his start in hacking making blue boxes, devices that bypass telephone-switching mechanisms to make free long-distance calls. After reading an article about phone phreaking in Esquire, Wozniak called up his buddy Jobs. The pair did research on frequencies, then built and sold blue boxes to their classmates in college. Wozniak even used a blue box to call the Pope while pretending to be Henry Kissinger.

Wozniak dropped out of college and came up with the computer that eventually made him famous. Jobs had the bright idea to sell the computer as a fully assembled PC board. The Steves sold Wozniak's cherished scientific calculator and Jobs' VW van for capital and got to work assembling prototypes in Jobs' garage. Wozniak designed the hardware and most of the software. In the Letters section of Woz.org, he recalls doing "what Ed Roberts and Bill Gates and Paul Allen did and tons more, with no help." Wozniak and Jobs sold the first 100 of the Apple I to a local dealer for $666.66 each.

Woz no longer works full time for Apple, focusing primarily on philanthropy instead. Most notable is his function as fairy godfather to the Los Gatos, Calif. School District. "Wozniak 'adopted' the Los Gatos School District, providing students and teachers with hands-on teaching and donations of state-of-the-art technology equipment."
2.

Tim Berners-Lee: Berners-Lee is famed as the inventor of the World Wide Web, the system that we use to access sites, documents and files on the Internet. He has received numerous recognitions, most notably the Millennium Technology Prize.

While a student at Oxford University, Berners-Lee was caught hacking access with a friend and subsequently banned from University computers. w3.org reports, "Whilst [at Oxford], he built his first computer with a soldering iron, TTL gates, an M6800 processor and an old television." Technological innovation seems to have run in his genes, as Berners-Lee's parents were mathematicians who worked on the Manchester Mark1, one of the earliest electronic computers.

While working with CERN, a European nuclear research organization, Berners-Lee created a hypertext prototype system that helped researchers share and update information easily. He later realized that hypertext could be joined with the Internet. Berners-Lee recounts how he put them together: "I just had to take the hypertext idea and connect it to the TCP and DNS ideas and – ta-da! – the World Wide Web."

Since his creation of the World Wide Web, Berners-Lee founded the World Wide Web Consortium at MIT. The W3C describes itself as "an international consortium where Member organizations, a full-time staff and the public work together to develop Web standards." Berners-Lee's World Wide Web idea, as well as standards from the W3C, is distributed freely with no patent or royalties due.
3.

Linus Torvalds: Torvalds fathered Linux, the very popular Unix-based operating system. He calls himself "an engineer," and has said that his aspirations are simple, "I just want to have fun making the best damn operating system I can."

Torvalds got his start in computers with a Commodore VIC-20, an 8-bit home computer. He then moved on to a Sinclair QL. Wikipedia reports that he modified the Sinclair "extensively, especially its operating system." Specifically, Torvalds hacks included "an assembler and a text editor…as well as a few games."

Torvalds created the Linux kernel in 1991, using the Minix operating system as inspiration. He started with a task switcher in Intel 80386 assembly and a terminal driver. After that, he put out a call for others to contribute code, which they did. Currently, only about 2 percent of the current Linux kernel is written by Torvalds himself. The success of this public invitation to contribute code for Linux is touted as one of the most prominent examples of free/open source software.

Currently, Torvalds serves as the Linux ringleader, coordinating the code that volunteer programmers contribute to the kernel. He has had an asteroid named after him and received honorary doctorates from Stockholm University and University of Helsinki. He was also featured in Time Magazine's "60 Years of Heroes."
4.

Richard Stallman: Stallman's fame derives from the GNU Project, which he founded to develop a free operating system. For this, he's known as the father of free software. His "Serious Bio" asserts, "Non-free software keeps users divided and helpless, forbidden to share it and unable to change it. A free operating system is essential for people to be able to use computers in freedom."

Stallman, who prefers to be called rms, got his start hacking at MIT. He worked as a "staff hacker" on the Emacs project and others. He was a critic of restricted computer access in the lab. When a password system was installed, Stallman broke it down, resetting passwords to null strings, then sent users messages informing them of the removal of the password system.

Stallman's crusade for free software started with a printer. At the MIT lab, he and other hackers were allowed to modify code on printers so that they sent convenient alert messages. However, a new printer came along – one that they were not allowed to modify. It was located away from the lab and the absence of the alerts presented an inconvenience. It was at this point that he was "convinced…of the ethical need to require free software."

With this inspiration, he began work on GNU. Stallman wrote an essay, "The GNU Project," in which he recalls choosing to work on an operating system because it's a foundation, "the crucial software to use a computer." At this time, the GNU/Linux version of the operating system uses the Linux kernel started by Torvalds. GNU is distributed under "copyleft," a method that employs copyright law to allow users to use, modify, copy and distribute the software.

Stallman's life continues to revolve around the promotion of free software. He works against movements like Digital Rights Management (or as he prefers, Digital Restrictions Management) through organizations like Free Software Foundation and League for Programming Freedom. He has received extensive recognition for his work, including awards, fellowships and four honorary doctorates.
5.

Tsutomu Shimomura: Shimomura reached fame in an unfortunate manner: he was hacked by Kevin Mitnick. Following this personal attack, he made it his cause to help the FBI capture him.

Shimomura's work to catch Mitnick is commendable, but he is not without his own dark side. Author Bruce Sterling recalls: "He pulls out this AT&T cellphone, pulls it out of the shrinkwrap, finger-hacks it, and starts monitoring phone calls going up and down Capitol Hill while an FBI agent is standing at his shoulder, listening to him."

Shimomura out-hacked Mitnick to bring him down. Shortly after finding out about the intrusion, he rallied a team and got to work finding Mitnick. Using Mitnick's cell phone, they tracked him near Raleigh-Durham International Airport. The article, "SDSC Computer Experts Help FBI Capture Computer Terrorist" recounts how Shimomura pinpointed Mitnick's location. Armed with a technician from the phone company, Shimomura "used a cellular frequency direction-finding antenna hooked up to a laptop to narrow the search to an apartment complex." Mitnick was arrested shortly thereafter. Following the pursuit, Shimomura wrote a book about the incident with journalist John Markoff, which was later turned into a movie.

We hope you have enjoyed our introduction to some of the most famous real-life hackers, both white and black alike, and have gotten a clearer impression of who hackers really are.

Send Fake Email – Fake Email Pranks

Most of the email forging tutorials on internet will teach us how to send fake email connecting to SMTP server of the ISP or any other domain. But this is not possible since these hacks will no longer work today because SMTP of remote server will reject any attempts for unauthorised access. Also many of the websites offer you to send fake email from their sites where none of them work. So we have to run our own SMTP server on our computer to successfully send a fake email. SMTP server is a simple software program which can be installed on your computer in few seconds. SMTP server allows you to send fake email right from your desktop easily and effectively. Download QK SMTP server HERE. This is the SMTP server i am using in my tutorial. Once you download and install the server on your comp then you are all set to send fake email successfully.

PART A: CONFIGURING SMTP SERVER

Once you have installed the QK SMTP server on your comp you must perform the following configuration.

1. Click on “Settings” button on the main screen,the Settings window pops up

2. On Settings window click on “Basic Parameter” tab

3. Set binding IP to “127.0.0.1″

4. Set port to “25″

PART B: SENDING FAKE EMAIL (EMAIL FORGING)

1. Click on SMTP server icon on your desktop to start your SMTP server to run(The icon is shown on the notification area of the taskbar if it is running). If it is already running then this step can be ignored

2. Goto command prompt(Start-Accessories-Command prompt)

3. Type exactly as follows

C:\>telnet 127.0.0.1 25

Here 127.0.0.1 is the default IP of every computer.25 is the port number. SO you are connecting to the SMTP server running on your own computer. This step is very importand to send fake email.

NOTE: The IP 127.0.0.1 should not be substituted by any other IP.

Heres the snapshot of what you see after step 3. Click on it to enlarge

4. After typing the telnet command in the command prompt you get entry to the server which displays the following message. The response of a OK SMTP server is given below. Message within Green color is only explanation.

220 Welcome to QK SMTP Server 3
helo hacker (Type helo & any name followed by space)
250 Hello hacker (Server Welcomes You)
mail from:billg@microsoft.com (email ID can be anything of your choice. This is the ID from which fake email appears to have come from)
250 billg@microsoft.com Address Okay (Server gives a positive response)
rcpt to:admin@gmail.com (Type any valid recipient email address)
250 admin@gmail.com Address Okay (Server gives a positive response)
data (type this command to start input data)
354 Please start mail input
From:Gates billg@microsoft.com>
To:admin@gmail.com
Date:Sat Jan 5,2008 9:45 PM
Subject:Test to send fake email
You can create as many headers followed by the “:” symbol.

NOTE: HEADERS SHOULD NOT CONTAIN A LINE GAP. IF SO IT IS CONSIDERED AS BODY OF THE EMAIL. Press enter twice so that there is a line gap between the header & body data

End the body of email by pressing [ENTER] .(dot) [ENTER]

250 Mail queued for delivery (Sever indicates that the email is ready for sending)
quit (Type this command to quit from server)
221 Closing connection. Good bye.
Connection to host lost
(You will get the above 2 lines of message after typing “quit” command)
(Your fake email is sent to the recipient)

*****END OF EMAIL FORGING*****

Here’s the screenshot for your convenience

Internet Security

What is CAPTCHA and How it Works?
Submitted by Srikanth on Friday, 4 June 201015 Comments

CAPTCHA or Captcha (pronounced as cap-ch-uh) which stands for “Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart” is a type of challenge-response test to ensure that the response is only generated by humans and not by a computer. In simple words, CAPTCHA is the word verification test that you will come across the end of a sign-up form while signing up for Gmail or Yahoo account. The following image shows the typical samples of CAPTCHA.

Captcha

Almost every Internet user will have an experience of CAPTCHA in their daily Internet usage, but only a few are aware of what it is and why they are used. So in this post you will find a detailed information on how CAPTCHA works and why they are used.
What Purpose does CAPTCHA Exactly Serve?

CAPTCPA is mainly used to prevent automated software (bots) from performing actions on behalf of actual humans. For example while signing up for a new email account, you will come across a CAPTCHA at the end of the sign-up form so as to ensure that the form is filled out only by a legitimate human and not by any of the automated software or a computer bot. The main goal of CAPTCHA is to put forth a test which is simple and straight forward for any human to answer but for a computer, it is almost impossible to solve.
What is the Need to Create a Test that Can Tell Computers and Humans Apart?

For many the CAPTCHA may seem to be silly and annoying, but in fact it has the ability to protect systems from malicious attacks where people try to game the system. Attackers can make use of automated softwares to generate a huge quantity of requests thereby causing a high load on the target server which would degrade the quality of service of a given system, whether due to abuse or resource expenditure. This can affect millions of legitimate users and their requests. CAPTCHAs can be deployed to protect systems that are vulnerable to email spam, such as the services from Gmail, Yahoo and Hotmail.
Who Uses CAPTCHA?

CAPTCHAs are mainly used by websites that offer services like online polls and registration forms. For example, Web-based email services like Gmail, Yahoo and Hotmail offer free email accounts for their users. However upon each sign-up process, CAPTCHAs are used to prevent spammers from using a bot to generate hundreds of spam mail accounts.
Designing a CAPTCHA System

CAPTCHAs are designed on the fact that computers lack the ability that human beings have when it comes to processing visual data. It is more easily possible for humans to look at an image and pick out the patterns than a computer. This is because computers lack the real intelligence that humans have by default. CAPTCHAs are implemented by presenting users with an image which contains distorted or randomly stretched characters which only humans should be able to identify. Sometimes characters are striked out or presented with a noisy background to make it even more harder for computers to figure out the patterns.

Most, but not all, CAPTCHAs rely on a visual test. Some Websites implement a totally different CAPTCHA system to tell humans and computers apart. For example, a user is presented with 4 images in which 3 contains picture of animals and one contain a flower. The user is asked to select only those images which contain animals in them. This Turing test can easily be solved by any human, but almost impossible for a computer.
Breaking the CAPTCHA

The challenge in breaking the CAPTCHA lies in real hard task of teaching a computer how to process information in a way similar to how humans think. Algorithms with artificial intelligence (AI) will have to be designed in order to make the computer think like humans when it comes to recognizing the patterns in images. However there is no universal algorithm that could pass through and break any CAPTCHA system and hence each CAPTCHA algorithm must have to be tackled individually. It might not work 100 percent of the time, but it can work often enough to be worthwhile to spammers.

WIndows 7 Registration Extension

WINDOWS 7 HACKS »
How to Use Windows 7 Without Activation
Wed, 1/09/10 – 15:40 | One Comment

Windows 7Most of you might be aware of the fact that it is possible to use Windows 7 and Vista for 120 days without activation. This is actually possible using the slmgr -rearm command which will extend the grace period from 30 days to 120 days. However in this post I will show you a small trick using which it is possible to use Windows 7 without activation for approximately an year! Here is a way to do that.

1. Goto “Start Menu -> All Programs -> Accessories” . Right click on “Command Prompt” and select “Run as Administrator“. If you are not the administrator then you are prompted to enter the password, or else you can proceed to step-2.

2. Now type the following command and hit enter
slmgr -rearm

3. You will be prompted to restart the computer. Once restarted the trial period will be once again reset to 30 days. You can use the above command for up to 3 times by which you can extend the trial period to 120 days without activation.

4. Now comes the actual trick by which you can extend the trial period for another 240 days. Open Registry Editor (type regedit in “Run” and hit Enter) and navigate to the following location
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\SoftwareProtectionPlatform

5. In right-side pane, change value of SkipRearm to 1.

6. Now you will be able to use the slmgr -rearm command for another 8 times so that you can skip activation process for another 240 days. So you will get 120 + 240 = 360 days of free Windows 7 usage.
120 days using “slmgr -rearm” command before registry edit

+

240 days using “slmgr -rearm” command after registry edit

= 360 Days

TOP 15 REGISTRY TRICKS

1. Enable automatic logon: Although many Registry modifications boost convenience, few save as much time and hassle as enabling an automatic logon, especially if you share your computer with other users. By storing your Windows password and other information in the Registry, anyone with physical access to your computer will also have access to your complete Windows environment, including files and folders, as well as any network resources. This could be handy in a home or small office environment, especially if you’re not always present to provide the password needed to grant access. It’s even useful if you’re the only user for several user accounts because entering a password each time you start your system or reboot can be a pain.

But be warned that this tweak will render your computer accessible to anyone around it, so it’s important that you realize the dangers involved before you move forward. Because this tweak will result in storing your password in plain text in the Registry, anyone with local or remote access to your registry will be able to discover your password without much effort.

With all that said, let’s go ahead and enable an automatic logon. Browse to the Winlogon folder using the following path in Registry Editor: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS
NT\CURRENTVERSION\WINLOGON. After you highlight the Winlogon folder in the left pane, double-click the DefaultUserName entry in the pane on the right, type your username in the Value Data field, and click OK. Double-click the DefaultPassword entry, type your password in the Value Data field, and click OK. (If there is no DefaultPassword entry, click Edit, New, and String Value. TypeDefaultPassword as the value name and press ENTER. Then follow our previous directions to enter your password.)

Next, double-click the AutoAdminLogon entry, type 1 in the Value Data field, and click OK. (If there is no AutoAdminLogon entry, follow the same steps we just described to create a new value.) Close the Registry Editor and reboot your computer.

Oops! By modifying the Registry, you can ban certain programs from appearing on the Most Recently Opened Programs List and revealing your computing habits.

2. Increase hard drive allotment for System Restore. System Restore can be a godsend if your system has become unstable. For example, if WinXP started crashing on a regular basis but you can’t find the problem, you can use System Restore to return your system to a previous stable state. The utility works by creating restore points, either automatically or manually. By default, you can grant as much as 12% of your hard drive space for these restore points. But using a Registry tweak, you can increase this “maximum” allotment, which should permit space for more restore points (which, in turn, is helpful if you tweak your system on a regular basis and count heavily on System Restore to cover your behind).

To implement the tweak, open the Registry Editor and browse to HKEY_LOCAL _MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS
NT\CURRENTVERSION\SYSTEM RESTORE. Double-click the DiskPercent value in the pane on the right, and you’ll notice that the default value is “c,” which indicates that Windows can reserve as much as 12% of your root drive (where WinXP is installed) for restore points. If you type d in the Value Data field instead, System Restore will allow as much as 13% of drive space for restore points. Following suit, changing the value to “e” will grant 14% and changing it to “f” will grant 15% (without the quotes, of course). If you need even more space, any two-letter combination of values using letters ranging from “a” to “f” will let you use as much as 100% of your hard drive for restore points. However, we don’t recommend that you use more than 25% of your hard drive for this purpose because doing so could interfere with space crucial Windows components need.

It’s important to remember that if you give System Restore the drive space, it will use it, so make sure you’re not sacrificing too much of your hard drive. But if you have a massive hard drive, a healthy stock of restore points could come in handy, especially if you’re tweaking your system on a regular basis. For more information about System Restore, see “Find, Install & Use Backup & Restore” and “Protect Yourself” in this issue.

3. Define the content of the Most Frequently Used Programs List. The Most Frequently Used Programs List in WinXP provides convenient access to programs you use on a regular basis. However, some programs seem to appear regularly on the list no matter how often you use them. This behavior reduces the effectiveness of the list because little-used programs are wasting space that should be reserved for your more popular programs. Luckily, you can modify the Registry to prevent programs from appearing on the list. This is also useful if you don’t want other users of the computer to see which programs you’ve been using.

First, open the Registry Editor and browse to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\APPLICATIONS. Within the Applications key, you’ll see other keys that represent programs (for example, Iexplore.exe represents Internet Explorer). Find the key(s) that represents the program(s) you want to banish from the Most Frequently Used Programs List. Within a particular program key, add a new string value called NoStartPage, and leave the data in the string as is. To do this, select the key and click Edit, New, and String Value. Type NoStartPage as the value name and press ENTER. Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer. That program will no longer appear in the Most Frequently Used Programs List.

4. Rename assigned Desktop icons. If you’re into modifying the look and feel of your WinXP environment, one of your first priorities should be changing the name of the system icons on your Desktop. Although the changed names might take a little while to get used to, especially if you’re a long-time Windows user, you’ll certainly appreciate the personal touch.

To change the icon names, open the Registry Editor and browse to HKEY_CURRENT _USER\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS
\CURRENTVERSION\EXPLORER\ CLSID. Within the CLSID key, you’ll probably see the following five keys that represent your assigned Desktop icons:

•My Network Places—{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}

•My Computer—{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}

•My Documents—{450D8FBA-AD25-11D0-98A8-0800361B1103}

•Recycle Bin—{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}

•Internet Explorer—{871C5380-42A0-1069-A2EA-08002B30309D}

To change an icon name, simply double-click its default value in the pane on the right, type a new name in the Value Data field, and click OK. Now right-click an empty spot on the Desktop and click Refresh to see the new name under the icon.

5. Automatic completion for Command Prompt. If you’re a regular user of WinXP’s Command Prompt for administration and other tasks, you know what a hassle the unintuitive interface can be. To make navigation simpler, Microsoft implemented automatic completion so that typing a few characters and using a key on your keyboard (TAB) will complete your file or folder identification for you. For example, typing cd \pro and pressing TAB switches to the Program Files folder. This function is only available on a session-by-session basis, unless you modify your Registry to activate it permanently.

To make automatic completion permanent for Command Prompt, open the Registry Editor and browse to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\COMMAND PROCESSOR. Double-click the CompletionChar value, make sure the Base option is set for Hexadecimal, type 9 in the Value Data field, and click OK. Follow the same procedure for the PathCompletionChar value, and close the Registry Editor.

6. Keep DLL files out of cache memory. Although DLL (dynamic-link library) files are crucial to system operation, it’s not necessary for WinXP to keep them close by in case they’re needed. Nonetheless, that’s precisely what WinXP will do at times, despite the fact that these DLL files consume cache memory that could be spared for more important data.

To change this behavior via the Registry, browse to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS
\CURRENTVERSION\EXPLORER. With the Explorer key highlighted, create another key (a subkey) by clicking Edit, New, and Key. Type AlwaysUnloadDLL to name the key, press ENTER, double-click its default value, type 1 in the Value Data field, and click OK. Close the Registry Editor and reboot your computer. WinXP should now empty DLL files from cache memory when it finishes using them.

7. Display comma separators in the System Monitor. The System Monitor is extremely useful, but it’s not extremely user-friendly. One reason is because it doesn’t provide comma separators, which means that counter values such as 1000000 are difficult to read. We’re here to change that. In the Registry Editor, browse to HKEY_CURRENT_ USER\SOFTWARE \MICROSOFT\SYSTEM MONITOR. (If you’re using WinXP Home Edition, you’ll need to add the SystemMonitor key first. With the Microsoft key highlighted, click Edit, New, and Key. Type SystemMonitor and press ENTER.)

Next, highlight the SystemMonitor key, and then click Edit, New, and DWORD Value. Type DisplayThousandsSeparator to name the value and press ENTER. Double-click the new value, type 1 in the Value Data field, and click OK. In order for the change to take effect, close the Registry Editor and restart the System Monitor.

8. Customize your Taskbar groupings. If you’re a WinXP power user, your Taskbar real estate is extremely precious. After all, your Taskbar is likely loaded with Quick Launch and System Tray icons for various programs. And because you’re a power user, your system is probably jammed with enough memory to let you multitask like crazy, letting you keep a flock of program windows open at once. Of course, all of this fills your Taskbar space with icons and buttons, but WinXP has a solution for that.

When you enable the Group Similar Taskbar Buttons option in the Taskbar And Start Menu Properties dialog box (right-click the Start button, select Properties, and choose the Taskbar tab), WinXP will combine buttons that represent the same open item or program. For example, if you have three open IE windows, you can click one button on the Taskbar and choose from any of the three windows. By default, WinXP groups items first that you opened first, but you can change the grouping behavior via the Registry.

Speeding up Windows XP’s shutdown process is as easy as modifying the AutoEndTasks, HungAppTimeout, and WaitToKillAppTimeout Registry values in your Registry Editor.

Open the Registry Editor and browse to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\ WINDOWS\CURRENTVERSION\EXPLORER
\ADVANCED. With the Advanced key highlighted, click Edit, New, and DWORD Value. Type TaskbarGroupSize to name the value and press ENTER. Double-click the new value to change its Value Data field. If the Value Data field is set to 0, then WinXP groups the buttons by age, with t he oldest group first. You can change the Value Data field to: 1 to group the buttons by size (largest group first); 2 to group programs or items when two or more instances are open; and 3 to group programs or items when three or more instances are opened. Change the Value Data field according to your preference and click OK. You’ll need to close the Registry Editor, log out of WinXP, and then log back on for the change to take effect.

9. Quicken your system’s shutdown speed. WinXP is the speediest of all Windows OSes (operating systems), but if you think its shutdown process isn’t fast enough, you can morph your shutdown from a turtle to a roadrunner. First, browse to HKEY_CUR RENT_USER\CONTROL PANEL\DESKTOP and double-click the AutoEndTasks value. The default character in the Value Data field is 0. Change it by typing 1 in the field and click OK. You can further reduce the amount of time WinXP takes to shut down both active and hung applications by double-clicking the HungAppTimeout value (also at HKEY_CUR RENT_USER\CONTROL PANEL\DESKTOP) and confirming that the Value Data field is set to 5000. Exit that Edit String dialog box, double-click the WaitToKillAppTimeout value, set its Value Data field to 4000, and click OK.

10. Resolve the “Search for files containing text” problem. The Search function has never been flawless in past Windows OSes, and WinXP is no different. For example, when you execute a search for text or files containing a certain word or phrase, WinXP won’t return results for certain file types. Using the Registry Editor, you can fix this problem by inserting a PersistentHandler value for each of the missing file types.

In the Registry Editor, go to HKEY_CLASS ES_ROOT and find the key that represents the file type you wish to modify. For example, if WinXP isn’t returning results on files ending the .WPD extension, expand the .WPD key branch and see if it contains a PersistentHandler key. If not, you’ll need to add one (if it does contain one, do not modify it).

With the .WPD key highlighted, click Edit, New, and Key. Type PersistentHandler and press ENTER to name the key. Next, with the new key highlighted, double-click the default value in the pane on the right, type {5e941d80-bf96-11cd-b579-08002b30bfeb} in the Value Data field, and click OK. Close the Registry Editor and reboot your computer.

11. Disable the CD autoplay function in WinXP Home Edition. Although the CD autoplay function has good intentions, it can be annoying if you’re accessing the CD for something other than what WinXP assumes you’re accessing. If you’re a user of WinXP Home Edition, you’ll need to modify your Registry to disable the feature.

Browse to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYS TEM\CURRENTCONTROLSET\SERVICES\ CDROM. With the Cdrom key highlighted, double-click the AutoRun value from the pane on the right, and change the 1 listed in the Value Data field to 0. Click OK, close the Registry Editor, and reboot your computer.

12. Hide the Recycle Bin. For some of us, the Recycle Bin is the ultimate annoyance. After all, experienced computer users typically don’t delete files by accident and rarely need to peruse the contents of the Recycle Bin. If the Bin is simply consuming space on your Desktop, you can hide it (and deleted files will continue to transfer to the Recycle Bin if it’s still configured to accept deleted files).

Open the Registry Editor and browse to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ MICROSOFT\WINDOWS\CURRENTVER SION\EXPLORER\DESKTOP\NAMESPACE. Within the NameSpace key, you’ll find another subkey titled {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}; delete this subkey. Close the Registry Editor, return to your Desktop space, and press F5 to refresh the Desktop, which should now be missing the Recycle Bin.

If you need to view your Recycle Bin contents later, you’ll find them in the C:\RECYCLED folder. Of course, to see this folder, your system must be set to display hidden files and folders. Open the Tools menu, select Folder Options, choose the View tab, and below the Hidden Files And Folders heading, select the Show Hidden Files And Folders option. Click OK.

13. Fix damaged Outlook Express key. If you’re an Outlook 2002 or Outlook Express user, you’ve probably noticed the annoying bug that prevents your ISP (Internet service provider) password from being saved when retrieving email from a POP (Post Office Protocol) server, even though you’ve told Outlook Express to save it. A damaged Protected Storage System Provider Registry key causes this behavior. The good news is you can fix it.

In the Registry Editor, browse to HKEY_ CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\PROTECTED STORAGE SYSTEM PROVIDER. With the key highlighted, click Permissions from the Edit menu, and then click the Group Or User Name that represents the account you’re currently using. Make sure the Read and Full Control permissions have check marks in their Allow checkboxes. Next, click the Advanced button, choose the Permissions tab, and select the current user account. Make sure that account’s Permissions column lists Full Control and its Apply To column lists This Key And Subkeys.

At the bottom of the Permissions tab, select the checkbox next to Replace Permission Entries On All Child Objects With Entries Shown Here That Apply To Child Objects. Click Apply, click Yes, and then click OK twice.

Next, double-click the Protected Storage System Provider key, and then click the subkey directly below it; this subkey should look like a long string of letters and numbers, such as S-1-5-21-527237240-1078145449-725345543-1003. (If you see subkeys below the Protected Storage System Provider key, locate the subkey that represents the user account that’s experiencing the bug and delete it per the following instructions. If all user accounts are experiencing the bug, delete all of the subkeys.) With the subkey highlighted, click Delete from the Edit menu and click Yes to confirm the deletion. Close the Registry Editor and reboot your computer.

14. Enable IP forwarding. If you want to use your computer as a router, WinXP is an excellent choice for an OS. But to use WinXP in a router configuration, you must enable IP forwarding. Browse to HKEY_LOCAL _MACHINE\SYSTEM\CURRENTCON TROLSET\SERVICES\TCPIP\PARAMATERS. Next, double-click the IPEnableRouter value and change the character in the Value Data field to 1 to enable routing. Click OK, close the Registry Editor, and reboot your computer.

15. Tweak IRQ settings for certain components. Although the Plug-and-Play specification has long helped to ease problems with IRQ (interrupt request line) conflicts, you still might find that one of your computer’s components isn’t being utilized efficiently. By increasing the priority given to an IRQ number that represents a certain component (such as the System CMOS/Real-Time Clock), you can boost its performance. (CMOS, by the way, stands for complementary metal-oxide semiconductor.)

In the Device Manager (right-click My Computer, select Properties, choose the Hardware tab, and click the Device Manager button), find the component you feel needs a boost and double-click it. In its Properties dialog box, choose the Resources tab, and find its IRQ number. Write down the IRQ number, close the Device Manager, and open the Registry Editor.

Browse to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYS TEM\CURRENTCONTROLSET\CONTROL \PRIORITYCONTROL. Highlight the PriorityControl key, open the Edit menu, and click New, DWORD Value. Type IRQx Priority (replace x with the IRQ number you wrote down) and press ENTER to name the value. Double-click the new value and type 1 in its Value Data field. Close the Registry Editor and reboot your PC.

Hacking and crashing using website

Step One: First we need to find the websites IP Adress. This is very easy todo. Ok so say they URL is http://www.yoursite.com ok now that you have your URL open Up Cmd todo this press Start>Run>cmd Once you have CMD open you type ping http://www.yoursite.com press enter and you will get the ip of the website. (YOU MUST REMOVE HTTP:// AND ANY /'s)

Step Two: Now we must test to see if port 80 is open (it usually is).

This is very easy todo to Ok open up the port scanner you downloaded.
Once in the port scanner type in your Victims ip that you got from step 1.
It will ask you todo a range scan or a full scan (SELECT REANGE SCAN!) It will ask for conformaition you have to use a capital Y or a capital N! Now enter 79 for lowest port and 81 for highest hit enter than hit cap Y.
[X] = Closed
[X] Vulnerable = Open

Step Three ALMOST DONE:

The final and easiest step (IF PORT 80 IS CLOSED PICK A NEW SITE!)
If port 80 is open your on your way to crashing!!

Ok open Up rDos that you download.
Enter your victims ip that we got from step 1.
It will ask you for the port to attack use port 80 that is why we scaned to make sure 80 was open! If it is closed it will not work.
Hit enter.. *=Flooding -=Crashed Or didn't connect!
EXAMPLE:
Thanks for reading i hope this helps :)

how to become a hacker

What skill do I need to Become a Hacker?

There is no magic to become a Hacker, but like anything else that is worthwhile it takes dedication, a willingness to learn. It is most important to have a good knowledge of topics such as Operating system and it’s working, Computer networks, Computer security and of course Programming. It’s not possible to become a hacker overnight. All you need is a good source to start from the basics.

What is the best way to Become a Hacker?

The best way to become a Hacker is to start from the basics. You have to master the basics to build a strong foundation. And once this is done you’ll be in a position to explore new ideas and start thinking like a Hacker.

There exists tons of books on the market that teach you Hacking but unfortunately, it requires a set of pre-established skills and knowledge to understand the concepts explained in the book. Also these are not meant the for the beginners who doesn’t know anything about hacking. I have found an excellent Book for Beginners. This book is the first step to fulfil your dream to become a Hacker. Yes, this is the right source for the beginners who are interested to learn hacking from the basics. The good thing about this book is, any one can understand the concepts presented without the need for any prior knowledge. It’s called
The Hacker’s Underground Handbook

NOTE: I have found that some of my readers have mistaken the book to be the Hacker’s Handbook which is widely available on the internet. But this is called The Hacker’s Underground Handbook. The Hacker’s Underground Handbook is unique and is not available anywhere on the internet. So please don’t be confused. The Hacker’s Underground Handook and Hacker’s Handbook are different.

This book will take you from the core to the top. It will tell you how to hack in simple steps. Everything is presented in a simple and effective manner. It’s a great source for the beginner who want to become a Hacker. This will install a Hacker’s Mindset on you.

The following skills are uncovered in this book

1. You will learn all the hacker underground tricks and learn to apply them in real world situations.

2. You will be put into a hacker mindset and learn to think like a Hacker.

3. By learning how a hacker thinks and acts, you will be able to protect yourself from future hack attacks.

4. You will acquire knowledge nonexistent to 99.9% of the people in the world!

5. This Underground handbook may get you interested in pursuing a career as an Ethical Hacker.

This book is of great value for all those who have a dream to become a Hacker.

So, what are you waiting for? Go Download your copy of the book which from the following link

The Hacker’s Underground Handbook

Wait… This is not the end. Rather it is just the beginning of your journey to become a hacker. To become a hacker all you need is dedication and hard work. I wish you all the best for your future success!