26 de noviembre 2010
Por Xochit Mariela Zepeda Martínez
Geopolítica: La fuerza de los intereses
Centro Universitario del Sur
Técnico en Periodismo
Profesor experto Alberto Rojas García
Introducción
Elegí mi investigación para elaborar mi artículo de opinión de fin de curso basado en la problemática de la Geopolítica del petróleo, porque hoy en día lo diferentes medios de comunicación masiva se adentran en el papel que tiene la geopolítica en el aumento del precio del petróleo y del gas.
Palabras clave: , petróleo energético, Geopolítica, Medios masivos de comunicación.
Nuestra uso cotidiano de vida basado en consumo de combustibles fósiles, carbón, gas natural y petróleo, que en conjunto representaron casi el 90% del consumo energético primario en 2003. Este tipo de combustibles presentan dos problemas a los que el hombre debe dar una solución:
Por un lado sus efectos contaminantes; y por otro, que son fuentes de energía finitas. Tanto las energías renovables, como la nuclear, se han mostrado incapaces de cubrir la demanda energética. Dentro de estos combustibles, la fuente principal de energía es el petróleo, siendo el combustible que marca la geopolítica de la energía (que es una parte muy importante de la geopolítica en general) desde el segundo cuarto del siglo XX. En 2003, el petróleo constituyó el 37,6 por 100 de la energía primaria consumida en el mundo, frente al 23,9 por 100 y el 26,4 por 100 del gas natural y el carbón respectivamente. Pero hay que tener en cuenta que los derivados del petróleo tienen casi el monopolio del uso de combustibles para hacer funcionar un sector estratégico imprescindible: el del transporte, al tiempo que la industria petroquímica en la actualidad apenas tiene sustitutivo en la obtención de de electricidad o en energía para calentar los hogares.
Hasta ahora, todos los picos en el precio del petróleo se han producido obedeciendo a coyunturas políticas, en ningún caso como consecuencia de las leyes de la oferta y la demanda. La guerra del Yom Kippur, la revolución iraní, la invasión de Kuwait, primero por Irak y luego por EE.UU.. Este argumento de mayor demanda y menor oferta no puede explicar por qué los precios superan con mucho a los de los años previos al batacazo asiático, cuando el consumo era superior al actual y el precio del barril no alcanzaba más allá de los 22 dólares el barril. Quizá podemos encontrar algunos elementos para completar el panorama en las estrategias de respuesta ante las alzas del petróleo por parte de las distintas potencias imperialistas.
Ante la fluctuación del precio de la principal materia prima para la producción de energía, los países pueden aplicar una terapia preventiva por dos vías: o bien manteniendo un elevado nivel de reservas, acumulando mucho petróleo cuando el precio es bajo, para utilizarlo cuando el precio sube, o estableciendo unas tasas al consumo que permitan mediante su variación, contrarrestar la evolución del precio del crudo. El primer método es el que sigue Estados Unidos, el único país del mundo con una planificación a largo plazo de sus aprovisionamientos de materias primas, que adquiere en periodos de precios bajos grandes cantidades de crudo, que le permiten evitar posteriormente las fluctuaciones en el precio de la gasolina cuando se produce un incremento en el precio del petróleo, y en teoría el segundo corresponde a la práctica de la UE. Pero en realidad las cosas son más complicadas:
La UE no aplica la alta fiscalidad sobre el consumo de carburantes como un mecanismo contra cíclico frente a la evolución de los precios, sino como una fuente de recaudación fiscal de gran importancia. De hecho, los impuestos especiales (bebidas, tabaco y petróleo) son la tercera fuente impositiva, tras el impuesto de la renta y el IVA. Ante un aumento súbito del precio del petróleo, los países europeos no pueden reducir drásticamente los impuestos al consumo, pues podrían desestabilizar las finanzas públicas De hecho, EE.UU. ha aprovechado muy bien las coyunturas cambiantes en el precio del petróleo para resolver problemas vinculados a las rivalidades entre las grandes potencias Así, el aumento de los precios de la segunda mitad de los setenta sirvió para frenar la floreciente economía de Europa y Japón, que ya había desestabilizado el sistema monetario internacional erigido por los norteamericanos para mayor gloria del dólar. Ahora, los países de la UE, que carecen de cualquier medida preventiva ante una escalada de precios como la que estamos viviendo, ven como los precios del petróleo afectan fundamentalmente a los precios industriales, cuyo crecimiento es mucho mayor que el de los precios al consumo, y ponen en cuestión una ventaja relativa tradicional de Europa frente a Estados Unidos en materia de precios.
En México, cerca del 88% de la energía primaria que se consume proviene del petróleo. Se encuentra dentro en el sexto lugar de producción del petróleo y Llega a nosotros cada día en una gran variedad de formas. Es la principal fuente de insumos para generar energía eléctrica, permite la producción de combustibles para los sectores de transporte e industrial. Además, es materia prima de una gran cantidad de productos como telas, medicinas o variados objetos de plástico. El petróleo ha transformado la vida de las personas y la economía de las naciones. Su descubrimiento creó riqueza, modernidad, pueblos industriales prósperos y nuevos empleos, motivando el crecimiento de las industrias mencionadas.
La energética en una base de datos alimentada por las empresas, comisiones e institutos que forman el sector energético en México, así como por la Secretaría de Energía. La electricidad es el insumo de uso generalizado más importante de la economía mexicana. Su precio, calidad y confiabilidad de suministro determina, como ningún otro factor, el nivel de competitividad de nuestra economía. Con visión de largo plazo, contemplando el país que queremos hacia el año 2030, debemos diseñar la estructura de una industria eléctrica fuerte, competitiva, capaz de impulsar al resto de la economía hacia los mercados más avanzados.
Si queremos tarifas eléctricas más bajas, necesitamos generar nuestra energía eléctrica a costos menores, transmitirla por todo el territorio nacional de manera eficiente, y distribuirla hasta el usuario más pequeño de manera competitiva. La calidad y la seguridad en el suministro resultan también críticos para la competitividad. Toda oportunidad de generar energía de calidad y más barata, debe alentarse. El control de la industria eléctrica en manos del Estado se garantiza mediante la propiedad y la operación centralizada del sistema nacional de transmisión. Lo que nuestra industria petrolera necesita con urgencia es una visión de Estado, global y sin prejuicios, que desarrolle mecanismos para capturar de manera eficiente la renta económica para el Estado y distribuya los beneficios de nuestra riqueza en beneficio de todos los mexicanos.
Principales empresas petroleras en México
Gasoplus - Tarjetas repagadas para compra de gasolina con aceptación a nivel nacional.
Petróleos Mexicanos - Índices de producción, organismos subsidiarios, servicios a proveedores y contratistas e historia de la empresa.
Franquicia Pemex - Centro de información para los inversionistas privados nacionales interesados en el establecimiento de estaciones de servicio y la comercialización de productos Pemex.
Instituto Mexicano del Petróleo - Proporciona apoyo de investigación y desarrollo tecnológico a Petróleos Mexicanos.
Mexicana de Lubricantes, S.A. de C.V. - Presentación de productos, franquicias y distribuidores.
Pemex Gas y Petroquímica Básica - Dedicada a la producción de gas natural y líquidos derivados; incluye notas sobre salud y protección ambiental.
Pemex Sociedad Cooperativa de Consumo - Organización para los trabajadores activos y jubilados de Petróleos Mexicanos. Promueve el mejoramiento del poder adquisitivo y la calidad de vida de sus miembros.
Servicios y Equipos de la Industria del Petróleo - Directorio y servicio de anuncios clasificados para vendedores y compradores de la industria petrolera en México y Canadá.
Shell México - Información corporativa, historia de la empresa en el país y comunicados de prensa.
Conclusión:
Sin duda alguna el petróleo no sólo constituye el cimiento de la economía política de actualidad, sino además, la brújula del actual escenario de conflictos internacionales y del paradigma energético vigente. La geopolítica del petróleo, con especial énfasis en las principales países productores de petróleo y, concretamente, en el papel de México dentro de dicho sistema geopolítico. En primer lugar México es una de los principales productores para desarrollar la industria del petróleo y superar la dependencia energética del país. Sin embargo, requiere de una permanente confrontación con el modelo energético dominante, el cual posee los más poderosos instrumentos de sometimiento y apropiación de la realidad, basados en el actual orden geopolítico de globalización.
Bibliografía:
Cuentame . (10 de octubre de 2009). Recuperado el 26 de noviembre de 2010, de Sabias que?: http://cuentame.inegi.org.mx/sabiasque/Default.aspx?Tema=S
Empresas petroleras. (18 de marzo de 2010). Recuperado el 26 de noviembre de 2010, de Sistes México: http://www.sitesmexico.com/directorio/e/empresas-petroleras-mexico.htm
García, A. C. (8 de mayo de 2004). La geopolítica del petróleo. Recuperado el 26 de noviembre de 2010, de http://www.revistasice.com/cmsrevistasICE/pdfs/ICE_819_157-170__0A51E6B536194ED2D0A85EB26A8E5F10.pdf
Istituto Mexicano del Petroleo. (12 de febreo de 2010). Recuperado el 26 de noviembre de 2010, de http://www.imp.mx/
Valdivia, G. G. (12 de abril de 2008). La crisis del petroleo en México. Recuperado el 26 de noviembre de 2010, de http://www.foroconsultivo.org.mx/libros_editados/petroleo.pdf
http://www.sitesmexico.com/directorio/e/empresas-petroleras-mexico.htm
Istituto Mexicano del Petroleo. (12 de febreo de 2010). Recuperado el 26 de noviembre de 2010, de http://www.imp.mx/
Lacoste, Yves (2008). Geopolítica. Geopolítica del petróleo. España, Madrid: Editorial Síntesis. S. A
Monday, December 13, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Net neutrality faces serious setbacks
First, a primer for the uninitiated on "net neutrality."
Net (as in network) neutrality is the idea that all traffic on the Internet
should be treated equally and — more to the point — should come at
the same price. Right now, for instance, you don't have to pay more
to watch a YouTube video than you do to check your email, even
though the YouTube video eats up more bandwidth and, in theory,
costs your ISP more for you to watch.
Websites and most consumers love the idea of net neutrality.
ISPs, on the other hand, are not fans. In fact, the net neutrality
movement arose as a response to major ISPs' plans to attempt to
charge websites and service providers more for "better" service on
their networks. Fail to pay up and that YouTube video might take
twice as long to download ... or it may not download at all.
ISPs call this the cost of doing business and a necessary reality in an
era where bandwidth isn't growing but the amount of data being
pushed through the available pipes is.
Net neutrality proponents call this extortion.
No matter who is right, things were looking up for net neutrality fans
after the FCC and the Obama administration came out with specific
and strongly worded recommendations and plans that they would
push for net neutrality as the Obama broadband program (100Mbps
to everyone!) moved forward.
But the showdown had already begun prior to the Obama era, way back in 2007, when Comcast, the
country's largest cable company, began throttling BitTorrent downloads, effectively putting a speed limit on
how fast they could go. The FCC put the kibosh on the practice, and ISPs, led by the mammoth Comcast,
sued. Then the FCC announced even more sweeping rules that it planned to enact in the future.
This week, a major legal ruling was handed down in the Comcast case, and the tide has now turned in favor
of the ISPs. The District of Columbia Court of Appeals said that the FCC had overstepped its authority in
mandating net neutrality and that ISPs should be free to manage traffic however they see fit, noting that
under current law, the FCC does not have "untrammeled freedom" to regulate broadband services. (In other
words, Congress would have to specifically grant such powers.) The ruling was unanimous among the three
judges on the panel.
Now net neutrality fans find themselves facing a serious uphill climb. Not only does the ruling open up the
way — for now — for ISPs to ask websites and service providers for money; it might also allow them to
restrict certain services from running on their networks entirely. Comcast, for example, may not want you to
watch Hulu on its service, since then you'd have less of a reason to pay $60 a month for cable TV. It may
also be able to ban VOIP services like Skype, so you'll pony up another $20 for wired telephone service. The
dominoes are already lining up.
What happens now? The FCC has more tricks up its sleeve. As the MSNBC story above notes, broadband service could be reclassified to fall under the other heavily regulated telecommunications services that the
FCC oversees, but that would likely result in additional legal wrangling and longer delays for the broadband
plan to go into effect, a so-called nuclear option that would turn the world of broadband into a bit of a
bureaucratic nightmare.
If it doesn't take this route, the FCC will instead have to ask Congress for the power to implement net
neutrality rules as it sees fit, but that's a political game in a time when Washington seems awfully low on
political capital. Don't rule out an appeal to the Supreme Court, either
Net (as in network) neutrality is the idea that all traffic on the Internet
should be treated equally and — more to the point — should come at
the same price. Right now, for instance, you don't have to pay more
to watch a YouTube video than you do to check your email, even
though the YouTube video eats up more bandwidth and, in theory,
costs your ISP more for you to watch.
Websites and most consumers love the idea of net neutrality.
ISPs, on the other hand, are not fans. In fact, the net neutrality
movement arose as a response to major ISPs' plans to attempt to
charge websites and service providers more for "better" service on
their networks. Fail to pay up and that YouTube video might take
twice as long to download ... or it may not download at all.
ISPs call this the cost of doing business and a necessary reality in an
era where bandwidth isn't growing but the amount of data being
pushed through the available pipes is.
Net neutrality proponents call this extortion.
No matter who is right, things were looking up for net neutrality fans
after the FCC and the Obama administration came out with specific
and strongly worded recommendations and plans that they would
push for net neutrality as the Obama broadband program (100Mbps
to everyone!) moved forward.
But the showdown had already begun prior to the Obama era, way back in 2007, when Comcast, the
country's largest cable company, began throttling BitTorrent downloads, effectively putting a speed limit on
how fast they could go. The FCC put the kibosh on the practice, and ISPs, led by the mammoth Comcast,
sued. Then the FCC announced even more sweeping rules that it planned to enact in the future.
This week, a major legal ruling was handed down in the Comcast case, and the tide has now turned in favor
of the ISPs. The District of Columbia Court of Appeals said that the FCC had overstepped its authority in
mandating net neutrality and that ISPs should be free to manage traffic however they see fit, noting that
under current law, the FCC does not have "untrammeled freedom" to regulate broadband services. (In other
words, Congress would have to specifically grant such powers.) The ruling was unanimous among the three
judges on the panel.
Now net neutrality fans find themselves facing a serious uphill climb. Not only does the ruling open up the
way — for now — for ISPs to ask websites and service providers for money; it might also allow them to
restrict certain services from running on their networks entirely. Comcast, for example, may not want you to
watch Hulu on its service, since then you'd have less of a reason to pay $60 a month for cable TV. It may
also be able to ban VOIP services like Skype, so you'll pony up another $20 for wired telephone service. The
dominoes are already lining up.
What happens now? The FCC has more tricks up its sleeve. As the MSNBC story above notes, broadband service could be reclassified to fall under the other heavily regulated telecommunications services that the
FCC oversees, but that would likely result in additional legal wrangling and longer delays for the broadband
plan to go into effect, a so-called nuclear option that would turn the world of broadband into a bit of a
bureaucratic nightmare.
If it doesn't take this route, the FCC will instead have to ask Congress for the power to implement net
neutrality rules as it sees fit, but that's a political game in a time when Washington seems awfully low on
political capital. Don't rule out an appeal to the Supreme Court, either
Monday, April 5, 2010
Create Better Passwords
No one expects to have their password jacked. That's why most people choose lousy ones to begin with. Below are the secrets to creating an impenetrable passcode for all your digital goodies:
For starters, scratch the first cutesy, memorable password that comes to mind. As technology advances, so do the tools for password cracking -- so you're going to have to pull out the big guns. Avoid any word that can be found in a dictionary. Other no-nos include using personal info (names, birthdays, etc.), or anything derived from a pattern. The more random your starting point, the better.
Step 2: Use Every Type of Character Available
Now that you're thinking outside the box, it's time to add complexity. Each addition of multiple character types (i.e., upper case/lower case letters, numbers, symbols) complicates any sort of would-be pattern. So, you'll want to use as many as possible. A good way to start is by taking a random string of letters, and then replacing some of the characters with numbers ("1" for "l" and so on). After you've got a decent letter/number mix going, go back and sporadically add symbols. If the end result looks like gibberish then you're on the right track.
Step 3: Go For Length
Committing 40 random characters to memory can be a daunting task. On the flip side, a five character password is a security nightmare waiting to happen. Ideally, you'll want to find a middle ground when it comes to length. A password that you can't remember is useless, but try to stretch your mnemonic boundaries. Taking the time to add a few extra characters outside your comfort zone can increase the number of possibilities exponentially.
Step 4: Rotate Regularly
Don't get too comfortable with your new creation. It'll only be a matter of time before it needs changing. Even though you've created the ideal 'unguessable' password, there's the still a chance that the information can be gleaned through a keylogging program or social engineering. The best way to combat this is to keep your password changing. Choosing a set 'rotation day' every month should throw any would-be snoops off the scent.
For starters, scratch the first cutesy, memorable password that comes to mind. As technology advances, so do the tools for password cracking -- so you're going to have to pull out the big guns. Avoid any word that can be found in a dictionary. Other no-nos include using personal info (names, birthdays, etc.), or anything derived from a pattern. The more random your starting point, the better.
Step 2: Use Every Type of Character Available
Now that you're thinking outside the box, it's time to add complexity. Each addition of multiple character types (i.e., upper case/lower case letters, numbers, symbols) complicates any sort of would-be pattern. So, you'll want to use as many as possible. A good way to start is by taking a random string of letters, and then replacing some of the characters with numbers ("1" for "l" and so on). After you've got a decent letter/number mix going, go back and sporadically add symbols. If the end result looks like gibberish then you're on the right track.
Step 3: Go For Length
Committing 40 random characters to memory can be a daunting task. On the flip side, a five character password is a security nightmare waiting to happen. Ideally, you'll want to find a middle ground when it comes to length. A password that you can't remember is useless, but try to stretch your mnemonic boundaries. Taking the time to add a few extra characters outside your comfort zone can increase the number of possibilities exponentially.
Step 4: Rotate Regularly
Don't get too comfortable with your new creation. It'll only be a matter of time before it needs changing. Even though you've created the ideal 'unguessable' password, there's the still a chance that the information can be gleaned through a keylogging program or social engineering. The best way to combat this is to keep your password changing. Choosing a set 'rotation day' every month should throw any would-be snoops off the scent.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Como protejer a nuestros hijos en el internet
En más de un año que tenemos impartiendo clases de computación, una de las preguntas que siempre me hacen los padres, especialmente los que tenemos niños en casa, es como blockear que mi hijo entre a sitios web con contenido para adultos o de violencia?
Existen varios programas y cosas que podemos hacer en nuestra computadora.
El mejor programa que nosotros hemos experimentado y es gratis se llama K9 Web Protection http://www1.k9webprotection.com/
K9 Web Protection es un programa de software de control creado por Blue Coat Systems, similar a NetNanny, CyberSitter, y ContentProtect.
El software funciona sin necesidad de descargar una base de datos a la computadora en lugar de eso mira a una base de datos en Internet. Esto significa que la computadora sólo necesita una parte muy pequeña de código y el usuario puede aprovechar la base de datos se actualiza constantemente.
K9 Web Protection es un software que es gratuito para uso doméstico
Windows Vista y Windows 7 tiene un programa se llama parental controls
El control parental integrado de Windows Vista y windows7 ayuda a los padres a determinar qué juegos pueden jugar sus hijos, qué programas pueden utilizar, y los sitios web que pueden visitar y cuándo. Los padres pueden restringir el uso de la computadora para momentos específicos y la confianza de que Windows Vista y Windows 7 hará cumplir las restricciones, incluso cuando están lejos de casa.
Informes de actividad
En el panel de parental control, puede revisar los informes de actividad que muestran cómo sus hijos han estado usando la computadora y, a continuación, perfeccionar y modificar los controles de los padres basados en la retroalimentación efectiva. Para sus hijos, el icono de parental control en la bandeja del sistema es siempre visible para hacerles saber que la función de parental control está encendida.
Plazos para el uso de la computadora
Con Windows Vista, puedes decidir cuándo sus hijos están autorizados o no autorizados, a utilizar el equipo. Se le presentará una cuadrícula con los días de la semana y las horas del día.
Con internet explore
Entra al internet Explorer, busca el menu tools, luego options internet, luego content (contenido), y activa el menu de enable (proteccion), te aparece un menu con los contenidos del internet, lenguaje, desnudos, violencia, etc.
ponlo en el nivel máximo, te va a pedir que crees una contraseña, y así vas a poder restringir el acceso a esas páginas. Algunos sitios tampoco van a poder accesarse, solo escribi tu contraseña y dale permitir el acceso a este sitio permanentemente, es un poco laborioso al principio, pero solo requiere un poco de práctica.
Con Mozilla firefox
Puedes bajar el plugin ProCon Latte https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1803
De ProCon es un filtro de contenido para el navegador Firefox. Se puede filtrar cualquier tipo de material (pornografía, juegos, hacking, cracking, etc ..), también puede bloquear todo el tráfico, asegurándose de que sólo sitios web deseado (en la lista blanca) se puede acceder, e incluye un filtro de profanidad , todos los * como * un filtro de control parental.
De ProCon también tiene protección de contraseña a fin de mantener * otros * de cambiar la configuración.
Espero estos concejos les ayude a mantener un mejor control de lo que hacen nuestros hijos con la computadora, Pero el mejor control que no va a fallar somos nosotros los padres estemos con ellos cuando estén en el internet, pongamos la computadora en un lugar abierto, hablemos con ellos, conozcamos a sus maestros y amigos. Seamos Padres.
Si necesitan ayuda estoy para servirles
Isabel Zepeda
www.pro-tech-solutions.com
847-829-1040
Existen varios programas y cosas que podemos hacer en nuestra computadora.
El mejor programa que nosotros hemos experimentado y es gratis se llama K9 Web Protection http://www1.k9webprotection.com/
K9 Web Protection es un programa de software de control creado por Blue Coat Systems, similar a NetNanny, CyberSitter, y ContentProtect.
El software funciona sin necesidad de descargar una base de datos a la computadora en lugar de eso mira a una base de datos en Internet. Esto significa que la computadora sólo necesita una parte muy pequeña de código y el usuario puede aprovechar la base de datos se actualiza constantemente.
K9 Web Protection es un software que es gratuito para uso doméstico
Windows Vista y Windows 7 tiene un programa se llama parental controls
El control parental integrado de Windows Vista y windows7 ayuda a los padres a determinar qué juegos pueden jugar sus hijos, qué programas pueden utilizar, y los sitios web que pueden visitar y cuándo. Los padres pueden restringir el uso de la computadora para momentos específicos y la confianza de que Windows Vista y Windows 7 hará cumplir las restricciones, incluso cuando están lejos de casa.
Informes de actividad
En el panel de parental control, puede revisar los informes de actividad que muestran cómo sus hijos han estado usando la computadora y, a continuación, perfeccionar y modificar los controles de los padres basados en la retroalimentación efectiva. Para sus hijos, el icono de parental control en la bandeja del sistema es siempre visible para hacerles saber que la función de parental control está encendida.
Plazos para el uso de la computadora
Con Windows Vista, puedes decidir cuándo sus hijos están autorizados o no autorizados, a utilizar el equipo. Se le presentará una cuadrícula con los días de la semana y las horas del día.
Con internet explore
Entra al internet Explorer, busca el menu tools, luego options internet, luego content (contenido), y activa el menu de enable (proteccion), te aparece un menu con los contenidos del internet, lenguaje, desnudos, violencia, etc.
ponlo en el nivel máximo, te va a pedir que crees una contraseña, y así vas a poder restringir el acceso a esas páginas. Algunos sitios tampoco van a poder accesarse, solo escribi tu contraseña y dale permitir el acceso a este sitio permanentemente, es un poco laborioso al principio, pero solo requiere un poco de práctica.
Con Mozilla firefox
Puedes bajar el plugin ProCon Latte https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1803
De ProCon es un filtro de contenido para el navegador Firefox. Se puede filtrar cualquier tipo de material (pornografía, juegos, hacking, cracking, etc ..), también puede bloquear todo el tráfico, asegurándose de que sólo sitios web deseado (en la lista blanca) se puede acceder, e incluye un filtro de profanidad , todos los * como * un filtro de control parental.
De ProCon también tiene protección de contraseña a fin de mantener * otros * de cambiar la configuración.
Espero estos concejos les ayude a mantener un mejor control de lo que hacen nuestros hijos con la computadora, Pero el mejor control que no va a fallar somos nosotros los padres estemos con ellos cuando estén en el internet, pongamos la computadora en un lugar abierto, hablemos con ellos, conozcamos a sus maestros y amigos. Seamos Padres.
Si necesitan ayuda estoy para servirles
Isabel Zepeda
www.pro-tech-solutions.com
847-829-1040
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Access Your Computer Remotely
Step 1. PC users: If you are running WinXP Home, you can use Microsoft's Remote Desktop software or install a free VNC server like TightVNC. WinXP Pro and Windows Vista or later have Remote Desktop Connection built into it. Simply right-click on "My Computer", select "Properties" and click on the "Remote" tab. Check the box to enable remote access.
Mac OS X users: Macs have a remote screen sharing program built in. If you want to share your Windows desktop from your Mac, download Microsoft's Remote Desktop Connection software for Mac OS X.
Step 2. Sign up for a domain name service like DynDNS, which lets you assign an easy-to-remember name (adrienne.is-a-geek .net, for example) to your home connection's ever-changing IP address. For in-depth instructions, see our article Set Up Dynamic DNS.
Step 3. Configure port forwarding on your home router to allow remote access. Check your router's user manual for directions, or visit your router's page on portforward.com for specific instructions. Don't have a router? Try a web-based app like LogMeIn. Note: the default port for Remote Desktop on Windows XP is 3389.
Step 4. If you don't want to use the operating system's remote desktop software (mentioned in Step 1), install a VNC viewer on the remote machine instead. For Macs, try JollysFastVNC. For PCs, TightVNC's viewer component is good. Now simply enter your home computer's domain name and you're in!
Step 5. Remember: VNC isn't secure. If you're worried about eavesdroppers, ask someone even geekier than us to help you set up an encrypted SSH tunnel. Doug Bowman has an informative article about setting up SSHTM on a Mac. We recommend running your remote desktop through a non-standard port and pick solid passwords. Beware: there are bots that try common usernames and passwords on public IP addresses.
Mac OS X users: Macs have a remote screen sharing program built in. If you want to share your Windows desktop from your Mac, download Microsoft's Remote Desktop Connection software for Mac OS X.
Step 2. Sign up for a domain name service like DynDNS, which lets you assign an easy-to-remember name (adrienne.is-a-geek .net, for example) to your home connection's ever-changing IP address. For in-depth instructions, see our article Set Up Dynamic DNS.
Step 3. Configure port forwarding on your home router to allow remote access. Check your router's user manual for directions, or visit your router's page on portforward.com for specific instructions. Don't have a router? Try a web-based app like LogMeIn. Note: the default port for Remote Desktop on Windows XP is 3389.
Step 4. If you don't want to use the operating system's remote desktop software (mentioned in Step 1), install a VNC viewer on the remote machine instead. For Macs, try JollysFastVNC. For PCs, TightVNC's viewer component is good. Now simply enter your home computer's domain name and you're in!
Step 5. Remember: VNC isn't secure. If you're worried about eavesdroppers, ask someone even geekier than us to help you set up an encrypted SSH tunnel. Doug Bowman has an informative article about setting up SSHTM on a Mac. We recommend running your remote desktop through a non-standard port and pick solid passwords. Beware: there are bots that try common usernames and passwords on public IP addresses.
Monday, January 4, 2010
The Decade’s 10 Most Dastardly Cybercrimes
It was the decade of the mega-heist, when stolen credit card magstripe tracks became the pork bellies of a new underground marketplace, Eastern European hackers turned malware writing into an art, and a nasty new crop of purpose-driven computer worms struck dread in the heart of America.
Now that the zero days are behind us, it’s time to reflect on the most ingenious, destructive or groundbreaking cybercrimes of the first 10 years of the new millennium.
Mafiaboy 2000 Once upon a time, “distributed denial of service attacks” were just a way for quarreling hackers to knock each other out of IRC. Then one day in February 2000, a 15-year-old Canadian named Michael “MafiaBoy” Calce experimentally programmed his botnet to hose down the highest traffic websites he could find. CNN, Yahoo, Amazon, eBay, Dell and eTrade all buckled under the deluge, leading to national headlines and an emergency meeting of security experts at the White House.
Compared to modern DDoS attacks, MafiaBoy’s was trivial. But his was the cyberstrike that put the internet’s security issues on a national stage, and inaugurated an era where any pissed off script kiddy could take down part of the web at will.
2002
California Payroll Database Breach
On April 5, 2002, an unidentified hacker penetrated a California server housing the state government’s payroll database, gaining access to names, Social Security numbers and salary information for 265,000 state workers from the governor on down. The breach itself was small potatoes, but when it emerged that the California Controller’s Office had waited two weeks to warn the victims, angry lawmakers reacted by passing the nation’s first breach disclosure law, SB1386.
The law requires hacked organizations to promptly warn potential identity theft victims. Its passage pulled the rock off the string of major corporate breaches that companies would have preferred to hush up. Today, 45 states have enacted similar laws.
2003
Slammer
In 2003, fear came in 376 bytes. The lightning-fast Slammer worm targeted a hole in Microsoft’s SQL server, and despite striking six months after a fix was released, the malware cracked an estimated 75,000 unpatched servers in the space of hours. Bank of America and Washington Mutual ATM networks ground to a halt. Continental Airlines delayed and canceled flights when its ticketing system got gummed up. Seattle lost its emergency 911 network, and a nuclear power plant in Ohio lost a safety monitoring system.
Slammer wasn’t the biggest worm ever, but in its aggressive, relentless spread, it exposed the secret interconnections that corporations were foolishly allowing between important private networks and the public internet.
2004
Foonet
Jay Echouafni
Years before there was a Russian Business Network, a small ISP hosted in a suburban basement in Ohio gained the dubious reputation as the first black-hat hosting company. It was a safe spot for hackers and packet monkeys to attack an unsuspecting internet. Foonet’s hosted clients included Carder Planet — the dedicated “carder forum” for credit card hackers — and its IRC servers were where legendary German hacker Axel “Ago” Gembe controlled his Agobot network of compromised Windows boxes.
2006
The Los Angeles Traffic Signal Attack
When Los Angeles traffic engineers went on strike in August 2006, the city decided not to take any chances: They temporarily blocked most access to the computer that controls 3,200 traffic signals throughout the City of Angels. Two of the striking engineers hacked in anyway. From a laptop, Kartik Patel and Gabriel Murillo picked four key intersections and changed the timing on the traffic signals so the most congested approach would hit long red lights.
The timing tweaks wreaked havoc in a city already flirting with gridlock, according to the Los Angeles Times, snarling traffic at the Los Angeles International Airport, backing up the Glendale Freeway and paralyzing Little Tokyo and the streets of the downtown Civic Center.
Now that the zero days are behind us, it’s time to reflect on the most ingenious, destructive or groundbreaking cybercrimes of the first 10 years of the new millennium.
Mafiaboy 2000 Once upon a time, “distributed denial of service attacks” were just a way for quarreling hackers to knock each other out of IRC. Then one day in February 2000, a 15-year-old Canadian named Michael “MafiaBoy” Calce experimentally programmed his botnet to hose down the highest traffic websites he could find. CNN, Yahoo, Amazon, eBay, Dell and eTrade all buckled under the deluge, leading to national headlines and an emergency meeting of security experts at the White House.
Compared to modern DDoS attacks, MafiaBoy’s was trivial. But his was the cyberstrike that put the internet’s security issues on a national stage, and inaugurated an era where any pissed off script kiddy could take down part of the web at will.
2002
California Payroll Database Breach
On April 5, 2002, an unidentified hacker penetrated a California server housing the state government’s payroll database, gaining access to names, Social Security numbers and salary information for 265,000 state workers from the governor on down. The breach itself was small potatoes, but when it emerged that the California Controller’s Office had waited two weeks to warn the victims, angry lawmakers reacted by passing the nation’s first breach disclosure law, SB1386.
The law requires hacked organizations to promptly warn potential identity theft victims. Its passage pulled the rock off the string of major corporate breaches that companies would have preferred to hush up. Today, 45 states have enacted similar laws.
2003
Slammer
In 2003, fear came in 376 bytes. The lightning-fast Slammer worm targeted a hole in Microsoft’s SQL server, and despite striking six months after a fix was released, the malware cracked an estimated 75,000 unpatched servers in the space of hours. Bank of America and Washington Mutual ATM networks ground to a halt. Continental Airlines delayed and canceled flights when its ticketing system got gummed up. Seattle lost its emergency 911 network, and a nuclear power plant in Ohio lost a safety monitoring system.
Slammer wasn’t the biggest worm ever, but in its aggressive, relentless spread, it exposed the secret interconnections that corporations were foolishly allowing between important private networks and the public internet.
2004
Foonet
Jay Echouafni
Years before there was a Russian Business Network, a small ISP hosted in a suburban basement in Ohio gained the dubious reputation as the first black-hat hosting company. It was a safe spot for hackers and packet monkeys to attack an unsuspecting internet. Foonet’s hosted clients included Carder Planet — the dedicated “carder forum” for credit card hackers — and its IRC servers were where legendary German hacker Axel “Ago” Gembe controlled his Agobot network of compromised Windows boxes.
2006
The Los Angeles Traffic Signal Attack
When Los Angeles traffic engineers went on strike in August 2006, the city decided not to take any chances: They temporarily blocked most access to the computer that controls 3,200 traffic signals throughout the City of Angels. Two of the striking engineers hacked in anyway. From a laptop, Kartik Patel and Gabriel Murillo picked four key intersections and changed the timing on the traffic signals so the most congested approach would hit long red lights.
The timing tweaks wreaked havoc in a city already flirting with gridlock, according to the Los Angeles Times, snarling traffic at the Los Angeles International Airport, backing up the Glendale Freeway and paralyzing Little Tokyo and the streets of the downtown Civic Center.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Back Up Your Data on a Windows PC
Nothing you do with a computer will ever be as important as making a solid backup. Hard drives crash, and when yours does, unless you have a backup, you'll find yourself facing expensive data recovery services or worse: lost data.
Now that Windows 7 has been released, many Windows users will be looking to back up their documents and media before upgrading -- an absolutely critical step. Luckily, Windows users have many options, including a very nice built-in back up program that ships with both Windows XP and Vista. Regrettably, the program is somewhat buried, so many users aren't familiar with it.
Depending on your needs, the built-in option may be sufficient. If you'd like an option with some bells and whistles not found in Microsoft's program, numerous third-party apps have got you covered.
There are a number of serious challenges when transferring backups between old and new operating systems. Many backup solutions aren't yet avaiable on Windows 7, or don't work on Windows 7 (e.g. NTBACKUP.EXE), or don't work on Windows 7 and never will be (e.g. Live One Care). There are also complications with correct placement of user settings and user data on a Windows 7 system. Many standard directories have moved, or work differently, and many settings need special treatment when transferring.
Microsoft's Windows Easy Transfer utility provides a one-stop solution.
The Windows Easy Transfer utility provides a number of ways to transfer data from an old computer to a new computer; but it works equally well for transferring data from an old Windows operating system to a freshly installed version of Windows 7. Microsoft specifically recommends this path when upgrading from Windows XP to Windows 7; but it also works when upgrading from Windows Vista 32-bit, to Windows 7 64-bit, or when upgrading to a clean install of Windows 7. Even if you are rolling the dice and performing an in-place Vista-32 to Windows 7-32 upgrade (which actually does work), you may want to consider using Windows Easy Transfer in order to provide a temporary backup of your user data.
Windows Easy Transfer allows you to back up all user files and settings for all users on the computer to an external or network drive. Once you have installed a clean copy of the operating system, you can restore user files and settings to the freshly installed operating system.
Versions of Windows Easy Transfer are available for download for 32-bit XP, 64-bit XP, and for32-bit and 64-bit Vista.
Download and run Windows Easy Tranfer for your platform. When prompted, select "An external hard drive or USB Flash Drive" as the method for transferring data from the old operating system to the new operating system. Later on in the UI sequence you will be asked where you want to store the resulting Easy Transfer file. Despite the title of the option, you can place the file on a secondary internal drive if you want. Just make sure you don't reformat the secondary drive, and lose the transfer file, while installing your shiny new copy of Windows 7.
It's not at all obvious what Windows Easy Transfer does transfer; but my experience has been that it tranfers pretty much everything except files in the Program Files and c:\windows directories. The very last item in the scan report is "Shared Items". And included in the "Shared Items" category are all files and folders that are not otherwise included in user profile directories. You can click on the Shared Item's "Customize" link and then the "Advanced" link to see the list of all files and folders that will be backed up for transfer. By default, pretty much everything was selected or backup on my system, including a few things that I could have done without, such as my "Recorded TV", c:\cygwin, and complete copies of a number of errant programs that had installed themselves outside of the c:\program files, and e:\program files directory.
There are also a number of quirks that I encountered that I would rather have known about before I ran it. When bringing up your clean copy of Windows 7, you need to create an account with the same name as the account you used to create the backup. If the account is different, then all user profile settings for the old account will be restored to the account you are currently using, renaming the account in the process. All other accounts in the backup are created and restored with correct names. Also, if you have multiple disks in the backup, but don't have matching drives when restoring, all folders will be merged onto the single disk when restoring. If there are folders with the same name on both drives on the source system, then they will be merged into the same folder when restoring. In my case, that's pretty much what I wanted, but I have no idea what would happen if there were collisions between data files.
The very nice thing about the Windows Easy Transfer process is that it provides a complete temporary backup while upgrading. If the upgrade fails, you can always restore your transfer to a fresh copy of XP, and be back where you started.
You can also selective restore files, in multiple passes when restoring the easy transfer. My complete recorded TV files for all of Battlestar Gallactica season 4, for example, took 14 hours to back up, when creating the inital transfer. When restoring, I was able to deselect these files, reducing the restore time to a bit over 1 1/2 hours. Now that the DVD set is out, I probably never will restore them, honestly.
Now that you have safely transferred your data, you can turn your attention to simpler challenges, such as reinstalling all your software (which doesn't get backed up by Easy Transfer by default); and finding a new backup program that actually works on Windows 7.
Now that Windows 7 has been released, many Windows users will be looking to back up their documents and media before upgrading -- an absolutely critical step. Luckily, Windows users have many options, including a very nice built-in back up program that ships with both Windows XP and Vista. Regrettably, the program is somewhat buried, so many users aren't familiar with it.
Depending on your needs, the built-in option may be sufficient. If you'd like an option with some bells and whistles not found in Microsoft's program, numerous third-party apps have got you covered.
There are a number of serious challenges when transferring backups between old and new operating systems. Many backup solutions aren't yet avaiable on Windows 7, or don't work on Windows 7 (e.g. NTBACKUP.EXE), or don't work on Windows 7 and never will be (e.g. Live One Care). There are also complications with correct placement of user settings and user data on a Windows 7 system. Many standard directories have moved, or work differently, and many settings need special treatment when transferring.
Microsoft's Windows Easy Transfer utility provides a one-stop solution.
The Windows Easy Transfer utility provides a number of ways to transfer data from an old computer to a new computer; but it works equally well for transferring data from an old Windows operating system to a freshly installed version of Windows 7. Microsoft specifically recommends this path when upgrading from Windows XP to Windows 7; but it also works when upgrading from Windows Vista 32-bit, to Windows 7 64-bit, or when upgrading to a clean install of Windows 7. Even if you are rolling the dice and performing an in-place Vista-32 to Windows 7-32 upgrade (which actually does work), you may want to consider using Windows Easy Transfer in order to provide a temporary backup of your user data.
Windows Easy Transfer allows you to back up all user files and settings for all users on the computer to an external or network drive. Once you have installed a clean copy of the operating system, you can restore user files and settings to the freshly installed operating system.
Versions of Windows Easy Transfer are available for download for 32-bit XP, 64-bit XP, and for32-bit and 64-bit Vista.
Download and run Windows Easy Tranfer for your platform. When prompted, select "An external hard drive or USB Flash Drive" as the method for transferring data from the old operating system to the new operating system. Later on in the UI sequence you will be asked where you want to store the resulting Easy Transfer file. Despite the title of the option, you can place the file on a secondary internal drive if you want. Just make sure you don't reformat the secondary drive, and lose the transfer file, while installing your shiny new copy of Windows 7.
It's not at all obvious what Windows Easy Transfer does transfer; but my experience has been that it tranfers pretty much everything except files in the Program Files and c:\windows directories. The very last item in the scan report is "Shared Items". And included in the "Shared Items" category are all files and folders that are not otherwise included in user profile directories. You can click on the Shared Item's "Customize" link and then the "Advanced" link to see the list of all files and folders that will be backed up for transfer. By default, pretty much everything was selected or backup on my system, including a few things that I could have done without, such as my "Recorded TV", c:\cygwin, and complete copies of a number of errant programs that had installed themselves outside of the c:\program files, and e:\program files directory.
There are also a number of quirks that I encountered that I would rather have known about before I ran it. When bringing up your clean copy of Windows 7, you need to create an account with the same name as the account you used to create the backup. If the account is different, then all user profile settings for the old account will be restored to the account you are currently using, renaming the account in the process. All other accounts in the backup are created and restored with correct names. Also, if you have multiple disks in the backup, but don't have matching drives when restoring, all folders will be merged onto the single disk when restoring. If there are folders with the same name on both drives on the source system, then they will be merged into the same folder when restoring. In my case, that's pretty much what I wanted, but I have no idea what would happen if there were collisions between data files.
The very nice thing about the Windows Easy Transfer process is that it provides a complete temporary backup while upgrading. If the upgrade fails, you can always restore your transfer to a fresh copy of XP, and be back where you started.
You can also selective restore files, in multiple passes when restoring the easy transfer. My complete recorded TV files for all of Battlestar Gallactica season 4, for example, took 14 hours to back up, when creating the inital transfer. When restoring, I was able to deselect these files, reducing the restore time to a bit over 1 1/2 hours. Now that the DVD set is out, I probably never will restore them, honestly.
Now that you have safely transferred your data, you can turn your attention to simpler challenges, such as reinstalling all your software (which doesn't get backed up by Easy Transfer by default); and finding a new backup program that actually works on Windows 7.
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