Keyloggers – What are they – What are they used for – Where to get them

Disclaimer: I hold no responsibility for the actions that are caused by the information provided in the below article. It was created for educational purposes and as an informant to people.

What is a KeyLogger: A keylogger is anything that logs the keystrokes on your keyboard and saves it to a file for later use.

First of all I would like to say that this article alone does not do justice on the topic of keyloggers. It was written purely as a basic informant to let you as the reader become aware of the different techniques that people are using in order to steal data.

So, let’s get right to it then shall we?

There are many types of keyloggers niz: software keyloggers and hardware keyloggers. The most common that you would find is a software keylogger which is a piece of software/program that runs in the backround of your computer as you work and logs the keystrokes from your keyboard as you type.

Hardware keyloggers on the other hand are harder to detect as they are physical peripherals and are sometimes more advanced. They are plugged into your computer via USB for example, log your keystrokes and can sometimes have their own memory.

..Scary thought!

In todays deceptive times, malicious people (note the word that I use are not “hackers”) use keyloggers for malicious purposes. We have heard numerous stories in which keyloggers have been planted on users PC’s without them having known in order to obtain personal data such as credit card numbers, passwords, chat coversations, emails and other details. The thief then uses the obtained information to their advantage in order to cripple the victim or however they please.

However, keyloggers can be used correctly with good intentions and can be installed by you as the owner of the PC in order to monitor the activities that occur on your computer.

Why?

Simply to observe when and what occured on your PC. (Very handy for you paranoid people out there!)

There are many available keyloggers floating around the internet, many of which are free while others require you to purchase them. They come in all sorts of flavours offering different features.

Some of the features that you would find in a keylogger are:

• Starting up as your computer boots
• Running invisibly unnoticed (Stealth mode)
• Having the ability to hide itself from the Task Manager, Startup entries and Uninstall list
• Sending the logfile of the logged keystrokes as an email attachment to a recipient
• Taking screenshots at random intervals
• Capturing websites visited
• Logging passwords

These are but a few features offered in different keyloggers. At the end of the day, it’s up to the imagination of the programmer when it comes to creating a keylogger.

Where can I download a keylogger?

One such example of a simple FREE keylogger is: KidLogger

Feel free to search for other kinds of keyloggers that suite your needs and desires.

Keyloggers are a scary thought, but they are out there.

Remember to always keep your anti-virus definitions up to date and take note of any unusual activities that might be occuring on your computer.

For more information or help, feel free to contact me at: id3ntity@gmail.com

- Imraan Moosa

How to download YouTube Videos onto your PC

Disclaimer: I hold no responsibility for the actions that are caused by this tutorial. It was created and written solely for educational purposes.

So, you’ve all watched a YouTube video one time or another. It’s a pretty neat site. But the question is, how do we download those videos onto our computer so that we can view them at pleasure whenever we like?

The thing is, It’s pretty easy actually.

Step 1: Go to your favourite YouTube video that you like.

In this example I will be using: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpzEF0D2xfE

Step 2: Change the address in your address bar to: http://www.youtube.com/watch/v/OpzEF0D2xfE from the existing address. (Notice that the video that you chose is now displayed in full screen on your browser after you have entered that address.)

We now have: http://www.youtube.com/swf/l.swf?video_id=OpzEF0D2xfE&rel=1&eurl=&iurl=http%3A//i.ytimg.com/vi/OpzEF0D2xfE/default.jpg&t=OEgsToPDskKV3TW959M8Eq_k8jVj5y0Q displayed in our address bar.

Funky hey?

Step 3: Open up notepad or any other text editor. Copy down the video id ie: OpzEF0D2xfE in our example. Then, copy everything from the &t ie: &t=OEgsToPDskKV3TW959M8Eq_k8jVj5y0Q

..We are almost there, hold onto your socks!

Step 4: Now enter this address in your browser: http://www.youtube.com/get_video.php?video_id=

Step 5: Paste the information that copied earlier into your browser window ie: http://www.youtube.com/get_video.php?video_id=OpzEF0D2xfE&t=OEgsToPDskKV3TW959M8Eq_k8jVj5y0Q

Step 6: Choose to save the file onto your computer and name it as MyVideo.flv (Remember to name the file extension to .FLV)

Once the file has been downloaded onto your computer you can view it with a number of .flv flash players. 

Download .FLV Flash Player! 

That’s it folkes. Have fun

- Imraan Moosa

Android — The open source mobile device platform?

Definition of Android:  An artificial being designed to resemble a human being in as many ways as possible, and whose physiology and life functions replicate and mimic those of human beings as closely as possible.

 Android is a software platform and operating system for mobile devices based on the Linux operating system and developed by Google and the Open Handset Alliance. It allows developers to write managed code in a Java-like language that utilizes Google-developed Java libraries, but does not support programs developed in native code. According to the Open Handset Alliance, “ Android was built from the ground-up to enable developers to create compelling mobile applications that take full advantage of all a handset has to offer. It is built to be truly open. For example, an application could call upon any of the phone’s core functionality such as making calls, sending text messages, or using the camera, allowing developers to create richer and more cohesive experiences for users. Android is built on the open Linux Kernel. Furthermore, it utilizes a custom virtual machine that has been designed to optimize memory and hardware resources in a mobile environment. Android will be open source; it can be liberally extended to incorporate new cutting edge technologies as they emerge. The platform will continue to evolve as the developer community works together to build innovative mobile applications. “

Links to more Android information:

http://code.google.com/android/what-is-android.html

http://www.openhandsetalliance.com/android_overview.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_(mobile_phone_platform)

The unveiling of the Android platform on 5 November 2007 was announced with the founding of the Open Handset Alliance, a consortium of 34 hardware, software and telecom companies devoted to advancing open standards for mobile devices. When released in 2008, most of the Android platform will be made available under the Apache free-software and open-source license. – (Wikipedia)

VLC Media Player

About VLC Media Player:

VLC media player is a FREE highly portable multimedia player for various audio and video formats (MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX, mp3, ogg, …) as well as DVDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols.
It can also be used as a server to stream in unicast or multicast in IPv4 or IPv6 on a high-bandwidth network.
It doesn’t need any external codec or program to work.

Download VLC Media Player NOW! (Windows)

Other OS: See Here!

Introducing your company in 1 fleeting shot

As Andy Warhol’s fifteen minutes of fame shrinks to the size of the 10-second sound bite, entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs often have one fleeting shot at introducing their company to a key business decision-maker. Voice mail is often the first place you have to make your case.

It may take you days to write a proposal, or organize your thoughts for a presentation. But the busy person you are writing for—-the new client or customer, corporate executive or investment banker—-more than likely has only ten minutes to spare.

Whether launching a new product, fishing for an investor, or introducing your company to a purchasing manager at a trade fair, you must be able to make your information leap to the top of the stack of faxes and overnight letter-packages, media kits and leave-behinds that are competing for attention. One can no longer rely on a clever design or fancy folder to do the job. In an era of standardization and keyword searches, what matters most is what you say.

First you will be targeted. You will select the purpose of your profile. Are you seeking capital, contract, partner, or a client/customer? This is the anchor of your profile, and if you organize your information around the purpose you are seeking—-if you target it to your audience (whether that be one person or thousands) you will naturally organize your presentation with that audience in mind.

Then you will be persuasive. You should hone your writing style, organize your thoughts into appropriate subject categories and zero in on the information that is most likely to persuade your audience to respond favorably.

Finally you will be brief. Your final document should fit on a single page, or two, including optional paragraph headers, your company logo and address.

A writing tool is only half complete in this multimedia world, if it does not assist you to take your company to the next level, a kind of primer on style, that practically shakes hands with your audience -that puts your company profile on their desktops, in their briefcases, and in their faces.

The more you write, rewrite and refine your company profile—-the more you think through your information, the words you use and your purpose—-the more likely you are to find your company profile sitting on the top of your recipient’s in-box.

Source: BusinessProfiler

Windows Media Player – Sound but no video content?

Ahoy there my fellow friends.

In today’s tips and tricks, we will be discussing a simple solution to a common problem niz: “HeLPP MEee! When I play a video file/DVD I can only hear the sound but no picture/video content!!“

The first step that I would like you as the victim to do is.. Breathe. Relax. The world hasn’t come to and end. Trust me.

Your Windows Media Player is simply lacking a codec!

And so you ask..What exactly is a codec?

A codec (compression/decompression) is a mathematical algorithm that is used to encode and decode media formats such as .avi, .mpeg etc.

And then you so brilliantly ask, Where do I get this codec from?

Fortunately for us, Windows Media Player has an option built within it to automatically download codecs for us. Cool or what!?

Step 1: Fire up Windows Media Player ( Windows XP: Start > All Programs > Accessories > Entertainment > Windows Media Player )

Step 2: Go to: Tools > Options and under the ‘Player’ tab, Check the “Download codecs automatically” checkbox.

Step 3: Restart your Windows Media Player and make sure that you have established an internet connection.

..That’s it. Simple, nifty and uncomplicated.

Alternatively, you could download  VLC media player which is a FREE software solution that has the ability to play lots of different video formats.

Enjoy.

- Imraan Moosa