Open DNS: A big DNS Cache

Posted on September 15, 2007 by Vaibhav Pandey

To begin with, i thought of writing a little about DNS and then moving on. So here I am, beginning with a very basic question ” What is DNS ? “.

                                                            What is DNS

Ok, having written that, i also need to write the explanation for this question. :). So here you go:

DNS stands for Domain Name System.Whenever we type a URL in our browser, it is first translated into computer translated numbers. In short, DNS is a database system that translates a fully qualified domain name into an IP Address.

Usually, most networks use the DNS servers provided by their ISP’s or run their own small DNS Server.

I was looking for a DNS server which really gives a boost to my internet speed and also adds some crispiness to my internet broadband connection. Thats when i found OpenDNS. OpenDNS is free, fast and secure DNS Server. As per the website:

OpenDNS is a better DNS, free to all. OpenDNS uses its distributed network of DNS servers to speed up your Internet experience, increase reliability, improve security and make DNS smarter for users all over the world.

OpenDNS

OpenDNS is a zero downtime service. Personally, i have been liking it since the day i started using it. Also, the thing that impresses me about OpenDNS are the features that come along with it. Once the setup is complete ( which is as simple as changing the IP on your computer ), OpenDNS blocks unsafe websites and also fixes up the mistyped domain names.

The key question that might and rather should come to anyone’s mind is ” How can OpenDNS be free?”. The answer to this key question is; OpenDNS makes money by placing advertisements on pages for domains which do not exist.

Try out OpenDNS by clicking here.

If you find the service interesting, do let me know.

Cheers,

Vaibhav

Filed under: 3G, flash, Linux, Mac, OpenDNS, POP 3, powerpoint, ProcessIdleTasks, registry hacks, SMTP, SOA, StarOffice, Technology, Tips, Tricks, Unix, web, WiFi, Windows, YouTube | Tagged: , | 8 Comments »

How does Email Scanning Work?

Posted on August 31, 2007 by Vaibhav Pandey

Its a known fact that the emails we receive/ send are scanned before they reach us/intended recipient.
I thought of putting below a diagram describing how the entire stuff happens.

Email Scanning

Lets first discuss how the entire flow works in case of Incoming Mails.

  • All the incoming mails ( infected/clean) irrespective of there status are sent to the Antivirus software’s temporary folder where they are scanned for infections by the software.
  • In case, the Antivirus is not able to clean the mail, the item is moved to the quarantined items folder.
  • All clean/disinfected mails are then sent to the Exchange server from where they can be pulled by the Email Client.

In case of Outgoing mails, the following flow holds good.

  • All mails from the Email Client are pushed to the Exchange Server.
  • The mails are then moved to the Antivirus Software’s Temporary folder for scanning.
  • In case, the mail is found infected and is out of the scope of clean function, its moved to the Quarantined Items Folder.
  • All clean and disinfected mails are sent back to the Exchange server from where they are rolled out for the intended recipients.

Please note that this is a pseudo algorithm describing how Antivirus Softwares actually work. This might differ from software to software.

Also read: Top 3 FREE Antivirus Applications

Cheers,

Vaibhav

Filed under: barcampbangalore4, comics, Firefox, Lifehacker, Linux, Microsoft, Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla, OpenDNS, Outlook, poems, poetry, POP 3, Rootkits, search, SMTP, SOA, Software, StarOffice, Technology, Thunderbird 2, Tips, Tutorials, Windows, xml, YouTube | Tagged: , , , , | 2 Comments »

Is my hardware Linux-compatible? Find out here

Posted on August 16, 2007 by Vaibhav Pandey

Linux.com has came up with a very useful article on Linux and Hardware compatibility.

You can read more about the article here>>

Filed under: Amit Agarwal, Hardware, Linux, SMTP | Leave a comment »

Open Coffee Club Bangalore : First debut meetup planned

Posted on August 10, 2007 by Vaibhav Pandey

Open Coffee Club at Bangalore is planning to host its first debut meeting this month ( time, date and venue still to be decided).

The OpenCoffee Club was started to encourage entrepreneurs, developers and investors to organise real-world informal meetups to chat, network and grow.

According to Ramjee Ganti, a fellow blogger and organizer for Open Coffee Club in Bangalore ,”The concept is simple, events are arranged at a predefined venue and a predefined time where entrepreneurs and interested people come over to chat, discuss their ideas, and most important of all build relationships. It’s not just the entrepreneurs who come but also the VC’s (the people with power!!). This gives the entrepreneurs a chance to pitch their ideas and see if the VC’s might be interested in them. The best part, all of this happens informally, no boardrooms, no presentations.”

 Open Coffee Club at Chennai holds there meetings on Sunday’s and Siddhi happens to be one of the members of Chennai Coffee Club. You can read more about Siddhi here

Interested people can subscribe to the google group created for this. The groups can be found here http://groups.google.com/group/opencoffeeclubatbangalore

If you would like to know more about Open Coffee Club, checkout http://www.opencoffeeclub.org/

I shall write more about the events that have been taking place in Chennai soon. 🙂

Please pass on the word to interested people. 🙂

 Cheers,

Vaibhav

Filed under: bangalore, blog, Business Management, Events, Firefox, Firefox Add On, gmail, iPhone, IT, Java, javascript, Join Us, Linux, People Management, SMTP, wizard | Tagged: , , | 11 Comments »

Presentations from the Latest BlackHat Europe Con

Posted on April 19, 2007 by Vaibhav Pandey

Topics include : Web Service Vulnerabilities, Software Virtualization Based Rootkits, NIDS: False Positive Reduction Through Anomaly Detection, Wi-Fi Advanced Fuzzing, New Botnets Trends and Threats, Hacking Databases for Owning Your Data, Kernel Wars, Next Generation Debuggers for Reverse Engineering, Making Windows Exploits More Reliable, Make My Day – Just Run a Web Scanner: Countering The Faults of Typical Web Scanners Through Byte-code Injection, RFIDIOts!!! – Practical RFID hacking (without soldering irons), SCTPscan – Finding Entry Points to SS7 Networks & Telecommunication Backbones, Challenging Malicious Inputs with Fault Tolerance Techniques, SMTP Information Gathering, Kicking Down the Cross Domain Door (One XSS at a Time), NACATTACK, Heap Feng Shui in JavaScript, GS and ASLR in Windows Vista, Attacking the Giants: Exploiting SAP Internals, 360° Anomaly Based Unsupervised Intrusion Detection.

Click here

Technofriends Team

   

Filed under: BlackHat, Botnets, hacking, Java, RFID, Rootkits, SAP, SMTP, Web Services | Leave a comment »