[vi-tech-testers] Re: Functions or packages people would like included?

  • From: Rill <starbasecafe@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: vi-tech-testers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Thu, 24 Jul 2014 10:48:49 -0500

I'm wondering if nmap would be a good candidate for inclusion. I use it a lot.

Rill

Agent Orange wrote:
All great ideas Mo.

The reason why I suggest a password recovery tool, as well as (or in preference 
to) a password reset tool, is that for folks who may have implemented EFS 
(Encrypting File System) on their Windows machines, resetting a Windows account 
password using one of these third party tools will be likely to render files 
encrypted with EFS on that account unreadable (unless they have had the 
foresight to back up their encryption keys, and even then it can be 
problematic).

Of course, no harm in having both password recovery and password reset options.

On the subject of disc encryption, I've been thinking about my own data 
security recently.  Having spent quite a lot of time researching EFS, I am 
reluctant to use it.  In one way this is a pitty as it is readily available on 
all modern versions of Windows, is easy to implement, and provides transparent, 
on-the-fly encryption and decryption.  Unfortunately, it's exact operation on 
Windows 7 is poorly documented by Microsoft, and there are doubts about its 
efficacy because of weaknesses in the NTLM hashes used to protect the Windows 
account password, which is used as the basis for the file encryption key.

This has lead me to look at the recently defunct TrueCrypt and other solutions 
like DiscCryptor as possible alternatives to EFS.

TrueCrypt, despite having been officially closed down by its developers, might 
still be a viable encryption option.  An independent security audit paid for 
from crowd funding and carried out by iSEC Partners has reported no significant 
flaws or backdoors, and a new team is being assembled to take the project 
forward under a new name.  Version 7.1a together with all documentation is 
being temporarily hosted elsewhere and can still be obtained.  This is a well 
understood tool with excellent documentation.

DiscCryptor has virtually no documentation to support it, though it has a loyal 
band of enthusiastic reviewers who commend it.    Unfortunately, the lack of 
documentation makes it difficult to determine how it would work in different 
scenarios, such as when using disc imaging.

So not really certain as yet which way I will go, but at present, probably 
leaning towards TrueCrypt.

Anyway, my point is that both of these products advise the creation of a rescue 
CD before applying the encryption.  In the case of TrueCrypt, I believe it is a 
generic rescue CD which could be used to rescue files encrypted with TrueCrypt 
on any machine.  In the case of discCryptor, I believe the ISO is tailored to 
each specific installation.

This would make TrueCrypt a better candidate for inclusion in a live rescue CD 
than DiscCryptor.

This is all a very long-winded way of asking whether it might be feasible to 
include a TrueCrypt rescue tool?

I know that Image For Windows, which is an disc imaging package, has included a 
Linux version of TrueCrypt in its Live Linux boot CD.  I do not know which 
Linux distro is used in the Image For Linux live boot CD, but it is a sort of 
command prompt type environment, where the Image for Linux interface looks and 
feels very much like CloneZilla.

Sorry for the ramble and if you made it this far, thanks!

Phil







-----Original Message-----
From: vi-tech-testers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
[mailto:vi-tech-testers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Mobeen Iqbal
Sent: 18 July 2014 10:10
To: vi-tech-testers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [vi-tech-testers] Functions or packages people would like included?

Hello phil.

Many thanks for the suggestion! Yes i totally agree, the only thing that we 
have to bear in mind is this might end up as a dvd release. I will be looking 
at ophcrack over the next few days. I will also be looking into including an 
MBR repair tool, file recovery tool, windows password reset tool, and possibly 
some network troubleshooting tools if people want them. If anyone has any other 
suggestions, please don't hesitate to respond.

Thanks for reading,

Mo.



Agent Orange <agentorange@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

        
        Mo,
        
        Probably getting ahead of myself here, but one tool which it might be 
useful
        to have on a Linux rescue CD is a Windows password recovery tool such as
        Ophcrack.  You can already download and burn Ophcrack as a Live CD ISO 
which
        boots into a desktop GUI version of Linux, but of course it doesn't 
talk so
        useless at present.  There is another version which runs under 
Linux/Unix
        but not sure whether it would run under Arch.
        
        See this link:
        
        http://ophcrack.sourceforge.net/
        
        Phil
        
        
        -----Original Message-----
        From: vi-tech-testers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
        [mailto:vi-tech-testers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Mobeen Iqbal
        Sent: 16 July 2014 20:23
        To: vi-tech-testers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
        Subject: [vi-tech-testers] has anyone tested
         the new
        image?
        
        Hello Everyone.
        
        Its been rather quiet on here to say the least. Has anyone apart from 
Rill
        had a chance to test the new image? the next stage is going to be 
compiling
        a list of packages or functions that people would like to see from a 
live
        rescue CD version of linux, and documenting the various programs chosen 
for
        a specific task. but of course, a list isn't a list without people's
        feedback/comments, so please keep your feedback coming.
        
        thanks for reading,
        
        Mo.
        
        
        




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