Windows Security

Windows Security is pretty good. The UI for managing the security is sometimes very poor. Any Administrator who is trying to manage permissions on complex directory trees will know the sense of frustration I experience when being presented with a dialog like the following:

Which as you can see is completely useless to the administrator. This box is usually seen when using the option:

Whats required here is the option for the Administrator to provide sufficient system credentials to circumvent this "Access Denied" issue (or if it is behaviour by design, a full description on why these permissions are thought not to be changable).

The reason is probably that some permissions in the ACL are set not to be inheritable (e.g. not to propergate above this folder). The error message does not give the Administrator the clue that this is the issue.

Security permission control should be simple. Make is so Microsoft, please.

FaceBook fails users AGAIN (privacy failing)

I am so *£%#@ off right now. I already setup my privacy settings ONCE to disallow public access to my account BUT FaceBook has gone through a back door to enable that access.

How so? Well, whilst I setup my account settings to be all "Friends Only", APPARENTLY FaceBook author (feel like telling him to go *£%#off) feels the "general public" are my friend so allowed the world to see my name and a list of my friends (which has lead to an unhealthy amount of new spam which lead me to find out the source of this spam).


Heres a heads up for all facebook users, vital personal information (in this case your name and a list of people who are your friends) is being made publicly available by your FaceBook account. Yes.. I repeat publicly available.

Please PLEASE follow the following steps to prevent this before you too become another hit on Google (and therefore the primary target of spammers!).

Goto the "Account" drop down in the top left of your FaceBook page. Click "Privacy Settings" and you should be taken to the following page:

Click on the "Edit your Settings" button next to the "Application and Websites" at the bottom of the screen.

In the section "Public Search" click "Edit Settings".



Untick the box which contains the "Enable Public Search".

Grand Theft Auto IV

This is the worst game in the GTA series yet (so far).

First off theres the massively invasive installation process which forces you to play online (or at the least forces you to require an internet connection to use the product).

Right, so for now I've put up with that s**t on the basis, hey maybe the game makes the loss of personal privacy worth it? (hah).

So, I am playing the game... unlike the other GTA's (which where suggestive and excitingly unconventional and to be fair down right criminal hehe) this game just comes across as lude, crude, rude and somewhat offensive.

Within the first converstation between the main character and his cousine many sensiblities are down right offended. Now, I realise thats part of the ethos of the game genera, but frankly previously it was done with alot of class. This introduction is just plain "base", it might be more realistic, but I don't want to REALLY be a criminal. I want to PLAY at the exciting parts of the fantasy of Crime (thats why I play). This incarnation of the game so far seems to completely miss this concept.

Graphically the game is good, but, I bought the game months and months ago but only reciently upgraded with a machine good enough to play it. Now, bear in mind my old machine was no slouch. It was a Pentium D 3.2ghz with a Nvidia GTO 7900. Sufficient for many lush games (like BioShock and Batman). Though failed for GTA IV.

Now my new setup runs it fine, but what a disapointment.

The MOST annoying thing though, the thing that made me quit the game in disgust, is the completely control freak nature of the new system.

In the older GTA games the joy of the game is not doing what your told the freedom of those games is massive and frankly very exciting. I thought this would be a given for the new game so the first thing I do is ignore my "cousin" and wander off to explore. At this stage, without the irritating dialog, the games looking pretty exciting again. However, just as I am enjoying myself, the game cuts me off mid pummel and says "You have abandoned your cousine" and then RESETS ME back to the car.

OH MY GOD! How shit can you get!

I will probably try the game again at some stage but that experience has put me right off.

Windows L(Spy)ive

I only need to mention two technologies, SecuRom and Windows Live. Two of the most public and invasive technologies created today (who thought Steem would look innocent by comparison).

So, SecuRom installs a kernel component to give itself root level access to your system (even more priviledged that the user and able to bypass any and all security measures you may have in place). Windows Live installs a swath of processes all of which want to be very chatty about the fact that you have Windows Live installed (to the joy of any system hacker, its like installing a process saying "pick me, pick me, I have a gianormous attack footprint").

Comodo = Software Leak?

Now I've got a lot of good things to say about Comodo Internet Security suite. Firstly it has proper 32bit and 64bit versions and has for some time now. Secondly its feature "Defense+" is possibly the most comprehensive and ambitious pro-active security solution ever (though you really need to be a computer developer to make the most from it).

Now for the whine:

Defense+ includes a section called "Pending Files" which I hadn't really investigated much until today (that is Comodo Internet Security version 4.1.1500349.920). This section reportedly maintains a list of unrecognised executable files (which on the surface seems fine). It gives the option to submit these unrecognised files to Comodo (presumably for approval or whatever).

So, today I was investigating a Virus Report from the engine. Comodo has had a bit of a spotted history with its Anti-Virus solution. Specifically if is quite prone to false or incorrect reports. So, I was attempting to validate its claim using http://www.totalvirus.com/ which seems like a good site. Whilst I was looking into this I came across "My Pending Files" and I looked and there where a list of executables (fair enough) and amoung them some of my own peices of software.

Then I looked again, and noticed that 2 of the files in the list had been "submitted" to Comodo. I was not aware of ever agreed to this! One of these files was an application I develop that contained propritory code I would very much not like to distribute anywhere for any reason. Whilst I'm not saying Comodo are going to be stealing code, they are probably going to be performing a threat analysis upon the executable in question and to do that understanding its function and purpose is key. So, then they will understand the function and purpose of my propriotory code and well, if you understand something you use that knowledge!

This, to me, is a serious risk of software leak. One I felt I was not given the option to prevent (or at least there was no clear warning it would be sending this file out).

So in summary. If your a software developer, Defense+ is both a boon and a danger. I am not going to disable it because it does guard my system well in all other respects.

This post on their forums has also pacified me for now :

http://forums.comodo.com/help_for_v3/how_do_i_disable_my_pending_files-t15799.0.html;msg124795

Lastly at least it DID tell me it had leaked my executable. I will be keeping a close eye on it in future and possibly doing my development on a different machine to my internet connected system.

AMMENDIUM: I now noticed this:

The "Submit the file to COMODO for analyis" button must have been checked when I was wanting / expecting to check / select "Do this for every" checkbox from the older Comodo dialog. So, sadly, I guess I have been my own leak. Still far to easy to do and no way to disable this.

Torchwood, Series 3.. Return to form

After struggling through series one and two of Torchwood cringing along the way I finally reached Series 3, also known as Children of the Earth.

What a brilliant return to form, intrigue, action, suspense, plot oh joyous plot unfolding (previously so absent).

I'm only on Day 3 (the third episode) so I might well yet be posting a blog on how bad the ending is, after earlier disapointments I'm not going to get too excited yet.. but I have a cautious optimism based on episodes one and two. Fingers crossed.

...

Whoever directed the Day Three episode completely overused the "Zoom onto the News on TV" effect. It completely destroyed the power of such a cinematic. If used once or twice its a powerful and moving moment / gesture.. if you show it 10 or more times like in this epsiode / series.... well.

Still, managed to be good overall tho :).

Overall, Series 3 is a thumbs up :). Though, parts of it are very contrived... kids as alien drugs? hmmmm, still glossing over those types of shortcommings a great series!

Torchwood... so bad I had to fast forward!

Oh my God!

I've never known a TV show I liked to be SO bad that I couldn't watch it!

Even the piss poor episode with the Psyco family was "comparitively" watchable.

I just watched "Out of Time", please do yourself a favour, skip it! I am a bit stubborn watching series in order and since Torchwood and Dr Who match up I wanted to watch them in order. Out of time was SO awful I had to skip at least 5 mins of it. I couldn't watch it any longer... I stuck it out after stupid twist after stupid twist.

Where was the plot? Where was the "reason". Where was the interest! The "girl" who plays the lead fancies everyone, and I mean everyone.. every damn episode shes giving googly love eyes to someone else. Whilst i'm sure this is probably a very real possibility, wheres the character... can you base a "character" on the lack their of?

There was a moment when things looked like they might have picked up. When the man met his son.

The whole of Torchwood seems to pander to many of the worst traits in humanity, even bringing down the best actions to seem selfish and unimportant.

Strikes me that the writers could do with listening to this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fD1512_XJEw

Which is a link which a very good friend of mine posted.