Author Archives: chris
Powershell .ToString()
I’m posting this as I spent too much time on figuring out how to convert the current IP of a machine and turn the IP address into an array. I needed this so I can change the last octet to a couple of other values that I would set later in the script. Powershell has… Read More »
Replacing apt with Nala
Nala is an improved front-end for the apt package manager in Ubuntu/Debian Linux. It adds many features and a better visual representation to the activity of the command. A really good article about Nala can be found here at ItsFoss. There are many more features and arguments to nala than the normal apt command offers.… Read More »
Monthly patching schedule
I am often asked how I perform security and third-party patching for an entire company. Below is the basic outline I am currently using, and this has not varied very much in over 15 years from any other company I have maintained the patching in regard to Windows servers and workstations. First off, I always… Read More »
Reformatting a flash drive formatted as ISO
Typically, when a flash drive is formatted from an ISO image, the flash drive will be formatted as an ISO9660 type and not want to be re-formatted or erased easily. Take a look at Gparted showing a flash drive below with the Linux Mint ISO on it. When I attempt to delete the Partition in… Read More »
Using Powershell to read registry HKEY_USERS
This is a small example I put together on how to quickly loop through each user SID in HKEY_USERS and find the value that shows what the wallpaper is set to for each user. This little script is a decent reference to use for finding (And with a little modification, setting) registry value(s) in the… Read More »
Download files from website via Powershell
A simple method I like to use when I want to quickly run a powershell script to download a file from a webserver. I use this when endpoints are not on an internal network so a network share is not always available, but since I am usually remotely calling the powershell script, Internet access is… Read More »
Scareware is not dead
An email was forwarded to me that came from a security MSP trying to stir up business with someone at the company I work at. Their quasi-scareware email was funny, but a horrible way for us to take seriously. Only thing missing was a sentence asking for bitcoin. I remember several years ago, companies were… Read More »
Aloha!
Not a good week for NCR Aloha POS hosted solutions. They have been dealing with a BlackCat ransomware attack as reported by articles at: BleepingComputer – NCR suffers Aloha POS outage after BlackCat ransomware attack. DataBreaches.net – A short-lived BlackCat listing suggests NCR’s customers’ networks were accessed Securityweek.com – Payments Giant NCR Hit by Ransomware… Read More »
Install a DHCP Server
There are times when you need to run your own DHCP server. For me, this was needed to add to my laptop so I can program IP security cameras with my USB Ethernet adapter attached. The software that typically comes with security cameras is total crap with a bad Chinese translation layered on top and… Read More »