Video editing using Linux

Video editing using Linux

When you have to edit video, Linux is not the first choice on many people's minds. Most of you will think Apple or Windows. And I don't hold that against you. My viewpoint is that I want to keep everything I do in the 'open source' world.

Many of you will immediately think of the Adobe suite of products or Finalcut. Adobe is expensive and I prefer not to encourage the use of a pirated version. Apple is also an expensive eco system.

I have been in computing since 1985. You tend to learn a few things over time. How many people do you know with a pirated copy of Photoshop or Windows?

To avoid all that I moved to Linux.

What I use:

• Linux Ubuntu 14.04LTS (Trusty Tahr)
• Gimp - Ver 2.8.10
• Inkscape - Ver 0.48
• Blender - Ver 2.69
• Kdenlive - Ver 0.9.6

Gimp to edit pictures/graphics, Inkscape to edit vector graphics, Blender to edit 3D objects/animations for video and Kdenlive to edit and render the final result. Total cost of the above - $0.00

Open Source software has been given a bad rap over the years by some small minded people. The features in all the above software has grown over the years. Now they may not match the current versions of commercial software feature for feature. But I'll lay odds most of you don't use all the features either.  All the important features are there.

Here's a place to start if you too want all the tools to be able to create professional video:

http://www.ubuntu.com/desktop

Start from the ground up... install a new operating system. It's really easy. Just follow the instructions. All the software I mentioned is available from the Software Centre within the operating system and will only take minutes to install.

There is also a thriving community that will help you at no cost whatsoever.

http://community.ubuntu.com/

I do suggest you dual boot your computer so you keep all your Windows stuff intact. Check that your computer is built using compatible hardware to Linux. The older the machine is, the better. There may be a piece of hardware that Linux may not handle (like Bluetooth) but be patient as Linux gets updated far more regularly as Windows. And one day your Bluetooth will work.

Samples of my work:

http://www.americanthunder.com.au/
http://www.americanthunder.com.au/photo-shoot-lexie/
http://www.americanthunder.com.au/photo-shoot-with-ashleigh/

Advantages I see in using Linux:

• No more viruses
• Better security
• Computer speed
• Open Source - Free Software
• Excellent community help
• Huge YouTube tutorial support for everything

Leave a comment...

Identity Theft Scam

I recently received a phone message on my home phone claiming to be from the Taxation Department and talking about some error in my taxation records. There is also a threat about legal action against me.

I knew that there is no way the Tax Office would be contacting me by phone and smelled a rat. I checked the Australian Government's Scam Watch page and there it was in their ScamWatch Radar link. The phone number is different but the methodology is the same.

https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/content/index.phtml/tag/reportascam/

Please also notice that the Australian Government sites all end in ".gov.au".

Play the above video to hear the phone message in it's entirety.

A word on Identity Theft: You will be surprised how little information is needed from you to steal your identity. Your tax file number and bank account number and address or date of birth may be all that's necessary to reset your banking passwords and allow thieves to take out loans in your name or access your bank accounts.

Also if you are an avid Facebook fan please limit the amount of personal information you list in your profile. Someone will be looking for it.

Be careful and check with ScamWatch if you suspect a scam.

Windows Support Scam

I have been called on several occasions by overseas call centres claiming to be from 'Windows Support', telling me that my PC has been sending out error messages or 'bad traffic' on the internet.

They seem to target people that use their PC's infrequently to perhaps browse the internet and clear email. A seasoned PC user will start to smell a rat immediately.

THIS IS A SCAM.

All they want is your money and perhaps leave you with a web-bot or bot-net installed on your PC.

Their tactics are as follows:

• Instruct you to open task manager, msconfig or your eventvwr to view your log files.
• They will convince you that you are looking at the bad traffic or stopped services.
• They will ask you to browse to a 'desktop sharing' software site (these change over time).
• They will instruct you to download and install it.
• They will then ask you to run the software and you will be asked for passwords.
• At this point they are into your system and can do what they want.
• You may also be asked to pay a fee of around US$80.00 for a year's worth of maintenance.
• They will direct you to a site to pay the $80 via a credit card.
• Congrats they now have your name, credit card number and the 3 digit code.

So not only have you been scammed, you have paid them for the privilege.

Have a listen to a recording of a typical call.
https://soundcloud.com/csoonline/microsoft-support-scam

So what is a bot-net?

A bot-net is a piece of insidious software that turns your PC into a 'robot' that takes orders from a central 'command & control' server hidden somewhere on the internet. It receives instructions to send out spam, phishing emails, or denial of service attacks aimed at targets as per instructed from the command & control server. In most cases these web-bots are not detected by industry standard virus scanners. They go undetected for years. All you may notice is a slight slow down of your PC at times.

Once your PC has a web-bot installed, and there are millions of them out there. Your PC becomes a commodity that's bought, sold or rented out to criminals for lots of purposes. Some may want to send millions of spam emails quickly. Some may want to build email lists (from our inboxes). Some want to hit Government servers with denial-of-service attacks. The list goes on.

How do you get rid of a bot-net?

If you're lucky you can use a tool that identifies and removes them. If you're not, you need to format and re-install Windows. Be warned, some of the tools to remove them also contain newer ones. That's the catch 22. Who can you trust? I suggest the re-install. It's the only safe method. You can save all your data, pictures and video's before hand. You will need to re-install ALL of your added software from the original cd's. NEVER restore software from a backup as the web-bot may be in your backups.

Why are the call centres making the calls?

They are paid to do it. Many bot-net operators actually pay call centres to make the calls and train them specifically in the task. The call centres may not actually know what they are really doing. I have heard of some of them transferring your call to a 'level 1 technician' who will do the repair. By this they wash their hands of 'blame'. These calls usually take your $80 first, before transferring you.

"Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive."

Now that you know this, tell your friends that are perhaps less computer literate.

Why cloud data isn't as safe as you think

There's a great article from ZD-Net written by Robin Harris outlining the disadvantages of the use of Cloud Storage for corporate data. 

Here's a snippet of that article:

Serious cloud users know the vendor story: multiple datacenters, geograpically distributed; advanced erasure coding that is better than RAID 6 (which I've discussed); multiple version retention; checksums to ensure data integrity; and synchronization across devices. What could possibly go wrong?

Plenty
As has been documented, client-side corruption is all too common, so the cloud will carefully preserve and spread corrupted data. If you crash during an upload the data may be inconsistent - but the cloud doesn't know that - or the cloud may fail to sync changed files.

Worse, clients cannot typically preserve dependencies between files since uploads are not point-in-time snapshots, creating unexpected and unwanted application (mis)behavior. A group of linked databases - say, between CRM, ERP and distribution systems - could end up inconsistent due to piecemeal uploads of changes at different times.

The basic issue is that the loose coupling between the local and cloud file systems leaves data less protected than users - or cloud vendors - like to admit. Like most problems it is fixable, once we admit we have a problem.

I draw your attention to the comments placed below the article:

Good work

'The Cloud' has got to be the biggest rip off ever. I can't wait to shout out 'told you so'. The sheep that can't think for themselves, the weak IT managers that should be standing up and fighting for security over keeping the ants happy, the moron media that write about Tech to look cool but actually know very little and have virtually no hands on experience. If you are a muppet, then get into 'The Cloud'. If you have no family and kids and are a Financial Controller or IT Manager then join the war on putting things right. I say no family or kids because you will be fired as soon as you stand up for all the things that are good and great about IT and humans. BYOD and 'The Cloud' is not one of them. Get your own datacentres, your own servers, 2 firewalls with DMZ and honeypots, forcefully educate your staff and your kids about security and being proud to protect data and systems. Hire security guards to pat down and forcefully remove all Tech from visitors to stop espionage and photography. Back up to tapes drives not someones server who you dont know and have no clue where the data is. Are you thinking this is over-the-top? Oh no, this is the minimum you should be doing. But of course many of you will do nothing. Not until all your data is deleted or changed or corrupted or ransomed. Educate, educate, educate (and start with yourself).

User: philswift

My two cents worth:

Corporate organisations are inherently unsecure. Bad passwords, unrestricted use of portable storage (usb) devices, smart phone use as storage media, unpatched operating systems, out-dated anti-virus software, phishing emails, web-bots, trojans, and the list goes on. The common factor in all of this is humans. Your staff, to be precise, are usually there to do a job. Do they spare a thought about your data security? Some of them can barely speak english let alone type in a complicated password. But management insist they need to function using a computer in order to maintain the companies 'automation' goals.

So your board of directors say let's shift that to 'the cloud'. That way we can sleep peacefully at night and our data security becomes someone else's problem. If anything happens we can sue them. You may or not be aware that the Target data breach happened because they out-sourced their Cooling and Lighting control of stores to a vendor that promised a saving in the electricity bill. The security breach came through that 3rd party vendor. The vendor had VPN access to the electrical control servers on the Target network. It is not clear how the vendor was hacked but someone got his VPN credentials.

Cloud vendors all promise that they all adhere to strict security protocols. How many of them use 3rd party vendors for their cooling and electricity supplies? How many of them outsource their security camera monitoring and alarm systems? Their door locks and swipe card systems? Their fire control and gas/sprinklers?

I once had contact with a company that used swipe cards on all their doors. I looks really impressive when their guests are shown around their operations. The whole system was run from an old Windows XP machine sitting in the server room. Access to that room needed a swipe. The XP machine didn't have a UPS. In the event of a power failure. The servers still ran for as short time. But not the XP machine. Everyone was locked out and the IT manager would not have had access to the server room to gracefully shut down the servers. What this illustrates is the need for management to show off their prowess of all things technical. It looks great from the outside, but it is a trembling house of cards waiting for a stiff breeze on the inside.

Now what guarantees do you have that your cloud provider is not the same? How many so-called cloud providers do actually have a data-centre? Most use 3rd party data-centres. And the list goes on. It's all smoke and mirrors.

So what's the solution? It's not easy but you need to divide your networks. Use tcp/ip the way it was intended. Educate your staff properly. Make use of the skills of penetration testers. Don't jump at all high tech solutions that may not be all that necessary to your business. Make use of a 'competitive advantage' strategy in IT. In other words don't do what your competition is doing. Do it differently. Use operating systems other than the industry standard Windows. Don't pay buckets of cash for off-the-shelf solutions when you can employ someone to write one specific to your organisation. All of these steps make it hard for a hacker to get to your data. 

Unfortunately it may be all too late for IT that has become entrenched in large corporations. It's possible that only the small startups will have their feet firmly planted on the ground after all the lessons learnt from 'big business' with their head in the clouds. The future is not that certain. The only certainty is change will take place.

UK government planning to ditch Microsoft for Open Source alternatives

Downfall in the monopoly of propriety software like Microsoft and Apple accelerated after the Snowden revelations of NSA spying, where technology giants like Microsoft, Google, Apple are sharing a bed with the NSA.

The UK government is again planning to ditch Microsoft for Open Source and Free alternatives. Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude announced yesterday that they are move away from Microsoft Office, towards open source softwares like OpenOffice & LibreOffice suites, in an effort to drive down costs and foster greater innovation.

UK has spent about £200 million in the last three years for Microsoft’s ubiquitous software suite, but now this migration will save large revenue of the kingdom, according to The Guardian.

The cabinet Office minister said, “We know the best technology and digital ideas often come from small businesses, but too often in the past they were excluded from government work. In the civil service there was a sense that if you hired a big multi-national, who everyone knew the name of, you'd never be fired. We weren't just missing out on innovation, we were paying top dollar for yesterday's technology. The software we use in government is still supplied by just a few large companies. A tiny oligopoly dominates the marketplace.”

Why Open Source? With unbarred NSA surveillance programs, there is a steep upward inclination of end users towards open source technology. Open source software is available for free, not only you can read the source code of the product you are going to use, but also you can built executable from that as well.

If you have competent knowledge of programming you are free to edit that source code and generate new software which will be completely customized based on your requirements. Since you have used the source code of an open source product which have been tested by a number of users, hence made it less vulnerable to security breaches.

Most important part of using Open source is that you can customize and verify it accordingly, to insure that no backdoor is left for surveillance by any government.

Mozilla also recommends using open source technology. In a blog post Inventor of JavaScript & current CTO of Mozilla, Mr. Brendan Eich said “NSA is not just focused on high-tech exploits, but also specialize in inserting secret backdoor to legitimate products. Its Tailored Access Operations (TAO) unit works with the CIA and FBI to intercept shipments of hardware to insert spyware into the devices. This way NSA is able to keep an eye on all levels of our digital lives, from computing centers to individual computers, and from laptops to mobile phones.”

A major component of the proposals will be a move to standardize document formats across government. Other government bodies in Europe have successfully moved on to open source software.

Click here for the original article

How I Lost My $50,000 Twitter Username

Hacking is the ability to learn the limitations in various companies security systems and exploit them. The systems are not necessarily electronic but can be verbal communication as well. A simple phone call telling them you have lost your password and changed your email address may be all it takes. The following story by Gizmodo illustrates the deficiencies in their security. The companies involved are GoDaddy and Paypal.

Most of us have a PayPal account and think it's all secure. I suggest we all learn from this and look at securing our own online presence.

How I Lost My $50,000 Twitter Username

Regards
Nick

First Ever Windows Malware that can hack your Android Mobile

[Original Source]
Hey Android users! I am quite sure that you must be syncing your Smartphone with your PCs for transferring files and generating backup of your device.

If your system is running a windows operating system, then it’s a bad news for you. Researchers have discovered a new piece of windows malware that attempts to install mobile banking malware on Android devices while syncing.

Last year in the month of February, Kaspersky Lab revealed an Android malware that could infect your computer when connected to Smartphone or tablets.

Recently, Researchers at Symantec antivirus firm discovered another interesting windows malware called ‘Trojan.Droidpak’, that drops a malicious DLL in the computer system and then downloads a configuration file from the following remote server:

http://xia2.dy[REMOVED]s-web.com/iconfig.txt

The Windows Trojan then parses this configuration file and download a malicious APK (an Android application) from the following location on the infected computer.

%Windir%\CrainingApkConfig\AV-cdk.apk

To communicate with the mobile device a command line tool Android Debug Bridge (ADB) is required, that allows the malware to execute commands on Android devices connected to the infected computer. ADB is a legitimate tool and part of the official Android software development kit (SDK).

In the next step, the trojan downloads all the necessary tools including Android Debug Bridge and the moment you connect an android device having USB debugging Mode enabled, it initiates the installation process and repeats it until it ensure that the connected device has been infected and install an app that will appear as a fake Google App Store.




Such Windows Malware is first of its own kind, since attackers prefer to use the social engineering techniques to spread their fake malicious apps hosted on third-party app stores. The installed malware dubbed as "Android.Fakebank.B", able to intercept victim's SMS messages and then send them to the attacker's server located at:

http://www.slmoney.co.kr[REMOVED]

Anyway Relax, if you are not a Korean citizen, because the malicious APK actually looks for certain Korean online banking applications on the compromised device.

If you want to protect your Mobile and system from such Malware attack, Please consider a few points while connecting to a windows based computer:
Turn off USB debugging on your Android device, when you are not using it
Avoid connecting your droid with public computers
Only Install reputable security software
Keep your System, Softwares and Antivirus up-to-date.

Stay Safe!

Government launched 'China Operating System' (COS) to break Andoird and iOS Monopoly

[Original Source]

China has always tried to support its homegrown tech industry and even the security concerns over 

U.S. secret surveillance which gives Chinese Government another reasons to trust domestic vendors.Many other countries are also in favor to develop their own technology industries to reduce their dependence on U.S.

The Government of China is not too fond of foreign mobile operating systems and therefore are trying to break the monopoly of Microsoft, Apple and Google in the country.

This week at an event in Beijing, China has unveiled its own Linux-based mobile platform, dubbed China Operating System (COS), developed as a joint effort between a company 'Shanghai Liantong', ISCAS (Institute of Software at the Chinese Academy of Sciences) and the Chinese Government.

According to COS website, it is designed for PCs, Smartphones, tablets, TVs, set-top boxes and other smart appliances. It runs Java applications, supports HTML5 and can run over 100,000 apps.

At the launch event, the head of the ISCAS criticized Apple’s iOS for being a closed ecosystem,Android for its fragmentation issues, and Windows Phone for its poor security.

According to the promo video, the China Operating System (COS) interface and functions are much like Android, specifically very similar to HTC’s Sense 5.

However, many Chinese users are criticizing this operating system on social media sites, “What does COS stand for? COPY OTHER SYSTEM?… But it really does look like a fusion of the Apple, Android, Symbian, and Blackberry operating system,”


Another user commented, "It’s not open source because they’re terrified that others will see that the source code is the same as Android, and accuse them of cheating the government out of money,"

Four years back, China once tried to create its own Linux-based, open mobile operating system called "OPhone or OMS (Open Mobile System)", but it was failed to gain popularity and discontinued after 2011.

Well, do you think, China is competing with the NSA over spying ability with a motto to leave room for backdoors or to defend themselves from NSA surveillance programs.

Potential backdoors discovered in US-based components used by French Satellites

Seems the 'good ol boys' have been caught out again...

[Original Source]

United Arab Emirates (UAE) may terminate a $930 Million USD contract with France based companies for the supply of two two military Imaging satellites due to the discovery of several US produced components in them.

Now the deal is in danger because the UAE claims it has discovered backdoors in the components which are manufactured in the United States, reported by the Defense News.

The contract, sealed in July 2013, includes a ground station, the Pleiades-type satellites (aka Falcon Eye) are due for delivery 2018.

The revelation was provided by high-level UAE sources, the companies involved in the business are the prime contractor Airbus Defense and Space, and payload maker Thales Alenia Space.

“If this issue is not resolved, the UAE is willing to scrap the whole deal,” he added. UAE authorities suspect the presence of vulnerabilities would “provide a back door to the highly secure data transmitted to the ground station”.

An unnamed UAE source has confirmed that the presence of backdoor has been reported to Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed, deputy supreme commander of the UAE's armed forces.

The contract signed with French companies includes two high-resolution observation satellites and the operational support from France with training for 20 engineers.

UAE representatives are evaluating alternative partners for the supply, Russian industry may be more likely supplier.

"The UAE has drawn on Russian technology, with the GLONASS space-based navigation system fitted as a redundancy feature on a Western European weapon system," a French defense expert said.

While some security experts believe that French industry had drawn on the US technology due complexity of the payload, other specialists found intriguing that France had drawn on US technology for the satellites under the Falcon Eye program.

"France operates the Pleiades spy satellite in what is viewed as a critical piece of the nation’s sovereignty. Given that core competence, it seemed strange that France would use US technology, although there is an agreement between Paris and Washington over transfer of capabilities, " said a Defense analysts.

The Defense News also speculated on the fact that the claims may be an attempt to condition another contract for Dassault Aviation Rafale fighters, both French companies were available for comment.

Windows XP end of support in April: Three more questions answered

An interesting article from ZD-Net. The original article is here.

In case the date hasn't already been burned into your brain, April 8, 2014 is the day on which Microsoft will cease providing any kind of patches or fixes, including security fixes, to its nearly 12-year-old Windows XP operating system.

Company officials continue to insist that there won't be any last-minute reprieves this time, despite the fact that market share for XP still hovers around 29 percent. Microsoft has given its partners their marching orders: Get XP users to move off the OS.

Those who can't or won't move off XP for a variety of compatibility, cost and other reasons continue to send me questions. Here are answers to three of them.

Q: Will Microsoft continue to provide Microsoft Security Essentials support for Windows XP on April 8, 2014?(MSE is Microsoft's free antimalware/antivirus product.)

A: No. As of that date, Microsoft will no longer provide MSE for Windows XP. Microsoft officials hinted this would be the case last fall, but only recently confirmed it outright. Softpedia recently published a list of five free alternatives to MSE for XP, however. 

Update (January 15): Looks like Microsoft has reversed itself temporarily on this one. Microsoft officials said today that they will continue to provide updates to their  antimalware signatures and MSE engine for Windows XP users through July 14, 2015. More here.

"The extension, for enterprise users, applies to System Center Endpoint Protection, Forefront Client Security, Forefront Endpoint Protection and Windows Intune running on Windows XP. For consumers, this applies to Microsoft Security Essentials," company officials said today.

Q: Will Microsoft remove Windows XP Mode support in Windows 7 as of April 8, 2014 via a patch or update? (XP Mode allows users with old XP apps to run them on Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate.)

A: No, XP Mode will not go away, a Microsoft spokesperson confirmed. However, Microsoft won't be providing any patches or updates to XP as of that date, so those using XP mode will be exposing themselves to potential security risks.

Q: Will Microsoft cease requiring XP users to activate Windows XP as of April 8, 2014, since support for the product is ending?

A: No. A spokesperson confirmed that activations will still be required for retail installations of Windows XP post April 8. "Windows XP can still be installed and activated after end of support on April 8," the spokesperson noted. "Computers running Windows XP will still work, they just won’t receive any new security updates. Support of Windows XP ends on April 8, 2014, regardless of when you install the OS."

Another update (January 15): For those asking in comments below, Microsoft will continue to make all patches and fixes made to Windows XP up until April 8, 2014, available to users via Windows Update. "There are no current plans to remove existing Windows XP security updates from Windows Update after end of support on April 8, 2014," a spokesperson confirmed.

Any other questions about XP's end of support? Chime in below in the comments, if so.

German coalition favors German-owned or open source software, aims to lock NSA out

Original article from PC World:

Germany’s new coalition government listed open source software among its IT policy priorities, and said it will take steps to protect its citizens against espionage threats from the NSA and other foreign intelligence agencies.

Coalition parties CDU, CSU and SPD signed up to the plans Monday in Berlin.

The new government’s goal is to keep core technologies, including IT security, process and enterprise software, cryptography and machine-to-machine communication on proprietary technology platforms and production lines in Germany or in Europe, according to the coalition agreement.

But the government will also promote the use and development of open platforms and open source software as an alternative to closed proprietary systems, and will support the use of those in Europe, the parties said in the agreement. The public sector will need to consider open source solutions as a possibility when purchasing new IT, they said.

They also want to compete on a global level with “software made in Germany” and strengthen the quality of security, data protection, design and usability by doing so.

The government also plans to start operating in a more transparent way, for example by making parliamentary documents and transcripts of debates available in open data formats that can be used under free licenses, they said.

This is much better than the last coalition agreement, said Matthias Kirschner vice president of the Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE).

However, while there are good intentions, there are also missed opportunities, he said. For instance, It would have been better if the new government had prioritized the use of open source software for public institutions instead of simply making them consider it, he said, adding that the agreement’s formulation is often cautious.

He said the FSFE regretted that references in earlier drafts to open standards had disappeared from the final agreement, and had been replaced with weaker terms such as interoperability.

Kirschner called on the coalition to move from words to concrete action. “The question is: how hard will they try?” he said.

The Business Software Alliance welcomed the new government’s focus on nurturing technology innovation in Germany.

”However, if this is extended to technology mandates or procurement preferences, whether based on development model or country of origin, it will significantly impede innovation and create unnecessary barriers to trade, investment, and economic growth,” said Thomas Boué, director of government relations, EMEA of the BSA software alliance in an email. A level playing field for all competitors will ensure that customers have access to the best products and services the world has to offer, he said.

”Governments should lead by example, making procurement decisions that are based on merit for the needs at hand and best value for money—rather than according to national origin,” he added.

The agreement also dealt with security under a heading “Consequences of the NSA affair.”

The coalition parties plan to keep pushing for more explanations about who spied on German citizens to what extent, and to negotiate a legally binding agreement with the U.S. to protect Germans against espionage.

Communications infrastructure also needs to be made safer, they said. They will push European telecommunications providers to encrypt communication links within the E.U. They also plan to make sure that European telecommunication providers are not allowed to forward data to foreign intelligence agencies.

The coalition will advocate for the Europe-wide introduction of a requirement for companies to report to the E.U. when they transmit the data of their customers without their consent to authorities in third countries. Besides that, it will press for the renegotiation of the E.U.-U.S. Terrorist Finance Tracking Program (TFTP) Agreement and the Safe Harbor agreement on the protection of personal data.

Under the TFTP Agreement, some data from the SWIFT international bank messaging system is transmitted to U.S. authorities. More recently, it was alleged that the NSA spied on the data.

Following revelations about the NSA’s spying on Internet data, the European Parliament had called for the suspension of the Safe Harbor agreement. The European Commission decided not to suspend the agreement, but instead put forward a range of proposals to strengthen it.

On Tuesday, the German Bundestag re-elected Angela Merkel as German chancellor for the third time. The inaugural meeting of the cabinet was scheduled to take place at 5 p.m. local time.