Blog of Doom

Wireless Security problem I didn’t know about

I use a wireless router for my laptop connection. On my iBook, I have an Airport card. My son, Morgan, has an Airport Extreme card for his connection, while Ash connects with a cable to the router. I learned a couple of things the other day while listening to the Security Now podcast.

First, I learned that disabling SSID broadcast doesn’t work for security. It also makes your network run slower because the router is invisible. That makes it not worth the supposed benefit. The other item I thought was good, but isn’t, is Mac Address filtering. On most routers, you can tell the router which Mac Addresses are allowed to connect to the router. This means I can tell our router that only my iBook, Morgan’s Mac Mini, and Ash’s G4 can connect. The way it can tell is by looking at the Mac Address the computers tell the router they have.

So this doesn’t work at all. Why? The mac address of a computer is in the packets of data being sent back and forth between the router and computer. All you have to do if you are a hacker is sniff and collect the packets. You now know the mac addresses that are allowed to connect to the router. The kicker is that most any computer these days can report any mac address you tell it to. By default, they report the correct one that is actually assigned to your computer, but you can change it.

What can you do? Encryption. Almost all routers can do WPA encryption. Note that this is different from WEP encryption, which is better than nothing like closing a door without a lock is better than nothing. You want WPA encryption, which is basically unbreakable by hackers. You just use the same password for the router and your computer and you are all set. Remember that this means the password is your weak link in the security chain. You absolutely must pick a good password. WPA passwords can be up to 63 characters, and you should use them all. The 64th character is automatically a dollar sign, so you can’t use it.

Find a good random password generator that will handle a 63 character password. I know, you’re saying “I can’t remember a 63 character password!” Remember that you don’t have to. Put the password in a text file. You only have to type it in once on the router and once on the computer and you’re done. You won’t have to type the password every time you want to connect. Once you have the password in, you can copy and paste it from the text file if you need to set up a new computer. If you do this, set up a really really difficult password, your network will now be as secure as you can get it while still being connected to the internet.

Today is Ash and my anniversary. We’ve been married for 12 years, and together for 13. We were living together in New Hampshire at the time. I remember how beautiful Ash looked, and how nervous I was on our wedding day. I also remember how happy I was.

Ash,

I love you so much. Thank you for 13 happy years! You are my sunshine. I’m still happy.

Our local school district was sued recently over elementary school students passing out candy canes with religious messages. They were stopped by the school district, and their parents sued over freedom of speech. The school changed it’s policy so that students could pass them out in between classes.

I have a few thoughts on this (no, really…).

First, if you want to pass out candy canes with religious messages, more power to you. Just don’t do it on the teacher’s time. Not in class, only in between classes. Also, don’t push it. I’ve noticed that Christians who start to pass out these things get pretty pushy about it. Especially kids, who demand conformity. It can reach the point that any child who doesn’t want their candy cane or their message will soon be harassed or intimidated by the rest of the kids. If you think this can’t happen you haven’t been to the same schools I’ve been to.

The real problem here is one of control. Since public schools are controlled by elected officials, whoever gets elected gets to dictate what happens or what is taught in the schools (witness the recent issues about Intelligent Design vs. real science). This means that if you can win a majority on the school board, you can decide what happens. Now the question will arise (especially if you are not the winners of the election) about what happens to the losers of the election. The same thing that happens in any elections. The losers have to suck it up and take whatever they’re given.

So, now your children are going to a school where you disagree with the fundamental principles of the school board. What do you do? Take control yourself and impose your views on the school board, of course! This can turn into a vicious cycle of election, re-election, lawsuits, etc.

The real solution is to get the government out of the schools. When you do this, there is no longer and incentive to take control of the school. Instead, if you disagree with a schools founding principles, you just go find another school that meets your needs. Since all schools will be private, there are no issues of freedom of speech or religion, since the government isn’t involved. Also, if you don’t like the schools in your area, you can just start your own school.

There are, I’m sure, a lot of questions about private only schools. How can everyone afford school if they are all private? First think about the property taxes you’ll no longer need to pay. How much of your property taxes go to funding schools? Take that money and you can afford a private school. Second, consider the money that will be available in the form of scholarships and grants. That money is available now, but if tax money is freed up, consider how much more would be available.

I’ve finally got some space to write about a co-worker who was brutally murdered recently. A co-worker, who sat a few cubicles down from me at work was brutally murdered during the week I was out sick. I was home sick when I got a call from work about it. Only as a side effect of letting me know something else. Sort of “Oh, I need you to take his name off this because he won’t be approving it after all. His body was found this morning at his house.”

I was floored. The caller didn’t have many details, just that he and his wife were dead and that they had been murdered. I saw this guy every day. He was a nice person, one of the nicest I’ve met at work. We didn’t know who did it for a week or so, but later, the police arrested his son for the crime based on evidence at the house.

Even now, when I think about it, I get sad and depressed. I’ve had people close to me die. My grandmother died years ago, but I’m still sad and I still miss her. My grandfather died when I was a little boy. I remember how nice he was, how he did little tricks for me, and his funeral with all the flowers and the huge number of people who showed up. Maybe I was a little kid and it just looked like a lot of people, but I like to think it was a lot.

This is the first person I’ve known who has been murdered, though. I’m not a violent man, but I don’t have a problem with the death penalty (when applied fairly), and I wouldn’t have a problem tripping the switch on my co-worker’s son.

Anyway, Doug, I’m so sorry that this happened to you and I miss seeing you at work and when you said “Hey, Dr. Shaffer!” when we passed each other, even though I’m not a doctor. I know you meant it was because I’m so good at what I do. I didn’t cry when I heard, but don’t feel bad because I hardly ever cry. It’s nothing personal. I’m sorry you didn’t get a chance to enjoy your new house away from the kids, where you could raise your horses and just have fun.

You were a very nice person and you didn’t deserve this.

This is the week Ash’s mom is visiting. She’s here for the whole week! Saturday afternoon, I went to the Dallas-Ft. Worth airport to pick her up. I was able to take a new route, since the George Bush Turnpike (yes, they named a road after him before he even died, the dad that is) was just completed and now extends all the way out to the LBJ Freeway (yes, another one they named after a Texan), aka I635. The trip was fast and pleasant, since I didn’t have to get onto I635 until after I35. I35 is a very busy road, and most of the congestion on I635 West is people going to exit onto I35. Once you’re past the I35 exit, I635 clears out a lot.

So, I get to the airport and park just as mother-in-law (MIL) and husband’s flight is landing. I meet them at the baggage terminal, hugs and welcome to Dallas, etc. They flew out at 21 degrees, and landed at 60 degrees, always a nice transition in my book. MIL was nervous on the flight because she has only flown once before, when she came out the last time.

So, now she’s here and our routine is inevitably disrupted. I’m not upset, since that is what happens when you have guests. I just can’t walk out into the living room and get dressed in the mornings. I have to get dressed in the bedroom and hope I don’t wake up Ash. Minor stuff like that. There are also the usual annoyances about other people, who don’t know how you do things and want to “help”, or who aren’t quite as tidy as you. But, that’s what happens when you have guests.

I like having the visitors, and Ash gets to catch up with her mom. Did I mention that she’s going to watch Morgan so Ash and I can go out on a real live date!? Another bonus, worth putting up with a lot in my book. Just in time for the new Harry Potter movie, too. It doesn’t get any better. I think it’s going to be so nice!

Ash did ask me to pour her a full cup of coffee in the morning and set it aside for her in the fridge. I guess she didn’t get a cup yesterday morning. The funny thing is that I make our coffee, and MIL brought along her own instant coffee because she wasn’t going to be drinking ours. Now she’s drinking two cups (which is why Ash didn’t get any yesterday, much to her annoyance).

Morgan is having a blast. He was just so happy over the weekend. Sat in between them on the couch, and kept saying “Hi Grandma! Hi Grandpa!” all the time. He wouldn’t leave them alone. Ha! Welcome to our world! They love the attention, though.

Another bonus, we cleared out (mostly) the spare bedroom, so now Martin can come up for a visit if he wants.

I admit it. Actually, it would be hard to hide it. I also promised Ash I would post about it. My online crack of choice is Neverwinter Nights. This game is actually pretty retro. A new version is supposed to be coming out, but I’m not sure if it will be there for Macs at any time.

Buuuut, back on topic. I play Neverwinter Nights. It is an online version of D&D and I just like it. I like the pen and paper roleplaying games, including D&D, and with the online game there are always people online. I play it in the evenings, sometimes until midnight. That’s not too good since I usually have work the next day and I have to get up at 6 a.m. I’ve been somewhat sleep deprived, but that’s how I do games.

Let me explain how I do computer games (I’ll explain boardgames or roleplaying games later). I buy the computer game (on a weekend if I’m lucky). I open the game, install it and start playing it. At 4 a.m. the next morning, I’m still playing it and Ash is smacking me on the head to go to bed. I get up at 6 or 7 a.m. (well, Morgan gets me up). I’m a zombie for the rest of the next day, but if I can, I’m playing the computer game most of that day and really really late that evening. If I have work the next day, I usually get to bed by 1 a.m.

After a while, one of two things happen:

1. I get sick of it. Something about the game just clicks off with me and I don’t want to play it any more.

2. I love it. I enjoy it so much that I play it a lot more. However, I dial it down to a reasonable level (mostly). Every once in a while, I get back into it big time, then dial it back again for while.

I’m getting into number two right now. I like this game and I’m starting to pull back from the insane amount I’ve been gaming. Yesterday, for example, I didn’t even get online. Oh wait, I did that one time, but only for a minute. For a while there, my brother was playing, but I guess he isn’t as into it as I am.

Sigh. It was nice playing online with him. We don’t get to do too much together any more. I hope he isn’t mad at me.

Yesterday, I took Morgan out for Halloween. Our apartment complex sent around some signs to put on doors if we were planning to hand out candy on Halloween. We put ours out, as well as a sign at the bottom of the stairs letting kids know that it would be worth their while to go up to the third floor. Ash made the sign using a nifty Harry Potter font.

Morgan had a Spiderman costume, which we bought about a month ago. He was pretty excited, and couldn’t wait to get going. When I got home, the first thing he said to me was “Trick or treat?” His teachers said he was talking about trick or treat all day at school, too.

This year, it was my turn to take Morgan around, while Ash stayed home and gave out the candy. We got ready and started out on our candy trip. That’s when I found out what a bunch of cheapskate sons of bitches our neighbors were. Morgan and I went to over one half of the apartments and buildings in our complex, and found only two places that were giving out trick or treat candy.

We didn’t get to the other half of the apartments, because it turned out to be too much for Morgan. He was forgetting to say trick or treat at the doors. Instead, he tried to just walk in to the apartments we went to. The people didn’t mind, since they were just happy that he showed up. He started to melt down halfway through our visit. So, at over half the apartments we visited, a grand total of two were giving out candy.

Bastards.

Anyway, let me know if I’m overreacting. I need some perspective on this.

This past week has been very interesting, and not in a good way either.

First, last Monday I was out of commission with the flu. I still feel sick, but well enough to work, so I’m at work typing this out on my lunch break. I’ll post it tonight after I get home. This was one of the worst bouts of flu I’ve had. Seems like I get it worse each year. I was out of work from Monday to Thursday. I went in on Friday, but in retrospect I probably should have stayed home.

Second, a co-worker and his wife were brutally murdered last week while I was out sick. I heard about it when someone from work called to let me know. He was one of the nicest people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting, and I’m still sad and angry about it. He and his wife were last seen alive on Sunday, and a neighbor found them Tuesday evening after a relative couldn’t get them on the phone and asked the neighbor to check on them.

Third, Morgan got my flu on Friday evening and was out of commission for the weekend. Ash was a trooper and went to Wal-Mart for the grocieries by herself. We usually go together because she doesn’t like going on her own and doesn’t trust me to go on my own (I always get the wrong brands).

I am back, though, and able to write again. I’m still sick to my stomach, but that is a good thing because I’m eating less.

Fourth, I became addicted to an online roleplaying game called Neverwinter Nights. I like it and I don’t think it’s as bad as Ash says, but I’m not really an objective party here, so I’ll trust her judgement.

Finally, one of the good things that happened this week. I found out my uncle from England is coming to the US for a visit. He’ll be visiting my mother early next month, and I’ll have a chance to go down and see him for the month that he is in town. That should be nice. I only hope I actually have a chance to go. I haven’t see him for years, since I was last in England in high school.

We had our meeting with the school Wednesday afternoon. Only the principal was there, because all the teachers in Morgan’s class have been suspended and are on administrative leave. Ash had the tape recorder and decided not to turn it on after the first few minutes of the meeting.

The principal told us that she didn’t have a lot of information for us because the school district took over and sent in their own team to investigate the problem. The school is crawling with school district investigators who told her basically to keep out of it because she can’t be objective. They brought in the people who trained Morgan’s teachers to take over their classroom until the investigation is resolved. There are some security consultants reviewing their procedures and the physical layout of his class and the school, etc.

The principal seemed a little shell shocked and the meeting put Ash’s at ease. It appears that the school district is taking this extremely seriously. The principal told us that they consider this one of the most serious events that has ever happened in this school district.

So, we weren’t able to get any of the information we needed because the principal was told not to ask any questions and not to speculate on what happened while they investigate it. Well, one of our questions was answered, whether this was going to be escalated to anyone else in the school district. We’re going to be kept informed of the results of the investigation.

Well, today one of my nightmares for Morgan almost came true. At 2:40 p.m. today, I got a call at work from a Plano policeman asking if I knew where my son was. He gets out of school at 2:30 p.m. I told him as far as I knew, he was at school. He then told me he had him in his squad car at a major city street corner (three lanes of traffic in either direction, for six total) where he had wandered a mile and a half or so from school.

I ran out of the office and drove like a freaking maniac to where he was. I tried calling Ash three or four times, but she was downstairs waiting for the bus to drop him off. I called my boss, since I didn’t see him on my way out, and left him a message. Unfortunately, I forgot to hang up, so the last part of my voicemail was me yelling profanities at someone on the highway who didn’t yield and let me onto the exit ramp. I then realized it and hung up.

I finally made it to the corner shopping center where they had him. There were two officers in separate squad cars, standing around with Morgan and laughing at his antics. He loves police cars, by the way, and he was happily looking around in the squad car. The officer explained that he was on a routine traffic stop and saw Morgan walking down the sidewalk a distance ahead of a woman. As the woman got closer, she yelled at the police officer that he was escaping or getting away. He didn’t think anything of it, since he thought Morgan was her child. Then she said that he wasn’t hers, and that he was just wandering around on his own.

He got him settled and called me (he has an ID tag on a necklace with contact numbers). Five minutes before I got there, he was notified that the school had called police to report him missing. I thanked everyone and took Morgan to the school to pick up his backpack. The other officer was already headed over to the school to find out what happened. They were leaving when we got to the school.

He’s fine, but when I think what could have happened, I get a chill up my spine. I have a meeting with the principle and teachers tomorrow to go over what happened and what they’re going to do to make sure it doesn’t happen again. I’m preparing for some stonewalling and bureaucratic weaseling, but we’ll see what happens at the meeting.