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Cybersecurity and Gospel Principles

As I was reading through the "On the Job" case, a few of points hit me as relating to gospel principles. The first was how the lack of uniformity in international laws makes it difficult to bring cyber attackers to justice. The second was that there is minimal, if any, prosecution of the cyber crooks. The other point is that companies shouldn't take things into their own hands.

The lack of uniformity in the international laws can be compared to the lack of uniformity in people's beliefs. There are some in this world that believe it is okay to exploit the tendencies of the natural man for monetary gain. Prime examples of this are the drug, pornography, and gambling industries. There are also people in the world who have good intentions, but lead many away from the gospel with intellect and pride. This lack of uniformity creates difficulties for those who are looking to live righteously. There have been times in my life when I allowed myself to be pulled in by the temptations of the world and found myself both spiritually and physically sick. Our spiritual security is easily compromised by the actions of others with different personal laws, as well as the temptations and deceit of the adversary. In the October 1992 general conference, Joseph B. Wirthlin said there are "wolves of evil that are prowling all around us to threaten our spiritual security. It dulls the spiritual senses, diminishes confidence and personal security. This is why we must always be on guard against the things in and of this world that are not of God.

The lack of prosecution of cyber attackers was another point. I thought about the fortune 500 companies not holding the attackers accountable for their actions. The book stated that a big reason for this was fear. How many times do we not speak up against wrongdoings because we are afraid to be rejected? I know that I have had moments in my life where I should have spoken out for what was right and remained silent. I did this because I didn't want to be looked down upon, made fun of, or compromise my adolescent friendships. How many politicians have a tendency to say what is popular instead of standing strong against things they believe are wrong? When he lost the 116 pages of translated pages, Martin Harris was told that he "…should not have feared man more than God" (D&C 3:7). I can think of many times in my life when I was guilty of the same thing.

The last point is mentioned in the fourth paragraph. It warns companies to not take matters into their own hands. I relate this to gospel principles by comparing that concept to o always doing things with and through the spirit. God is there for us and we need to heed of his words and ask for his assistance in our lives. When we attempt to deal with things strictly on our own, we often find ourselves in a different place than we should be.

In conclusion, I find there are many ways to relate things to gospel principles. The more I exercise this train of thought, the easier it gets.

Offsite Backup Presentation

Oracle Database 10g XE (Express Edition)

Oracle Corporation's Database 10g Express Edition is a free database product. It is free to download, free to deploy, and free to distribute. This alone is appealing to many small business owners who need a cost-effective database system. It is also the first database designed for grid computing, which cuts management costs while providing the highest possible quality of service. This can also cut cost and increase profit.

Oracle Database Express 10g XE supports C, C++, Oracle Application Express, ODBC,PL/SQL, .NET, OLE DB,HTML DB, JDBC (Java), and PHP on both Microsoft Windows and Linux 32 bit platforms. Database administration is easily done through a browser interface.

A definite advantage of using Oracle Database 10g is that it uses the same code base as Oracle Database 10g R2, so any applications built using the express edition can be easily upgraded to use more advanced versions of Oracle's database products without changing the application code or the database definition statements. This means that if your business grows beyond the capabilities of the free express version of database 10g, it will be much easier to upgrade the system.

Along with the free download of Oracle Database 10g XE, you can download the free Oracle Developer Suite 10g. The Developer Suite 10g includes:

• Oracle Developer Suite 10g
  
  • Oracle Forms
    
  • Oracle Designer
    
  • Software configuration manager
    
  • Oracle Reports
    
  • Oracle Discoverer
    
• Oracle Business Intelligence Beans 10g
  
  • Presentation beans
    
  • Graph and cross graph data beans
    
  • Query calculation builders
    
• Oracle JDeveloper 10g (For Java development)
  

Oracle Database 10g XE has a disk footprint of only 150 MB. To have such a small footprint, limitations had to be set. Database 10g XE will only utilize 1 GB of memory with one processor, and will support up to 4 GB of user data. I looked at the online support forum and found it to be comprehensive, and the tutorials are interactive, providing hands-on learning. With the great development tools available and the easy scalability, Oracle Database 10g XE is a great database solution for most small businesses, DBA's, and developers.

Forgotten Password in Vista

Symptoms:

It had been quite a while since I had logged into my desktop, and I couldn't remember the password.

Gathering Information:

I searched online for a possible solution. I found a few using UBCD (Ultimate Boot CD), but was unable to bypass the password. I finally found a .ISO file for a boot CD called Kon Boot, which is used to bypass the login password. It does this by modifying the kernel on-the-fly while booting.

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Hypothesis:

H1 Burn ISO to CD, then boot from the CD into Windows Vista.

Results:

While booting using the Kon Boot CD, the following screen appears

:

Press any key to continue. The next screen looks like this:

It then boots into the Vista login screen:

Type anything you want to in the password text box, and login.

It worked wonderfully! I was unable to reset or change the password using this boot CD, but I was able to access and back up any files I needed before re-installing Windows Vista.

Reflection:

This is a great tool for those of us who are a bit forgetful. I must admit that I find it a little unsettling that a person would be able to bypass my password so easily. There are ways to harden against person using Kon Boot on your computer such as TrueCrypt or requiring a smart card to log into your computer.

Windows 7 Won’t Shutdown

Symptoms:

Windows 7 was hanging during shutdown. I would have to manually shut it down which resulted in the "Windows did not shutdown correctly" the next time I booted the computer.

Gathering information:

I looked in the system's event log and found no errors regarding this problem. I also looked at any new programs and drivers.

Hypothesis:

H1. Delete/Uninstall recently installed drivers
H2. Delete/Uninstall recently installed programs

Results:

H1. I uninstalled a few recently updates drivers, and found it made no difference.
H2. I uninstalled the last 2 programs I installed, and the problem still persisted.

I then researched the problem on the internet and found a solution. Apparently there is a problem with certain audio services causing this problem. This can be solved creating a batch file that disables those services, and start the batch file when logging off. This solved the problem.

I found these steps HERE.

1. Create a .bat file (create txt file and change extention to .bat)
2. Right Click on file > "edit" and enter following info:
   net stop "Audiosrv"
   net stop "AudioEndpointBuilder"
3. Save file as "Audio stop"(or whatever you want) to your main drive ie: C:\Audio stop
4. Open "run" from start menu and enter "gpedit.msc" (without quotes) and hit "OK"
5. Now navigate from right pain of window "User Configuration" > "Windows Settings" > "scripts (Logon/Logoff)" > "Logoff"
6. From window that opens from clicking "Logoff" Click "Add" then browse to where you saved "Audio Stop.bat" earlier and double click on it.
7. Hit "Apply" and close.
   
   Window 7 will now automatically stop the Audio services when Shutting Down or Restarting allowing system to complete the process.

If this doesn't work for you, you may need to verify the names of the audio service(s) on your system and replace "audiosrv" with applicable service name, but this solution should work for most systems.

Reflection:

I found that there may be other services that would cause this problem, such as USB drivers, Firewire devices, etc. The solution for the problem is the same, just with different services disabled when you log off of the system.

Data Flow Diagrams and Beyond…

This week's class covered the subject of DFD's (Data Flow Diagrams). DFD's are the visual planning and breakdown of data flow through a system. As I sat working on my DFD for my class homework, an idea popped into my head. I had a thought about the Plan of Salvation, and how many of the charts I had seen were set up a bit like a data flow diagram. I began to consider the similarities and differences. I made a little DFD of the Plan of Salvation, and realized that there were too many variables for me to create even a context diagram. There were too many possible choices. Still hanging on to the concept, I began searching for a diagram of the Plan of Salvation. I found this one: http://www.utlm.org/images/eternalprogressionutlm.gifAs

I'm writing this, I'm heading down a different road than I had intended; Yes, I'm sidetracked. I realize that the chart I have of the Plan, is indeed a flow chart. If I were to attempt to create a diagram 0 of the Plan of Salvation, it would be so full of black and gray holes that it would be impossible to follow due to my lack of knowledge. Thinking of all of the blanks that would lead to black and gray holes, I realize that we have many tools available to us that we can utilize to fill in many of these holes. I can reveal some of the holes by praying for knowledge, reading, studying, and pondering the scriptures, and maintaining my spiritual awareness. In D&C 11:7, the Lord says, "Seek not the riches but for the wisdom; and, behold, the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you…," and In 1 Nephi 10:19, Nephi teaches, "for he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost…." I realize it is an odd way to think of it, but I can visualize a flow diagram that is filled in throughout our lives according to our humble quest for the knowledge of Deity.

So I haven't written about Data Flow Diagrams, but I do think it important where the thought of DFD's lead me. I may have a mild case of Attention Deficit Disorder and get sidetracked easily, but I find that often there is insight to be had in the straying. I have realized that everything I do in this world can in some way be related to the gospel, and should be thought of in such a way. As I find my way through this life, I will strive to remain conscious of the gospel in all things, and seek to further my knowledge of truth.

Rapid Application Development (RAD): Plan as you go

Long ago I came to the conclusion that very few things turn out as expected. That vision of the perfect plan never coming to complete fruition, leaving me frustrated and wondering what happened to change the expected outcome. I finally decided that planning too far ahead could be a waste of time and resources. I'm fairly laid back to begin with, so this "plan as you go" idea really appealed to me. Just relax and take things as they come, leaving my plans open and subject to change. There are advantages and disadvantages to this approach.

With Rapid Application Development, or RAD, having an outline of main requirements without pre-planning can be advantageous to a company. It can save time and money, as well as create an application more applicable to specific company needs. The requirement planning phase is short and results in a main goal, but does not include every step of how to get there. A workable prototype is developed quickly and passed to the user. The user provides feedback to the developer regarding usability and desired functionality. The application is then changed and enhanced, then passed back to the user. This reciprocation continues until the cutover phase, when everything is put in place and implemented. Early RAD systems had two primary disadvantages: reduced Scalability, and reduced features. Reduced scalability occurs because a RAD developed application starts as a prototype and evolves into a finished application (Select Business Solutions, Inc. 2009). Given the disadvantages, I still prefer the RAD development technique for most situations-It fits my thought process, and I have the same approach to my life.

Citations:

-What is Rapid Application Development? (RAD) | Analysis and Design. (n.d.). Retrieved September 26, 2009, from http://www.selectbs.com/adt/analysis-and-design/what-is-rapid-application development

None Listed. www.linearblue.com. Digital image. [agile_circle.jpg]. www.linearblue.com. 27 Sep. 2009

Feeling Insecure? System Design and Security

One of the steps in information system development involves system security. There are many points to consider when planning for the security of a system. One of the things to consider is the type of organization. While it is prudent to give the customers of a company the highest possible security when it comes to their personal information, the truth is that some information doesn't warrant the highest security available. As we look at a business plan, we can determine cost of security implementation vs. the risk. A balance has to be reached between the value of the information to the organization on the one hand and the cost of the personnel, administrative and technological security measures on the other hand. The security measures put in place need to be less expensive than the potential damage caused by the loss of confidentiality, integrity and availability of the information." (EDP Audit Committee International Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions October 1995.) It's obvious that a small private owned pet store will require less security than a large financial investment brokerage firm.

The information stored on the system will determine how aggressive and how often the system will be attacked. Financial and personal information that can be used to commit fraud is highly sought after by crackers who can sell the information or make use of it for their own gain.

Another consideration is the popularity of the organization. Microsoft is despised by many as being a greedy, corporate giant that destroys competitors in an attempt to create something close to a monopoly. This reputation has caused the cracker community to attack Microsoft systems regularly, exposing the flaws in the software and turning many towards other, safer alternatives. This has cost the organization product sales revenue, as well as large amounts of money invested in security updates and patches developed and released to fix the weaknesses.

When working with a company manager in the analysis and design of an information system, often times it is all about the profit, or the "bottom line". It may be difficult at times to see a return on the investment into security, but the results of inadequate security can be disastrous and cost much more than the initial investment into adequate security.

Creative Design

    There is an art to information system design. There must be a vision of the desired result, and what the purpose is in creating the work. There are multiple tools to choose from for the development of a system, and you utilize the tools that best work for your purpose. When the blank canvas is looked upon, it is best to visualize the steps that must be made to achieve the envisioned outcome. After taking a few steps, it is beneficial to stand back and observe your progress, gauging the effects of your work. If the work is not moving in the desired direction, the steps can be reevaluated and changed according to the need of the business. There are times when the end result does not have the impact of the original vision, and the system is scrapped and a newly stretched canvas is placed upon the easel.

    I see system design as a process that involves creativity as well as technical knowledge. The process of problem solving, including prototyping and finding the best approach for a needed result, requires both sides of the brain. That is why I am interested in system analysis and design…it is a challenge that will bring growth to both my logic and creativity.

Learning Model

The LDSBC learning model consists of steps and principles that enhance and solidify the information we are learning. These principles include: 1)Prepare, 2)Teach One Another, and 3) Ponder and Prove. These three steps ensure an education that will be applicable to the job world which we will be entering in the near future. In D&C section 88 verses 77-80 the Lord speaks of teaching one another and preparation. The principles of the learning model are the same principles we should use when studying the gospel.

We must prepare ourselves to learn. We can pray for increased capacity and understanding, and invite the Spirit. The Holy Ghost will bear witness to truth, and once we experience that witness, the knowledge is ours. In the application of this learning model, we can see that when we share our knowledge with another student, our knowledge is solidified. As we teach each other we help build others weaknesses and have our weaknesses strengthened. It is also important to ponder and prove. As I stated before, the Spirit will hear witness if we take the time to ponder the information we have been given.

My first Blog

Hey.