Pen drive show empty even when data exists : SOLVED : Hidden files/ Virus Security

This is a common symptom when your computer, hard drive or the PD is infected with a malware. You are 100% sure that the disk contains data but that is not visible in the file explorer.

Now there can be multiple ways ti identify and fix it. They are mentioned as following:

1. Simplest is to check if the files are hidden and your explorer settings do not allow you to view hidden files.
To overcome this go to the file/folder settings View -> And select the 'Show System or Hidden files'

2. You definitely have to eventually scan the disk by Antivirus. Do that and the disk will become clean again

3. There is a short DOS level command that could help you overcome the situation.

Steps:

a. Open the DOS command. For the newbies, its a Black command terminal window
You can start it by goint to Start -> Run ->cmd

b. Change your working drive to the target drive. For eg. if your pendrive or disk is E: drive run the following command on DOS terminal
That is, type the following command and press Enter

E:\>attrib -h -r -s /s /d e:\*.*

Now this magical command will not display anything on the terminal. But your work will be done!

This will recursively make all your files and folder on the target drive as Non-hidden.

So now go to File System explore of Windows and open the drive. Voila! Your items are now visible!

IE does not open some website - MSN and Bing opens, but Google, Facebook etc are blocked : A Case Study to understand Transport Layer Security ( TLS 1.0 ) Protocol

It is a rough day when you want to start a new research on your old machine and try installing an old OS like XP and suddenly your world come crushing as no websites are being opened up in the Internet Browser.

The story started when today I tried to open google.co.in on my Internet Browser on this freshly prepared old machine ( I minted an HP Compaq Presario V200, bought in 2004, with Windows XP, a genuine copy of it!) The IE was not able to open any website. To my surprise, msn.com and bing.com were opening. I mean WTF! I somehow held to opinion to myself as my younger brother was scolded last night for not using abusive slangs. But comeon. WTF Actually!

See the error screenshot:

Obviously, this halted my program to start actually with the parallel computing experiment i am planning. I wanted to dig deeper as to what must be happening. Clearly, there must be some Security options issue. The error message read as follows:

"The page cannot be displayed.
The page you are looking for is currently unavailable. The Web site might be experiencing technical difficulties, or you may need to adjust your browser settings.
To attempt fixing network connectivity problems, click Tools, and then click "Diagnose Connection Problems..."


After, investigation and checking where my network is getting blocked (used fiddler and a network sniffer for the purpose), i found that its the strong security measures taken up by some sites that are blocking me launching those ones.

The solution was to enable some settings in the Internet Options -> Advance Tab ->Security settings.

If you are trying to reach a secure site, make sure your Security settings can support it. Click the Tools menu, and then click Internet Options. On the Advanced tab, scroll to the Security section and check settings for SSL 2.0, SSL 3.0, TLS 1.0, PCT 1.0.

See the screenshot below:

So, in my case a missing TLS1.0 was the reason.

Transport Layer Security (TLS) and its predecessor, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), both frequently referred to as "SSL", are cryptographic protocols that provide communications security over a computer network. Nowadays, major websites use TLS to secure all communications between their servers and web browsers.

The Transport Layer Security protocol aims primarily to provide privacy and data integrity between two communicating computer applications. The connection is private (or secure) because symmetric cryptography. The keys for this symmetric encryption are generated uniquely for each connection and are based on a shared secret negotiated at the start of the session (see TLS handshake protocol).

Furthermore, if you are using TLS, the connection ensures integrity because each message transmitted includes a message integrity check using a message authentication code to prevent undetected loss or alteration of the data during transmission.


Currently, a new 1.3 Transport Layer Security protocol is being drafted. And, going by the design and algorithms it has panelled in, I gurantee that there will be a number of websites that stand a chance to be blocked by standard webbrowsers. Its time when either webbrowser industry incorporates those supports fast or websites wait for some time to consume those super secure standards. In any ways, its nothing to panic. Rather, its a state to feel more secured.

So coming back to my case, enabling the TLS 1.0 option and restarting my browser solved the issue. Ah! Issue solved.

But Oh! Are Bing and MSN not that secured? Or, IE has a separate treatment for them?
Folks, you know what such an informed cue means to geeks like you. Enjoy!!

A shabby tailor would not be a gentleman's tailor.

Thats true!!

This thought has occured to me a while before. And, I seriously find this a good phrase in the world of Services and Product companies, institutions, and organisations.

Brief of the letter to a leading Software Company( sent a couple of minutes before.) This also describes my phrase coined today i.e. January 28th, 2013.

Dear Company,

For a company as big as you and one of the biggest seller of softwares, products, SaaS and hosted platform services, you should be very cautious of choice of softwares, and your own security mechanisms. Technically, because a shabby tailor would not be a gentleman's tailor.

Yours sincerely,
Anwar Faiz
Toughjamy@Yahoo.Com

PS: I would not reveal the name of the company and the sort of attack or vulnerabilty pointed in their system. I have already send the details, screenshots, source code lines having mistakes, the degree of threat, and possible resolutions to the concerned authorities in the company.

I am not bound to maintain this secrecy, but I feel its ethical :)