The Program.exe Problem

February 17th, 2007 by mb

A couple years ago I mentioned in a SecurityFocus column that Windows has a problem when you put a file named “program.exe” in the system root directory. The problem is basically in how it deals with spaces in paths that don’t have quotes around them. Anyone with the permissions to create a file in the root directory could create a malicious program that could escalate their privileges. Here’s an excerpt from that article: Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Application Security, Hardening, Malware, Tools | 15 Comments »

Pafwert: Smarter Passwords

January 30th, 2007 by mb

I am now making available a freeware desktop version of Pafwert, a strong password generator. Although it looks simple on the surface, Pafwert is a complex software application I built based on years of research on passwords and password security.

Pafwert Screenshot - Click for larger view

Larger Screen Shot

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Posted in Application Security, Passwords, Privacy, Tools, Windows Security | 1 Comment »

Squint

December 8th, 2006 by mb

I recently ran across this tool I made for a client several years ago and thought I would share it. It’s basically for those times when you need a little privacy but there are too many peeping eyes around. Just pop open squint and it makes it hard to see the screen unless you are fairly close.

There’s really not much to the program. A single click alternates between opaque and transparent states and a double-click brings up an options dialog.

You can download the file here

Posted in Privacy, Tools | No Comments »