Month: January 2016

Subscriber Shenanigans

I have noted a peculiarity about this particular WordPress site, a phenomenon that does not occur with the other dozen or so WordPress sites I maintain: I keep getting notices about new subscribers, despite the fact that I make no effort whatsoever to publicize this site (it’s basically just a gratuitous repository for little more than a diary), but the subscriber user names bear no resemblance to the associated subscriber email addresses, such as the latest user name, ValerieMoor00, with the email address of terrianne.borawski_2303701@yahoo.com.

So what’s your name, bitch, Valerie or Terrianne?

So far, all of them, to a one, have been yahoo email addresses, which, in itself, is an immediate and HUGE red flag. But also, not a one of them has exhibited any resemblance between the user name and the email address — most of the user names have been quite clearly contrived to deceive.

Just a point of note to those pursuing this misguided activity, such subscriber accounts will be, without notice, summarily deleted. You can just fuck off!

Furthermore, I intend to invoke demons to aid me in visiting mischief and calamities on your computer. Be prepared to have your computer cursed.

And just now, another one: ConsueloMaye240 — maribeth.snell_283463@yahoo.com

And more:

Username: GilbertoZ79, Email: brena.link_469205@yahoo.com

 

Linux Exploration

Had a bit of an intense day, today, attempting to research and propose some specific Linux distribution with emphasis on security and encryption. Found some articles simply searching on the phrase “most secure version of linux”. One had only 3 recommendations: Tails (The Amnesic Incognito Live System), LPS (Lightweight Portable Security), and Surprise!

Another article had so many recommendations, mostly directed at those intending to use it to penetrate security measures, that I found it unuseful.

Settled on Tails, based on Debian, which, though its user interface is a bit clunky (may be an issue for the intended client), appears to have the necessary applications to provide encryption, as well as standard applications (Libre Office). An added cute attribute is that it provides an optional UI that appears to be Windows 8.

The idea, for the client in question, is to have a bootable USB 3.0 thumb-drive, containing the operating system (obviously), as well as all the necessary applications for his purposes, but have a separate encrypted thumb-drive (need not be USB 3.0, as it will be data only), just for his files. At the end of the day, both are removed from the computer on which they are used, and, as a function of its operation, Tails wipes the computer’s memory before shutting down, leaving no trace of anything that was performed on that computer.

This solution provides the desired security for any given session, as well as completely eliminating the insecure aspect of a physical storage device on a system that may be, from time to time, unattended and subject to direct physical OR remote intrusion.

Ran out of time, and so was not able to complete my tests, today, and still waiting to see how well the persistent files function works, allowing new application installations and updates to be saved to the bootable thumb-drive.

 

CSSkynet and the Combinator

Epiphany

Got an introduction, through many searches, and much banging of head against the wall, to the use of “combinators” in CSS. A combinator is something that explains the relationship between the selectors.

The four types are:

  • descendant selector (space)
  • child selector (>)
  • adjacent sibling selector (+)
  • general sibling selector (~)

I can see I’ve got some work to do on the CSS for this WordPress theme, too — the text in the bulleted items, above, is a larger font-size than the rest of the post. I also do not care for the way the bullets are outdented.

Edge of Null Idea for Font Selection

Was poring over the vast selection of Google fonts, today, and got to thinking about how best to display my best picks for Edge Of Null use. Wondering if I could set up HTML pages with PNG images overlayed by divs containing text entirely controlled by CSS, and with a combination of Javascript and PHP, have buttons that substituted a different stylesheet, displaying the alternate choices.

Will have to do some serious PHP review, and reasonably serious Javascript/jQuery review, methinks.