Inercia

Ullapool

alvaro — Fri, 05 May 2006 16:23:56 +0000

Ullapool

Web server attacks

alvaro — Sun, 19 Mar 2006 12:32:28 +0000

It seems that my web server has been the target of some web attacks. Yesterday, I discovered some log entries like these:

65.67.68.136 – - [18/Mar/2006:12:00:35 +0000] “POST /xmlrpc.php HTTP/1.1″ 200 417
65.67.68.136 – - [18/Mar/2006:12:00:54 +0000] “POST /blogs/xmlsrv/xmlrpc.php HTTP/1.1″ 404 643
65.67.68.136 – - [18/Mar/2006:12:00:55 +0000] “POST /drupal/xmlrpc.php HTTP/1.1″ 404 643
65.67.68.136 – - [18/Mar/2006:12:00:55 +0000] “POST /wordpress/xmlrpc.php HTTP/1.1″ 404 643
65.67.68.136 – - [18/Mar/2006:12:00:55 +0000] “POST /phpgroupware/xmlrpc.php HTTP/1.1″ 404 643
65.67.68.136 – - [18/Mar/2006:12:00:55 +0000] “POST /blog/xmlrpc.php HTTP/1.1″ 404 643
65.67.68.136 – - [18/Mar/2006:12:00:55 +0000] “POST /blog/xmlsrv/xmlrpc.php HTTP/1.1″ 404 643
65.67.68.136 – - [18/Mar/2006:12:00:59 +0000] “POST /xmlsrv/xmlrpc.php HTTP/1.1″ 404 643
65.67.68.136 – - [18/Mar/2006:12:00:59 +0000] “POST /xmlrpc.php HTTP/1.1″ 200 417
65.67.68.136 – - [18/Mar/2006:12:01:00 +0000] “POST /xmlrpc/xmlrpc.php HTTP/1.1″ 200 417

And, although WordPress has been resisting these trials, they are definitively consuming some precious CPU cycles in my machine, and I don’t know if, some day, they will succeed. So, I’ve started a short study of alternatives for increasing the security of my Web server.

In an ideal case, the defense should be at the server, in order to avoid the execution of PHP code (something expensive for a G3) or to use any security error (ie, a writable directory, a forgotten script…). The easiest option could be some kind of black list system, but, even when they are easy to check (and, by the way, they don’t require too much CPU), they are neither flexible nor reliable. I should use something that could check the web requests at a higher level, using some sort of rules.

And I have found the solution in Modsecurity, a module for security in Apache. Installing the mod_security module provides a very flexible way of filtering requests before they are processed. It uses a system based on regular expressions, applied to any field of the request (ie, IP addresses, the request URI, a single string, etc), and they have a repository with a huge list of rules that can be used out of the box. Nice, isn’t it?

I have installed the module today, and now my server seems to be much better. I have created an automatic update script for the rules, so they are downloaded once a month, and I haven’t noticed any performance penalty in the system, even when they say in the web page that Apache 1 uses a very slow PCRE implementation.

The PS3

alvaro — Wed, 15 Mar 2006 20:30:08 +0000

It is the hot topic of today: the release of the PS3. Sony boss Ken Kutaragi has announced the release date of the PlayStation 3 in the PlayStation Business Briefing 2006. It seems that it will finally be in November. And, in contrast with their previous consoles, launched first in Japan and then in the rest of the world, the PS3 will be simultaneously available in Europe, America and Asia.

But the most exciting part of the keynote was the moment when Mr. Kutaragi described some details of the machine. He said that the PS3′s hard drive “will be 60GB big, be completely upgradeable, and support Linux OS”. Errrr? Sorry? Linux support? What do you mean with Linux support? Does it mean that the OS can be loaded in the Hard Disc (something trivial), or that the whole machine (ie, the hardware, the BIOS, etc.) will support Linux? In that case, that would be really nice.

But, wait a moment!! Why should they do that? Why should they provide Linux support? Isn’t it a menace for the DRM system found in every console? Some smart guy could port the MPlayer or Xine and use it in order to avoid the DRM system. Maybe they know that, in the same way as the XBox 360 will be hacked, their console is fated to suffer the same end. Or maybe it is because they know that an open SDK could bring more opportunities than a closed one, more applications, and a lot of hackers creating programs for their platform. And, what the hell, In the worst case, they can use a rootkit and avoid any hack implemented in a modified operating system, so their DRM can stay safe.

The never ending story… or the PS3

alvaro — Fri, 03 Mar 2006 22:36:15 +0000

Some days ago, somebody leaked an inform saying how much a PS3 would cost if it were released now. Well, technology gets cheaper with the time but, if Sony wants their console on the street right now, users should pay near $900 for the luxury of playing with a PS3. That’s the reason why Sony has decided to delay the launch of their new console until 2007.

But, delaying the PS3, Sony loses some ground to Microsoft with their Xbox 360. Performance is said to be comparable, and users could try the new 360 and get used to it. “Why should I change to a PS3 if I have a Xbox? What will happen with all my games”, they will wonder when they asked about buying a PS3. “No way”.

So, if Sony doesn’t want to be left out of the game, they will have to sell their console well under the construction cost. Doing this, Sony would be losing some money until the materials get cheaper (maybe one year), but Microsoft has been suffering the same problem since they launched the Xbox.

In conclusion, maybe analysts have been right when they said that the requirements for more and more power will increase even more the prices, and that this market will become less and less profitable. But companies know something: that if they get into your living room, they can have a big piece of the “entertainment” market, and this is a really attractive market.

Mockup, mockup…

alvaro — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 08:12:43 +0000

Continuing with the Apple’s mockup subject, the guys of Engadget have asked for ideas for the new gadgets that could be presented by Apple this week. Readers have responded with an incredible list of mockups.