Conficker

Conficker is possibly the most fearsome worm of all time. Its capabilities has researchers, the industry and security practitioners worried. It infects via infected portable drives, exploiting unpatched Windows systems or by brute forcing weak passwords. The C variant is awaiting instructions from its author(s) tomorrow... 1st April 2009 aka "April Fool's Day". No joke!!!
Academic research paper and proof-of-concept detection tools here.
Nmap v4.85 Beta 5 supports Conficker detection as well.
nmap -PN -T4 -p139,445 -n -v --script=smb-check-vulns --script-args safe=1 [targetnetworks]
Nessus has a new plugin to detect Conficker too.
Folks... you've been warned before. Disable Autorun, patch your OSs and use strong passwords.
Update: Conficker blocks access to security websites. Here is a simple test to verify if your system might have been infected.

Lights out

Turning off the lights during "Earth Hour" reminded me of my childhood when I experienced frequent blackouts in my neighbourhood. I wasn't entirely in the dark during that one hour plus because I had illumination from my laptop and TV but it did bring back memories of how it was like being at home with no electricity and only having candles for visibility. 
We are so reliant on electricity and it is often taken for granted. I wish the players in the Energy industry would work together and find environmentally friendly alternatives to oil.
I will make a conscious effort to turn off my lights for extended periods of time on a regular basis instead of just once a year.

BIOS rootkit

Researchers create POC code to install rootkit into BIOS thus rendering AV ineffective. Not exactly a new concept but I believe the first time the idea has actually been put to test.
Correction: Other researchers had successfully planted rootkits into BIOS.

Routers turned into bots

Interesting. Worm propagation turning DSL routers into bots. More details of the attack here.

T3 revisited

Overdue pics from my last visit to T3. Inside T3.

Setting sun outside T3.

Nightfall.

Turn off the lights

I'm planning to participate in Earth Hour. Its as simple as keeping the lights off for an hour this Saturday from 8.30-9.30pm. Do your part and make a statement for the environment. Our Earth is worth saving.

Singapore Flyer + Henderson Wave

Photography outing. Walking up Benjamin Sheares Bridge. The Singapore Flyer. Is it me or does the Singapore Flyer look tilted to you?

At the tail end of the bridge. Sight of the uncompleted Banana building. It's past 9pm and the Singapore Flyer is no longer red.

Onward to the Henderson Wave.