At typical conferences, I only have a 1 hour 15 minute time slot to present information - hardly enough to do more than whet your appetite for packet-level life. It is very frustrating when I really want to ensure attendees grasp concepts and walk out with solid skills for immediate gratification. So... I cancelled most of my remaining conferences this year to focus on development of my Troubleshooting and Security Summit on November 4-5th in Las Colinas, Texas (near DFW). Visit www.chappellsummit.com or www.wiresharkU.com.
Geez... it takes a ton of work to put on a Summit/Conference! Reviewing the contract with the hotel nearly made me gag! We did select a fantastic hotel and we hope to take over the entire ballroom/meeting room area - giving us plenty of room to spread out with our laptops and great visibility for all attendees. Hey - if you're going to head out and spend time geeking out with us, you might as well be someplace nice (sorry, Detroit Days Inn... I just couldn't do it!).
I am working on the student kits and the new sets of trace files. I am most excited to work together on the new Microsoft TCP/IP stack stuff, optimization of XP communications and then the compromised host evidence area. In addition, we'll get to work with new trace files of unusual/suspicious traffic to locate their signatures and figure out how to block this crap from the network. Users get more bold every day with the dirty applications they try to run on network!
There was a major change made from the time we polled the mailing list to the current time - I want to give all attendees a copy of the WSU03: Troubleshooting Network Performance self-paced DVD course instead of the WSU02: Analyzing TCP/IP Communications. The WSU02 stuff is the perfect prerequisite to ensure you get the most out of the conference.
New trace files - new toys (uh, er... I mean tools) - hands-on labs! It's gonna be a blast! Make sure you register before September 1st to get the Early Bird Special. Ideally, I'd like to have enough attendees to ensure we take over the hotel. Oh, yeah - and hotel room discount rates are only available until October 20th.
Get the full outline and details at www.chappellsummit.com and let me know your thoughts!
Laura
Friday, August 15, 2008
Monday, June 30, 2008
No One Wipes Blood Off Their Own Face in Movies!
Well... it's another late night for me... insomnia rules my world at times and I've spent the day working with the new video training interface and the lab exercises for the Pilot beta course (which is debuting on July 18th - check out the calendar page for details).
I am finally settling in to watch a movie (oh, and blogging...) - "The Interpreter" is on... a smarmy show with beautiful-but-quesionable-actress Nicole Kidman and amazingly-talented-but-no-one-I'd-let-stay-in-my-house Sean Penn. The scene that just played had Sean Penn grabbing a paper towel, wetting it down and wiping the blood off Nicole Kidman's face. Now why is it that in movies no one can wipe the blood off their own face or put a simple bandage on their cuts? Geez... if we acted the same way I'm sure we'd all be walking around with oozing wounds and blood-stained faces, hands and feet. Ok... Hollywood is not reality (I want you all to remember that when the "Mother of Invention" movie comes out - if it ever does).
On that note... I've received numerous queries about the film. Last week I spoke with the main writer - the script is on it's 10th rewrite. He asked me some questions (I'm Technical Consultant on the film) about Navy Seals and intercepting radio-control signals. Now what the hell does that have to do with my life? Oh, wait... I'm not supposed to talk about those jobs... Seriously folks... when the film does come out it will have little relationship to my real life (except for that diaper-packed suitcase scene - believe it or not - that is true).
So back to the Pilot labs now - it's just past 12:15 am and I have another 3 hours or so of energy and focus left. I'm excited about this new course - as excited as I am with Pilot. If you don't know about Pilot, check out CACE Technologies' website. I just saved myself about 10 hours creating a report for a customer by using Pilot.
Oh... gotta go - final scenes coming up - helicopters and all... hey, wait a minute! I didn't see any helicopters in my film script!!! Time to make some calls... someone in Hollywood's gonna need some Bandaids!
Laura
Friday, June 13, 2008
Bag Lady of TechEd...
Those quizzical looks said "don't you have a hotel room?" After dragging around a suitcase of toys (uh, er... I mean 'tools') during TechEd, I really appreciate the guy/gal who invented roller bags. The lunch session today - while only 45 minutes long - finally offered me a chance to unload the bag and share some of my favorite tools. From the hot graping tool, Pilot, to NetScanTools (my key reconnaissance/traceback tool) and the infamous SumoBots, Ironkey, the self-destructing USB stick and the Phantom Keystroker that plagued some of the CommNet stations at various points during the network - the 45-minute sessions was a 'spewfest' of fun.
If you'd like to see the list of some of my favorite tools, check out www.wiresharkU.com/tools - if there are tools I should add, send an email to tools@wiresharkU.com.
This week I also created a page with some information and product discount codes over at www.wiresharkU.com/teched. Even if you didn't go to the show, grab the discount codes for AirPcap, NetScanTools, Pilot and the Wireshark University Courses - watch the expiration dates - don't miss your chance to save some money on these hot items.
So what about that Thursday panel? Seated between Steve Riley and Mark Russinovich - the same seating arrangement we had in Barcelona, I knew it would be a hoot. Mark Minasi and Marcus Murray rounded out the geekfest at the front of the room. Without any introductions or scripting, it was a great opportunity to just chat about the issues - unbeknownst to the audience, we rarely all get together in the same room and the same time. When we do... you have five Type A personalities butting heads and trying to one-up each other's stories... and what stories they are!
Now... it's time to relax in the hotel room - I'm totally wiped out from four breakout sessions, a panel, a lunch session, four 'fishbowl' recordings and one TechNet Edge recording (oh, yeah... and some late nights out at the hotel pool and an evening of non-stop walking around Universal Studios).
Off to the HP TechForum conference in Las Vegas - with a pre-conference training session Monday and several sessions Tuesday, it will be a busy week. After that, however, I am thrilled to enjoy the summer with minimal travel. That will give me lots of time to play with new toys and tracefiles. Wheee!
Laura
If you'd like to see the list of some of my favorite tools, check out www.wiresharkU.com/tools - if there are tools I should add, send an email to tools@wiresharkU.com.
This week I also created a page with some information and product discount codes over at www.wiresharkU.com/teched. Even if you didn't go to the show, grab the discount codes for AirPcap, NetScanTools, Pilot and the Wireshark University Courses - watch the expiration dates - don't miss your chance to save some money on these hot items.
So what about that Thursday panel? Seated between Steve Riley and Mark Russinovich - the same seating arrangement we had in Barcelona, I knew it would be a hoot. Mark Minasi and Marcus Murray rounded out the geekfest at the front of the room. Without any introductions or scripting, it was a great opportunity to just chat about the issues - unbeknownst to the audience, we rarely all get together in the same room and the same time. When we do... you have five Type A personalities butting heads and trying to one-up each other's stories... and what stories they are!
Now... it's time to relax in the hotel room - I'm totally wiped out from four breakout sessions, a panel, a lunch session, four 'fishbowl' recordings and one TechNet Edge recording (oh, yeah... and some late nights out at the hotel pool and an evening of non-stop walking around Universal Studios).
Off to the HP TechForum conference in Las Vegas - with a pre-conference training session Monday and several sessions Tuesday, it will be a busy week. After that, however, I am thrilled to enjoy the summer with minimal travel. That will give me lots of time to play with new toys and tracefiles. Wheee!
Laura
Monday, June 9, 2008
Smack That ###!
Now before you begin to get all hot and bothered by the title of this splog ("spewed blog") - let me put this in context.
Brenda and I are on an American Airlines flight from SJC to DFW (if you travel much, you'll know the acronyms - if you don't who cares - just take it that we're on a plane). We were thrilled to have been upgraded and shuffled everyone around in first class so we could sit next to each other. I have loads of prep work that I still want to get done before TechEd starts tomorrow. (In truth, we've been cracking up while devising some very juvenile interview questions for our filming this week).
I've just plugged in my AirPcap adapters and set them for scanning mode - I want to know if the flight attendant speech about "please turn off your wireless cards or if your electronic device supports airplane mode, please use that" actually works. And after all - what's the point? Really?
I've talked to tons of pilots who say the whole wireless and cellular on planes is a bunch of hooey (pilot terminology). As Brenda and I hunch over the computer cracking up at the SSIDs flashing across the screen... my heart nearly stops...
"WHAT'S THAT!?" echoes through the entire plane at a decible level that rivals the Rolls Royce engines and makes my teeth ache. Holy shrieks - what was that?
"GIMME IT!" another shriek as my ears begin to bleed and both the parties in row 4 (the ones with hearing aids) keel over (there's just enough room in first class to actually keel over - if this had happened in 'economy class' no one would know until unloading time - you'd just look like you were taking a snoozer while propped up against the seat in front of you - lack of drooling would have been a clue, however).
With the 'Stare of Death' that my kids have feared since birth, I looked across to the nightmare sitting in 6B - with my eyes I try to send a signal of 'you should not be on this plane - and potentially, you should never breed'. I turn to Brenda with a simple question - "Why don't I hear any slapping?"
You see - I'm not wasting my 'Stare of Death' on the little boy who has the lung power to rival Pavarotti (before he died, of course) - the stare is for the mother who is oblivious to her son's inappropriate shrieking - hmmm.... perhaps the woman is deaf? If not, she will be soon. Hmmm.... are those earplugs in her ears? Really! This is a pet peeve of mine - parents who don't teach their kids manners until the kids reach the ripe old (too old for teaching manners) age of 13 or so.
What's wrong with saying to little Jimmy, "no, sweetie - we don't stand on the table at restaurants" or "no, honey, we don't give the cat a haircut using a butcher knife"? Geez - can't you get that kid a video game to play - laptops are cheap - get him Grand Theft Auto - that' oughta hold his attention - especially if his favorite color is red.
So... back to the wireless traffic - here's a list of the SSID's being requested by the various laptops on this flight (notice the lack of querying for WSU? I listen to those aero-cops big time now with the recent Call-Ahead-to-have-a-Passenger-Arrested-if-They-Don't-Wait-for-the-Beverage-Cart-to-Pass-Before-You-Want-to-Go-to-the-Bathroom law.
ARC-WLAN
Bernards-Inn
ATLWifi
GlobalSuite Wireless
GoldenTree
GreatBearCoffee
GuestGuestAccess
HHonors402
IRDWlan
InternetIvy Room - (97)
JPLGuest
InternetLodgeNet
Regents Park
SKYHARBOR PUBLIC
Sheraton_WIFI
Space Park #1
TAA-WiFi-Hotspot
WACWIFI
Wayport_Access
Wayport_Meeting
Westin-Aruba (this is just wrong - in Aruba hitting the wireless?)
admiralsclub
amonien
attwifi
belkin54g
bytelynkc
SBConTWLAN
concourse
hhonors
holidayinn
ibahn
linksys
nasaguest
npwireless.com
omni
picctxsur
roomlinx
stayonline
surfamily
syslink8
tmobile
westinsf
workgroup
After a bathroom break (I'll talk about the Coffe-Pack-in-the-Bathroom-Issue in another splog), I asked the flight attendants who were up in the front galley hiding away from the noise... "What's the deal with wireless communications on the plane? What happens if a laptop is turned on with wireless enabled?" In tandem, as if they'd practiced this response one thousand times (hmmm... mind-control training of flight attendants - that explains a LOT!) they synced "It interferes with the instrument panel!" I did mention that we must have lots of laptops on this plane with their wireless turned on - "How come we aren't plummeting to the ground by now?" Ok... wrong question. It took a bit of time to ensure them I wasn't interested in parking the plane over a corn field and I finally snuck back to my seat.
I reviewed the results of my wireless scan - systems desparately seeking 45 different SSIDs! Whoa! Doesn't anyone care about the dangers of wireless transmissions on the plane? Hey folks - our plane's instrument panel is probably popping outta the dash the and pilots are using hand-signals before turning! YOU'RE RISKING MY LIFE HERE, BUBBA! I feel like doing a 'puter smack-down of the systems on the plane, but feel that is likely to land me in Club Fed long before I'm ready... I sit down and pick up some SMB2 specs to review...
Now considering that TechEd starts tomorrow and we're on a flight from the Silicon Valley - I'm quite certain some of these yapping systems are headed for the conference center. It's kind of like meeting people ahead of time. When we get there, we'll check for some of the same SSID requests and who knows... we might find we're surrounded by friends before the conference even starts.
Uh oh... gotta go - landing time "Please turn off and stow all electronic devices..." Hmm.... maybe it would be interesting to see if people turn off their laptops during landing...
Laura
p.s. Visit the new www.wiresharkU.com/tools.html page! Enjoy!
Brenda and I are on an American Airlines flight from SJC to DFW (if you travel much, you'll know the acronyms - if you don't who cares - just take it that we're on a plane). We were thrilled to have been upgraded and shuffled everyone around in first class so we could sit next to each other. I have loads of prep work that I still want to get done before TechEd starts tomorrow. (In truth, we've been cracking up while devising some very juvenile interview questions for our filming this week).
I've just plugged in my AirPcap adapters and set them for scanning mode - I want to know if the flight attendant speech about "please turn off your wireless cards or if your electronic device supports airplane mode, please use that" actually works. And after all - what's the point? Really?
I've talked to tons of pilots who say the whole wireless and cellular on planes is a bunch of hooey (pilot terminology). As Brenda and I hunch over the computer cracking up at the SSIDs flashing across the screen... my heart nearly stops...
"WHAT'S THAT!?" echoes through the entire plane at a decible level that rivals the Rolls Royce engines and makes my teeth ache. Holy shrieks - what was that?
"GIMME IT!" another shriek as my ears begin to bleed and both the parties in row 4 (the ones with hearing aids) keel over (there's just enough room in first class to actually keel over - if this had happened in 'economy class' no one would know until unloading time - you'd just look like you were taking a snoozer while propped up against the seat in front of you - lack of drooling would have been a clue, however).
With the 'Stare of Death' that my kids have feared since birth, I looked across to the nightmare sitting in 6B - with my eyes I try to send a signal of 'you should not be on this plane - and potentially, you should never breed'. I turn to Brenda with a simple question - "Why don't I hear any slapping?"
You see - I'm not wasting my 'Stare of Death' on the little boy who has the lung power to rival Pavarotti (before he died, of course) - the stare is for the mother who is oblivious to her son's inappropriate shrieking - hmmm.... perhaps the woman is deaf? If not, she will be soon. Hmmm.... are those earplugs in her ears? Really! This is a pet peeve of mine - parents who don't teach their kids manners until the kids reach the ripe old (too old for teaching manners) age of 13 or so.
What's wrong with saying to little Jimmy, "no, sweetie - we don't stand on the table at restaurants" or "no, honey, we don't give the cat a haircut using a butcher knife"? Geez - can't you get that kid a video game to play - laptops are cheap - get him Grand Theft Auto - that' oughta hold his attention - especially if his favorite color is red.
So... back to the wireless traffic - here's a list of the SSID's being requested by the various laptops on this flight (notice the lack of querying for WSU? I listen to those aero-cops big time now with the recent Call-Ahead-to-have-a-Passenger-Arrested-if-They-Don't-Wait-for-the-Beverage-Cart-to-Pass-Before-You-Want-to-Go-to-the-Bathroom law.
ARC-WLAN
Bernards-Inn
ATLWifi
GlobalSuite Wireless
GoldenTree
GreatBearCoffee
GuestGuestAccess
HHonors402
IRDWlan
InternetIvy Room - (97)
JPLGuest
InternetLodgeNet
Regents Park
SKYHARBOR PUBLIC
Sheraton_WIFI
Space Park #1
TAA-WiFi-Hotspot
WACWIFI
Wayport_Access
Wayport_Meeting
Westin-Aruba (this is just wrong - in Aruba hitting the wireless?)
admiralsclub
amonien
attwifi
belkin54g
bytelynkc
SBConTWLAN
concourse
hhonors
holidayinn
ibahn
linksys
nasaguest
npwireless.com
omni
picctxsur
roomlinx
stayonline
surfamily
syslink8
tmobile
westinsf
workgroup
After a bathroom break (I'll talk about the Coffe-Pack-in-the-Bathroom-Issue in another splog), I asked the flight attendants who were up in the front galley hiding away from the noise... "What's the deal with wireless communications on the plane? What happens if a laptop is turned on with wireless enabled?" In tandem, as if they'd practiced this response one thousand times (hmmm... mind-control training of flight attendants - that explains a LOT!) they synced "It interferes with the instrument panel!" I did mention that we must have lots of laptops on this plane with their wireless turned on - "How come we aren't plummeting to the ground by now?" Ok... wrong question. It took a bit of time to ensure them I wasn't interested in parking the plane over a corn field and I finally snuck back to my seat.
I reviewed the results of my wireless scan - systems desparately seeking 45 different SSIDs! Whoa! Doesn't anyone care about the dangers of wireless transmissions on the plane? Hey folks - our plane's instrument panel is probably popping outta the dash the and pilots are using hand-signals before turning! YOU'RE RISKING MY LIFE HERE, BUBBA! I feel like doing a 'puter smack-down of the systems on the plane, but feel that is likely to land me in Club Fed long before I'm ready... I sit down and pick up some SMB2 specs to review...
Now considering that TechEd starts tomorrow and we're on a flight from the Silicon Valley - I'm quite certain some of these yapping systems are headed for the conference center. It's kind of like meeting people ahead of time. When we get there, we'll check for some of the same SSID requests and who knows... we might find we're surrounded by friends before the conference even starts.
Uh oh... gotta go - landing time "Please turn off and stow all electronic devices..." Hmm.... maybe it would be interesting to see if people turn off their laptops during landing...
Laura
p.s. Visit the new www.wiresharkU.com/tools.html page! Enjoy!
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
TechEd or Jail... Packing Light
With only a few days to go before the TechEd IT Pro conference, I've begun the packing process.
I had some nagging feeling as I carefully entombed my three competition SumoBots and the Annoy-a-tron circuit board in my carry-on bag. Let's see... where can I fit the webcam rocket launcher? What about that 7' antenna I wanted to bring... it'll have to stay home for this show.
I had hoped to have some form of the Digital Dress to bring out, but it's just been delayed again - wouldn't that have made a splash at the show? Of course getting that dress through airport security would be.... OH WAIT A MINUTE! AIRPORT SECURITY!
Mouth agape as I looked through the bag I'd planned to tote onto the plan... when the TSA (Transporation Security Administration) scans this bag, they're just going to throw me in a holding cell as a precaution. The gears, wires and circuitboards of the SumoBots alone will likely have me cuffed face-down in the security line - my nose on par with the putrid unclad feet of the traveling masses.
DON'T TAZE ME, BRO!
So... the other suitcase was recovered from the back of the storage shed as I tearfully said 'goodbye' to my favorite toys that would set off even the most dense of TSA agents. How do you describe the purpose of bringing a full-sized keyboard in your over-sized 'purse' (he he... if 'man purses' were a bit more accepted, you'd be stuffing everything in there too, guys!)?
"OH THAT? IT'S ACTUALLY A KEYLOGGING KEYBOARD TO STEAL PASSWORDS AND USER NAMES. No Worries." Don't fret about me, Ms. TSA-woman-with-a-bad-attitude-because-she-is-an-AOL-user. I wouldn't hurt a fly...
I will certainly be in a funk if my SumoBots and flying monkey slingshot get re-routed to Sao Paulo - perhaps it's time to print up some "Baggage Handlers Do It Gently" or "I [heart] Baggage Handlers" or "Chairwoman: Baggage Handlers Union" stickers for my luggage...
As a side note - some of the materials being discussed at TechEd have made me consider teaching a hands-on course - something I haven't done in about 16 months, 2 days and 5 hours (not that anyone is counting). Check out http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=wzJBpD4AFvnFGQ1xRb2eIg_3d_3d for the survey on the possible course. Or visit www.wiresharktraining.com/summit08 and let me know your thoughts.
Now back to packing... goodbye little BillyBot... goodbye little BushBot... goodbye little BallmerBot... (did you see the BallmerBot video yet?)... sob...
Laura
Proud parent of three aggressive SumoBots
Fan of Baggage Handlers everywhere!
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Homework Interferes with World of Warcraft!
No, no, kids... put those schoolbooks away. Right now! I mean it! <... putting on my best Mom-is-in-charge-here look, crossing my arms and tapping my foot impatiently...> The looks on their faces question my sanity... nothing new.TIME TO CAPTURE PACKETS, KIDS!
Cheers all around! Papers and books are shoved into backpacks at a frenzied pace. The bags are tossed unceremoniously into the corner of the room - making way for a much more important project - capturing network traffic! Ok, ok... my kids sound a bit strange... but this is a project they've waited for. The day had finally arrived.
In preparation for TechEd 2008, I wanted to pull together new trace files for...
MMORPGPCA (Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game Packet Capture and Analysis!)
Most of the games were pre-installed on the lab systems. All I needed were players... hmm... now where would I find fanatical players who would generate the much-needed traffic showing character creation, acquisition of quests, travel through surreal worlds to slash nightstalkers, destroy or tame ravagers, dual with other loyal Alliance members, pzwn noobs, kill the dreaded Horde and obtain mystical skills to use in a constant quest to level up?
Yes! This must be why I had kids! [In the olden days of IPX-based game analysis, I gathered a group of 'professional game players' in my garage and found the experience very frustrating... these folks didn't take direction well - my trace files were a mess of processes that took me hours to sort out - not to mention the bankroll I blew on candy bars and the unique aroma that made me seriously regret I'd removed the automatic garage door system and didn't install a window for ventilation!]
On today's plate:
- World of Warcraft
- GuildWars
- Team Fortress
- AdventureQuest
My goal - identify the transport methods, static ports (if any), related DNS queries, bandwidth usage and any game signatures. How could a network analyst detect this traffic and, if desired, how could an IT professional block it?
This family-based lab exercise (which lasted well past bedtime to the delight of my kids) yielded almost 100 trace files showing all aspects of game play - information I'll show next month at TechEd (Session SEC356: Analyzing Questionable Traffic) and include in the hands-on labs in my preconference seminar at HP TechForum - both taking place.
"Family Night" has evolved!
Laura
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Spitting Bits....
The office is wild these days! It's like Christmas - a geek Christmas! The myriad of multi-sized boxes piled around my desk are calling me... "don't write that blog... open me!" "No! Open me first!" "Hey - I was here first!" Can't you just hear them?
The boxes are filled with products that range from the absolute necessities (such as the USB version of NetScanTools) to the absurd (8-Bit Dynamic Life shirt set - that includes a transmitter for folks who have no friends)!
Why the *(#$*$#@%! do we have all these new products rolling in? Well - it's simple - BitSpitters!
Taking the advice of our buddy Wil and numerous folks who told us to "go viral," we took the leap!
The first four BitSpitters videos are online (see www.wiresharkU.com/bitspitters.html for the links and HTML code to embed on your site, which we'd love!). Alternately you can search YouTube for "bitspitters."
This is what I've learned from my initial foray into the world of viral videomaking:
- I talk too much - YouTube's limitation of 10 minutes for the cheapo freebie account has to be first and foremost in my mind when I start recording. I really only want the videos to be between 1 and 3 minutes long. So far, the closest I've gotten to this lofty goal is 3:44. Maybe I can cut out the title and ending slides!
- People want to be entertained more than educated - the humorous "Look Really Smarterest" is viewed twice as often as the straight-tech talks. That's ok since I think this techie stuff is pretty entertaining anyway - we're going to follow this trend and keep the BitSpitters videos light and lively.
- Watching hit counts is addictive... within minutes of posting the first video I had a hit count of five. Not a big deal in the YouTube world, but fascinating to know some late-night insomiac was already viewing stuff I'd just recorded. (I could only hope they were properly dressed at that hour.)
The upcoming BitSpitters will be shorter (maybe I could cheat and do 'part 1' and 'part 2' videos) and hit some of the more humorous topics, such as:
- How to Keylog Your Kids
- Is Microsoft Unedumacated?
- Secrets of Laura's Lab Kit v9
- Macof Ate My Network!
- Is Nessus Naked?
- Is NetBIOS Ignorance Bliss?
- Aliens and IPv6
If you have ideas for future BitSpitters episodes, send them to me at lchappell@packet-level.com. Watch for the announcement regarding Binary Balloons as well... he he he...
Time to put my headset on and spew!
Laura
www.wiresharkU.com
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