admin's blog

Chkrootkit false positives

You run "Chkrootkit" on a server and get a list of rootkits and signs of rootkits and some of the lines say you are infected or that you have a suspicious file on your system. What do you do? "chkrootkit" looks for possible signs of infections which may just be the results of safe programs. It is then the job of the web-master or systems administrators to take that clue and look further to decide if it is really a threat.

Using MYSQLDUMP to backup a database

If you have a shell or SSH access to your database server, you can backup the database using mysqldump. By default, the output of the command will dump the contents of the database in SQL statements to your console. Here are some tips on how to get special results such as over a SSH connection,

drop-down menus in the Drupal theme CTI-flex

The suckershish menus in CTI_flex are afflicted with a common problem in many suckerfish implementations. There is a small gap between the parental branch and the leaves. If the font is set larger than expected the dropdown will disappear when the user doesn't pause above the parent and moves the mouse down which can get frustrating.

Using drupal's taxonomy for navigation

"Taxonomy" in Drupal is the native way to categorize nodes. So what do you do with the nodes created? You can use it for navigation purposes. A link will get you all nodes with a specific taxonomy set and it can use some boolean logic (and, or or).

Turning Drupal maintenance mode on or off (site offline/online) with mySQL

If you are already on the Linux command line or inside MySQL and need to take a site off-line for maintenance then you may prefer to simply enter the following than log into Drupal and manipulate the setup.
  • check if on or offline
    SELECT * FROM variable WHERE name='site_offline'

all pages on a Drupal web site won't display (page not found)

You migrate you database from a dump but all of a sudden no page is found. No matter what you do you get a 'no page is found'.

views and 5stars

In a Drupal6 installation, you want to use a user rating from 5stars in a View. This might be to sort a list by the highest rating first, limit a list to those above a certain rating, or to display the rating in a view.

This article assumes you are familiar with the inner workings of Views, 5stars, and have them both installed- including the 'Views UI' module.

There are two potential stumbling blocks here. You need to have the 5star ratings enabled for the content-type you are using, and you have to establish a 'relationship' in the views you are going to use.

My analysis of the analysis' of the Stuxnet virus/worm

This is a response to many analysis' of the Stuxnet virus/worm, especially a YouTube video about it. In a nutshell, the video over played the threat and gave the worries I had 9 months ago.

eCommerce explained in 4 steps

As mysterious as ecommerce can seem, it is just a business. Someone that runs a real store (BNM or Bricks 'N Mortar) already knows 90% of what it takes to succeed with an ecommerce store. There are some details that are different, but the concepts are the same. Just rearrange the details and a successful BNM businessman knows 100% of what it takes to succeed online.

New fraud schemes (new to me)

The Sans diary is a great place to get a feel for what is out there. Some of the latest entries gave me an idea of some techniques used by cyber-fraudsters:

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