26 Jul 10 Ethernet over mains power lines

I’ve been using a really clever device for the last few years that a lot of people seem to be unaware exists. It’s an ethernet over powerlines adapter – one such example is the Devolo dLAN. In a nutshell, you plug it into the mains, and connect the Ethernet socket to your network device. You can then plug as many others as you like to various other powerpoints and extend your network wherever the power stretches. Devolo do ones that run up to 200mbit. It’s a theoretical maximum, although I’ve got 177mbit before which is impressive. It has a couple of downsides:

1. It won’t traverse 3 phase power. I’ve tried it, and I’ve ended up with a very weak/nonexistant signal which is probably more inductance than anything else.
2. Obviously it doesn’t handle bad cables well – it doesn’t much like extension cables either.
3. Different circuits work about as well as 3 phase power, the only signal you will get is probably inductance between the two circuits.

Some advantages:
1. It travels pretty far. I’ve had over 150mbit between adapters at opposite ends of the house.
2. No new cabling
3. Fully supports standard Ethernet so all network protocols will work just fine over it.
4. I love it

For anyone running a home or office network and not fortunate to have Ethernet points cabled in, I strongly recommend these devices, you’ll never know the difference.

Tags: devolo, ethernet, LAN, network

22 Jul 10 Why test or scan?

Yesterday, I offered a free website security scan. Why would you need a scan? I went into a little detail then, but I’d like to expand on what I wrote about, that being my offering my services as a PHP programmer.

If you’re an online merchant, your server needs to be PCI compliant. Otherwise, you not only run the risk of being hacked and losing customer data, but you also run the risk of facing major fines. One fine would be enough to wipe just about any small business out.

New security challenges arise every day. In fact, they arise every hour, it seems. Will your site stand up to the challenge? Will it meet that challenge? Only by regular security scans will you know. Even if you’re not a merchant, you need scans, because I am willing to bet that you don’t want to be hacked. All sorts of unsavory things can occur if that happens.

You could lose your databases. You could lose all data on your server. Your users’ information could be compromised. There are many things that could happen, and none of them are pleasant.

So, contact me for your free security scan today. As I wrote earlier, all I ask in return is that you have a sincere intent of using my services.

21 Jul 10 Free Website Security Scan

As a PHP Programmer with 8+ years experience now, I’ve always specialized in web security, security standards, and secure programming. In the say 300+ websites that I’ve dealt with in the past, at least 200 have been vulnerable to some sort of moderate to high risk attack. By high risk, I mean the steal your database and deface your website type of attack.

Free Website Security Scan? Why? Well, most of the security audits that I conduct will usually begin with a basic audit that ultimately goes uncharged in light of the thorough audit and any repair works that follow. On that basis, I’m happy to offer a basic FREE no obligation security audit to anyone genuinely interested in using my services. I do not require any code or data from you, nor any access to your systems. All I ask is that you have a genuine intention of using my services to thoroughly audit and/or repair any vulnerabilitie in your site that I’m able to identify and demonstrate.

Interested? Contact me now.

Tags: free website security scan, php programmer, website security consultant

20 Jul 10 Need a helping hand?

If you need a skilled website security consultant or PHP programmer, then consider me. Get in touch with me for a quote, and I’ll be more than happy to discuss what I can do for you.

These days, your site can’t be too secure, and if you’re unsure of how to properly secure your site or your PHP code, I stand ready to assist you. I can help you ensure that your server is secure overall, reducing the chances of it being hacked. I can also go over your PHP code and ensure that it too is secure. After all, a secure server really does no good if the PHP code isn’t also secure.

Feel free to browse my site and read my articles. Then, get in touch with me, and let me know the details of your project!

Tags: adam palmer, php programmer, resume, website security consultant

19 Jul 10 The importance of redirects

Yesterday, I discussed how you can redirect your HTML files to PHP files. Why is it important to do so?

There are certainly no security concerns involved here, but you probably don’t want to lose your visitors who may bookmark certain pages, nor do you want to lose search engine traffic, because the HTML links will still show up in those engines until they crawl your changes.

That’s where the 301 redirect comes in. This is the best sort of redirect to use, because it is search engine friendly. What it tells search engines is that the page has moved permanently to the forwarding location you provide, which in this case is a PHP file. Essentially, if you do it this way, the search engines won’t skip a beat, and you’ll keep your traffic. The last thing you want to do is let search engines crawl 404 errors.

If you need help with these sorts of things, or if you need a skilled PHP programmer to help you sort out your conversion, I would be more than happy to take a look at your specific needs, and devise a plan for you. This includes making sure that your PHP code and your setup is secure, as PHP is a valuable tool, but a potential security risk if not handled correctly.

My rates are reasonable, and I offer a wealth of experience that can benefit you. Simply get in touch with me for a custom quote!

Tags: 301 redirects, html, php programmer, search engine, traffic

18 Jul 10 Redirecting all HTML files to PHP files

Let’s say that you want to rename all your HTML files to PHP files to begin PHP Programming. However, you don’t want to lose all your inbound links to your HTML files. Here’s a quick and easy way to automatically convert all .html incoming addresses to .php files on your server, allowing you to switch to PHP and also keeping all your existing .html links working.

Create a .htaccess file, and enter:

RewriteEngine on
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteRule ^(.*)\.html $1.php [R=301,NC]

This creates a permanent working 301 redirect (Search Engine Friendly) to your new .PHP file.

Tags: htaccess, PHP, php programmer, rewrite, rewritecond, rewriteengine, rewriterule

17 Jul 10 A PHP programmer indeed

You may be browsing through my site, or maybe you came here because you’re looking for a PHP programmer. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Adam Palmer, and I’m a freelance website security consultant, developer, and, of course, a PHP programmer. I’m willing and able to do most any web, Linux, or hosting-related project.

If you have something along those lines that needs to be done, simply contact me, and we can discuss your needs in greater detail.

In addition to doing this sort of work, I run APNIC Solutions, Ltd., which is a leader in network and business integration. You can be confident that when you hire me for your PHP, web, or other needs, you are getting a competent, skilled industry leader who will do a smashing job for a reasonable fee.

Feel free to browse through my blog and read my articles on a variety of PHP and security topics. Then, get in touch with me to see what I can do for you! If all you need is a consultant to point you in the right direction and help you get to to the finish line, I would be more than happy and honoured to be that person.

Tags: Linux, PHP, php programmer, web, website security consultant

16 Jul 10 Passing PHP variable data through POST

Recently, I was developing an API for a PHP application I’d built, to be utilized by other php programmers. Essentially, the php programmer passes a load of data to our API though a POST variable. This is as follows:

$api->process($to_process, $data, $opt1, $opt2);

$to_process is an array, as follows;

$to_process = Array( Array(”FOO”, “BAR”, 1, 2), Array(”BAR”, “FOO”, 5, 3), Array(”HELLO”, “World”, 9, 10) );

And $data is a ~5k string containing HTML code.

My best option so far, has been $data_array = Array(); $data_array[] = $to_process; $data_array[] = $code; $data_array[] = $opt1; $data_array[] = $opt2;

We can then send urlrawencode(serialize($data_array)); from our PHP script to the web API via curl through POST data. On the remote API server, we don’t need to use urlrawdecode() as the web server handles this for you. It’s also worth ensuring that magic_quotes_gpc is off. Simply, $data_array = unserialize($_POST['variable']); should do just fine.

Tags: api, array, php programmer, php variable, post data, serialize, unserialize, urlrawencode

15 Jul 10 Another PHP tip

While it’s all well and good to spend considerable time securing your PHP applications, there is something else that you can do, or rather not do. As a PHP programmer, I see people do one alarming thing: they download and install PHP applications from questionable sources.

While there are a lot of honourable programmers who offer their scripts for free, there are plenty of hackers who enjoy deploying applications that cause harm to others. I discussed this earlier, but it bears repeating: trust your source. Know your source.
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Tags: php programmer, php programmer resume, safety, script, security, trust

14 Jul 10 Securing PHPMyAdmin and SQL

PHP is of course a valuable tool, and PHPMyAdmin is an equally valuable asset for those that don’t like command line administration. The problem is that because it’s a valuable tool, it’s a security exposure. As a website security consultant, I see the problem often: people don’t secure the one thing that, if accessed by a malicious party, can give carte blanche for destruction.

One simple way to secure your installation is to slightly modify your config.inc.php file:

Look for this line:

$cfg['Servers'][$i]['auth_type'] = ‘config’;

Change “config” to “http”. By doing this, you will require that the database information (username and password) be entered prior to accessing PHPMyAdmin. Of course, this only addresses attacks over the web. If someone tries to remotely connect to your database and knows the root password, or the credentials for any of your database, then you’re still vulnerable.

One way to address the security of your config.inc.php file is to secure the directory that it’s stored in. This is especially important if you should be on a shared server.

Of course, there is still the matter of your SQL port, 3306, being open to remote attacks. The solution to this problem can be found in the /etc/my.cnf file.

You need to add this line to make it so that only your server can connect to the SQL server.

Ensure that it’s under the “[mysqld]” section:

bind-address = 127.0.0.1

This sets it so that the SQL daemon only listens for connections locally, i.e. on your server. Anyone who tries to connect remotely will be denied. Now, the argument could be made that you could also try to add “skip-networking” to your my.cnf file, and then specify the path to your socket file, but you still need a way to administer your SQL, preferably via SSH. By adding the “bind-address” command, you can do just that.

The name of the game is security, and assumption. You have to assume that everyone’s out to attack you. If you think like that, you’ll narrow down all the ports that are exposed, and secure your server. Your SQL server is, like your DNS server, vital. It most likely powers your site. If the database is attacked, the damage can be considerable. Do understand that if a hacker is intent enough, they will find a way in, but by making it as difficult as possible, you reduce the chances of that happening.

Tags: attacks, MySQL, PHP, php programmer resume, phpmyadmin, sql, website security consultant