Tidbits
Fixing Apache to Use TLS 1.2 to Fix OpenCart and PayPal IPN
- Details
- Written by Thomas Corriher Thomas Corriher
- Category: Tidbits Tidbits
- Published: November 17, 2014 November 17, 2014
This report will explain how we locked our Apache web server down to using only TLS encryption while blocking SSL, and how we finally got Apache on CentOS Linux to use all three versions of TLS (1.0, 1.1, 1.2). This work followed the alerts about the severe security weakness that was discovered in SSL version 3, which was named the Poodle vulnerability. We took immediate action to protect our customers' banking information by disabling all of our SSL encryption and switching entirely to the newer TLS encryption standard, because we take that whole banking security thing very seriously, for both our protection and yours. The more technical readers among you will be interested in knowing that we furthermore disabled the fallback mechanisms within our Apache web server, so that our legitimate users cannot have their software tricked into using breakable encryption, which is extremely important too. We did the right thing by responding to the problem swiftly, before there was widespread knowledge of it, so there is no indication that any of our customers had their credit card information stolen via their communications with our system. Of course we cannot speak for other Internet sites. Some of which had the bad encryption in place for quite a while afterward, and there are still some vulnerable sites which might expose confidential information to nefarious parties. So, before shopping at any site online, it is wise to test the security, and we proudly encourage you to check out our stellar rating. Yes, we've earned some bragging rights. It is also a very good idea not to shop with any company that is using Windows to power its servers. Our software is totally Linux-based, for speed, power, flexibility, security, and reliability. Everything that Microsoft software isn't, in other words.
Kick and Ban GNU Mailman Mailing List Subscribers Using the Command Line
- Details
- Written by Thomas Corriher Thomas Corriher
- Category: Tidbits Tidbits
- Published: December 28, 2012 December 28, 2012
GNU Mailman is one of the most popular mailing list programs, particularly amongst the Linux community. Most of its features can be conveniently accessed from its web interface or by using a series of scripts that come with it for the command shell.
However, Mailman is sorely lacking a script that adds e-mail addresses to its ban list, and then unsubscribing those users requires a separate procedure. There's really no excuse, but we created a solution. Our 'block_member' script automatically removes e-mail addresses from all list subscriptions, and then it globally bans those addresses from all lists. It removes members before banning them, to prevent a situation whereby a banned user is unable to unsubscribe. This is a something that has been lacking in Mailman for a very long time.
The Unapostle Paul
- Details
- Written by Sarah C. Corriher Sarah C. Corriher
- Category: Tidbits Tidbits
- Published: December 25, 2012 December 25, 2012
The up-pointing five pointed star was the symbol of truth for the original Christian Church. Some scholars believe that this was the symbol used by the original apostles.
What is a Pauline Christian?
Pauline Christians are those who primarily follow the teachings of Paul, instead of those of the Christ. The term is an oxymoron that encompasses most 'Christians' of today. One cannot be both Pauline and Christian at the same time. Evangelical Christians are always Pauline. Paul (also known as Saul) was the most prolific writer in the New Testament of the Bible, and thus his writings have had pervasive influence throughout modern Christianity.
The modern church has embraced most of Paul's beliefs, even when they conflict with the teachings of the Christ and the disciples. While most people consider Paul to be an apostle himself, he was not actually one of the original twelve apostles. Paul referred to himself as an apostle 20 times, and his personal secretary, Luke (also not one of the chosen) referred to Paul as an apostle twice. Paul was never mentioned as an apostle by anyone else in the Bible.
The real apostles were listed three times, in Matthew 10:1-4, Mark 3:13-19, and Luke 6:12-16. Paul never actually met the Christ in the flesh, so he could not have been a disciple. The real disciples were Simon (also known as Peter), Simon's brother Andrew, James (son of Zebedee), John (James' brother), Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddaeus (Judas, son of James), Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot.
The Shaky Moral Foundation that AE911Truth is Built Upon
- Details
- Written by Sarah C. Corriher Sarah C. Corriher
- Category: Tidbits Tidbits
- Published: April 13, 2012 April 13, 2012
AE911Truth is now courting the Nation of Islam, but it has never had a Christian venue
We reported about Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth (ae911truth.org) in episode 16 of our audio reports. We worked for them as their systems administrators for almost two years. As a high-level administrator inside the organization, I witnessed a stunning degree of mismanagement and I was privy to everything.
Our tendency to act as old fashioned journalists in exposing corruption eventually got us completely banned from the organization. Now, discussions about us are officially discouraged by the management of Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth, as if we were the targets of a cult shunning.
Burning CDs and DVDs With Linux from the Console
- Details
- Written by Sarah C. Corriher Sarah C. Corriher
- Category: Tidbits Tidbits
- Published: March 11, 2012 March 11, 2012
I experienced much frustration searching the Internet for simple examples about how to generate optical disks with Linux using its native console utilities, so I decided to list my discoveries here, in order to benefit the Linux Community. For people who are new to Linux, it is important to remember that anything that can be done from a standard Linux console can also be done from an x-term (x-terminal), so there is no need to leave the windowing system.
Find Your Drive
Since Linux uses typical Unix-style naming conventions, you will find the needed pointer to your drive located in the /dev directory. For most people, the first (and only) optical drive will be named '/dev/sr0'. Any second optical drive (if it exists) will have its naming number incremented, such as /dev/sr1. With older hardware (ie. IDE drives), the name of the first optical drive will usually be /dev/hdc0, with the same pattern for incrementing the trailing number for all additional optical drives.
A Letter from the Editor: The Truth About Our Radio Shows and When Friends Stop Being Friendly
- Details
- Written by Thomas Corriher Thomas Corriher
- Category: Tidbits Tidbits
- Published: September 19, 2010 September 19, 2010
We have promised two exciting audio shows to our readers and listeners during the last two weeks, but later found ourselves being forced to break those promises. The people from the Revolution Broadcasting network made those decisions for us, without warning, just before both of those shows aired. We want every person to know that we place great value upon keeping our promises. It is part of an unspoken code of honor to which we adhere. We do not appreciate any third-party tricking us into being fools and liars. We are sincerely sorry it happened. In retrospect, we now know that there was a reason for all the madness that we have recently witnessed in regard to our radio shows, but the truth behind it is not easy to accept; even for us. The time has come to set things right again, and that requires that we first expose the raw truth to all of you.
When Witches Target A Web Site For Exposing Their Secret "Mysteries"
- Details
- Written by Thomas Corriher Thomas Corriher
- Category: Tidbits Tidbits
- Published: March 09, 2010 March 09, 2010
The Satanic Goat's Head inside the Witch's Pentagram, pointing downward in the direction of authority (Hell).
Recently, a couple of our former articles have been generating rage from the bowels of the Internet. The two articles are, The Occult, Witchcraft, England, and The Darkness Now Growing In America, and The Texas State Board of Education's Attack on The United States, Our Creator, and How It All Got Started.
A group of modern-day witches made it their mission to silence us because of those stories. We really felt great about that. Whenever a group of Satan-worshipers targets a site, and its writings, then the people involved can know that they are doing something right. We must have hit pretty close to the mark to have upset them to such a degree. What we have done and published has become a threat for them to deal with. They have been stalking Sarah at other sites. They probably figure that it will be easier to terrorize a girl, which means they hardly know our Sarah. Don't worry about The Health Wyze Report, for our security is significantly better than that of most banks.
Sarah's Big Medica Relative Takes Her To Task
- Details
- Written by Thomas Corriher Thomas Corriher
- Category: Tidbits Tidbits
- Published: November 15, 2009 November 15, 2009
Recently, our Sarah made a random health industry remark on Facebook concerning its corruption. The remark greatly enraged a close relative of Sarah's, who responded with a scalding reply. This relative works for the N.H.S. (National Health Service of England), and Sarah's remark was a little too threatening for her. Sarah hit a little too close to the mark.
Sarah wrote:
"People are donating for World Diabetes Day, but that isn't going to change anything but line the pockets of those who do not want a cure."
American Churches are the Greatest Enemy of God
- Details
- Written by Thomas Corriher Thomas Corriher
- Category: Tidbits Tidbits
- Published: October 03, 2009 October 03, 2009
Churches have played key roles in American history. The British colonies of pre-America were populated by pilgrims who sought religious freedoms in the New World. Within 200 years of the first colonies, biblically-inspired human rights arguments against the British Monarchy were being made by America's Founding Fathers. They felt kinship with the ancient Jews, who had escaped Egyptian slavery by fleeing to the Promised Land. The New World had become the new Promised Land for Christian pilgrims. They instinctively sensed that God was on their side. Their powerful convictions eventually led to a split within the world's mightiest empire. Wars resulted, and these were the birth pangs of a new nation.
Advertisers and Frauds: You Learn People's True Character When Money Is Involved
- Details
- Written by Thomas Corriher Thomas Corriher
- Category: Tidbits Tidbits
- Published: June 28, 2009 June 28, 2009
Why We Have Turned Away Most Advertisers
We have had lots of people contact us about advertising. In the overwhelming majority of the cases, we have had to refuse the advertising. We have seen quite a few marketers who did not comprehend what it means to be ethical and honest.
Perhaps half of the solicitations consisted merely of a request for pricing, without revealing any information about them, using throw-away e-mail accounts. The irony of this situation is that they were afraid that we would in-turn market to them, at a later date, if they revealed too much information about themselves.