Using the “Run as different user” command prompt option with Windows 8.1/Windows Server 2012 R2

In versions prior to Windows 8.1, it was possible to hold down the Shift key while right-clicking the shortcut to a Command Prompt to find the option to launch using different credentials.  Using the new “Modern” interface with Windows 8.1/Windows Server 2012 R2, this option is not present.

One method to again use this feature is to add a shortcut to the Command Prompt to the task bar on the Desktop.  Using the old method of holding down the Shift key while right-clicking the shortcut should display the selection.

WizTree

WizTree is an utility that scans your entire hard drive and shows you which files and folders are using the most disk space.  It only works with local NTFS format hard drives.  A portable version is available for download.

http://antibody-software.com/

BlackArch Linux

BlackArch Linux is an Arch Linux-based distribution designed for penetration testers and security researchers.  It ships with over a thousand specialist tools for penetration testing and forensic analysis.

http://blackarch.org/

Compliance Checker for vSphere

The Compliance Checker for vSphere is a fully-functional product that provides detailed compliance checks against the VMware vSphere Hardening Guidelines.

http://www.vmware.com/products/vsphere-compliance-checker/

FakeNet

FakeNet is a tool that aids in the dynamic analysis of malicious software.  The tool simulates a network so that malware interacting with a remote host continues to run allowing the analyst to observe the malware’s network activity from within a safe environment.

http://practicalmalwareanalysis.com/fakenet/

How to check the status of BitLocker

To check the status of BitLocker, launch an elevated command prompt and use the command:

manage-bde –status

This command should return details such as the version number and the encryption type.

Lightweight Portable Security

Lightweight Portable Security (LPS) creates a secure end node from trusted media on almost any Intel-based computer (PC or Mac).  LPS boots a thin Linux operating system from a CD or USB flash stick without mounting a local hard drive.

http://www.spi.dod.mil/lipose.htm

BinaryTides

BinaryTides is a web site that contains how-to and walk-through articles for different topics for several different Linux distributions.

http://www.binarytides.com/

Sysdig

Sysdig is an open source Linux system troubleshooting tool that captures system state and activity from a running Linux instance.  Sysdig captures system calls and other system level events using a Linux kernel facility called tracepoints, which means much less overhead than strace.  It then “packetizes” this information, so that you can save it into trace files and filter it, a bit like you would do with tcpdump.

To install it, use the following command:

curl -s https://s3.amazonaws.com/download.draios.com/stable/install-sysdig | sudo bash

http://www.sysdig.org/

Monitoring applications

Below are links to several monitoring applications.  Some are based on Nagios, while some offer both free and paid versions.

http://www.fullyautomatednagios.org/

http://omdistro.org/

http://www.centreon.com/

http://www.opsview.com/