Biography of Ankit Fadia

Ankit Fadia is an Indian computer security consultant based in Silicon Valley, USA. He has authored several books on computer security. Fadia is currently pursuing his Bachelors in Management Science & Engineering at Stanford University.



Fadia was educated at Delhi Public School. He started a website called “HackingTruths”, which he claims was judged as the “second best hacking site in the world by the FBI”. He claims that when he was 14, he trashed the front page of an Indian magazine’s website. He then sent an e-mail to the editor confessing to the hack, suggesting counter measures. At 15, his book on Ethical Hacking made him the youngest author to be published by Macmillan India. He claims that in 2001, he discovered links between the Chinese government and the China Eagle Union, a cracker group responsible for defacing many U.S. web sites. He stated that the “long-term goal of the Chinese government is actually to take over the internet and control all parts of the internet”. However none of these claims have been proved by substantial evidence so far.

As per his claims, in November 2001, Fadia was consulted by a classified intelligence agency for breaking an encrypted message which was believed to have been sent by one of Osama Bin Laden’s men. No evidence has ever been found to support this claim too. Many publications wrongly reported that Fadia is associated with FBI or CIA, however, he himself denied this.

In April 2002, Rediff.com published an interview with Ankit Fadia. Anti-India Crew (AIC), a Pakistani hacker group noted for defacing Indian Government websites, rubbished the claims that Fadia had made in the interview. Fadia had claimed that his alert to a U.S. spy agency had prevented an attack by Pakistani hackers. However, he never divulged the name of the agency, citing security reasons. AIC and another Pakistani hacker group WFD defaced an Indian Government site, epfindia.gov.in, and “dedicated” it to Fadia in mock deference to his capabilities to hack or prevent hacking. AIC also said that it would be defacing the website of the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC), www.cbec.gov.in, within two days and challenged Fadia to prevent the attack by patching the vulnerable website. AIC maintained that Fadia should stop calling himself a hacker, if it succeeded in hacking the CBEC website. AIC kept its promise and defaced the CBEC website after two days. At another defaced website (bhelhyd.co.in), AIC termed the claims of Indian media about Ankit Fadia as “Bullshit”.

Fadia’s earlier site, Ankitfadia.com, was attacked in 2003, by a cracker who self-identified as SkriptKiddie. Fadia explained that he was using a private web server for hosting his website and they were responsible for the lack of security.

Fadia has also claimed that he works closely with the Government of Singapore. He has also conducted many lectures and workshops for companies, college students and several law enforcement agencies.

Future plans

In 2005, Fadia said that he is going to write a thriller on the lines of Dan Brown’s Digital Fortress, which he hopes to make into a movie. He claimed that a production company has approached him with a blanket offer. He said that he was also planning a restaurant in Pune or Ahmedabad.

Recognition

Ankit Fadia has been honored with numerous awards, including the IT Leader Award 2005 and the Indo-American Society Young Achiever Award 2005. In 2002, the Limca Book of Records declared him among the “People of The Year”. Ankit Fadia has also sponsored the “Ankit Fadia Information Security Award”, which is given annually by The Singapore Management University, to an outstanding student in the Information Security and Trust Course under the Bachelor of Science (Information System Management) degree programme.

Criticism

In 2006, questions were raised about authenticity of Fadia’s various claims at many discussion groups, forums, and mailing lists. This was triggered by a post titled “Ankit Fadia : The real picture”. His critics claim that he is overhyped and point out that he is that he has never developed any hacking technique, tool, or algorithm, and none of his tutorials or books had original content.

Many experts in India have dismissed him as just another fad. Many reviewers at Amazon.com said that he had copied outdated hacking tutorials from the Internet and compiled them into a book.

Ankit Fadia is listed on attrition।org’s Security Scene Errata: Charlatans webpage alongside individuals such as Steve Gibson and Carolyn Meinel. This page seeks to “point out a few cases of fakes walking among us”. Elsewhere on the Errata section of the attrition site, Fadia’s claims in interview are treated with extreme skepticism and subjected to criticism.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF ANKIT :-

http://www.ankitfadia.in/

जानिए क्या होते हैं पिक्सल ?

आप जब भी किसी फोटो को देखते हैं तो लगता है कि वो पूरी तरह से एक ही एलीमेंटस से बनी हुई है लेकिन जनाब ऐसा नहीं है दरअसल जो भी पिक्चर या फोटो हम देखते है वो बहुत छोटे टुकड़ो या बिंदुओ से मिलकर बनी होती है जिसे पिक्सल कहा जाता है। कंप्यूटर से लेकर तमाम डिजिटल उपकरणों पर दिखने वाली तस्वीरें इन्ही पिक्सलों से मिलकर बनती हैं।

लेकिन अहम बात ये है कि पिक्सल किसी भी फोटो को मापने का पैमाना नहीं है। जैसा कि कई बार कैमरों पर पिक्सल्स इंच दिया जाता है। सीधे तौर पर इसे इस तरह समझा जा सकता है कि जिस फोटो में जितने ज्यादा पिक्सल होंगे वो फोटो उतनी ही ज्यादा स्पष्ट होगी। कंप्यूटर के मॉनीटर पर या टीवी स्क्रीन या कोई भी फोटो लाखों पिक्सल्स से मिलकर बनी होती है। हर एक पिक्सल आठ या उसके गुणक में रंग ग्रहण करता है। बिट को इसकी इकाई माना जाता है। अगर किसी पिक्सल में 24 बिट हैं तो वर अधिकतम 16 लाख रंगों को दिखा सकता है। माना जाता है कि पिक्सल ही किसी फोटो की सबसे छोटी इकाई होते हैं लेकिन ये पिक्सल भी कई छोटे तत्वों से मिलकर बने होते हैं। एक मॉनीटर का पिक्सल तीन रंगों के बिंदुओ से बने होते हैं ये रंग हैं ला, हरा और बैंगनी। ये तीनो रंग किसी पिक्सल में घुले मिले होते हैं। डिजिटल कैमरों के लिए मेगापिक्सल शब्द का इस्तेमाल किया जाता है जो पिक्सल से भी छोटी इकाई है। मेगापिक्सल्स कैमरों को बेहतर माना जाता है।

जानिए रेपो रेट और रिवर्स रेपो रेट का अंतर

मंगलवार को रिजर्व बैंक ने मौद्रिक नीति की समीक्षा करते हुए रेपो और रिवर्स रेपो दोनो ही दरों को बढ़ा दिया है । इस नीति के अंतर्गत केन्द्रीय बैंक आगे की रणनीतिके बारे में दिशा निर्देश तय करता है। जिसके तहत वह रेपो रेट और रिवर्स रेपो रेट कोघटाता या बढ़ाता है। लेकिन आरबीआई के इन तकनीकी शब्दों के बारे में आम आदमी काज्ञान शून्य रहता है। आइए जानते हैं। क्या होती है रेपो रेट और रिवर्स रेपो रेट औरक्यों जरुरत होती है इसे घटाने और बढ़ाने की।

रेपो रेट

आम आदमी कीतरह बैंकों और वित्तीय संस्थानों को भी कर्ज की जरुरत पड़ती है ऐसे में ये रिजर्वबैंक से शार्ट टर्म के लिए कर्ज लेते हैं। जिस ब्याज दर पर आरबीआई बैंकों औरवित्तीय संस्थानों को कर्ज देता है उसे रेपो रेट कहते है। जब बाजार में लिक्विडिटीज्यादा हो जाती है तो आरबीआई रेपो रेट बढ़ा देता है जिससे आरबीआई से मिलने वालाकर्ज महंगा हो जाता है और बाजार में लिक्विडिटी में कमी आ जाती है। इससे महंगाई कोकाबू में करने में भी मदद मिलती है।

रिवर्स रेपो रेट

बैंकों औरवित्तीय संस्थानों के पास जब नगदी की अधिकता हो जाती है तो वो उसे आरबीआई को उधारदे देते हैं। जिस दर पर आरबीआई उन्हें ब्याज देता है उसे रिवर्स रेपो रेट कहते हैं।महंगाई को काबू में करने के लिए भी रिवर्स रेपो रेट आरबीआई बढ़ा देता है जिससे बैंकबाजार में पैसा लगाने के बजाय आरबीआई के पास पैसा जमा करवाने में ज्यादा दिलचस्पीदिखाते हैं।

10 Signs It’s Time to Leave Your Job

Do you get into the office without a plan of action for the day? Are you not being rewarded for your efforts? Does your boss often pull you down and embarrass you in front of colleagues?
If any or all of these ring true, it might be time to shake things up.
Here are 10 signs that could indicate that it’s time for you to move on – either from your current job function or from your organization – to other adventures.
1. Social networking but not working
Are Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter taking up more of your working day than preparing that PowerPoint presentation? If your company doesn’t allow access to these sites, perhaps your energies are focused on finding proxy sites which allow you to access sites that have been blocked by your company.
Or, do you simply dread coming to office and wait for the day to end quickly?
If this happens some days a week, then maybe you simply need a holiday. “But if one spends more than a month populating Farmville on Facebook, then yes, it’s stagnation and you need to move on,” says Purvi Sheth, chief executive officer of Mumbai management consulting firm Shilpusti Consultants.
2. Been there, done that
If your job has become so routine or monotonous that you can do most of it without thinking much, what are you doing in it? Essentially, you are not learning much or growing in that role, so you won’t be able to stay motivated for long. “Careers are not ponds, they are streams; they have got to be going somewhere from somewhere,” says Dony Kuriakose, director of Delhi-based recruitment firm Edge Executive Search Pvt. Ltd. “If you’re not moving, you’re dead in the water.”
Remember that if you have become too complacent and start taking the company for granted, your employer will soon recognize that, putting your role in jeopardy.
3. Not challenged enough
This is related to the point above. But if you feel that your organization is not giving you the right exposure or a challenging enough position, you could end up becoming very frustrated. “Take the initiative of engaging with (your) employer and…ask for more responsibilities,” says Pankaj Arora, managing director of Protiviti Consulting Pvt. Ltd, a business consulting and audit firm. If that doesn’t work, look for challenges elsewhere within or outside your organization.
4. Unmet goals
You want to become a team leader or a business head but your employer is moving you around into different departments without really promoting you. “It is time for you to move on when you feel your career objectives are not being met or fulfilled by your employer,” says Ms. Sheth.
5. Too big for your shoes
You were good at your first job, so you were promoted to the next level and the next level and so on. But now you have reached a position which is too much for you to handle. This is popularly referred to as the Peter Principle which states that in a hierarchy, employees rise to a level of their incompetence.
Either you need to re-skill and reinvent yourself pretty quickly to survive in that role or you need to move into another position which is a better fit for you.
6. Closed to change
Today’s organizations are nimble on their feet and are often changing their processes or businesses to meet delivery and cost pressures. If you can’t handle that change because you are too set in your ways, you could end up getting left behind. Or, maybe you don’t agree with your organization’s changes at a philosophical or an ethical level. “There are certain reasons why you work at a place and there are certain things that enthuse you,” says Mr. Kuriakose. “If those core issues change and you suddenly find that you’re working for a place that you wouldn’t have joined” it might be time to rethink.
7. Politics over mechanics
Every organization has politics and it’s smart to keep on top of major changes as well as the movers and shakers of your organization. But if your professional relationships at work have become so entangled and complicated that they are keeping you from your work, that’s a problem. Don’t let politics become more important to you than the mechanics of your job.
8. You’ve been overlooked — again
Are your batch mates from school and college more successful than you are? Or is your company promoting people with less experience and fewer achievements above you? Figure out why that is happening. If they’re working harder and are smarter than you, then consider adding to whatever skills are keeping you from that next job. But if your company is overlooking you, then it might be time to go where you get more recognition.
9. Don’t want your boss’s job?
We typically envy our bosses not only for their higher salaries but also for the responsibility and authority they command. But if you don’t aspire to be in your boss’s position at some time in the future, then it’s time to look around and reconsider your career plans. You can’t stay in your current position forever. Not everyone has to be the top dog, but a career path that promises advancement and satisfaction is a good road to be on.
10. Evil thoughts about your boss?
Ok, so all of us have some evil thoughts about our bosses every now and then. That’s normal. If you hate him or her as a person, deal with it. But if your professional relationship is troubled, then you have a problem. “You have to work with all kinds of people,” says Mr. Kuriakose. However, a boss who is always pulling you down, and maybe embarrassing you in front of colleagues, could be harmful for your morale and progress. Time for some introspection and perhaps an exit strategy.

"Quiz for People Who Know Everything"

This is a quiz for people who know everything! I found out in a hurry that I didn't. These are not trick questions. They are straight questions with straight answers.


1. Name the one sport in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends.


2. What famous North American landmark is constantly moving backward?


3. Of all vegetables, only two can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons. All other vegetables must be replanted every year. What are the only two perennial vegetables?


4. What fruit has its seeds on the outside?


5. In many liquor stores, you can buy pear brandy, with a real pear inside the bottle. The pear is whole and ripe, and the bottle is genuine; it hasn't been cut in any way. How did the pear get inside the bottle?


6. Only three words in standard English begin with the letters 'dw' and they are all common words. Name two of them. {dweeb is not an answer}


7. There are 14 punctuation marks in English grammar. Can you name at least half of them?


8. Name the only vegetable or fruit that is never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any other form except fresh.


9. Name 6 or more things that you can wear on your feet beginning with the letter 'S.'


ANSWERS BELOW.......

Answers To Quiz:


1. The one sport in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends: Boxing


2. North American landmark constantly moving backward. Niagara Falls. The rim is worn down about two and a half feet each year because of the millions of gallons of water that rush over it every minute.


3. Only two vegetables that can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons: Asparagus and rhubarb.


4. The fruit with its seeds on the outside: Strawberry.


5. How did the pear get inside the brandy bottle? It grew inside the bottle. The bottles are placed over pear buds when they are small, and are wired in place on the tree. The bottle is left in place for the entire growing season. When the pears are ripe, they are snipped off at the stems.


6. Three English words beginning with dw: dwarf, dwell and dwindle.


7. Fourteen punctuation marks in English grammar. Period, comma, colon, semicolon, dash, hyphen, apostrophe, question mark, exclamation point, quotation mark, brackets, parenthesis, braces, and ellipses.


8. The only vegetable or fruit never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any other form but fresh: Lettuce


9. Six or more things you can wear on your feet beginning with 'S': Shoes, socks, sandals, sneakers, slippers, skis, skates, snowshoes, stockings, stilts.


Please do your part by remembering to send this email to at least one unstable person. Well, my job's done! Just don't send it back to me. I've already flunked it once.

George Bush in a School

George Bush goes to a primary school to give a speech.
After his talk he offers question time.

One little boy puts up his hand and George asks him what his name is.
"Bob".
"And what is your question, Bob?"

"I have 3 questions. First, Why did the USA invade Iraq without the support of the UN?
Second, Why are you President when Kerry got more votes? And
Third, What happened to Osama Bin Laden?"

Just then the bell rings for recess. George Bush informs the kiddies that they will continue after recess.

When they resume George says, "OK, where were we?
Oh that's right --- question time. Who has a question?"

A different little boy puts up his hand . George points him out and asks him what his name is. "Steve"
"And what is your question, Steve?"

"I have 5 questions. First, Why did the USA invade Iraq without the
support of the UN? Second, Why are you President when Kerry got more votes?
Third, What happened to Osama Bin Laden?
Fourth, Why did the recess bell go 20 minutes early?! And
Fifth, Where is "Bob"? !!

The Best "Out of Office" E-mail Auto-Replies

1: I am currently out at a job interview and will reply to you if I fail to get the position.

2: I'm not really out of the office. I'm just ignoring you.

3: You are receiving this automatic notification because I am out of the office. If I was in, chances are you wouldn't have received anything at all.

4: Sorry to have missed you but I am at the doctors having my brain removed so that I may be promoted to management

5: I will be unable to delete all the unread, worthless emails you send me until I return from vacation on 4/18. Please be patient and your mail will be deleted in the order it was received.

6: Thank you for your email. Your credit card has been charged $5.99 for the first ten words and $1.99 for each additional word in your message.

7: The e-mail server is unable to verify your server connection and is unable to deliver this message. Please restart your computer and try sending again.'
(The beauty of this is that when you return, you can see how many in-duh-viduals did this over and over).

8: Thank you for your message, which has been added to a queuing system. You are currently in 352nd place, and can expect to receive a reply in approximately 19 weeks.

9: Hi. I'm thinking about what you've just sent me. Please wait by your PC for my response.

10: Hi! I'm busy negotiating the salary for my new job. Don't bother to leave me any messages.

11: I've run away to join a different circus.
AND, FINALLY, THIS ONE TAKES THE CAKE:

12: I will be out of the office for the next 2 weeks for medical reasons. When I return, please refer to me as 'Loretta' instead of 'Steve'...