Introduction to Email Spoofing

Day before yesterday while I was making a website and was just sort of trying out things, when, I found a way to spoof e-mail. Though I heard about email spoofing from way back in time but had never been so close with it. It happened totally inadvertently.

The instant I found out that I could send an email to anyone with anyone's email address I did have a feeling of "Power", but this feeling was short lived, Mainly because I was stung by the fact how these glitches can be misused by people with evil minds. Though I explore these kinds of things but yes I never see them as features for taking undue advantage over others, I just like to keep my knowledge about hacking techniques for defense purpose. Also previously about 2-3 years back I designed a web page for educating masses how to prevent giving themselves to Phishing. It was an Orkut lookalike sign in page but many people thought it as a Phishing page itself!, haha, anyways!

Below is the image in which I emailed myself and showed as if the email had come from billgates@microsoft.com



Do give your take about Internet vulnerabilities...

Destiny has its own plans!

The third year placement sessions were going on. Our college had a placement rule that if anyone gets placed in a company he cannot give interviews of upcoming companies. So we can be placed in a maximum of one company only.

HCL was the first one to approach our college, NIEC. It was raining like cats and dogs that day!, The process of selection extended till late in night, Luckily I got through the first round but could not clear the interview. I was depressed as it was my first attempt and I always wanted to achieve success at the earliest of opportunities. Meanwhile my Best Pal at the college Anup also did not get through the selection so we in a way consoled each other.

The next company to strike the placement bell was Satyam(in Ramaswaroop college), got through the written round but could not pass the GD this time. Anup passed the written as well as GD but the rest of the process took very long to complete and results were declared after Infy's result(read on...). I was dejected this time as Anup and I wanted to work in the same company because of our fast friendship. Next I gave placement of Iflex in UCER, Allahabad but this time could not clear the written. Did not gave the Syntel placement exam though which held earlier than Iflex placements.

The dejection took some time to get off me. Now Infosys approached in Ramaswaroop college. I was in a way not aware that that was the day for Infosys Placements. I seem to have forgotten that fact. But still as I confirmed the fact I headed to Ramaswaroop. Infosys selection panel showed us the Infosys Presentations and the training center of Mysore where the trainees would be undergoing training. The moment I saw the presentation it was like "I just want to be in this company", the word "Infoscion" had a great impact on me(Info=Infosys, Scion=Descendant).

My friend Anup could not give the written as his board Exam's percentage was below the required criteria. When written exam started I was very much focused on the paper. I noticed some other people gossiping their way through the exam. I passed the written exam. The only thing I required to clear next was the Interview session as the placement process did not incorporated any GD round.

The tension was building up. But yes the confidence in me was roaring that time. But as I did not know about the placement schedule that held that day I was not having proper formal dress. I thought to go to Anup's house to bring a suitable dress but then I decided to borrow the shirt from my friend Rajiv who was in the CS-42 section of NIEC.

My name was called, went and sat on the benches near to the interviewer's room. The seniors managing the event gave us instructions about what to do and what not to do during the interview. Tied up the loosened show laces, arranged and re-arranged all the resumes(My resume had my photo that made it different from others and I felt proud on seeing my resume) and certificates. Geared up and as soon as my time arrived got up took God's name and went towards the room. Pulled the door and entered the room, smiled and greeted the Interviewer.

He asked me as to why I want to be in their company and I replied that I have a zeal to learn and work. Then he gave me a puzzle to find out the numbers of squares in a chess board. I said answered 64 but he replied to think again. Then I thought what exactly he meant was to find out total squares including combinational ones also. I took a guess and gave a random answer 154 or something which was obviously wrong. He gave me my resume to help me do the calculations on its blank side. I drew 8 by 8 blocks and analyzed it. As it was taking much time I asked for some time to think and he graciously allotted it to me. He asked me the answer but I had not computed the answer by that time rather I gave the calculation formula 1*1+2*2+....8*8 . Although I found out later that it was the correct answer he did not gave an expression whether the answer was right or wrong, rather he then moved to his next query.

The query was an analysis of a situation in which I found my baggage(including my tickets) to be lost during a rail journey and he asked the steps taken by me in that situation. I visualised the scene and told I would get down at the next station and inform the station master about it, also would lodge an FIR about the incident. Then if I had any friend in that city would go to his/her house otherwise would continue with the journey. But then the interviewer stopped me by saying that how would I continue with my journey as my tickets were presumably lost. I smartly said I would have made sure to keep my ID proofs to get verified by the ticket checker! After some more questions he asked whether I would like to ask any question, I replied "no" and he said good luck to me.

Then late in night we were waiting for the results. Two of my friends Saurabh Shukla and Shraddha Tiwari(talked to her for first the time that day) had no mode of conveyance so I agreed to drop both of them. The results were declared, as far as I remember from NIEC joinees my name was the first to be declared. Felt happy but not any acute emotions. On seeing the intense emotions of fellow joinees I too got some adrenaline rushing.

Meanwhile remembered about Saurabh and Shraddha but presumably they were dejected somewhat and had left the place. I went out and found them outside the college gate. I told that I would drop them to their residence so asked them to just wait for a moment to bring my bike from the parking. On the way back they congratulated me but Saurabh sounded very depressed. I too did not feel too good because I knew what pain they might be undergoing that time.

So it was a nice time after that day, Anup's Satyam results were still awaited. Results came and he got selected in it.

Now the time has somewhat changed, recession is going on in the IT industry and very few or none of the companies are coming to colleges for placements. Some companies sent sorry letters to the joinees some offered BPO jobs, very few gave joinings to their candidates. Satyam and Wipro were involved in separate financial troubles which made it difficult for their candidates to join the company. Infosys was the first one that offered joinings as per commitment and at such large scale, all joinees got their joinings by march, 2009.

Thus summing up I believe it does not matter much whether we start early or late, but the "zeal" definitely matters and yeah "luck" plays a great role as well.

Lenders are always beggars for the time that follows...

It is 5 A.M. in the morning, and I am still awake. Another thought provoking session is on in my head and till it does not end and lull me into sleep I thought its rather a good time to write it out here.

There's just a month left for my Infosys joining and I am now analysing the things I have lended out to the lot. As the analysis progress I am wondering how many things I have given out to the people who never even bother to return it, leave alone returning on time. When you want anything you have given out you probably seem a bigger and a befitting beggar than the borrower at the time he/she borrows that thing.

And the audit began...A digicam lended, money, important books, CD's, that childhood photograph you always cherished, etc etc, nothing came back, you have to remind them again and again, everything seemed so close when you had them once with you and now they are all soo distant.

Stricken by this attitude of humans I always copied and gave any software when required by anyone, I knew if the original CD's got lost it would be irreparable loss for me, Now even the Re-writable CD's are unseen in my Cupboard. It's not that I can't afford another one, but it's more like why the hell is the nature of people like this.

Sometimes people also mistake me for a "rich" guy wanting to "drool" all his wealth down. Many a times I have come across people saying "arre tumhare badepapa to M.P. hain tumhe paise ki kya tension"("you are a nephew of a Parliamentarian you could easily spent so much on such and such thing"), Believe it I just hate this statement, I love my badepapa, I know he does and he would help me with anything if ever would I need it but it does not mean I devalue the value of money. I don't like spending money without any rhyme or reason. I normally don't go for movies coz everytime I think about going for one I think that 100 rupees means a lot for any poor family(that I would have spent for a movie) and my soul disallows me to go out.

At this moment I remember two cases during my B.tech course worthwhile to mention here. I remember one friend of mine "Navneet Maurya" had to get some documents notarized for any educational process. As a friend I said I would help him in getting the documents notarized as my Uncle is a lawyer. He came to my house, got him introduced him with the juniors working under my uncle. Got his work done, I payed the juniors since they had to buy and use the stamp papers for the whole process. Next day when I went to college I reminded him that I have paid such amount to the juniors. And I was disappointed by his reply that your uncle is such an esteemed lawyer, you must be getting the stamp papers free!, and I was fuming and thinking that first of all you take help and then when your desire is fulfilled you never take a glance back! Anyways after some days later he brought and gave me half of the money, when I said why only half, his reply was he dropped and lost the rest money somewhere. Afterwards he never thought to pay back and I never asked.

Another incident I remember was when "Ashish Singh" and I accorded to go college together on my bike and we mutually agreed on that he would pay me Rs. 120 monthly for the fuel expenses. One month passed and he did not pay, still I thought he would pay by next month, another month passed. He payed me rs. 40!!. I kept on asking to pay as I had to spend nearly 400-500 rupees a month on fuel that time. He had to pay 240 and payed 40!, I remember how I used to go 2 KMs inside HAL just to pick him up. I thought it was better to quit. I made up and told a false reason that I am annoyed with the excessive security HAL is having.

It is not that these 100 or 200 rupees are my life but when 200-300 rupees turn into 1000-2000 rupees then into more and more then it does!, not in amount but in my thinking about the human nature. Every borrower says: "I am not like the rest, you can trust on me", the "trust" is bound to be broken!. My conclusion to my experience is that in Business and money matters don't trust anybody!, and If you are lending anything be prepared for begging. If you aren't a beggar, simply don't lend.

PS: Though I have pinpointed some people, still it stands for the general outlook, I am really upset with the garb people carry while borrowing. Really fed up!!

My Borrowing-Lending Principle: Anything that goes out...Never comes back. If it does you're still in your dreams, wake up!!