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I recently came across a paper on GPU malware.  I am unsure how old this paper is as  I did not see a date in it.  I wanted to expand on this idea a bit.

In section 3.2 on polymorphism they state

No matter how complex the encryption scheme in a packed malware is, upon the end of the unpacking process the code of the original malware will be restored on the host’s memory. At that point, a malware analyst can take a snapshot of the process’ address space and analyze the exposed malicious code. Similarly, runtime malware scan-will be able to detect the original malicious code.

They do address encryption where the keys are stored in private memory of the GPU, however they miss what I believe to be a glaring point.

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Despite the efforts of some people typing angrily into their keyboards, possibly from their mothers basement, questioning my intelligence for trying to unlock some secrets about the FT-897 radio I am pushing on. I went through some notes I made and comments I received from others in September 2009 and came across some information that I had totally forgotten about. My life distracted me from this project, and now I have some time I hope to make more headway. (continue reading…)

I recently stayed at a hotel where included in your room was wifi internet access.  This is not that unusual, however the system they ran bothered me.  For some reason they got the Dlink hotspot edition management solution for their wifi network.  This was not well suited for the way they gave the internet access out.  Each login & password that you got was useful for only a certain amount of data trafficked.  This may seem reasonable, however it is only useful for about 10-15 minutes of low quality streaming video (320×240).  If you did a system update it would surely run you over.  You then have to go back down to the front desk and ask for another login which they will give you free, and with a smile. (continue reading…)

I want to write a web app for the radio.  My initial target is an Asus WL-520GU wifi access point.  It has a USB adapter, and I can run linux on it.  While it is s
mall and embedded I can get enough on the $30 access point to control my radio.  I question if it has enough cpu to successfully stream the audio in anything other than PCM, but even a PCM link would not be terrible.  It would mean that my radio can stay stashed in the basement while I am upstairs in the office, and that is all I really want. (continue reading…)

The CAT protocol is written for the lowest common denominator, and it was written a long time ago.  As a result it does not support every command that a radio may have.  I am not sure why Yaesu did not extend CAT for radios and if your radio does not support that command an error is returned.  I can understand from a development cost and support cost perspective not wanting to have a new variant of CAT created for each radio they make.  They can also run out of commands fairly quickly or have issues with similar but not identical radios.  Regardless of why, the fact remains that CAT does not let you do everything the radio can do. (continue reading…)

In the quest to obtain more information on the FT-897 and answer some theories that have been floating around, I participated in a discussion on the Yahoo group FT-897.  Here is some of the information that came out of that.

The CPU on my unit is a H8S/2134A series.  I fully believe that all other CPUs, even from older models, will be just as capable, if not identical.  If anyone
wants to open theirs up and peek, it is located by the solder pads where you do the MARS/CAP mod (set the operating region).  It is the only 80 pin chip in that area.  To avoid clutter, please only add a comment if your CPU is different.  This makes it easier for others to read which are different as opposed to 100 comments all saying “mine too”.  The data sheet for the H8S/2134A series cpu is available at http://pdf1.alldatasheet.com/datasheet-pdf/view/249719/RENESAS/HD64F2134AV.html (continue reading…)

There is a great blog and the author has written many articles in a series called “Tactical Preschool“.  As he describes it, this is very basic information suitable for a refresher course, and remember it is preschool not anything too advanced.  As I say it, it makes a good “boot camp” manual if the zombies ever do invade.  As this post may get some readers who are unfamiliar with how I use the term zombies and zombie invasion I will quote my definition – this is the only thing so far that I have not tested all of the information personally.

I use zombies as a mythical event, but it could be anything from terrorist attack, pandemic, war, or natural disaster. The techniques that I will present will all be tested by me, and explained in an easy to understand format. I will use the term zombies or zombie attack as a generic term to refer to any disaster that has the potential to take out local infrastructure and force the populace that remains to rely on themselves and not grocery stores, water and power companies,and specifically not on the government to hand out the things they need. (continue reading…)