Using watermarks in word documents looks really cool. But the problem occurs when the documents become too big. In such cases, the document becomes exceedingly slow to react to scrolling. Adobe PDF conversion is an even bigger problem.
To remove the watermark it is simple enough : Format -> Background -> Printed Watermark. Then click on “No watermark” and you are golden (or you should be golden).
I’ve observed that the watermark does not get removed many times when you have too many sections in the document.
In such cases: Goto View -> Header and Footer. Click on “Show/Hide Document Text”.
You should see that all your text has disappeared except the watermark. Click on the watermark and you should be able to select it like a floating image. Press the “delete” key and lo! behold! the watermark is gone.
This took me a while to figure out and it was quite frustrating. I hope this post helps someone!

Ever since I installed Tortoise SVN I saw that the right-clicks on my Windows XP SP2 had been terribly slow. It seems like Tortoise performs a whole lot of caching. Every time you right click all the cache entries are browsed and updates are sought. Although, the interface provides ways to disable this overlay caching, it seemed to me that the caching was being performed regardless. I had to uninstall the client to restore the sanity of my right-clicks. I guess software designers should make design decisions such that the UI responsiveness is not compromised for Windows Shell extensions.

If you encounter the following error, the issue is pcaprub uses a hardcoded path for Winpcap.  I downloaded winpcap v4.1.3 and downloaded the dev kit for Winpcap and put it in c:\WpdPack.   Additionally, since I use an x64 machine I had to copy the file C:\WpdPack\Lib\x64\*.lib into C:\WpdPack\Lib and then the compilation worked.

You need pcaprub for things like msf.

C:\dev\kit>gem install pcaprub
Temporarily enhancing PATH for MSYS/MINGW...
Building native extensions. This could take a while...
ERROR: Error installing pcaprub:
ERROR: Failed to build gem native extension.

current directory: C:/Ruby24-x64/lib/ruby/gems/2.4.0/gems/pcaprub-0.13.0/ext/pcaprub_c
C:/Ruby24-x64/bin/ruby.exe -r ./siteconf20181112-2628-1wqgu6f.rb extconf.rb

[*] Running checks for pcaprub_c code...
platform is x64-mingw32
checking for -lws2_32... yes
checking for -liphlpapi... yes
checking for windows.h... yes
checking for winsock2.h... yes
checking for iphlpapi.h... yes
checking for ruby/thread.h... yes
checking for rb_thread_blocking_region()... no
checking for rb_thread_call_without_gvl()... yes
checking for pcap_open_live() in -lwpcap... no
checking for pcap_setnonblock() in -lwpcap... no
creating Makefile

current directory: C:/Ruby24-x64/lib/ruby/gems/2.4.0/gems/pcaprub-0.13.0/ext/pcaprub_c
make "DESTDIR=" clean

current directory: C:/Ruby24-x64/lib/ruby/gems/2.4.0/gems/pcaprub-0.13.0/ext/pcaprub_c
make "DESTDIR="
generating pcaprub_c-x64-mingw32.def
compiling pcaprub.c
In file included from C:/WpdPack/include/pcap/pcap.h:41,
from C:/WpdPack/include/pcap.h:45,
from pcaprub.c:11:
C:/WpdPack/include/pcap-stdinc.h:64: warning: "snprintf" redefined
#define snprintf _snprintf

In file included from C:/Ruby24-x64/include/ruby-2.4.0/ruby/ruby.h:2429,
from C:/Ruby24-x64/include/ruby-2.4.0/ruby.h:33,
from pcaprub.c:1:
C:/Ruby24-x64/include/ruby-2.4.0/ruby/subst.h:6: note: this is the location of the previous definition
#define snprintf ruby_snprintf

In file included from C:/WpdPack/include/pcap/pcap.h:41,
from C:/WpdPack/include/pcap.h:45,
from pcaprub.c:11:
C:/WpdPack/include/pcap-stdinc.h:65: warning: "vsnprintf" redefined
#define vsnprintf _vsnprintf

In file included from C:/Ruby24-x64/include/ruby-2.4.0/ruby/ruby.h:2429,
from C:/Ruby24-x64/include/ruby-2.4.0/ruby.h:33,
from pcaprub.c:1:
C:/Ruby24-x64/include/ruby-2.4.0/ruby/subst.h:7: note: this is the location of the previous definition
#define vsnprintf ruby_vsnprintf

pcaprub.c: In function 'rbpcap_each_data':
pcaprub.c:992:9: warning: cast from pointer to integer of different size [-Wpointer-to-int-cast]
fno = (int)pcap_getevent(rbp->pd);
^
pcaprub.c:992:7: warning: assignment to 'HANDLE' {aka 'void *'} from 'int' makes pointer from integer without a cast [-W
int-conversion]
fno = (int)pcap_getevent(rbp->pd);
^
pcaprub.c: In function 'rbpcap_each_packet':
pcaprub.c:1034:9: warning: cast from pointer to integer of different size [-Wpointer-to-int-cast]
fno = (int)pcap_getevent(rbp->pd);
^
pcaprub.c:1034:7: warning: assignment to 'HANDLE' {aka 'void *'} from 'int' makes pointer from integer without a cast [-
Wint-conversion]
fno = (int)pcap_getevent(rbp->pd);
^
pcaprub.c: In function 'rbpcap_thread_wait_handle':
pcaprub.c:1274:7: warning: passing argument 1 of 'rb_thread_call_without_gvl' from incompatible pointer type [-Wincompat
ible-pointer-types]
rbpcap_thread_wait_handle_blocking,
^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In file included from pcaprub.c:4:
C:/Ruby24-x64/include/ruby-2.4.0/ruby/thread.h:28:7: note: expected 'void * (*)(void *)' but argument is of type 'VALUE
(*)(void *)' {aka 'long long unsigned int (*)(void *)'}
void *rb_thread_call_without_gvl(void *(*func)(void *), void *data1,
^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
linking shared-object pcaprub_c.so
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0x1a0): undefined reference to `pcap_lib_version'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0x1e0): undefined reference to `pcap_findalldevs'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0x2b8): undefined reference to `pcap_freealldevs'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0x32f): undefined reference to `pcap_lookupnet'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0x43d): undefined reference to `pcap_close'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0x45a): undefined reference to `pcap_dump_close'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0x67c): undefined reference to `pcap_set_timeout'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0x6ce): undefined reference to `pcap_list_datalinks'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0x707): undefined reference to `pcap_datalink_val_to_name'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0x76d): undefined reference to `pcap_free_datalinks'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0x782): undefined reference to `pcap_geterr'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0x828): undefined reference to `pcap_datalink_name_to_val'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0x895): undefined reference to `pcap_set_datalink'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0x8b3): undefined reference to `pcap_geterr'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0x93f): undefined reference to `pcap_set_snaplen'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0x9d4): undefined reference to `pcap_set_promisc'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0xae1): undefined reference to `pcap_lookupnet'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0xb57): undefined reference to `pcap_compile'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0xb6d): undefined reference to `pcap_geterr'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0xb9f): undefined reference to `pcap_setfilter'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0xbaf): undefined reference to `pcap_freecode'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0xbc1): undefined reference to `pcap_geterr'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0xbe9): undefined reference to `pcap_freecode'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0xc62): undefined reference to `pcap_compile'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0xc75): undefined reference to `pcap_geterr'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0xc9d): undefined reference to `pcap_freecode'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0xccf): undefined reference to `pcap_activate'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0xd33): undefined reference to `pcap_close'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0xe0b): undefined reference to `pcap_close'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0xe43): undefined reference to `pcap_create'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0x109e): undefined reference to `pcap_close'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0x110d): undefined reference to `pcap_open_live'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0x129f): undefined reference to `pcap_open_offline'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0x1419): undefined reference to `pcap_open_dead'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0x1532): undefined reference to `pcap_dump_open'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0x15d9): undefined reference to `pcap_dump_close'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0x171e): undefined reference to `pcap_dump'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0x17e7): undefined reference to `pcap_sendpacket'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0x17fa): undefined reference to `pcap_geterr'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0x18ea): undefined reference to `pcap_setnonblock'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0x1912): undefined reference to `pcap_dispatch'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0x19fd): undefined reference to `pcap_setnonblock'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0x1a25): undefined reference to `pcap_dispatch'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0x1b35): undefined reference to `pcap_getevent'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0x1be3): undefined reference to `pcap_getevent'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0x1c91): undefined reference to `pcap_datalink'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0x1cdc): undefined reference to `pcap_major_version'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0x1d27): undefined reference to `pcap_minor_version'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0x1d72): undefined reference to `pcap_snapshot'
pcaprub.o:pcaprub.c:(.text+0x1dca): undefined reference to `pcap_stats'
collect2.exe: error: ld returned 1 exit status
make: *** [Makefile:259: pcaprub_c.so] Error 1

make failed, exit code 2

Gem files will remain installed in C:/Ruby24-x64/lib/ruby/gems/2.4.0/gems/pcaprub-0.13.0 for inspection.
Results logged to C:/Ruby24-x64/lib/ruby/gems/2.4.0/extensions/x64-mingw32/2.4.0/pcaprub-0.13.0/gem_make.out

I like using dcfldd for creating the raw images, because it shows a nice status…it’s interesting to see progress.

dcfldd if=/dev/sda of=/mnt/sdb1/filename.dd hash=md5 md5log=hashfile.md5 conv=noerror,sync bs=4096

It’s the ‘bs’ (stands for bytesize) that makes the difference (…always does doesn’t it ;-).

Autopsy – The forensics browser always uses the ~/.autopsy as the base directory for storing the files from the cases. The following command is helpful in changing the directory in which the cases should be stored:

./autopsy -d /mountpoint/dirname

The exiftool is a cool application that can read meta-information to determine the different types of files.

I was using the vpnc the other day on my Backtrack 4 R2 system to log in to VPN. I noticed that there was nothing that would give me the status of whether or not the tunnel was up. So I wrote a small one-liner to help me:

while [ `ps aux |grep vpnc|grep -v grep|awk '{print $2}'` ] ; do printf "Connected\r"; done


The introduction of low-cost flying alternatives in the Indian skies is a good thing for the Indian consumers as one would reckon. However, the consumers only stand to gain if they get a service which at least gets them their money worth.
Sadly though, the quality of service provided by these low-cost airlines is also “low-grade”. The business principle seems sound that people who want food/refreshments in flight buy it but that does not necessarily mean that one gets hard pressed to board the flight itself. The airline management needs to rethink that low-cost does not mean high tension. My flight experience was as follows:
I was to board the flight from Delhi – Mumbai at around 9:00 pm. However, until 10:30 pm there were no announcements which made me ponder about the very existence of the flight itself. At about 11:00 pm it was announced that the entry would be from Gate # 3. The people rushed in like a horde of animals trying to get into a DTC (Delhi Transport Corporation) bus. Then a technical snag – the key was unable to open the gate # 3 – occurred to make the matters worse. The gates were changed to Gate # 1 resulting into a new frenzy of people trying to reach gate # 1. In what ensued, there were a series of announcements for passengers to board the flight, however, there was a slight problem. The officials on Gate # 1 were not ready to let passengers through. The flights like “Air Deccan” have given a new meaning to the term “fight to the finish” as your fight to get a seat in the flight never ends!

Now I’ve no problems considering that the population of India is huge. However, I do have a problem when seemingly intelligent (?) people do not display basic intelligence. Air Deccan issues unique numbers on it’s boarding passes when people check-in. Why these numbers are not used for seat assignments is a question that only Air Deccan can answer. Apparently, they use these numbers to identify which passengers have / have not boarded the flight.

Unitl these companies realize that cheap tickets should not mean cheap quality the consumers will continue to remain at a loss in these airlines which are advertized as a “high value for money”.