This howto is targeted for Windows (quick Linux instructions are included towards bottom of this post) and leverages the SSH setup described in my earlier post Securing Windows Remote Desktop with OpenSSH. All the changes are on the Client machine. No changes are required on the machine running SSH server.

Modify Putty configuration on Client

1. Open PuTTY
2. In the Saved Sessions list click on the name you created during Securing Windows Remote Desktop with OpenSSH
3. Click Load
4. In the left pane click on + next to connection
5. Click on + next to SSH
6. Click on Tunnels
7. In the Source port field enter 9090 (Note: In PuTTY the source port field looks small but it will still allow you to enter details)
8. Leave the Destination field empty
9. Select Dynamic radio button
10. Click Add (see screenshot)
11. Click on Session in the left pane
12. Click Save button (Do not click Load again – it discard the tunnel changes you made)

Connect using PuTTY

1. Open PuTTY (if not already open)
2. In the Saved Sessions list click on the name you created during Securing Windows Remote Desktop with OpenSSH
3. Click Load
4. Click Open
5. The first time you connect you will see a security alert. Click Yes. (see screenshot)
6. You will be prompted for username/password
7. You should be successfully connected to Computer 1 (i.e SSH server) via SSH. (see screenshot)

Configure Browser proxy

1. Open FireFox Options (Tools->Options)
2. Click Advanced
3. Select Network tab and click on Settings
4. Select Manual Proxy configuration
5. Under SOCKS Host enter localhost and port 9090 (this has to match the port you entered in your Putty configuration)
6. Select SOCKS v5
7. Click OK (see screenshot)

You can now browse the Internet via a secure SSH connection. To verify go to http://www.whatismyip.com/ and you should see the external IP address of your home/trusted network. The are some handy FireFox Add-ons to make your life easier.

SwitchProxy Tool – lets you manage and switch between multiple proxy configurations quickly and easily  (see screenshot and usage instructions).

Live IP Address – displays your external IP address in Firefox’s status bar. With one quick glance you can verify you are secure browsing (see screenshot).

Updated on 06/15/2009 – DNS Resolution

As a reader has correctly commented below using the above technique the DNS resolution still happens at the local network and not on your trusted network. This can be altered by changing the FireFox configuration.

1. Open FireFox
2. In the address field enter about:config
3. If this is the first time you are accessing FireFox configuration you will see a waring page. Click “I’ll be careful, I promise!” (see screenshot)
4. A page displaying list of all FireFox configuration values is displayed.
5. Type ‘dns’ (without quotes) in the filter field
6. Right click on network.proxy.socks_remote_dns and select Toggle (see screenshot).
7. The Status column of the configuration page should now show user set for network.proxy.socks_remote_dns
8. Close the FireFox window

The DNS resolution step is optional but is recommended if you are browsing to certain sites that you do not want to be listed on the DNS log of the untrusted network.

Quick Linux (Ubuntu) instructions

To install SSH server open terminal window and type the following command

sudo apt-get install openssh-server

Check if firewall is active

sudo ufw status

If active allow SSH traffic

sudo ufw allow ssh

Follow the instructions here to Setup Port Forwarding on your router.

To connect to the SSH server for secure browsing use the command

ssh -D 9090 username@ip-address-of-ssh-server

UnxUtils is not an emulator like Cygwin. It is a freeware collection of approx 120 different executables that are only dependent on Microsoft C-runtime (msvcrt.dll).

1. Download UnxUtils.zip
2. Extract to a C:\UnxUtils (may I recommend 7-zip).
3. Download UnxUpdates.zip
4. Extract to C:\UnxUtils\usr\local\wbin

All the executables are located in C:\UnxUtils\usr\local\wbin folder so to make usage easier add “C:\UnxUtils\usr\local\wbin” to your PATH variable.

1. Click Start
2. Right click “My Computer” and select Properties
3. Click on “Advanced” tab
4. Click on “Environment Variables” (see screenshot)
5. Under “System Variables” select “Path” and then click “Edit” (see screenshot)
6. Append “;C:\UnxUtils\usr\local\wbin” to the end of Variable value. Note the semi-colon before C:\ (see screenshot)
7. Click OK. You will be returned to “Environment Variables” window.
8. Click OK. You will be returned to “System Properties” window.
9. Click OK

You should now be able to use UnxUtils. To give it a test open command prompt and run the following command. You should see a screen similar to one below.

ls -l c:/ | grep -i win

UnxUtils also includes a shell which can be handy if you want to do some shell scripting. To start the shell run c:\UnxUtils\bin\sh.exe (see screenshot) If you are frequently using the shell it is easier to create a shortcut on the desktop or quick launch bar.

What is Slipstreaming?

Slipstreaming is a process of integrating the latest updates and hotfixes into the installation files of the original software. This results in a fresh set of installation files with all the updates and hotfixes incorporated hence eliminating the need to apply them after installing the software.

Slipstreaming Windows XP is a very simple and straight forward process.

Disclaimer: Slipstreaming allows you to create updated version of the Windows XP CD but does not change your original license. Most Windows XP license are for install on a single machine unless you have volume license. Please do not use the information in this howto to create and distribute copies of Windows XP. I do not support software piracy.

Prerequisite: Ensure you have at least 1 GB of free disk space. Also make sure you have the original Windows XP install CD.

Screenshots for this howto are available here

Create the required folders

C:\WinXP-CD
C:\WinXP-SP3
C:\WinXP-BootImage

Copy your original Windows XP install CD onto the hard drive

1. Insert the original Windows XP CD into the CD/DVD Drive (Note: Holding down the Shift key when you insert the CD prevents bypasses the autorun)
2. Copy the entire contents of the CD into C:\WinXP-CD folder (see screenshot)
3. Make a note of the volume label of the original WinXP CD. This will be used later during the CD creation process.

Download and extract Windows XP Service Pack 3

1. Navigate to “Windows XP Service Pack 3 Network Installation Package for IT Professionals and Developers” page on Microsoft Download Center
2. Click on the “Download” button and save the file into C:\WinXP-SP3
3. Click Start->Run
4. Type the following command (see screenshot) C:\WinXP-SP3\WindowsXP-KB936929-SP3-x86-ENU.exe -x:C:\WinXP-SP3
5. Windows might display “Open File – Security Warning”. Click Run (see screenshot)
6. Extracting Files dialog will appear and when extracting is done the Extracting complete message will appear. Click OK

Slipstream SP3 into XP

1. Click on Start->Run
2. Type the following command (see screenshot) C:\WinXP-SP3\i386\update\update.exe -s:C:\WinXP-CD
3. This starts the slipstream process and Software Update Installation Wizard will appear
4. When complete “Integrated install has completed successfully” message will appear. Click “OK”

Download bootable image file

1. Click here and download the “Microsoft Corporation.img” file.
2. Save this file in C:\WinXP-BootImage folder

Make the bootable CD with Roxio Easy CD Creator 6

1. Insert a blank CD into the CD Writer
2. Start Roxio Easy CD Creator Classic
3. Click File->New Project->Bootable Disc (see screenshot)
4. “Choose Type of Bootable Disc” window will appear
5. Click on “Advanced” button
6. Advanced Settings will be displayed
7. Ensure “Bootable Disc Type” is No Emulation, “Load Segment” is 0×7c0 and “Sector Count” is 4 (see screenshot)
8. Click the Browse button and navigate to C:\WinXP-BootImage
9. Select “Microsoft Corporation.img” and click Open
10. You might be prompted to rename “Microsoft Corporation.img”. If you are prompted rename it to “BOOTIMG.BIN” (see screenshot)
11. You will be returned to “Choose Type of Bootable Disc” window
12. Click OK. This closes the “Chhose Type of Bootable Disc” window
13. Creator Classic window will be displayed with the title “Untitled Bootable Disc Project – Creator Classic”
14. The project will show two files
    BOOTCAT.BIN
    Microsoft Corporation.imgOR

    BOOTCAT.BIN
    BOOTIMG.BIN

15. Rename Microsoft Corporation.img to BOOTIMG.BIN (skip this step if you already renamed it earlier)
16. Click File->Project Properties
17. Project Properties window will open (see screenshot)
18. Change the Volume Label to match the one from original Windows XP CD.
19. Change the File System to ISO9660
20. Click Advanced Tab
21. Select “Use original file date” and “Any MS-DOS 8.3 character file names”
22. Click “File Filter” tab
23. Select “All files”
24. Click General tab
25. Click Apply and then click OK.
26. Project properties window will close and you will be returned to Creator classic window
27. You are now ready to add files to this project
28. Drag and drop all files and folders from C:\WinXP-CD into the project window
29. You will receive an error indicating some filenames need to be changed. Click “Change All” on this error window (see screenshot)
30. At this point the project is ready.
31. Click File->Record or click the burn button
32. Record Setup window will appear (see screenshot)
33. Change Record Options to “Test and Record”
34. Click OK to start the record process
35. Burn Disc Progress window will appear and display the record progress. (see screenshot)
36. When the process is complete you have the Windows XP CD with SP3 integrated.

The instructions to burn using Nero or any other software should be similar.

Clean files

Unless you wish to burn additional copies you can now delete the following folders and clear up hard disk space.

C:\WinXP-CD
C:\WinXP-SP3
C:\WinXP-BootImage

These can be annoying but fortunately a few registry changes is all you need to change the default editor and allow multiple downloads.

Disclaimer: This howto requires edits to registry. Although the changes are simple if done incorrectly editing the registry directly can have serious, unexpected consequences that can prevent the system from starting and require that you reinstall Windows. I am not responsible for loss of data or damage to computers.

Screenshots for this howto are available here

Change default view source editor for Internet Explorer

1. Click on Start->Run
2. Type regedit and click OK
3. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer
4. Right click Internet Explorer and then select New->Key (see screenshot)
5. Type View Source Editor
6. Right click View Source Editor and select New->Key
7. Type Editor Name
8. Right click Default and select Modify (see screenshot)
9. Type in the path to the executable of the editor of your choice (example: “c:\Program Files\TextPad 5\TextPad.exe”) (see screenshot)
10. Click OK
11. Quit Registry Editor

If you are familiar with modifying .reg files you may download my key and modify it and import it. Open this file in Notepad and replace “c:\\Program Files\\TextPad 5\\TextPad.exe” with editor of your choice. Save the changes and double click the .reg file to import registry entries.

Download more than two files at once

1. Click on Start->Run
2. Type regedit and click OK
3. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings
4. Right click Internet Settings and select New->DWORD (see screenshot)
5. Change the name to MaxConnectionsPer1_0Server
6. Double click MaxConnectionsPer1_0Server
7. Change Base to Decimal and type 10 in the value field. (see screenshot)
8. Click OK
9. Right click Internet Settings and select New->DWORD
10. Change the name to MaxConnectionsPerServer
11. Double click MaxConnectionsPerServer
12. Change Base to Decimal and type 10 in the value field.
13. Click OK
14. Quit Registry Editor

To download a .reg file that will automatically create the above entries click here. Double click the downloaded file to import registry entries.

Disclaimer: These steps have worked for me and have been tested on Windows XP Professional SP2. YMMV. I am not responsible for loss of data or damage to computers.

Screenshots for this howto are available here.

Prerequisite

This howto leverages setup from Securing Windows Remote Desktop with OpenSSH. Please ensure you have that setup working correctly.

Install a “Loopback Adapter” (Computer 2)

1. Verify that you are signed in as the administrator
2. Click “Start”, Click “Control Panel” and then click “Printers and Other Hardware”
3. “Printers and Other Hardware” window will open (see screenshot)
4. Click “Add Hardware” in left navigation pane
5. “Add Hardware Wizard” window will open. Click “Next”
6. Wizard will search for new hardware but not find anything
7. Wizard will ask “Have you already connected this hardware to your computer?” (see screenshot)
8. Select “Yes, I have already connected the hardware” and click “Next”
9. On the next screen all the list of existing hardware will be displayed. Scroll to the very bottom and select “Add a new hardware device” and click “Next” (see screenshot)
10. On the next screen wizard will ask “What do you want the wizard to do?”
11. Select “Install the hardware that I manually select from a list (Advanced)” and click “Next”
12. On the next screen select “Network adapters” and click “Next” (see screenshot)
13. On the next screen select “Microsoft” under Manufacturer and “Microsoft Loopback Adapter” under “Network Adapter” (see screenshot)
14. Click “Next”
15. On the next screen wizard will wait for your confirmation. Click “Next”
16. Wizard will install the loopback adapter and then display a message indicating Windows has finished installing the software for this device. Click “Finish”

Rename the loopback adapter (Optional step) (Computer 2)

Windows by default will name the loopback adapter similar to “Local Area Connection 2″. This is not easy to identify so it is better to rename it.

1. Click “Start”, click “Control Panel”, and then click “Network and Internet Connections”
2. Click on “Network Connections”
3. Right click on “Local Area Connection 2″ and select Rename
4. Change the name to “Loopback Adapter”

Configure the loopback adapter (Computer 2)

1. Verify that you are signed in as the administrator.
2. Click “Start”, click “Control Panel”, and then click “Network and Internet Connections”
3. Click on “Network Connections”
4. Right click on “Loopback Adapter” and select properties
5. Loopback Adapter Properties window will open.
6. Uncheck “Client for Microsoft Networks” and “File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks” (see screenshot)
7. Select “Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)”
8. Click “Properties” button
9. “Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties” window will open
10. Select “Use the following IP address:”
11. In the “IP address:” field enter 192.168.10.1
12. In the “Subnet mask:” field enter 255.255.255.0
13. Leave the “Preferred DNS server” and “Alternate DNS server” fields empty (see screenshot)
14. Click on “Advanced…”
15. “Advanced TCP/IP Settings” window will open
16. Click on “WINS” tab
17. Select “Disable NetBIOS over TCP/IP” (see screenshot)
18. Click “OK”
19. You will be returned to “Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties” window
20. Click “OK”
21. You will be returned to “Loopback Adapter Properties” window.
22. Uncheck “Notify me when this connection has limited or no connectivity”
23. Click “Close”

The next step might not be required – I had to do this for the Loopback Adapter configuration changes to take effect.

Disable/Enable the loopback adapter (Optional step) (Computer 2)

1. Click “Start”, click “Control Panel”, and then click “Network and Internet Connections”
2. Click on “Network Connections”
3. Right click on “Loopback Adapter” and select Disable
4. Right click on “Loopback Adapter” and select Enable

Configure PuTTY (Computer 2)

1. Open PuTTY
2. In the Saved Sessions list click on the name you created during Securing Windows Remote Desktop with OpenSSH
3. Click Load
4. In the left pane click on + next to connection
5. Click on + next to SSH
6. Click on Tunnels
7. In the Source port field enter 192.168.10.1:139 (Note: In PuTTY the source port field looks small but it will still allow you to enter details)
8. In the Destination field enter the IP (or hostname) and port of the machine you want to connect to. This is the machine you want to map the drive on. (In our example this would be – 192.168.1.120:139)
9. Click Add (see screenshot)
10. Click on Session in the left pane
11. Click Save button (Do not click Load again – it discard the tunnel changes you made)

Connect using PuTTY (Computer 2)

1. Open PuTTY (if not already open)
2. In the Saved Sessions list click on the name you created during Securing Windows Remote Desktop with OpenSSH
3. Click Load
4. Click Open
5. The first time you connect you will see a security alert. Click Yes. (see screenshot)
6. You will be prompted for username/password
7. You should be successfully connected to Computer 1 via SSH. (see screenshot)

Map network drive (Computer 2)

1. Open Windows Explorer
2. Click on Tools->Map Network Drive
3. Select the Drive
4. In the “Folder:” field enter \\192.168.10.1\sharename (see screenshot)
5. Uncheck “Reconnect on logon”
6. Click on “different user name”
7. “Connect As” window will open
8. In the “User name:” field enter 192.168.10.1\username (replace username with a valid user on your machine)
9. In the “Password:” field enter the valid password for the user (see screenshot)
10. Click “OK”
11. You will be returned to the “Map Network Drive” window
12. Click “Finish”
13. If all went through correctly a new Windows Explorer window will open with the contents of the mapped network drive.

Disconnecting the network drive (Computer 2)

1. Open Windows Explorer
2. Click on + next to “My Computer”
3. Right click the drive letter you had mapped
4. Select “Disconnect”

There are many P2PTV software available but the oldest and most popular amongst the lot is SopCast.

SopCast is freeware and can run on both Windows and Linux. Windows setup is very straight forward. Simply download the zip file, unzip it, run the setup file and follow on screen instructions (see installation screenshots). This will install 4 components – SopPlayer (for viewing), SopServer (for broadcasting – yes you can broadcast too!!!), VoD and WebPlayer (for viewing in the browser). Double click the SopCast icon and you are on your way. If you are using Windows firewall you need to unblock “SopCast Adver” and “SopCast Main Application” (see screenshot). Click on Channels tab and double click the channel you wish to view.

Linux setup is a little more involved and Ubuntu-Unleashed has a good blog on how to setup SopCast on Ubuntu Gusty Gibon.

Happy viewing

Disclaimer: This blog entry only provides information on P2P TV and is not responsible for content being broadcast and copyright violations.

FireFox is more secure compared to Internet Explorer and there are also numerous add-ons for FireFox that can further secure it and protect your privacy. However there is always a risk and this week we see how to protect yourself using VMWare Browser Appliance.

The Browser Appliance from VMWare is a virtual machine running a minimal installation of Ubuntu Linux v5.10. It comes prebundled with FireFox v1.07 and v1.50. Yes these are older versions but you can install the latest version of FireFox (see screenshot). Using Browser Appliance allows users to securely browse while the virtual machine isolation mechanism protects against adware, spyware and other malware . It also helps protect personal information because it can be configured to automatically reset itself after every use so no personal information is ever stored permanently.

Both VMWare Player and VMWare Browser Applicance are free for download and use. Install, setup and usage is very easy.

Step 1: Download and install VMWare Player (see installation screenshots)

Step 2: Download and unzip Browser Appliance (may I recommend 7-Zip). Do not delete the downloaded file because it comes in handy if you want to reset the appliance.

Step 3: Read Getting Started Guide

Step 4: Start VMWare Player and load the Browser Appliance file.

Step 5: Enjoy safe browsing

What I like best is if you mess up the appliance, simply delete the directory that has the Browser Appliance files. There is no uninstall required. Unzip the file downloaded in Step 2 and start all over again. How cool is that!!!

I did all my testing on an old laptop – 500 MHz, 192 MB RAM, Windows XP SP2. It was slow but sure did work

Mike Healan has written a very good article on VMWare Browser Appliance at SpywareInfo.com It has details on how to upgrade FireFox, how to share files between Browser Appliance and your desktop etc.

Disclaimer: These steps have worked for me and have been tested on Windows XP Professional SP2. YMMV. I am not responsible for loss of data or damage to computers.

Screenshots for this howto are available here.

Prerequisite

To more accurately test you would need two different computers but can be tested with one computer too.

Computer 1: Runs Remote Desktop and OpenSSH server. (Tip: It is best to setup this computer to use static IP. See Static IP guide on PortForward.com)

Computer 2: Runs PuTTy and is used to connect to Computer 1 

Make sure Remote Desktop is enabled and working correctly on Computer 1. See Get started using Remote Desktop with Windows XP Professional 

Assumptions 

In this howto we will assume the following

IP Address of Computer 1: 192.168.1.120
IP Address of Computer 2: 192.168.1.130
External IP Address: 64.233.167.99 (Tip: If you do not know your external IP address go to http://www.whatismyip.com/)

These IP addresses are for example only and your values will be different.

Download and install OpenSSH (Computer 1)

OpenSSH for Windows is a free package that installs a minimal OpenSSH server and client utilities. OpenSSH can be downloaded from SourceForge. After you have downloaded the file, unzip it and double click setup.exe and follow on screen instructions.

Configure OpenSSH (Computer 1)

The most important step after installing OpenSSH is to configure its passwords file. It is very simple to do. Open a command prompt and run the following commands

cd "C:\Program Files\OpenSSH\bin"
mkgroup -l >> ..\etc\group
mkgroup -d >> ..\etc\group
mkpasswd -l >> ..\etc\passwd
mkpasswd -d >> ..\etc\passwd

For most home users who are not running a domain the commands with -d are not required. If you only want to add one specific user then the command is

mkpasswd -l -u <username> >> ..\etc\password

Refer to quickstart.txt in C:\Program Files\OpenSSH\docs for detailed information. At this point we should be able to start OpenSSH.

net start opensshd

Configure Firewall (Computer 1)

Next step is to configure Windows Firewall (or any other firewall) to allow TCP/IP traffic on port 22. Instructions for Windows Firewall are

1. Verify that you are signed in as the administrator.
2. Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click Security Center
3. Under Manage security settings for, click Windows Firewall.
4. Make sure the Don’t allow exceptions check box is not selected
5. Click the Exceptions tab
6. Unselect Remote Desktop (skip this step if you are going to access Remote Desktop without SSH)
7. Click on Add Port button
8. In the Name field enter “SSH” and in the Port number field enter 22. Make sure TCP is selected.
9. Click OK. The Add a Port window will close. You will be returned to Windows Firewall window. (see screenshot)
10. Click OK, and then close the Windows Security Center window

Download and Install PuTTy (Computer 2)

PuTTy is a free and open source SSH client. Download the zip fileand unzip into a folder (example: C:\Program Files\PuTTy). Double click C:\Program Files\PuTTy\putty.exe to start PuTTy. For ease of future use create a shortcut.

Configure PuTTy (Computer 2)

1. In the left pane click on + next to connection
2. Click on + next to SSH
3. Click on Tunnels
4. In the Source port field enter 3100
5. In the Destination field enter the IP (or hostname) and port of the machine you want to connect to. This is the machine running Remote Desktop. (In our example this would be – 192.168.1.120:3389)
6. Click Add (see screenshot)
7. Click on Session in the left pane
8. In the Host Name field enter the public IP address or fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the server on which OpenSSH was installed. (In our example for testing from within your network this would be – 192.168.1.120 and for testing from outside your network this would be 64.233.167.99)
9. In the port field enter 22
10. In the Saved Sessions field enter a unique name
11. Click the Save button (see screenshot for inside the network, and external)

Test SSH connectivity (Computer 2)

1. Open PuTTy
2. In the Saved Sessions list click on the name you created
3. Click Load
4. Click Open
5. The first time you connect you will see a security alert. Click Yes. (see screenshot)
6. You will be prompted for username/password
7. You should be successfully connected to Computer 1 via SSH. (see screenshot)

Test Remote Desktop (Computer 2)

1. Establish SSH connection using PuTTy. (Keep the window open)
2. Open Remote Desktop Connection (Start->All Programs->Accessories->Remote Desktop  Connection)
3. In the Computer field enter localhost:3100 (The port number should match the Source Port entered in step 4 of PuTTy configuration.) (see screenshot)
4. Click Connect (You might be prompted to enter the username/password for Computer 2)
5. If all is good you should be connected to Computer 1 using Remote Desktop on SSH

Setup Port Forwarding on your router

The last and final step of the journey is to setup Port Forwarding on your router to allow SSH connections when you are outside your network. This step is different for every router. Luckily the helpful folks at PortForward.com have made this task easier.

1. Go to PortForward.com
2. Search for your router in the list and click the link
3. On the next screen search for SSH and click the link
4. On the next screen enter the correct IP address of Computer 1 – the one that is running OpenSSH server
5. Follow the instructions on the page to setup Port Forwarding.

Enjoy

Enjoy some peace of mind knowing your setup is more secure.

Troubleshooting

Unable to login using SSH: Ensure username/password are correct. If the password is blank it will not work. Set a password for the user you are trying to login as on Computer 1.

Unable to connect to localhost: Apply Windows XP Loopback Patch

The PC Decrapifier helps you uninstall these unwanted trailware (What it can remove). Using it is a very simple 4 step process.

1. Download the single executable file (there is no install process)
2. Execute the file
3. Create a Restore Point (in case you notice something wrong after the uninstall)
4. Select items to uninstall

The PC Decrapifier is free for personal use. A $5 donation subscription (not required to run the program) allows you to get future releases before other public users. Commercial subscription is also available.