Software addiction is not just about security toys

In the CEH class we get about 13Gs of fun stuff to play with. My goal as an instructor is to make that class as hands on as possible. I think the basic skill of working with unfamiliar tools is vastly underrated, and over the years I have seen that time and time again this needs to be addressed as a real-world skill.

Security hacking tools are just part of it. There are many other reasons to collect "tool packs" of usefull, simple utilities. Not just because many of these tools are free of cost (easier on the budget) but they can also have a tendancy to do just what you want and no more, install easily, be portable and leave small footprints. It depends on the criteria you select.

I just broke down and got a "netbook". I have been eyeing them for awhile, and always thought as cool as they were it was a gadget I didn't need. Then my eReader quit and left me stranded on a 4 hour flight, that was a mixed blessing because now I had my excuse to purchase a netbook.

Battery life is my single largest criteria for this hardware. I ended up with an Asus model that promises 9 hours. I was tempted to go the Ubuntu route, and I will likely one day pull out the drive and replace it with one I can install Ubuntu on and have an easy way to switch back and forth, but for now its Windows because that is what most of my customers use and will want to know about.

In order to remain within the spirit of portability, and I am going to try to meet as close to 100% of my portable computing needs on strictly USB portable software. This way I really never have to worry about restoring the system and spending a weekend reinstalling and licencing applications. (Yes I know, had I went with a Ubuntu model that capability would already exist simply by using apt)

As I compile the list, and have more experience with the netbook format, I will post updates to this blog. Eventually we will have the "Intense Toolkit" made available. I just don't want 4 different of the same tool, I want one each on a checklist of things that need to be carried.

Given this netbook is about the same size as the daytimer I used to carry around, and that with Skype support is is essentially either a small computer or a very large cellphone (whose battery lasts longer than the G1, sadly) depending on you you see it, So far I am very impressed. The potential for these things as hacking devices is only limited by the Atom processor, but in a year or two that will no longer matter.

In the meanwhile, check these two utility packs that offer a one-stop download for a collection of software you can start using now.

Google Pack
http://pack.google.com/intl/en/pack_installer.html

Lifehacker Pack
http://lifehacker.com/5271828/lifehacker-pack-2009-our-list-of-essential-free-windows-downloads?skyline=true&s=x