Automating a Speedtest in Windows

 

Over the years I spent quite a bit of time writing articles on how to create new Speedtest within your own company using iperf.

I’ve had many requests asking how we do the same to test Internet performance.

That’s where this comes in, I thought I would show you how to write a windows batch file that would record speed test performance results in a file so you can create new reports at a later date.

The only part of the the IoT that I did not have time to cover was a DJI use the date and the times for the file name as I suggested you have to make sure your date has the same regional settings that I have.

My regional and the formats are displayed below. If you do not have the same format that I have, you will have issues formatting your date.

If you have issues with the date, I would encourage you to simply think that port cant make sure the file was being preyed properly and then play with the guy in the time afterwards

I encourage you to use parts of the batch file for any other automation you might need with iperf, etc.

Heres the batch file- just copy and paste into a file with a bat extension

echo off

cls

 

set year=%date:~10,4%

set month=%date:~4,2%

set day=%date:~7,2%

set filename=%year%_%month%_%day%

 

ECHO Running speedtest %time%

 

SETLOCAL ENABLEDELAYEDEXPANSION

SET count=1

FOR /F "tokens=* USEBACKQ" %%F IN (`speedtest -s 46435 -f csv`) DO (

  SET var!count!=%%F

  SET /a count=!count!+1

)

echo 1

ECHO %date%,%time%,%var1%

echo ============================

echo %date%,%time%,%var1%>>%filename%speedtest_results.csv

ENDLOCAL

Kali Linux – Getting Started – Updating Linux

I have many requests asking me to cover Wireshark and Kali Linux, and more specifically any issues running Kali Linux as a virtual machine within Windows.

I decided to start a series of videos to see if there is any interest in the topic.

A little bit about my setup;  I am using Windows 10 as my host computer since I see a lot more Windows 10 than Windows 11. Even though I am using VMware Workstation, not much should differ if you use VMPlayer. Other than using a NAT network setting within VMWare Workstation, everything was left as default. I downloaded VMWARE ISO but could have used the prebuilt VMWARE files from Kali.

After you login (default login is kali and login is kali), open a terminal emulator. It’s the black square at the top of the screen and looks like this 

From within the terminal emulator, type cat /etc/apt/sources.list to verify the list has a proper website to reference.

FYI. The /etc/apt/sources.list file is a configuration file for the Advanced Package Tool (APT). It lists the sources that APT uses to install, update, and remove packages.

Before we start, I thought it would be a good idea to review the commands used.

sudo: This is a command that runs a command with superuser privileges, allowing the command to access and modify system files and settings.

apt: This is the package manager for Debian-based systems, which is used to install, update, and remove packages.

Now you can type sudo apt update to start the update process.

FYI. This command will retrieve the latest package lists from all configured repositories, update the package index with the newly retrieved information and download any package updates that are available

The last command is sudo apt full-upgrade -y 

full-upgrade: This is a command that upgrades all packages on the system to their latest versions, including dependencies. It is similar to the dist-upgrade command, but it also handles changes to dependencies more intelligently.

-y: This is an option that tells apt to automatically answer “yes” to any prompts that would normally require user input, such as “Do you want to continue?” or “Are you sure you want to install this package?” This can be useful when running automated scripts or batch updates.

FYI. This command is used to upgrade all packages on a Linux system to their latest versions, including dependencies, while intelligently handling changes to dependencies. It is a part of the apt package manager, which is used to manage packages on Debian-based systems, such as Ubuntu.

Depending what needs updating, you might be prompted for your password, so don’t go far.

At the end of this exercise you can be confident that your version of Kali is up to date.

Stay tuned for more Linux/Kali/Wireshark tips

What is WiFi Security?

 

Wireless networks have two distinct security challenges in comparison with wired networks.

1.  Data is transmitted over-the-air, meaning no physical barriers exist. Cybercriminals can capture or inject traffic into the network without being on-premise.

2.  Mobile devices are often used on home and public WiFi hotspots in addition to enterprise networks. Hackers can access mobile devices in these less secure environments and install malicious code that can be exploited when the device subsequently connects to the enterprise network.

Like wired networks, essential parts of protecting wireless networks are firewalls, intrusion protection systems, and VPNs. However, this blog focuses on the security mechanisms defined to protect WiFi networks from attack.

Challenges & Solutions To Managing Firewall Rules In Complex Network Environments

 

In today's interconnected digital landscape, where businesses rely heavily on networked systems and the internet for their operations, the importance of cybersecurity cannot be overstated. Among the essential tools in a cybersecurity arsenal, firewalls stand as a frontline defense against cyber threats and malicious actors.

One of the primary functions of a firewall is to filter traffic, which entails scrutinizing packets of data to determine whether they meet the criteria set by the organization's security policies.

This process involves examining various attributes of the data packets, such as source and destination IP addresses, port numbers, and protocols. By enforcing these rules, firewalls can thwart a wide range of cyber threats, including unauthorized access attempts, malware infections, denial-of-service attacks and more.

https://www.firewall.cx/tools-tips-reviews/manageengine/firewall-analyzer/dealing-with-complex-firewall-security-policies.html

How to Capture from WiFi Devices Using Windows and Wireshark

 I get a lot of people asking how to capture packets from their phone, tablet, ip camera and other WiFi connected devices.

When I respond that there are a lot of Wifi capture tools out there, the typical responses are:

- “I don’t want to buy and learn another tool”

- “I don’t have the budget to buy another tool”

Both are valid points, so when I was on site and this came up again, I thought let me try something different.

In the video, I show you how to turn your Windows 10/11 laptop/desktop into a WiFi hotspot.

If successful then all you need to do is to configure the WiFi device to connect to your new SSID and capture the packets using Wireshark.

Just a couple of points worth mentioning again;

- DO NOT configure your Windows device with the same SSID as your production SSID

- You can use Wireshark to capture from your Ethernet or Microsoft Virtual WiFi driver. If you choose your WiFi driver, on some systems, you might break your WiFi/SSID.