Blog Washington: flash back to the NP YR 2068

• Normal Life and Almost busy life with no any productive activities up to the months Bhadra (August).

• Participation to SANOG-IPv6 session program on Pokhara on Ashwin (September)

• Official Training opportunity to Malaysia on “Securing Network and Services: Cybercrime and cyber security” on Mangshir (November)

• Parents got SCHENGEN VISA to visit Europe (younger brother’s family)

• Brother (Younger son of my Elder father) diagnosed serious cancer patient on Push (December)

• Completed 3-story building (my Home) on Magh, relief from home construction headache

• Arrived in New-Delhi, India for cancer treatment on Magh (January) but it was an unsuccessful attempt: moment of big offset in life.

• Parents departed for Belgium on Falgun (February), more tight time for me.

• Got official opportunity to attend cybercrime questionnaire regional workshop in Thailand but unfortunately unable to achieve due to unfavorable condition of time.

• Preparation of SATRC Council meeting completed on Falgun (February). Assigned into secretariat team.

• Got USA Visa for Three Months on Chaitra (March/April)

• Completed logistics and other necessary arrangement for SATRC Council Meeting.

• Departed for Washington DC by Qatar Airways for training/conference on Baisakh-2069.

The above short list of events shows that there is mixed-up of joy-sad environment in the year 2068 for me. Due to tight timings and increase in laziness with me, I was quite unable to write anything into my blog. So So I am unable to capture the events in Malaysia during my cyber security training which was quite useful and implementable. While ISP network security workshop on Pokhara was noticeable for me: http://baburamdawadi.blogspot.com/2011/09/sanog18-impressive-towards-securing-isp.html. 

The Malaysia training organized by ITU-IMPACT highlighted briefly the possible attacks in our computer space (cyber environment) with possible prevention techniques. In addition with training it made me able to measure the Kuala Lumpur city while it was my fifth city of visit. I visited Singapore City and Penang City before.

Death of Armed Police in Nepal due to Blast of Computer

CRT Monitor Health Hazard
i am quite socked seeing the news about the blasting of computer leading to death of police officer at Birgunj, Nepal. especially CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) monitor operates at high voltage and is the energy reservoir. CRT system retains the high voltage energy for a long period of time even if it is shutdown. May be the following literature helps find out the cause of computer blast in Birgunj.

CRT Monitor Health Hazard
Have you ever walked across a carpeted floor and gotten a shock when you touched a doorknob, table, counter, or even another person? that little shock you got was a result of static electricity. It was also many times what is needed to destroy some computer components.
You see, humans can't feel a static shock until it is several thousand volts strong, but it takes less than 30 volts to damage a sensitive computer component, such as a stick of RAM or a processor.
That's why computer technicians and home computer builders have to guard their computers against the deadly ravages of static electricity, as well as take steps to avoid injury to yourself. A shock that you can't even feel can seriously damage your homebuilt computer before you're even finished building it.

Electromagnetics: Some believe the electromagnetic fields emitted by CRT monitors constitute a health danger to the functioning of living cells. Exposure to these fields diminishes by the inverse square law which describes the propagation of all electromagnetic radiation: double the distance, quarter the power. Likewise, the EM energy is also less intense for the display's user than for a person located behind it because the deflection yoke is behind the display's screen and therefore closer to the rear. It is well-known that electromagnetic waves of sufficient intensity can harm human cells (see ionizing radiation) but it is not currently well-established that the weaker radiation commonly emitted by electronic devices such as a CRT has long-term health effects (see Electromagnetic radiation hazard and Bio-electromagnetics).

Ionizing Radiation: CRTs also emit very small amounts of X-rays as a result of the electron beam's bombardment of the shadow mask/aperture grille and phosphors. Almost all of this radiation is blocked by the thick leaded glass in the screen so the amount of radiation escaping the front of the monitor is mostly harmless. The Food and Drug Administration regulations in 21 CFR 1020 are used to strictly limit, for instance, television receivers to 0.5 milliroentgens per hour (mR/h) (0.13 µC/(kg·h) (at a distance of 5 cm from any external surface and as mentioned above, most CRT emissions fall well below this limit. Early color television receivers (many of which are now highly collectable, see CT-100) were especially vulnerable due to primitive high voltage regulation systems. X-ray production is generally negligible in black-and-white sets (due to low acceleration voltage and beam current) and virtually every color display since the late 1960s when systems were added to shut down the horizontal deflection system (and therefore high voltage supply) should regulation of the acceleration voltage fail.

SANOG18-Impressive towards Securing ISP Networks and Services with IPv6 Deployment for Nepalese ISPs

It’s been almost 7,8 years since I have been teaching Networking and Advance Networking subjects in universities of Nepal. However I am supposed not even perfect in my subject matters what I wanted to deliver practically. Experiences, training, workshop etc are those activities which make us up to date with wide knowledge behind theory only. I became more updated after I joined the IPv6 session of SANOG18 workshop and tutorials (http://www.sanog.org/sanog18/) which was held on 8-16 Sept. 2011 in Pokhara. i really appreciate AI3 SOI-ASIA research project under WIDE university for its intense effort to setup IPv6-Only network in Tribhuvan University, IOE Pulchowk Campus where I am supposed I am the one who setup the IPv6-only Network with v6 enabled Servers (web, mail, Unicast/Multicast routers) first time in Nepal on 2007 after when AI3 announced IPv6 only network in its research network. 

After when I got the idea of v6 Networking with its importance and urgency to migrate, it’s really a challenge for the developing country like Nepal. Keeping in mind, I decided to extend the university network with other universities, research institutions within Nepal. However for me like a normal officer, it’s a dream only. I thought I am not the social worker who volunteers in its profession.
 

In my previous blog, I had written about government’s passiveness regarding networking deployment (http://baburamdawadi.blogspot.com/2010/01/where-is-nepalese-ipv6-task-force.html). I think we Nepalese are really lacking behind the technologies where neither telecom operators nor ISPs, or government is serious in this matter. But I appreciate the Nepalese team of ISPs and NPIX who conducted the SANOG program successfully in Pokhara. Human resource development is the one major portion where SANOG massively supported and empowered ISP administrators toward migration to IPv6 by conducting workshop and tutorials. I appreciate the sponsorship by NTA. However NTA is lacking behind the rules/regulations/guidelines/framework development, it is an indirect support that at least NTA helps ISPs towards the technology migration by supporting the program. Definitely private and non-governmental parties are one step ahead in every aspect with the government in Nepal where I saw the seriousness in private parties rather the government should be.

My Diary-2067 (2010/2011)

Stable, the most stable and the exciting year 2067 for me. I found myself almost successful in my every job and activities throughout the year. However I became offset when a pocket picker picked up my mobile during Nepal banda in May. I walked to office by foot during the day so called strike announced by Maoist. Hence I lost my set what I purchased from Singapore during the conference visit. It was a nice Samsung set with so many functionality.

I became quite busy during the whole period of year 2067. The cause was my added responsibilities in my office due to the shortage of human resource in the engineering section of NTA. I am supposed to be a bit more experienced in the event management which I managed a couple of times before while I was in Institute of Engineering (IOE) Pulchowk Campus. I remember the day while on IOE that two times I was able to organize Free Students Union Election through software voting. These ware quite risky events what I had decided to handle and managed all technically. It made me experience what I gained in my life. The event what I followed is workshop “SATRC” (http://baburamdawadi.blogspot.com/2010/08/2nd-international-event-management.html) which was successfully conducted by the NTA team in which I was one of the team member.

Government decided to band porno sites via the ISP network and services. The responsibility was given to me to be a focal point to verify the legality of the sites and issue letters to ISPs. The job became quite tough for me because I hadn’t have the guidelines (Code of conduct) to make sure that any complained site is porno or not.  It was one of the criticizing decisions.

Learned from Murai Lab: Improve efficiency in office work

Murai Lab, one of the popular internet research labs of Japan founded by Prof. Jun Murai, the father of Internet. The lab is a two story building where the ground floor consists of the network operation center with meeting halls, secretariat room and online class multicasting center. The upper floor is the research center where at least 8-10 researchers continue research on especially new internet technologies with latest IP addressing mechanism: IPv6.

 

I am writing here just about how the efficiency of office work increase and save the energy of one when you gonna meet your senior/boss/professor or whoever without moving from your table. Guess, in Nepal, what happens if an office has five story building where your boss is on the top floor and you are in the ground or middle floor, almost time to discuss with boss, either you have to use lift to meet him/her any time when he/she calls or use the steps. What if, you gonna meet 8-10 times a day. May be we need more energy for it and time consuming too. Instead of this, we can use phone conversation but sometimes phone conversation only is not effective. Sometime due to concentration in other works may not make the phone conversation fruitful. Hence, either video call or face to face meet is necessary.

So, for time and energy saving in office work, you need to have following:

Events and Trip from the beginning were Memorable

I was quite socked when Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied processing my visa letter simply forwarded by the line Ministry MoIC. However I am supposed working for the government of Nepal, It was my unfortunate treating like third class people. It was already late for me to process the visa. Almost 19 days left to apply for VISA to Australia. Finally I had decided to process directly from my office through visa counselor to Australian Embassy located in New Delhi, India. The last 16 days of my visa processing was quite embarrassing for me whether my visa would be accepted or rejected. I really feel sad that one Nepalese backbite another Nepalese; Australian government treated me as Nepalese Citizen and so permitted me by providing multiple entry visas. I was in rush during the day before my flight, because I just got the passport at the last moment and so nothing was decided and managed before departure. It was a five days training program from 6-10 December 2010 at Sydney, Australia. NTA nominated me to participate on this program. As per the program scheduled, I had talked with Roshan (my brother in law) who is almost well established in Sydney, managed my stay and trip at Sydney. 

मेरो नेपाली पत्र र बिधुत प्राधिकरण।

म आफ्नो ब्लगमा जहिले पनि जानी नजानि English मा लेख्न कोशिस गर्छु। किनभने कहिलेकाहीं मलाई बाहिर जाने चक्कर दिमागमा आउंछ। तर बाहिर जानको लागी TOEFL/IELTS/GRE मा टन्न हान्नु पार्छ। तसैले English Practice गरेको। आर्को कुरा मैले पढेको नेपली लगभग पोलेर खाइसकें। तर जब मेरो नेपाल दूरसंचार प्राधिकरणमा जब सुरु भयो, तेहि दिन देखि नेपाली भासाले मलाई छाडेन र मैले पनि नेपाली practice सुरु गरें। टिप्पणीं लेख्नु पर्ने ति माथी पुरा भासा मिलाउनु पर्ने। शुरु शरुमात गाह्रै पर्यो। नेपाली युनिकोड आएतापनि राम्रो शुद्धिकरण चाहिने। सिनियरहरुको सहयोगबाट आजकाल भने अलि अलि आउंछ। तर अझै पर्फेक्ट त कहां छु र?

यो नेपालीमा पत्र र टिप्पणीं लेख्ने बानिले होला नेपाल बिधुत प्राधिकरणको एउटा कर्तुतलाई पत्रका मार्फत यस ब्लगमा हल्न मन लाग्यो।

केहि समय अघिको कुरा हो, हाम्रा छिमेकी तिन जनाले १/२ बर्ष अगाडीनै Single तार लाई नजिकैको पोल सम्म बिजुली ल्याएर प्राधिकरणकै सहयोगमा point निकाली (लेगल्ली निकालेको प्वाइन्ट हो) मिटरबक्समा बिजुली जोडे। तेहि पोलबाट नयां ग्राहकलाई बिजुली दिनको लागी नयां ग्राहकले पुरानो ग्राहकसंग लिखित सहमती दिएपछिमात्र प्राबिधिक क्षमताको आधारमा प्राधिकरणले नयांलाई बिजुलि दिने रहेछ। तर हाम्रा छिमेकीले के गरेछन भने, तारसंग सम्बन्धनै नभएकासंग खुसुक्क सहमती लिएर प्राधिकरणमा निबेदन ठोकेछन बिजुली जोडिपाउं भनेर। तर संबन्धित पोल र प्वाइन्टबाट लाइन तान्नलाई पुरानो ग्राहकले थाहा दिनु पर्ने भएकाले technician लाई यसो मिलाएछन (अब तपाईंले बुजिहाल्नु भयो नि प्राधिकरणका टेक्निसियन न हुन् तिमाथि नेपालका सरकारी कर्मचारी!!!!! हुन त म पनि सरकारी कर्मचारीनै परें.........................तर कसरी मिल्ने मिलाउने

2nd International Event Management Practice: SATRC workshop on Spectrum Management

I guess, I have good experiences in teaching, systems engineering, network engineering, software programming.... I want to extend my experience in gaming like volleyball, basketball etc..but due to professional life lacking me behind from my game zone. However overall I want to extend my experiences in every field that I never ever have/had before.
Last time when I coordinated for the workshop/meeting of AI3/SOI IPv6 project held in June 2009 at Hotel Himalaya Kathmandu, I felt very tough with all the activities like hotel management, delegates management, conference room setup with video conferencing (IPv6 tunneled to SFC Japan) bla bla bla..i was almost harassed due to the lack of coordination among the team members of the working committee. I learned a lot from that event regarding the conference event management. 

This time, i am very lucky. Though its been seven years since I have been involved with my profession, I am fresh Asst. Director of engineering section of Nepal Telecommunications Authority. However NTA has selected me to be a team member of this SATRC WORKSHOP on SPECTRUM MANAGEMENT. Thanks to NTA and especially thanks to SL HADA sir for letting me into the team and have a trust. The team is quite strong and well synchronized such that due to the favor of Chairman and with the biggest favor and encouragement from our Director (Ananda Raj Khanal), I hope the program was successful and the memorable one. Working together into a team member is not an easy task due to the involvement of different people with different nature/habit and for the case in Nepal: with different political background. However if a team only focus

"YOU ARE IN RIGHT WEIGHT", GREAT!!

Since last six months, I have been experiencing a big time management problem.  i think i need to draw UML Time Diagram for me. I don’t know how could i had provided time to seven engineering colleges to teach my elective subjects: “Data Warehousing and Data Mining”. Probably I applied such an algorithm that might be new in artificial intelligence … he he he..BIM, BE and M.Sc. Engineering students and varieties of experiences with them. Wakeup early morning, leave home for teaching and come home back around 9PM night. It was my last six months daily routine. Even in Saturday 6 AM to 5 PM engaged in teaching. I think i had broken up my wife’s hurt several times, I never think allocating time to her due to my over busy time. I knew I got SMS message several times, phone call several times but I hadn’t have time even to watch SMS and pickup phone. But being a computer engineer (same profession with me), she has nice understandings with me. This is what I have achieved with my lovely wife>> understanding. I always deferred her request to have leisure time with her like watching film, shopping, occasional visit to relatives etc etc..

It is too much!! I am saturated with teaching. Data warehousing and Data Mining is my elective subject teaching since last 7 years and almost 20/22 semester groups were already passed out even though I have to learn more and teach more on this subject to my students. Being a system/network administrator in IOE Pulchowk campus, my favorite subject is networking and internet technology which leads towards research over Network security and QoS. It could probably my future destination in research.

Finally during  the middle of the training that was held in Healthnet Nepal on last Thursday, i went NTA and completed the simple task, I got free time after 3PM, so granted to have shopping with my gal. But the problem is government job holder, not sufficient money in my pocket. But I am happy with her first month’s first salary in her life and she was quite excited to purchase something with her first income. I am also happy that now she has her own income. I am frustrate with some private engineering colleges who still delaying my remuneration of last semester. New semester has already been started.  It is better to teach to selected college with selected students only, I feel myself not good to be a helmet faculty any more. 

Bishal Bazaar shopping complex, I think Nepal’s the very old shopping complex is still seems better for shopping. During last 30 years of my age, I never found my weight above 54Kg.  48KG in SLC, 48KG  in I.SC, 52KG in BE, 53KG in Masters.. However the level of education increased my weight never increased. Whenever I stand into the weighing machine, the slip wrote, “YOU ARE UNDER WEIGHT”. Whenever I felt myself increase in weight immediately I went for weighing but no considerable improvement. Since last 2 years, I never thought of weighing anymore because I am tensed, I could never be fatty. But this time, this time the weighing machine showed “YOU ARE IN RIGHT WEIGHT”. Again I am in more tensed, because I am getting fatty..Looking odd with stomach size increment. So people never get satisfied. Previously I always roamed to get solution about how to get fatty but now onwards I have to get solution to become fit. Anyway the 3hrs shopping was interesting and the memorable one and I hope I am excused. with my all negligence i did. New semester has already been started..probably the last schedule may be repeated…:p.

MAC based security enforcement System for individual Mobile Device Security

The story began with the day when I lost my mobile, I mean, the mobile set picker picked-up mobile forcefully when I attended the political speech by Dr. Babu Ram Bhattarai, conducted during the maoist strike program on 2066/01/21 at Sundhara Kathmandu.

I heard that YCL, the brother body of United Nepal Communist party (Maoist) is well organized and honest one. YCL members are well disciplined and they do for people. I was quite positive to get my mobile set back after when I had identified the picker just immediately I found that my mobile was picked-up and got submitted to YCL member. They (YCL) convinced me that they would get back the set after enquiry and punishment to the picker. I just left them enquired and call whenever they get the set back from the picker.  But unfortunately, my expectation just became expectation only. Finally I lost my mobile and became contactless with all my friends and family until the strike closed. But it’s an infinite strike which is leading the country towards the worst situation more and more.

There were so many important numbers saved within the SIM. Doctors, Professors, Engineers, Engineering Colleges, Leaders and many more. But what can I do? I knew that there are some security policies can be implemented for SIM and mobile set security. But I haven’t implemented any set/SIM security with my mobile set. It is useless even if I have implemented the security over my mobile set because there are provisions to unlock the mobile set through software connected with the interfacing device.

Now my objective here is to make the lost mobile set completely useless so that pocket/mobile picker can easily be avoided. In this security control model, all the PUK no and PIN no are useless because these all numbers are provided by the telecom service provider and can easily be broken down or can use the device after reset. The main thing is the hardware identification No to be provided on each mobile set like what we provide MAC Address on each Network card for computer networking and internet. Just think that your mobile no is your IP address and mobile MAC is the built in hardware no provided on each Mobile device. There is another code provided with our SIM (Security Code). The Security Code is the main administering code for the mobile set and mobile no. both.

The newly purchased SIM (or mob. No) should be registered with operator’s security control system with the mobile set’s MAC no. (here hardware id is supposed to be a MAC of mobile set). The mobile no is supposed to be bounded with mobile MAC so that the connection/communication is only be successful when call is established with the given mobile number together with the MAC of the mobile set provided on the security control database. For every connection should check on the mobile MAC table so that the mobile number is bounded with mobile MAC during the communication.  The security control database for individual mobile user might be like:

Security Database

By the use of security code, we can simply insert, update or delete the MAC no from the security database of corresponding mobile user. Hence MAC is that number which makes control over the mobile number as well as the mobile device both. If a call is attempted, before establishing the call, mobile number with corresponding Mobile MAC is checked. Every time the device should send its hardware address (MAC) to mobile switching center or it is like a firewall which should be checked before the call established.  If the caller number is mismatched with the registered MAC then the system found that the mobile device is either theft or broken.

Security Check during the call (Flow Chart)

We use 48 bits MAC address in computer communication. Principally this 48-bits MAC is also more than sufficient to generate unique physical address for each mobile device (2^24= 281474976710656). Hence a telecom operator might have 281474976710656 mobile users which are more than the world’s population.

The mobile service operator, provides the SIM with security code and mobile no to the customer by registering his/her name, address, citizenship/passport no bounding the mobile number and security code. The customer’s first job is to enable the SIM with the mobile device’s MAC address. For this, customer provides the security code to insert/update his/her MAC over the security database table. We can add more than one MAC (Device) if we want to use single SIM to operate with more mobile devices with respect to time.

Hence the security Access Control List (SACL) fully control over the mobile number and mobile device as well properly. What if, the mobile device is lost?

If the mobile set is lost,
1.    Provide your security code and blacklist the previous MAC (insert into blacklist database).
2.    Provide your security code and update the security database with the FAKE MAC value.

Now the mobile device is completely unusable within its network. However this device can be used with another service provider with newly provided SIM. There might be several mobile operators within the country like in Nepal these are: NTC, Spice Nepal, UTL, Nepal Satellite, and Smart Telecom…that’s why any device blacklisted with NTC database can be used over Spice Network or other telecom network. However, we can’t establish a call to the network from where the device is blacklisted. It is operable only within the owner’s network. Anyone device blacklisted in one network can be made useless to other network only if we synchronize the blacklisted database i.e. frequently exchanging the blacklisted DB through Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). Controlling of mobile Device through centralized security controlled BD has several advantages:

1.    Solve the problem of mobile lost (theft)
2.    Telecom fraud control
These two are the major issues in telecommunication sector where we all Nepalese are facing.

48-bits MAC addressing with mobile device has added advantage for the implementation of IP-based communication through mobile set like internet and the implementation of Next Generation Network Application.

Let’s develop the standards for such implementation with mobile so as to make the security tighter in telecom network.

(This is the preliminary idea I have imagined, I am not sure whether this idea has already developed and implemented)