Archive for November, 2007
Hi everyone – I’ve today perfected the newest major release of Blix Krieg, version 2.3.1
Blix Krieg is a widgetized, Google adsense and Search Engine friendly version of Sebastian Schmieg’s original Blix theme.
Unlike the original Blix Theme, BlixKrieg is fully compatible with the newest version of WordPress. Blix Krieg can be installed as a drop in replacement for Blix if you are having problems with your Blix Based site after upgrading WordPress.
You can download the latest version of Blix Krieg HERE, and see the latest version at work on our Blixkrieg beta test page.
Problems that I have identified and corrected in this release include:-
Blix XSS (Cross Site Scripting) Vulnerability Corrected
XSS, or cross site scripting, is a technique that can be used by hackers to gain unauthorised access to a blog. In its most basic form, an XSS attack occurs when a hacker inserts executable code within an input form (for instance, when entering comments or doing a search) and it can be used (in the worst case scenario) to gain unauthorised access to your blog.
For the techophiles amongst you, this type of attack is described in the excellent paper by Gavin Zuchlinski, “The Anatomy of an XSS Attack“.
It recently came to my attention that this vulnerability exists in the original Blix theme, and had been inherited by Blix Krieg (and other Blix variants such as dark blix, the webble you blix theme, Blixed and Blix with adsense). In the case of blixkrieg, the extent of the vulnerability has been minor, but worth correcting nonetheless.
You can easily test for the vulnerability by typing <script>alert(‘xss’);</script> into the search bar of your version of blix, and pressing ‘go!’ – if you see a pop-up, you have the vulnerability.
The good news is that I’ve now made a few substantial changes to the theme to sanitize user input and completely remove the vulnerability.
Sidebar Icons Broken After Upgrade
Some users reported that the default Blix sidebar icons were broken after an upgrade to wordpress 2.3.1. I have corrected that problem in this release.
Cheers and all the best,
Matt
November 26th, 2007
Folks – I’ve become aware that there are some niggling issues with WordPress 2.3.1 that are causing a few formatting problems with the current version of BlixKrieg.
I’m planning a new major release of BlixKrieg over the next couple of days to deal with these issues – keep your eyes peeled for the new release – and, in the interim, delay upgrading wordpress until the new release comes.
Cheers,
Matt
November 22nd, 2007
As you probably all know, I have done my best to keep Sebastien Schmieg’s ‘Blix’ wordpress theme alive and kicking by producing a heavily but subtly modified version which I call ‘blixkrieg’. It’s an open source theme, free to download and use and quite popular – suprisingly so, actually..
So… today I received a bit of welcome news – the great lads and lassies from the yahoo mail team in Ireland and the UK have chosen to use my theme on their blog.
Folks, if you’re hiring – I went through the long and arduous interview process with your competiton at mountain view not too long ago, and, even though I was unsuccessful, I’m still keen to work in the search industry (maybe I can be vice president of wordpress theme development 😀 ).
Cheers and thanks for choosing blixkrieg.
doc
November 16th, 2007
I like to write the occasional ‘how-to’ on this site to answer questions I’ve found really difficult or impossible to find an answer for online.
Ok – so… recently the keyless entry remote for my 2003 BA XLS Ute went on the fritz, which caused the ‘panic’ alarm to go off at all hours of the night without warning.
I did actually find that replacing the battery of the remote seemed to cure the problem – but I went to the wreckers and bought a second hand remote as a spare.. so.. here I’m going to tell you two things:-
- How to replace the battery in a Ford remote control (specifically these instructions are for the BA model Ford Falcon, but they should be applicable across the range), and;
- How to program a new remote control (keyless entry fob) for a Ford Falcon.
How to replace the battery in a 2003 model BA Ford Falcon Keyless Entry Remote
This one is really easy – just pop open the remote using a 5c piece and replace the battery with a CR2032 battery available at your local supermarket for around $5.
The batteries need to be replaced every couple of years.
How to Program a New Remote Control for a Ford BA Falcon
This one is a closely guarded little secret – Ford won’t tell you – but I happened to get my hands on a full workshop manual for the BA series.
After skulking around the ill-gotten workshop manual I managed to find the ‘secret’ technique hidden right at the back (along with a few other ‘gems’). Ok – here’s the procedure to program the new remote –
- Obtain a remote (can be a second hand one – they can all be reprogrammed, or you can buy a new one for about $90 from Ford).
- Close the doors.
- Turn the ignition key to the accesories position.
- Within 5 seconds of turning the key, hit the rear demister button (center console) three times in succession.
- The door locks will cycle once to indicate the special mode has been entered.
- Press any button on the remote you wish to program.
- The doors will cycle to indicate a new remote has been programmed.
- Continue steps 6 and 7 for all remotes (including existing ones) you intend to use on the vehicle.
- When you’ve programmed all the remotes, turn the ignition key off. The doors should cycle again to indicate the programming session has been completed.
For the techies amongst you – It’s interesting to note that you are not actually programming the remote per se, but rather you are programming the car. The late model Ford’s all have a BEM (Body Electronics Module) which is basically a fully fledged computer. When you press the remote, it ‘squawks’ a unique code to the car BEM. If the BEM is in the special programming mode, it then enters this code into memory as an authorised fob.
Something else I found a bit interesting – there is apparently an RFID (radio frequency ID) chip in the key of these new cars. Even if a key happens to fit your car, unless it’s been programmed as an ‘authorised key’ using a similar technique you won’t be able to start the vehicle.
If this advice didn’t help you – please drop by when you find the solution for your particular vehicle and help others by letting us know (using the comments below) what it was 🙂
Cheers and all the best,
doc
November 14th, 2007
