Flash website with WordPress back-end

Update: I’ve long since abandoned the idea and HTML5 is the way to go!.

(I’ve left this post up for reference)

After doing some research on Google, i think it maybe possible to do the whole new digiwebbs site design using flash.

I’m going to create a whole website in flash and use WordPress as the back-end for my articles/blog posts. I’m going to attempt this using Tim Wilson’s script PressConnect:

PressConnect is a PHP Script I have developed to connect my Flash Website to my WordPress Content.

The Code interrogates the Database and Returns Posts, Pages, Categories, and Creates Menus in XML

Just Updated with Better Code and New Functions.

New: I have release the .fla file my website is based on, it is available for purchase

more info on the PressConnect script.

Next Problem: Search Engine Optimising (SEO) the Flash Site

The next challenge with Flash based websites is SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), which will be tricky, because the site will be a .swf file, which according to some sources can be ‘read’ by google, others say it can’t be read by google.  My intention is to have the content that can be indexed by google in one div (content generated by PHP), but if the browser supports it, then the flash content of the site will be displayed. This would be achieved with some javascript (ugh!), although there is a handy google tool: SWFObject is an easy-to-use and standards-friendly method to embed Flash content, which utilizes one small JavaScript file.

So in the next few weeks, digiwebbs, hopefully will be a working Flash Website with a WordPress back-end, serving all the blog posts,articles and pages! – Never going to happen!

Of course, I’ll be blogging the progress!

Social Engineering Tactics: Attacking With e-mails

Computer security:How Social Engineers are hacking into computers using Trojans as backdoors by getting users to click links in e-mails

Background
We are all very aware of attacks to gain our bank details by sending spoof emails of various banks, eBay and google ads accounts. More info about social engineers can be found on the The Art of Deception post.

The Con
Social Engineers are finding new ways to attack victims using Phishing methods. They send mass emails with subjects similar to those pictured bellow:

the subject of the e-mails are designed so that you click on them, some other headers included World War 3 videos, video of saddam beheading etc

emails typically contain a link to the page which contains a Trojan. Most of the time (as in most of the emails written by scammers), the grammar isn’t correct, many spelling mistakes as well as other mistakes such as the formatting of addresses.

So when the user goes to ‘play’ the video, they are promted to download a file in order to play the file (often the file downloads without interaction from the user). However, this file contains a backdoor into your system (Trojan Horse).

Similarly this method of getting the user to download a file in order to ‘play’ a video or somehow access content is used on ‘free’ adult sites – claiming free porn – when in fact they are getting a virus.

How to Prevent?

Have a good Virus Scanner that scans sites and files as you visit them on the Internet. The one i use is AVAST Free edition and it stops the Trojan entering the PC, and terminating the connection with that server….and keep it up to date, otherwise its pointless having it installed

In general if the email looks dodgy don’t click links in it – simple!