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Category Archives for "Networking"

A ransomware attack is spreading worldwide, using alleged NSA exploit

A ransomware attack appears to be spreading around the world, leveraging a hacking tool that may have come from the U.S. National Security Agency.The ransomware, called Wanna Decryptor, struck hospitals at the U.K.’s National Health Service on Friday, taking down some of their network.Spain’s computer response team CCN-CERT has also warned of  a "massive attack" from the ransomware strain, amid reports that local telecommunications firm Telefonica was hit.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

A ransomware attack is spreading worldwide, using alleged NSA exploit

A ransomware attack appears to be spreading around the world, leveraging a hacking tool that may have come from the U.S. National Security Agency.The ransomware, called Wanna Decryptor, struck hospitals at the U.K.’s National Health Service on Friday, taking down some of their network.Spain’s computer response team CCN-CERT has also warned of  a "massive attack" from the ransomware strain, amid reports that local telecommunications firm Telefonica was hit.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

England hospitals hit by coordinated ransomware attack

Hospitals across England have fallen victim to what appears to be a coordinated ransomware attack that has affected facilities diverting patients to hospitals not hit by the malware.The attackers are asking for $300 in Bitcoin to decrypt affected machines, payable within 24 hours or the ransom doubles. If the victims don’t pay within seven days, they lose the option to have the files decrypted, according to U.K. press reports.While multiple healthcare facilities have been hit, the country’s health service says other types of groups have also fallen victim.According to The Register, a spokesperson for the country’s National Health Service’s digital division said: "The investigation is at an early stage but we believe the malware variant is Wanna Decryptor.” The spokesperson said the attack was not specifically targeted at the NHS, but affects organizations across a range of sectors, but didn’t specify which.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

England hospitals hit by coordinated ransomware attack

Hospitals across England have fallen victim to what appears to be a coordinated ransomware attack that has affected facilities diverting patients to hospitals not hit by the malware.The attackers are asking for $300 in Bitcoin to decrypt affected machines, payable within 24 hours or the ransom doubles. If the victims don’t pay within seven days, they lose the option to have the files decrypted, according to U.K. press reports.While multiple healthcare facilities have been hit, the country’s health service says other types of groups have also fallen victim.According to The Register, a spokesperson for the country’s National Health Service’s digital division said: "The investigation is at an early stage but we believe the malware variant is Wanna Decryptor.” The spokesperson said the attack was not specifically targeted at the NHS, but affects organizations across a range of sectors, but didn’t specify which.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Tech majority disagrees with AI warnings from Hawkings, Musk and Gates

Tech star personalities Stephen Hawkings, Elon Musk and Bill Gates warned the public about artificial intelligence (AI). The tech-oriented public and AI experts disagree, though, according to a recent research paper, “Tweeting AI: Perceptions of AI-Tweeters (AIT) vs Expert AI-Tweeters (EAIT),” (pdf) published by researchers at the School of Computing, Informatics and Decision Systems Engineering at the University of Arizona. One of the insights from this work, extracted from the tweets analyzed:To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

25% off GoPro HERO Session – Deal Alert

HERO Session packs the power of GoPro into a convenient, grab-and-go, everyday camera. Perfect for the first-time GoPro user, or as a second camera, HERO Session is simple and easy to use. A single button powers on the camera and starts recording automatically, then when you stop recording, the camera automatically powers itself off. With 1080p60 video and 8MP photo capture, HERO Session delivers the stunning image quality that has made GoPro famous, and its rugged, waterproof design eliminates the need for a separate housing. HERO Session is compatible with over 30 GoPro mounts and accessories. GoPro's HERO Session has been discounted 25% off its typical list price of $199.99, so you can buy it now on Amazon for just $149. See the discounted GoPro HERO Session on Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

New ransomware Jaff demands $3,700 payments

Attackers behind the highly successful Locky and Bart ransomware campaigns have returned with a new creation: A malicious file-encrypting program called Jaff that asks victims for payments of around $3,700.Like Locky and Bart, Jaff is distributed via malicious spam emails sent by the Necurs botnet, according to researchers from Malwarebytes. Necurs first appeared in 2012 and is one of the largest and longest-running botnets around today.According to an April analysis by researchers from IBM Security, Necurs is made up of about 6 million infected computers and is capable of sending batches of millions of emails at a time. It is also indirectly responsible for a large percentage of the world's cybercrime because it's the main distribution channel for some of the worst banking Trojan and ransomware programs.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

New ransomware Jaff demands $3,700 payments

Attackers behind the highly successful Locky and Bart ransomware campaigns have returned with a new creation: A malicious file-encrypting program called Jaff that asks victims for payments of around $3,700.Like Locky and Bart, Jaff is distributed via malicious spam emails sent by the Necurs botnet, according to researchers from Malwarebytes. Necurs first appeared in 2012 and is one of the largest and longest-running botnets around today.According to an April analysis by researchers from IBM Security, Necurs is made up of about 6 million infected computers and is capable of sending batches of millions of emails at a time. It is also indirectly responsible for a large percentage of the world's cybercrime because it's the main distribution channel for some of the worst banking Trojan and ransomware programs.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

The Myth of The Greenest Field

A fun anecdote: I had to upgrade my home landline (I know, I know) from circuit switched to packet switched last week. I called the number I was told to call and I followed the upgrade procedure. I told them exactly what I wanted – the bare minimum necessary to move the phone circuit. No more. No less.

When the technician arrived to do the upgrade, he didn’t seem to know what was going on. Instead of giving me the replacement modem I asked for, he tried to give me their “upgraded, Cadillac model” home media gateway router. I told him that I didn’t need it. I had a perfectly good router/firewall. I had wireless in my house. I didn’t need this huge monstrosity. Yet, he persisted. No amount of explanation from me could make him understand I neither wanted or needed what he was trying to install.

Finally, I gave in. I let him finish his appointment and move on. Once he was gone, I disassembled the router and took it to the nearest cable company store. I walked in and explained exactly what I wanted and what I needed. It took the techs there less than five minutes Continue reading

VeloCloud launches an SD-WAN security ecosystem

This column is available in a weekly newsletter called IT Best Practices.  Click here to subscribe.  It’s a great time to be in the SD-WAN business. IDC estimates that worldwide SD-WAN revenues will exceed $6 billion in 2020, with a compound annual growth rate of more than 90% over the 2015-to-2020 forecast period. According to IHS, as of the end of 2016, 13% of North American enterprises already have the technology in production and 62% are in lab trials. By 2018, 82% are expected to be using SD-WAN.Those are some pretty remarkable adoption rates for a technology that is still in its early days.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

VeloCloud launches an SD-WAN security ecosystem

This column is available in a weekly newsletter called IT Best Practices.  Click here to subscribe.  It’s a great time to be in the SD-WAN business. IDC estimates that worldwide SD-WAN revenues will exceed $6 billion in 2020, with a compound annual growth rate of more than 90% over the 2015-to-2020 forecast period. According to IHS, as of the end of 2016, 13% of North American enterprises already have the technology in production and 62% are in lab trials. By 2018, 82% are expected to be using SD-WAN.Those are some pretty remarkable adoption rates for a technology that is still in its early days.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

It’s now easier to check if that used smartphone you might buy is stolen

First of all, that used phone you’re thinking about buying – the one on Craigslist going for a ridiculously low price – is almost certainly stolen. You know that. We all know it.Yet if you’re intent on buying a used phone – and don’t want to buy a hot one – the wireless industry has just given you a new tool that will allow you to be reasonably confident that the phone hasn’t been reported stolen lost.From a CTIA press release: CTIA, the U.S. wireless industry association, today announced the launch of a new tool www.stolenphonechecker.org to provide consumers with free one stop access to determine if a used or refurbished smartphone has been reported as stolen or lost.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

It’s now easier to check if that used smartphone you might buy is stolen

First of all, that used phone you’re thinking about buying – the one on Craigslist going for a ridiculously low price – is almost certainly stolen. You know that. We all know it.Yet if you’re intent on buying a used phone – and don’t want to buy a hot one – the wireless industry has just given you a new tool that will allow you to be reasonably confident that the phone hasn’t been reported stolen lost.From a CTIA press release: CTIA, the U.S. wireless industry association, today announced the launch of a new tool www.stolenphonechecker.org to provide consumers with free one stop access to determine if a used or refurbished smartphone has been reported as stolen or lost.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here