CyberX assesses industrial environments for cyber risks, provides continuous monitoring

This column is available in a weekly newsletter called IT Best Practices.  Click here to subscribe.  The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) received reports of 59 cyber incidents at energy facilities in 2016. This is an increase of nearly a third over 2015. Security specialists believe this number is quite conservative, considering that energy companies aren’t required to report cyberattacks to DHS.But the actual number of incidents isn’t the really concerning part of the story. More worrisome, say federal cybersecurity officials and private security specialists, is that the vast majority of energy industry companies lack the technology and personnel to continuously monitor their operational systems for anomalous activity, which leaves them unable to detect intrusions when they happen. Consequently, they don’t even know about incidents to be able to report them.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Worth Reading: Ten Buzzwords to Avoid in your Profile

It’s 2017: this could be the year to start something big. If you’ve thought about pursuing a new career direction or a challenge, you’re not alone — this week marks the busiest week of the year (so far) to update your LinkedIn profile and we want to help you start the year off right. The first place to start is a stand-out LinkedIn profile. But to help you make it truly shine, we took our annual look at the most overused words in profiles around the world and found the top 10 words you should avoid this year… —LinkedIn

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The ‘new’ McAfee

I’ve worked with McAfee for a long time—from its independent days, during the Network Associates timeframe, through financial issues, back to McAfee and the go-go Dave DeWalt era, and finally as Intel Security. To be honest, Intel’s acquisition of McAfee was always a head-scratcher for me. The 20-somethings on Wall Street crowed about Intel cramming McAfee security in its chip set, but this made no sense to me—Intel had long added security (and other) functionality into its processors with lukewarm market reception. The two cultures were a mismatch, as well. Ultimately, it seems Intel came to a similar conclusion and recently spun out McAfee in a private equity stew. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

The ‘new’ McAfee

I’ve worked with McAfee for a long time—from its independent days, during the Network Associates timeframe, through financial issues, back to McAfee and the go-go Dave DeWalt era, and finally as Intel Security. To be honest, Intel’s acquisition of McAfee was always a head-scratcher for me. The 20-somethings on Wall Street crowed about Intel cramming McAfee security in its chip set, but this made no sense to me—Intel had long added security (and other) functionality into its processors with lukewarm market reception. The two cultures were a mismatch, as well. Ultimately, it seems Intel came to a similar conclusion and recently spun out McAfee in a private equity stew. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: Current developments in Wi-Fi spectrum

The allocation of radio spectrum is a fiercely contested matter. Government regulators—the FCC in the U.S., OFCOM in the U.K., and others—manage spectrum as a national resource. They seek to balance the needs of various groups, including cellular operators, government users, scientific and amateur radio groups. And, of course, they represent the public both directly and via their political masters.Industries that depend on access to spectrum must work hard to ensure continuing access, and they must head off proposals for new services that might cause interference. As established users of the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, here are some of the areas where the Wi-Fi industry is active today, working with regulators.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Navigating the IoT Hype: The Elements of Profitable IoT Service Delivery

Virtualized networks are being embraced by operators as the foundation for IoT services.

2017 NFV Report Series Part 1: Foundations of NFV: NFV Infrastructure and VIM Report Available Now

Download now to learn the latest on the NFV Infrastructure and VIM market.

McAfee: Trend indicates 2017 will be bumper year for new malware

A cycle of increasing new malware is well underway and could last the rest of this year if a trend established over the past two years continues.Defenders enjoyed a nine-month dip in malware innovation last year, but that’s over with, according to a cycle identified by McAfee Labs.Its latest McAfee Labs Threats Report says that starting at the beginning of 2015, the volume of new threats has fluctuated in a regular pattern, with two to three quarters of growth followed by three quarters of decline. The last three quarters of 2016 showed decline, so the next uptick should have started last quarter.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

McAfee: Trend indicates 2017 will be bumper year for new malware

A cycle of increasing new malware is well underway and could last the rest of this year if a trend established over the past two years continues.Defenders enjoyed a nine-month dip in malware innovation last year, but that’s over with, according to a cycle identified by McAfee Labs.Its latest McAfee Labs Threats Report says that starting at the beginning of 2015, the volume of new threats has fluctuated in a regular pattern, with two to three quarters of growth followed by three quarters of decline. The last three quarters of 2016 showed decline, so the next uptick should have started last quarter.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Mist simplifies mobile asset visibility with virtual BLE beacons

For decades, the enterprise Wi-Fi network served one purpose: to connect users devices to the company network. However, the rise of digital transformation has caused many organizations to leverage Wi-Fi to create new experiences.A good example of an early adopter of this concept is the Orlando Airport, which went fully wireless a couple years ago. However, as I pointed out in the article, creating a differentiated indoor mobile experience is difficult with Wi-Fi only because Wi-Fi triangulation is accurate to roughly 5 to 15 meters. That may be sufficient for a handful of use cases, but most indoor services need to be more accurate than this. Consider a nurse trying to locate a critical piece of medical equipment. An accuracy range of 10 meters could pose quite a challenge. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Response: Employee Burnout Is a Problem with the Company, Not the Person

This is so obvious.

The psychological and physical problems of burned-out employees, which cost an estimated $125 billion to $190 billion a year in healthcare spending in the U.S., are just the most obvious impacts. The true cost to business can be far greater, thanks to low productivity across organizations, high turnover, and the loss of the most capable talent. Executives need to own up to their role in creating the workplace stress that leads to burnout—heavy workloads, job insecurity, and frustrating work routines that include too many meetings and far too little time for creative work. Once executives confront the problem at an organizational level, they can use organizational measures to address it.

But its also your repsonsibility to balance your career plans & mental hygiene. Once you start over-working, thats becomes the level of expectation. I’ve learned that overachievement is not rewarded. You are the only person who suffers.

Your employer will take everything you have to give so that they get the money. Don’t do that.

Employee Burnout Is a Problem with the Company, Not the Person : https://hbr.org/2017/04/employee-burnout-is-a-problem-with-the-company-not-the-person

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20% off Pre-Order of Prey for Xbox One, PS4 and PC – Deal Alert

Amazon Prime members get an exclusive 20% off the pre-order of Prey. In Prey, you awaken aboard Talos I, a space station orbiting the moon in the year 2032. You are the key subject of an experiment meant to alter humanity forever – but things have gone terribly wrong.

IDG Contributor Network: Data security and the cloud: Earn trust by putting your customers in control

Data is one of the most valuable assets a modern business holds. When a company decides to move to the cloud, data security and privacy become a natural and top concern for management.That concern stems largely from discomfort: Businesses don't like the idea of losing control of their data by giving it to another company to manage. As CTO of a large SaaS company, one question I hear from new clients time and time again is: Can we limit the access your employees have to our sensitive data? It’s a question I’ve done a lot of thinking about—and one that every cloud company needs to address if it wants business leaders to feel more confident about data security and privacy—and therefore, more comfortable overall about embracing the cloud. Ultimately, when it comes to protecting data—from using the latest firewall and encryption technologies to earning leading industry certifications—the goal is to win the customer's trust.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Securing our Digital Economy

Microsoft Surface beats Apple iPad in JD Power tests

History repeats itself as Microsoft, late to the tablet party and needing a few revisions to make Surface a success, has beaten all of its tablet rivals in the JD Power 2017 U.S. Tablet Satisfaction Study. It's the first time Microsoft has topped the charts since the survey was first introduced by JD Power.Overall, Microsoft scored 855 out of a possible 1,000 points, narrowly beating Apple with 849 and Samsung with 847. JD Power said Microsoft was the top performer in three areas: pre-loaded applications, internet connectivity and availability of manufacturer-supported accessories. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

US FCC said to have a plan for rollback of net neutrality rules

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai has disclosed preliminary plans to roll back some of the net neutrality provisions in the U.S., which could be put to vote as soon as May or June, according to news reports.In a meeting this week with industry associations, Pai is said to have outlined a plan that would do away with the classification of broadband providers as common carriers subject to the oversight of the FCC.The new proposal would, however, require the broadband providers to promise to preserve net neutrality principles such as by not blocking or prioritizing Internet traffic, according to the news reports.The reclassification of broadband as a public regulated utility was part of a move by the previous administration of President Barack Obama to preserve net neutrality in the U.S. The FCC voted 3-2 in February 2015 to reclassify broadband as a regulated public utility by invoking Title II of the Communications Act, thus prohibiting providers from selectively blocking or throttling or offering paid prioritization of Internet traffic.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

US FCC said to have a plan for rollback of net neutrality rules

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai has disclosed preliminary plans to roll back some of the net neutrality provisions in the U.S., which could be put to vote as soon as May or June, according to news reports.In a meeting this week with industry associations, Pai is said to have outlined a plan that would do away with the classification of broadband providers as common carriers subject to the oversight of the FCC.The new proposal would, however, require the broadband providers to promise to preserve net neutrality principles such as by not blocking or prioritizing Internet traffic, according to the news reports.The reclassification of broadband as a public regulated utility was part of a move by the previous administration of President Barack Obama to preserve net neutrality in the U.S. The FCC voted 3-2 in February 2015 to reclassify broadband as a regulated public utility by invoking Title II of the Communications Act, thus prohibiting providers from selectively blocking or throttling or offering paid prioritization of Internet traffic.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Robots: Lots of features, not much security

Robots are supposed to do good things for us, not bad things to us.But there is plenty of evidence that, like the billions of other connected devices that make up the Internet of Things (IoT), the growth of robot technology is coming with loads of features, but not much of a security blanket.More evidence came in a report on home, business and industrial robots released last month by security research firm IOActive, which found that “most” of them lacked what experts generally call “basic security hygiene.”Those included the predictable list: Insecure communication channels, critical information sent in cleartext or with weak encryption, no requirement for user names or passwords for some services, weak authentication in others, and a lack of sufficient authorization to protect critical functions such as software installation or updates.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Robots: Lots of features, not much security

Robots are supposed to do good things for us, not bad things to us.But there is plenty of evidence that, like the billions of other connected devices that make up the Internet of Things (IoT), the growth of robot technology is coming with loads of features, but not much of a security blanket.More evidence came in a report on home, business and industrial robots released last month by security research firm IOActive, which found that “most” of them lacked what experts generally call “basic security hygiene.”Those included the predictable list: Insecure communication channels, critical information sent in cleartext or with weak encryption, no requirement for user names or passwords for some services, weak authentication in others, and a lack of sufficient authorization to protect critical functions such as software installation or updates.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

U.S. businesses jump on trend to buy unlocked smartphones

Cost-conscious businesses are increasingly buying unlocked smartphones for their workers, instead of more expensive smartphones with two-year service plans that are locked to a certain wireless U.S. carrier."Unlocked makes more sense," said Craig Riegelhaupt, direct of product marketing for mobile at Tangoe, an IT and telecom expense management software and services vendor that functions as a consultant to thousands of large businesses.There's a "definite" trend among Tangoe customers toward buying unlocked smartphones, as more procurement officers and managers for lines of business vie to reduce costs, he added. "They are always cost-conscious."To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here