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Category Archives for "Networking"

What it takes to become an information assurance analyst

After spending 13 years working in systems administration and network and desktop support, Simeon Holloway had reached a crossroads in his career.“I had capped out on the knowledge” required for the positions, Holloway says. “Salary-wise, I was capping out, too. I wanted to move in a different direction — something challenging and that was in high demand.” Cybersecurity was at the top of his list. In 2014, he set out on a self-guided journey toward a new career. Today, Holloway is an information assurance analyst for the Georgia Lottery in Atlanta. download What it takes to become an information assurance analyst CSO Online Getting serious about security While still a senior systems administrator for the Centers for Disease Control, Holloway kicked into overdrive, spending his evenings and weekends researching cybersecurity online. “I watched YouTube videos, joined webinars, things like that,” Holloway says. He spent four months studying for and earning his CompTIA Security+ certification, and attended a five-day Certified Ethical Hacker Bootcamp course that helped him get his CEH certification six months later. “I also built my own virtual lab — taking some of the free cyber tools available online, like BackTrack and Kali Linux, and practiced pen testing,” Continue reading

IDG Contributor Network: How to test SD-WANs

Whenever I speak with companies starting to research SD-WANs, the question about testing invariably comes up. Like probably any enterprise device, SD-WANs are filled with features. And as with any major WAN acquisition, testing those features prior to purchase is incredibly important. SD-WAN vendors have their own nuances and strengths. You need to be sure those strengths align with your environment.RELATED: SD-WAN: What it is and why you will use it one day As an edge device, there’s very little in terms of packet processing that needs to be tested in an SD-WAN node. But that doesn’t mean SD-WAN node testing isn’t important. Here are some tips for what you can look for when running your proof of concept (POC) from my buddy DC Palter, CEO at network testing simulator company Apposite Technologies, and our experiences here at SD-WAN Experts.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: How to test SD-WANs

Whenever I speak with companies starting to research SD-WANs, the question about testing invariably comes up. Like probably any enterprise device, SD-WANs are filled with features. And as with any major WAN acquisition, testing those features prior to purchase is incredibly important. SD-WAN vendors have their own nuances and strengths. You need to be sure those strengths align with your environment.RELATED: SD-WAN: What it is and why you will use it one day As an edge device, there’s very little in terms of packet processing that needs to be tested in an SD-WAN node. But that doesn’t mean SD-WAN node testing isn’t important. Here are some tips for what you can look for when running your proof of concept (POC) from my buddy DC Palter, CEO at network testing simulator company Apposite Technologies, and our experiences here at SD-WAN Experts.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IBM on the state of network security: Abysmal

The state of online security is darn dreadful. At least if you look at the results from the IBM Security’s 2017 IBM X-Force Threat Intelligence Index released today which contains myriad depressing nuggets such as: The number of records compromised grew a historic 566% in 2016 from 600 million to more than 4 billion -- more than the combined total from the two previous years. In one case, a single source leaked more than 1.5 billion records [see Yahoo breach]. In the first three months of 2016, the FBI estimated cybercriminals were paid a reported $209 million via ransomware. This would put criminals on pace to make nearly $1 billion from their use of the malware just last year. In 2016, many significant breaches related to unstructured data such as email archives, business documents, intellectual property and source code were also compromised. The most popular types of malcode we observed in 2016 were Android malware, banking Trojans, ransomware offerings and DDoS-as-a-service vendors. Since DDoS tools are mostly sold as a service and not as malware per se, we will focus here on banking Trojans, Android malware and ransomware. In December 2016, a malware developer with an ongoing banking Trojan Continue reading

IBM on the state of network security: Abysmal

The state of online security is darn dreadful. At least if you look at the results from the IBM Security’s 2017 IBM X-Force Threat Intelligence Index released today which contains myriad depressing nuggets such as: The number of records compromised grew a historic 566% in 2016 from 600 million to more than 4 billion -- more than the combined total from the two previous years. In one case, a single source leaked more than 1.5 billion records [see Yahoo breach]. In the first three months of 2016, the FBI estimated cybercriminals were paid a reported $209 million via ransomware. This would put criminals on pace to make nearly $1 billion from their use of the malware just last year. In 2016, many significant breaches related to unstructured data such as email archives, business documents, intellectual property and source code were also compromised. The most popular types of malcode we observed in 2016 were Android malware, banking Trojans, ransomware offerings and DDoS-as-a-service vendors. Since DDoS tools are mostly sold as a service and not as malware per se, we will focus here on banking Trojans, Android malware and ransomware. In December 2016, a malware developer with an ongoing banking Trojan Continue reading

25% off HotLogic Mini Personal Portable Oven – Deal Alert

Hot Logic Mini averages 4.8 out of 5 stars on Amazon from over 1,800 people (87% rate a full 5 stars: read recent reviews).  A cross between a lunch bag and an oven, this personal, portable cooker is great for the office, job site, the campsite, the car, or anywhere you have an outlet. The Hot Logic Mini will prepare fresh-cooked hot meals, reheated meals or perfectly cooked prepackaged meals without overcooked edges or frozen centers. Whether you're cooking uncooked, frozen chicken breasts with fresh beans on top or reheating last night's pizza, HotLogic will cook it and hold its temperature until you're ready to eat. Its typical list price of $39.95 has been reduced, for now, to $29.95. See this deal now on Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Amazon’s successful drone delivery test doesn’t really prove anything

Last week, Amazon Prime Air released dramatic video of a drone delivering bottles of sunscreen in a test at Amazon's MARS conference in a controlled environment at Palm Springs International Airport in California.Pretty cool stuff, even if the company has already demonstrated the ability to complete actual commercial drone deliveries in the United Kingdom. But my longstanding skepticism for the practicality of drone deliveries hasn’t diminished. More than two years ago, for example, I listed 10 reasons Amazon's drone delivery plan still won't fly.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Invisibility, teleportation among top superpowers that IT pros want

Against my better judgment, I'm going to share a few tidbits from a vendor survey — one of those marketing schemes that have become the bane of my existence as a tech journalist (See: "Right back at you vendors: OUR independent study of YOUR independent research")But I figured you'd want to know what superpowers your peers desire, since I'm sure that's a discussion you and your colleagues have had at some point or another (my superpower would be to dodge vendor survey pitches).To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Invisibility, teleportation among top superpowers that IT pros want

Against my better judgment, I'm going to share a few tidbits from a vendor survey — one of those marketing schemes that have become the bane of my existence as a tech journalist (See: "Right back at you vendors: OUR independent study of YOUR independent research")But I figured you'd want to know what superpowers your peers desire, since I'm sure that's a discussion you and your colleagues have had at some point or another (my superpower would be to dodge vendor survey pitches).To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Cisco expands wireless reach with access points, management software

Perhaps nowhere is the challenge of keeping up with the onslaught of wireless devices greater than in the small-to-midsized companies with little or no IT expertise to handle it.That’s the target for Cisco’s latest line of 802.11ac Wave 2-based wireless products which include scalable Aironet wireless access points and a new version of Cisco’s Mobility Express software to manage the whole environment.+More on Network World: When the Internet Engineering Task Force meets this week in Chicago it will have a new chair – Cisco Fellow Alissa Cooper +To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

What’s in Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and S8+ smartphones?

Samsung's new Galaxy S8 and S8+ smartphones look beautiful, and are loaded with new features that could make an upgrade worthwhile.The handsets are superfast and 4K capable, and also herald the arrival of new technologies like Bluetooth 5 and LTE gigabit modems.We take a look inside the handsets and see how they have improved from the Samsung Galaxy S7.Screen size is biggerThe Galaxy S8 has a 5.8-inch screen, while the S8+ has a 6.2-inch screen, which are larger than the 5.5-inch S7 and the 5.7-inch Note 7. The screen resolution is 2960 x 1440 pixels, a slight uptick from S7's 2560 x 1440-pixel screen. Samsung was able to increase the S8 screen size by cutting the home button, and also adding to the height. The screen area now constitutes 83 percent of the S8 front surfaces.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Updating Apple iOS will protect you from this fake ransomware attack

Lookout researchers warned of a campaign involving fake ransomware attacks that attempt to extort money from users of mobile Safari. Victims are accused of accessing illegal pornography and the browser appears to be locked up unless a “ransom” is paid.“Your device has been locked for illegal pornography,” the message stated on a site with security agency icons such as NSA and Interpol at the bottom of the page. An overlay pop-up warned that Safari “cannot open page” with “OK” underneath the message. However, the dialog would not go away no matter how many times the victim tapped “OK.”Lookout said, “Each time he tapped ‘OK’ he would be prompted to tap ‘OK’ again, effectively putting the browser into an infinite loop of dialog prompts that prevented him from using the browser.”To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Updating Apple iOS will protect you from this fake ransomware attack

Lookout researchers warned of a campaign involving fake ransomware attacks that attempt to extort money from users of mobile Safari. Victims are accused of accessing illegal pornography and the browser appears to be locked up unless a “ransom” is paid.“Your device has been locked for illegal pornography,” the message stated on a site with security agency icons such as NSA and Interpol at the bottom of the page. An overlay pop-up warned that Safari “cannot open page” with “OK” underneath the message. However, the dialog would not go away no matter how many times the victim tapped “OK.”Lookout said, “Each time he tapped ‘OK’ he would be prompted to tap ‘OK’ again, effectively putting the browser into an infinite loop of dialog prompts that prevented him from using the browser.”To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

How Microsoft plans to address AI and machine learning challenges

Microsoft, Google and IBM face difficult challenges in winning early enterprise adopters of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). Microsoft AI Research Vice President Peter Lee shed some like on how Microsoft will meet those challenges when we met at this week’s MIT Technology Review EmTech Digital conference.Lee began with the same explanation that he gave to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Nadella, a former research engineer, does not need to have technology spoon fed to him, but he does need to understand the framework used to manage the future of the vertical industries transferred to the stewardship of Microsoft’s AI group. It is a big bet, amounting to 6,000 employees or one-fourth of the company and includes leading industry businesses such as healthcare, education, automotive, finance and retail. A very big bet on the future of AI, indeed.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Privacy advocates plan to fight Congress’ repeal of ISP privacy rules

Privacy advocates haven't given up the fight after the U.S. Congress voted to allow ISPs to sell customers' browsing histories and other personal information without their permission.On Tuesday, the House of Representatives voted 215 to 205 to strike down ISP privacy regulations approved by the Federal Communications Commission only months ago. House's passage of a resolution of disapproval followed a Senate vote to pass the same resolution days earlier. President Donald Trump is expected to sign the Republican-pushed bill. But Senator Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, said he will introduce new legislation to require the FCC to pass new ISP privacy rules.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Privacy advocates plan to fight Congress’ repeal of ISP privacy rules

Privacy advocates haven't given up the fight after the U.S. Congress voted to allow ISPs to sell customers' browsing histories and other personal information without their permission.On Tuesday, the House of Representatives voted 215 to 205 to strike down ISP privacy regulations approved by the Federal Communications Commission only months ago. House's passage of a resolution of disapproval followed a Senate vote to pass the same resolution days earlier. President Donald Trump is expected to sign the Republican-pushed bill. But Senator Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, said he will introduce new legislation to require the FCC to pass new ISP privacy rules.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here