Fixing The CCIE Written – A Follow Up

I stirred up quite the hornet’s nest last week, didn’t I? I posted about how I thought the CCIE Routing and Switching Written Exam needed to be fixed. I got 75 favorites on Twitter and 40 retweets of my post, not to mention the countless people that shared it on a variety of forums and other sites. Since I was at Cisco Live, I had a lot of people coming up to me saying that they agreed with my views. I also had quite a few people that weren’t thrilled with my perspective. Thankfully, I had the chance to sit down with Yusuf Bhaiji, head of the CCIE program, and chat about things. I wanted to share some thoughts here.

Clarity Of Purpose

One of the biggest complaints that I’ve heard is that I was being “malicious” in my post with regards to the CCIE. I was also told that it was a case of “sour grapes” and even that the exam was as hard as it was on purpose because the CCIE is supposed to be hard. Mostly, I felt upset that people were under the impression that my post was designed to destroy, harm, or otherwise defame the Continue reading

Oracle issues largest patch bundle ever, fixing 276 security flaws

Oracle has released a new quarterly batch of security updates for more than 80 products from its software portfolio, fixing 276 vulnerabilities.This is the largest Oracle Critical Patch Update (CPU) to date. The average number of flaws fixed per Oracle update last year was 161, according to security vendor Qualys. Furthermore, out of the 276 security flaws fixed in this update, 159 can be exploited remotely without authentication.At the top of the priority list should be the Java patches, which address 13 new vulnerabilities. That's because Java is used in a lot of applications and is installed on a large number of systems."Customers really do need to apply these Java CPU patches as soon as possible,"  said John Matthew Holt, the CTO of application security firm Waratek, via email. Among the patches that require urgent attention are those for the HotSpot Java virtual machine for desktops and servers, which received high CVSS (Common Vulnerabilities Scoring System) scores, Holt noted.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Oracle issues largest patch bundle ever, fixing 276 security flaws

Oracle has released a new quarterly batch of security updates for more than 80 products from its software portfolio, fixing 276 vulnerabilities.This is the largest Oracle Critical Patch Update (CPU) to date. The average number of flaws fixed per Oracle update last year was 161, according to security vendor Qualys. Furthermore, out of the 276 security flaws fixed in this update, 159 can be exploited remotely without authentication.At the top of the priority list should be the Java patches, which address 13 new vulnerabilities. That's because Java is used in a lot of applications and is installed on a large number of systems."Customers really do need to apply these Java CPU patches as soon as possible,"  said John Matthew Holt, the CTO of application security firm Waratek, via email. Among the patches that require urgent attention are those for the HotSpot Java virtual machine for desktops and servers, which received high CVSS (Common Vulnerabilities Scoring System) scores, Holt noted.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Datanauts 043: The Full Stack Journey With Scott Lowe

The Datanauts talk with blogger, author, and tech guru Scott Lowe about open source software, the future of the data center, and what the notion of the full stack engineer means for the technology profession. The post Datanauts 043: The Full Stack Journey With Scott Lowe appeared first on Packet Pushers.

5 tips to avoid summer’s plummeting productivity

Avoid summer's plummeting productivityImage by Thinkstock Investment in employee education and learning increases engagement and makes employees more productive. If you find your workload is a bit light during the summer months, consider sitting down with your manager to identify existing professional development programs or courses to add to your skill set, Battles says. If you can't physically attend courses, take advantage of virtual training tools and online massive open online courses. 1. The more you knowImage by Thinkstock To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Etisalat to Use Affirmed Networks’ vEPC for IoT & WiFi Calling

Affirmed Networks vEPC is also being used by AT&T.

Skype sets a course for the cloud, ditching some apps on the way

Skype is leaving behind its peer-to-peer roots and going all in on the cloud. While the popular messaging app made it this far by facilitating connections between computers for video calls and other communications, it's moving to a cloud architecture that is supposed to improve performance and expand the service's capabilities.According to Skype Corporate Vice President Amritansh Raghav, the architecture shift has taken three years of work. It is supposed to provide a number of benefits, including improved message syncing across devices. Certain Skype features are already built on top of the new cloud infrastructure, including the mobile group video calling and live translation features that the service introduced recently.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Review: Windows 10 Anniversary Update fails to excite

One year after the initial, faltering release of Windows 10 “RTM” (build 10240) and almost nine months after the arrival of Win 10 Fall Update (version 1511), we finally have a new tenant at the apex of the Windows 10 “as a service” heap. Windows 10 Anniversary Update, aka Redstone 1, aka version 1607, is available to Windows Insiders. The update should start rolling out to Windows 10 version 1511 users on August 2.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

New HIPAA guidance addresses ransomware

The U.S. Department of Human Services has released new guidance for health care organizations that focuses on the growing threat of ransomware, stresses the need for better education and regular backups, and confirms that a ransomware attack against plain-text health information is, in fact, a breach that must be disclosed. The guidance recommends that organizations identify the risks facing their patient information, create a plan to address those links, set up procedures to protect systems from malware, train users to spot malware, limit access to sensitive information to just the people who need it most, and have a disaster recovery plan that includes frequent data backups.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

New HIPAA guidance addresses ransomware

The U.S. Department of Human Services has released new guidance for health care organizations that focuses on the growing threat of ransomware, stresses the need for better education and regular backups, and confirms that a ransomware attack against plain-text health information is, in fact, a breach that must be disclosed. The guidance recommends that organizations identify the risks facing their patient information, create a plan to address those links, set up procedures to protect systems from malware, train users to spot malware, limit access to sensitive information to just the people who need it most, and have a disaster recovery plan that includes frequent data backups.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Feds shut down tech support scammers, freeze assets

Federal authorities have shut down several alleged tech support scammers working out of Florida, Iowa, Nevada and Canada, freezing their assets and seizing control of their businesses.The action was one of the largest in the U.S. against scammers, who bilk consumers out of an estimated $1.5 billion annually with bogus tales of infected Windows PCs and Apple Macs, high-pressure sales tactics, and grossly overpriced services and software.After the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed complaints against six companies and six individuals in late June, courts shuttered alleged scammers doing business under names like Big Dog Solutions, Help Desk National, Help Desk Global, PC Help Desk, Inbound Call Specialist, BlackOptek CE, 9138242 Canada and Digital Growth Properties. Five of the six operated as a single enterprise, muddying the waters with multiple names.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Feds shut down tech support scammers, freeze assets

Federal authorities have shut down several alleged tech support scammers working out of Florida, Iowa, Nevada and Canada, freezing their assets and seizing control of their businesses.The action was one of the largest in the U.S. against scammers, who bilk consumers out of an estimated $1.5 billion annually with bogus tales of infected Windows PCs and Apple Macs, high-pressure sales tactics, and grossly overpriced services and software.After the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed complaints against six companies and six individuals in late June, courts shuttered alleged scammers doing business under names like Big Dog Solutions, Help Desk National, Help Desk Global, PC Help Desk, Inbound Call Specialist, BlackOptek CE, 9138242 Canada and Digital Growth Properties. Five of the six operated as a single enterprise, muddying the waters with multiple names.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

An immodest proposal for expanding Twitter’s 140-character limit

Twitter has a problem.In fact, it has several problems. On the one hand, its iconic 140-character limit has helped make the service popular and easy to use. On the other hand, many tweeters desperately want to say more than they can squeeze into those 140 characters. And on the third hand, Twitter continues to struggle monetizing its vast user base.A simple formula to save Twitter Fortunately, I have an immodest proposal designed to solve all three problems in one fell swoop. And all it takes is a single, relatively simple formula.Ready? Here goes:If Twitter users want to exceed the 140-character limit, all they have to do is pay for the privilege. But instead of a flat fee, my clever formula works to maximize all of the important values.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Riding the new Wi-Fi wave (part 2)

In part 1 of this mini-series looking at the new wireless mesh networking aimed at home systems, I looked at Luma’s system. Instead of a single router providing coverage for the house, a mesh system uses multiple nodes that work in conjunction with each other to provide greater coverage and faster speeds.So here's part 2, in which I tested another wireless mesh system - this one from San Francisco-based startup eero. Like the Luma devices, the eero system comes in a three-pack of nodes (it costs $499), but you can also buy individual nodes for $199. You can get away with using just one node as its own Wi-Fi router/access point as long as you connect it to your modem (cable/DSL), but the added benefits of the mesh kick in when you add the second, third or any additional nodes. In the three-pack, the system includes power cables for each eero node, and one Ethernet cable that links the first node into your cable modem or WAN connection.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IBM’s Watson just landed a new job: helping Macy’s shoppers

IBM's Watson may be putting its cognitive muscle to work battling cancer and cybercriminals, but it's no slouch at shopping, either. On Wednesday, retail brand Macy's announced that it's testing out a new mobile service that lets in-store shoppers ask Watson for help.Dubbed Macy’s On-Call, the tool gives smartphone-equipped shoppers a way to ask Watson questions about a store's products, services and facilities by typing their questions into a mobile browser. It's delivered through location-based engagement software from IBM partner Satisfi, which accesses Watson from the cloud, and it works in both English and Spanish.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

How to wipe an Android phone: The paranoid edition

As a naturally paranoid person, I wiped the Moto G4 and G4 Plus that I recently tested before returning them to Motorola. This isn’t the first tutorial about how to wipe an Android phone, but it is the first one written by a paranoid person. In this tutorial, one more step, critical to safely wiping an Android device has been added. There could be an evil entity extracting personal information from lost, stolen or discarded Android phones or those sold by the unwary on by Craig’s List and Ebay. Maybe not, but I don’t want to find out.  To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Linksys Brings 802.11ac Wave 2 To SMB

Latency Busters: 6 Technologies To Watch

Review: 4 mini-PCs give you full power in a very small package

There is a new generation of mini-PCs out there -- small, inconspicuous but powerful. They offer a number of advantages for businesses over laptops or more traditional desktop systems. First, they can be placed where most traditional desktops and laptops won't fit, and can be set up in creative ways, such as in a drawer, on the underside of a desk or on the back of a display. As a result, they are perfect for places like call centers or school computer labs, where you want to maximize space and keep the computers out of sight. They also don't use a lot of electricity, so they are excellent for environments where electrical current can be an issue, such as a construction site trailer. In fact, one of the units we review, the InFocus Kangaroo Pro, is so small and power-efficient that it can run for more than an hour on battery power.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

The history of ransomware

Suprisingly long historyImage by ThinkstockRansomware has been the most pervasive cyber threat since 2005. According to publicly available information, ransomware infections have outnumbered data breaches 7,694 to 6,013 over the past 11 years.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here