Facebook tracks all site vistors, violating EU law, report says

Facebook tracks everyone who visits its site, including people who don’t have an account, and even continues to track users and non-users who have opted out of targeted ads, researchers at two Belgian universities have found.Researchers at the University of Leuven in cooperation with researchers at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel have published an update to a February analysis of Facebook’s new policies and terms. The report, commissioned by the Belgian Privacy Commission, already found in preliminary conclusions in February that Facebook, with its 2015 privacy policy update, likely acts in violation of European law.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

BrandPost: Personalizing Business Technology

The Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) revolution is in full swing. According to a global survey of CIOs by Gartner, 38 percent of companies expect to stop providing devices to workers by 2016. As BYOD adoption accelerates and consumer smartphones and other devices evolve, the technology we use at work must find a way to keep up.Consumer devices are tightening the bond between ‘Man and Machine’, and one thing is certain: our smartphones and smart watches are getting smarter. In fact, it’s eerie how smart they have become. There are the widely used personal devices: the explosion of smart watches like the highly-anticipated Apple Watch™, the enormously popular fitness bands like FITBIT®, and smartphones like Samsung’s Galaxy S6 Edge™ that are making strides in streamlined app management.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Cumulus Linux Switch Monitoring with Datadog

As a Linux platform, one of the cool things is that we often don’t have visibility into how customers use their switches running Cumulus Linux. They buy HCL-compatible hardware from our partners, and with some training and enablement, are off to the races.

The idea for running Datadog in Cumulus Linux came about for the simple reason that we were in adjacent booths at PuppetConf last year, and we all figured it would be cool to try it out. Further, since Datadog already provides visibility across systems, apps and services, they were interested in seeing how networking can be added into the mix. As you will see, it turns out to be pretty simple.

Installing Datadog in Cumulus Linux

The Datadog agent, as with most things Debian, installs easily on Cumulus Linux. For x86 switches, this is as simple as installing a Debian package and performing simple changes in the Datadog agent files, such as the application/API key, which is the tag associated with the switch. You can easily automate this installation using common automation tools like Puppet and Ansible.

Configuration

Since the Datadog agent is designed for servers, metrics can be collected using Datadog’s SNMP plugin, a custom sFlow Continue reading

Analysis: 3 Emerging Categories in Networking Markets for 2015

The most significant underlying technology trend in networking is that startups have taken analytics and big data software and applied it to network devices. Three emerging product categories are Security Threat Systems, Software Defined WAN and Network Analytics & Control.

The post Analysis: 3 Emerging Categories in Networking Markets for 2015 appeared first on EtherealMind.

Three Tips for Technical Blogging

From time to time, I’m asked by new or potential technical bloggers for advice on how to get into writing, or how to overcome some kind of mental reservation that he/she may have.

It’s actually somewhat ironic – I still suffer from many of the same issues that I suffered from back before Keeping It Classless existed.

I have been having some serious "Newbie Blogger" issues last few weeks. Ironically, I feel compelled to write about them.

— Matt Oswalt (@Mierdin) March 29, 2015

So, truth be told, I constantly remind myself of the same advice that I give to the bloggers-to-be that ask me for advice. It’s high time that I open the kimono a little bit and hopefully help someone in the process. Here are my top five tips for technical bloggers – whether you’re just getting started, or if you’re already fairly established but maybe hitting some blockage.

Know Why You Do It

Be keenly aware of the motivation(s) that drive your blogging. Write them down. Look at them every day. Keeping these in mind should be your primary source of energy when writing about a technical topic. Unless blogging is your actual job (in which case Continue reading

Three Tips for Technical Blogging

From time to time, I’m asked by new or potential technical bloggers for advice on how to get into writing, or how to overcome some kind of mental reservation that he/she may have.

It’s actually somewhat ironic - I still suffer from many of the same issues that I suffered from back before Keeping It Classless existed.

I have been having some serious "Newbie Blogger" issues last few weeks. Ironically, I feel compelled to write about them.

— Matt Oswalt (@Mierdin) March 29, 2015

So, truth be told, I constantly remind myself of the same advice that I give to the bloggers-to-be that ask me for advice. It’s high time that I open the kimono a little bit and hopefully help someone in the process. Here are my top three tips for technical bloggers - whether you’re just getting started, or if you’re already fairly established but maybe hitting some blockage.

Know Why You Do It

Be keenly aware of the motivation(s) that drive your blogging. Write them down. Look at them every day. Keeping these in mind should be your primary source of energy when writing about a technical topic. Unless blogging is your actual job (in which case this Continue reading

Lebanese cyberespionage campaign hits defense, telecom, media firms worldwide

For the past two years, a cyberespionage group that likely operates from Lebanon has hacked into hundreds of defense contractors, telecommunications operators, media groups and educational organizations from at least 10 countries.The still-active attack campaign was uncovered and analyzed recently by security researchers from Check Point Software Technologies, who dubbed it Volatile Cedar. The company’s researchers found evidence that the attackers started their operation in late 2012, but have managed to fly under the radar until now by carefully adapting their tools to avoid being detected by antivirus programs.Unlike most cyberespionage groups, the Volatile Cedar attackers do not use spear phishing or drive-by downloads to gain a foothold into their victims’ networks. Instead they target Web servers and use them as initial entry points.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Microsoft’s Surface 3 starts at $499, eligible for free Windows 10 upgrade

Microsoft wants laptop diehards to switch over to its lightweight Surface 3 tablet, which will offer PC-like performance and be eligible for a free upgrade to Windows 10 later this year.The Surface 3 tablet has a 10.8-inch screen with a 1920 x 1280-pixel resolution, and can double up as a laptop with a keyboard attachment. The tablet provides 10 hours of battery life when playing video.With prices starting at US$499, the tablet is positioned by Microsoft as a nimbler, less expensive version of the faster Surface Pro 3 tablet, which starts at $799. Surface 3 will ship in 26 countries starting in May, and an LTE version of the tablet will be available through carriers later this year, Microsoft said.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Broken NFC terminals, lack of retail support stifling Apple Pay usage

Apple Pay got off to a hot start after its debut in October, attracting 11% of all credit card-using households and converting 66% of iPhone 6 users in its first four months on the market, according to an ongoing study of more than 3,000 credit card users conducted by market research firm Phoenix Marketing International.Although iPhone users appeared eager to try out Apple's new mobile payment plan – the study estimates that more than 88% of those who set up an Apple Pay wallet went on to make a purchase with it either in a retail store or in a mobile app – they have run short on opportunities to use them in the time since."The demand is there: 59% of Apple Pay users have gone into a store and asked to make a purchase with Apple Pay," Greg Weed, Phoenix Marketing International director of research, said in a statement. "But so is the disappointment: 47% visited a store that was listed as an Apple Pay merchant only to find out that the specific store they visited did not accept (or were not ready to accept) Apple Pay."To read this article in full or to leave Continue reading

Who Needs to Remember?

Arista decouples switch, software pricing

Arista Networks this week decoupled the pricing of its software and switch hardware as a consumption option for cloud providers.Arista is offering its EOS operating system as a separate subscription-based license from its switch hardware. The hardware is priced under a separate bundle but its purchase requires an EOS subscription.Essentially what Arista has done is priced its hardware and software separately and offered EOS as a subscription-based license vs. a perpetual license. It’s a new consumption model for Arista kit that the vendor says is more aligned with the way cloud providers purchase and operate the products.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

VRF-Lite+GRE/dot1q or MPLS L3 VPN

I am going to create a new category on the blog which we will discuss together the different technologies,protocols, designs and architecture. You can suggest a discussion topics and you all please welcome to join the discussions in the comment box of each topic. I want to throw a first topic for the discussions !… Read More »

The post VRF-Lite+GRE/dot1q or MPLS L3 VPN appeared first on Network Design and Architecture.

Indiana law is fast having ‘definite negative impact’ on tech

Organizers of the upcoming Indy Big Data Conference are feeling the impact of the tech industry's anger over Indiana's new "religious freedom" law and want state lawmakers to correct the law -- quickly.The Indy Big Data conference, set for May 7 and designed to focus on "mining big data for big profits," has been losing sponsors in flurry of activity."Over the past 48 hours we have had seven national sponsors back out of the Indy Big Data Conference 2015 as a direct result of the Religious Freedom Act," said Christine Van Marter, the CEO of Conference Ventures, in an email statement. "This law is having an immediate and definite negative impact on technology in the state of Indiana."To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

The Upload: Your tech news briefing for Tuesday, March 31

Silk Road investigators charged with stealing bitcoinVirtual evidence is no less tempting to a corrupt agent than cash or drugs found in a raid: Two former US federal agents face charges related to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of bitcoin in the course of investigating the Silk Road marketplace. A former DEA special agent, who worked undercover to cultivate a relationship with recently convicted Ross Ulbricht, allegedly used online personas to engage in complex bitcoin transactions to steal both from the government and the targets of the investigation. And a former Secret Service agent who served as a computer forensics expert allegedly took more than $800,000 in digital currency that he gained control of during the Silk Road investigation—and put it in his account at now-defunct bitcoin exchange Mt Gox.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

LG may introduce leather-covered flagship smartphone at April 28 event

LG Electronics is expected to introduce its next high-end smartphone on April 28, and has hinted that the back of the device will be covered in leather.In the light of the growing focus on looks at the recent Mobile World Congress, it wouldn’t be surprising if LG uses better materials for the successor to the G3, which is expected to be called the G4. The invite for April 28 that the company sent out on Tuesday just said “save the date” and “see the Great”, but the text is written over a leather back with stitching on one side.LG wouldn’t be the first to offer leather or faux leather as an alternative. Real leather is an option on Motorola Mobility’s Moto Maker customization service, and Samsung Electronics uses faux leather on the back of the Galaxy Note 4.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Arista EOS Gets a Subscription Pricing Option

Smaller cloud players want to pay less up-front for Arista's software.

Thought for The Day: NetBIOS over IPX

I found a capture file from 2002. I must have been troubleshooting name resolution of NetBIOS over IPX for print servers because I am only capturing broadcasts on the Ethernet segment. And Wireshark can still open a data format from 15 years ago and render the data.   I surely do not miss these days. […]

The post Thought for The Day: NetBIOS over IPX appeared first on EtherealMind.

Apple’s iPhone trade-in program in China could boost sales

Apple has quietly launched a trade-in program to let Chinese customers exchange their old iPhones and iPads for the latest devices, which could help promote adoption of its upcoming Apple Pay and Apple Watch.The trade-in program has already been available in the U.S., but Apple on Tuesday brought the service to China, mentioning it in an update to its website.Chinese customers will be able to exchange iPhones as old as the iPhone 4 to receive store credit that can be used towards the purchase of a new unit, according to an Apple store worker in Beijing.The company, however, will only accept units that were officially sold in China, and not in other countries. Customers can bring the old devices to a local Apple store, where the product serial numbers and overall quality will be checked.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Google cloud platform can now be managed from a phone

Google is testing a version for Android smartphones and tablets of a console that will help its customers monitor services in the cloud while on the move.Following the beta launch of the Cloud Console for Android, Google said a version for Apple’s iOS operating system is expected to launch later this year.Using the app, users can set up alerts, manage Google cloud platform resources and access health graphs to gain insights into the performance and availability of their cloud-powered applications on Google’s Cloud Monitoring feature, wrote Michael Thomsen, a product manager at Google, in a blog post Monday.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Video: Automating Network Security

The video of my Automating Network Security talk @ Troopers 15 has been published on YouTube. They used fixed camera and the slides are a bit hard to read; you’ll find a better copy of the slide deck on my content web site.

For a bit of fun, turn on closed captions (CC) – public cloud became public lout.