IDG Contributor Network: 5 biggest cybersecurity questions answered

Some things never change. Computer security, however, is not one of them. New threats, patches and problems emerge each and every week.Many of the key questions and knowledge gaps remain remarkably consistent, and the patterns become clear when you tap into a platform with tens of thousands of those questions.That’s what Experts Exchange does. The sum of this computer security community is a reflection on the top computer security anxieties in the world right now.So, join me as I reveal the most commonly asked security questions.1. How can I surf the web anonymously? To browse the internet without fear of targeted advertising or traceable questions posted online doesn’t seem like a big ask. As online tracking systems become more sophisticated and harder to shake, however, the likelihood of private, anonymous browsing is becoming a long-ago memory. Take into account the latest ISP changes, where the U.S. government allows providers to not only track, but sell your browsing history without your consent. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: Why are employers doubling down on the workplace?

Tech companies such as Google and Facebook are known for their informal, non-traditional work environments. But these days, even older, more staid firms are creating headlines in this space, rethinking not only how their employees work, but also where that work happens.Over the past few years, while I’ve been traveling to meet with business executives, I’ve seen office buildings that feature everything from standing desks and roof-top gardens to upholstered co-working rooms complete with craft beer on tap.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Let’s Drop Some Random Commands, Shall We?

One of my readers sent me a link to CCO documentation containing this gem:

Beginning with Cisco NX-OS Release 7.0(3)I2(1), Cisco Nexus 9000 Series switches handle the CLI configuration actions in a different way than before the introduction of NX-API and DME. The NX-API and DME architecture introduces a delay in the communication between Cisco Nexus 9000 Series switches and the end host terminal sessions, for example SSH terminal sessions.

So far so good. We can probably tolerate some delay. However, the next sentence is a killer…

2017-04-05: The wonderful information disappeared from Cisco's documentation within 24 hours with no explanation whatsoever. However, I expected that and took a snapshot of that page before publishing the blog post ;)

Using TV Whitespace To Connect Communities in Malawi

Intel divests McAfee after rough marriage, will now secure hardware

Intel's finally washing its hands of McAfee after seven up and down years, which included a lawsuit last year from John McAfee, after whom the company is named.The chip maker has divested its majority holdings in McAfee to investment firm TPG for US$3.1 billion.McAfee will now again become a standalone security company, but Intel will retain a minority 49 percent stake. The chip maker will focus internal operations on hardware-level security.For Intel, dumping majority ownership in McAfee amounts to a loss. It spent $7.68 billion to acquire McAfee in 2010, which was a head-scratcher at the time. Intel's McAfee acquisition will stand as one of the company's worst acquisitions.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Intel divests McAfee after rough marriage, will now secure hardware

Intel's finally washing its hands of McAfee after seven up and down years, which included a lawsuit last year from John McAfee, after whom the company is named.The chip maker has divested its majority holdings in McAfee to investment firm TPG for US$3.1 billion.McAfee will now again become a standalone security company, but Intel will retain a minority 49 percent stake. The chip maker will focus internal operations on hardware-level security.For Intel, dumping majority ownership in McAfee amounts to a loss. It spent $7.68 billion to acquire McAfee in 2010, which was a head-scratcher at the time. Intel's McAfee acquisition will stand as one of the company's worst acquisitions.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Notorious iOS spyware has an Android sibling

Security researchers have uncovered the Android version of an iOS spyware known as Pegasus in a case that shows how targeted electronic surveillance can be.Called Chrysaor, the Android variant can steal data from messaging apps, snoop over a phone’s camera or microphone, and even erase itself.On Monday, Google and security firm Lookout disclosed the Android spyware, which they suspect comes from NSO Group, an Israeli security firm known to develop smartphone surveillance products.Fortunately, the spyware never hit the mainstream. It was installed less than three dozen times on victim devices, most of which were located in Israel, according to Google. Other victim devices resided in Georgia, Mexico and Turkey, among other countries.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Notorious iOS spyware has an Android sibling

Security researchers have uncovered the Android version of an iOS spyware known as Pegasus in a case that shows how targeted electronic surveillance can be.Called Chrysaor, the Android variant can steal data from messaging apps, snoop over a phone’s camera or microphone, and even erase itself.On Monday, Google and security firm Lookout disclosed the Android spyware, which they suspect comes from NSO Group, an Israeli security firm known to develop smartphone surveillance products.Fortunately, the spyware never hit the mainstream. It was installed less than three dozen times on victim devices, most of which were located in Israel, according to Google. Other victim devices resided in Georgia, Mexico and Turkey, among other countries.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Free Range Routing and DPDK Join the Linux Foundation

Networking is ‘Where the Action is.’

Banking hackers left a clue that may link them to North Korea

The notorious hackers behind a string of banking heists have left behind a clue that supports a long-suspected link to North Korea, according to security researchers.The so-called Lazarus Group has been eyed as a possible culprit behind the heists, which included last February’s $81 million theft from Bangladesh’s central bank through the SWIFT transaction software.However, hackers working for the group recently made a mistake: They failed to wipe the logs from a server the group had hacked in Europe, security firm Kaspersky Lab said on Monday.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Banking hackers left a clue that may link them to North Korea

The notorious hackers behind a string of banking heists have left behind a clue that supports a long-suspected link to North Korea, according to security researchers.The so-called Lazarus Group has been eyed as a possible culprit behind the heists, which included last February’s $81 million theft from Bangladesh’s central bank through the SWIFT transaction software.However, hackers working for the group recently made a mistake: They failed to wipe the logs from a server the group had hacked in Europe, security firm Kaspersky Lab said on Monday.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Using YANG Models in Ansible to Configure and Verify State of IOS-XE and JUNOS Devices

In this post I will show how to use IETF, OpenConfig and vendor-specific YANG models in Ansible to configure BGP peering and verify state of physical interfaces between IOS-XE and JUNOS devices.

35% off Airfox Backlit LED Mouse Bungee with Integrated 3-Port USB Hub and Charger – Deal Alert

The Airfox Gaming Mouse Bungee is designed to eliminate drag from your mouse cord, giving you the speed, nimbleness and responsiveness of a wireless mouse. An integrated 3-port USB 3.0 hub, and fast device-charging port are also included, as is a 7-color LED backlight. The typical list price of $29.99 has been reduced 35% to $19.47. See this deal on Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Welcoming FRRouting to The Linux Foundation

It’s our pleasure to start the week off announcing the release of FRRouting to the open community. We worked closely with several other partners to make this launch happen and we’ll be integrating it with our products in upcoming releases. It’s a constant priority of ours to ensure we are contributing, maintaining and inspiring contributions to the community, and this release truly provides a solution that will be welcomed from many industries.

The following post was originally published on the Linux Foundation’s blog. They have graciously given us permission to republish, as the post does a fantastic job of describing the release. We’ve added a few sentences at the end to tie it all together. We hope you enjoy.

One of the most exciting parts of being in this industry over the past couple of decades has been witnessing the transformative impact that open source software has had on IT in general and specifically on networking. Contributions to various open source projects have fundamentally helped bring the reliability and economics of web-scale IT to organizations of all sizes. I am happy to report the community has taken yet another step forward with FRRouting.

FRRouting (FRR) is an IP routing protocol suite Continue reading

SaferVPN says it takes the risk out of using public Wi-Fi connections  

This column is available in a weekly newsletter called IT Best Practices.  Click here to subscribe.  Bring-your-own-device (BYOD) has become a fairly standard practice in most businesses today. Who among us hasn’t pulled out their cell phone to do a quick check of company email while killing time in a restaurant or a checkout line? The prevalence of public Wi-Fi makes it so easy to connect and tend to a little business while on the go.Many people look at public Wi-Fi as a convenience, or even as a requirement, when choosing where to spend time and money. Look in the window of any coffee shop today and count how many people are engaged with a laptop, tablet or mobile phone. How many of them would still be there if the shop didn’t provide free Wi-Fi?To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

SaferVPN says it takes the risk out of using public Wi-Fi connections  

This column is available in a weekly newsletter called IT Best Practices.  Click here to subscribe.  Bring-your-own-device (BYOD) has become a fairly standard practice in most businesses today. Who among us hasn’t pulled out their cell phone to do a quick check of company email while killing time in a restaurant or a checkout line? The prevalence of public Wi-Fi makes it so easy to connect and tend to a little business while on the go.Many people look at public Wi-Fi as a convenience, or even as a requirement, when choosing where to spend time and money. Look in the window of any coffee shop today and count how many people are engaged with a laptop, tablet or mobile phone. How many of them would still be there if the shop didn’t provide free Wi-Fi?To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

March 2017: The month in hacks and breaches

March came in like a lion with news breaking on March 6 that spamming operation River City Media exposed 1.34 billion email accounts, some of which included personal information including full names and addresses. How did this happen? The company failed to properly configure their Rsync backups, wrote CSO’s Steve Ragan.Later that week, WikiLeaks released a trove of information on the CIA’s hacking tools, including descriptions of how the agency targeted iPhones, Android phones, Samsung smart TVs, and routers.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

March 2017: The month in hacks and breaches

March came in like a lion with news breaking on March 6 that spamming operation River City Media exposed 1.34 billion email accounts, some of which included personal information including full names and addresses. How did this happen? The company failed to properly configure their Rsync backups, wrote CSO’s Steve Ragan.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

Windows 7 is in no rush to leave

Microsoft Windows 7 may not go quietly into the night, according to data published Saturday.March's Windows 7 user share -- an estimate of the percentage of the world's personal computers powered by the 2009 operating system -- was 49%, said analytics vendor Net Applications. However, Windows 7 ran 54% of all Windows machines: The difference between the user share of all PCs and only those running Windows stemmed from Windows powering 92% of the globe's personal computers, not 100%.More importantly, Windows 7's share has barely moved in the last 12 months. Since this time in 2016, it's dropped just 2.5 percentage points, representing a meager 5% decline. As a portion of just Windows personal computers, Windows 7 has been even more obstinate, remaining steady over the past year at 54%.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Worth Reading: QoS Marking is an Application Problem

I was so delighted to hear someone finally realized how to handle QoS properly: the responsibility lies with the applications on the host; the network should just provide what it was asked to do, not try to reverse-engineer application intent based on TCP/UDP port numbers or haruspicy. —IPSpace

The post Worth Reading: QoS Marking is an Application Problem appeared first on 'net work.