IDG Contributor Network: Shippable ships its newest thing: Industrial strength continuous deployment

Founded back in 2013, Shippable is one of the cool kids in the continuous deployment (CD) space. For those unaware, CD is a movement in which development teams deploy code frequently instead of in irregular and widely spaced occurrences. It is a movement popularized by organizations such as Facebook, Google and Twitter that deploy code many, many times a day.Shippable, therefore builds a platform to reduce friction and therefore allow software development teams to not only ship code fast, but far more frequently as well. DevOps, the movement that brought together the development and operations side of IT departments, aims to increase this velocity.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Another lesson in confirmation bias

The biggest problem with hacker attribution is the confirmation bias problem. Once you develop a theory, your mind shifts to distorting evidence trying to prove the theory. After a while, only your theory seems possible as one that can fit all your carefully selected evidence.

You can watch this happen in two recent blogposts [1] [2] by Krypt3ia attributing bitcoin payments to the Shadow Broker hackers as coming from the government (FBI, NSA, TAO). These posts are absolutely wrong. Nonetheless, the press has picked up on the story and run with it [*]. [Note: click on the pictures in this post to blow them up so you can see them better].


The Shadow Brokers published their bitcoin address (19BY2XCgbDe6WtTVbTyzM9eR3LYr6VitWK) asking for donations to release the rest of their tools. They've received 66 transactions so far, totally 1.78 bitcoin, or roughly $1000 at today's exchange rate.

Bitcoin is not anonymous by pseudonymous. Bitcoin is a public ledger with all transaction visible by everyone. Sometimes we can't tie addresses back to people, but sometimes we can. There are a lot of researchers who spent a lot of time on "taint anlysis" trying to Continue reading

Facebook, Google, Twitter lax on terrorists’ misuse of their sites, say UK MPs

A panel of U.K. lawmakers has described as “alarming” that social networking companies like Facebook, Twitter and Google's YouTube have teams of only a few hundred employees to monitor billions of accounts for extremist content.“These companies are hiding behind their supranational legal status to pass the parcel of responsibility and refusing to act responsibly in case they damage their brands,” said a report released early Thursday in the U.K. by the Home Affairs Committee appointed by the House of Commons.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Facebook, Google, Twitter lax on terrorists’ misuse of their sites, say UK MPs

A panel of U.K. lawmakers has described as “alarming” that social networking companies like Facebook, Twitter and Google's YouTube have teams of only a few hundred employees to monitor billions of accounts for extremist content.“These companies are hiding behind their supranational legal status to pass the parcel of responsibility and refusing to act responsibly in case they damage their brands,” said a report released early Thursday in the U.K. by the Home Affairs Committee appointed by the House of Commons.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Passwords stolen from Mail.Ru were old, the company says

The 25 million account passwords stolen from Mail.Ru in a recently discovered hack were old and invalid, the Russian internet company said Wednesday.“The security of our users wasn’t compromised in any way,” a Mail.Ru spokeswoman said in an interview.The hack targeted forums for game projects that the company has acquired over the years. These include subdomains at cfire.mail.ru, parapa.mail.ru and tanks.mail.ru. Hackers stole passwords of users who participated in the forums.However, the company said the stolen passwords were legacy data. None of them were related to current email accounts or other Mail.Ru services.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Passwords stolen from Mail.Ru were old, the company says

The 25 million account passwords stolen from Mail.Ru in a recently discovered hack were old and invalid, the Russian internet company said Wednesday.“The security of our users wasn’t compromised in any way,” a Mail.Ru spokeswoman said in an interview.The hack targeted forums for game projects that the company has acquired over the years. These include subdomains at cfire.mail.ru, parapa.mail.ru and tanks.mail.ru. Hackers stole passwords of users who participated in the forums.However, the company said the stolen passwords were legacy data. None of them were related to current email accounts or other Mail.Ru services.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Meet Me at VMworld 2016?

VMworld is upon us, and if you’ve been to the conference before you know it can sometimes be challenging to catch up with folks. (If this is your first time, now you know it can sometimes be challenging to catch up with folks.) This post is an effort to help make it a bit easier if you’re interested in meeting up with me at VMworld.

In years past, I published my schedule so that others could see what sessions I was attending, find times we could meet, etc. Now that I’m a VMware employee, registering for sessions is not permitted (customers first, as it should be!). However, it may still be helpful to show my schedule, so I’m listing it below. You can also view a read-only version of my calendar here.

Saturday, August 27, 2016

6:00 pm to sometime - vBeers at Ri Ra Irish Pub

Sunday, August 28, 2016

1:30 pm to 3:15 pm - VMworld TAM Day Ask the Experts
5:00 pm to 7:30 pm - Welcome reception in the Solutions Exchange
7:30 pm to sometime - VMUG member party

Monday, August 29, 2016

7:45 am - Prayer time (see here)
9:00 am to Continue reading

This Android botnet relies on Twitter for its commands

Twitter users aren’t the only ones checking the microblogging service for important updates. Android malware is starting to do so, too.One maker of Android malware is using Twitter to communicate with infected smartphones, according to security firm ESET.The company discovered the feature in a malicious app called Android/Twitoor. It runs as a backdoor virus that can secretly install other malware on a phone.Typically, the makers of Android malware control their infected smartphones from servers. Commands sent from those servers can create a botnet of compromised phones and tell the malware on all the phones what to do.The makers of Android/Twitoor decided to use Twitter instead of servers to communicate with the infected phones. The malware routinely checks certain Twitter accounts and reads the encrypted posts to get its operating commands.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

This Android botnet relies on Twitter for its commands

Twitter users aren’t the only ones checking the microblogging service for important updates. Android malware is starting to do so, too.One maker of Android malware is using Twitter to communicate with infected smartphones, according to security firm ESET.The company discovered the feature in a malicious app called Android/Twitoor. It runs as a backdoor virus that can secretly install other malware on a phone.Typically, the makers of Android malware control their infected smartphones from servers. Commands sent from those servers can create a botnet of compromised phones and tell the malware on all the phones what to do.The makers of Android/Twitoor decided to use Twitter instead of servers to communicate with the infected phones. The malware routinely checks certain Twitter accounts and reads the encrypted posts to get its operating commands.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Linux at 25: A retrospective

What a long, strange 25 years it’s beenImage by Reuters: USA Today Sports/Baz Ratner, WikimediaFrom its obscure origins to its present primacy, Linux is now old enough to rent a car without having to pay extra for insurance. It has also been described as the “the greatest shared technology asset in history,” and it’s the chassis upon which a sizeable proportion of all the software on the planet is built. Here’s a quick look back at Linux’s history.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Why are SD-WANs taking off? Because they are secure, affordable and easy to use

This vendor-written tech primer has been edited by Network World to eliminate product promotion, but readers should note it will likely favor the submitter’s approach.Software-defined Wide Area Networking is red hot.  It is safe to assume that, going forward, every multi-location business will rely on SD-WAN for a cost-effective, high-quality, unified network solution.In fact, IDC recently released a report predicting SD-WAN revenue will reach $6 billion in 2020. Why?  Because SD-WANs are secure, affordable and easy-to-use. Those three magic words are enough to turn any CEO’s head, and the benefits go well beyond that. SD-WANs address a confluence of issues that multi-location businesses are facing right now.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Why are SD-WANs taking off? Because they are secure, affordable and easy to use

This vendor-written tech primer has been edited by Network World to eliminate product promotion, but readers should note it will likely favor the submitter’s approach.Software-defined Wide Area Networking is red hot.  It is safe to assume that, going forward, every multi-location business will rely on SD-WAN for a cost-effective, high-quality, unified network solution.In fact, IDC recently released a report predicting SD-WAN revenue will reach $6 billion in 2020. Why?  Because SD-WANs are secure, affordable and easy-to-use. Those three magic words are enough to turn any CEO’s head, and the benefits go well beyond that. SD-WANs address a confluence of issues that multi-location businesses are facing right now.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Why are SD-WANs taking off? Because they are secure, affordable and easy to use

This vendor-written tech primer has been edited by Network World to eliminate product promotion, but readers should note it will likely favor the submitter’s approach.

Software-defined Wide Area Networking is red hot.  It is safe to assume that, going forward, every multi-location business will rely on SD-WAN for a cost-effective, high-quality, unified network solution.

In fact, IDC recently released a report predicting SD-WAN revenue will reach $6 billion in 2020. Why?  Because SD-WANs are secure, affordable and easy-to-use. Those three magic words are enough to turn any CEO’s head, and the benefits go well beyond that. SD-WANs address a confluence of issues that multi-location businesses are facing right now.

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

55% off Akface Smart Wifi Power Plug – Deal Alert

This smart plug from Akface allows you to remotely turn appliances and electronics on or off from anywhere in the world. Perfect for household appliances, lamps, window a/c units, and more. After connecting this plug to your house's wifi, you can easily control on/off, program the plug to follow an on/off schedule, and more. Currently averaging 4 out of 5 stars on Amazon (read reviews), the typical list price of $50.99 has been reduced 55% to $22.89. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

When your government hacks you

There was a time when Cisco routers were unstoppable, and their deviations into proprietary protocols and constructions were accepted because Cisco could do no wrong. They were the smartest kids in networking protocols.But there is a crack in their armor, a glitch in the Teflon. Cisco may not be the only networking infrastructure vendor to now face an attack ostensibly from their own government, just the largest.Just as the U.S. government has taken Huwaei to task for an accusation of hidden code benefiting the Chinese government, other governments across the planet now know that their Cisco infrastructure can be cracked open—and no, it’s not easy, and requires an additional step of having hacked in from some place else.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

When your government hacks you

There was a time when Cisco routers were unstoppable, and their deviations into proprietary protocols and constructions were accepted because Cisco could do no wrong. They were the smartest kids in networking protocols.But there is a crack in their armor, a glitch in the Teflon. Cisco may not be the only networking infrastructure vendor to now face an attack ostensibly from their own government, just the largest.Just as the U.S. government has taken Huwaei to task for an accusation of hidden code benefiting the Chinese government, other governments across the planet now know that their Cisco infrastructure can be cracked open—and no, it’s not easy, and requires an additional step of having hacked in from some place else.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Worth Reading: One old guy’s advice

Having grown in my career since college, I have learned many lessons. I started out in computers back in 1986, at the precipice of the “Clone” era. I cut my teeth and my hands by installing chips on memory cards and motherboards, replacing 5.25” floppy discs, and dealing with the jumble of cables on Dual 5MB Winchester hard drives that cost and weighed an arm and a leg. —virtually tied to my desktop

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