Cerber ransomware sold as a service, speaks to victims

A new file-encrypting ransomware program called Cerber has taken creepiness for victims, but also affordability for criminals, to a new level.In terms of functionality Cerber is not very different than other ransomware threats. It encrypts files with the strong AES-256 algorithm and targets dozens of file types, including documents, pictures, audio files, videos, archives and backups.The program encrypts file contents and file names and changes the original extensions to .cerber. It can also scan for and encrypt available network shares even if they are not mapped to a drive letter in the computer.Once the encryption process is done, Cerber will drop three files on the victim's desktop named "# DECRYPT MY FILES #." They contain the ransom demand and instructions on how to pay it. One of those files is in TXT format, one is HTML and the third contains a VBS (Visual Basic Scripting).To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

UN human rights chief warns of worldwide privacy implications of Apple-FBI case

A ruling ordering Apple to help the FBI access the iPhone of San Bernardino mass shooter Syed Rizwan Farook could make it impossible for the company or any other major international IT vendor to safeguard users' privacy anywhere in the world, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said Friday.A decision against Apple would be "potentially a gift to authoritarian regimes, as well as to criminal hackers,” Zeid said. Authorities in other countries have already made efforts to force IT and communications companies such as Google and BlackBerry to expose their customers to mass surveillance, he added.Zeid's statement is a shot in the arm for Apple's appeal in the case. A magistrate judge in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Eastern Division, has ordered Apple to provide technical assistance, including possibly signed software, to help the FBI use brute force to crack the passcode of the iPhone 5c used by Farook  in the San Bernardino, California, attack on Dec. 2, without triggering an auto-erase feature.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Ansible Network Technology Preview

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One of the greatest strengths of Ansible is the tremendous community of individuals that have risen to the challenge of building Ansible into the top automation platform available. It is that community that has driven Ansible to focus on innovative solutions that are guided by simplicity. The community that makes Ansible great has pushed to expand the capabilities of Ansible even further to encompass more platforms and technologies that comprise today’s most complex IT infrastructures.

In response to the many asks from the Ansible community and enterprise customers, we are pleased to introduce Ansible network technology preview, which is available immediately. The Ansible network technology preview is built on the success of Ansible 2.0, and provides newly developed integrations for working with network devices. Developed in partnership with network vendors and the Ansible community, support for networking devices gives the Ansible community the opportunity to extend full stack automation efforts to include network devices as well.

Capabilities

Ansible’s network support augments, rather than replaces, network operations team capabilities. The network modules focus on three key areas where automation can revolutionize how organizations work with their network gear:

  • Configuration Management

  • Test-Driven Networking

  • Continuous Compliance

Background

We built a set of Continue reading

Response: Cisco vs Arista Update on Protecting Innovation

I almost missed this in the barrage of announcements form Cisco during its Partner Conference this week. Why didn’t they announce these strategies and products at the Cisco Live customer event last week in Berlin ? Is this a sign that Cisco resellers partners are getting rebellious ? It details some of Cisco’s favourite parts of […]

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Biological supercomputer uses the ‘juice of life’

Using nanotechnology, proteins and a chemical that powers cells in everything from trees to people, researchers have built a biological supercomputer.The supercomputer, which is the size of a book, uses much less energy, so it runs cooler and more efficiently, according to scientists at McGill University, where the lead researchers on the project work."We've managed to create a very complex network in a very small area," said Dan Nicolau Sr., chairman of the Department of Bioengineering at McGill. "This started as a back-of-an-envelope idea, after too much rum I think, with drawings of what looked like small worms exploring mazes."To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Efficiency vs Effectiveness

I’ve been wondering about how we’re approaching networking change. We know we need to make things better. Are we changing the ‘right’ things? I’ve got a feeling that we’re not, but I suspect that we’re too constrained by higher-order systems.

Simon Wardley wrote a great post on Efficiency vs Effectiveness. He gave a slightly contrived example of an organisation that is optimising the wrong thing. They plan on using robotics to automate server modifications to fit their custom racks. The problem is that they miss the point altogether. Yes, they’re optimising their flow. But they should ask: Is this the right flow?

Cheques: Apparently people still use them?

Recently I came across the “Wells Fargo Mobile Deposit” application. It sounds good – a faster way to deposit cheques(checks):

Mobile Deposit is secure, easy to use, and convenient.

  • Deposit checks directly into your eligible account using your Android or Apple® mobile device or your Windows Phone.
  • Take photos of the front and back of your check and submit. It’s that easy.
  • Get confirmation on your device and by email for each successful deposit.
  • Save time with fewer trips to an ATM or store.

Except…did anyone tell them that cheques Continue reading

San Bernardino prosecutor raises concerns about ‘cyber pathogen’ in terrorist’s iPhone

The district attorney of San Bernardino County, Michael Ramos, has raised concerns about the possibility of a 'dormant cyber pathogen’ in the iPhone 5c used by a terrorist in attacks in the county on Dec. 2.Security experts are questioning whether such a thing as a cyber pathogen at all exists.The submission was made in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Eastern Division, which recently ordered Apple to help the FBI unlock by brute force the iPhone used by terrorist Syed Rizwan Farook. Apple has refused to help the FBI and raised privacy and security issues.The iPhone, owned by the San Bernardino county, may have connected to the county computer network, and “may contain evidence that can only be found on the seized phone that it was used as a weapon to introduce a lying dormant cyber pathogen that endangers San Bernardino County’s infrastructure," according to the court filing.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Amazon disabled encryption on its tablets and phones because nobody used it

Amazon caught flack on Wednesday for disabling the encryption capabilities of its Fire phones and tablets with a software update. The company says its reasoning was simple: people didn't use it."In the fall when we released Fire OS 5, we removed some enterprise features that we found customers weren’t using," Amazon spokeswoman Robin Handaly wrote in an email.Those "enterprise features" included one that allowed users to encrypt their entire device with a PIN that would erase all their data if not entered correctly 30 times in a row. The issue surfaced recently because Amazon just allowed older tablets -- the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 and the Fire HD 6/7 -- to upgrade from Fire OS 4, the previous version of the company's Android fork. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

US Marshals warn of ongoing nationwide telephone scam

Criminals continue to work the phones in nefarious ways – this time they are claiming to be US Marshals threatening arrest and fines for failing to report for jury duty.The US Marshals warned of the scam and said the fraudsters try to appear more credible, offering information like badge numbers and the names of actual federal judges and courthouse addresses.Victims have been told they can avoid arrest by paying a fine using a reloadable credit card, and were urged to call a number and provide their own credit card number to initiate the process, the law enforcement agency stated.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Entropy, vacuums, and visibility…

In the vacuum of two network engineers arguing, there are non-existent ideal situations where networks are built, grow or shrink congruently, and never have bugs.  In perpetuity.  Forever and ever.  Amen. The Forces of Evil From the moment we conceive of a network and through the end of its life, there are numerous competing forces […]

The post Entropy, vacuums, and visibility… appeared first on Packet Pushers.

Entropy, vacuums, and visibility…

In the vacuum of two network engineers arguing, there are non-existent ideal situations where networks are built, grow or shrink congruently, and never have bugs.  In perpetuity.  Forever and ever.  Amen. The Forces of Evil From the moment we conceive of a network and through the end of it’s life, there are numerous competing forces […]

The post Entropy, vacuums, and visibility… appeared first on Packet Pushers.

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