Starting a Blog on Open Software/Hardware + Networking

Today I’m jumping into water to start writing about some area where I have some half-decent background: the intersection of Open Software/Hardware and Networking.

Why?

You see, I’m a software guy. The pragmatical Linux/OpenSource fanboy kind. What that means? I have a formal degree on Computer Science, and wrote Linux drivers and software for embedded systems for 8 years. But I’m also a pragmatical guy: I know how to write kernel drivers, but I use a Mac laptop every day because I like things to work. For the last 4 years I have been learning a big from networking at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, where I have worked on networking (SDN, ASICs), and more recently on the OpenSwitch project.

Worth Reading: The FCC’s subtractive privacy rules

Less is not more. That’s real “common sense.” When one’s actions demonstrably create a worse rather than better outcome net-net, like the FCC’s new Title II ISP privacy policy does, others would justifiably consider it a mistake. While the FCC obviously complied with President Obama’s call for regulating broadband as a Title II utility, the FCC obviously ignored President Obama’s 2011 call for a 21st century regulatory system, where he said we are “making it our mission to root out regulations that conflict, that are not worth the cost, or are just plain dumb.” -via Somewhat Reasonable

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What People Get Wrong About Microsoft SONiC

Howdy. In my previous post, I mentioned doing a deep dive of SONiC, the recent software release from Microsoft. So without further delay, Software for Open Networking in the Cloud, or SONiC. What It Ain’t I’m sure y’all might have read this FAQ, but just in case, I’ll hit the main points: SONiC is not […]

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What People Get Wrong About Microsoft SONiC

Howdy. In my previous post, I mentioned doing a deep dive of SONiC, the recent software release from Microsoft. So without further delay, Software for Open Networking in the Cloud, or SONiC. What It Ain’t I’m sure y’all might have read this FAQ, but just in case, I’ll hit the main points: SONiC is not […]

The post What People Get Wrong About Microsoft SONiC appeared first on Packet Pushers.

FBI grows “Cyber Most Wanted” list with Syrian Electronic Army members

The FBI today added two members of a Syrian hacker group to its Cyber Most Wanted list offering a reward of up to $100,000 each for information that leads to their arrest.+More on Network World: The FBI this week warned carmakers and owners that they need to pay much closer attention to automotive cybersecurity+According to the FBI, the new cybercriminals Amad Umar Agha22, known online as “The Pro,” and Firas Dardar,27, known online as “The Shadow,” engaged in a multi-year conspiracy that began in 2011 to collect usernames and passwords that gave them the ability to deface websites, redirect domains to sites controlled by the conspirators, steal e-mail, and hijack social media accounts. To obtain the login information they spear-phishing, where they tricked people who had privileged access to their organizations’ websites and social media channels into volunteering sensitive information by posing as a legitimate entity.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Kelly Ahuja Will Be the Latest to Leave the Cisco Management Team

Yvette Kanouff takes the service provider group amid a reportedly huge Cisco reorg.

How To Get The Most Out Of Interop

Interop is one of the few remaining independent tech conferences, which makes it a unique opportunity for IT professionals to get training, education, and insights that aren’t driven by a vendor’s agenda. The conference stretches over five days, you’ll want to plan ahead because there’s so much to choose from, including multi-day workshops, individual sessions, […]

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How To Get The Most Out Of Interop

Interop is one of the few remaining independent tech conferences, which makes it a unique opportunity for IT professionals to get training, education, and insights that aren’t driven by a vendor’s agenda. The conference stretches over five days, you’ll want to plan ahead because there’s so much to choose from, including multi-day workshops, individual sessions, […]

The post How To Get The Most Out Of Interop appeared first on Packet Pushers.

Apple patches 56 vulnerabilities in OS X El Capitan, improves Live Photo sharing

Apple yesterday updated OS X El Capitan, patching a slew of security vulnerabilities, fixing other non-security bugs, and adding capabilities to some first-party apps.The Cupertino, Calif. company also issued less sweeping updates -- composed only of vulnerability fixes -- to OS X Yosemite and OS X Mavericks, the 2014 and 2013 editions, respectively.OS X 10.11.4, the fourth update to El Capitan since its September debut, addressed 56 vulnerabilities. Twenty-three applied to OS X Yosemite and 22 to Mavericks.+ MORE APPLE: Apple's latest announcements +To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Facebook engages Safety Check after Brussels attacks

Facebook activated its Safety Check service Tuesday for users living near Brussels after a series of terrorist attacks killed at least 34 people and wounded 200.Two explosions – one reportedly set off by a suicide bomber -- rocked the Belgian capital’s international airport, and a third detonated at a subway station.+ MORE: Paris terrorists resorted to using burner phones, not encryption, to avoid detection +To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: Want faster systems? Grow a laser on the chip

One of the things that has always been a bottleneck in electronics has been getting the data in and out of the chip. The silicon semiconductor, within itself, communicates faster than it does with the surrounding system.That may be about to change, though. A laser incorporated onto the semiconductor could be the answer to solving the slowdown, think scientists. And they now believe they know how to do it: Simply grow the laser straight onto the silicon.Faster-than-ever-before communications could be possible with the technique, think the scientists.In the same way that light, delivered by fiber optic, sends data faster than electrons do along a copper wire, the light via laser system would get the ones and zeroes out of the chip quicker and into the surrounding electronics faster. Wires could become obsolete.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

US will still push for encryption workarounds, even though iPhone hearing was postponed

Don't expect the U.S. government to back off its push for technology vendors to build encryption workarounds into their products, even though the FBI acknowledged it may have a way to crack into an iPhone used in the San Bernardino, California, mass shooting case.Some lawmakers and President Barack Obama's administration will continue to look for ways to compel tech vendors to help law enforcement agencies defeat encryption and other security controls on smartphones and other devices, security and legal experts said.Even if the FBI can break into the iPhone used by San Bernardino mass shooter Syed Rizwan Farook, it doesn't significantly change the larger discussion about encryption, said Ed Black, president and CEO of trade group the Computer and Communications Industry Association. "There is an ongoing effort by our government and every government around the world ... to want more information."To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

New Cisco Hyperflex Accelerates Hyperconverged Infrastructure

Cisco’s newly released HyperFlex extends Cisco’s strategy of software-defined, policy-driven infrastructure to hyperconvergence to overcome the limitations of early hyperconverged infrastructure solutions.

Let’s hope the FBI really can crack the terrorist’s iPhone

It’s good if the FBI has found a way to crack into the iPhone used by the San Bernardino terrorist for two reasons.First, the FBI can find out what’s on it. Maybe it’s important to the investigation of the shootings and maybe it’s not, but cracking the phone is the only way to find out.And second, it’s giving Apple (and the tech industry in general), the FBI (and law enforcement in general), and Congress the breathing room to sort out the issues rationally.The latter is the more important of the two. Yes, it’s important to wring every bit of evidence out of the terrorism investigation, but it’s one incident. The course being set by the lawsuit between the FBI and Apple could have legal implications far beyond the one case.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Worth Reading: iSDX

Today, we are excited to announce, in partnership with the Open Networking Foundation and Open Source SDN, the official launch of iSDX — open-source controller software for an industrial-scale Software-Defined Internet exchange point. iSDX allows independently operated networks to interconnect and exchange traffic in completely new ways. This software, which we’ve been developing for nearly three years, now finally operates at the scale of the world’s largest IXPs and interoperates with SDN-capable hardware switches, opening up new possibilities for interdomain business relationships and traffic exchange. -via Circle ID

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Should We Stop Encryption? Can We?

It’s not like they’re asking for a back door for every device.
If the world goes dark through encryption, we’ll be back to the wild west!
After all, if it were your daughter who had been killed in a terrorist attack, you’d want the government to get to that information, too.

While sitting on a panel this last week, I heard all three reactions to the Apple versus FBI case. But none of these reactions ring true to me.

Let’s take the first one: no, they’re not asking for a back door for every device. Under the time tested balance between privacy and government power, the specific point is that people have a reasonable expectation of privacy until they come under suspicion of wrongdoing. However, it’s very difficult to trust that, in the current environment, that such power, once granted, won’t be broadened to every case, all the time. The division between privacy and justice before the law was supposed to be at the point of suspicion. That wall, however, has already been breached, so the argument now moves to “what information should the government be able to trawl through in order to find crimes?” They are asking for Continue reading

Paris terrorists resorted to using burner phones, not encryption, to avoid detection

Oh the Paris terrorists must have used encryption to evade detection we’ve heard again and again since the attacks; come to find out, the attackers resorted to using burner phones.Having gotten its hands on a 55-page report prepared by French police and given to France’s Interior Ministry, The New York Times reported that disposable phones played a big part in how the Paris terrorist avoided detection. “They used only new phones that they would then discard, including several activated minutes before the attacks, or phones seized from their victims.”To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IRS: Top 10 2015 identity theft busts

The IRS faces an uphill battle in fighting identity theft, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t trying. In fiscal year 2015, the IRS said it started 776 identity theft related investigations, which resulted in 774 sentencings through its Criminal Investigation enforcement efforts. The courts continue to impose significant jail time with the average penalty in 2015 at 38 months in jail— the longest sentencing being over 27 years.+More on Network World: IRS Scam: 5,000 victims cheated out of $26.5 million since 2013+To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Chuck Robbins rewires Cisco

When Chuck Robbins took over the CEO position at Cisco from the popular and iconic John Chambers there was a tremendous amount of speculation as to whether Robbins would just continue the path that Chambers was going or would he run Cisco his way. After less than a year, Robbins is coming out of Chambers shadow much the same way Steve Young did when he took over the QB position in the post Joe Montana era. This week Robbins restructured Cisco’s enormous engineering unit to better align with market trends. In an email to the company Robbins outlined his plan to create four engineering groups. Bob Brown covered the basic structure of the reorganization in this post, but I’ll go into a bit more detail.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: Hundreds of cloud apps still vulnerable to DROWN

If you have even a passing interest in security vulnerabilities, there’s no chance that you missed the news about the DROWN vulnerability. It’s one of the biggest vulnerabilities to hit since Heartbleed, potentially impacting a third of all HTTPS websites. By exploiting the obsolete SSLv2 protocol, this flaw makes it possible for an attacker to eavesdrop on a TLS session.Because we use SSL and TLS encryption to shop, send messages, and send emails online, DROWN potentially allows attackers to access our messages, passwords, credit card details, and other sensitive data.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here