Next-generation endpoint protection not as easy as it sounds

Rather than looking for signatures of known malware as traditional anti-virus software does, next-generation endpoint protection platforms analyze processes, changes and connections in order to spot activity that indicates foul play and while that approach is better at catching zero-day exploits, issues remain.For instance, intelligence about what devices are doing can be gathered with or without client software. So businesses are faced with the choice of either going without a client and gathering less detailed threat information or collecting a wealth of detail but facing the deployment, management and updating issues that comes with installing agents.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Microsoft issues critical out-of-band patch for flaw affecting all Windows versions

Happy Monday, IT folks. Ready to patch and then restart your machines? I hope so as Microsoft released an out-of-band patch for a remote, critical flaw in the way Windows Adobe Type Manager Library handles OpenType fonts; all supported versions of Windows are affected. It's being exploited in the wild and Microsoft admitted some of its customers could be attacked. It's not every day Microsoft releases an out-of-band patch, so when it does so instead of deploying the fix on Patch Tuesday, then it means patch now.This morning Microsoft Premier Support customers received notification that Microsoft would release an out-of-band patch for a critical remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability that affects all versions of Windows. There was no more information, other than that a reboot would be required after the patch was installed. Everyone else was notified when Microsoft made the out-of-band patch announcement at 10 am PST.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Security suites: Choosing the best one for you

The old days of straightforward antivirus software packages are gone -- victim of a changing threat scene in which the dangers are more complex than ever and come from multiple sources. No longer are viruses and Trojans the only risks. Today you can also be victimized by phishing attacks, spyware, privacy invasions, social media scams and the possibility of losing your mobile device. To complicate matters even further, most of us commonly use multiple devices, frequently with different operating systems. I'm a perfect case of that: My computing arsenal includes a Windows desktop PC, a MacBook Air, two Windows-based Surface tablets, two iPads, an iPhone and a Google Nexus 7 Android tablet.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Review: McAfee LiveSafe offers top Windows, Android protection

McAfee LiveSafe is the best product in McAfee's sizable security portfolio. Its suite offers protection for an unlimited number of Windows PCs, Macs and Android and iOS devices, along with a Web dashboard. There's 1TB of cloud-based storage as well. The whole thing is available for $60 per year.Windows McAfee gives you a solid complement of protection tools for your PC that includes virus and spyware protection, Web and email protection, and parental controls. Also included is a suite of not overly impressive tune-up tools. The interface is straightforward, with big icons representing each of its modules. I found the design to be clear and simple, letting me easily drill down to customize any feature. Modules include Virus and Spyware Protection, Web and Email Protection, Data Protection, PC and Home Network Tools, and Parental Controls. There are also icons that you can click to update the software or see the status of your subscription.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Link Aggregation on HP Moonshot – A Neat Trick

The Broadcom switching OS running on HP's Moonshot 45G and 180G switches can do a neat trick1 that I haven't seen on other platforms.

Background: LACP-Individual
The trick revolves around interfaces that are sometimes aggregated, and sometimes run as individuals. Lots of platforms don't support this behavior. On those platforms, if an interface is configured to attempt aggregation but doesn't receive LACP PDUs, the interface won't forward traffic at all. Less broken platforms make this behavior configurable or have some goofy in-between mode which allows one member of the aggregation to forward traffic.

If the Moonshot were saddled with one of these broken2 switching OSes, we'd be in a real pickle: Moonshot cartridges (my m300s, anyway) require PXE in order to become operational, and PXE runs in the option ROM of an individual network interface. Even if that interface could form an one-member aggregation, it wouldn't be able to coordinate its operation with the other interface, and neither of their LACP speaker IDs would match the one chosen by the operating system that eventually gets loaded.

I suppose we could change the switch configuration: Add and remove individual interfaces from aggregations depending on the mode required by the Continue reading

Explaining the Pervasive Kludgeitis

I found a great explanation for hodgepodge of kludges found in "organically grown" solutions (legacy precursors to SD-WAN come to mind):

In a long-lived project, components are being replaced. Nice reusable components are easy to replace and so they are. Ugly non-reusable components are pain to replace and each replacement means both a considerable risk and considerable cost. Thus, more often then not, they are not replaced. As the years go by, reusable components pass away and only the hairy ones remain. In the end the project turns into a monolithic cluster of ugly components melted one into another.

Note: You really should read the whole blog post.

Cyberspies love exploits from Hacking Team leak

The leaked files from surveillance software maker Hacking Team have proven to be a great resource for cyberespionage groups, which have used at least two Flash Player exploits from the company’s arsenal.Last Tuesday, security researchers from security firm FireEye detected targeted attacks against organizations in Japan, with the attackers using an exploit for CVE-2015-5122, a Flash Player vulnerability patched by Adobe Systems that same day.The vulnerability was publicly known before that date because an exploit for it was found in the 400GB data cache recently leaked by a hacker from Milan-based Hacking Team.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

When stolen data can ‘phone home’

Tracking devices is nothing new. In the auto industry, multiple vendors compete to convince drivers to install the devices in their cars, promising that if it gets stolen, the cops will know right where to find it. In law enforcement, criminals on probation sometimes are required to wear an ankle bracelet that does the same thing – tells authorities exactly where they are. It is also possible to do that with data. Digital watermarking can track where it is being viewed or downloaded, and also identify the IP address and the type of device doing it. It is not in widespread use, according to experts, and could in some cases have privacy implications, but its advocates say while it doesn’t prevent a data breach, it can let an organization that has been breached know about it almost immediately, instead of months later.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

On being different

The METNAV shop at McGuire AFB was hard to miss, if you could get into the right area, and you know what you were looking for. Out across the flightline, across the old 18 runway, and across a winding series of roads, a small squat building sat — no antennas or other identifying marks. Just plain, white, one story, with a small parking lot and a few trucks, either camouflaged or USAF blue. Driving into the parking lot, you’d find an odd collection of vehicles, but many of us drove 4wd’s of some sort. A good number of the pieces of equipment we worked on were only reachable through off road routes. If you owned a 4wd vehicle, the fateful pager call at 2am didn’t require a trip to the shop, across the flight line, old runways, and in the winter piles of snow pushed up against the sides of the airplane routes, to get a truck usable to reach the failed piece of equipment.

In the line of cars, you would see one that was, well, different. This particular car was, in fact, the subject of a number of discussions in the shop — you’d almost think our little Continue reading

The Upload: Your tech news briefing for Monday, July 20

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S2 is thinnest and lightest yetSamsung said Monday that its new Android tablets go on sale next month and the lighter, trimmed down products will offer consumers an alternative to Apple’s iPad Air 2. There are 9.7-inch and 8-inch models with a 2048 by 1536 pixel Super AMOLED screen; both come with a fingerprint scanner, along with Samsung’s eight-core chip, which has two quad-core processors, one running at 1.9GHz, the other at 1.3 GHz.Some drones deliver medicine, others interfere with firefightersTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

knowing stuff

Knowing Stuff. I have to admit, this second post is not as technical as I would prefer, but something that is on my mind a lot. How do we know what we know. How do we constantly work on what is as essential to us as air. Is it the same for everyone, or is […]

Author information

Doug Sheehan

Doug Sheehan has been an IT/Network Tech for what seems like a long time. Most of his career has been directly or indirectly connecting to routers and switches. His work in Alaska focused on layer2/layer 3 connections over satellites, since there are still no roads to most places. He now works on automation networks on the little island off the big island, where he lives with his beautiful wife and two dogs.
Having overslept the three years to update his CCNA, He now finds himself beginning the certification journey again from the start. He also has unrealized potential in programming and BSD.
His website is at dougsheehan.com

The post knowing stuff appeared first on Packet Pushers Podcast and was written by Doug Sheehan.

New products of the week 07.20.2015

New products of the weekOur roundup of intriguing new products. Read how to submit an entry to Network World's products of the week slideshow.Proficio ProSOC ExpressKey features: ProSOC Express provides SMBs with 24x7 enterprise-class security monitoring and alerting services. Offered as a highly affordable SaaS subscription service, it includes the same advanced SIEM technology and 24x7 expert monitoring that Proficio provides to its enterprise customers. More info.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

New products of the week 07.20.2015

New products of the weekOur roundup of intriguing new products. Read how to submit an entry to Network World's products of the week slideshow.Proficio ProSOC ExpressKey features: ProSOC Express provides SMBs with 24x7 enterprise-class security monitoring and alerting services. Offered as a highly affordable SaaS subscription service, it includes the same advanced SIEM technology and 24x7 expert monitoring that Proficio provides to its enterprise customers. More info.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Review: Best tools for email encryption

Email encryptionRecipients of encrypted emails once had to share the same system as the sender. Today, products have a “zero knowledge encryption” feature, which means you can send an encrypted message to someone who isn’t on your chosen encryption service. Today’s products make sending and receiving messages easier, with advances like an Outlook or browser plug-in that gives you nearly one-button encryption. And the products we reviewed have features like setting expiration dates, being able to revoke unread messages or prevent them from being forwarded. (Read the full review.)To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Best tools for email encryption

Email encryptionRecipients of encrypted emails once had to share the same system as the sender. Today, products have a “zero knowledge encryption” feature, which means you can send an encrypted message to someone who isn’t on your chosen encryption service. Today’s products make sending and receiving messages easier, with advances like an Outlook or browser plug-in that gives you nearly one-button encryption. And the products we reviewed have features like setting expiration dates, being able to revoke unread messages or prevent them from being forwarded. (Read the full review.)To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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