Because dossiers

Here's the thing about computers -- even your laptop can support "big-data" applications. There are only 300-million people in the united states. At  1-kilobyte per person, that's still only 300-gigabytes -- which fits on my laptop hard-drive.

Building dossiers is becoming a thing in the hacking underground. Every time they break into a retail chain, hospital, insurance company, or government agency, they correlate everything back to the same dossier, based on such things as social security numbers, credit card numbers, email addresses, and even IP addresses. Beyond hacked secrets, public sources of information are likewise scanned in order to add to the dossier. Tools such as Maltego make it surprisingly easy to combine your own private information with public sources in order to build such dossiers.

When even the small hacking groups are focused on this effort, you can bet the big guys like China and Russia are even more interested in this.

This is one explanation behind the OPM hack. The hackers may have had something specific in mind, such as getting the personal information from SF86 forms where those seeking clearance are forced to disclose their various addictions and perversions. It may be used to blackmail people -- Continue reading

Etsy dips toes into crowdfunding

Etsy is trying out a Kickstarter-like crowdfunding service that, if successful, could help the company grow its business by expanding the number and type of items available for sale on its site.Fund on Etsy, announced Tuesday, comes as Etsy faces pressure to deliver returns to shareholders as a publicly traded company. Etsy’s stock began trading on the NASDAQ exchange in April, but the company has yet to report a profit.The company grew its revenue by 56 percent last year to US$196 million, but it lost more than $15 million. In this year’s first quarter, it grew its revenue 44 percent year-on-year to more than $58 million, but it had a net loss of nearly $37 million.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Wi-Fi and LTE join up for gigabit mobile service in Korea

What happens if you combine the best of Wi-Fi and cellular networks? In South Korea, consumers get gigabit-speed service to their phones.Samsung Electronics and mobile operator KT have developed a hybrid technology called GiGA LTE that can bring LTE and Wi-Fi signals together for download speeds as high as 1.17Gbps (bits per second), according to The Korea Herald. GiGA LTE is available now with a firmware upgrade to Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge handsets.Wi-Fi and LTE are becoming wary neighbors as cellular operators look for more spectrum and all types of wireless networks face growing user demands. Carriers are looking into LTE-Unlicensed, which can transmit LTE signals in the same band with Wi-Fi, and Qualcomm is now exploring a technology that would let more types of operators set up those networks. Some Wi-Fi backers say LTE-Unlicensed could squeeze out wireless LAN users.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Lawmakers worry US OPM breaches endanger national security

Two recently disclosed data breaches at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) could endanger national security and the lives of federal workers in intelligence or other sensitive jobs, according to some lawmakers.One of the attacks compromised a database containing files of U.S. government workers and job applicants who filled out applications for security clearances, and other governments could use those files to identify federal employees in sensitive positions, members of the U.S. House of Representatives Oversight and Government Reform Committee said during a hearing Tuesday.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Dropbox for Business to get mobile management boost

Security remains a big concern for businesses considering cloud storage, but Dropbox hopes to further calm their fears by integrating its service with enterprise mobile management products.Dropbox for Business users will get the new EMM capability via upcoming applications from partners including AirWatch and MobileIron, resulting in safer mobile device access, Dropbox said Tuesday.EMM will be enabled through the Dropbox for Business API, launched late last year to help companies integrate the cloud storage service into their core IT processes. Dropbox has since expanded the API access with features such as tools for managing groups and shared folders.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Dropbox for Business to get mobile management boost

Security remains a big concern for businesses considering cloud storage, but Dropbox hopes to further calm their fears by integrating its service with enterprise mobile management products.Dropbox for Business users will get the new EMM capability via upcoming applications from partners including AirWatch and MobileIron, resulting in safer mobile device access, Dropbox said Tuesday.EMM will be enabled through the Dropbox for Business API, launched late last year to help companies integrate the cloud storage service into their core IT processes. Dropbox has since expanded the API access with features such as tools for managing groups and shared folders.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Twitter adds autoplaying videos

Twitter has moved well beyond its foundation of 140-character messages. The site will now host videos that play automatically in users’ feeds.Advertisers’ videos and those uploaded to Twitter natively, for example through its new video recording tool, will play automatically on the company’s desktop site and in its iOS app, with Android functionality coming soon, the company said Tuesday.The changes also apply to videos recorded with Twitter’s Vine app, and GIFs.Autoplaying videos, though possibly annoying, will help Twitter compete against Facebook, which started placing autoplaying videos, including those from advertisers, in users’ feeds in 2013. Twitter makes the bulk of its money through advertising, and more Internet companies are looking to siphon video advertising dollars away from traditional TV.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

FBI investigates St Louis Cardinals over Houston Astros hacking

Federal law enforcement officers are investigating whether the St. Louis Cardinals, one of the biggest teams in U.S. Major League Baseball, sought to gain advantage over rival Houston Astros by hacking into its computer network and accessing a key database.If the hacking is confirmed, would be the first known example of a major U.S. professional sports team hacking into the systems of a rival.The investigation centers on the baseball operations database which is said to contain statistics, video and other vital information about players.The federal investigation was confirmed by both Major League Baseball and the St. Louis Cardinals in brief statements.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

From doughnuts to Dressgate: How real-time marketing helps brands stay relevant

It would have been easy enough for Dunkin’ Donuts to dismiss the Internet phenomenon “Dressgate” as irrelevant to its brand. What, after all, could an online debate over optical illusions and the color of a dress possibly have to do with pastry and coffee?Turns out, plenty. In a shining example of real-time marketing done right, Dunkin’ Donuts quickly identified the viral trend and rapidly conceived and executed a relevant promotion to insert its brand into the conversation. On the morning of Feb. 27—just hours after the phenomenon erupted—the company tweeted an image of a black-and-blue frosted doughnut alongside a white-and-gold one. “Doesn’t matter if it’s blue/black or white/gold, they still taste delicious,” read the accompanying text.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

VMware’s Identity Manager offers authentication for Web, native apps

VMware is hoping to convince CIOs to centralize single sign-on access to all kinds of apps with Identity Manager, which can run in the cloud or on-site and also offers application provisioning and a self-service catalog.For better or worse, the switch to cloud-based services on a larger scale and the introduction of bring-your-own devices is forcing enterprises to rethink most aspects of how IT is run. Part of that change is how users are authenticated and given access to applications.The transformation from a client-server, perimeter-based infrastructure to a cloud-based model requires taking on systems outside of the firewall, according to VMware. To help tackle this, the company has launched Identity Manager. Enterprises can choose between an on-site version of the software or a cloud-based service hosted on vCloud Air. The initial launch uses U.S. data centers, but hosting in European and Asia Pacific regions will be offered from the third quarter.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

PQ Show 52 – Using Ostinato To Craft Your Own Packets

If software developers and network driver writers can make their own packets, can’t you? Ah, right...you’re not a developer. Your coding-fu is weak, as is mine. Still, there’s hope for us in an open source tool called Ostinato. Ostinato calls itself “Wireshark in reverse.” With Ostinato, you can make your own packets, custom crafting them any way you like. Today on the Packet Pushers Priority Queue, we’re talking with one of the Ostinato creators, Srivats P.

The post PQ Show 52 – Using Ostinato To Craft Your Own Packets appeared first on Packet Pushers.

Russ White – Orhan Ergun CCDE Practical Exam Scenario

I am glad to announce that Russ White and I have been preparing a CCDE Practical Exam ( Lab Exam ) Scenario. This is the most realistic scenario available anywhere.Because it is not just prepared by a CCDE but one of the founder of the exam involved. Disclosure : This is not asked in the CCDE… Read More »

The post Russ White – Orhan Ergun CCDE Practical Exam Scenario appeared first on Network Design and Architecture.

Tech Media Watch: HBO’s “Silicon Valley” set to wrap 2nd season – it won’t be “Game Of Thrones”-esque but it’ll do

The far-and-away best satire of the technology industry on TV airs the last episode of its second season Sunday night, and you really should be watching. Silicon Valley has continued to bring the funny throughout the second set of episodes, and the finale looks like it’s leading up to a fairly insane climax.The first season ended on what was easily the strongest episode of the series so far, as the team won TechCrunch Disrupt thanks to a flash of genius inspired by what can only be described as a very clever, in-depth and witty joke having to do with an important part of the male anatomy. As good as the second season has been, its finale has a lot to live up to, if it’s going to be considered as good as the first.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

PQ Show 52 – Using Ostinato To Craft Your Own Packets

If software developers and network driver writers can make their own packets, can’t you? Ah, right...you’re not a developer. Your coding-fu is weak, as is mine. Still, there’s hope for us in an open source tool called Ostinato. Ostinato calls itself “Wireshark in reverse.” With Ostinato, you can make your own packets, custom crafting them any way you like. Today on the Packet Pushers Priority Queue, we’re talking with one of the Ostinato creators, Srivats P.

Author information

Ethan Banks

Co-host at Packet Pushers

Ethan Banks, CCIE #20655, has been managing networks for higher ed, government, financials and high tech since 1995. Ethan co-hosts the Packet Pushers Podcast, which has seen over 3M downloads and reaches over 10K listeners. With whatever time is left, Ethan writes for fun & profit, studies for certifications, and enjoys science fiction. @ecbanks
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The post PQ Show 52 – Using Ostinato To Craft Your Own Packets appeared first on Packet Pushers Podcast and was written by Ethan Banks.

Worth Reading: SD-WAN and Per Application Routing

SD-WAN Gives Us The Best Path We Always Wanted

Of course, routing on a per application (or a per packet) basis provides more optimization, but it also adds more state in the control plane, and it increases the speed at which that state changes. In my forthcoming book on network complexity, I’m going to work around a model of state/speed/surface, with a side of optimization, to gain an understanding of network complexity and how to manage it.

The post Worth Reading: SD-WAN and Per Application Routing appeared first on 'net work.

How to receive a million packets per second

Last week during a casual conversation I overheard a colleague saying: "The Linux network stack is slow! You can't expect it to do more than 50 thousand packets per second per core!"

That got me thinking. While I agree that 50kpps per core is probably the limit for any practical application, what is the Linux networking stack capable of? Let's rephrase that to make it more fun:

On Linux, how hard is it to write a program that receives 1 million UDP packets per second?

Hopefully, answering this question will be a good lesson about the design of a modern networking stack.

CC BY-SA 2.0 image by Bob McCaffrey

First, let us assume:

  • Measuring packets per second (pps) is much more interesting than measuring bytes per second (Bps). You can achieve high Bps by better pipelining and sending longer packets. Improving pps is much harder.

  • Since we're interested in pps, our experiments will use short UDP messages. To be precise: 32 bytes of UDP payload. That means 74 bytes on the Ethernet layer.

  • For the experiments we will use two physical servers: "receiver" and "sender".

  • They both have two six core 2GHz Xeon processors. With hyperthreading (HT) enabled Continue reading

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