Ultron didn’t save the world

The movie Avengers: Age of Ultron has a message for us in cybersec: In our desire to save the world, we are likely to destroy it.

Tony Stark builds "Ultron" to save the world, to bring peace in our time. As a cybernetic creation, Ultron takes this literally, and decides the best way to bring peace is to kill all humans.

The problem, as demonstrated by the movie, isn't that there was a bug in Stark's code. The problem was the hubris thinking that Stark could protect everyone. Inevitably, protecting everyone meant ruling everyone, bringing peace by force. It's the same hubris behind the USA's effort to bring peace to Iraq and Afghanistan.

I mention this because in the cybersecurity industry, there are many who propose to bring security through authority. They want government mandated rules on how to write code, imposed liability requirements, and so on.

This sounds reasonable. After all, nobody wants medical equipment like pacemakers to be hacked. But here's the thing. Computer-controlled devices have the potential to vastly improve health, whether it's Watches monitoring your heart, pacemakers, insulin pumps, and so on. While these devices can be hacked, the practical reality is that if you want Continue reading

Review: Avengers, Age of Ultron

Today was the opening of the movie "Avengers: Age of Ultron". The best way to describe it is this. On the first date, you went and saw "The Avengers". You felt the rush of something new, and you were quite satisfied. This movie, "Age of Ultron", is the second date. You already know what to expect, but that doesn't matter, because you progress past the holding-hands stage. You didn't go all the way, but you know that's coming on the third date, with "Avengers: Infinity Wars".

Remember that this movie is part of the Marvel Avengers arc, consisting of Ironman (3 movies), Captain America (2), Thor (2), Hulk, and Avengers (2). This arc also includes two TV series, and also a (so far) unrelated Guardians of the Galaxy movie. Everything is leading to the Infinity Wars movies.

I point this out because while this movie seems like a fine standalone movie for those who have seen none or only a few of the others, the greatest enjoyment will be in seeing it within context. In particular, while Ironman 3 isn't a terribly good movie, it's worth seeing before this movie, as it Continue reading

Malware campaign inflated views of pro-Russia videos

A botnet designed for Web advertising fraud was also used to nudge up the number of views of some pro-Russian videos on the website DailyMotion, according to security vendor Trustwave.An investigation into what appeared to be strictly ad fraud turned out to have a surprising political angle, wrote Rami Kogan of Trustwave’s SpiderLabs, in a blog post on Thursday.“We can’t know for sure who’s behind the fraudulent promotion of video clips, but it appears to be politically motivated,” he wrote.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Running Docker Machine on Rackspace Public Cloud

Next up I am giving Docker Machine on Rackspace public cloud a whirl. If you don’t have an account and want to check it out take a look at their developer+ credit. Here is a gif diagram (I’m addicted to making gifs atm, sometimes not even cats pics like here) overviewing Docker Machine. To get installed and much more on ... The post Running Docker Machine on Rackspace Public Cloud appeared first on NetworkStatic | Brent Salisbury's Blog.

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Startup launches subscription model for buying SSL certificates

A Utah-based startup has launched a subscription model for buying SSL certificates, an essential but at times onerous task.SSL and its successor, TLS (Transport Layer Security), are cornerstones of Web security, encrypting data exchanged between two machines. It underpins virtually every kind of transaction that requires privacy on the Web, from email to e-commerce. It’s signified by “https” in the URL bar of a browser.Companies and organizations are using more and more SSL certificates as the need for secure machine-to-machine communication has increased with cloud computing, virtualization and mobile devices.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Google extends Android voice search to Zillow, Shazam, NPR

“OK Google, where are the open houses in Chicago?” That’s a question that might yield a useful response for Android users, now that Zillow’s real estate service is integrated into Google’s voice search.Several new integrations hit Google’s voice search system for Android devices on Thursday, which lets people conduct queries orally by first saying, “OK Google.” In addition to Zillow, Shazam, NPR and online radio service TuneIn have been integrated.The integrations require users to have those other apps on their smartphone or tablet. But instead of having to open the apps individually, users can ask their mobile device directly, which, hopefully, will then take them inside the appropriate app with an answer.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Facebook change will give you control over data sharing with apps

Users are getting greater choice over what information is shared with websites and apps when they log in using their Facebook ID.A new version of Facebook Login, which begins its wide roll out this week, will present users with a prompt to “Edit the info you provide.” Clicking that will let users grant or deny access to different types of information. The login now also highlights who will see content posted by the app in Facebook, for apps that request the ability to do so.Facebook first announced this system during its F8 developers conference in April 2014. Many of the most popular apps, like Pinterest and Netflix, are already using it and over the next few weeks, Facebook will turn on the system for every app that uses the Facebook Login.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Facebook change will give you control over data sharing with apps

Users are getting greater choice over what information is shared with websites and apps when they log in using their Facebook ID.A new version of Facebook Login, which begins its wide roll out this week, will present users with a prompt to “Edit the info you provide.” Clicking that will let users grant or deny access to different types of information. The login now also highlights who will see content posted by the app in Facebook, for apps that request the ability to do so.Facebook first announced this system during its F8 developers conference in April 2014. Many of the most popular apps, like Pinterest and Netflix, are already using it and over the next few weeks, Facebook will turn on the system for every app that uses the Facebook Login.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Citizens of Tech 001 – Knuckle Cracking Felt Animals

I have a new podcast recommendation to share. The title is Citizens of Tech and is a product of our good friend Ethan Banks and Eric Suthphen. Although it is part of the PacketPushers ecosystem, it is a very different type of podcast. As opposed to typical network-centric topics, this show seems to include all things tech (and things that tech people are interested in).

Check out the first episode here–

Readers of this article may also enjoy:

  1. Everyone’s Favorite Topic–Bring Your Own Device

The post Citizens of Tech 001 – Knuckle Cracking Felt Animals appeared first on PacketU.

Interop 2015: The quiz

Interop 2015: The quizIt’s time again for Interop, where the greatest networking minds in the world gather to find answers to their knottiest problems – security, storage, cloud services, mobility, virtualization, the Internet of Things – the list goes on and on. It’s also time for the Internet quiz, where the greatest minds in networking try to answer a few questions about the trade show in an effort to demonstrate their tech acumen and preparedness. Keep track of your answers as you go and see at the end how well you did.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

GogglePal: Augmented reality and heads-up meets the snow

It seems like every sport is in the process of getting a high-tech digital makeover and snow sports are no exception. For example, a 3-day old Kickstarter campaign by GogglePal for an augmented reality (AR) heads up display (HUD) that can be mounted on any brand of ski googles is already over halfway to its funding goal of $40,000 and runs through May 28.The GogglePal system (I keep wanting to write “GooglePal” which is what it could become if a certain company gets interested) consists of the HUD module that sits inside your goggles a magnet that sits on the outside of your goggles to hold the HUD in place and a controller “pod” that you clip to your goggle strap.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Interop Liveblog: The Post-Cloud

This session is titled “The Post-Cloud,” and the speaker is Nick Weaver, Director of SDI-X at Intel.

Nick starts his presentation with a summary of our society: some people produce goods through an effort, and others consume what is produced. Things have changed over the years that have affected this production-consumption model, but Nick quickly turns his focus to the use of machines in the production portion of this cycle. As production efficiency increased, the level of consumption also increased. This is especially true for computing machines, and how people consume the services/information produced by the computing machines.

This brings Nick around to a discussion of Jevons’ Paradox, which basically states that the increased efficiency of producing something actually leads to an increase in consumption, not a decrease of consumption.

So what does efficiency in technology look like? Technology enables things; by itself, it doesn’t really add value. Therefore, efficiency in technology means enabling more (or more powerful) things. Nick starts his discussion on technology efficiency with a discussion of DevOps, and what DevOps means. Although a number of technologies are involved to deal with the ever-increasing complexity and density that has emerged, DevOps is really about a culture change. Continue reading

IDG Contributor Network: Lasers will allow real-time satellite communications

There's an inherent problem with Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites of the kind used for remote observation, such as border security and disaster monitoring.The problem is that because of their low orbit—they're a few hundred miles above earth's surface, rather than 22,300 miles as found with Geostationary (GEO) satellites—they can't see their ground station at all times.They can see the earth more clearly, so they are good for monitoring; they are cheap to deploy because they don't need such a big rocket to get it up there; and they don't suffer from as much packet latency as GEO satellites because the distances are shorter.However, they aren't visible from any given point on earth at all times—they're not stationary, and they're low-down.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

SDN ushering in “Golden Age” of network administration

IT organizations have been virtualizing compute servers for years, and now it’s time for network admins to have their turn at virtualization.A panel at Interop in Las Vegas this week that included network executives from Dell, HP and VMware said that software-defined networking (SDN) will usher in big changes in network operations. + MORE AT NETWORK WORLD: Hottest products from Interop 2015 | Google’s cloud chief says the industry is on the verge of a major transformation +To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Interop Liveblog: Thursday Cloud Connect Keynote

This is a liveblog of the Thursday morning Cloud Connect keynote at Interop 2015 in Las Vegas. The title of the presentation is “Doing it Live,” and the speaker is Jared Wray (@jaredwray on Twitter; he’s Cloud CTO and SVP of Platform at CenturyLink).

As the session kicks off, Wray shares that his presentation was drastically altered, a nod to the drastic changes that he is seeing at CenturyLink. He then shares a bit of background on him, his history in IT, and the events that brought him to CenturyLink. Wray then spends a few minutes talking about CenturyLink and CenturyLink’s services, which he insists “isn’t a product pitch” (it feels like one). The key tenets of CenturyLink’s offerings are that they are fully automated; they are programmable; and they are self service.

Wray points out that CenturyLink’s transformation to next generation platform services and containers requires that they also transform their operations (and people, though that is called out separately).

According to Wray, the blanket “move everything to the cloud” doesn’t work; enterprises must embrace a “cap and grow” strategy. This means not moving applications if there is no benefit (and also moving applications to maintenance mode until Continue reading

House committee approves bill to end NSA phone records program

A U.S. Congress committee has overwhelmingly approved legislation designed to stop the bulk collection of U.S. phone records by the National Security Agency.The 25-2 vote in the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee sends the USA Freedom Act to the House floor for a vote. The two votes against the bill came from lawmakers who had argued for stronger protections for civil liberties.The legislation is a stronger version of a similar bill that passed the House last May but stalled in the Senate, sponsors said. However, several efforts to further strengthen privacy protections by amending the bill failed in committee. Opponents said changes would upend a carefully crafted compromise with House Republican leaders who have threatened to kill an amended bill.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

House committee approves bill to end NSA phone records program

A U.S. Congress committee has overwhelmingly approved legislation designed to stop the bulk collection of U.S. phone records by the National Security Agency.The 25-2 vote in the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee sends the USA Freedom Act to the House floor for a vote. The two votes against the bill came from lawmakers who had argued for stronger protections for civil liberties.The legislation is a stronger version of a similar bill that passed the House last May but stalled in the Senate, sponsors said. However, several efforts to further strengthen privacy protections by amending the bill failed in committee. Opponents said changes would upend a carefully crafted compromise with House Republican leaders who have threatened to kill an amended bill.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Wireless engineers now have a new online hotspot for geeking out

There are plenty of places online to bounce ideas off of other network and IT pros, but Kevin Franzen felt there was a need for at least one more, and he calls it the WirelessGeek.net forums.“I am trying to provide an open forum for engineer types to discuss wireless networks,” says Franzen, a certifiably smart wireless network guy (CWNE #136 and CCNP-Wireless) who works in Austin as principal network engineer for a large telco that is not affiliated with the forums.  “Currently folks try to use Twitter for this but it is not effective. The other wireless forums are related to vendors or a training company.”To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Appeal goes out to UN, Africa Union over Burundi social media shutdown

Access, a global human rights group, has appealed to the United Nations and the African Union to intervene in the Burundian government’s decision to block mobile social media amid protests aimed at stopping President Pierre Nkurunziza’s third-term bid.The government of Burundi on Monday ordered the shutdown of social media applications including Twitter, Facebook, Whatsapp, and Viber on the mobile Web, according to various media reports. The country’s telecom sector regulator ordered telecom operators to block the apps, according to reports.“Although fixed-line internet does not appear to be impacted, the majority of internet users in Burundi rely upon mobile internet for connectivity,” Access noted in a letter to the UN and the African Union.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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