Wi-Fi sharing community Instabridge picks up backing from Draper Associates

techcrunch posts a report that is initially a little deceptive. Of course, I am the one that assumed that the sharing was of Wi-Fi access not information of where there is Wi-Fi access. But still this is an interesting data source for finding hot-spots that you can use. The Instabridge app allows you to share details of any Wi-Fi hotspots shared by everyone else in the community.

This has enabled it to build a crowdsourced database of Wi-Fi hotspots, in addition to a list of known public venues that have free Wi-Fi, such as McDonald’s or Starbucks.

read more

Newspaper Companies suing Adblocker Companies

Specifically, the NAA says in its complaint, adblocker companies mislead consumers by positioning their products as a way to block “bad ads” based on opaque rules for acceptable ads, when in fact adblocker companies like Adblock Plus allow some advertisements to be displayed if the advertiser pays Adblock Plus a fee.

Check out the Naked Security Article

Gizmodo Posting describes Simple Security Flaw that opens up quite a few routers at risk…

View Gizmodo Post

SEC Consult Vulnerability Lab has discovered the flaw in a driver referred to as NetUSB. The driver, as its name suggests, is installed on routers to allow computers to access USB devices over a network.

The driver contains an error known as a buffer overflow, which can occur when a device sends its name to the router and it’s longer than 64 bytes. The researchers claim that the simple overflow can be used to crash the router, using denial of service of attacks, and even execute code remotely.

Among the Company’s products that are affected include Netgear, D-Link, TP-LINK, Trendnet, and Zyxel.

Solution: TP-LINK has started releasing fixed firmware. The status of affected products can be found in the affected product list above. For additional information also see CERT/CC vulnerability notice: http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/177092

Workaround: Sometimes NetUSB can be disabled via the web interface, but at least on NETGEAR devices this does not mitigate the vulnerability. NETGEAR told us, that there is no workaround available, the TCP port can't be firewalled nor is there a way to disable the service on their devices.

Here is the link for SEC-Consult’s Report

Is your Xfinity modem a Public Hotspot?

An interesting subject was brought up at our Friday meetings couple weeks ago about how Comcast is testing a new service for making your Xfinity modem into a public hotspot for the community around you. They are doing this by creating a second signal for each device that is totally separate from the one that you use for your personal connection to the Internet through their modem. Comcast states that the secondary signal does not take away any of your speed for your side of the connection.

They also say that there is no cross connection, so you don't have to worry about somebody hopping onto your side of the network. This public access is only available to those Comcast subscribers of the Xfinity Wi-Fi network service.

"Comcast’s newest Wireless Gateway broadcasts two Wi-Fi signals," the company said. "By default, one is securely configured for the private use of the home subscriber. The second is a neighborhood 'xfinitywifi' network signal that can be shared. This creates an extension of the Xfinity Wi-Fi network and will allow visiting Xfinity Internet subscribers to sign in and connect using their own usernames and passwords."

This service is being piloted in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Northern Virginia, and the greater Washington, DC metro area.

There doesn't seem to be much advantage to individual Comcast subscribers when they are at home, since anyone with a home wireless network can already set up a guest access for visitors. But subscribers could potentially benefit when their out of the house and happened to be near another Comcast subscribers wireless Gateway. Through a partnership with the CableWiFi Alliance, Comcast already has a network of more than 150,000 hotspots in more than a dozen US cities.

There been several discussions on the benefits of providing this type of service besides the obvious one of expanding a user subscription benefit, one being that it provides hotspot access for emergency use or emergency communications.

The Comcast says there is no problem with interference, one concern that I have is the number of channels that will be used in a highly concentrated area and what kind of degradation you can expect from doubling the impact from each of these connections. Are these motives intelligent enough to help with this type of issue is a question that needs to be answered. I know that with products like Aruba wireless networking that we run into this concern all the time. So I can imagine that this might not be an issue in apartment complexes where you would have many households that might be providing additional signals, congesting the airwaves.

AT&T Unite Pro-Black

If you are willing to get saddled with a 2 year commitment here is an interesting product from AT&T. The Unit Pro allows you to connect up to 15 devices at one time so this is perfect for those situations where you need a portable hot spot at show or conference and you need to provide a group with internet access. It even allows an option for a special guest Wi-Fi option for added security with on-time visitors.

The unit has a bigger battery in it so you can use it for up to 16 hours before recharging. It also has the ability to provide a battery boost for your phone. With the included cable, simply attach your smartphone to your AT&T Unite Pro and share the charge from the hotspot’s battery.

With Dual-Band Wi-FI and global connectivity you will be able to use here in the US as well as abroad. With AT&T Unite Pro, you can travel internationally and stay connected globally in more than 200 countries around the world. Dual-Band Wi-Fi broadcasts both 5 and 2.4GHz, advanced settings like Guest network, block device and WPS, access internet and email on the go, on screen data usage and customization capabilities, use BatteryBoost in airplane mode where Wi-Fi is restricted.

Save $150 if you commit to a two year contract and you will need to sign up for either Mobile Share or a minimum DataPro 5GB plan. If you have the need this may be the unit you want for your travel kit.

Addendum: I had a comment mentioning that this unit can be purchased at Walmart without a commitment for $99.95. You can purchase either a one week access for $15 or one month for $50.

SSL Certificates - What’s changing for October 2016

We are seeing some issues in renewing SSL Cert’s for a 3 year period because of some changes that will come into effect as of October 1, 2016. See the excerpt from one of our suppliers below:

Using Intranet and Reserved IP Addresses as the Primary Domain or Subject Alternative Name in SSLs

The Internet security community is phasing out the use of intranet and reserved IP addresses as the Primary Domain Name or the Subject Alternative Name in SSL certificates.

This is an industry-wide decision, not one specific to our company.

An intranet name is any name that is not in the public Internet DNS (e.g.'server1', 'mail', 'www', 'server2.local', etc.). A reserved IP address is any address designated by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) as being reserved.

To create a safer online environment, members of the Certificate Authorities Browser Forum (CA/Browser Forum) worked to define the guidelines and means of implementation of SSL Certificates. As a result of these meetings, effective on October 1, 2016, Certification Authorities (CAs) must revoke any SSL certificates that use intranet names or reserved IP Addresses.

As a result of this decision, on July 1, 2012, we no longer accept new requests, process rekeys or renewals, or allow any management of Subject Alternative Names for certificates that contain intranet names or reserved IP addresses, and are valid beyond November 1, 2015. If you have an existing certificate that contains an intranet name and/or a reserved IP address, you can continue to use that certificate until it expires or until October 1, 2016, whichever comes first.

To read CA/Browser Forum guidelines, go here.

For more information on which IPv4 addresses are reserved, go here. Some addresses are mentioned only in the footnotes. We do not support any certificates using IPv6.

Flip the Switch Sales Video

Intel provided video describing how you can leverage the Intel Hybrid Cloud service and the Intel AppUp Small Business Service subscription model.

Evernote has won me over from OneNote

Sorry Microsoft but as much as I love the interoperability between OneNote and Outlook, OneNote and IE and OneNote and Print Capture, Evernote has begun to win out as my go to app for note taking. Why you may ask. Well, let me tell you!

If you are a frequent reader of this blog you may notice that when I choose a program, I do so because of its breadth of access/use. What I mean by that is that if I am collecting information, which you are naturally doing in a note taking program, you want to have those notes available to you no matter what device it is that your have at hand. Evernote does this for me. Not only is it interoperable with all of the web browsers that I use, I also have the notes that I create available on all of my computers instantly, on anyone else’s computer via the web browser/login interface, on my phone, on my tablet, in other words everywhere that I work. I cannot say that about OneNote. Even though there is a web interface for the OneNote product, it loses most of its functionality when you use it in that environment. There is an iPhone version but not an Android, and there isn’t a native iPad version (you have to use the iPhone app). Not pretty, very low function and frankly, disappointing. On a Window’s PC I love OneNote. If this was the only place I used the product I would probably be staying with it. But the real world is much broader than just PC access to applications anymore and for a mobile guy like myself the OneNote application doesn’t have a wide enough usage model. Maybe this will change down the road and if it does I will rethink my position, but for now, Evernote has my vote.

National Cyber Security Awareness Month

Cyber Security Awareness Contest for Students!

Astaro is asking us to join them in their quest to educate students about cyber security! During the month of October, Astaro will be running a contest, giving students the chance to win a free laptop!

The rules are simple: Record a 1-2 minute video answering two important questions: What does cyber security mean to you, and what do you do to stay safe online? Act it out, record a song, make up a dance, or come up with some other way to express your thoughts on cyber security!

Check out some of the submissions now and vote for your favorite!

Cyber Security Month more info

Astaro Promotes Cyber Security Awareness more info

Comcast introduces a new malware detection service

I received a new service announcement from Comcast discussing a new detection service to look for “bots” that may have infected your system. These bots can create bottlenecks on their system if present and this is probably the reason that they are instituting this new service. It will be interesting to see how effective this service will be.

Dear Valued Customer, We know that protecting your identity and using the internet safely are both very important concerns for you. The most prevalent threat to your personal information on the internet today is a Bot! A Bot, also referred to as malicious software or malware, is used to gain control of your computer, typically without your knowledge. Online criminals can use Bots to collect your Social Security numbers, bank account information, and/or credit card numbers by monitoring your keystrokes. Constant Guard is a service provided to you at no additional charge as part of your Comcast High Speed Internet subscription. As a new feature of the Constant Guard™ service, if we believe one or more of your computers may be infected with a Bot, we may present to you in your browser a Comcast Service Notice (see example below). The notice will encourage you to take immediate action by visiting https://constantguard.comcast.net for self help instructions or professional assistance.

Protect your personal information with the Constant Guard Protection Suite, Click Here. Need to remove a Bot or malware? Visit the Constant Guard Center Need the latest information and tips on security issues? Visit the Security Website Need to contact Comcast Security? Get Help

Don't be fooled by faked virus alerts, along with the Comcast Service Notice, we will also send a Bot Notification email alert to your Comcast primary email address. This alert will be marked with the Comcast brand below (see below). The brand symbol indicates the email is "verified" to be safe by Comcast. Ensuring your online safety and security is our top priority. While we hope you do not encounter a BOT on your computer, we want you to be rest assured that we will help you detect and remove it. For more information on the Constant Guard program, and how Comcast is protecting you online, please visit http://xfinity.com/constantguard. Sincerely, Comcast Customer Security Assurance

I never did like AOL!

I was never one for the amount of control that AOL’s interface held you to but I could see the benefit for some people. If you were one of the people that signed up early for AOL and their phone dial up service got used to this type of thing. When broadband became available many of these people kept their accounts with AOL even though the signed on through their new broadband connection. What they didn’t realize was that they didn’t have to keep paying for that AOL account!

Nicolason Carlson from Business Insider found out that the majority of AOL’s business comes from selling the dialup internet access to people who already have internet access:

In his big New Yorker profile on AOL this week, Ken Auletta explained that 80% of the company’s profits STILL come from AOL’s subscription business.

What’s troubling about AOL’s subscription business is who the subscribers are and why they may be sticking around – in Auletta’s words, “older people who have cable or DSL service but don’t realize that they need not pay an additional $25 a month to get online and check their email.”

A former AOL exec explains that this is AOL’s “dirty little secret” – “that 75% of the people who subscribe to AOL’s dial-up service don’t need it.”

This is the sort of practice by companies that just infuriates me. I hate seeing people being taken advantage of just because they haven’t the knowledge to know what they are paying or need to be paying for. So hopefully this article will open your eyes and make you aware that you don’t need to pay for something that you don’t receive any benefit from. I remember how hard it was to cancel my account and over the years how hard it has been for our customers to do so as well. Good luck!

You want more information visit the Audio recording here or download the recording by clicking here, with Ken Auletta and his full article is available in The New Yorker January 24, 2011 edition p. 32.