Volume II, Issue 11 (November, 2016)
Industry News
WatchGuard expands portfolio of secure Wi-Fi offerings to the Cloud
WatchGuard Technologies is expanding its portfolio of secure Wi-Fi offerings, launching a new Wi-Fi Cloud offering last month that it says will take aim at competitors Meraki, Fortinet and more. The new WatchGuard Wi-Fi Cloud includes a new portfolio of cloud-ready access points, with a management platform, built-in wireless security, analytics and engagement tools. The technology also provides BYOD policy enforcement, accurate location tracking and flexible deployment options. It is aimed at small and mid-sized business customers or branch offices. WatchGuard CTO Corey Nachreiner said this wireless intrusion prevention system launch is an extension of the company’s strategy to provide a “total security” platform. He said that will be a differentiator against pure-plays in the market; The integration with the company’s UTM [Unified Threat Management] offering adds AV, IPS, web filtering, spam blocking, application control, APT blocking, DLP and reputation lookup techniques to wireless traffic.
Cisco develops new service to prevent live video pirate streams
Networking giant Cisco has developed a new system – Streaming Piracy Prevention (SPP) – to prevent live video pirate streams. The new service uses technology to locate content that is redistributed illegally on open internet as well as through pirate networks. This assumes significance as online video piracy is becoming one of the most significant threats for Pay TV service providers. The technology uses forensic watermark to identify the subscriptions or sessions that are being used to source the content and shuts down those source through video security system in real time. The process is completely automated and designed to provide timely response to piracy. The SPP operates without any cooperation from any third parties and allows service providers to gain control of their channels. For the project, Cisco has teamed up with Friend MTS (FMTS), a UK-based company that provides content protection services.
VMWare unveils updates to vSphere, vSAN, vRealize Automation, and vCloud Air solutions
VMware has unveiled updates to its vSphere, VSAN, vRealize Automation and vCloud Air solutions that are aimed at making it easier for businesses to work across a variety of physical and cloud-based networks. The announcements, made Tuesday at the VMworld Barcelona conference, follows last week’s agreement to let VMware software-defined data center infrastructures work natively on Amazon Web Services clouds. Several similarly cloud-focused announcements were made at last month’s VMworld conference in Las Vegas, said Mark Chuang, senior director of products for VMware’s software-defined data center division. Cross-cloud architectures have a number of components that are required to make them work as promised, including compute, storage, and networking, Chuang told CRN. “In Las Vegas, we laid out the umbrella architecture,” he said. “Now we’re following up with the meaty components on the compute, storage, and cloud management side.” With vSphere 6.5, VMware made three significant changes to the cloud management solution, Chuang said.
Best Practice Corner
Protecting your network from unknown dangers on mobile devices
Recently, it was discovered that a security exploit, DirtyCOW, that was discovered in Linux on Intel CPUs, also existed in Android phones that were “rooted. On the face of it, it might seem as if individual employee’s phones and the condition they are in shouldn’t impact your workplace infrastructure. That’s where you’re wrong.
Here is an excellent article that highlights the security exploit:
https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2016/10/25/dirtycow-linux-hole-works-on-android-too-root-at-will/
Essentially, the security flaw allows the phones to give more control to any app than originally intended, which then means any mobile device that is rooted that comes onto your network is a creating a potential security flaw for your business.
So what can you do? Obviously you can’t check the status of every employees’ phone. Which is why Verus recommends running something on your network that will automatically detect any rooted or jailbroken devices.
WatchGuard’s network discovery and mobile security functionality that was launched in an upgrade last spring is a great starting point.
The Fireware 11.11 update provides:
- Network Discovery: a subscription service that performs a complete network scan to quickly generate a visual map of every connected device, providing Firebox administrators total visibility into all assets on their network. The technology ensures only authorized devices are in place, while at the same time detecting open ports and identifying the protocols that are running.
- Botnet Detection: integrated into the Reputation Enabled Defense service. Customers gain real-time visibility into infected clients and command and control communication is immediately blocked.
- Mobile Security: a subscription service that delivers an additional layer of network visibility by giving administrators the ability to identify and audit mobile devices that connect to the network. This allows Firebox administrators to enforce access controls and only allow mobile devices that adhere to current corporate policies, and are free of malware.
For more information on how you can avoid having the DirtyCOW security exploit impact your business, contact Verus today at sales@veruscorp.com or by phone at 763-354-2200.
News & Notes
Still a few spots remaining for “can’t miss” breakfast
event with WatchGuard CTO Corey Nachreiner
Corey Nachreiner, CTO of WatchGuard Technologies, will be delivering a presentation that anyone concerned with IT security will not want to miss. As a WatchGuardONE Platinum Partner, Verus is pleased to have Corey speaking on “Cyber Crime Gets Sophisticated in 2017 – Surviving Advanced Attacks on a Small Business Budget.”
The free breakfast event will be held on Wednesday, November 2, from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at Loew’s Hotel Minneapolis, 601 First Avenue N, Minneapolis, MN 55403. In this talk, Nachreiner outlines some of the latest hacking and information security trends, and shares strategies that allow small businesses to defend themselves on a budget. The talk covers:
- The latest cyber attack trends, including the growth in ransomware and IoT attacks
- Why attackers target SMBs
- The dangers of malware
- Strategies for surviving advanced threats on a budget
Recognized as a thought leader in IT security, Nachreiner spearheads WatchGuard’s technology vision and direction. Previously, he was the director of strategy and research at WatchGuard. Nachreiner has operated at the frontline of cyber security for 16 years, and for nearly a decade has been evaluating and making accurate predictions about information security trends. As an authority on network security and internationally quoted commentator, Nachreiner’s expertise and ability to dissect complex security topics make him a sought-after speaker at forums such as Gartner, Infosec and RSA. He is also a regular contributor to leading publications including CNET, Dark Reading, eWeek, Help Net Security, Information Week and Infosecurity, and delivers WatchGuard’s “Daily Security Byte” video on Facebook.
For more information, please visit http://www.veruscorp.com/event/6792/
Due to limited space and high demand, please RSVP by phone at 763-354-2200, or email events@veruscorp.com today.
Food for Thought
Who says you can’t have lasagna for breakfast?
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 65 minutes
Yield: 8 to 12 Servings
Ingredients:
- 1 bag (30 ounces) frozen Southern Style hash browns or a 32 ounce bag shredded hash browns, thawed
salt and pepper - 3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 12 ounces thinly sliced Canadian bacon
- 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
- 1 large green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 large yellow or red bell pepper, chopped
- 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
- 2 medium tomatoes, sliced, optional
- 12 large eggs
- 2 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions:
- Spread the thawed hash browns in a deep 11×14-inch lasagna or roasting pan; season generously with salt and pepper. Sprinkle half of the shredded cheese over the potato layer.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, lightly brown the Canadian bacon slices in 2 tablespoons of butter; set aside. In the same skillet saute the onion, peppers, and mushrooms until tender. Add another tablespoon of butter.
- Spoon the sauteed vegetable mixture over the cheese layer.
- Top with sliced tomatoes, if using. Arrange slices of Canadian bacon over the vegetables, overlapping if necessary. Top with remaining cheese.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and the milk; pour over the casserole. Using a spatula, gently press all over to soak all of the layers with egg mixture. Let stand for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat oven to 350 F (180 C/Gas 4).
- Bake the casserole for 35 to 45 minutes, until set.*
- Cool slightly before slicing.
Serves 8 to 12.
*To check the temperature of the casserole for doneness, insert a food thermometer into the center. It should register at least 160 F (71.1 C).
Good Medicine
