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  • Illustration by D. Thomas Magee

    FTC vs D-Link: All bark, no bite

    by 
    Violet Blue
    Violet Blue
    01.13.2017

    Most routers are bad. Bad to their little router bones. But they were made that way. And when you get one of the bad ones in your home, they sit there like little privacy and security time bombs, just waiting to become conduits of evil in your house. You think I'm joking. But if you look at the state of router security, then you will know this is a big problem. And it's one that's nearly impossible for normal people to fix.

  • Reuters/Thomas Peter

    One laptop can take down major internet servers

    by 
    Jon Fingas
    Jon Fingas
    11.13.2016

    You don't need a massive botnet to launch overwhelming denial of service attacks -- in some cases, a personal PC and so-so broadband are all that's required. Researchers at TDC Security Operations Center have revealed a new attack technique, BlackNurse, that can take down large servers using just one computer (in this case, a laptop) and at least 15Mbps of bandwidth. Instead of bombarding a server with traffic, you send specially formed Internet Control Message Protocol packets that overwhelm the processors on server firewalls from Cisco, Palo Alto Networks and others. The firewalls end up dropping so much data that they effectively knock servers out of commission, even if they have tons of network capacity.

  • Joe Camporeale-USA Today Sports

    Cisco says it can cut live pirate video streams

    by 
    Jon Fingas
    Jon Fingas
    10.23.2016

    It's relatively easy for content providers to take down pirated videos when they're uploaded to the web, but stopping live streams is another matter. Just ask anyone who has watched a bootleg stream for a pay-per-view boxing match or the Super Bowl -- new streams usually pop up faster than the copyright holders can take them down. The party might soon be over, however. Cisco has created a new technology, Streaming Piracy Prevention, that promises to automatically cut off illegal live feeds.

  • Why the Internet fell apart today

    by 
    Andrew Tarantola
    Andrew Tarantola
    10.21.2016

    If you were on the internet on Friday morning, congrats! You were one of a lucky few who maintained their connectivity in the face of a massive, nationwide DDoS attack against part of the Domain Name System (DNS), a crucial piece of digital infrastructure which, when offline, cripples our ability to access the internet. But despite its importance, the DNS is often overlooked -- much like the rest of the behind the scene mechanisms that make the internet work. So before you go resetting your router to see if that clears things up (hint: it won't), let's take a quick look at what the DNS does and how it managed to break so spectacularly earlier today.

  • AP Photo/Paul Sakuma

    Here's how the NSA spied on Cisco firewalls for years

    by 
    Jon Fingas
    Jon Fingas
    08.21.2016

    Edward Snowden leaks revealed that the NSA had the ability to spy on Cisco firewall traffic for years, but just how did the agency do it? We now have a clearer idea. An analysis of data from the Equation Group hack shows that the NSA used a specialized tool, BenignCertain, that uses an exploit in Cisco's Internet Key Exchange implementation to extract encryption keys and read otherwise secure virtual private network data. Cisco has confirmed that the attack can compromise multiple versions of its old PIX firewalls, which were last supported in 2009.

  • Apple's iOS 10 will transcribe voicemails and show calls made in apps

    by 
    Steve Dent
    Steve Dent
    06.13.2016

    Not many of us send voice messages anymore, and most folks sure hate checking them. Apple is trying to adapt to that with voicemail transcription, a beta feature on iOS 10 revealed at its WWDC keynote today. Instead of listening to Aunt Edna drone on for 10 minutes, you can get the gist by scanning a transcript of her message in text form. Alternatively, you can still listen to the message visual voicemail-style, call her back or delete the message.

  • A dangerous piece of PC ransomware is now impossible to crack

    by 
    Steve Dent
    Steve Dent
    03.17.2016

    What do developers do after discovering a software vulnerability? Why, patch it, of course. Ironically, criminals have learned that lesson too, as one gang has updated the notorious TeslaCrypt ransomware with new features that are impossible to crack, according to Cisco's Talos security arm. That means user infected with the latest version (3.01) of the malware can no longer use white hat-engineered software to get their files back. Until someone finds a new solution -- and that seems unlikely -- victims will have to pay.

  • Pentagon launches cybersecurity exchange to combat hackers

    by 
    Andrew Tarantola
    Andrew Tarantola
    11.02.2015

    The Department of Defense is taking a number of steps to up its cybersecurity game, Terry Halvorsen, the Pentagon's Chief Information Officer recently told a reporters breakfast hosted by The Christian Science Monitor. "There's not a time when I'm not being attacked somewhere in the world," Halvorsen said. "We're looking to industry to help us solve some specific areas." To that end, the DoD has begun assigning its civilian personnel to 6-month tours of private cybersecurity companies, such as Cisco, as well as inviting employees from those firms to help train its personnel to defend the DoD's networks against hacks.

  • Google, Microsoft and Netflix team up on free video formats

    by 
    Jon Fingas
    Jon Fingas
    09.01.2015

    It's no secret that many tech companies hate video formats that are closed, cost money or both -- enough so that they'll drop popular standards and develop their own codecs. There hasn't been a concerted attempt to tackle this problem, however, which is why several industry giants have just launched the Alliance for Open Media. Founding members Amazon, Cisco, Google, Intel, Microsoft, Mozilla and Netflix are working on a future video format that should be royalty-free, open to anyone and playable on just about any modern device. It's still extremely early (the group hasn't even said how others can join), but you should hear more about their efforts later this year.

  • Cisco is optimizing networks for Apple devices

    by 
    Jon Fingas
    Jon Fingas
    08.31.2015

    Apple isn't content to expand its foothold in the workplace solely through major app deals and developer initiatives -- it wants corporate networks to be Apple-friendly as well. The Cupertino crew has teamed up with Cisco to optimize enterprise networks for iOS devices and apps, especially Cisco-made videoconferencing and collaboration tools. It's not hard to see why the two would forge a deal. This theoretically boosts iPhone and iPad sales to companies that want the smoothest possible experience, especially if they have thousands of users crowding their networks. Cisco, meanwhile, stands a better shot at selling network hardware and software to firms that are already set on using Apple gear. It may be hard to notice the change unless you're an IT manager, but you shouldn't be surprised if your next company-issued device has a fruit logo on the back.

  • Cisco buys a DNS provider to protect you in the cloud

    by 
    Jon Fingas
    Jon Fingas
    06.30.2015

    When you think of internet security from Cisco, you probably imagine firewalls and routers (usually) stopping hackers and malware from hitting your network. You're going to have to expand that definition very shortly, though. Cisco has snapped up OpenDNS, whose domain name services you might have used to dodge regional restrictions or improve on your internet provider's less-than-stellar connection. The networking giant isn't making the acquisition for any of those reasons, though. Instead, it's all about boosting Cisco's cloud security -- the goal is to defend against attacks on your corporate network wherever you happen to be, and to predict threats before they strike.

  • STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images

    Google, Microsoft join government's disaster response program

    by 
    Mariella Moon
    Mariella Moon
    06.19.2015

    People hit by storms and other disasters need more than food, clothes or shelter in the days following the unfortunate event. They also need access to working internet or cellular networks to find family and friends who (heaven forbid) might be missing or to get in touch with people who might be worried sick about them. Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) hopes to supply the need for tech-savvy volunteers who can help out in those situations. That's why it has launched the Tech Corps program and enlisted the help of several big-name companies in the industry, including Cisco Systems, Google, Intel and Microsoft.

  • Intel, IBM and Qualcomm come out swinging against Net Neutrality

    by 
    Daniel Cooper
    Daniel Cooper
    12.11.2014

    Far as we can tell, the only people against net neutrality are the ones who want to keep holding Netflix to ransom. That said, those companies who actually build the network equipment and lay the cables for America's broadband network are now taking sides with AT&T and Verizon. In an open letter to both congress and the FCC, a group of 60 companies that include Qualcomm and Cisco, argue that proper regulation of the internet will risk the end of national investment in telecommunications infrastructure.

  • Records reveal net neutrality chats between FCC and telecoms

    by 
    Jon Fingas
    Jon Fingas
    11.23.2014

    It's no secret that the FCC has at least a few links to the communications companies it's policing. Chairman Tom Wheeler is a former lobbyist, and commissioners have taken industry jobs mere months after leaving office. However, Vice News has obtained records showing that the two sides are frequently in direct contact -- and there's a concern that this may be affecting the net neutrality debate. For example, Cisco CEO John Chambers called Wheeler to endorse proposed net neutrality rules earlier this year. To him, they encourage new business models without imposing "onerous regulation." Chief Comcast lobbyist Kathy Zachem, meanwhile, gave the FCC's top lawyer advance notice of Republican objections to the proposal. Wheeler has also spoken with other prominent figures on the topic, including former FCC chair (and now National Cable & Telecommunications Association head) Michael Powell.

  • Tech companies want you to have free web encryption

    by 
    Jon Fingas
    Jon Fingas
    11.18.2014

    Ideally, you'd encrypt everything you do on the web to keep it away from spies and thieves. However, getting a security certificate to enable that encryption on your own site can be both costly and difficult -- many people don't even bother. That's not good enough for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, so it's partnering with Mozilla, Cisco and other tech firms to launch Let's Encrypt, an authority that will hand out and manage free certificates for anyone that wants them. Besides eliminating the cost barrier, the effort will also scrap a lot of the bureaucracy and hard work that's normally involved -- all you'll have to do is run a program, which should take seconds.

  • Look who's talking: The birth of the video phone

    by 
    Jon Turi
    Jon Turi
    09.07.2014

    The videophone was always the obvious next step in the evolution of the telephone. It's a concept that has spent decades in development. And when it finally arrived, it looked a bit different than had always been imagined. Follow along, as we explore the bumpy road that led to those FaceTime and Google Hangout sessions you enjoy on your device of choice today.

  • Boston turns park benches into solar-powered charging points

    by 
    Sharif Sakr
    Sharif Sakr
    06.30.2014

    Let it not be said that public parks are anti-technology. Over in Boston, city officials are more than happy to try new things in green spaces, including the use of solar-powered smart benches, aka "soofas." These look a lot like regular benches, except they're equipped with big, steel-encased blocks that contain vulnerable-looking photovoltaic panels and charging points for weary-legged phone users. There's also a mishmash of Verizon-connected sensors inside, which record and transmit data about air quality and noise levels. The installation of the benches is being funded by Cisco, which is presumably looking for tangible and endearing ways to promote the internet of things. However, it's being left up to local Bostonians to pitch which parks deserve to get soofa'd up -- and these pitches need to be submitted by July 11th.

  • Latest Snowden leak reveals the NSA intercepted and bugged Cisco routers

    by 
    Sarah Silbert
    Sarah Silbert
    05.16.2014

    As promised, the release of Glenn Greenwald's new book, No Place to Hide, has brought plenty more Snowden leaks, and one document is particularly mind-blowing. The photo above shows an NSA team intercepting and bugging a Cisco router before it's sent to a customer who's been targeted for surveillance. In the document, an internal newsletter from June 2010, the chief of the NSA's Access and Target Development department explains the process of intercepting routers, servers and other internet hardware to install beacon implants, then resealing them and sending them on to targets.

  • iRobot's Ava 500 telepresence-on-a-stick is rolling out now (update: $69,500!!)

    by 
    Zach Honig
    Zach Honig
    03.17.2014

    There are plenty of telepresence robots on the market already, but iRobot's new Ava 500 may just be the best option out there. The highlight here is that the device is completely autonomous, just like the company's RP-VITA healthcare bot. Once it maps out your office during an "exploration phase," you can schedule a conference to join via an iRobot app. When your meeting time comes around, you'll be assigned an available Ava, which will wheel itself into position in the conference room, theoretically avoiding obstacles along the way.

  • Samsung and Cisco agree to share patents, sue less

    by 
    Sean Buckley
    Sean Buckley
    02.05.2014

    Tired of endless patent lawsuits? So are Samsung and Cisco. The two companies have entered a patent cross-license agreement, essentially promising not to sue each other for the next ten years. The decade long deal specifically gives the firms access to each other's patient portfolios and new patents filed during the timespan of the agreement. It's not all about avoiding the courtroom, though -- sharing patents should make it easier for both companies to create new, groundbreaking products without wading through red tape and licensing contracts. "Innovation is stifled all too often in today's overly-litigious environment," Cisco's Vice President of Intellectual Property, Dan Lang, said in a statement. "By cross-licensing our patent portfolios, Cisco and Samsung are taking important steps to reverse the trend and advance innovation and freedom of operation." That sounds pretty positive from where we're sitting. If nothing else, the agreement should make it a little easier for Sammy to stick to its five-year injunction hiatus.