ISP lobby groups petition for full court review of decision that upheld rules.
Six weeks after federal judges preserved net neutrality rules for the broadband industry, ISPs are seeking a full court review of the decision.
ISPs' attempt to overturn the Federal Communications Commission rules were rejected when a three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit voted 2-1 in favor of the FCC. Now the broadband industry's trade groups are seeking an "en banc" review in front of all of the DC Circuit court's judges instead of just a three-judge panel. If this fails, ISPs can appeal to the Supreme Court, but the odds against them winning appear to be long.
One en banc petition submitted this morning before the case's deadline came from the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) and the American Cable Association (ACA), the two biggest cable lobby groups. En banc petitions were also filed by CTIA—The Wireless Association, the mobile broadband industry's primary lobby group; the United States Telecom Association (USTelecom) and CenturyLink (representing DSL and fiber providers); and a small Texas ISP named Alamo Broadband. continued…
first published week of: 08/01/2016
Certainly, there are select trends dominating conversations at the annual International CES this week. But most of them, from self-driving cars to smart cities, aren't possible without the Internet of Things.
There are three little words being repeated all over Sin City this week: Internet of Things.
As garish (if not simply uninspired) as that terminology is, there's no denying the innovative and business potential for ubiquitous Internet-connected devices, sensors and apps.
Certainly, there are a number of other trends dominating conversations at the annual Consumer Electronics Show. But most of them, from self-driving cars to smart cities, aren't possible without the Internet of Things as a foundation.
And the Internet of Things isn't possible without robust, global networking infrastructures, either.
Thus, IoT was at the top of the agenda at AT&T's Developer Summit, held simultaneously over at The Palms resort on Tuesday.
Following the opening keynote, I sat down with Ralph de la Vega, CEO and president for AT&T's mobile and business units, to discuss IoT as well as other plans the telecommunications giant has for enterprise customers.
Here are a few highlights from our discussion, edited and condensed for clarity. continued…
first published week of: 01/11/2016
A new list of the world’s fastest supercomputers provides more evidence that the once-yawning technology gap between the United States and China is closing.
China dominates a biannual ranking of the world’s 500 fastest supercomputers, called the Top500, that was published on Monday. Not only does China have the world’s fastest machine for the seventh consecutive time, it has the largest number of computers among the top 500 — a first for any country other than the United States.
Also for the first time, the world’s fastest supercomputer uses Chinese-made microprocessor chips instead of chips from Silicon Valley’s Intel.
Supercomputers are viewed in scientific circles as an indicator of national technology leadership, and they are vital for research in areas ranging from the development of new weapons and medicines, to the design of cars and consumer products. American computing experts and business executives have warned for years that leadership in supercomputing is vital to a range of national interests. continued…
first published week of: 06/20/2016
In the next five years, it will be too expensive to further miniaturize—but chip makers will innovate in different ways.
Moore’s Law has been slowing for a while. But the U.S. industry that exploits it has finally recognized that it is about to die.
The Semiconductor Industry Association—made up of the likes of Intel, AMD, and Global Foundries—has published the 2015 International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors. It suggests that, after decades of miniaturization, transistors look set to stop shrinking in size altogether by 2021. After that date, the report claims, it will not be economically efficient to reduce the size of silicon transistors any further. continued…
first published week of: 07/25/2016
Chrome PC shipments in 2015 on pace to grow compared to 2014
Shipments of PCs with Google's Chrome OS are growing at the expense of Windows laptops and desktops, as the PC market suffers through its biggest slump since 2008.
Especially popular are Chromebooks, which are basic Chrome OS laptops for Web computing. Low-price Chromebooks are attractive to students, educational institutions and budget buyers.
Worldwide Chrome PC shipments in 2015 are expected to surpass those in 2014, according to IDC. Chrome PCs accounted for 2.8 percent of all PCs shipped worldwide through the first three quarters in 2015. For all of 2014, Chrome PCs accounted for 1.9 percent of all PCs shipped.
Chrome PC shipments in 2015 will outpace those in 2014, and the growth trend will continue in 2016, said Jay Chou, research manager at IDC.
About 5.7 million Chrome PCs shipped in the first three quarters of 2015, just slightly lower than the 5.86 million shipped for all of 2014. The shipment numbers were derived from yearly worldwide PC shipment statistics provided by IDC. continued…
first published week of: 01/25/2016
Cisco, AT&T, Verizon and others have begun to make their moves in the commercial drone market
Google, Verizon and others are partnering with NASA on an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) traffic management scheme. Microsoft has been working with universities on drone-enabled mosquito traps in an effort to stall infectious diseases from spreading. Cisco has shown off drones whose cameras feed into the company’s collaboration technologies. And AT&T, IBM and Intel have all demonstrated advanced drone-based research.
All of this activity by enterprise IT vendors in the commercial drone field is a far cry from what was being done -- or at least being publicly discussed -- back in late 2014, when our efforts to get such vendors to share their ambitions largely went unheeded.
Not that you could blame the vendors for being gun-shy. After all, the legal landscape for commercial drones has been murky at best, with the Federal Aviation Administration scrambling to roll out rules designed to allow hobbyists and commercial enterprises to benefit from flying drones but also to prevent these devices from smashing into people, structures and airplanes. continued…
first published week of: 05/09/2016
File-encrypting ransomware programs are on the rise and companies are increasingly their targets
The prevalence of ransomware programs, both those that encrypt data and those that don't, has exploded over the past two years, with companies being increasingly targeted.
Based on an analysis by security vendor Kaspersky Lab, more than 2.3 million users encountered ransomware between April 2015 and March, a jump of almost 18 percent over the previous 12 months.
This includes programs that only lock the computer's screen to prevent its use as well as those that hold the data itself hostage by encrypting it -- the so-called cryptors. The rise of cryptors in particular has been significant, accounting for 32 percent of all ransomware attacks last year compared to only 7 percent the year before, according to Kaspersky Lab.
The number of users hit by crypto ransomware during the period studied grew 5.5 times to reach more than 700,000, while the number of corporate users in particular who encountered such threats rose from 27,000 to 159,000 -- an almost six-fold increase.
Corporate users represented over 13 percent of all ransomware victims between April 2015 to March 2016, nearly double that of the year before. continued…
first published week of: 06/27/2016
File-encrypting ransomware programs are on the rise and companies are increasingly their targets
The prevalence of ransomware programs, both those that encrypt data and those that don't, has exploded over the past two years, with companies being increasingly targeted.
Based on an analysis by security vendor Kaspersky Lab, more than 2.3 million users encountered ransomware between April 2015 and March, a jump of almost 18 percent over the previous 12 months.
This includes programs that only lock the computer's screen to prevent its use as well as those that hold the data itself hostage by encrypting it -- the so-called cryptors. The rise of cryptors in particular has been significant, accounting for 32 percent of all ransomware attacks last year compared to only 7 percent the year before, according to Kaspersky Lab.
The number of users hit by crypto ransomware during the period studied grew 5.5 times to reach more than 700,000, while the number of corporate users in particular who encountered such threats rose from 27,000 to 159,000 -- an almost six-fold increase.
Corporate users represented over 13 percent of all ransomware victims between April 2015 to March 2016, nearly double that of the year before. continued…
first published week of: 06/27/2016
Why does cybersecurity extend beyond computers?
Actually, the issue is not that cybersecurity extends beyond computers; it is that computers extend beyond traditional laptops and desktops. Many electronic devices are computers—from cell phones and tablets to video games and car navigation systems. While computers provide increased features and functionality, they also introduce new risks. Attackers may be able to take advantage of these technological advancements to target devices previously considered "safe." For example, an attacker may be able to infect your cell phone with a virus, steal your phone or wireless service, or access the data on your device. Not only do these activities have implications for your personal information, but they could also have serious consequences if you store corporate information on the device.
What types of electronics are vulnerable?
Any piece of electronic equipment that uses some kind of computerized component is vulnerable to software imperfections and vulnerabilities. The risks increase if the device is connected to the internet or a network that an attacker may be able to access. Remember that a wireless connection also introduces these risks (see Securing Wireless Networks for more information). The outside connection provides a way for an attacker to send information to or extract information from your device.
How can you protect yourself? continued…
first published week of: 01/04/2016
In an increasingly connected world, cybersecurity is a growing concern, and the US government has been taking steps to tighten its digital defenses.
In an increasingly connected world, cybersecurity is a growing concern, and the US government has been taking steps to tighten its digital defenses. In March, the Department of Defense (DoD) invited hackers to "Hack the Pentagon" in a competition designed to identify vulnerabilities in its public-facing websites. The results of the bug bounty pilot have now been released.
Government systems are under a constant barrage of attempted attacks, which prompted the creation of Hack the Pentagon, the US federal government's first bug bounty competition. The pilot program ran from April 18 to May 12, and attracted some 1,400 hackers to test the limits of the DoD's online security.
"We know that state-sponsored actors and black-hat (criminal) hackers want to challenge and exploit our networks," says Secretary of Defense, Ash Carter. "What we didn't fully appreciate before this pilot was how many white-hat hackers there are who want to make a difference – hackers who want to help keep our people and nation safer." continued…
first published week of: 06/20/2016