Top Weekly Updates
1. Instart Logic Partners with Verisign for Advanced DDoS Mitigation and Scrubbing
Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks have doubled in the last year as hybrid clouds have become increasingly popular. Verisign, which protects 70% of the global e-commerce, has integrated with Instart Logic to improve upon their current Web Application Firewall. This partnership will allow DDoS capabilities and scrubbing of malicious attacks.
Recent surveys of the causes of outages indicated that they are increasing at at 245% year-to-year, and often the result of DDoS attacks, averaging 7.4 Gbps. At 2.0 Tbps scrubbing capacity, Instart Logic aims to protect against any DDoS attack, large or small, saving incalculable amounts of money and time. By offering enhanced security that uses machine learning, Instart Logic hopes to offer a high-performing and secure CDN.
2. CloudFlare Introduces HTTP/2
CloudFlare, the Edge Security CDN, has introduced HTTP/2 support. The CloudFlare user will not have to choose between SPDY and HTTP/2. Both SPDY and HTTP/2 will be available for the customer and provider, and CloudFlare itself will continue to use both. The basis of HTTP/2 was SPDY, but the HTTP working group took into consideration the community’s input to develop the replacement for HTTP.
The HTTP methods, status codes and semantics remain the same, but end-user perceived latency, and network and server usage will be improved by HTTP/2. HTTP/2 is binary, multiplexed, uses one connection, compresses headers, and allows servers to proactively “push” responses into client caches. Google will no longer be using SPDY and its protocol beginning in January 2016.
3. AppLovin Scales Out Mobile Advertising Platform with Internap
Mobile advertising company AppLovin made the switch from Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) public cloud to Internap’s Bare-metal IaaS, in order to scale-out their performance-intensive mobile application globally. AWS, as a traditional cloud service, could not scale cost-effectively as AppLovin’s user base grew to over 50 billion ad requests daily, increased growth in video advertising, and global demand for advertising solutions. Internap’s AgileSERVER allows Applovin and other customers to achieve peak performance and scalability for big data workloads.
4. SiteLock Teams with GoDaddy for Enhanced Website Security
SiteLock, with their year-long partnership with GoDaddy, announces that they are integrating a new security plugin feature in WordPress, cutting down need to switching in-between both services for daily updates. This will enable SiteLock to integrate better malware-detecting services within WordPress right from the dashboard.
5. VTech Hires FireEye in Response to Data Breach
Hong Kong-based toymaker VTech is now utilizing FireEye’s Madiant forensics unit to restore security systems after a recent cyber hack exposed VTech’s server data on over 6.4 million children worldwide. The hack, which comprised of using an SQL injection, stole information which includes names, email, street and IP addresses, passwords, customers’ download histories, and the names, genders and birth-dates of children who used VTech’s apps.
VTech has faced scrutiny from parents for not taking enough precautions for securing children’s data in the first place. Additionally, VTech is cooperating with law enforcement agencies worldwide to investigate the incident.
FireEye’s Mandiant will help identify the extent of the recent data breach, look at how VTech handles customer information, and suggest ways to strengthen user data security to prevent future pervasive cyber security attacks.
6. Qwilt Provides Open-Caching and Video Delivery Platform to MyRepublic
MyRepublic, an ultra-fast Internet service provider in Singapore and New Zealand, has opted to use Qwilt for their award-winning open caching solution and live video streaming to boost network capacity and improve the quality of over-the-top (OTT) video service delivery. Qwilt’s Video Fabric solution analyzes traffic across networks in real-time to identify trending and popular content and then immediately caches and localizes it to the subscriber, causing faster delivery times and less traffic congestion. This clearly gives Qwilt a competitive edge as they plan to further expand further onto Southeast Asian markets.
7. Akamai Achieves a Near Perfect Climate Disclosure Score
Scoring 99 out of a possible 100 points, Akamai earned a spot on the S&P Climate Disclosure Leadership Index (CLDI) for the second year in a row. Each year, companies worldwide voluntarily submit their annual climate disclosures to the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), the international not-for-profit, to be independently assessed and ranked according to CDP’s scoring methodology. Akamai’s excellent score indicates a high level of transparency of climate-change related information. Its commitment to sustainability, according to CDP, provides “investors with a level of comfort to assess corporate accountability and preparedness for changing market demands and emissions regulation.”
8. ChinaCache Subsidiary Xin Run Launches Atecsys Data Center, Sells 60% of Equity Interest
Xin Run introduced its Atecsys Cloud Data Center just before the end of the quarter. Atecsys is expected to be the largest cloud data center in Beijing with 15,000 server racks, allowing the launch of China’s first Internet Exchange upon it’s completion.
Subsequently, ChinaCache, China’s leader in internet content and application delivery, has announced that it will be selling 60% of its equity interest in Xin Run to Tianjin Shuishan Technology Co., Ltd., KPIW (Beijing) Investment Fund Co., Ltd. and Tianjin Dingsheng Zhida Technology Co., Ltd. for 36%, 22% and 2%, respectively, for a total of approximately $58.5 million.
9. Level 3 Launches New Power Substation in São Paulo, Brazil, Receives 5 MEF Awards
The new power station has a 20MW power capacity, receives power through a high voltage system, and is interconnected to the supplier substation in Jandira, and is redundant and integrated into Brazil’s national electricity system. The 20 MW capacity represents 25% of the aggregate power demand for Cotia, Brazil. The new substation allows for a four-fold growth of current power demands.
Additionally, Level 3 and Editora Globo, a Grupo Global company, have reached an agreement to provide data center services, secure internet access at 300 Mbps, and 2Gbps of Ethernet LAN connection. In recognition of these expansions and improved services, Level 3 received 5 of the 31 MEG Ethernet Excellence awards (North America, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Caribbean and Latin America regions (CALA)).
10. Azure Announces New Features, Creation of SQL Data Warehouse in India, HPE and Microsoft Plan for Integrated Hybrid IT Infrastructure
Azure SDK 2.8.1 for Visual Studio 2013 and 2015 was released with new features, Threat Detection support was updated to allow email alerts, and Debian GNU/Linux is now an endorsed distribution in the Azure Marketplace. The Debain/Linux endorsement will allow Microsoft Azure to be used in up-to-date Debian-based virtual machines.
Upon completion of the new SQL Data Warehouse in India (Central, West, and South India), DocumentDB will be available in 15 regions. The Warehouse will be optimized with Massively Parallel Processing (MPP) for large workloads, scalable to allow changes with business needs, integrated to relational database engine, and a hybrid that will use PolyBase in the cloud for use of a single language (T-SQL).
Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Microsoft Corp. have announced their plan for a converged hybrid cloud, working through Microsoft Azure with HPE infrastructure, services, and programs. Azure will bring its powerful datacenters and management portal to the partnership, while customers will get HPE’s integrated OneView with hardware and software support. HPE Azure Centers of Excellence will be created in Palo Alto, California and Houston, Texas.
11. Wowza Streaming Engine Named 2015 Streaming Media Readers’ Best Media Server
For the third consecutive year, Wowza Streaming Engine has been named the Best Media Server in the 2015 Streaming Media Readers’ Choice Awards. It’s excellent quality of live and on-demand video, streaming of any media to any device, and flexible and customizable interface have clearly made it a favorite of users. The flexible, sturdy, and easy to use Wowza Streaming Cloud was also voted the Best Cloud Video Service in the 2015 Streaming Media European Readers’ Choice Awards.
12. Palo Alto Networks Exposes Mobile Backup Data Malware, Rootnik Android Trojan Abuses
Palo Alto Networks released a whitepaper on the 704 samples over 5 years and in 30 countries of private mobile device (iOS and Blackberry) data being stolen from backup files on PC and Mac computers. Because these attacks utilized the backup files on these computers, they have been dubbed “backstab attacks.” Importantly, the attack does not require the decide to be jailbroken or rooted, and the threat is not theoretical.
To prevent these attacks, any unnecessary and unencrypted backups should be deleted, encryption with a strong password should always be enabled, anti-virus applications should be used, and iOS systems should be kept up to date and not jailbroken. Palo Alto Networks has also added a new feature to WildFire to detect possible BackStab behavior.
Palo Alto has also exposed a Trojan named “Rootnik.” Rootnik uses “Root Assistant,” a customized commercial root tool developed in China, to gain root access on Android devices that were running Android 4.3 and earlier. Android users in the US, Malaysia, Thailand, Lebanon, and Taiwan have been affected by the Trojan at the publication of the findings.
Rootnik has spread through copies of WiFi Analyzer, Open Camera, Infinite Loop, HD Camera, Windows Solitaire, ZUI Locker, and Free Internet Austria, and has been observed more than 600 times in the wild since February 2015. Palo Alto Networks advises Android users to upgrade to OS version 4.4 or later, and their WildFire service is able to identify Rootnik and block all malicious network traffic related to Rootnik.
13. Arbor Networks is a Leader in Global DDoS Market, Innovation
With a cost-effective, flexible, scalable, and and protected DDoS system, Arbor Networks is the largest global provider of DDoS to emerging growth enterprises. After Frost & Sullivan performed its annual analysis of the DDoS mitigation market, Arbor Networks, the security division of NETSCOUT, was recognized with the 2015 Global DDoS Mitigation Market Leadership Award for the second consecutive year.
From the worldwide Golden Bridge Awards program Arbor Networks APS also received the Gold award for Arbor Networks Availability Protection Systems (APS) for Best Security Hardware, Bronze for Network Visibility Innovations (Arbor Networks Security Analytics), and Bronze for Innovative Company of the Year.
14. Fortinet Features Rank High in Performance and Receive Certification for Use in UK
Fortinet FortiMail, a third-party certification and validation testing company, has reaffirmed its position as a leader in anti-spam testing and certification, ranking second in spam detection with a score of 99.98 and receiving the VBSpam+ award from Virus Bulletin.
Virus Bulletin also performed an independent comparative testing of anti-virus products (VB100), which awarded Fortinet FortiClient high marks and a competitive ranking in the Reaction and Proactive (RAP) category, measuring new and one- to three week-old malware detection. Fortinet Web Content Filtering with FortiClient was rated Advanced+, the highest rating, for the anti-phishing test performed by AV-Comparatives.
Fortinet’s FortiGate includes the first and only firewall with 100 GbW interfaces and 300+ Gbps throughput, proving that Fortinet is looking to the future of high-speed data centers. FortiGate has now passed the UK Government Foundation’s stringent Grade Certification process, awarded by the CESG, the Information Security arm of the UK government and the National Technical Authority for Information Assurance within the UK. This certification will allow Fortinet’s expansion in both the UK government and public sectors.
