EnGenius Introduces the ESG320: The Ultimate VPN Router for Secure and Reliable Small Business Connectivity

Posted in Commentary with tags on January 21, 2025 by itnerd

EnGenius Technologies, a global leader in innovative networking solutions, is excited to announce the release of the EnGenius Cloud Managed ESG320 VPN Router. Designed to meet the growing demands of small businesses, the ESG320 delivers enterprise-grade performance, robust security, and simplified cloud-based management, making it the ideal choice for companies looking to optimize their network infrastructure, ensure data protection, and increase operational efficiency.

Comprehensive Security with a Stateful Firewall

Businesses face the challenge of securing their networks from external threats while maintaining smooth operations. The ESG320 Cloud Managed VPN Router addresses this with its advanced stateful firewall, which monitors and inspects traffic to safeguard against cyberattacks. It allows only authorized traffic, providing real-time protection against intrusions and malware. This router enables secure access and sharing of critical data while offering flexibility in implementing custom security policies. Additionally, its TPM security chip enhances encryption, preventing unauthorized access and data breaches.

Seamless Auto-VPN and Simplified Network Configuration

Setting up secure connections for remote sites and users can be complex, especially for businesses without dedicated IT teams. The ESG320 simplifies this with its Auto-VPN technology, automatically creating secure VPN tunnels for site-to-site connections. This allows easy connection of branch offices, remote workers, and clients. Key features include VPN healing for automatic recovery from disruptions and NAT traversal for network compatibility. SecuPoint, a VPN client for remote employees, enables hassle-free access to critical resources from anywhere—whether in the office, at home, or on the go.

Optimized Network Performance with Dual-WAN and Cellular Failover

The ESG320 Cloud Managed VPN Router offers Dual-WAN capabilities, providing two separate internet connections that can be used simultaneously to increase bandwidth and optimize network performance. The router includes a Gigabit WAN port, an SFP Fiber Port (WAN1), and a Gigabit LAN port (WAN2) for fast and reliable connectivity. Its WAN load balancing feature optimizes bandwidth usage by distributing traffic across available WAN interfaces, improving network performance and reducing latency. If a WAN connection fails, the cellular failover feature activates automatically through a USB 3.0 cellular modem, ensuring continuous connectivity and minimizing costly downtime.

Cloud-Based Management for Effortless Monitoring and Administration

The ESG320 streamlines network management via the EnGenius Cloud Management Platform, offering a centralized dashboard for remote monitoring and management. Businesses can easily configure and monitor the ESG320 router and other EnGenius devices from one interface. IT teams can conduct real-time diagnostics, track VPN connections, and identify network issues proactively. With automatic updates and remote troubleshooting, businesses can resolve problems quickly, reducing IT workload and costs. The Passthrough Mode allows smooth integration into existing networks without disruption.

Key Features of the ESG320 Cloud-Managed VPN Router

  • Dual-Core 2.1 GHz Processor: Delivers superior speed and performance, enabling businesses to handle demanding networking tasks.
  • Dual-WAN Configuration: Features an SFP port, Gigabit WAN, and cellular failover for continuous, high-speed internet access.
  • Stateful Firewall: Provides advanced protection against cyber threats with high-efficiency filtering and inspection.
  • Auto-VPN: Simplifies the setup and maintenance of site-to-site and client VPNs, ensuring secure remote access to business resources.
  • Gigabit PoE+ Port: Powers devices like Wi-Fi access points, IP cameras, or phones directly from the router.
  • Cloud Management: The EnGenius Cloud Platform offers centralized, remote management for all network devices, ensuring real-time visibility and control.
  • WAN Load Balancing and Traffic Prioritization: Ensures efficient use of available bandwidth and improves network performance.
  • Automatic Firmware Updates: Keeps your network devices up to date without requiring manual intervention, ensuring security and feature improvements.
  • Flexible Connectivity: Supports routed or passthrough mode for easy integration into existing network architectures.

The ESG320 Gateway, with an MSRP of $349, will be available for immediate shipping through the EnGenius Store and EnGenius authorized distributors. For more information about the ESG320, visit ESG320 Cloud VPN Router.

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SandboxAQ and Google Cloud Partner to Accelerate Quantitative AI for the Enterprise

Posted in Commentary with tags on January 21, 2025 by itnerd

SandboxAQ announced today a partnership with Google Cloud to integrate and optimize its platform of Large Quantitative Models (LQMs) on Google Cloud while enabling seamless procurement and deployment of SandboxAQ’s solution through Google Cloud Marketplace. SandboxAQ’s cutting-edge quantitative AI technologies, which are driving innovation in drug discovery, chemical and materials science, advanced sensing, and cybersecurity across diverse industries and applications, will leverage Google Cloud as its preferred cloud provider.

‍SandboxAQ is a B2B company delivering solutions at the intersection of AI and quantum techniques. The company’s Large Quantitative Models (LQMs) deliver critical advances in life sciences, financial services, navigation, and other sectors. The company emerged from Alphabet Inc. as an independent, growth-backed company funded by leading investors including funds and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., IQT, US Innovative Technology Fund, S32, Hillspire Capital, Breyer Capital, Marc Benioff, Thomas Tull, Paladin Capital Group, and others. For more information, visit http://www.sandboxaq.com.

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Posted in Commentary with tags on January 21, 2025 by itnerd

Hewlett Packard Enterprise is investigating claims of a new source code breach after a threat actor said they stole documents from the company’s developer environments.

The company has told BleepingComputer that it hasn’t found any evidence of a security breach, but it is investigating the threat actor’s claims.

“HPE became aware on January 16 of claims being made by a group called IntelBroker that it was in possession of information belonging to HPE,” spokesperson Clare Loxley told BleepingComputer.

“HPE immediately activated our cyber response protocols, disabled related credentials, and launched an investigation to evaluate the validity of the claims. There is no operational impact to our business at this time, nor evidence that customer information is involved.”

IntelBroker, who announced the sale of information allegedly stolen from HPE’s networks, claims they had access to the company’s API, WePay, and (private and public) GitHub repositories for at least two days and stole certificates (private and public keys), Zerto and iLO source code, Docker builds, and old user personal information used for deliveries.

Roger Grimes, Data-Driven Defense Evangelist at KnowBe4 had this to say:

“It looks like HPE took all the appropriate steps. It would be great to know if a breach did occur and, if so, how? As long as HPE disabled the older, possible logon credentials (as they say they did), then the remaining threat comes from the possibly stolen source code. Theoretically, an attacker with the source code can more easily find vulnerabilities and exploit them (or sell those vulnerability findings and/or exploits). Although in practice I’m not aware of an exploit that occurs because of stolen source code. Maybe it’s happened (and I don’t know about it), but the real-world threat from stolen source code doesn’t seem to match the fear. Still, if there was stolen source code and you had a dedicated adversary that was appropriately motivated, having your source code out there is something no development vendor wants. But to me the bigger risk is from unauthorized access to the stolen objects…did it occur, and if so, how did it occur, and what steps have been taken to prevent it from occurring in the future?” 

Hopefully HPE is able to confirm if they were pwned or not, and if they were they need to tell the public what they are going to stop this from happening again. Enterprises need to know that HPE has everything under control. So the more transparent that HPE can be, the better for them.

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DSL Reports Is Dead…. Long Live Broadband Bulletin

Posted in Commentary with tags , on January 21, 2025 by itnerd

For years, my go to place for anything from looking for help in regards to telco related issues to getting the inside info on what telcos were doing was DSL Reports. But over the last decade the site had been on the decline. My guess is that the rise of Reddit is responsible for that. However two weeks or so ago the site shut down for good having run since 1999. That left many people like yours truly without a place to go to get all sorts of info in terms of telco related stuff.

Enter Broadband Bulletin which aspires to be the replacement for DSL Reports. We’ll see if it can live up to that aspiration as DSL Reports was held in such high esteem for years. But taking a quick look at the site, it seems that numerous people have found their way here from DSL Reports. So maybe it has a shot. If you’re looking for a new home after the shutdown of DSL Reports, perhaps Broadband Bulletin is worth a look.

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Deepfake Research: How Easy Is It to Scam Individuals?

Posted in Commentary with tags on January 21, 2025 by itnerd

There’s some new research which was done by the WizCase team exploring how easy it is to create live deepfake videos and hopefully understand this technology’s potential societal impacts. 

Key findings at a glance: 

  • In the current environment, anyone with the time and patience to learn basic Python coding, along with slightly above-average hardware can create deepfakes independently. 
  • From the results of their experiment, they were successful in deceiving targets despite both noticing minor anomalies during the video call, and remarked that the issues observed in the video or audio were related to connection problems. 
  • According to data aggregated by Carnegie Mellon University, there was a “nearly five-fold increase” in deepfake incidents from 2022 to 2023. 
  • Deepfake data is highly disproportionate to the recorded 32% increase in reported overall artificial intelligence (AI) controversies in the same period, suggesting that deepfakes are spreading at a more rapid pace than other AI tech.

While deepfake detection tools are continuously being designed and improved, there’s no telling whether the pace of development for that technology can keep pace with deepfake creation software. As such, users need to remain vigilant of the media they consume, as well as the way they interact with friends, family, and colleagues online. 

You can access their report here: https://www.wizcase.com/blog/deepfake-scam-research/

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Xona Launches Secure Access Management Platform To Safeguard Critical Infrastructure

Posted in Commentary with tags on January 21, 2025 by itnerd

Xona Systems, a leading provider of secure access management solutions for critical systems and operational technology (OT) environments, today announced the launch of its new Xona Platform. Designed to provide simple user access without allowing insecure user endpoints from connecting to critical assets, the platform is redefining how industries such as utilities, oil & gas, and manufacturing approach secure access for remote workers, 3rd parties, and onsite employees.

As companies face increasing threats to their critical IT, OT, and cloud-based systems and tighter regulatory compliance mandates, the Xona Platform delivers unmatched security and ease of use, offering an ideal solution bringing together OT managers, CISOs, and IT teams.

Addressing the Number One Threat to Critical Infrastructure

As organizations become more connected and complex, the security of critical systems has been eroded. Reducing this connectivity and complexity is now a top priority. OT environments, in particular, face unique challenges, with legacy IT solutions like VPNs, originally designed for privacy, not security, failing to provide the necessary security and operational continuity.

Xona’s insight is clear: the real challenge lies in providing secure user access to critical systems, without allowing their insecure, transient endpoints from connecting to those critical systems. This approach simplifies user access deployment, administration, and usage, while reducing the critical system attack surface – by preventing up to a 100% of insecure endpoints from connecting – this eliminates the number 1 threat to critical infrastructure.

Key Highlights of the Xona Platform

The Xona Platform stands out in the cybersecurity landscape by offering key benefits like:

  • Identity-based access management for all users including both onsite and remote, and employees, 3rd party vendors, and OEM partners.
  • Disconnected access that eliminates 100% of the insecure endpoints from directly connecting to critical systems reducing the attack surface and safeguarding critical assets from ransomware and malware.
  • Agnostic overlay design that is both technology agnostic and adaptable and doesn’t require network architecture changes, allowing for flexible deployments on premise, at different layers, and using different device options.
  • Zero footprint, best in class user experience using any modern browser to get simple 3-click access to critical systems from anywhere – with no clients, agents, plugins, native software, or cloud access required.
  • Real-time auditability and control with continuous session logging and recording that helps admins simplify access governance.
  • Meets regulatory requirements allowing organizations to address standards and requirements including IEC 62443, NERC CIP, NIST 800-53, FIPS 140-2, RMF, TSA Security Directives, Saudi NCA OTCC-1:2022, and others.
  • Supports the integrated enterprise with integrations for OT and IT identity providers (IdP), SSO, MFA, ZTNA, secrets management, OT asset management, business intelligence, and IT service management tools.
  • Quick and easy deployment and administration. The platform can be deployed in as little as 20 minutes without network changes or complex configurations.

Trusted by Industry Leaders

Leading organizations across multiple industries trust Xona’s platform. Global giants such as GE, Baker Hughes, and Mitsubishi Corporation have adopted Xona’s secure access solutions to protect their critical infrastructure.

One of Xona’s long-standing customers in the energy sector commented, “Xona’s platform has transformed how we manage secure access across our critical infrastructure. It’s the easiest and most impactful tool we’ve implemented in the last year.”

Why Xona Matters in Today’s Market

As critical infrastructure industries face increasing digital threats and navigate an evolving regulatory landscape, secure, simple access solutions like Xona’s are more critical than ever. The platform secures critical OT, IT, and cloud environments and helps companies meet industry standards, including IEC 62443, the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), and NERC-CIP compliance requirements. Xona provides auditability and governance features that simplify the compliance process, all while reducing the operational burden on IT and OT teams.

Take a First Look or Another Look at Xona

For organizations seeking to improve their OT security, now is the time to consider Xona: www.xonasystems.com 

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Over 1 Billion Password Credentials Stolen in 12 months Due to Malware

Posted in Commentary with tags on January 21, 2025 by itnerd

Specops Software has released its 2025 Specops Breached Password Report, which has found that 230 million stolen passwords actually met the standard complexity requirements (over eight characters, one capital, one number, and special character). This shows simply meeting password security standards isn’t enough.

The report also reveals that malware stolen credentials are extremely common – Specops found over a billion in the last 12 months!

This annual report provides an eye-opening examination into the ongoing struggle organizations face in addressing weak password practices, and despite knowing the risks, end users continue to create short, weak passwords like ‘password,’ ‘12345,’ and ‘admin’ when they’re allowed to.

Other findings include:

  • ‘Complex’ passwords can still be predictable thanks to user behavior. Length is a better indicator of password strength.
  • Hackers favor malware-stolen credentials as they’re easy to obtain, use, and sell. Redline is the most popular stealer according to the research.
  • Even strong passwords can be stolen by malware, rendering hashing algorithms obsolete. All end user accounts should be secured with MFA.

You can read their report here:

https://specopssoft.com/blog/report-one-billion-malware-stolen-credentials

https://specopssoft.com/our-resources/most-common-passwords

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VPN Spikes Raises Privacy Risks as Users Bypass Restrictions

Posted in Commentary with tags on January 21, 2025 by itnerd

VPN Mentor just released a report on the massive surge in VPN demand fuelled by age verification laws in the USA, its impact on Pornhub traffic, and the risks users face by flocking to VPNs. 

While VPNs help bypass restrictions, they also pose security risks. Many users rely on free or insecure VPNs, exposing themselves to data breaches, identity theft, and tracking. Their report highlights these dangers and offers guidance on choosing safe, privacy-focused VPN providers. 

You’ll find all the details to their findings here: https://www.vpnmentor.com/news/vpn-and-adult-sites-report/

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Toronto District School Board Data Has Been Leaked Via A Supply Chain Attack

Posted in Commentary with tags on January 21, 2025 by itnerd

This hack is going to be big.

The Toronto District School Board disclosed via a letter to parents and guardians that it has been pwned by what looks like to be a supply chain attack and the impact is huge:

What Happened?
As you may recall, on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, PowerSchool notified TDSB and other school boards in Ontario and across North America that a PowerSchool system had experienced a data breach between December 22-28, 2024. TDSB’s cybersecurity team promptly activated our response plan, taking immediate steps to ensure that our critical systems remain operational. TDSB can confirm that our environment is secure, and that there is no ongoing unauthorized access to any data, either stored in PowerSchool’s Student Information System or elsewhere. 

What Information Was Impacted? 
While our investigation into the incident continues, we have now confirmed the types of personal information stored in PowerSchool’s Student Information System that may have been accessed and acquired by an unauthorized user. The information includes the following:

Students between September 1, 2017 and December 28, 2024

  • First, Middle & Last Names
  • Date of Birth
  • Gender
  • Health Card Number
  • Grade Level and School Information
  • Start/End Date as a Student
  • Ontario Education Number
  • EQAO Accommodation Information    
  • Medical Information (ie. allergies, conditions, injuries)
  • Home Addresses
  • Home Phone Numbers
  • TDSB Student Number
  • TDSB Email Address
  • First Nations, Métis, Inuit Information
  • Residency Status
  • Principal/Vice Principal Notes (including discipline notes) 

With respect to medical information, if you provided information to your child’s school about your child’s allergies, medical conditions or injuries when completing the start of school year forms, this information was included in the data that may have been accessed or acquired. Please note that medical information provided to members of TDSB’s Professional Support Services team (e.g. Psychologists, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Audiologists, Speech-Language Pathologists, and Social Workers) was not impacted by this incident. 

Students between September 3, 1985 and August 31, 2017

  • First, Middle & Last Names
  • Date of Birth
  • Gender
  • Health Card Number
  • Ontario Education Number    
  • Home Addresses
  • Home Phone Numbers
  • TDSB Student Number
  • TDSB Email Address
  • First Nations, Métis, Inuit Information 

This historical student information is kept in PowerSchool’s Student Information System in order to respond to requests for former student records. Parent/guardian/caregiver and emergency contact information (individuals connected to students who were registered from September 1, 2017 and December 28, 2024)

  • First, Middle & Last Names
  • Home & Mobile Phone Numbers
  • Email Addresses    
  • Relationship to Student
  • Home Addresses

Canada’s federal privacy watchdog and the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario are both investigating the breach. But it goes without saying that this is bad. PowerSchool, the company who got pwned has a statement of their own where they will be offering free credit monitoring for those affected. Which is typical for situations like this. But doesn’t really give me the warm fuzzies. I say that because my wife and I went to TDSB schools and are in the second group of people who are affected by this. So this clearly concerns us. The types of information could be used to launch attacks against individuals, or be used to commit fraud. Thus anyone who is affected by this could be feeling the repercussions for years to come.

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BPR Hub Raises $2.6M to Make World-Class Compliance Accessible to All Manufacturers

Posted in Commentary with tags on January 20, 2025 by itnerd

Every day, manufacturers wrestle with increasing complex regulatory requirements imposed by clients and regulatory bodies. Small and medium-sized manufacturers (SMEs) in particular struggle to stay compliant while managing day-to-day operations, hampered by limited bandwidth and lean teams. When compliance fails, the consequences are severe: significant penalties, missed business opportunities, and loss of eligibility for high-value contracts that can stall growth entirely. Today, BPR Hub, a San Francisco and Bangalore, India based company announced a $2.6 million seed funding round to help manufacturers finally solve this critical challenge.

The round was co-led by Accel and Kae Capital, with participation from a line-up of prominent angel investors in the manufacturing sector. This investment will accelerate BPR Hub’s mission to simplify compliance for manufacturers globally, with a key focus on scaling operations in North America.

The reality for most manufacturers today is chaos. Teams operate on spreadsheets, struggling to maintain collaboration across departments while juggling multiple certification requirements. Critical standards slip through the cracks as businesses are forced to choose between compliance and growth. BPR Hub changes this by consolidating Quality, Compliance, and Governance (QCG) into a single platform, automating up to 80% of these compliance tasks.

The system’s real-time updates and AI-driven document review completely transforms how manufacturers handle compliance. Through automated evidence evaluation and continuous monitoring, BPR Hub helps companies fast-track certification – turning a process that typically takes months into one that takes weeks. The platform streamlines the management of overlapping certification requirements, eliminating duplication and ensuring nothing falls through the cracks. What sets BPR Hub apart is its commitment to customer success through hands-on support. Rather than just providing software, the team actively guides and supports manufacturers through their entire compliance journey. This high-touch approach ensures that companies can fully leverage the platform’s capabilities while maintaining focus on their core business.

Beyond compliance, BPR Hub enhances manufacturing excellence by integrating quality assurance, production control, batch review, inventory management, and asset management into one user-friendly platform. This comprehensive approach ensures everyone from floor operators to leadership teams can effectively manage and monitor compliance requirements while maintaining focus on business growth.

The company was founded by three deep experts in compliance and manufacturing. Teja Edara (CEO) brings extensive IT compliance expertise, while Milanjeet Singh (COO) and Vinodh Peddi (CTO) collectively contribute two decades of experience in manufacturing compliance. 

With over 10 years of experience in manufacturing, compliance consulting, and auditing, Milanjeet saw firsthand how cumbersome compliance management could be. This inspired the inception of BPR Hub, a solution that could truly transform how manufacturers handle compliance to drive growth and reduce the operational burdens for manufacturers.

The impact is already clear. Customers report a 40% reduction in time-to-certification, leading to faster growth and improved operational efficiency. The platform’s partnerships with industry leaders in packaging and aerospace are driving rapid adoption across global markets.

The timing is critical. The increasing complexity of regulations in industries like aerospace, medical devices, and food manufacturing is driving urgent demand for more efficient compliance management solutions. Traditional solutions are prohibitively expensive, while information asymmetry between departments creates constant risk. When experienced employees leave, critical compliance knowledge often leaves with them, creating dangerous gaps in regulatory understanding. These challenges are particularly acute in highly regulated sectors like medical device manufacturing and aerospace, where a single compliance failure can have severe consequences.

 “The mobile version of BPR Hub will be a game changer,” notes Anthony Manella, CEO of ISO Certification Consultants. “It will streamline operations significantly, pushing training and standard compliance directly to employees’ cell phones, ensuring every team member remains aligned with our standards.”

Looking forward, BPR Hub will use the funding to scale its platform globally, expand its team, and develop new product features. With its QCG focus, BPR Hub aims to become the leading consolidated compliance solution for manufacturers, providing complete oversight into compliance requirements while ensuring seamless operational control. The platform is built specifically for manufacturers with limited resources and manpower, empowering them to focus on what they do best – growing their business.

“The manufacturing sector is experiencing remarkable growth fueled by rising global demand for diversified supply chains, India’s position as a hub for IP-driven, high-quality production, and the potential of AI technologies. This growth coincides with a period of heightened regulatory complexity and an urgent need for operational agility. Compliance is no longer just a box to check; it’s a competitive advantage when managed well. BPRHub is helping manufacturers navigate this shift by using AI to simplify and optimize compliance processes. This is the kind of innovation that will accelerate the future of manufacturing. We’re excited to partner with Teja, Milanjeet and Vinodh who understand the sector’s unique challenges, and are leading this shift on a global scale with BPRHub,” said Prayank Swaroop, Partner at Accel.

Abhishek Srivastava, General Partner, Kae Capital added: We are excited to back BPR Hub as they transform compliance, quality, and governance management in manufacturing. Their AI-led unified platform tackles a critical industry challenge by streamlining compliance processes. Having witnessed Teja’s success in scaling similar ventures, and with a robust founding team and a clear market opportunity, we are confident that BPR Hub will revolutionize how mid-market manufacturers manage compliance and governance.

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