The EnGenius EXT1105P Switch Extender is an interesting piece of kit with a very specific use case. And to understand that use case, let’s look at the the EnGenius EXT1105P Switch Extender:
This is the business end of the EnGenius EXT1105P Switch Extender. The gigabit input port is compatible with PoE++, which gives an input power of 51W to the switch, and the additional gigabit ports can all provide PoE+. With 802.3at PoE+, this can provide up to 25.50W to a device. And that’s all there is to this switch extender. There’s no power adapter on it because all the power comes in via the input port. Thus the use case for the switch extender goes something like this:
- You need to power a bunch of devices in some corner of an office or warehouse that doesn’t have easy access to mains power. To get around that, you run a PoE cable to the location and plug it into this switch extender’s input port.
- You then plug in your devices into any of the 4 ports. Given the level of power that it supports, I am guessing that this is intended for cameras or lower powered devices.
Setting this up was what I expect from any EnGenius product. Which is that it was laughably easy. All I had to do was the following:
- Power on the switch
- Use the QR code on the base of the switch to add it to the EnGenius app
- Done. Declare victory and have a beer.
After that I pugged in some PoE cameras that I borrowed from a client of mine and everything was working perfectly. There’s honestly not much more to say here as it does exactly what it says it is supposed to do with ease. I could complain that it doesn’t do 2.5 Gbps Ethernet if I wanted to nitpick something. But that would likely require more power and make this solution border on unworkable. The EnGenius EXT1105P Switch Extender goes for $119 USD and if you have a use case involving PoE that fits this switch extender, consider this a must buy.
Increased Risk Among Immature Threat Actors, Ransomware Operators: Research From GuidePoint Security
Posted in Commentary with tags GuidePoint on April 11, 2024 by itnerdGuidePoint Security has released new research intelligence that explores the differences between the ransomware groups we “see on TV” – the large, established, and well-resourced RaaS operations – and the smaller, ad hoc, opportunistic, or “immature” ransomware groups that operate more quietly, generally impacting less well-defended victims.
GuidePoint Security’s researchers highlight the increased risks and behaviors associated with such groups and provide two case studies of immature, high-risk groups – Phobos and DATAF LOCKER – that they observed during recent incident response efforts.
Popular images, depictions, and understanding of modern ransomware groups often focus on the largest and most established groups, maintaining media attention through high-profile attacks and sensationalist extortion tactics.
While this segment of the ransomware ecosystem exists and remains, relevant, immature ransomware groups operating on the fringe continue to harm smaller and less well-defended organizations, often without a recognizable brand or name to aid in attributing and ascribing deceitful behavior.
You can read the research here.
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