RSA Gets Hacked…. This Might Be A Problem

A very concerning open letter was posted on the RSA website that has this news:

Recently, our security systems identified an extremely sophisticated cyber attack in progress being mounted against RSA. We took a variety of aggressive measures against the threat to protect our business and our customers, including further hardening of our IT infrastructure. We also immediately began an extensive investigation of the attack and are working closely with the appropriate authorities.

Our investigation has led us to believe that the attack is in the category of an Advanced Persistent Threat (APT). Our investigation also revealed that the attack resulted in certain information being extracted from RSA’s systems. Some of that information is specifically related to RSA’s SecurID two-factor authentication products. While at this time we are confident that the information extracted does not enable a successful direct attack on any of our RSA SecurID customers, this information could potentially be used to reduce the effectiveness of a current two-factor authentication implementation as part of a broader attack. We are very actively communicating this situation to RSA customers and providing immediate steps for them to take to strengthen their SecurID implementations.

RSA’s SecurID authentication tokens are used by millions of people, including government and bank employees around the world because they are supposed to be as close to “bulletproof” when it comes to security because it provides a randomly generated number that along with a password allows a user to access a network or conduct banking transactions. PayPal for example uses such a system with its Security Key. Now if the algorithm that is responsible for generating the random numbers was exposed as part of this hack, then anyone who uses this sort of system should be concerned. It isn’t clear if that’s what happened in this case but if you use RSA SecurID, you might want to look at this blog post to see if you can beef up your security.

My advice? If RSA doesn’t disclose what happened and what was affected in a rapid manner, then consider changing to another product such as Google Authenticator as you would have to assume that SecureID is no longer secure. But in the meantime, you should watch and see how this story evolves.

Wind Mobile’s Parent Company Bought…. A New Telco Superpower?

Ignoring the fact that they are fighting to stay in business in Canada, the news is out that Wind Mobile’s parent company WIND Telecom SpA is being bought by Russian mobile telephone operator VimpelCom for $6 billion. What does that mean for Canadian Wind Mobile’s customers?:

This transaction would create the world’s fifth largest mobile operator by subscribers – more than 173 million subscribers!

This is great news for us. Our partner, Orascom, will be even larger and stronger as a financial partner. This gives us more leverage and increased scale with telecom network equipment manufacturers and more importantly, for devices including handsets and tablets. This will also give us more access to international cooperation for roaming and long distance services. All of that means the ability to deliver even more value to all of our customers.

Assuming that they stay in business, this is going to be a game changer. Nobody else in Canada is going to have their coverage worldwide. Not Rogers, not Bell, not Telus. If I were those three, I’d be hoping that the Canadian Government loses their appeal.

Internet Explorer 9 Hits The Streets Tonight At Midnight…. Here’s Why You Should Check It Out

If you’ve been waiting for Microsoft’s latest and greatest web browser, you’ll be able to get it tonight at midnight tonight. All you have to do is surf to this website to get your copy. Now why should you download this? Here’s a three good reasons based on my time with a few of the betas and the release candidate:

• It has a clean and simple layout as well as a interesting UI.
• It’s faster. In fact, it feels as fast as the current speed champ Chrome.
• It has HTML5 support. Take that Apple!

There are other reasons such as security, multimedia via DirectX 11 intergration, and add ins that make it worth checking out as well. Just make sure you’re running Windows 7 or Windows Vista. XP users need not apply.

Give it a shot later tonight and post your thoughts about Microsoft’s latest browser below.

RIM Balks At Indian Demands…. Shock, Not….

RIM vs. India is back in the news again. This time it’s Robert Crow, vice president of industry and government relations for Research in Motion doing the talking. Here’s what he said:

According to Robert Crow, vice president of industry and government relations for Research in Motion, the country’s Home Ministry, which is responsible for domestic security, has told the firm that it will require the ability to intercept communication data sent via the email capabilities of the handset.

This has raised serious concerns for the user’s privacy, a feature that is of central importance to the traditional business orientated user of the RIM phone, with the company saying it prides itself on high security.

According to Crow these demands could potentially open up the doors to further problems, such as whether the government tracking of ambassadorial conversations or even transfer of financial files would be off limits.

“You connect those dots and you’re saying, ‘Holy smokes,’ ” said Crow.

“This claim is made in an environment where we don’t really have any privacy – or data-protection laws – and where we have a pretty poor administrative record of keeping similar things like wiretaps secret.”

Although there has been no comment from the Indian authorities on the matter so far, it is widely thought that such measures would be demanded under the pretence of maintaining the country’s ability to monitor terrorist activity.

Charming. Ignoring the fact that RIM has said over and over again that they can’t do this even if they wanted to, this is just another example of India just not getting it. They should really give up on this. In the meantime, I’ll say it one more time. RIM should just say “screw India” if they keep acting like that. It truly isn’t worth it.

The Zune Is Dead…. Wait, Did Anyone Actually Buy One?

The much maligned Microsoft Zune is apparently dead. Here’s what they plan to do instead:

Microsoft will concentrate on putting Zune software onto mobile phones, such as those running its Windows operating system, said the person, who declined to be identified because the decision hasn’t been announced. Zune software lets customers buy songs and movies, as well as pay a monthly fee to stream unlimited music.

Microsoft denies this of course. But the death of the Zune is long overdue. I only know one person who bought one. And I’m guessing that for every person who bought a Zune, a thousand or more bought iPods. That’s not a great business model if you’re Microsoft. It will be interesting to see if what they come up with next. Hopefully it’s more successful than the Zune.

 

CRTC Announces Usaged Based Billing Hearings…. Perpare For Their Lies

Make your plans for July. That’s when the CRTC plans to hold hearings on the whole usage based billing fiasco:

Canadians will have an opportunity to share their views at a public hearing starting on July 11th in Gatineau, Que. The CRTC will also hold an online consultation. Details of both the hearing and consultation will be announced shortly

Shockingly… Well not really… The CRTC has a gotcha or two in mind:

The CRTC will not be expanding the scope, as requested by several parties, to include the billing practices for retail Internet services. There is no evidence that market forces are not working properly in this unregulated market.

Finally, the CRTC will not review, as was also requested by several parties, the overall regulatory framework for wholesale high-speed Internet access services. The overall framework was not part of the decision that is being reviewed, and it would not be appropriate to initiate such a wide-ranging review within the current proceeding.

Basically, this is one of the CRTC’s attempts to solicit public input and then do whatever they feel like. That’s why it’s vital for Canadians to see through this and keep the pressure up on the Conservative government who have already committed to killing any attempt by the CRTC to go ahead with usage based billing.

Rogers Announces WiFi Calling For Business

If you’re a Rogers business customer and you have a cell phone with WiFi access, you might want to pay attention to this. My “best friends at Rogers” pointed me to this press release that announces their WiFi Calling For Business service:

Rogers exclusive new Wi-Fi Calling for Business lets business owners and employees place mobile calls from their smartphones over Wi-Fi networks registered on their devices.  The service is available starting at $10 per month as an add-on to existing Rogers Business Voice Plans.  With the $10 per month add-on, customers can make calls over the Wi-Fi network that won’t count towards monthly voice plan minutes. Calls that originate on a Wi-Fi network are automatically transferred to the Rogers 3G wireless network when the person leaves the Wi-Fi coverage area.

UMA or Unlicensed Mobile Access isn’t new technology. It’s been around for quite a while and quite a few handsets that Rogers sells have UMA capability. However their network has never supported this functionality. Why it hasn’t is anyone’s guess. The real questions are will anyone else (Bell, Telus, Wind) join the party, and when will Rogers allow consumers to join the party too?

Blackberry Playbook Launches On April 10th…. Is It DOA?

The Boy Genius is reporting that the Blackberry Playbook tablet is due to ship on April 10:

We have been told by multiple sources that RIM’s very first tablet will be launching on April 10th in retail locations.

My question is this. Is this tablet going to be dead on arrival given the fact that the iPad 2 has been announced and will ship way before the Playbook? Sure it still doesn’t run Flash like the Playbook. But it’s specs are so much better than the Playbook which can make all the difference in terms of who wins and who loses the tablet war.

We’ll see on April 10th. Assuming date is accurate.

Bell Claims That Usage Based Billing Is Good For Canadians….. WTF?

Clearly Bell is running scared because I was pointed to this page on their website that has all the credibility of the Iraqi Information Minister. Just check out how they argue that usage based billing is good for Canadians:

• Bell offers retail usage packages from 25 gigabytes (GB) to 75 GB a month. Customers can buy even more at affordable prices – $5 for 40 GB more, $10 for 80 GB, $15 for 120 GB. 
• That’s a very generous amount of usage – keep in mind that even 60 GB will get you 300 hours of standard definition video streaming or 50 hours of non-stop HD video streaming!
  
• Yet average usage on our network is just 16 GB per month and half of our customer base uses just 5 GB a month.

Oh really? This sort of dis-information ignores services like Netflix. But why acknowledge that Canadians want to use services on the Internet that consume bandwidth without the fear that they’re going to get raped ripped off by their telco?

Oh yeah, they also mention this:

Those with an interest in maintaining unlimited Internet access for themselves – that minority of wholesale customers who often download hundreds of gigabytes per month – are eager to confuse regular users of the Internet into believing they will be negatively impacted by usage-based billing for wholesale. But the reality is quite the opposite: If super-heavy downloaders are allowed to keep using up extraordinary amounts of network capacity, we’ll all have to pay more. And that’s just not fair.

They have to be kidding. The reality is that Bell isn’t interested in looking out for the interests of Canadians. The fact is that they want to gouge Internet users in Canada, plain and simple. After all, the costs for bandwidth is dirt cheap to a major telco like Bell. Not that they want you to know how little they pay for bandwidth. But why would they use accurate facts in an argument where they clearly would end up on the losing end of said argument.

To ensure that they lose this argument, Canadians should click here and sign this petition put forward by Liberal MP and ex space shuttle astronaut Marc Garneau or this one put forward by Open Media. Canadians should make it clear that they won’t put up with this sort of nonsense from their telcos.

Dell Releases New Inspiron duo

I seem to have a friend at Dell to add to my “best friends at Rogers.” They let me know that they’re now shipping the Inspiron duo which is a convertable tablet. Here’s what Dell had to say about it:

The Inspiron duo is the latest in Dell’s growing portfolio of mobility products, which includes the Streak 5, the five-inch, go-anywhere device that fits perfectly in your hands, purse or pocket. With Streak 5, and now the Inspiron duo, Dell is demonstrating its commitment to mobile innovation and meeting the needs of today’s on-the-go lifestyle, allowing people to stay connected to their friends, family and favourite content.

“Dell is changing the shape of computing, with products that usher in new experiences and allow people to stay connected to each other and the content they love from almost anywhere,” said Phil Bryant, general manager, Consumer, Dell Canada. “The new Inspiron duo’s dual purpose delivers one-touch access to great content and yet offers the functionality of a full keyboard for more intensive applications. We’re excited to offer such an innovative and unique design to our customers in Canada.”

It ships with Windows 7. The innovative flip design lets you switch from touch to type in seconds. It has a 10 inch HD screen and is powered by an Intel Atom processor. All this for a starting price of $549 Canadian. Sounds interesting. It’s worth checking out if you’re in the market for both a tablet and a laptop.