Ch
evrolet has announced that owners of several new models can turn their rides in a mobile hot spot with Chevrolet Wi-Fi by Autonet Mobile. This option enables full Internet access inside the vehicle and up to a 150 feet radius around the vehicle. Chevrolet Wi-Fi is designed for use by passengers, or by the driver when the vehicle is parked. The system requires no special software and achieves speeds up to 1.5 Mbps. The Chevrolet Wi-Fi internet connection can support up to 10 devices at once, enabling multiple passengers to use the connection for their separate devices.
“Chevrolet Wi-Fi by Autonet Mobile enhances commuting, family vacations and work,” says Chris Rauser, Chevrolet Accessories Manager. “It benefits active families on the go, as well as professionals who need immediate information at remote job sites. Its uses are almost endless.” San Francisco-based Autonet Mobile is the world’s first Internet service provider designed exclusively for vehicles. As a GM Officially Licensed Product, Chevrolet Wi-Fi by Autonet Mobile is certified to work with the following new Chevrolet models:
EquinoxAccording to Autonet, the system uses 3G EVDO/2.5g 1xRRT wireless from Novatel Wireless for connectivity and its own patent-pending TRU technology to support Internet connections over the 3G network while the vehicle is in motion. TRU technology maintains the persistent link, even when 3G coverage is sparse. IEEE 802.11b-a-g provides data link protocols along with one built-in Ethernet LAN port that provides wired connectivity.
Its transport protocols include PPTP, L2TP, IPSec, and PPPoE along with SNMP for remote management. Security and access control are provided via WEP/WPA/WPA2 encryption. Additional docking stations are available, enabling customers to easily move the Chevrolet Wi-Fi by Autonet Mobile router from vehicle to vehicle.
Through Dec. 31, Chevrolet Wi-Fi is available for $199 ($399 retail price, less $200 mail-in rebate with a two-year service agreement). Go to GMextras.com for more information.
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Now a soccer mom in her mini-van picking up Happy Meals will have more connectivity options than some of my clients.
Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.
Marketwire recently reported that OneFi Technology, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: ONFI) announced the installation of WiMax/BPL Technology under the ARRA. The installation will occur in the 600 square miles Hogback Region of the Navajo Nation and will begin in January 2010.
Tom White, CFO of OneFi who is managing the project, said in a press release, “We are delivering the network to meet the broadband internet needs of the Navajo community and the installation will be a model for the other Native American communities.” OneFi officials said that the company would use the model developed with this project to expand its commitment to other Native American communities and rural areas. The contract is valued at $20 million when installed.
The application made under the Broadband Technology Opportunity Program (BTOP) states that a fully redundant self-healing hybrid WiMax / BPL broadband network will be developed. The network architecture uses microwave delivered from the backbone to the local community. At the community level towers are installed so that WiMax can be broadcast throughout the total area. Base stations are used to receive and insert signals in power lines that deliver BPL broadband to the user.
The firm’s press release states that OneFi is a WiMax company developing broadband networks that are capable of 4G (4th Generation) compatibility. OneFi Technology’s focus is on rural communities and developing countries. WiMax is a wireless technology for the delivery of broadband internet.
In an article on TMCNET it seems that the firm requires payment upfront to start the job, “Once the company receives the funds, it said it will deploy its qualified engineers to the client’s area to layout the project and complete engineering working drawings. They expect this step to be completed in 45-60 days. The next step is the installation, and OneFi estimates this to be completed within 60 – 90 days, depending on the complexity of the project.”
Apparently, this type of arrangement did not work out very well for the City of Villa Park, CA. In July 2008 OneFi installed a WiMax-WiFi communications system in the city. The OneFi Technology network’s broadband signal was to allow the citizens of Villa Park to access the internet at speeds up to 104 Mbps. However, in March 2009 City staff recommended that the City Council terminate the license agreement (with OnFi) based on lack of performance.
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BPL still clings to life. Maybe they can make it work in the middle of the desert where the giant antenna effect doesn’t matter too much. The installing vendor seems to have a checkered financial and performance past. We always take a look at the size of the firm compared to the size of the job. A job that is a reach for a firm may work out alright, but maybe not because of financing or staff issues. Good luck to the Navajo and us as taxpayers since we are footing the bill for this project.
Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.
Web servers, FTP servers, and even SSL servers are becoming prime targets for botnets. They are targets, not as command and control servers says Mikko Hypponen, chief research officer at F-Secure, in a recent DarkReading article, “but in some cases to execute high-powered spam runs.”
Botnet operators are going after certain types of servers specifically to harness their horsepower and bandwidth says Joe Stewart, director of malware research for SecureWorks. These bots are typically used as spamming engines: “The general purpose of these attacks is to send spam, either email spam or blog spamming,” Stewart told DarkReading. “The benefits are having a large amount of bandwidth available and enhanced processing capacity to maximize the amount of spam you can send out.”
Marc Maiffret, chief security architect at FireEye says he expects trusted and legitimate Websites will start to become the source of the majority of Web attacks in 2010. “I think that the focus there on servers is really again more to help more easily infect a larger number of desktops,” Maiffret says.”You can think of this SQL/Web-spread vector as the modernized version of what use to happen with email and such many years ago.”
“FTP servers are a hot commodity in the underground. They are regularly used by drive-by download malware as well as a downloading component for regular bots,” says Hypponen. Botnets often use stolen FTP credentials to break into other parts of the system, says Bill Ho, vice president of Internet products for Biscom. “FTP is being used to transfer bot code to other machines, servers, and users,” Ho says. “If the FTP server is not secured properly and an FTP site has access to other parts of the system with vulnerabilities, the attacker can install [malware] at that location and infect and compromise that server.” Paul French, vice president of products and solutions marketing for Axway laments that. “FTP is pretty ubiquitous … The reality is that FTP has been around long enough for people to know the risks associated with it. But sometimes convenience outweighs good IT security [practices].”
“Another thing we’ve noticed is the use of SSL servers. Sites with a valid SSL certificate get hacked and are used by drive-by-downloads” according to Hypponen.
Why SSL servers? “If a drive-by download gets the malware file through an HTTPS connection, proxy and gateway scanners won’t be able to scan for the malware in transit, making it easier to sneak in,” Hypponen explains.
Botnet operators are using these networks of captured servers to expand their operations. The servers are used to host exploits, serve up drive-by downloads, and help them distribute more malware to the bot-infected PCs in the botnet, DarkReading concludes.
Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.
