These vulnerabilities were discovered by Aleksandar Nikolic of Cisco Talos
Overview
MatrixSSL is a TLS/SSL stack offered in the form of a Software Development Kit (SDK) that is geared towards application in Internet of Things (IOT) devices and other embedded systems. It features low resource overhead and supports many different embedded platforms. It also features FIPS 140-2 compliant cryptography making it suitable for use in high security environments. Talos recently discovered multiple vulnerabilities in MatrixSSL version 3.8.7b including two remote code execution (RCE) vulnerabilities as well as an information disclosure vulnerability.
Imagine this scenario – you walk into a meeting room with a colleague and they are sitting at the table with their arms crossed. You immediately think to yourself, this meeting is not going to go well, this person is already displeased with me and I have not said anything yet. However, you are making an assumption based solely on one aspect of their behavior. Why not consider other factors or possible explanations for their body language: Is the room highly air-conditioned and they are cold? Is it Winter and they just came in from outside? Behavioral body language of people is dependent upon multiple factors to gain visibility into a person’s state of mind.
The rapid rise of encrypted traffic is changing the threat landscape; the increase in digital business has led to a rise in the number of services and applications using encrypted traffic to secure information. As the digital economy continues to grow, so will the rise in encrypted traffic. More specifically, encrypted traffic has increased by more than 90 percent year over year, with more than 40 percent of websites encrypting traffic in 2016 versus 21 percent in 2015. Gartner predicts that by 2019, 80 percent of web traffic will be encrypted.
The challenge with encryption technology is that it is a double-edged sword; it enables greater privacy and security, particularly necessary for mobile, cloud and web applications. However, we are not the only ones interested in encrypted traffic. Threat actors have also increased their use of encryption for their malicious intents. In fact, Gartner believes that half of all malware campaigns in 2019 will use some type of encryption to conceal malware delivery, command and control activity, or data exfiltration.
Threat actors are using encrypted traffic for malware insertion in ways where users can be most vulnerable. A simple internet search by an employee browsing the Internet over HTTPS can lead to a malware infection. This user’s seemingly benign web browsing session can actually initiate a command and control session which can lead to data exfiltration of corporate assets. Traditional methods of solving this problem would be to decrypt the encrypted traffic to detect malware. However, due to the volume of encrypted traffic, decrypting the treat actors’ traffic is not just impractical, it is next to impossible and has never been an option.
This is why Cisco’s innovation in flow monitoring is critical to better understanding the behavior of encrypted traffic, without the requirement to decrypt the encrypted traffic. Cisco’s encrypted traffic analytics is new technology, which uses new types of data elements and telemetry to determine behaviors of encrypted traffic. By looking at observable data like the first data packet, as well as multiple behaviors within the traffic (such as the lengths of time between packets and the messages within a flow of traffic), accurate inferences can be made about the traffic even though it is still encrypted.
Encrypted Traffic Analytics focuses on identifying malware communications in encrypted traffic through passive monitoring, the extraction of relevant data elements, and supervised machine learning with cloud-based global visibility. This technology is something that could only be developed by Cisco since it is a pitch/catch between Cisco’s network as well as its security technology.
There are many benefits of using encrypted traffic analysis, particularly the ability to gain visibility into the behavior of encrypted traffic that may contain threats without the need for decryption. This visibility can be used to inform decisions to quickly contain effected devices and users. Compliance requirements can also be met more easily when armed with the knowledge of what is, and what is not, encrypted on the network. Cisco uniquely can get the network itself to exhibit this rich telemetry so that modern security analytics can be performed, lowering the administrative and operational costs of these high value features.
To be more specific, a school district in Jackson, NJ. A mountain bike race across Africa. A luxury cruise ship. An Australian university. What do these have in common?
They needed a new network to deliver a digital experience to their students, families, athletes, sponsors, and customers.
And that network was based on Cisco and installed by our partner Dimension Data.
The new era of networking is here. And with it comes new opportunities for our partners. This fundamentally changes the network and the way we do business together. With a $20B install base opportunity in front of us, it’s time to get started.
The new network delivers a world where you can connect billions of devices, identify them almost instantly, know what’s trustworthy and what isn’t, and draw exponential value from the connections – and you can do it in hours instead of weeks and months.
– Chuck Robbins, CEO
Some of our partners, like Dimension Data, already have a list of success stories with clients who have used Cisco technology to achieve a level of automation not possible before. And, Dimension Data is leveraging analytics and assurance, security, and software based subscription licensing to help customers transition into the digital era while solving their challenges.
Cisco Live, which takes place next week in Las Vegas, is our largest gathering of customers, IT experts, partners, media specialists, industry analysts and others interested in learning more about Cisco and our offerings. We expect close to 29,000 attendees, including the active participation of over 300 partners. It will bring together Cisco enthusiasts from around the world across all business and public sector segments and provides an opportunity for Cisco to highlight the most important industry trends, our emerging solutions and to connect our customers and partner ecosystem.
Attendees at his year’s event will have the opportunity to learn about a new era in networking with the launch this week of the Cisco Digital Network Architecture (DNA). Cisco DNA revolutionizes how you design, build, and manage your national government, public safety, and justice networks. It means simpler, flexible deployment and more intelligent management of your network so IT can get up and running in days rather than months. It also means deep network insights for greater stakeholder engagement and smarter operations. With Cisco DNA infrastructure and solutions, national government, public safety, and justice organizations can enable key digital capabilities with a digital-ready foundation. If you won’t be at Cisco Live to hear more about this revolutionary breakthrough in networking, you can learn more here: Cisco DNA
If you are coming to Cisco Live this year, be sure to stop by the Public Safety area in the IoT and Industry District of the World of Solutions where we will have a number of experts and demonstrations to further explain this DNA concept as well as the accelerating transformation of business and government to leverage digital technologies. We will be discussing how Cisco can deliver safer communities, campuses and countries in a digital era along with the digital architecture which provides the foundation to connect people, process, data and things together. We will also be joined in the area by BlueLine Grid as well as feature other key partners.
Be sure to join us in the World of Solutions for the theater presentations we’re hosting:
Security Requirements for Public Safety and Justice (IITDGT-1001), Monday, June 26 @ 2:30 pm
SparkGrid for Public Safety and Security (IITEWN-1000), Tuesday, June 27 @ 5:00 pm
Public Safety and Justice Mobile Collaboration (IICOL-1001), Tuesday, June 27 @ 5:15 pm
IoT Industrial Routers: Connecting Everything (IITCLD-1000), Wednesday, June 28 @ 11:45 am
Mass Notification & Location Management (IITCOL-1005), Wednesday, June 28 @ 12:15 pm
Along with longer breakout presentation sessions:
Connected Architectures for Public Safety (BRKIOT-1201), Monday, June 26 @ 8:00 am
Public Safety Architecture for Safer Communities and Countries in the Digital Era (PSODGT-1359), Wednesday, June 28 @ 3:30 pm
We look forward to seeing you in Las Vegas. Visit the Cisco Live site now to learn more and join us next week.
Thank you
Cisco Public Safety and Cisco Internet of Things Teams
Service Providers and Enterprises are constantly striving to keep pace with user demand and expectations. The drive to transform networks in a timely manner while maintaining service quality and constraining incremental costs is an ongoing challenge.
With 77,000 Service professionals around the world, Cisco and Ericsson help their customers transform networks quickly, securely, and cost-effectively.
Only Cisco and Ericsson – the worldwide leaders in IP and Mobility – can offer the scale, scope, and experience needed to transform networks end-to-end. From consultation to optimization, Cisco and Ericsson Services enable new business models and next-generation services reliably and efficiently.
Our unique expertise and experience, combined with our local presence on a global scale, ensures consistent delivery and a quality customer experience.
Take a moment to watch this video and see how you can transform your network with the power of the Cisco-Ericsson partnership:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfL5Mp6n-Vc
To learn more about the innovative solutions and services offered by Cisco and Ericsson, stop by the Ericsson booth (#1337) at Cisco Live US, June 25-29, in Las Vegas. Hope to see you there!
Battlefield decisions have to be lightning quick. Thanks to Cisco and Intel, special operations forces can now have more information at their fingertips for making those judgment calls.
At this year’s Special Operations Forces Industry Conference, we presented a groundbreaking demonstration that highlights the future of low-cost sensors over a low-powered network. Cisco’s innovations around low-powered networks allows for secure bi-directional communications specifically designed for IoT-based devices. Cisco, teamed with Intel’s edge technology, enables soldiers to take advantage of data on the edge to make real-time decisions.
Some of the examples we demonstrated at SOFIC included:
Wearables that recognize gestures, activity (such a running, jumping, laying prone), and biometric data;
Vibration monitoring that can identify movements of vehicles and other equipment along a specified route;
Chemical sensors that can detect gases and communicate to handheld devices to map the impacted area and project the overall impact of the spreading chemical.
Cisco also demonstrated the Firepower Next-Generation firewall (NGFW) which is the industry’s first fully integrated, threat focused NGFW. Cisco Stealthwatch leverages flow telemetry to provide real-time continuous monitoring and pervasive views into all network traffic. This technology is a key component in the Cyber Security strategy available from Cisco to enable your SOC to have a real-time view of the cyber battlefield.
In the data center, Cisco demonstrated the value of the Cisco Hyperflex (HX) system that combines compute, storage and networking in a single, easy-to-use platform. This solution is great for the edge to provide edge computing power for large data sets and high demand applications that need to be provided at the tactical edge without worrying about a low-speed or possibly comprised backhaul link.
Finally, Cisco demonstrated the power of Cisco’s Jabber solution. Jabber allows users to collaborate via chat, voice or video in an individual or multi-person conference. Coupled with presence features, Jabber shows you the status of the individuals you want to contact and have the flexibility to connect with them in a variety of ways whether they are out on the edge or back at headquarters.
If you missed any of these demos, please reach out to us to schedule some time to meet with your Cisco team to discuss how these solutions can help you solve your mission critical initiatives.
A little more than three months after I came back from maternity leave, our nanny starting having severe morning sickness, and it became clear we needed to find an alternative daycare solution for our son. I had been at Cisco for nine years, and knew that we had two different daycare centers in San Jose, but hadn’t really visited them. I had signed up for back-up daycare, but hadn’t planned on bringing our son there until he was over a year old. One morning, on a day when my husband was gone before dawn, and I had a day full of meetings, our nanny called in sick.
In a sheer panic, I got online and found my contact at Cisco daycare, who quickly replied back that I should bring our son in, no problem. Before he was born, I never would have considered myself a panicky mother; it turns out I am! I emailed my manager and told her what was happening and that I may be late to a meeting. Her response was, “Don’t worry. Take care of your son first.”
Many places of employment may not be so understanding when situations like this arise. They may think it’s, “not their problem.” But that just isn’t the case here at Cisco. Not only do they care about their employees, but they ensure that we know our families do come first.
As I pulled into the building with my son and walked through the daycare doors for the first time, we were greeted so warmly, and made to feel very much at ease. We stopped to sign him in, and I filled out my paperwork to gain access to our Video Surveillance Operations Manager (VSOM) system. His first classroom ‘Peek-a-Moo’, couldn’t have been a better place for him! His teachers were simply amazing and so loving to both of us!
Throughout that first day I got a few phone calls to tell me how he was doing and to reassure me that he was just fine. This took a weight off my shoulders – imagine! Most mothers are worried, scared, or sad to leave their baby at daycare – and they have time to prepare! On our very first, unexpected day, my son’s teachers were a driving force in keeping us both cool, calm, and collected.
He started out in an infant room, and stayed in that room for about 3 months. He then moved into the toddler room, this is where he really started to shine! Not only is he learning different languages, but he’s also experiencing different sensory activities that allow him to experience the world in a whole new way. The best part about having the daycare right on campus is that I can log into VSOM and see what is happening in his classroom whenever I want! For me, there’s no need to stress or worry – I know he’s in good hands, and I can quickly check in any time that I’d like.
It’s now been a year since my son first started, and since that time he has come home countless times covered in paint, cornstarch, coffee grounds and loads and loads of dirt! He takes Mandarin, Spanish and art classes and enjoys a cuisine that is more sophisticated than I could imagine! Being able to check in on him throughout the day and have him close by is a blessing I could have never imagined. Working at a company that not only provides an option for daycare, but lets me use our technology to stay connected and close – this really empowers me to be my best mom AND employee every day!
I love that we have this benefit and it makes me love my company even more than ever before as it truly speaks to the heart of our people deal and the core of our culture, #WeAreCisco.
Want to join a company that can help look after our littlest Cisconians? We’re hiring!
When it comes to healthcare, falling behind the curve isn’t an option.
Given the fast pace of technology advancements, there is a growing need to transform healthcare to meet patient and clinician expectations in an increasingly digital world. This means using digital technology to enable better care coordination, keep patients safe, create experiences that lead to improved outcomes, and deliver care in ways that save time and money.
Adapting to change, especially in healthcare, is a huge undertaking. Cisco Digital Network Architecture (DNA) for Healthcare provides the flexibility hospitals need for fast transformation. Building on the Cisco DNA foundation, healthcare organizations can innovate quickly, gain actionable insights, lower costs through network automation, and reduce risk with security everywhere..
Check out the infographic below to learn more about how Cisco DNA can drive healthcare innovation.
Stay tuned for four more installments in our Cisco DNA for Healthcare blog series, which focuses on how hospital networks are evolving, opportunities to improve business outcomes, security for healthcare, and what you can do to make your hospital digital ready.
This blog is the second of a three-part series on Digitizing Pedagogy in the Age of Teaching Superpowers.
Ironically, the world is hooked on the stories behind superheroes, not just because they twist and turn, but also because they always indirectly teach us human spirit, inner strengths, and better approaches to life. Picking up from the cliffhanger at the end of Part 1 of this blog series, in teaching, the art of storytelling is how we engage students and stimulate them to take ownership and interest in a subject. It is how we encourage their passion to seek a deeper understanding. I have always thought of this as a definable teaching super power, something that all good teachers possess.
However, in education, that new technology can negatively impact our evolution of teaching methodology. The fear of the unknown can create a lack of confidence and perception of overwhelming expectations. The speed at which students and parents can access information to check facts, delve deeper into a topic, and test the teacher in super quick time can have a teacher spinning on a dime. Modern pedagogy must change to match the pace of digital disruption, integrating digital technology into the structure of a classroom or curricula, so teachers maintain that important “superhero” position, the oracle of truth and the center of instruction, maximizing engagement and driving student success.
So, the good news is that the evolution of technology in education means we are about to enter the era where teachers can truly use super human powers!
Think about that, what are teaching super powers? If you look at the real superhero powers where technology has given extraordinary human power, Batman’s belt, Ironman’s suit, or even Doctor Who’s sonic screwdriver, we can inspire many iterations that are unique to teaching. Oh, and there are many, just check out the catalog of powers and origin stories in the superhero universe.
The omnibus of superheroes and their powers inspires us for a plethora of defined powers that can be linked to the use of technology in education. The definition of teaching super powers is not necessary as crazy or silly an idea as you may think. The speed at which a teacher can respond to a student in peril, the intuition of a teacher to adapt to what will help a student overcome a roadblock, or even the ability to accommodate students by allowing them to learn anytime and anywhere.
Just for fun, or as a team workshop exercise, list some super powers you would like to have. Do this with your faculty and IT staff, and I bet you could easily fill a page. Here are the ones that I collected from a number of teaching and technology workshops across the country.
Ability to be in multiple places at one time
Super hearing
Teleportation – individual/class
Super Senses – to know when a student is in trouble
Mind reading/recognition of learning issues
Universal communication language
Speed of light
Flying, alternative perspectives
Photographic memory
Time travel
Empathy
Laugh at terrible jokes…
All of these (ok, you have to feign laughter on your own) today or in the very near future, can be provided for teachers with the latest video technology, collaboration tools, integration of cloud applications, and the use of Artificial Intelligence and Virtual and Augmented reality. Even more teaching super powers will become possible in the next few years with the use and advancements in more sophisticated analytics in each of these spaces.
For example, an entire class in Kentucky recently used Cisco Telepresence video to transport themselves to a scuba diver, live on the sea bed of the Great Barrier Reef. We can call this the power of teleportation.
Using video translation, a student who speaks not a word of French, is able to read in perfect English the full transcript from the court papers of Versailles, during the era of Marie Antoinette. This use of augmented technology is the power to gain capabilities or skills that instantly enable a deeper level of learning.
Another teacher used a robot (BOT) to interact with a study group’s collaboration space, providing relevant information on the International Space Station, which helped them get an A on their Science project. At the same time, she was able to focus on individual students who struggled with the common curriculum of the planets. This power gives the teacher the ability to leap from study group to students with accommodations as if always present, giving the appearance of super speed and response.
In the near future, a teacher can use augmented reality to project anatomical information onto their own bodies to help teach biology online class…Okay you get my point.
These are just a few teaching super powers that are happening today and will become mainstream in the next few years. So, as teachers, where do we start, and is it even possible to use these technologies in your school? Let’s activate our teaching super powers!
Cisco Live, which takes place next week in Las Vegas, is our largest gathering of customers, IT experts, partners, media specialists, industry analysts and others interested in learning more about Cisco and our offerings. We expect close to 29,000 attendees, including the active participation of over 300 partners. It will bring together Cisco enthusiasts from around the world across all business and public sector segments and provides an opportunity for Cisco to highlight the most important industry trends, our emerging solutions and to connect our customers and partner ecosystem.
If you are coming to Cisco Live this year, be sure to stop by the Public Safety area in the 
