December 2015 - Ophtek

San Jose to Welcome Google Fiber into California

Dec 2015

Google Fiber promises super fast broadband, but it remains out of reach for many people. However, it now looks as though it will shortly debut in San Jose.

The days of conducting business over a 56k dial up modem seem like a lifetime ago and in the last decade the speed offered by broadband has rapidly increased. It may seem as though it can’t get any quicker, but believe me it can! And it’s all thanks to ‘gigabit internet’ services.

Google, always at the forefront of internet technology, has been working on Google Fiber for the last 5 years and it promises a huge connection speed of 1,000 megabits per second. Despite first launching in 2011 expansion has been slow, but it’s strongly rumored that it’s debut in California will be in San Jose.

Let’s take a look at exactly what’s known about this launch and what it means for your business!

The Rumors Behind San Jose’s Launch

Despite there being no official announcement over Google Fiber’s expansion into San Jose there remains many indicators that it’s almost a done deal.

Perhaps the biggest shred of evidence is that Google has already got the ball rolling by applying for planning permission to construct two ‘Fiber Huts’ – these buildings house all the fiber optic equipment necessary to provide the regional network with gigabit access. And there are also proposals to build a further 8 in the city which would indicate a very strong drive to make Google Fiber a viable option.

Google has been discussing their plans for Google Fiber with city officials for some time now, but it had been difficult to reach a compromise. As a result, the discussions had broken down on at least two occasions leaving the move in jeopardy. However, it appears that progress has been made and the noises from City Hall point towards an announcement towards the end of November.

Why Will Google Fiber Be a Big Deal?

Google Fiber, then, seems to be on its way to San Jose, but what benefits is this going to bring to businesses in the city?

It will far outstrip the services currently provided in the area. At present the quickest internet service offered in San Jose is 250 megabits through Comcast.

The speed offered by Google Fiber will make cloud computing more viable due to the increases in accessibility and speed of available cloud services.
Video conferencing will become more accessible and will increase the potential for workers to work from home and connect with geographically separated colleagues like never before.

Google Fiber Is Only a Matter of Time

Google Fiber in San Jose feels as though it’s only a matter of time and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it launch in 2016. And if it does then it’s going to be incredibly exciting for the residents and businesses in the city. The potential to improve their digital lives is huge and promises to make dramatic changes to the way we do business.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

Malware Helps Protect Infected Routers

Securitymalware, routerOphtek, LLC

Dec 2015

Malware is generally viewed as a nasty virus which causes nothing but chaos. However, a new piece of malware called Linux.Wifatch seems to improve security.

Usually the preserve of security breaches and data privacy concerns, malware is mostly in the news for disrupting commercial and domestic PC activity. Naturally, it’s an area where everyone needs to be on their guard to protect their data.

However, what if there were a new type of malware which bucked the trend and actually protected you from other forms of malware? It would be pretty special, right? And, it looks like it’s already here in the form of Linux.Wifatch, so let’s take a look at exactly how it works.

How Has Linux.Wifatch Found a Niche?

Internet routers are wonderful little devices, but the majority of users are notoriously sloppy when it comes to safeguarding them. You see, people are eager to get it out of the box and connected to the net as soon as possible, so they don’t even consider adjusting the default password or admin settings.

And it’s this neglect towards security that has allowed hackers easy access to countless networks in the past. In fact, November 2014 saw a huge security breach in Vietnam where millions of broadband routers had their traffic hijacked to mask online cyber crime being carried out by hackers.

Linux.Wifatch, however, looks to be a unique remedy to this potential threat.

What is Linux.Wifatch?

Linux.Wifatch is an intriguing piece of code which – as per most malware – sneaks into your system in a rather underhand manner. In the case of Linux.Wifatch it’s believed that it breaches your router by way of the telnet protocol – this software helps test connections to servers.

However, once it’s made its way into your router, it does the decent thing and closes the connection it’s got through on to prevent any more malware sneaking in. Not content with closing the doors, Linux.Wifatch will then prompt the router administrator to then change the router password. And it’s final chivalrous act is to set off in search of other malware in the router to destroy.

Is Linux.Wifatch All Good?

It may sound like a friendly virus, but don’t forget that Linux.Wifatch is still malware and the ‘mal’ stands for malicious! Sure, it provides some protection to your router, but it simply shouldn’t be there in the first place.

And Linux.Wifatch itself actually has a number of backdoors built into it to allow the author of the virus to use your router as they please.

With the virus spreading globally and affecting tens of thousands of users, it’s creating a lot of panic that this seemingly ‘white hat’ piece of software could suddenly turn nasty. So, in my opinion, the uncertainty surrounding Linux.Wifatch means a much better solution is to take your router security seriously from day 1 to prevent any security breaches.