The Value of Turning Off Malware Scanning: Allow Exchange to Function?
January 1, 2022
Happy New Year. Problems with Microsoft Exchange 2019? The fix is quite special and you can get some suggestions for getting mail working again from Reddit’s sysadmin forum. Try this link to learn how to by pass the malware engine. The trick is to disable malware scanning or use the bypass method described in the Reddit post.
Several thoughts:
- Useful issue for computer science classes in certain countries unfriendly toward the US to explore
- There is room for improvement in Microsoft software quality control processes
- This Microsoft Exchange issue matches nicely with netlogon and no-auth exchange RCE missteps.
Here’s the link to the fix: https://bit.ly/3FPNBYc
Outstanding work, Microsoft.
PS. The Register added another MSFT Happy New Year in its post “Going Round in Circles with Windows in Singapore.” There is an illustration of the helpful, detailed, extremely useful error notification. Outstanding work, price war cloud people called Redmondians.
Stephen E Arnold, January 1, 2022
Log4Shell: Tough to Hide This Fire
December 28, 2021
Billy Joel is absolutely right when he sang the acclaimed song “We Didn’t Start The Fire” about the world’s slow demise. Unlike the planet, the Internet is regularly set ablaze and the demise is quick. The current flame is “Log4Shell” and it gives bad actors back doors into clouds and enterprise systems to steal data, download malware, erase information, and cause mayhem. AP News explores the breach in: “‘The Internet’s On Fire’ As Techs Race To Fix Software Flaw.”
The bug dubbed “Log4Shell” originated in open source Apache software used to run Web sites and other Web services. While open source software is a boon to the world, it is not updated as quickly as proprietary software. Amazon, for example, updates itself daily while systems running Apache only update at their owners’ behest.
Funny enough the “Log4Shell” vulnerability was first noticed in a children’s game:
“The first obvious signs of the flaw’s exploitation appeared in Minecraft, an online game hugely popular with kids and owned by Microsoft. Meyers and security expert Marcus Hutchins said Minecraft users were already using it to execute programs on the computers of other users by pasting a short message in a chat box.Microsoft said it had issued a software update for Minecraft users. ‘Customers who apply the fix are protected, it said.”
Cyber security is not child’s play, but hacking is for some bad actors. Thankfully developers are working on a patch to prevent further damage. Security professionals really should not panicking and combine their knowledge to find a solution quicker.
A couple of points:
- The issue allegedly was disclosed by an Alibaba tech professional, possibly Chen Zhaojun
- China suspender an apparently “big” cyber security deal with Alibaba after the disclosure
Are these two actions connected; specifically, did China lose control of a really nifty zero day? Beyond Search thinks that the career trajectory of some Alibaba professionals will be interesting to watch. Are there IT jobs in Ürümqi?
Whitney Grace, December 28, 2021
Whitney Grace, December 27, 2021
Russia May Not Contribute to the Tor Project in 2022
December 28, 2021
This is probably not a surprise to those involved with the Tor Project. We noted some evidence of Russia’s view of anonymized Internet browsing in “Russia Blocks Privacy Service Tor In Latest Move To Control Internet.” The article reports:
Russia’s media regulator has blocked the online anonymity service Tor in what is seen as the latest move by Moscow to bring the Internet in Russia under its control. Roskomnadzor announced it had blocked access to the popular service on December 8, cutting off users’ ability to thwart government surveillance by cloaking IP addresses.
The Tor Project responded with some tech tips for ways to get around the Putin partition. (Think Tor bridge. Some details are at this link.)
Does this mean that Russia has no interest in Tor? Nope. We think that some of Mr. Putin’s fellow travelers are hosting Tor relay servers, but that’s just something we heard from a person yapping about freedom.
What’s next? How about blocking any service originating in nation states not getting with Mr. Putin’s Ukrainian program? It is unlikely that Sergey Brin’s flight on a Russian rocket ship will become a reality in 2022. We also heard that the Google Cloud hosts some services that Mr. Putin thinks may erode the freedoms enjoyed by Russian citizens.
Stephen E Arnold, December 28, 2021
The Apple of a Chinese Eye: Big Bucks, Big Secrets
December 28, 2021
This is one way to deal with regulations in a nation famous for its tight control over tech companies. TechSpot reveals, “Tim Cook Reportedly Signed Secret $275 Billion Investment Deal with China to Help Apple Succeed in the Country.” Writer Rob Thubron cites an article from The Information (paywalled) which claims to have interviews and internal documents showing the Apple CEO personally lobbied Chinese officials in 2016. He informs us:
“Cook signed a ‘memorandum of understanding’ with China’s National Development and Reform Commission that involved Apple making concessions in exchange for legal exemptions. Apple’s promise included helping Chinese manufacturers develop advanced manufacturing technologies and support with training of Chinese talents, using more Chinese-sourced components in its devices, signing deals with the country’s software firms, and investing directly in Chinese companies. Additionally, some of the billions of dollars Apple put into the country would go toward retail stores, research and development centers, and renewable energy projects. One of the ways Apple has allegedly benefitted from the deal is its ability to hold onto the encryption keys for iCloud user data in the region. The Chinese government usually forces foreign companies to hand over responsibility for such data to local organizations.”
Yes, never let it be said the Chinese government values its citizens’ digital privacy. Apparently, though, loosening its stranglehold on information is worth it when it comes to Apple. Thubron continues:
“The iPhone maker has a history of kowtowing to the Chinese government, having previously removed thousands of games, apps, and VPNs from its App Store at the behest of local officials. It also purged a protest app and the Quartz news app during the Hong Kong pro-democracy protests.”
It seems this policy of compromising the principles of freedom in the land of censorship is paying off for Apple. We learn its annual sales grew by 83% in China during the fiscal fourth quarter. We are not surprised to see the bottom line is the top priority for the company.
Cynthia Murrell, December 28, 2021
Mother Google Wants Tidy Cubbies
December 24, 2021
Google is going to save us from our disorganized selves, whether we like it or not. TechRadar reports, “Google Drive Update Will Force You to Clean Up Your Mess of Files and Folders.” It is for our own good, really. To force users into tidying up, Drive will automatically migrate multi-location files to shortcuts, a system launched in August of last year. With the pandemic-prompted shift in remote work, use of cloud-based systems like Drive had suddenly boomed. Writer Joel Khalili tells us:
“This [shift] caused an influx in the number of documents, spreadsheets, presentations and other assets hosted in Google Drive, creating various file management and navigation issues. With the upcoming update, Google will hope to impose some measure of order on the chaos, which is only exacerbated by the opportunity for files to exist in multiple locations. According to the blog post, administrators will be notified via email a number of weeks before the migration to shortcuts takes place. Before the process begins, admins will be able to specify whether shortcuts are introduced in all possible scenarios, or only for content shared within the company’s own domain. Google Workspace users, meanwhile, will be served a banner warning of the changes, but will be required to take no further action. All existing file permissions will be preserved after the migration takes place, says Google.”
We suppose that is one way for Google to save on data storage costs. If the company can position it as a boon for users, all the better. Will it also seek a way to make us eat our vegetables? Will mom root through the data in order to make a definitive parental decision? What if some data are in violation of the Google’s terms of service? What’s the punishment? Google jail, a fine, a trial? We don’t know.
Cynthia Murrell, December 24, 2021
Amazon: Emulating the Big Apple
December 23, 2021
I love the idea that giant technology companies operate in a space untethered from too many conventions, regulatory constraints, and ethical meshes. Apple I have heard entered into a two-buck deal with China. Okay, okay, the dollar amount was closer to US$ 3 billion. What’s the big deal?
Now it seems that Amazon has channeled its inner apple core. “Amazon Partnered with China Propaganda Arm” reports in a truthy and trustworthy way:
That [once confidential Amazon] briefing document, and interviews with more than two dozen people who have been involved in Amazon’s China operation, reveal how the company has survived and thrived in China by helping to further the ruling Communist Party’s global economic and political agenda, while at times pushing back on some government demands. In a core element of this strategy, the internal document and interviews show, Amazon partnered with an arm of China’s propaganda apparatus to create a selling portal on the company’s U.S. site, Amazon.com – a project that came to be known as China Books. The venture – which eventually offered more than 90,000 publications for sale – hasn’t generated significant revenue. But the document shows that it was seen by Amazon as crucial to winning support in China as the company grew its Kindle electronic-book device, cloud-computing and e-commerce businesses.
Is it a surprise that China’s ruling elite told the dog outside the online bookstore to bite the digital hand of any human or bot daring to give a very special book a bad review.
What is the book, one might ask? It appears that the instant best seller and biographical high water mark is “Xi Jinping: The Governance of China.
The answer, one supposes, is money. The truthy and trustworthy report says:
Amazon Web Services, or AWS, is now one of the largest providers to Chinese companies globally, according to a report this year by analysis firm iResearch in China, and people who have worked for AWS.
Gee, Leader Xi can ping Amazon and Apple any time he chooses. Let’s make a TikTok on a mobile and a desktop too while dining at a TikTok restaurant. Endangered animal stir fry, anyone? It is called Kung Pao Democracy I think.
Stephen E Arnold, December 23, 2021
Clicks Rule: The Foundation for Unchecked Expansion
December 22, 2021
TikTok foods. You laugh. Maybe rethink that? What about TikTok financial services? Sounds crazy, right? A China-centric company financing users around the world? What about TikTok shopping? That makes sense, doesn’t it? How can short videos provide a platform for expansion, more specifically, unchecked expansion?
Clicks.
I read “In 2021, the Internet Went for TikTok, Space and Beyond.” I have been around online services since Ellen Shedlarz, the information specialist at Booz, Allen & Hamilton, sat me down and walked me through commercial databases. I think that was in 1973, maybe 1974. I learned that traffic was a big deal. No clicks, no nothing.
What’s the king of clicks now? The data compiled by a trade association like the old American Petroleum Institute, Chem Abstracts, or Medline? Nope. What about Facebook, Google, or Yahoo? Nope.
The big dog is TikTok, the outfit that for a short time Microsoft or Oracle would buy. How did that work out? Right, it didn’t.
The write up explains:
Google [was] dethroned by the young ‘padawan’ TikTok. Let’s start with our Top Domains Ranking and 2021 brought us a very interesting duel for the Number 1 spot in our global ranking. Google.com (which includes Maps, Translate, Photos, Flights, Books, and News, among others) ended 2020 as the undefeated leader in our ranking — from September to December of last year it was always on top. Back then TikTok.com was only ranked #7 or #8.
What outfits dominate the majority of mostly counted Internet clicks whether by humanoid or happy racks of mobile phones and tireless bots? The answer is TikTok, the service mostly beyond the comprehension of people over the age of 15. (I am just joking, you art history majors who are now TikTok consultants. Humor. Chill.)
I have created a table based on the CloudFlare data which — like all click stream numbers — requires handfuls of salt and a liter of soy sauce;
| Top Domains 2021 | Top Domains 2020 |
| TikTok | The Google |
| The Google | The Zuck |
| The Zuck | Microsoft |
| Microsoft | Apple |
| Apple | Netflix |
| Amazon | Amazon |
| Netflix | TikTok |
| YouTube | YouTube |
| The Tweeter | |
| The Tweeter |
Three observations as you ponder the alleged loss of position by Googzilla and the worst company in America, according to a Yahoo poll:
- TikTok is number one. Where does that user data go? What can one do with such data? What has TikTok learned from its monitoring of the ageing and increasingly clumsy creature known to my research team as Googzilla. (Did you know Googzilla wants to date Snow White?)
- The data from clicks makes it possible for those with access to the data to build out their services; for example, Apple into financial services with the really classy metal credit card and App Store.
- Clicks translate into monopoly jets. Let me explain. The more clicks, the more data, and the more data, the clearer the signals about moving into a new stream of revenue.
Will the TikTok service remain at the top? Nah, nothing is forever in the one click world. But for now, the message sent to the Google and Zuck is one that is best expressed in a holiday card like this one from Etsy:
These products are explained in detail on TikTok. Eating disorders, kitchen envy, and gastrointestinal distress will make it easy to cook, eat, buy, and suffer in 30 second increments. Yep, it’s a TikTok “buy now” innovation. Neither the Google nor the Zuck have a now answer to the China backed service. Where do those data go?
Stephen E Arnold, December 22, 2021
Verizon and Google Are Love Birds? Their Call Is 5G 5G 5G
December 22, 2021
The folks involved with electronic equipment for air planes are expressing some concerns about 5G. Why? Potential issues related to interference. See the FAA and others care about passengers and air freight. Now Verizon and Google care about each other and are moving forward with more 5G goodness. (Please, turn off those 5G mobiles.)
Verizon is regarded as the top mobile provider in the United States. Verizon earns that title, because the company is always innovating. Tech Radar has the story on one of Verizon’s newest innovations: “Verizon Partners With Google Cloud On 5G Edge.” Google Cloud and Verizon will pool their resources to offer 5G mobile edge with guaranteed performance for enterprise customers.
Verizon is promising its 5G networks will have lower latency with faster speeds, reliable connections, and greater capacity. The mobile provider will deliver on its 5G and lower latency promise by decentralizing infrastructures and virtualizing networks, so they are closer to customers. Edge computing means data is processed closer to its collection point. This will enable more advanced technology to take root: smart city applications, telemedicine, and virtual reality.
Google Cloud’s storage and compute capabilities are what Verizon needs to deliver 5G:
“The partnership will initially combine Verizon’s private on-site 5G and its private 5G edge services with Google Distributed Cloud Edge, but the two companies have said they plan to develop capabilities for public networks that will allow enterprises to deploy applications across the US.”
Verizon’s new Google partnership makes it the first mobile provider to offer edge services with Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure.
The advancement of 5G will transform developed countries into automated science-fiction dreams. Verizon 5G edge sounds like it requires the use of more user data in order for it to be processed closer to the collection point. Is this why Verizon has been capturing more of late? Will 5G networks require more private user data to function?
One of my colleagues at Beyond Search had the silly idea that the Verizon Google discussions contributed to Verizon’s keen interest in capturing more customer data. Will the cooing of 5G 5G 5G soothe those worried about having a 757 visit the apartments adjacent O’Hare Airport? Of course not. Verizon and Google are incapable of making technical missteps.
Whitney Grace, December 22, 2021
The CEOs Have a New Best Friend: Information Technology People
December 21, 2021
During the COVID-19 pandemic, organizational leaders turned to their IT departments to keep business running. IT professionals were propelled into leadership roles and were integral to keeping the entire globe from crumbling. ZD Net explains how, “Technology Leaders’ Influence In Their Businesses Grows Beyond Expectations.”
Snow Software recently conducted a survey of 1000 IT leaders and discovered that they faired well during the world crisis. Their roles became so important that they will venture into leadership positions that fall outside IT. Before COVID-19, 89% of respondents said that their roles were undervalued. Now 90% claim they are viewed as trusted advisors within their companies. Ninety-four percent of IT leaders view innovation as an integral part of their jobs, but 71% said they are spending too much time fixing problems than the former.
In 2022, IT leaders want to concentrate on reducing IT costs, improving customer relations, and improving day-to-ay operations. The survey showed:
“‘These areas of focus can often conflict, or at least compete, with one another which, so often, is an all-too-familiar pain felt by IT leaders,’ the researchers observe. ‘To balance these priorities moving forward, CIOs need a more advanced approach for managing their technology environment. Nearly all respondents say they are in the process of adopting the cloud in some form — and 61% increased their use of cloud services over the last year.”
It is great that IT leaders are influencing business decisions and shaping the work environment, but will things revert back as the world heads towards normalcy? Also since IT is a white, male dominated industry will this exacerbate the bro culture that dominates industry?
Sounds like a winner for the techies who happen to be male.
Whitney Grace, December 21, 2021
Semantics Have Become an Architecture: Sounds Good but
December 17, 2021
Semantic Architecture Is A Big Data Cash Grab
A few years ago, big data was the hot topic term and in its wake a surge of techno babble followed. Many technology companies develop their own techno babble to peddle their wares, while some of the jargon does have legitimate means to exist. Epiexpress has the lowdown on one term that does have actual meaning: “What Is Semantic Architecture, And How To Build One?”
The semantic data layer is a system’s brain or hub, because most data can be found through a basic search. It overlays the more complex data in a system. Companies can leverage the semantic layer for business decisions and discover new insights. The semantic layer uses an ontology model and enterprise knowledge graph to organize data. Before building the architecture, one should consider the following:
“1. Defining and listing the organizational needs
When developing a semantic enterprise solution, properly-outlined use cases provide the critical questions that the semantic architecture will answer. It, in turn, gives a better knowledge of the stakeholders and users, defines the business value, and facilitates the definition of measurable success criteria.
2. Survey the relevant business data
Many enterprises possess a data architecture founded on data warehouses, relational databases, and an array of hybrid cloud systems and applications that aid analytics and data analysis abilities
In such enterprises, employing relevant unification processes and model mapping practices based on the enterprise’s use cases, staff skill-sets, and enterprise architecture capabilities will be an effective approach for data modeling and mapping from source systems.3. Using semantic web standards for ensuring governance and interoperability
When implementing semantic architecture, it is important to use semantic technology such as graph management apps to be middleware. Middleware acts as organizational tools for proper metadata governance. Do not forger that users will need tools to interact with the data, such as enterprise search, chatbots, and data visualization tools.
Semantic babble?
Whitney Grace, December 17, 2021
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