---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message-ID: <CF64885D-0A4F-4486-8E3D-350D7062E97A@roscom.com> Date: Sun, 12 Nov 2017 19:17:01 -0500 From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> Subject: Security Breach and Spilled Secrets Have Shaken the N.S.A. to Its Core Security Breach and Spilled Secrets Have Shaken the N.S.A. to Its Core WASHINGTON - Jake Williams awoke last April in an Orlando, Fla., hotel where he was leading a training session. Checking Twitter, Mr. Williams, a cybersecurity expert, was dismayed to discover that he had been thrust into the middle of one of the worst security debacles ever to befall American intelligence. Mr. Williams had written on his company blog about the Shadow Brokers, a mysterious group that had somehow obtained many of the hacking tools the United States used to spy on other countries. Now the group had replied in an angry screed on Twitter. It identified him - correctly - as a former member of the National Security Agency's hacking group, Tailored Access Operations, or T.A.O., a job he had not publicly disclosed. Then the Shadow Brokers astonished him by dropping technical details that made clear they knew about highly classified hacking operations that he had conducted. A serial leak of the agency's cyberweapons has damaged morale, slowed intelligence operations and resulted in hacking attacks on businesses and civilians worldwide. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/12/us/nsa-shadow-brokers.html ***** Moderator's Note ***** When security news of this sort arrives, I'm never certain if it is or is not "telecom" related. Unfortunately, a major vendor of operating system software views "security" as a public-relations issue, and telephone operating companies don't consider it at all for certain all-important systems such as SS7. I'm afraid that there will be a major meltdown of the electronic banking or telephone systems as a result, so I publish major security news stories, mostly to encourage debate on this subject. Bill Horne Moderator ------------------------------ Message-ID: <20171113182457.GA31069@telecom.csail.mit.edu> Date: Mon, 13 Nov 2017 13:24:57 -0500 From: Bill Horne <bill@horneQRM.net> Subject: CenturyLink's Level 3 acquisition kills jobs at Infinera CenturyLink's completion of its Level 3 acquisition is affecting Infinera, which is going to reduce its workforce by 10% as capex spending remains in limbo. Tom Fallon, CEO of Infinera, told investors during its third-quarter earnings call that the overall consolidation of the service provider market, including CenturyLink acquiring Level 3, is posing near-term challenges for the optical networking company. https://www.fiercetelecom.com/telecom/centurylink-level-3-combination-kills-jobs-at-infinera -- Bill Horne (Remove QRM from my email address to write to me directly) ------------------------------ Message-ID: <209fa1b9b6f9c0882cc49799ce2247f1.squirrel@email.fatcow.com> Date: Mon, 13 Nov 2017 11:29:39 -0600 From: "Neal McLain" <nmclain.remove-this@and-this-too.annsgarden.com> Subject: Verizon accelerates copper-to-fiber transition Verizon accelerates copper-to-fiber transition, sets new network resiliency practices by Sean Buckley, FierceCable, Nov 13, 2017 Following 2012's Hurricane Sandy, Verizon has put together a new set of flood barrier and network transformation methods that are designed to achieve two goals: keep its wireline network operational and hasten its ongoing copper-to-fiber migration. During Sandy, which flooded several of its service and COs, the service provider reported $1 billion in damage due to water and related storm damage. While Verizon always prepares for storms, Kevin Service, SVP of network operations at Verizon, told FierceTelecom that the company did not expect the water to rise so quickly to flood various key switching centers in New York and New Jersey. http://www.fiercetelecom.com/telecom/verizon-accelerates-copper-to-fiber-transition-sets-new-network-resiliency-practices -or- http://tinyurl.com/ybfqsqsy Neal McLain ------------------------------ ********************************************* End of telecom Digest Tue, 14 Nov 2017