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The Telecom Digest for January 28, 2012
Volume 31 : Issue 28 : "text" Format
====== 30 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ======
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Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the
Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Bill Horne and
the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other
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Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be
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that address. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk
are definitely unwelcome.
We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we
are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because
we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands
against crime. - Geoffrey Welsh
See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details
and the name of our lawyer, and other stuff of interest.
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Date: Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:05:59 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Threatened by Anonymous, Symantec tells users to pull pcAnywhere's plug
Message-ID: <gCfL_C.A._t.V4sIPB@telecom>
Threatened by Anonymous, Symantec tells users to pull pcAnywhere's plug
Source code leaked years ago, but now Anonymous hacking group has
software in its sights
By Gregg Keizer
Computerworld
January 26, 2012
http://goo.gl/twhz0
Date: Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:00:15 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Symantec recommends disabling pcAnywhere
Message-ID: <rjhMaC.A.lt.U4sIPB@telecom>
Symantec pcAnywhere Security Recommendations
Introduction
Upon investigation of the claims made by Anonymous regarding source
code disclosure, Symantec believes that the disclosure was the result
of a theft of source code that occurred in 2006. We believe that
source code for the 2006-era versions of the following products was
exposed: Norton Antivirus Corporate Edition; Norton Internet
Security; Norton SystemWorks (Norton Utilities and Norton GoBack);
and pcAnywhere.
With this incident pcAnywhere customers have increased risk.
Malicious users with access to the source code have an increased
ability to identify vulnerabilities and build new exploits.
Additionally, customers that are not following general security best
practices are susceptible to man-in-the-middle attacks which can
reveal authentication and session information. General security best
practices include endpoint, network, remote access, and physical
security, as well as configuring pcAnywhere in a way that minimizes
potential risks.
At this time, Symantec recommends disabling the product until
Symantec releases a final set of software updates that resolve
currently known vulnerability risks. For customers that require
pcAnywhere for business critical purposes, it is recommended that
customers understand the current risks, ensure pcAnywhere 12.5 is
installed, apply all relevant patches as they are released, and
follow the general security best practices discussed herein.
This document is designed to help customers understand the situation
and to provide remediation steps to maintain the protection of their
devices and information.
...
http://goo.gl/2y3qv
Date: 27 Jan 2012 12:26:27 -0500
From: kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey)
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Cloud-based PBX service
Message-ID: <jfumo3$d52$1@panix2.panix.com>
Robert Bonomi <bonomi@host122.r-bonomi.com> wrote:
>In article <4F1DF1E2.30104@horne.net>, <tmetro+telecomdigest@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>I've been hoping that we'd see more open source apps in hosted form, and
>>we have seen some, but not really wide spread. Take for example virtual
>>PBXs. It's entirely feasible that we could have seen an "Asterisk
>>hosting" market develop much like web hosting, but it didn't happen.
>
>Could it be that there is a very limited 'need' for pure virtual PBXes?
Well, Bell sure sold a lot of them when they called them Centrex....
>Without PSTN interconnectivity, a virtual PBX is of very limited usefulness.
>Add in the cost of self-contained VoIP phones, addressing complications if
>your phones are behind PAT/ NAT, and QOS issues on oversubscribed 'consumer
>grade' uplinks (especially where the 'last mile' provider is also offering
>IP-based telephony -- e.g. most 'cable' companies), and you're looking at a
>very much 'niche' market.
Sure, but PSTN interconnectivity is now very, very cheap.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
Date: Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:48:21 +0000 (UTC)
From: John Levine <johnl@iecc.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Cloud-based PBX service
Message-ID: <jfv9jl$2ro7$1@leila.iecc.com>
>>Could it be that there is a very limited 'need' for pure virtual PBXes?
>
>Well, Bell sure sold a lot of them when they called them Centrex....
Indeed, but that was back when a PBX was couple of racks of noisy
equipment that needed a dedicated maintenance guy. Now that a quite
usable PBX can be a couple of cards in a PC, the arithmetic is quite
different.
These days, I'd think the main market for a virtual PBX would be
virtual companies where everyone works in a home office, so the
location of the PBX is arbitrary anyway.
>Sure, but PSTN interconnectivity is now very, very cheap.
Agreed. If you pay 1 cpm for outgoing VoIP to the US, that's a lot.
R's,
John
Date: Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:26:28 -0600
From: bonomi@host122.r-bonomi.com (Robert Bonomi)
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Cloud-based PBX service
Message-ID: <zLidnTJLHJdp5b7SnZ2dnUVZ_o2dnZ2d@posted.nuvoxcommunications>
In article <jfumo3$d52$1@panix2.panix.com>,
Scott Dorsey <kludge@panix.com> wrote:
>Robert Bonomi <bonomi@host122.r-bonomi.com> wrote:
>>In article <4F1DF1E2.30104@horne.net>, <tmetro+telecomdigest@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>I've been hoping that we'd see more open source apps in hosted form, and
>>>we have seen some, but not really wide spread. Take for example virtual
>>>PBXs. It's entirely feasible that we could have seen an "Asterisk
>>>hosting" market develop much like web hosting, but it didn't happen.
>>
>>Could it be that there is a very limited 'need' for pure virtual PBXes?
>
>Well, Bell sure sold a lot of them when they called them Centrex....
Yes Bell did, BUT what they were selling was remotely-located, managed,
physical PBX service, with hard-wire trunk circuits and dedicated wire-pairs
to the customer equipment.
>>Without PSTN interconnectivity, a virtual PBX is of very limited usefulness.
>>Add in the cost of self-contained VoIP phones, addressing complications if
>>your phones are behind PAT/ NAT, and QOS issues on oversubscribed 'consumer
>>grade' uplinks (especially where the 'last mile' provider is also offering
>>IP-based telephony -- e.g. most 'cable' companies), and you're looking at a
>>very much 'niche' market.
>
>Sure, but PSTN interconnectivity is now very, very cheap.
"Not Exactly" applies. A physical presence/termination is required in
every rate center where you wish to offer LNP (possibly requiring inter-
connect with multiple IXCs at each site), plus backhaul to the location(s)
where the PBX(s) live, plus ...
Date: Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:32:28 -0800 (PST)
From: HAncock4 <withheld@invalid.telecom-digest.org>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: No. 5 Crossbar article collection
Message-ID: <e0e2e0ef-c094-4897-9b40-a7867dbe05f6@v14g2000vbc.googlegroups.com>
Recently interest was expressed in this switching system. The
Telephone Collectors International (TCI) organization maintains a
website with a collection of numerous historical telephony
documentation.
Included is "a digital reproduction of a book published by Bell Labs
containing a number of articles from 1949 to 1951 that detail most
aspects of the No. 5 Crossbar. The articles were all publised in the
Bell Laboratories Record. The entire book is 150 pages. Due to the
large number of images the book is presented with each article in a
separate PDF. This makes the file sizes more maneageable."
http://www.telephonecollectors.info/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=76&Itemid=2
TCI is an excellent organization. E-membership is only $25/year.
Their general website is at:
http://www.telephonecollectors.info
Date: Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:15:15 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Build Up Your Phone's Defenses Against Hackers
Message-ID: <1n1FP.A.kzG.G84IPB@telecom>
Build Up Your Phone's Defenses Against Hackers
By KATE MURPHY
January 25, 2012
Chuck Bokath would be terrifying if he were not such a nice guy. A
jovial senior engineer at the Georgia Tech Research Institute in
Atlanta, Mr. Bokath can hack into your cellphone just by dialing the
number. He can remotely listen to your calls, read your text
messages, snap pictures with your phone's camera and track your
movements around town - not to mention access the password to your
online bank account.
And while Mr. Bokath's job is to expose security flaws in wireless
devices, he said it was "trivial" to hack into a cellphone. Indeed,
the instructions on how to do it are available online (the link most
certainly will not be provided here). "It's actually quite
frightening," said Mr. Bokath. "Most people have no idea how
vulnerable they are when they use their cellphones."
Technology experts expect breached, infiltrated or otherwise
compromised cellphones to be the scourge of 2012. The smartphone
security company Lookout Inc. estimates that more than a million
phones worldwide have already been affected. But there are ways to
reduce the likelihood of getting hacked - whether by a jealous ex or
Russian crime syndicate - or at least minimize the damage should you
fall prey.
As cellphones have gotten smarter, they have become less like phones
and more like computers, and thus susceptible to hacking. But unlike
desktop or even most laptop computers, cellphones are almost always
on hand, and are often loaded with even more personal information. So
an undefended or carelessly operated phone can result in a
breathtaking invasion of individual privacy as well as the potential
for data corruption and outright theft.
...
http://goo.gl/0RD97
Date: Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:45:27 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Curbs backed on calls by drivers
Message-ID: <JpfAcD.A.KzG.G84IPB@telecom>
Curbs backed on calls by drivers
By Eric Moskowitz
Globe Staff / January 27, 2012
Drivers would be banned from dialing and even holding cellphones
under a bill endorsed by the Legislature's Joint Transportation
Committee today.
Proponents of the measure, which would make Massachusetts the 10th
state to ban hand-held phone use while driving, say they want to
finish the work they started with 2010's Safe Driving Law.
That law banned any form of cellphone use by drivers under 18 and
outlawed texting behind the wheel for adults. But the difficulty of
distinguishing between dialing and texting has made that ban hard to
enforce.
...
http://goo.gl/QNYXu
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