Opposition to AT&T's T-Mobile land grab is growing
Meanwhile, opposition to the AT&T merger with T-Mobile is growing. The FCC has posted a list of 50 questions for the giant carrier, asking it to defend claims that the $39 billion acquisition, which would give the combined company about 130 million customers, is in the public interest and necessary to extend and improve wireless voice and data services.
The FCC wants AT&T to produce "all plans, analyses, and reports discussing the relative network spectrum capacity constraints of the company and other mobile wireless service providers, including any relevant pricing, traffic, and spectrum-efficiency assumptions."
Sprint, which would be the biggest loser if the deal goes through, has been beating the drums to kill it. Although it's easy to be cynical about Sprint's motives, it makes a concise argument that it is worth quoting:
It [the FCC] can reject AT&T's bid to take over T-Mobile and extend the last two decades of robust competition in the wireless industry -- competition that has promoted economic growth and advanced U.S. global leadership in mobile communications. Or the commission can approve the takeover and let the wireless industry regress inexorably toward a 1980s-style duopoly. A duopoly of the two vertically integrated Bell companies would result in less choice for consumers and higher prices. A twin-Bell duopoly would stunt investment and innovation. No divestitures or conditions can remedy these fundamental anti-consumer and anti-competitive harms. AT&T's takeover of T- Mobile must be blocked.
For the record, here's AT&T's lengthy justification of the merger.
I don't think the government should go back to the kind of stifling regulation that existed before the breakup of AT&T in the 1980s. But in an odd way, the carriers themselves want to turn back the clock. They'd like to have something akin to the monopoly enjoyed by Ma Bell (in this case, it would be a duopoly) in the decades following World War II -- but without the regulation that at least protected businesses and consumers that depend on its service.
Such a shift to an essentially unregulated market couldn't come at a worse time. The use of mobile devices is growing exponentially, a trend that will accelerate as new platforms appear and older ones get better. Just think about how much data users of devices like the new Google Chromebooks, which is almost entirely browser-centric, will consume. What's more, new applications will move to the fore; it would be a disaster if the carriers become so powerful they could discriminate against apps or content that seem contrary to their business imperatives.
Letting AT&T and Verizon carriers get their way would be a huge blow to the mobile revolution.
Read the views of online Certification Experts, which provide the real questions and correct answer and explanation for the students / professionals who are seeking or enhancing their level of expertise. more at certkingdom.com
June 5, 2011
June 4, 2011
Hotmail and Yahoo users also victims of targeted attacks
Web mail users at Yahoo and Hotmail have been hit with the same kind of targeted attacks that were disclosed earlier this week by Google, according to security software vendor Trend Micro.
Trend Micro described two similar attacks against Yahoo Mail and Windows Live Hotmail in a blog post, published Thursday. "It's an ongoing issue for more than just Gmail," said Nart Villeneuve, a senior threat researcher with Trend Micro. Villeneuve believes that Facebook accounts have also been used to spread similar attacks.
BY THE NUMBERS: Microsoft: One in 14 downloads is malicious
Google made headlines Wednesday after revealing that several hundred Gmail users -- including government officials, activists and journalists -- had been the victims of targeted spearphishing attacks.
Google mentioned phishing on Wednesday, but the criminals have been using other attacks too. In March, Google said that hackers were taking advantage of a flaw in Microsoft's Windows software to launch politically motivated hacks against activists.
Corporate networks have been under attack for years, but hackers now see personal Web mail accounts as a way to get information that can help them sneak into computers that would otherwise be locked down. "People always think of these attacks as isolated cases, but they're more like a series of successful and failed attacks over a longer period of time," Villeneuve said. "It's not a one-off attack."
For example, in the Gmail phishing attacks, the hackers used a little-known Microsoft protocol to figure out what type of antivirus software their victims were using. By knowing what antivirus program they were up against, they could then build attack code and then test it against their target security software to be sure that it would go undetected.
And by trolling through their victims' email messages, the attackers could write believable-sounding messages that their targets would be more likely to click on or open up. That's how the victims lose control of their computers: by opening, for example, a specially written pdf document or by taking their browsers to a malicious website. "This is the latest version of State's joint statement," read one fake email, used by the Gmail phishers. "My understanding is that State put in placeholder econ language and am happy to have us fill in but in their rush to get a cleared version from the WH, they sent the attached to Mike."
"People, whether they're human rights activists or they're government officials, tend to have personal Web mail," Villeneuve said. "It's a good way for the attackers to get information on those individuals but also to get information that they could use for an attack of the corporate network of those individuals."
Google said that the phishing attacks it had detected were launched from computers located in Jinan, China. That led some to suspect that the phishing was state-sponsored, but China's U.S. Embassy said Thursday that China is the victim of cybercrime, not the perpetrator. "As a responsible player in cyberspace, China strongly opposes unlawful online activities and supports international cooperation in striking down on such misdeeds," said Wang Baodong, an embassy spokesman, in an email. "Any claims of so-called Chinese state support for hacking are completely fictitious, and blaming misdeeds on China is irresponsible and unacceptable."
Trend Micro described two similar attacks against Yahoo Mail and Windows Live Hotmail in a blog post, published Thursday. "It's an ongoing issue for more than just Gmail," said Nart Villeneuve, a senior threat researcher with Trend Micro. Villeneuve believes that Facebook accounts have also been used to spread similar attacks.
BY THE NUMBERS: Microsoft: One in 14 downloads is malicious
Google made headlines Wednesday after revealing that several hundred Gmail users -- including government officials, activists and journalists -- had been the victims of targeted spearphishing attacks.
Google mentioned phishing on Wednesday, but the criminals have been using other attacks too. In March, Google said that hackers were taking advantage of a flaw in Microsoft's Windows software to launch politically motivated hacks against activists.
Corporate networks have been under attack for years, but hackers now see personal Web mail accounts as a way to get information that can help them sneak into computers that would otherwise be locked down. "People always think of these attacks as isolated cases, but they're more like a series of successful and failed attacks over a longer period of time," Villeneuve said. "It's not a one-off attack."
For example, in the Gmail phishing attacks, the hackers used a little-known Microsoft protocol to figure out what type of antivirus software their victims were using. By knowing what antivirus program they were up against, they could then build attack code and then test it against their target security software to be sure that it would go undetected.
And by trolling through their victims' email messages, the attackers could write believable-sounding messages that their targets would be more likely to click on or open up. That's how the victims lose control of their computers: by opening, for example, a specially written pdf document or by taking their browsers to a malicious website. "This is the latest version of State's joint statement," read one fake email, used by the Gmail phishers. "My understanding is that State put in placeholder econ language and am happy to have us fill in but in their rush to get a cleared version from the WH, they sent the attached to Mike."
"People, whether they're human rights activists or they're government officials, tend to have personal Web mail," Villeneuve said. "It's a good way for the attackers to get information on those individuals but also to get information that they could use for an attack of the corporate network of those individuals."
Google said that the phishing attacks it had detected were launched from computers located in Jinan, China. That led some to suspect that the phishing was state-sponsored, but China's U.S. Embassy said Thursday that China is the victim of cybercrime, not the perpetrator. "As a responsible player in cyberspace, China strongly opposes unlawful online activities and supports international cooperation in striking down on such misdeeds," said Wang Baodong, an embassy spokesman, in an email. "Any claims of so-called Chinese state support for hacking are completely fictitious, and blaming misdeeds on China is irresponsible and unacceptable."
June 3, 2011
MCSE Certification Preparation
The MCSE certification is short for Microsoft Certified System Engineer. When you obtain this MCSE Certifications it serves as tangible proof of your proficiency in producing intelligent business solutions using either Windows Server 2003 or Microsoft Windows 2000 Server.
The MCSE certification is the only recognized validation of its kind for Windows Server 2003 and Microsoft Windows 2000 Server. It shows clients and employers that you are not only capable of designing and implementing complicated infrastructures using these two products, but you are a skilled program administrator and troubleshooter as well.
MCSE certification is considered as one of the most prestigious certificates in the IT sector. The MCSE exam is tough. The person who is taking this test is already an IT professional because it is mandatory for a candidate to have at least one year of experience prior to enrollment.
The study material for MCSE on Microsoft Windows 2000 and MCSE on Windows Server 2003 is different. The former has papers that include 70-210 Windows 2000 Professional Exam, 70-215-Windows 2000 Server Exam, 70-216 Network Administration Exam, mcse exam 70-219-Active Directory Design and Elective Exams containing Security Design, 70-220, Exchange 2000 Server, 70-224.
The latter includes exam 70-290, which contains questions about managing and maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003. Environment Exam 70-291 is implementing, managing, and maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure. Exam 70-294 tests planning, implementing, and maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 active directory infrastructure.
The subjects for MCSE exams are managing and maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Environment implementing, managing, and maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure, planning, implementing, and maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 active directory infrastructure. Creating and managing user, group, and computer accounts, managing file and sharing permissions controlling web server access and manage sites with internet information Services, managing hardware devices, disk storage, software, and print services and implementing backup procedures and perform system recovery, installing and configuring TCP or IP, using DHCP to manage IP addressing, configuring and managing DNS clients, servers and zones, managing routing and remote access, including VPNs, implementing and administering mcse training security procedures monitoring traffic.
The MCSE certification is the only recognized validation of its kind for Windows Server 2003 and Microsoft Windows 2000 Server. It shows clients and employers that you are not only capable of designing and implementing complicated infrastructures using these two products, but you are a skilled program administrator and troubleshooter as well.
MCSE certification is considered as one of the most prestigious certificates in the IT sector. The MCSE exam is tough. The person who is taking this test is already an IT professional because it is mandatory for a candidate to have at least one year of experience prior to enrollment.
The study material for MCSE on Microsoft Windows 2000 and MCSE on Windows Server 2003 is different. The former has papers that include 70-210 Windows 2000 Professional Exam, 70-215-Windows 2000 Server Exam, 70-216 Network Administration Exam, mcse exam 70-219-Active Directory Design and Elective Exams containing Security Design, 70-220, Exchange 2000 Server, 70-224.
The latter includes exam 70-290, which contains questions about managing and maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003. Environment Exam 70-291 is implementing, managing, and maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure. Exam 70-294 tests planning, implementing, and maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 active directory infrastructure.
The subjects for MCSE exams are managing and maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Environment implementing, managing, and maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure, planning, implementing, and maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 active directory infrastructure. Creating and managing user, group, and computer accounts, managing file and sharing permissions controlling web server access and manage sites with internet information Services, managing hardware devices, disk storage, software, and print services and implementing backup procedures and perform system recovery, installing and configuring TCP or IP, using DHCP to manage IP addressing, configuring and managing DNS clients, servers and zones, managing routing and remote access, including VPNs, implementing and administering mcse training security procedures monitoring traffic.
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