Please don't use these passwords. Sincerely, the Internet

You may have protected your personal data with strong passwords, but when hackers seize control of other computers, the resulting "botnets" can cause plenty of collateral damage. The depressing part is that one of the biggest holes is the easiest to fix: terrible passwords. SplashData has just released its annual list of the worst ones (gleaned from hacked file dumps), and things haven't changed much over last year. The most common stolen password is still "123456," which edged out perennial groaner "password." Other top picks in the an alphanumeric hall of shame are "12345678," "qwerty," "monkey" and new this year, "batman." According to security expert Mark Burnett, the top 25 (below) represent an eye-popping 2.2 percent of all passwords exposed.

The good news is that fewer people are using bad passwords than in 2013, perhaps thanks to some well-publicized data breaches at Sony, Target and elsewhere. SplashData reminds folks to create passwords with at least eight mixed characters -- preferably more -- not based on easy-to-brute-force dictionary words. As pointed out by Buffer Open, other methods include pass phrases, mnemonic devices and other memory tricks -- including a gem from XKCD. You shouldn't use the same password on more than one site, so if you have a lot, it's a good idea to use one of the many password managers out there, like LastPass or SplashID. Those let you access your entire collection of passwords with just a single passphrase -- one that had better be a lot stronger than "123456."

Rank Password Change from 2013
1 123456
2 password
3 12345
4 12345678
5 qwerty
6 123456789
7 1234
8 baseball
9 dragon
10 football
11 1234567
12 monkey
13 letmein
14 abc123
15 111111
16 mustang
17 access
18 shadow
19 master
20 michael
21 superman
22 696969
23 123123
24 batman
25 trustno1

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Internet of Overwhelming Things

As the era of Internet of Things (IoT) dawned, the fridge got hacked. Well, maybe not.

In early 2014, as many media outlets such as NPR reported, security services vendor Proofpoint claimed to have detected the first IoT-based cyber attack involving “more than 750,000 malicious email communications coming from more than 100,000 everyday consumer gadgets such as home-networking routers, connected multi-media centers, televisions and at least one refrigerator that had been compromised and used as a platform to launch attacks.”

Subsequently, Symantec rebutted that initial report, instead blaming that old bugaboo of infected Windows-based computers. Nonetheless Symantec said it really had “uncovered one of the first and most interesting IoT threats, Linux.Darlloz, which infects Linux-based IoT devices such as routers, cameras, and entertainment systems.”

Whether it’s your fridge or your DVR is probably irrelevant. These reports should serve as an indicator of how rapidly the network security landscape is changing, and spark some questions about the potential for mischief in this new era.

Market research firm IDC predicts we’ll see 212 billion of these thingies deployed by the end of 2020. That makes for one heck of a malevolent botnet, opening doors to disrupt Internet connected devices at home or perhaps even in not-so-secret nuclear weapons facilities. Or, maybe just provide the means to prank a colleague with the exploding desk lamp trick.

Let’s be real, none of us (well, almost none) want to tie into everything over the Internet, including the kitchen sink. But there’s no question the growing number of connected devices is going to bring a massive increase in traffic volumes. And that should get you thinking about this: How prepared is your networking infrastructure?

Without having the right network foundation in place, this brave new world could prove to be the Internet of Overwhelming Things (IoOT), leading to greater inefficiencies and growing security woes. To avoid this, data center networks must be more flexible, scalable, and efficient.

Many data centers have taken the first needed step, which is in virtualizing servers and applications, but often still rely on legacy networks that weren’t designed for today’s growing workloads. They simply can’t keep up with demands in an era of social media, mobile, cloud and big data.

Smart, flexible, agile, scalable…not exactly the words I’d use to describe legacy networks. When the rest of the computing world is moving toward consumption-based, anything-as-a-service computing and virtualization, why the heck are these old networks holding sway?

Undoubtedly part of the reason is too many data centers are locked in to single vendor solutions. No vendor in that situation is going to be eager to replace expensive, proprietary hardware solutions unless it’s with even more expensive, proprietary hardware solutions. The trick lies in figuring out how to migrate from that world of yesterday, to a future of open architecture, software-defined networking.

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With Chromecast, Google reveals Chrome as its strategic big gun

With Chromecast, Google reveals Chrome as its strategic big gun
The browser is behind Google's play for user data from as many screens as possible

Chrome is Google and Google is Chrome.

The Chrome browser is Google's most potent strategic weapon, a former Microsoft program manager said last week.

"Chrome is the focus at Google; Android is an afterthought," asserted Ben Thompson, who writes on his Stratechery blog. Thompson, who left Microsoft earlier this month, has quickly made a name for himself with insights into the technology market, in particular Microsoft, Apple and Google, ranging from Microsoft's massive reorganization to the possible role for a larger, 13-in. iPad.

"Chrome shouldn't be thought of as a Web browser," Thompson wrote. "Rather, it's an optimized bi-directional delivery vehicle: the best experience with Google services for users, and maximum user data for Google. And it runs everywhere. This is why Google has been investing millions of dollars in building the Chrome brand."

Thompson's latest post was reacting to the debut of Chromecast, the $35 stream-to-TV device Google introduced last week. Chromecast, said Google, is powered by a simplified version of Chrome OS. (Although GTVHacker.com claimed Chromecast is "more Android than ChromeOS.")

"As a horizontal company, Google wants to be on every screen, and their vehicle to accomplish that across verticals, both from a technical and brand perspective, is Chrome," Thompson added. By "verticals," Thompson meant "devices."

It's hard to argue with Thompson.

Google has been expending significant resources to push Chrome into as many corners as possible.

Not only is Chrome (the browser) available for all major desktop and mobile platforms -- from Windows and OS X to Android and iOS -- the major features of Chrome OS are being added to the browser, including packaged, nee "native," Web apps and the ability to view and edit Microsoft Office documents.

The goal? From Thompson's viewpoint, control of a "multi-screen world."

Others have had similar thoughts.

"It looks like Google is defining the Chrome platform as what I'd call 'Web Platform Plus,' and intends for Chrome OS and the Chrome browser to be a 'platform on a platform' on any device it is permitted to run on," said IDC analyst Al Hilwa in a May interview, months before Chromecast.

By defining that "platform on a platform" -- Chrome on Windows, on Android, on iOS, on OS X, on the television -- Google is trying to turn as many devices and screens as possible into ones locked into the company's ecosystem, keep users loyal to that same ecosystem of sites, service and apps, and entice others to join them.

The ultimate prize is more revenue, which Google generates almost exclusively from online advertising. All Google does, argued Charles Golvin, an analyst with Forrester, is driven by its search for more, and more expensive, advertising.

"Google is advertising driven. All its efforts, including Chromecast, are not just about selling more ads, they're about aggregating data about the customer to make those ads more valuable," said Golvin in an interview last week. "The more you can target the ads, the more attractive they are to advertisers, and the more Google's real customers -- advertisers -- are willing to pay."

Thompson dubbed that "maximum user data," but his meaning was the same as Golvin's.

Chromecast is Google's newest blatant example of a Chrome-centric strategy. Not only does it carry the "Chrome" moniker, important in itself as an expression of brand identity, but it heavily leans on the browser for functionality.

Only a handful of dedicated apps support Chromecast out the gate: Google's own YouTube, Google Play Movies & TV and Google Play Music; and the only third-party entry, Netflix. The rest of the lifting is done by Chrome, the browser.

Content on any Chrome tab active on a device within range of a Chromecast-equipped TV can be displayed on the television. During installation on a Windows or OS X personal computer, Chromecast automatically adds the Google Cast add-on to the browser; it can be downloaded separately from the Chrome Web Store, but again, requires Chromecast.

Not only does Chrome's ability to cast ease the early adopter pain of too-few Chromecast-supporting apps, but it circumvents the limitations of accumulating data when third-party apps are used to display content on a television.

Instead, the normal data collection rules -- as Google spells them out in its privacy policy for Chrome -- apply.

Specifically, Google knows what you watch, at least in a general way.

"For Chromecast users, Google may collect system activity, crashes, and other details about how you use Chromecast, including use of apps and domains (but not full URLs) accessed by Chromecast," Google's privacy policy states.

Maximum user data, as Thompson put it.

In fact, argued Thompson, Google has bet its strategic coin on Chrome, not Android, the mobile operating system also launched in 2008, the same year as Chrome. Thompson noted that Android was largely absent from last week's unveiling of Chromecast -- even to the point, if GTVHacker.com was correct, fudging the code foundation of the device's firmware -- as it was earlier this year at Google's I/O developer conference.

That's no coincidence, Thompson said.

"Android ... enables several of those verticals [devices], and keeps Apple honest in phones especially," said Thompson. "However, by virtue of the hardware world it lives in, it's not the best vehicle for reaching all users, and Google is fine with that. Now that Android is good enough on phones, there simply isn't any point in investing in it as heavily as before."

Put plainly, Chrome is Google ... and Google is Chrome.

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Cisco puts a huge value on the 'Internet of everything

More devices and people connecting to the Internet will create $14.4 trillion opportunity over the next decade, the company says


The so-called "Internet of everything," the rapidly approaching world where objects from refrigerators to factory robots can talk to people and other machines, will create a massive business opportunity worth $14.4 trillion over the next decade, according to a new study from Cisco Systems.

The Internet of everything, a phrase coined by Cisco to describe the networking of people, processes, data and objects, will encompass multiple industries, enabling customized online education, smart factories and the smart energy grid, Cisco officials said. Over the next decade, that connection of new objects and people to the Internet puts $14.4 trillion at stake, with the opportunity including new profits and cost savings, the company predicted in the white paper, released late Monday.



More than 99 percent of physical objects are not now connected to the Internet, but Cisco expects 50 billion objects to be connected by 2020, officials said. New objects and people coming online creates a big investment incentive for companies, said Cisco Chief Marketing Officer Blair Christie.

Companies should embrace this trend or risk being left behind, Cisco CEO John Chambers wrote in a blog post.

"I believe that businesses and industries that quickly harness the benefits of the Internet of Everything will be rewarded with a larger share of that increased profitability," he wrote. "This will happen at the expense of those that wait or don't adapt effectively. That's why the value is 'at stake' -- it's truly up for grabs."

The Internet of everything represents the next stage of the Internet, Christie said. "We think it's as powerful as [the Internet] was in the very beginning, when a lot of industries won and a lot of industries lost," she said.

Cisco looked at several industries to come up with its money estimate. Among the industries: smart buildings, smart farming, investing, physical and IT security, connected payments, and connected gaming and entertainment. In addition, the company looked at a handful of cross-industry trends that the Internet of everything will affect, with telecommuting, travel avoidance and supply-chain efficiency among them.

Just under a third of the market opportunity for the Internet of everything will be in the U.S., with another 30 percent in Europe, Cisco predicted. Another 12 percent will be in China and 5 percent in Japan.

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