Servers Archives - ICT News

Old Windows Server machines can still fend off hacks. Here’s how

lukasik — Fri, 28 Apr 2017 07:50:38 +0000

Old Windows Server machines can still fend off hacks. Here’s how

Many businesses still use Windows Server 2003, even as Microsoft no longer supports the OS

If you’re running a Windows Server 2003 machine, you have a problem. Your already-vulnerable computer is now at severe risk of being hacked.

That’s due to the internet release earlier this month of a batch of updates that paint a bull’s-eye on computers running Windows Server 2003, according to security researchers.

“I can teach my mom how to use some of these exploits,” said Jake Williams, founder of Rendition Infosec, a security provider. “They are not very complicated at all.”

Experts are urging affected businesses to upgrade to the latest Windows OSes, which offer security patches that can address the threat.

But some, particularly those in manufacturing and healthcare, cannot because they rely on legacy software that won’t run on a modern operating system.

“It’s usually very costly to upgrade,” he said. “And again, the machine is working fine, but control has to be done through Windows Server 2003.”

There may be more than 500,000 Windows Server 2003 machines publicly exposed to the internet, according to Shodan, a search engine for devices. But Williams estimates there are many more vulnerable machines running behind company firewalls.

So, for those that can’t, here are some tips to keep your old Windows Server 2003 machine secure.

The danger

The spying tools include several Windows-based exploits, or hacking programs, that target the Windows Server Message Block (SMB) protocol, which is used for file-sharing purposes. The exploits work by remotely triggering the OS to execute code, which can be used to install other malware.

Network segmentation and monitoring

Companies saddled with older Windows Server machines can still protect themselves. Williams suggests they go beyond putting vulnerable servers behind a firewall, and use a tactic called network segmentation.

This can involve restricting access to your most critical servers, and ensuring only system admins can control them. “So instead of giving 20,000 people in a company access, you can cut that number down to 20,” Williams said.

Thus, if hackers ever do breach the firewall, they’ll have access to a smaller segment of the corporate network.

Network segmentation also doesn’t cost a lot of money. Enterprise internet routers often contain access control features that can limit which computers can talk to what, Williams said.

Businesses should also consider monitoring the vulnerable servers, or at least the ones carrying critical information. Any unusual data traffic moving through them is probably a sign they’ve been hacked, he said.

Weighing the risks

To keep malicious activity out of vulnerable systems, application whitelisting can also be used, said Jason Leitner, president of Below0Day, an IT security provider.

Whitelisting works by allowing only trusted applications to run on a computer. It’s the opposite approach of antivirus products, which essentially blacklists malicious programs based on known indicators.

Businesses can also create backups of any sensitive data stored in these machines. One malicious threat that’s been growing in recent years has been ransomware. It works by infecting a computer, and encrypting all the data inside. To free the machine, victims have to pay a ransom, usually in bitcoin.

However, even with these safeguards, the best solution to protecting a vulnerable Windows Server system is to upgrade, according to security experts.

Although it might be costly in the short term, the investment can help businesses avoid a disastrous data breach. Tiago Henriques, CEO of security firm BinaryEdge, encourages businesses to calculate which is higher: “The cost of buying the upgrade or the damage to their brand and their clients if they get hacked?”

By Michael Kan, source by ComputerWorld

Visit ICT Hardware website to learn more about Microsoft Products

The post Old Windows Server machines can still fend off hacks. Here’s how appeared first on ICT News.

AMD talks tough as it drums up support for 32-core Zen server chip

lukasik — Mon, 23 Jan 2017 10:29:24 +0000

AMD’s 32-core Naples is the next Zen chip on deck for release, and it’ll be in servers in the first half of 2016

At CES, AMD launched its first Zen chips for PCs, called Ryzen. Next on deck is the 32-core server chip code-named Naples, which will ship in the coming months.

Naples doesn’t have an official name yet, but the expectations are high. While Ryzen is set up for success in PCs, it’s a different story for Naples, which has to take on Intel’s juiced-up Xeon chips, which are used in most servers today.

AMD is trying to drum up excitement for Naples, which will be released in the first half of this year. It’s promoting Naples using the same tactic as it did for Ryzen — by talking about the performance benefits of the Zen CPU.

The Zen CPU core in Naples will provide the same performance benefits as in the Ryzen chips. AMD claims a 40 percent improvement in instructions per cycle, an important metric to measure CPU performance, compared to the company’s previous Excavator architecture.

Naples is notable for its high 32-core count, more than Intel’s Xeon chips, which have up to 24 cores. The Intel Xeon Phi supercomputing chip has up to 72 cores, but it isn’t targeted at mainstream socketed servers.

A higher core count matters as servers can do more, Forrest Norrod, senior vice president and general manager at AMD, said in a blog entry this week.

More data is moving into the cloud, which is putting more strain on servers in data centers. More cores will add processing power to help servers respond quickly to search requests, recognize images, and process uploaded videos faster. A server with a single CPU will be able to do as much as a current two-socket server, Norrod said.

AMD will come out with more Zen-based server chips with lower core counts, said Jim McGregor, principal analyst at Tirias Research.

A bulk of the servers today use quad-core chips, and the actual market for 32-core Naples will be limited. The server market is dominated by two-socket servers, while Intel’s 24-core chips go into a four- and eight-socket servers, which are used by companies like financial institutions that need a lot of horsepower.

“Intel has used Xeon to bleed the market” by forcing people to buy two-socket servers, and AMD could change that trend, McGregor said.

AMD will also pack in new memory bandwidth technology, which will boost server performance and possibly give it an edge over Xeon, McGregor said. It’s not clear what the technology will be, but it could be based on technology from Gen-Z, a consortium that is developing a high-speed throughput for use inside and outside servers.

AMD has surprised Intel in the server market in the past, only to self destruct. In 2003, it came out with the first 64-bit x86 server chip called Opteron, and Intel had to scramble to catch up. AMD lost the lead with its Opteron chips based on the Bulldozer architecture, which underperformed and were rejected by server makers.

The company killed whatever server market presence it had with another fateful decision to switch architectures. In 2013, AMD took the radical decision to put x86 on the backburner and reboot its server strategy around ARM architecture. AMD believed the power-efficient ARM chips would ultimately replace x86 in servers and have a 20 percent market share by 2017, but that hasn’t happened.

AMD shipped its first ARM server chips early last year, but ARM chips are virtually non-existent in servers today, though the promise remains.

Realizing its mistake, AMD reversed course, moving away from ARM for servers and switching back to x86 with Zen chips. In the meantime, Intel took advantage of AMD’s missteps and steadily rolled out new Xeon chips that supported the latest technologies. Intel now holds more than a 90 percent market share in server processors.

AMD has a big challenge with 32-core Naples. Companies like Google, Facebook and Amazon are building mega data centers with servers based on Xeon. Those companies have software stacks tuned closely to the processing, I/O, power, and throughput specifications of Xeon chips, and it could be tough for AMD to break into large accounts.

But AMD’s Naples is the first legitimate x86 challenger to Xeon in years. Google, Facebook, and Amazon could use AMD’s chip as leverage to get better chip prices from Intel. Xeon chips are expensive, and the margins make them highly profitable products for Intel.

Companies won’t make a switch to AMD overnight; it could take a year or more to ensure applications work on the new chips. But the competition is good, and AMD has nowhere to go but up in the server market, McGregor said.

AMD also has some technologies that could work to its advantage. It has mulled pairing a Zen server chip with its Vega GPU, which could be useful for tasks like machine learning. The company has also released a GPU targeted at machine learning called Radeon Instinct, but that’s effort is targeted toward Nvidia’s Tesla GPU, which dominates data centers.

Server wins for Naples are already coming AMD’s way. The company is also chasing the Chinese server market — which is growing fast — by licensing its Zen design to THATIC (Tianjin Haiguang Advanced Technology Investment Co.), a joint venture between AMD and a consortium of public and private Chinese companies.

By Agam Shah, source by NetworkWorld

Visit ICT Hardware to check more products

The post AMD talks tough as it drums up support for 32-core Zen server chip appeared first on ICT News.