Networks are expanding in multiple dimensions — and that means that potential vulnerabilities are as well, according to a new report from Ixia.
Attack surfaces are increasing in step with “the growth in IT complexity in three specific dimensions: (1) the number of data locations where data resides, (2) data throughput, and (3) IT tool complexity,” according to the new Ixia Security Report, which went on to say that “the continuous growth in data throughput capacity and distributed physical and cloud operations provide many more breach entry points. Combine this with the increase in the number of security, analytics, and compliance tools, each requiring access to the same incoming data streams, and it is likely that some sort of vulnerability will be exposed.”
This is Ixia’s first security report and looks at major security events and trends based on 2016 data from its Application and Threat Intelligence Research Center, which leverages what the company describes as a “worldwide, distributed network of honeypots and web crawlers to actively identify known and unknown malware, attack vectors, and application exposures.” The report is available for download here.
Ixia is in the process of being acquired by Keysight Technologies for $1.6 billion, in a transaction that is expected to close by October of this year. To help finance that acquisition, this week Keysight announced a public offering of shares, priced at $35 each, with nearly $400 million in proceeds expected. That offering will close on March 27.
In other test news this week:
–EXFO launched a new platform for 100G network testing, the FTB-4 Pro platform, which it says is the industry’s “smallest platform for testing high speed and optical networks.” The company also added two new power meters for use in lab and manufacturing environments.
–GL Communications has added a new test suite for simulating location-based services in LTE, GSM and UMTS networks.
-At this week’s OFC 2017 conference, Teledyne LeCroy and Coherent Solutions demonstrated coherent signal generation and detection in a single carrier, 64QAM, 56 gigabaud implementation. CableLabs has been exploring the use of coherent signals in short-haul optical networks in order to increase capacity; the technology is common in long-haul networks.
–Simplay Labs is adding new testing services at its labs in China and Taiwan. The company said that its Shanghai lab is currently ready to test HDMI alternate mode for USB-Type C, and that it will have similar capabilities in place at its Taiwan test facility by the end of the first quarter. Simplay also said that all of its labs can now test the specification that supports the Miracast interface for using devices as wireless displays, and that it will add certification testing for Ultra HA Premium to its Shenzen, China lab starting next month.
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