The Kwikset Halo smart lock had a flaw in its Android companion app that could let another app on the phone capture login credentials to Kwikset's servers, then use that information to gain control of the smart lock.

This flaw was found by researchers at Bitdefender (opens in new tab), who notified Kwikset of it on Nov. 9, 2021. Kwikset fixed the flaw with an Android app update on Dec. 16, 2021.

If you're a Kwikset Halo smart-lock owner or user, make sure your Android app is updated to version 1.2.11. Kwikset's iOS app did not seem to be vulnerable to this flaw, Bitdefender researchers told Tom's Guide.

The flaw had to do with accessing Kwikset's cloud servers on Amazon Web Services, a Bitdefender report released today (April 6) explained. The credentials to access the servers could be read by other apps installed on the same Android device, the Bitdefender researchers found by using the Drozer (opens in new tab) app-security-checking tool.

The process wasn't that easy. The malicious app would have to create pointer links that tricked the Kwikset app into exported the AWS credentials from a protected file into an unprotected file, where the malicious app could then read them.

Of course, the malicious app would have to be installed by the user on the phone in the first place, but that is not so difficult when hundreds of harmless-seeming but actually malicious Android apps are found in the Google Play app store every year.

The good news is that the Kwikset Halo Android app was otherwise pretty sound. The lock itself which is on our list of the best smart locks had no security flaws that the Bitdefender team could find, and neither did the communications between the lock and the paired smartphone.

The Bitdefender team was not able to use a "man in the middle" attack on the lock, were not able to crack the lock's encryption, were not able to tamper with firmware updates, and were not able to steal the Kwikset-account user password, thanks to two-factor authentication being enabled by default.

"The connection can't be intercepted with a man-in-the-middle attack, as the smart lock verifies the validity of the server certificate," Bitdefender researchers said in their paper. "An attacker can't impersonate the camera to the server as they lack knowledge of the client certificate stored on the device's memory."

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Kwikset Halo smart-lock security flaw fixed here's what you need to do - Tom's Guide

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Inspur Information, a leading IT infrastructure solutions provider, was honored to have two products in its Edge microserver portfolio win recognition for excellence from Red Dot Award: Product Design 2022. EIS800 and Swing P101 were both winners, lauded for their clean and compact industrial design, modularity and ease of use.

The Red Dot Design Award is an internationally recognized seal of quality and good design with a history that spans more than 60 years. 48 experts from around the world serve as the Red Dot Jury, which meets yearly to identify the best new entries in Product Design, Brands & Communication Design and Design Concept. Inspur Information competed in the original and most competitive category, Product Design. The Red Dot Jury follows the motto In search of good design and innovation, and assesses each product individually and comprehensively to identify the entries with the most outstanding design quality.

An adaptable and minimalist package for Edge computing

EIS800 is an intelligent portable and easy-to-deploy Edge microserver for the digital era. Its specifically designed extensible modules and interfaces achieve high customizability, which allows for rapid deployment across a wide variety of scenarios for intelligent Edge computing. This adaptability combined with its wide variety of wireless communication protocols including ZIGBEE, 4G/5G, WIFI/Bluetooth, and GPS, make it an ideal candidate for nearly any environment or situation. Its structural design is both simple and compact. The housing is manufactured with rugged die-cast and anodic oxidation techniques to provide heat dissipation along with water and dust resistance. The IP65 protection level rating and temperature rating of -40C~70C ensures normal operation in a wide range of harsh edge environments.

An easily modifiable Edge solution

Swing is a highly integrated edge server that improves the computing efficiency of edge AI inferencing scenarios. It can provide more compact and efficient AI computing power for AI teaching assistants in universities, AI software algorithm development, intelligent medical scenarios such as medical image recognition and disease screening, and other applications. Two expansion card slots can be quickly customized with various GPU, ASIC and FPGA accelerator cards. This customization allows optimal functionality in various setup scenarios to quickly complete targeted application inference and computing architecture designs. It features a metallic finish from its anodized surface. The grille-like design is extremely minimalistic, rendering a sleek look that is excellent at heat dissipation. All of these features work together to enhance product development in a clean and simple package.

We are thrilled to have EIS800 and Swing P101 be recognized for their superior product design by Red Dot, said Park Sun, General Manager of Edge Computing, Inspur Information. We are excited to introduce the value of these products to customers. The acceleration of digital transformation has created huge amounts of real-time data that needs to be collected and processed in edge environments. An increasing amount of AI processing workloads require more flexible and more distributed solutions. EIS800 and Swing make that possible.

About Inspur Information

Inspur Information is a leading provider of data center infrastructure, cloud computing, and AI solutions. It is the worlds 2nd largest server manufacturer. Through engineering and innovation, Inspur Information delivers cutting-edge computing hardware design and extensive product offerings to address important technology sectors such as open computing, cloud data center, AI, and deep learning. Performance-optimized and purpose-built, our world-class solutions empower customers to tackle specific workloads and real-world challenges. To learn more, visit https://www.inspursystems.com.

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Twitter is a trusted online news and social media platform. As such, its ban in Russia is part of the governments coordinated efforts to stifle the free flow of information and step up the spread of propaganda about the Ukrainian invasion through state-run media outlets. In this guide, well show you how to unblock Twitter in Russia to open the door to accurate and independent information.

As a prerequisite, youll need a virtual private network (VPN) to successfully bypass Twitter geo-restrictions in Russia. However, if you havent signed up for a VPN yet, fret not. Well reveal tried-and-tested VPNs that bypass the Twitter ban with ease, so keep reading. If youre just looking for a quick and easy answer, then check out ExpressVPN.

No law in Russia outrightly bans the use of VPNs within the country, but its illegal to use VPNs to access blocked content. That said, the Putin regime has blocked popular VPN services for failing to cooperate with its censorship efforts.

ExpressVPN is the best VPN for Russia and the best service to unblock social media in this restrictive country. For these reasons, well use it in our guide to demonstrate how to get around the Twitter ban. Unblocking Twitter in Russia with a VPN is as easy as following the steps below:

Access to reliable and independent information is a fundamental human right and no country should bar its citizens from enjoying this right. However, in some restrictive countries such as Russia, that right isnt a guarantee.

The government wants to be on top of the content Russian citizens consume, especially during its war with Ukraine. To achieve that, it has intensified efforts to block social media providers and international news media. The ban is geared toward isolating Russians from each other and the rest of the world, leaving them with no choice but to rely on state-affiliated news outlets for information.

However, while the move to block Twitter works in the governments favor, its a stumbling block for ordinary Russian citizens, marketers, advertisers and brands in Russia that rely on Twitter.

The Russian authorities began throttling Twitter on Feb. 26, 2022. The government restricted the social media network on leading Russian telecommunication companies including Beeline, MegaFon, Rostelecom and MTS.

The throttling made the site slow, making it nearly impossible for Twitter users to send tweets. Twitter confirmed the stripped access and claimed to be looking for the ideal workaround before the situation morphed into full-scale restriction.

The Twitter restriction came as Russia passed a new draconian law in an attempt to further crackdown on protests. As per the new law, independent journalists and citizens caught spreading fake information that contradicts the Russian governments narrative on the Ukrainian war risk a prison sentence of up to 15 years.

Twitter kept its promise to find a way around the ban by embracing the dark web with a Tor service to outfox the Russian authorities. We cant guarantee the effectiveness of the new Twitter feature, but as far as we know, Tor browser or network isnt as effective as a VPN in these situations.

Keep in mind that bypassing the Twitter ban in Russia isnt all about accessing the social media platform. Besides finding your way around the ban, you have to dust your digital trails just in case the Russian authorities decide to pursue you.

Both Tor and VPN hide your real IP address and location and can get you into blocked social media networks. However, the Tor network hides who you are but isnt as effective when it comes to safeguarding your digital privacy. By contrast, a VPN emphasizes privacy: It hides your identity, your true location and what you do online. Read our VPN vs proxy vs Tor guide to learn more.

A VPN provides digital security and privacy, allowing you to overcome attempts by the Russian government to strangle the free flow of information on Twitter.

ExpressVPN is the best VPN for Russian users to access any social media platform.

ExpressVPN is the best VPN service out there, and its excellent security and privacy make it a great option to access Twitter in Russia. It has over 3,000 servers in 94 countries, including Russian neighbors such as Norway, Poland and Finland, that you can connect to for optimal performance. Each connection utilizes the virtually unbreakable AES-256 encryption to keep your internet traffic away from prying eyes.

Besides that, theres a kill switch that ensures every bit of your online traffic passes through the encrypted tunnel. The DNS leak protection prevents IP leaks that could tip off the Russian authorities about your real location, whereas the TrustedServer technology ensures the VPN servers wipe user data with every reboot.

ExpressVPN abides by its strict no-logs policy, meaning it would have no data to share if coerced or subpoenaed by the Russian authorities. Read our exhaustive ExpressVPN review for more details. Theres also a 30-day money-back-guarantee, meaning you can try it risk-free.

NordVPNs Onion over VPN lets you route your internet traffic through the Tor network and a VPN for an extra layer of security.

NordVPN matches ExpressVPN performance in many aspects, except speed. It has over 5,400 servers spread across 60 countries, including some Russian neighbors: Finland, Poland, Latvia and Norway. Moreover, it uses the AES-256 encryption standard and comes with a kill switch and DNS leak protection.

What sets NordVPN apart from the other two VPNs on our list is its suite of advanced security features such as double-hop servers. As the name suggests, the servers route your internet traffic through two servers, adding an extra layer of protection. These specialty servers come in handy if you want to share sensitive information without the fear of government eavesdropping.

In addition, NordVPN has obfuscated servers that let you use a VPN in heavily restrictive environments. It also comes with a strict no-logs policy, and although it has suffered a security breach before, its still a trustworthy provider. Read our comprehensive NordVPN review for more. Its also a bit cheaper than our top pick, which makes it a better option for those on a budget.

The NoSpy servers are quite adept at bypassing censorship and surveillance in restrictive environments.

CyberGhost is another reputable VPN to unblock Twitter in Russia. Like our first two picks, it has all the basic features, including AES-256 encryption, a kill switch and DNS leak protection. In addition, it has a fleet of over 7,700 servers in 91 countries, including Russia. However, you dont need a Russian IP address to access Twitter in Russia.

What distinguishes it from other VPN services is the NoSpy servers. These are anti-surveillance servers built for use in restrictive countries to ward off third-party meddling and monitoring. Moreover, CyberGhost plays by its no-logs policy and has no history of a security breach. Finally, CyberGhost is one of the most affordable VPNs out there, as you can read in our full CyberGhost review.

We dont vouch for free VPNs because most of them are unreliable. Remember: When it comes to unblocking Twitter in Russia, you need a reliable VPN provider with top-notch security and privacy. In most cases, Free VPNs lack the robust VPN features (servers, protocols and encryption) needed to bypass network restrictions.

That said, not all free VPNs are unreliable. For example, our best free VPNs Windscribe and ProtonVPN guarantee excellent security and may be an option if you want to access Twitter in Russia. Sadly, they come with usage limits.

With Windscribe you get 10GB per month, which might be enough if you only want to tweet and read tweets. You also get access to 11 server locations out of 25. ProtonVPN, on the other hand, gives you unlimited free data, but only lets you use servers in three countries.

Peace talks between Russia and Ukraine are ongoing, and we hope the two nations will find a truce in the coming days. As it stands, the ground is becoming hostile to social media platforms. Meta, Facebooks parent company, had its Facebook and Instagram platforms banned for allegedly committing extremist activities.

If the recent censorship spree is anything to go by, then we can confidently say the Russian government isnt going to lift the ban on Twitter anytime soon. For this reason, you have to arm yourself with the best VPN to overcome censorship. We recommend getting started with ExpressVPN, thanks to its excellent security and privacy. NordVPN and CyberGhost are cheaper alternatives.

Have you used a VPN to access Twitter in Russia? Which VPN service did you use? Are you satisfied with the performance of that VPN? Wed like to hear about it in the comment section. As always, thanks for reading.

Let us know if you liked the post. Thats the only way we can improve.

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How to Unblock Twitter in Russia in 2022 [Avoid the Russian Ban] - Cloudwards

Whenever service providers talk to their customers about edge computing, there is always one pertinent question that every customer asks what is their edge? And how does the service provider define it? The answer to this question is that edge computing can be defined based on the location where the system is deployed and the capabilities that it possesses.

Let us consider the first reference point, which is the location of these computing resources. If we consider this element, then we are talking about some of the standard edge types such as sensor edge, device edge, router edge, branch edge, local area network edge, enterprise edge, data center edge, cloud edge, and mobile edge.

However, instead of absolute distance, if we look at a relative distance, then we can look at some other parameters such as near-edge or far-edge. If the reference points are defined based on capabilities, then they will be defined as thin-edge, thick-edge, micro-edge, and intelligent-edge.

(Also Read:What is Edge Computing? All You Need to Know)

Now we will divert our attention to the different types of edge computing and some of the examples based only on the physical location of computing resources.

If we look at a typical closed-loop system, then sensors are the initial point that sends out events to the backend systems. For instance, if we look at the functioning of a video camera, then the optimal method is to send out live streams whenever there is a motion.

Motion detection and tripwire detection are some of the capabilities that can eliminate the process of sending constant and continuous traffic to the cloud server. These functionalities require edge computing at the sensor level. In most cases, edge computing utilization is very minimal in this case.

There are different types of devices that are deployed by customers to execute specific types of functions. For instance, we are talking about specific devices such as X-ray machines, vending machines, motors, and so on. Data can be collected from these devices and analyzed so that it can help in the seamless functioning of these devices. In this case, the computing resources are deployed in closer proximity to the devices so that the data processing of workloads can be done easily.

If we look at the primary function of a router it is to deliver packets between networks. They are essentially the differentiating factor between the internal networks and external systems. There are few enterprise routers that provide in-built compute modules and can be used to host applications.

A branch is defined as an office that is different from the head office and is created to perform a specific type of function. Every branch does use different types of applications depending upon their requirement the role that the said branch plays. For instance, in the retail sector, this system could be a point-of-sale application that is used at the storefront, or if we talk about a medical center, then we are talking about Electronic Medical Records.

These are business-critical applications, and they require to be hosted on an edge network at the branch level to ensure that the applications dont have any sort of latency while users are accessing these systems.

When organizations operate in a distributed environment, with multiple branches across a location, the computing resources can be used by these branches in a shared mode. This is primarily to achieve economies of scale and ease out the process of management.

In this method, instead of having edge computing devices installed at each location, it is hosted on a shared site, which is connected to the enterprise network.

As we see today more customers are shifting to the cloud network from their current data center. Due to this, we are seeing small data centers are sprouting up so that rapid deployment and data portability on specific events can be done easily in this case, the edge can be deployed closer to the customer.

Cloud service providers deliver specific services that are closer to the customer. This is to ensure that functions such as content delivery are working in an optimized manner. There is sometimes a reference of cloud edge to Content Delivery Networks (CDN), but these were not developed to host general workloads.

All the wireless service providers deliver the services in a distributed network. The service locations are relatively closer compared to cloud or datacenter edge computing. When we combine the objectives of these multi-purpose locations, then this model in itself is a very unique one and delivers some key benefits. In this edge computing model, the computing resources are deployed on service access points (also known as SAP).

These service access point locations are based at the core and the applications that operate on these edge computing servers can be accessed through various mobile endpoints by using 4G or 5G network connectivity.

Other than the location, if we consider latency as another parameter for evaluating mobile edge computing, then there are 5Cs of latency that influences mobile edge computing. These are:

While other edge computing methods may have some advantage over the mobile edge, they will only be in some specific parameters. However, when we take a holistic view then mobile edge does deliver the right balance. In most of the other models, the hardware component is located at the customer site.

This requires additional efforts to handle the space, cooling, power, and physical safety of the hardware component. On the other hand, mobile edge computing ensures that users can consume all the applications as services. This makes it easier for customers to access applications that have low latency, without any hardware deployment in the network.

To summarize, every edge computing model does have strengths and its own share of challenges. Experts usually recommend starting with the requirement of customers applications and then proceeding with evaluation and selection of the right and best edge computing model.

Edge Computing vs Cloud Computing: The Difference

How Edge Computing Is Reshaping the Future of Technology

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8 Types of Edge Computing to Know in 2022 | Techfunnel - TechFunnel

What happens to a country when it runs out of cloud? We might just be about to find out as Russia has apparently realized itll be out of compute capacity in less than three months and is planning a grab for resources left by Western companies who have exited the country after Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine.

A report in Russian newspaper Kommersant says the Kremlin is preparing for a shortage of computing power, which in the coming months may lead to problems in the operation of state information systems. Initial translations of the report referred to a shortage of storage.

The Russian Ministry of Digital Transformation reportedly called in local operators earlier this month to discuss the possibility of buying up commercial capacity, scaling back gaming and streaming services, and taking control of the IT resources of companies that have announced their withdrawal from the Russian Federation.

Apparently, authorities are conducting an inventory of datacenter computing equipment that ensures the uninterrupted operation of systems critical to the authorities. The ministry told the paper it did not envisage critical shortages, but was looking at mechanisms aimed at improving efficiency.

The report cited rising public-sector demand for computing services of 20 percent. It added that one major impact is from the use of smart cities and surveillance systems. Apparently, its source explains that due to the departure of foreign cloud services, which were also used by some departments, the demand for server capacities instantly increased.

Meanwhile, the report continues, Russias datacenter operators are struggling, swept up in sanctions, economic turmoil and facing the challenge of sourcing kit when the ruble is collapsing. And they are effectively left with just one key supplier China.

Its not like Russia was awash with datacenter and cloud capacity in the first place. According to Cloudscene, there are 170 datacenters, eight network fabrics, and 267 providers in Russia, which has a population of 144 million.

Neither AWS, Google nor Azure maintain datacenters in Russia, and while there may be some question as to what services they provide to existing customers, it seems unlikely theyll be offering signups to the Russian authorities. AliBaba cloud doesnt apparently have any datacenters in Russia either.

By comparison, the UK, with 68 million citizens, has 458 data centers, 27 network fabrics, and 906 service providers, while the USs 333 million citizens enjoy 2,762 datacenters, 80 network fabrics, and 2,534 providers.

Its also debatable how much raw tin there is available in the territory. In the fourth quarter, external storage systems shipped in Russia totaled $211.5m, up 34.2 percent. Volumes slipped 12.3 percent on the third quarter, while in the fourth quarter 50,199 servers were delivered, up 4.1 percent, though total value was up 28.8 percent at $530.29m.

Server sales were dominated by Dell and HP. Storage sales were dominated by Huawei at 39.5 percent, with Russian vendor YADRO on 14.5 percent, and Dell on 11.2 percent by value, though YADRO dominated on capacity.

Now, presumably, Dell and HP kit will not be available. Neither will kit from Fujitsu, Apple, Nokia or Ericsson, and cloud services from AWS, Google or Azure.

Chinese brands might be an option, but theyll still want to be paid, and the ruble doesnt go very far these days. Chinese suppliers will have to weigh the prospect of doing business in Russia against the possibility of becoming persona non grata in far more lucrative markets like Europe, and perhaps more scarily being cut off from US-controlled components. Kommersant reported that Chinese suppliers have put deliveries on hold, in part because of sanctions.

So there are plenty of reasons for Russia to eke out its cloud compute and storage capacity. According to the Kommersant: The idea was discussed at the meeting to take control of the server capacities of companies that announced their withdrawal from the Russian market.

Could this fill the gap? One datacenter analyst told us that, in terms of feasibility, two to three months is doable as what normally holds up delivery of services is permits and government red tape, construction. If they are taking over existing datacenter space with connectivity and everything in place, they could stand up services pretty fast.

But it really depends on the nature of the infrastructure being left behind. This is not a question of annexing Western hyperscalers estates, given they are not operating there. Which presumably leaves corporate infrastructure as the most likely target.

Andrew Sinclair, head of product at UK service provider iomart, said co-opting dedicated capacity thats already within a managed service provider or cloud provider might be fairly straightforward.

Things would be far more complicated when it came to leveraging dedicated private cloud infrastructure thats been aligned to these companies that are exiting. These are well-recognized Fortune 500 businesses weve seen exiting. These businesses have really competent IT leaders. Theyre not just going to be leaving these assets in a state that people are going to be be able to pick them up and repurpose them.

From the Russian authorities point of view, they would be going out and taking those servers, and then reintegrating them into some of these larger cloud service providers more than likely. Even from a security perspective, a supply chain perspective, from Russias perspective, would that be a sensible idea? I dont know, Sinclair added.

The exiting companies would presumably have focused on making sure their data was safe, he said, which would have meant eradicating all the data and zeroing all the SAN infrastructure.

Following that, theres a question about whether they just actually brick all the devices that are left, whether they do that themselves, or whether the vendors are supporting them to release patches to brick them.

Connecting Fiber Channel storage arrays that have been left behind to a Fiber Channel network? Reasonable. But to be able to do that in two to three months, and to be able to validate that the infrastructures are free of security exploits, all the drives have been zeroed, and its all nice and safe? I think thats an extreme challenge.

But he added: When youre backed into a corner, and theres not many choices available

Of course, its unwise to discount raw ingenuity, or the persuasive powers the Kremlin can bring to bear. Its hard not to recall the story of how NASA spent a million dollars developing a pen that could write in space, while the Soviets opted to give its cosmonauts pencils. Except that this is largely a myth. The Fisher Space Pen was developed privately. And Russia used it too.

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Could Russia plug the cloud gap with abandoned Western tech? Blocks and Files - Blocks and Files