2015 Check Point’s Annual Security Report

Check Point's released annual security report recently to disclose 2014 security trends and issues that are on the rise or in decline by analyzed their collected event data from three different sources around the world.

Here are some highlights I would like to show in this post:

The Evolution of Malware:

Highlights

• New malware increased 71% in 2014 cpmares to 2013
• 106 unknown malware hit an organization per hour
• 96% of organizations used at least one high-risk application.
• 86% of organizations accessed a malicious site.
• 83% of organizations had existing bot infections.
• 81% of organizations suffered a data loss incident.
• 71% increased  in loss of proprietary information over the past three years.
• 52% of files infected with unknown malware are PDFs
• 42% of businesses suffered mobile security incidents costing more than $250,000 to remediate.
• 41% of organizations downloaded at least one infected file with unknown malware

Enterprise Endpoint Vulnerabilities and Misconfigurations:

What Happened in an average day at an enterprise organization: 

• a host accesses a malicious website per 24s
• an unknown malware is downloaded per 34s
• a bot communicates with its command and control center per 1m
• a high-risk application is used per 5m
• a known malware is downloaded per 6m
• sensitive data are sent outside of the organization per 36m

Install Vmware vCenter into ESXi 5.5 and Reset ESXi into Evaluation Mode

VMware vCenter Server provides centralized visibility, proactive management and extensibility for VMware vSphere from a single console.

The easiest way to deploy vCenter server is to use vCenter server appliance, which is a Linux-based virtual appliance used to manage vSphere. Following steps shows the procedures how this virtual appliacne deployed into ESXi environment.

1. Download Software

There are a couple of options you can download.
a. Download .iso file to install vCenter into windows / linux environment.
b. Download .ova virtual appliance to deploy it into virtual environment
c. Download ovf file, vmdk system disk and vmdk data disk to deploy template into virtual environment.

In my lab, I selected single 2g single ova file to download and deploy it into my ESXi 5.5 server.

2. Deploy it into ESXi

Deployment procedure for this virtual vCenter appliace is same as other virtual appliances. After imported into ESXi, you can review Vmware vCenter Server Appliance's Virtual Machine Properties again. By default, it uses 8G memory, 2 CPUs, Hard disk 1 is 25G system disk and Hard disk 2 is 100G data disk.

3. Power on Vmware vCenter Server Appliance

After system fully powers on, you will get vSphere Web Client URL. In my this case, it is https://192.168.2.220:5480/

 4. Log into Web Client using a browser with default username root and password vmware.

5. Use Vmware vSphere Client to log into vCenter using ip address 192.168.2.220

6. Add ESXi into vCenter 

 Enter my ESXi 5.5 ip address192.168.2.201, root username and password , then next step.

7. Problem to add ESXi

My ESXi has been used for more than 1 year, and evaluation expired. I did get a free license from Vmware website for my personal usage. Unfortunately, vCenter can not allow any expired or non-evaluation ESXi machine to be added.

Based on KB1018275,

"

If an ESXi host is licensed with the free version of the license key, you cannot add it to vCenter Server. This license does not contain the VirtualCenter Agent, which is necessary to manage a host with vCenter Server. This feature remains locked as long as the host is licensed with the free version of the license key.

To add ESXi hosts to vCenter Server, you must license the ESXi hosts with:

• vSphere Essentials
  
  Licensing an ESXi host with vSphere Essentials allows you to manage three ESXi hosts using vCenter Server. For more information on purchasing vSphere Essentials, see VMware vSphere and VMware vCenter Server Pricing.
    
• vSphere Standard, Enterprise, or Enterprise Plus
  
  Licensing the ESXi host with one these products unlocks the add-on features that allow you to manage ESXi hosts using vCenter Server. For more information about these products, see Compare vSphere Editions.

• For more information on licensing an ESX/ESXi 4.x host, see Licensing ESX 4.x, ESXi 4.x, and vCenter Server 4.x (1010839).
• For more information on licensing an ESXi 5.x host, see Licensing ESXi 5.x and vCenter Server 5.x (2014295).
• For more information on licensing an ESXi 6.x host, see Licensing ESXi 6.x and vCenter Server 6.x (2107538).

" 

Official way is to get an license for your vSphere. But we will have another easy way to reset ESXi into an evaluation mode for 60 days. You always can reset it again after expired.

8. Reset my ESXi to evaluation mode

a. For ESXi 4.1/5.0
cd /etc/vmware
rm-r vmware.lic
rm-r license.cfg
"reboot" or "services.sh restart"

b.For ESXi 5.1 + (used for my machine ESXi 5.5)
rm -r /etc/vmware/license.cfg
cp /etc/vmware/.#license.cfg /etc/vmware/license.cfg
/etc/init.d/vpxa restart

After did above steps reset the machine into evaluation mode, please go to Licence configuration page and put back to Evaluate Mode for 60 new Days

9. Assign License again after reset license in ESXi

This time, vCenter will find your ESXi is in evaluation mode, and allow you go to next steps.

10. Check ESXi 5.5's Settings

Finally, my vCenter virtual machine is running into ESXi environment. I am able to test vCenter's other features.

Reference: 

a. vCenter Server 5.5.0b Release Notes
b. Adding an ESXi host to vCenter Server fails with the error: Host cannot be added to the vCenter as there are not enough Virtual Center Agent Licenses (1018275)

Cisco ASAv 9.4.1 and ASDM 7.4.1 in Workstation / ESXi (1)

Cisco released ASA Software Version 9.4(x) on March 2015. Thre are some new features from release note in the Cisco website. I am going to give it a try to add it into my testing environment using Vmware workstation or ESXi. Some old ASA versions have been tested in my previous posts:
Here are all related posts in this blog:

• ASA 8.02 in Vmware Workstation
• ASA 8.42 in VMware Workstation
• ASA 9.21 in Vmware Workstation 10
• Cisco ASAv 9.4.1 and ASDM 7.4.1 in Workstation / ESXi (1)
• Cisco ASAv 9.4.1 and ASDM 7.4.1 in Workstation / ESXi (2)
• Cisco ASAv 9.5.1 200 and ASDM 7.5.1 in Workstation / ESXi 

Download ASA v 9.4.1

Here are some download links we could find from Internet.
1. Cisco Software Download Site

2. from http://pan.baidu.com/s/1gdiZ7kJ (Link has been removed)

Problems when importing into Vmware Workstation / ESXi

1. Using OVA file

But When tried to open in the workstation, there is error which says "Line 264: Unsupported element 'Property'."

Tried again in ESXi 5.5, File -> Deploy OVF Template ...

But it seems same error message when tried to open downloaded asav941.ova file.
"
The OVF package requires support for OVF Properties
Line 264: Unsupported element 'Property'.
"

2. Using vmdk File

I thought I may use vmdk's file to add them into workstation or ESXi. I did find a vmware package from http://pan.baidu.com/s/1kT25ngz with following files:

Unfortunately, it does not boot properly into configuration mode. Eventually it will dip into a reboot loop. Captured screenshots with my testing in Vmware workstation and ESXi show all steps below:

2.1. Opened in the Vmware Workstation

 2.2. Since my Vmware Workstation host does not support VT-x, it will not be able to power on.

2.3. Workstation Connect to ESXi

2.4. Upload workstation vm into ESXi. That was successful

2.5. ESXi vm's configuraiton

 2.6. It got into a rebooting loop.

Cause and Solutions:

Please check my next post - "Cisco ASAv 9.4.1 and ASDM 7.4.1 in Workstation / ESXi (2)".

2015 Canada IT Skills & Salary Report

Global Knowledge and Windows IT Pro with some other partners executed the 2015 IT Skills and Salary Suvery between Sept. 15 to Oct .24, 2014. Full pdf can be download from 2015 IT Skills & Salary Report


Here are some highlights which caught my eye balls:

1. Base Salary of Participants raised from 2011's $79,579 to 2015's $89,891

2. Salary by functional area. 

IT architecture is highest.

3.  Canadian Regional Variations

Alberta is leading in all areas

 4. Top 20 Highest-paying Certifications

5. Technology Areas of Interest for 2015

Reference:

1. 2015 IT Skills & Salary Report

Industry's Fastest Firewall - Juniper SRX5800 Delivers Two Terabits Throughput

Juniper SRX5800 delivers two terabits per second of throughput:

On Apr 15, 2015, Juniper Announced: Industry's Fastest Firewall - SRX5800 delivers two terabits per second of throughput




The first of its kind, the SRX data center firewall delivers the highest known performance on a single chassis with as low as 7 microseconds latency and 2 Tbps* performance — perfect for environments where security must operate at the speed of the network.

SRX5800 2 Tbps Test by Ixia - live demo:

Reference: http://www.juniper.net/us/en/dm/bettersecurity/