Internet Security Report Shows Spike in Cyber Threats
The number of DDoS attacks has more than doubled and cyber “mega-attacks” are on the rise, according to a new “State of the Internet Security Report” released by Akamai this week. The report also announced that WordPress, the Internet’s most popular website and blogging platform, had 49 new plug-in and theme vulnerabilities exposed by Akamai researchers. The report states that because of its popularity, WordPress “is an attractive target for attackers who aim to exploit hundreds of known vulnerabilities to build botnets, spread malware and launch DDoS campaigns.” More than just a threat to the
Getting Digital Students Ready for School
As another summer draws to a close, the anticipation of a new school year is starting to build across the country. Back-to-school is a time of new schedules and routines, new classes, new friends and social interaction. This annual period of new beginnings and transitions is the perfect time to reassess how families use TV and online technology and to navigate the digital resources that are out there for parents and their children. “For many children, their real and virtual lives have a tendency to blend together.” Children are introduced to TV and online technology at increasingly younger
Why We Support CISA
Yesterday, along with 46 other trade associations, NCTA signed and submitted a letter to Congress urging support of the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (S. 754), also known as CISA. As the Protecting America’s Cyber Networks Coalition, our fellow trade associations and we are dedicated to both securing the personal information of individuals and our nation’s critical infrastructure and protecting the privacy and civil liberties of all Americans. That’s why we support CISA, a bill that allows voluntary real-time sharing of cyber threat indicators while ensuring robust privacy protections
An Update on Our Appeal of the FCC’s Title II Order
Today, NCTA and other petitioners filed our joint legal brief with the D.C. Circuit highlighting the reasons why the FCC’s February 2015 order to subject broadband Internet to public utility-style regulation under Title II of the Communications Act was unlawful. The filing is a must read for those who have been following net neutrality since the mid 2000’s (or more recently) and strongly rebukes the FCC’s rationale for their unnecessary action. “We are not appealing the FCC action because of net neutrality.” With the FCC’s Title II order now before the Court, it’s important to restate
On the Importance of 'Regulatory Humility'
Originally posted in CNET on July 20th, 2015 as part of its “20 Years of Tech.” In the Broadway musical “Rent,” there’s a song titled “525,600 Minutes” that asks poignantly: How do you measure a year in your life (“in daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee”). It is interesting to consider what serves as the metronome of one’s life. For a good part of my career, technology has been the clock-master, marking time with each striking innovation. When I stepped down as Federal Communications Commission chairman in 2005, I could look back and count out my service with an astonishing
Anatomy of a Botnet
The Washington Post’s recent series “Net of Insecurity” brings up the apparent, almost unavoidable reality of security risks on the Internet. While hackers, viruses, and scams are a near-inevitable byproduct of an open Internet, there are things your ISP is doing to prevent some of the most dangerous cyber attacks. Take a botnet for example. A botnet is a collection of Internet connected devices communicating with each other in order to perform tasks in concert. As a group, these devices are capable of causing serious havoc if they’re all simultaneously instructed to attack a single target
Sec. Pritzker and Powell Talk Jobs, Security, Broadband Growth
Closing out the final INTX 2015 General Session, NCTA President and CEO Michael Powell sat down for a conversation with Department of Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker. On top of mind for both was the role of the Department of Commerce and it’s programs in both expanding broadband access and protecting businesses and individuals from inherent Internet threats. Secretary Pritzker started by emphasizing both her and President Obama’s commitment to expanding broadband access. She also affirmed the leadership role the private sector has taken in expanding broadband access. Secretary Pritzker noted
Why We Are Appealing The FCC’s Title II Decision
Today, NCTA filed a Petition for Review of the FCC’s February 26, 2015 order which reclassified broadband Internet service as a public utility, or telecommunications service, under Title II of the Communications Act. We filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. So why are we appealing? It has nothing to do with net neutrality. Indeed, for the better part of two decades our companies have invested billions of dollars into building, maintaining, and improving an open Internet experience for our customers. Our industry has supported the FCC’s original open Internet principles and
Cybersecurity Achieves a New Milestone
Two weeks ago we highlighted the cable industry’s continuing commitment to cybersecurity. This ongoing work reached a new milestone yesterday with the adoption of the communications sector’s ground-breaking report on Cybersecurity Risk Management and Best Practices by the FCC’s Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council (CSRIC). With the participation of over 100 subject matter experts from the cable, wireline, wireless, satellite and broadcasting segments, the Working Group 4 report culminated a year-long collaborative, multi-stakeholder effort to build on the
The Expanding Consolidation of the Consumer Internet
Today the consumer Internet takes up over 50 percent of traffic in North America, coming from just 35 hyper-giant websites. Take a look at the graphic below and you'll see how quickly the Internet has consolidated. And that the top five are pretty unsurprising. [Click to Enlarge]