Tag Archives: Dolby

Security: Connect the Dots–Ongoing

July 15, 2010 Like Tangents In The Rain Leave a comment

This article will be an ongoing list of interesting articles in the security arena, none earth-shattering (which will have separate articles), but each one a dot that might connect to other data. Please add other news in the comments or write editor at dciematools.com

15 August–Welcome to the future: cloud-based WPA cracking is here

Cloud computing is the latest effort to put data off site, to let professionals handle the IT details, or to put large amounts of data close to the user, while allowing the users to concentrate on their application. Dolby, for example, uses the well-regarded Salesforce solution (as do many large corporations) to monitor equipment and solutions in the field. Thus it is news…and really really really points to the need for using excellent passwords.

In 2008, I speculated about the future of distributed security cracking. That future has arrived, in the form of a $17 “cloud” based service provided through the efforts of a security researcher known as Moxie Marlinspike. It is effective against pre-shared key deployments of both WPA and WPA2 wireless networks.

The mechanism used involves captured network traffic, which is uploaded to the WPA Cracker service and subjected to an intensive brute force cracking effort. As advertised on the site, what would be a five-day task on a dual-core PC is reduced to a job of about twenty minutes on average. …Because it is a dictionary attack using a predefined 135-million-word list, there is no guarantee that you will crack the WPA key, but such an extensive dictionary attack should be sufficient for any but the most specialized penetration testing purposes.

If you opt to use the service, you will of course leave a money trail via Amazon Payments — which is probably a bad idea if you are attempting to gain unauthorized access to a secured network illegally. For the good guys testing the security of a client’s network, however, this is an incredibly handy tool to have at one’s disposal.

It gets even better. If you try the standard 135-million-word dictionary and do not crack the WPA encryption on your target network, there is an extended dictionary that contains an additional 284 million words. In short, serious brute force wireless network encryption cracking has become a retail commodity.

Please report any security news which you think that community could benefit from in the comments.

Tangential Art and Science

RealD Gets Serious with IPO – UPdate

July 3, 2010 Like Tangents In The Rain Leave a comment

The NYTimes has a 13 July article titled Will RealD’s IPO Be a Blockbuster or a Flop? – According to MarketWatch, RealD is now expected to be listed on 15 July and is very oversubscribed. Another tech company (electronic white board manufacturer Smart Technologies opened their IPO exactly on the expected amount. [End update; 14 July]

RealD has formally launched their bid for an IPO, expecting to sell 10.75 million shares at $13 – $15 – obviously short of the $200 million sale/1 billion dollar valuation that had been floated earlier. The proposed trade date is 7/16.

Doubtless, they are getting lots of advice. The stocks are being flogged by: J.P. Morgan, Piper Jaffray, William Blair & Co., Thomas Weisel Partners, and BMO Capital Markets.

Renaissance Capital points out that at the mid-point of the proposed range, RealD will command a market value of $667 million – meaning that the 10.75 million shares roughly translates to 23% of the company.

Charlotte Jones at Screen Digest lays it out pretty well at this article from 21 April (when the preliminary S1 form was released by RealD): Pure play 3D company launches IPO

RealD was an early player in the 3D game, with a love/hate relationship with the studios. They’ve invested a lot, and certainly 3D to the cinema wouldn’t be where it is without them.

Recently they are getting pressure from their competitors, which is to be expected as the market matures. Dolby is no longer trailing by far, MasterImage is strengthening their base with a low-priced technology that piggy-backs on RealD’s efforts, and the home 3D market is so far using infra-red style blanking, ala the XpanD system…which is also doing fairly well.

The important points remain; that the digital cinema revolution is less than 20% through its transition, which leaves a lot of conversions left in the world. 3D does not appear to be a fad, and is only getting stronger. The home 3D market is wide open, with several well funded companies putting money into their product lines…with many companies, such as RealD, capable of riding that set of coattails.