SoftBank Computer Glitch Halts iPhone 4S Sales and MNP

The Next Web Asia reporting on opening day iPhone 4S sales in Japan:

The opening day of iPhone 4S sales in Japan did not start well for Softbank. According to the Wall Street Journal, the operator was forced to suspend the sale of all smartphones, including the new device from Apple, at 0200 GMT this morning after a computer glitch affected customer registrations.

The issue was fixed three hours later with the operator optimistic that it did not cause any loss of sales.

I was at au/KDDI from 0300 GMT to approximately 0700 GMT and I assure you the supposed computer glitch was not fixed three hours later. We left empty handed and were asked to wait for a call. We received that call at 8:30pm – four hours after leaving au/KDDI – and were asked to come back the following morning at 1000 when the shop opens.

When we arrived at au/KDDI we first had trouble obtaining a mobile number portability (MNP) reservation number from SoftBank’s automated system due to high demand. This took roughly 45 minutes before we were finally off and running. It was at this point that everything fell apart.

The au/KDDI shop clerk, who was very helpful, was having trouble with the MNP process. This part of the purchase requires au/KDDI to touch SoftBank’s computer systems, to validate the MNP reservation number and account holder’s name and number for accuracy. This entire process kept repeatedly failing. Unfortunately, the clerk was uncertain of the specific reason.

It was at this point that I decided to walk three blocks down the street to the SoftBank shop to find out what was going on. As usual, the SoftBank clerks were somewhat clueless. All the one clerk could tell me was that their system was down so she was unable to print my account information. As I was about to walk away, another clerk mentioned to a customer that their systems were down and she would not be able to deliver pre-ordered iPhone 4′s until tomorrow, when system restoration was expected.

Are you kidding me?

I walked back to au/KDDI and told the clerk. She decided to try a few more times just to see if she would be able to deliver our phone that day. While I was waiting I called SoftBank customer service and asked them what was happening. The kind lady on the other end of the phone told me the same thing – SoftBank was experiencing a catastrophic systems failure so new sales and MNP would be impossible until the next day.

I spent a little over four hours in au/KDDI trying to secure my wife’s iPhone 4S to no avail, all thanks to SoftBank and their not being prepared for the exodus to their rival.

I am unsure where TNW got their information but it sure does not match my experience. It is worth pointing out that existing au/KDDI customers upgrading their existing handsets to an iPhone 4S were unaffected. The only customers affected were existing SoftBank customers who were upgrading or trying to port their number to a different mobile carrier.

Information Security Basics

Whether you run your own home network or are part of the IT shop administering the corporate network, there are some basic information security protocols which should always be followed. These tips are designed to help you, the administrator, adequately protect the network from the myriad of attacks available today. Ensuring your network is free of compromise is vitally important for all network users because it allows for the continued, uninterrupted operation of the very network they rely upon to perform their job.

This list is, by no means, designed to be all-inclusive. It is merely a small subset of tips which should help set most people in the right direction. These tips are generally married with more complex solutions, producing a far more comprehensive effort than the mere implementation of these basics.

1. Defense-In-Depth

Defense-in-Depth is the foundation of all information security programs. It is a comprehensive strategy for protecting a network through layers. These layers are generally network areas such as the network perimeters (ie. premise router), DMZ, physical security, authentication mechanisms, auditing, logging and more. This list is by no means inclusive.

By placing multiple layers of defense throughout your network you will increase the complexity required to break through those defenses while simultaneously hardening your network defenses. By itself, the statement sounds like all you do is slap in some defense-in-depth and you’re off and running. That is not the case. An IT shop must have someone on staff who clearly comprehends information security and defense-in-depth for the program to succeed.

As I said, defense-in-depth is a framework. The majority of the remaining tips, while doable on their own, are ultimately layers within this theory. Merely implementing them individually may very well increase your network security posture, however it is advisable to implement all measures to protect your network at the highest degree possible.

2. Network Security Perimeter – Deny by Default, Allow by Exception

All good networks have strong perimeter defenses. Every network connection must have a premise router, the router which is connected to the upstream internet service provider. The premise router should make use of access-lists (ACL) to only allow the minimum required TCP/IP connections both in and out of the network. This is known as a “deny by default, allow by exception” policy.

If your network does not run a web server accessible by the public, there is absolutely no need to allow 80/tcp inbound from the world. If there is no SSL server accessible by the public, do not allow 443/tcp inbound. More than likely, 1024-65535/tcp and 1024-65535/udp are not required inbound at all.

Allowing the possibility for these connections is a huge and unnecessary vulnerability. Essentially, you deny all connections by default and build an ACL which only allows required connectivity in or out of the network.

Along with a strong premise router ACL, all networks should employ at least a stateful firewall sitting right behind the premise router. The firewall should be configured identically to the premise router, following the “deny by default, allow by exception” policy.

The reason a stateful firewall is important is because we need to be able to inspect the packets, and keep track of the state of the network connections traversing the firewall. This allows the firewall to adequately distinguish between legitimate and potentially harmful connections or connection attempts.

3. Anti-Virus

If there is one security application which is a must-have, anti-virus protection is it. Not using anti-virus software will definitely do way more harm than you ever thought possible.

At the minimum, install an anti-virus client on all workstations and servers on the network and have those clients report to a corporate anti-virus server. It is important to install anti-virus software on all servers and clients. If even a single machine is left not running anti-virus software then that one vulnerability may cost you in the end.

Conclusion

These basic information security tips are just that – basic. There are far more advanced techniques for protecting your network. In a future installment I plan on covering some of these more complex methods.

For now, enjoy reworking your premise router to a “deny by default, allow by exception” policy. Implement strong perimeter protection to help thwart the bad guys. You will be amazed how much more fortified the network will be with very little effort.

These basic techniques will do wonders for the amount of help desk phone calls you are going to receive. After all, if your users are suddenly unable to use bittorrent or instant messaging, after having been able to for so long, they’re going to wonder what’s going on. Be prepared for the onslaught of questions!

Some tradeoffs are worthwhile.

Everything Is A Remix: THE MATRIX

This is a very cool remix presenting how many elements of The Matrix were obviously inspired by various Bruce Lee and other classic martial arts films. This is not to point out any form of copyright infringement or idea stealing, but to show how everything is really just a remix of something that came before it – that a single idea can be owned by a single creator is damn near impossible.

What is remarkable about The Matrix is how the Wachowski Brothers took inspiration from these various movies and combined them into a unique vision. It is not that The Matrix was a terribly original story, but that it was remixed in a compelling way never seen before.

iPhone 4S Review

John Gruber:

This is the easiest product review I’ve ever written. The iPhone 4S is exactly what Apple says it is: just like the iPhone 4, but noticeably faster, with a significantly improved camera, and an impressive new voice-driven feature called Siri.

Need anything else be said?

Richard Stallman, Asshole

Richard Stallman, self-appointed free software movement spokesman and toejam lover, on Steve Jobs’ death.

What an asshole. (via The Loop)

TSA Finally Realizes What The Rest Us Already Knew About Children

Jon Hilkevitch for the Chicago Tribune:

It turns out that children do not actually merit all the fuss the Transportation Security Administration has made over them since the shoe bomber tried to blow up an airliner almost 10 years ago.

So in a welcome step for little feet and parents, children 12 and younger are no longer required to remove their shoes every time they go through airport security.

“Intelligence and history have shown that allowing (young) passengers to leave their shoes on poses little risk,” the TSA said.

In this context, intelligence does not appear to be defined as the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills, otherwise this policy would never have been instituted. At least the TSA is finally acknowledging its approach to security is little more than theater.

German Police Writing Eavesdropping Malware?

Graham Cluley of Sophos:

Sophos’s analysis of the malware confirms that it has the following functionality:

• The Trojan can eavesdrop on several communication applications – including Skype, MSN Messenger and Yahoo Messenger.
• The Trojan can log keystrokes in Firefox, Opera, Internet Explorer and SeaMonkey.
• The Trojan can take JPEG screenshots of what appears on users’ screens and record Skype audio calls.
• The Trojan attempts to communicate with a remote website.

Sounds like German authorities are overstepping their bounds. While I certainly have no intimate knowledge of German law, I find it hard to believe this is permissible under their wiretapping statutes – which were written during the telephone era – or any other laws.

While there are surely some intelligence related statutes permitting certain types of activity, it is highly dubious to think these techniques would be allowed to target average citizens. Although, three-letter U.S. agencies never let something like legalities or the constitution ever get in the way of spying on their own citizens.

HOWTO Setup Secure and Private Facebook Browsing

A nice HOWTO guide for properly securing a Facebook account for those who do not understand the myriad of complex options. This guide shows how to enable improved privacy settings, disable Facebook information sharing with third-party web sites, as well as configuring a browser for private surfing. If you have ever been confused by the settings, this is the guide your mother told you to read week ago.