Month: June 2020

BICS, an international communications enabler, has joined forces with technology solutions provider, Avnet Silica, to deliver Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), devices and applications.

The collaboration will enable Avnet Silica to directly embed 2G, 3G, 4G, NB-IoT and LTE-M/Cat-M1 connectivity via BICS’ SIM for Things IoT global solution. This is also designed to accelerate the deployment of Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN) by solving many technical, operational and commercial challenges, helping hardware manufacturers deploy new IoT solutions around the world.

Leveraging BICS’ global network and eUICC technology, Avnet Silica’s customers can connect their IoT devices to more than 700 mobile operators around the world, and easily switch networks depending on quality and coverage. “Manufacturers can quickly benefit from NB-IoT/LTE-M technology, which lowers power consumption, eases provisioning, and creates new commercial opportunities,” says Guillaume Crinon, global IoT strategy manager at Avnet.

Cyrille Saulet, solution sales leader and eUICC program manager at Avnet Silica, comments: “Thanks to our work with BICS, we’re able to enhance our offering for OEMs and IoT partners, and ensure our customers can choose the best cellular connectivity requirements for their individual needs virtually anywhere in the world. The addition of LPWAN connectivity such as NB-IoT/LTE-M gives us a complete tool box to accelerate and expand IoT adoption, by being able to design smart and flexible connectivity solutions for our customers’ connected devices.”

Gartner predicts by the end of this year there will be 5.8 billion enterprise and automotive IoT endpoints, a 21% increase from 2019. BICS and Avnet Silica’s partnership is the next step in facilitating deployment of IoT projects for enterprises, providing instant, secure connectivity for their devices.

“Our work with Avnet Silica demonstrates how BICS’ SIM for Things provides the global connectivity that OEMs and hardware manufacturers need to produce connected devices and solutions in a simple, reliable, flexible and cost effective manner,” explains Mikael Schachne, CMO and VP mobility & IoT at BICS. “Together we have created a future-proof IoT-as-a-service offering, which will make mass IoT a reality in the coming years.”

Additionally, mobile operators can capitalise on the opportunity to provide connectivity to a greater range of devices by opening up their networks to support the surging IoT demand. An increasing number of mobile operators have partnered with BICS to support M2M connectivity, with BICS being able to offer NB-IoT/LTE-M connectivity in more than 30 countries worldwide.

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A new report from Juniper Research found that the value of transactions processed by virtual cards will more than treble over the next 5 years; increasing from an anticipated $1.6 trillion (€1.42 trillion) in 2020. Virtual cards are temporary, random digital card numbers that replace core payment details for specific online transactions.

Remote working to give a temporary boost to transactions

The report, Virtual Cards: Consumer & Business Adoption, Competitive Analysis & Market Size 2020-2025, found that B2B virtual cards will account for almost 80% of virtual card transactions by value, as that transaction value doubles over the next 5 years.

For 2020, the report forecasts a 4% decline in spend levels, largely due to the reduction in business travel and online travel booking. This is in contrast to an 11% increase in the number of transactions forecast for the same period. This usage increase is being driven by businesses needing to authorise spend remotely. Despite this, Juniper Research expects usage to remain low, with only 3% of businesses using virtual cards, as high processing charges for cards make suppliers reluctant to accept them.

Consumer market still small scale, despite the Apple card

Consumer virtual card products to date have been mostly small scale and not used to their full potential, according to the report. Although the Apple Card has made virtual card capabilities more prominent, Juniper Research believes its current positioning and feature restrictions will hold the market back; despite virtual cards processing over $1 billion (€0.89 billion) in 2025, less than 20% of people making online purchases will use them.

“Virtual cards often require additional software to use, which the average eCommerce user is not going to take the time to set up for mostly unseen benefits,” remarked research author James Moar. “The technology needs to become more automatic, and allow more features, if it is ever going to gain traction beyond a few specific products in the consumer market.”

For more insights, download the free whitepaper, Are Virtual Cards Ready for Primetime?

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A set of critical security vulnerabilities collectively known as Ripple20 is impacting the Internet of Things (IoT). A vulnerable TCP/IP implementation is endangering millions of smart devices in private households, industrial plants and hospitals — and thus even human lives.

Now, LANCOM reports that its R&S Firewalls product offers protection against these critical attacks.

Ripple20 targets the TCP/IP stack in hundreds of millions of IoT devices in all industries and sectors and makes them vulnerable to remote attacks. This includes networked power sockets, industrial control sensors, medical systems, and devices operating in critical infrastructures. The consequences can be dramatic: Incorrect sensor data can cause damage to industrial plant costing millions, and the general power supply could be massively disrupted. The hacking of infusion pumps or x-ray equipment in hospitals could endanger human lives. In office buildings or smart homes, doors can be opened or alarm systems deactivated without authorisation.

Ripple20 was discovered by the security researchers at JSOF, who confirm the serious nature of the vulnerabilities: “An attacker can gain complete control over the targeted device remotely, with no user interaction required.” Just how critical these vulnerabilities are is also shown by the evaluation of the US-CERT with the highest score of 10 (out of 10) on the CVSSv3 scale.

TCP/IP stack as a target for years to come – UTM firewalls offer protection

Even though these security loopholes are not an issue for the current version of the TCP/IP stack, the problem remains because the majority of IoT devices and smart home devices simply cannot be updated. The vulnerable stack is likely to live on for years to come.

This is where LANCOM R&S Firewalls provide the necessary protection. They detect and block the Ripple20 attack packets. The requirements are full UTM support, which is available in all models from the UF-200 upwards, and the activation of IPS/IDS. Signatures are updated daily to detect and block the malicious Ripple20 data packets.

When operated facing the internet, a LANCOM R&S Firewall is said to shield the entire internal network behind it from dangerous attacks, including any IoT equipment and smart devices.

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