Volume 12, Issue 10 — May 21, 2019

RaveEd — Volume 11, Issue 10 — May 16, 2019
Latest headlines: Joan Vandermate on the changing workplace, Christopher Gillespie on the evolution of technology, Scott Tiner on cybersecurity, plus news from AudioControl, Denon, Extron, Yamaha, Extron and NEC Display

May 21, 2019 | Volume: 12 | Issue: 10

 
I got a tip last week (Thanks, Stefan!) about a patch Microsoft released for a vulnerability in Remote Code Execution (CVE-2019-0708) that affects some older version of Windows. This vulnerability is "wormable," which means that it could be used to infect machines without any user action, and it can be done so remotely. You may recall that in the spring of 2017, a ransomware called WannaCry (or WannaCrypt) wreaked havoc on systems, primarily in Europe, by encrypting files until a ransom was paid. This ransomware held hostage the UK's National Health Service, schools and government institutions, among others, as well as German state railway operater Deutsche Bahn, which had its digital signage network hacked. See our story on WannaCry here.

Microsoft has found this new vulnerability, which could be exploited in a similar way, before anything like WannaCry has happened, so there's no excuse. If you're running any servers with Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows Server 2008, you need to install this patch immediately (apparently it's particularly important for Windows 7 and Server 2008). See Microsoft's incident report with details on how to patch here.

This issue has so much pre-InfoComm show news. If you're going to InfoComm, don't forget to register with our code RAVE to get in free. Were also helping InfoComm do a 5K on Friday before the show opens to benefit the AVIXA foundation, which you can register for here. Gary and Chuck Espinoza are also getting into some dunk tanks to help raise more money. You can donate to take some shots at them here. (Yes, really.)

Enjoy the issue. And go patch your Windows servers!

-Sara Abrons

COLUMNS

 

+ Collision Course [Mark Coxon]

I've said in the past that the problem with Moore's law (the law that says transistor size decreases by 50 percent, essentially doubling computer power, every two years) is that doubling computing power doesn't necessarily yield innovation. I can put two engineers with the same mindset in a room, doubling their collective human computing power and get absolutely nothing new. That is unless I somehow add a creative spark. That spark usually comes from something outside the system.

+ Notes From the Trenches [Joan Vandermate]

But it’s not just traffic congestion and real estate costs that are helping drive IT and AV deployments. It’s also the desire to enable efficiencies. Many employees would rather jump on a video call than walk 15 minutes across campus to attend a 30-minute meeting. Given the structural and cultural changes impacting the way people work (especially remote workers), our customers are adapting their collaboration capabilities and spaces to support smaller, shorter and more ad-hoc meetings.

+ The Evolution of Technology Spaces [Christopher Gillespie]

One of the most consistent things we see in corporate facilities/classrooms/lecture halls worldwide is that they have been equipped with some manner of technology package that is there for the users of that space to better communicate with others. And one of the most consistent things about these spaces is that in general… they are "meh." They aren't terrible, they don't blow your socks off, they get the job done… but they aren't without issues. And that is what I want to talk about. Let's not focus on the technology stack in use — what I am going to talk about is how we approach these spaces.

 

+ Security: Start from the Beginning [Scott Tiner]

Security has arisen as a significant issue over the past several years in the AV industry. Several high profile issues have made people question what they should be doing about security. I (and others) have written about it, trying to give our readers some thoughts about where to start. As I read more about security and consider what we need to do, I realize that many of us have skipped ahead. We are reacting to problems that have occured, rather than developing a strong strategy and then being tactical in executing that strategy.

+ Privacy and the Public Interest [Christopher Jaynes]

Technology has largely evolved within a capitalism petri dish, mostly undisturbed. The result can be companies like Facebook and Google who find themselves forcibly changing direction and mired in privacy scandals that could have been avoided. If you work in the AV space, you’re introducing technology every day to individual’s workspaces, classrooms, offices, and other areas where humans do human things. We are a homo-bureaucratis species that both loves technology and hates privacy violation with good reason.

PRODUCT NEWS

 

+ AudioControl Intros Avalon G4 Four-, Three- and Two-Channel Amplifiers [Jacob Blount]

+ Alcons Audio Enters Immersive Audio Space with CRS8 [Gary Kayye]

+ Collaboration Squared Just Launched an 'Always-On' Video Conferencing Portal [Gary Kayye]

+ Voice-Enabled Denon S-Series AVRs Debut [Sara Abrons]

 

+ LG Electronics Details 2019 Tech Tour Plans [Jacob Blount]

+ One-Gang Wallplate Transmitters Make Entry-Level Collaboration Systems from Extron [Sara Abrons]

+ New 4K Camplex SFP Sends Signals Up to 3,300 Feet Through Fiber [Sara Abrons]

+ Yamaha Unified Debuts YAI-1 XL Bundle for UCC [Sara Abrons]

+ Extron Adds 5" Cable Cubby Touch Panel to UCC Line [Sara Abrons]

+ Energy Star Award Given to NEC Display E and EA Lines of Desktop Displays [Gary Kayye]

+ New AC-360 From MXL Aims to Become the Only UCC Microphone You Need [Gary Kayye]

 

+ Just Add Power Adds Dante Sound System Transmitter [Sara Abrons]

+ Yamaha Adds Wireless Mic Extension to the CS-700 Video Sound Bar [Gary Kayye]

+ Extron Updates Design Guide for Learning Environments [Sara Abrons]

+ Da-Lite Debuts Parallax Stratos [Jacob Blount]

+ New Dante-Enabled IPD-Hub 2 Amplifier from MSE to Debut at InfoComm 2019 [Gary Kayye]

+ Marshall's CV420-CS Just Blew By Every Other Compact 4K Camera by Adding HDR [Gary Kayye]

+ Aurora Ships 24-Port PoE Switch [Sara Abrons]

+ Extron Ships Quantum IN SMD 100 Multi-Stream H.264 Decoder Card [Jacob Blount]

+ Sony Ships Edge Analytics AI Video Solution [Gary Kayye]

+ New Commercial-Grade Networking Line from Luxul to Debut at InfoComm 2019 [Sara Abrons]

+ We're Impressed With the New Barix Paging Cloud [Gary Kayye]

TECH ROUND-UP

 

+ Eight Devices, One Exploit [Jacob Baines]

+ The Top Three Digital Signage Content Apps for Schools [Mvix]

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