CEN Update News for the Connecticut Education Network Community
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
CEN Update News for the Connecticut Education Network Community March 2004 Titanic to be visited CEN Deployment Volume 1, Issue 1 live through CEN Phase IV Kicks Off In June, world-renowned On January, 19, 2004 the State of researcher Dr. Robert Connecticut Department of Information Ballard will return to the Technology was approved for year 6 Inside this Issue Titanic 19 years after he federal universal service funds (USF), first discovered it. Live kicking off Phase IV of the CEN video from the expedition deployment. This phase will expand the Dr. Robert Ballard brings visit to produced and presented by CEN leased-fiber backbone from 1 Titanic back to land through CEN Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Hartford north through Enfield and west Exploration's Immersion Project will be from Milford to Stamford. Other sites in ERATE approval kicks-off fed in real time over the Connecticut Litchfield County, Tolland County, and 1 Phase IV CEN Deployment Education Network and Internet2 to New London County will also be added. institutions throughout the United States. Partnership with University of The deployment adds services to an Connecticut introduces Advanced additional 200,000+ K12 students at 102 2 Services Support on CEN A Powerful Example of CEN The CEN is a critical component in the sites and also will connect 10 new higher Immersion Project's effort to bring education campuses. That will increase Network Security Vulnerabilities 2 expeditions to the public in real time. the total students served from the present Through a satellite uplink on a ship 42+% to over 80% of Connecticut’s floating over the wreck, live video can be public school students. Filtering, Caching Update 3 sent to the shore, then across the CEN to This year’s application will yield a over the Mystic Aquarium and Institute for 50% reimbursement across all the entities Preparing for a CEN Connection Exploration where the video is involved in the application. That almost 3 reprocessed and sent back to the public doubles the buying power of the State’s Internet for access around the world. CEN Part of International Next investment and allows the CEN to 3 Generation Research Network continue the extension of optically based School sites that are directly attached to connections to each school district. the CEN or Internet2 can receive the Higher Education ISP Program broadcast-quality live high-definition 4 expands The anticipated network growth that feeds directly from the underwater begins with these funds keeps the CEN Remote Operated Vehicles (ROV's). This deployment on track for completion in 4 Library Deployment Update capability, which is not available on the 2005. Assuming continued legislative public Internet takes advantage of the funding support, we anticipate CEN's IP multicast infrastructure to make completion of not only these K12 and Connecticut Education Network high fidelity and wide bandwidth feeds higher education sites, but also all Dept. of Information Technology available throughout the CEN Network. eligible principal public libraries during 101 East River Drive the 2004 and 2005 calendar years. East Hartford, CT 06108 For more information on the Titanic 860-622-2991 expedition and how to access its online On February 3rd, CEN filed a year 7 resources, please visit http://www.ife.org application for the funding year that . January 2004 Expansion (cont’d from page 1) network. The intention is to have this University of team spend approximately 50% of its begins July 1st, 2004. This application Connecticut adds time assisting in network support, while includes activation and installation of 50% of its time will be dedicated to additional connections to every Advanced Services outreach to CEN participants to help remaining school district and library in them envision and implement new Connecticut. The CEN team has already Support to CEN services on the CEN. Specifically, the received initial application review agreement allows UConn to provide the queries from the USF administrators and In July, 2003, the Department of following CEN services: we remain hopeful this application will Information Technology and the be approved as early as June, 2004. University of Connecticut signed a o Provide high-level engineering and Memorandum of Understanding to create design talent to continue the CEN Estimated timelines will soon be a joint Connecticut Education Network roll-out, introduce new advanced available on the CEN web site at Advanced Services Center, or CEN-ASC. services to CEN participants, and www.ct.gov/cen provide high-level consulting on The CEN-ASC will hire a small team of demand to K12, library and higher technical individuals to support emerging education institutions connected to technologies, higher education services, CEN. and continued deployment of the CEN o Sponsor access to the National Internet2 Abilene backbone to bring Network Security Requires Constant Vigilance world-class international access to Don’t take it personally! high speed networking to all CEN Today’s hacker community has become adept at exploiting known system and connected K12 and library locations, software vulnerabilities. They indiscriminately scan the Internet for vulnerable and optionally to all Connecticut hosts to exploit. institutions of higher education. The Sans Institute and the FBI compiled a list of the most commonly exploited o Provides access to Internet2 related system vulnerabilities. This is intended to be a guide to addressing the most consortium purchasing programs for critical and potentially damaging problems for those organizations lacking the Internet services for higher education resources of a technically advanced security administration team. sites and provide primary access to the CEN itself for K12 and Library Top Vulnerabilities to Windows Systems sites • W1 Internet Information Services (IIS) • W2 Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) -- Remote Data Services o Promote the State’s participation in • W3 Microsoft SQL Server regional and national next generation • W4 NETBIOS -- Unprotected Windows Networking Shares networking efforts, including joint • W5 Anonymous Logon -- Null Sessions formation of the North East • W6 LAN Manager Authentication -- Weak LM Hashing Research and Education Network • W7 General Windows Authentication -- Accounts with No Passwords or Weak Passwords (NEREN) organization with New • W8 Internet Explorer York, Rhode Island and • W9 Remote Registry Access Massachusetts. • W10 Windows Scripting Host Robert Vietzke, a UConn employee who Concentrating your efforts on protecting your networks and systems against has previously led the CEN network these top vulnerabilities will give you a good start to keeping your network architecture and deployment at DOIT has available when you need it most. increased his CEN responsibilities to full time and serves as this group’s Director. SANS recommendations for protecting your network assets can be found at: http://www.sans.org/top20/oct02.php#index . For assistance from the CEN- In November, 2003 Robin Brown joined ASC team on security issues, please call Robin Brown at 860-622-2991. the team as a Senior Network Security Analyst. Doug Gregory also moved in to 2 . NEWSLETTER Advanced Services (Cont’d from Page 2) a permanent Network Technician position. One outstanding position search Preparing for your CEN Part of Next for a CCIE level network engineer is still CEN Connection being reviewed. Generation Internet2 Many factors affect the timing of a CEN Through the sponsorship of When fully underway, this team can installation once a site has been Connecticut’s two Carnegie designated provide a level of support, consulting and scheduled for a deployment wave. Items research institutions, Yale University insight that many CEN participants ranging from the quality and age of the and the University of Connecticut, the cannot afford individually on their own. telephone poles surrounding a site, Connecticut Education Network now CEN users are encouraged to think through environmental issues inside a connects to the Internet2 Abilene Network. Internet2 is a collaborative creatively about how they will use this building can impact installation and incur new resource. The CEN-ASC team can effort by over 210 U.S. universities to unanticipated costs. develop advanced Internet technology be engaged for “free consulting”, for and applications vital to the research security training, for network design or Sites anticipating a connection can and education missions of higher for technical support of advanced prepare by reviewing the following: education and K12. The CEN’s physical applications. Please call the CEN team with questions. connection to Internet2 is provided through the University of Connecticut The CEN Advanced Services team can o For CEN optical connections, verify CEN-ASC partnership. be reached at the Department of that a path exists from the telephone Information Technology at 860-622- poles or underground telephone The decision by the Internet2 2991. conduits near your building to your community to extend access to Abilene and to engage innovators from all server facility. In many cases sites sectors of education in the development N2H2 Filtering News do not have spare underground and deployment of advanced network conduits in to a building, but an services and applications, evolved The CEN N2H2 Sentient filtering system aerial path can be identified. In other through conversations among various and cache engines have recently been cases, site electricians are