Thursday, April 20, 2023

Defence and Security, Digital Finance and Critical Infrastructure with Secured Starlink

 



Satellite-based internet is a game-changer, providing connectivity to areas that were previously inaccessible or underserved. With the launch of Starlink by SpaceX, we have seen a renewed interest in satellite-based internet as a viable alternative to traditional internet service providers (ISPs). However, with increased connectivity comes increased risks, and securing satellite-based internet is more critical than ever. Netlinkz is a technology company that provides secure virtual network solutions and can play a significant role in securing satellite-based internet.

Satellite-based internet has its unique set of risks, which can be mitigated through the use of Netlinkz’s secure virtual network solutions. For instance, satellite-based internet can be vulnerable to cyber attacks, which can have severe consequences. A cyber attack on a satellite-based internet network could result in the loss of data, which could be catastrophic for businesses and individuals alike. Netlinkz’s secure virtual network solutions provide an additional layer of protection against cyber attacks, making satellite-based internet more secure and reliable.

Another risk associated with satellite-based internet is the potential for signal interference. Interference can cause disruptions in internet connectivity and can be caused by natural phenomena like solar flares, as well as deliberate attempts to interfere with signals. Netlinkz’s secure virtual network solutions can help mitigate the effects of signal interference, ensuring that businesses and individuals can maintain internet connectivity even in the face of adverse conditions.


Netlinkz’s secure virtual network solutions also provide secure access to cloud-based services, which are increasingly being used by businesses and individuals alike. Cloud-based services offer numerous advantages, including reduced costs and increased scalability. However, the use of cloud-based services also introduces new risks, such as data breaches and unauthorized access to sensitive information. Netlinkz’s secure virtual network solutions provide a secure and reliable way to access cloud-based services, ensuring that businesses and individuals can leverage the benefits of the cloud without compromising their security.

In conclusion, securing satellite-based internet is critical to ensuring that businesses and individuals can enjoy the benefits of increased connectivity without ex
posing themselves to unnecessary risks. Netlinkz’s secure virtual network solutions provide an additional layer of protection against cyber attacks, signal interference, and unauthorized access to cloud-based services, making satellite-based internet more secure and reliable. As the use of satellite-based internet continues to grow, securing it will become even more critical, and solutions like Netlinkz’s will play an essential role in making satellite-based internet more secure and accessible for all.

In Malaysia, we are working with MCMC and relevant parties to bring this brilliant solution officially in Malaysia. You can contact us and register your interest here.


Tuesday, March 28, 2023

SIP or Multi-Line SIP (MLS) -What happens when you receive notice from your telco provider to migrate to Multi Line SIP (MLS)

 

In recent years, the telecommunications industry has undergone a significant shift from traditional analog and ISDN phone systems to Multi-Line SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) technology. This change is driven by the need for businesses to improve their communication systems' efficiency and reduce costs. 

 

In this blog, I will explain what it means when a telco sends a notification to migrate from analog/ISDN/PRI to Multi-Line SIP and how to integrate it with an existing analog PBX. We will also highlight the benefits of upgrading to an IP PBX.

 

What is Multi-Line SIP?

 

Multi-Line SIP is a communication protocol that allows users to make voice and video calls over the internet. It is an alternative to traditional phone systems that use copper wires and other physical components. Multi-Line SIP uses VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technology to transmit voice and video data over the internet.

 

Why Migrate from Analog/ISDN/PRI to Multi-Line SIP?

 

Migrating from traditional phone systems to Multi-Line SIP offers several benefits, including:

 

1. Cost Savings - Multi-Line SIP offers a significant cost-saving advantage over traditional phone systems. It eliminates the need for physical components and hardware, reducing the overall cost of communication 

2. Flexibility - Multi-Line SIP offers more flexibility than traditional phone systems. It allows users to make calls from anywhere in the world, as long as they have an internet connection.

3. Scalability - Multi-Line SIP is highly scalable, making it easy for businesses to add or remove phone lines based on their needs.

4. Advanced Features - Multi-Line SIP offers advanced features such as call recording, auto-attendants, and call routing, improving communication efficiency.

 

How to Integrate Multi-Line SIP with Existing Analog PBX?

 

If you have an existing analog PBX, you can still use Multi-Line SIP by integrating it with your current system. This process involves connecting your analog PBX to a SIP Gateway device, which converts analog signals to digital signals that can be transmitted over the internet. This way, you can continue to use your existing phone system while enjoying the benefits of Multi-Line SIP technology.

 

Benefits of Upgrading to an IP PBX

 

If you have an old PBX, upgrading to an IP PBX is a wise investment. Here are some benefits of upgrading:

 

1.  Better Call Quality - IP PBX offers better call quality than traditional phone systems. It eliminates the issues of static, interference, and other distortions that are common with analog phone systems.

2.  Advanced Features - IP PBX offers advanced features such as voicemail-to-email, call forwarding, video conferencing, and more, improving communication efficiency.

3.  Cost Savings - IP PBX offers significant cost savings over traditional phone systems. It eliminates the need for physical components and hardware, reducing the overall cost of communication.

4.  Flexibility - IP PBX is highly flexible, making it easy for businesses to add or remove phone lines based on their needs.

5.  There is a lot of chatter today on mobility, the ability to work from anywhere. While servers and business applications and even infrastructure in now available on cloud, having the ability to respond and make calls from anywhere adds value to the whole work from anywhere concept. All you need is a softphone either on our mobile or laptop. 

 

 

Talk to us if you need help www.astiostech.com

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

BCP: Hosted Call Centre, Helpdesk and Service Desk


Astiostech Sdn Bhd is offering a BCP telephony solution for call centre, contact centre, Helpdesk and service desk.

Our solution is easy to setup. Two options are provided, these options are:

1. Forward your number to our assigned DID for your organisation
2. We will provide you a new DID for your users or customers to call.

To know more, client on the link below:

https://www.astiostech.com/astiosbcp/

With this solution, agents can work from home or work from a BCP site. We provide features such as:


  • Inbound/ outbound
  • Call Recording
  • IVR
  • ACD
  • Call queue
  • Realtime wallboard
  • Call centre reports
  • Supervisor features (Spy, Whisper)
  • Other call centre standard features


Agents will use a soft phone to connect to our BCP solution via a secured connection.

If you have any questions, please do email us at info@astiostech.com and we will get in touch with you within 1 working day.


We now are catering this service for Banking, Insurance, Government, F&B and Utilities and we are expanding to Singapore and Thailand.



Thursday, June 27, 2019

Cybersecurity and Cybercrime

Hi there again, it has been quite a few busy months for us here at Astiostech Group of Companies. We recently did a joint venture with a company which specialises in Cybersecurity and Cybercrime. Here are some preliminary information about the services we offer. Hope this helps and if you need more information, give us a shout.













Monday, April 1, 2019

Dialer Solution for Contact Center

We have recently deployed an open source dialer solution called AstiosDialer, yup customised to a clients requirement for a large client. This solution now is available in a hosted platform and on premise.

About the dialer:

  1. 4 types of dialer mode
  2. Multi-level IVR
  3. Multi-tenant
  4. Multi language
  5. Supports inbound, outbound
  6. Agent management
  7. Queue management
  8. Campaign management
  9. Default dashboards
  10. Comprehensive reporting
  11. Calendar (for call backs)
  12. Call disposition (efficient tracking for sales and collection based campaigns)
  13. Data encryption
  14. Full call centre features - agent login/ logoff, pause codes, ACD, call recording, etc


Integrations:
  • Core banking system
  • CRM
  • SAP
  • ERP
  • Social media
  • Chat
  • Email
  • SMS
  • Any Database
  • CSV, Excel, Text



Customisation:
  • Dashboard
  • Agent panels
  • White label
  • Web forms
  • Reports
  • Work flow

Thursday, April 26, 2018

Unified Communications (Voice, Video and Chat)

We recently deployed a real cool solution for one of our client. It consists of 2400 users across 3 locations. Using Asterisk and some 3rd party solutions, we converge all 3 (Voice, Video and Chat) into a single platform. The client required active directory integration.

Friday, September 29, 2017

ATM, AS400, Oracle and VM monitoring with Nagios XI

We have over the years gained experience in monitoring AS400 servers. Although there are readily available plugins, we found that there are not as efficient as they need to be.

We have created our own method of monitoring AS400, which circumvents issues faced using the available plugins.

AS400 Monitoring





Oracle DB Monitoring


VM Monitoring


ATM Monitoring


Open Source In Enterprises #2

Open Source for Enterprise #2


We hereby would like to inform you that Astiostech is hosting an event on Auto Dialer and it would be of great honour if you can attend. In the case your agenda does not permit your attendance, we would appreciate if you could appoint one of your distinguished colleagues to represent your organisation at the event. Please read through our invitation for event information and complete your registration.



Register here to reserve your seat.

Monday, April 17, 2017

Automate alerts with Nagios, using IRAS (Integrated Response and Alerting System)

Ever had a wish to fully automate your Nagios alerts?


  1.  Alerts must be sent automatically to your engineers
  2. Dashboard being updated with owner of the alerts, ticket ID, SLA tracking
  3. Automatically having to make a decision on which group the alerts belong to using a predefined table
  4. Which engineer should the alerts be sent to?

Well, IRAS is the answers to that wish!





Auto dialer solution

We have a cool Auto Dialer solution that is now available for our clients. It is built on open source and hence, there are no licensing costs.
Here are some of the features we have deployed. This solutions helps increase productivity and efficiency of your contact center.
See how it can benefit you and help your marketing and collections team.










Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Enterprise call center with Astiostech

Dear Valued Partners and Friends,

Good news, well renowned call center solution DialApplet is launching in Malaysia, working together with Astiostech as their partner.

This would be a good opportunity to look into an enterprise call center solution that offers many features and functionalities.

Why us?, well, DialApplet is based on Asterisk and Astiostech is an Asterisk provider in Malaysia with in house developers and local support engineers.

Come join us!



Wednesday, January 6, 2016

NMS Auto Dial (Integrated Alert & Response System)

We have recently created a product which we think would benefit large enterprises in monitoring their IT Infrastructure. This product primarily works with Nagios at this present moment. The future roadmap of this product is to integrate with other network monitoring solutions or any web API's.

If you would like to know more about this product, drop us an email at info (at) astiostech (dot) com





Wednesday, May 20, 2015

ATX Suite


Comprehensive & Integrated open IT service management

BPI/data model driven ITSM software solution for enterprises
Consist of 8 modules and 3 optional advanced modules, 1 advance reporting module and integrated web helpdesk chat system
Open source and has no license cost
The only Open Source Solution that integrates ITSM and IT NMS
Fully customizable including business process, UI and use APIs for integration to existing systems

Version 2.1.1: Update
Brand new clean UI using Jquery
Easily import and export data into MS Excel
Easy code editors
Localization (BM, BI, English..)
Easy backup and restoration








Enterprise log collaborator, application monitoring & analysis
Tightly integrated set of tools
Works with any log producers (single/multiline), enabling collection, parsing,/interpretation  & visualization of data
Powerful, distributed search capabilities based on Apache Lucene
Consists of OSSEC (parsing, formatting) & ELK (E-Search Tool LogstashK-Visualization Tool) Stack
Can be tightly integrated into NMS (e.g. Nagios) to harvest check/alert data



 

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Real-time Log File Monitoring

Source: Astiostech's SYSMON, Nagios GURU: http://onelegkickingit.blogspot.com/
 

System, transaction or application log files are the CRITICAL repositories to find problems affecting your business, systems or even applications. Most administrators will commonly monitor the log files via cron or a NMS system that monitors for certain keywords on the log files in every 5 minutes time. Once a certain key word is detected it will trigger a notification to the administrator.

This is very good for most administrators but is it good enough?

As we all know, the drawback from monitoring in intervals is that there will be always be delays in between of checks. For an example if a log file is monitored every 5 minutes time, there will be a delay of 4 minutes (or more) in detecting the problem. Even though, you could decrease the check interval time to every 1 minute (or less) and it will work much better, but this comes at the expence of higher processing (due to the increase of monitoring frequency). Furthermore if these log files are sitting in a CRITICAL server, any delays in detection will result in disasters for a lot of businesses or applications.

Well it aint looking good, doesnt it and so there is a need to monitor log files in real time or to be precise almost realtime ;D.

Introducing, SEC (a.k.a Simple Event Correlator) is  an  event  correlation tool for advanced event processing which can be harnessed for event log monitoring, for network and security management, for fraud detection, and for any other task which involves event correlation. Event correlation is a procedure where a stream of events is processed, in order to  detect  (and  act on) certain event groups that occur within predefined time windows. Unlike many other event correlation products which are heavyweight solutions, SEC is a lightweight and platform-independent event correlator which runs as a single process. The user can start it as a daemon,  employ it in shell  pipelines,  execute  it interactively in a terminal, run many SEC processes simultaneously for different tasks, and use it in a wide variety of other ways.


Now let us get started.

1) Download the installation file from this URL. http://sourceforge.net/projects/simple-evcorr/files/latest/download?source=typ_redirect
# cd /usr/src
# wget -c http://sourceforge.net/projects/simple-evcorr/files/latest/download?source=typ_redirect



2) Untar the download tar.gz file and copy the directory to '/usr/local
# tar zxvf sec-*.tar.gz
# cp sec-* /usr/local/sec

So for an example if you want to monitor the SSH login failures (Bold) of your system and get notified via the email.

#Logs involving logins, change of UID and privilege escalations (USERACT)
#-------------------------------------------------------------------------
#Nov 14 12:14:58 foohost sshd[3388]: fatal: Timeout before authentication for 192.168.1.1
#Nov 14 19:58:34 foohost sshd[6597]: Bad protocol version identification '^B^S^D^Q^L' from 192.168.1.100
#Oct 18 06:16:53 foohost sshd[131]: Accepted keyboard-interactive/pam for jpb from 192.168.1.1 port 1077 ssh2
#Nov 14 12:55:29 foohost sshd[3425]: Accepted keyboard-interactive/pam for jpb from fe80::2c0:4fff:fe18:13fd%ep0 port 27492 ssh2
#Nov 15 04:02:24 foohost login: 1 LOGIN FAILURE ON ttyp2
#Nov 15 04:02:24 foohost login: 1 LOGIN FAILURE ON ttyp2, mysql
#Oct 18 03:20:46 foohost login: 2 LOGIN FAILURES ON ttyv0
#Oct 18 02:52:04 foohost login: ROOT LOGIN (root) ON ttyv1
#Oct 18 06:11:11 foohost login: login on ttyv0 as root
#Nov 10 19:40:03 foohost su: jpb to root on /dev/ttyp0
#Nov 18 09:37:38 foohost su: BAD SU jpb to root on /dev/ttyp3
#Nov 22 12:26:44 foohost su: BAD SU badboy to root on /dev/ttyp0



3) Create a new configuration file (sshd-failures.conf) in the directory '/usr/local/nagios/etc/sec' with your favorite editor, and copy in the following text:

# Example sshd-failures
# Recognize a pattern and log it.
#
# login FAILURES
# ---------------
#
type=Single
ptype=RegExp
pattern=\S+\s+\d+\s+\S+\s+(\S+)\s+login: (.*?FAILURE.)(.*?ON) (.*)
desc=$0
action=write - USERACT: $1 login $2 on $4 at %t /usr/bin/mailx -s "LoginFailures" @

Note: Under the pattern section, the value is based on the Perl's regular expression.

To test this configuration, excute the following command. This will invoke sec to monitor the input from the user's input.
#sec -conf=sshd-failures.conf -input=-
Reading configuration from sshd-failures.conf

type in the following after this. (without the '#' of course)
#Nov 15 04:02:24 foohost login: 1 LOGIN FAILURE ON ttyp2

It will match the rule and will trigger a notification to the administrator's email as shown below.
1 rules loaded from sshd-failures.conf
Writing event 'Nov 15 04:02:24 foohost login: 1 LOGIN FAILURE ON ttyp2' to file -
USERACT: foohost login 1 LOGIN FAILURE on ttyp2 at

To run it as a daemon process just change the -input=- into a log file name and add the -detach flags.
eg:
#sec -conf=sshd-failures.conf -input=/var/log/auth -detach



 So yes, things are running now and emails are sending out. Great! So let's hook it up to a Network MonitoriS system. Our choice of NMS system is Nagios. This is an event based monitoring and in Nagios we treat these monitorings as Passive Check (please see Nagios documentation for more info).

4) Create the following bash script (submit_check_result) and save it in '/usr/local/nagios/libexec/eventhandlers' directory.

#!/bin/sh
# SUBMIT_CHECK_RESULT
# Written by Ethan Galstad (egalstad@nagios.org)
# Last Modified: 02-18-2002
#
# This script will write a command to the Nagios command
# file to cause Nagios to process a passive service check
# result.  Note: This script is intended to be run on the
# same host that is running Nagios.  If you want to
# submit passive check results from a remote machine, look
# at using the nsca addon.
#
# Arguments:
#  $1 = host_name (Short name of host that the service is
#       associated with)
#  $2 = svc_description (Description of the service)
#  $3 = return_code (An integer that determines the state
#       of the service check, 0=OK, 1=WARNING, 2=CRITICAL,
#       3=UNKNOWN).
#  $4 = plugin_output (A text string that should be used
#       as the plugin output for the service check)
#
echocmd="/bin/echo"
CommandFile="/usr/local/nagios/var/rw/nagios.cmd"
# get the current date/time in seconds since UNIX epoch
datetime=`date +%s`
# create the command line to add to the command file
cmdline="[$datetime] PROCESS_SERVICE_CHECK_RESULT;$1;$2;$3;$4"
# append the command to the end of the command file
`$echocmd $cmdline >> $CommandFile`


Then modify the sshd-failures.conf file and edit the follwing line
From:
action=write - USERACT: $1 login $2 on $4 at %t /usr/bin/mailx -s "LoginFailures" @

To:
action=shellcmd submit_check_result localhost "SSHD Failures" 2 "USERACT: $1 login $2 on $4 at %t"

Note: In the above example the "localhost" refers to the host that is monitored in Nagios (the Nagios server itself). If you are monitoring it on a different server use that hostname instead.



5) Optional: If you are planning to monitor a log file on a remote hosts the are two ways to achieve this.

i) Setup all the SEC configuration on the remote server and use the send_nsca script to submit results to the Nagios server. (please see the Nagios documentation for more info)

ii) Mount the NFS directory that contains the log file to the Nagios server. Then change the SEC '-input' parameter to point to NFS mounted log files. Make sure the log files are readable by the SEC process daemon.

Test it out and do let me know on the outcome! Screenshots will come later! ;D

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Information about GHOST vulnerability and a quick fix for Astiostech Customers

What is the GHOST vulnerability

The GHOST vulnerability is a serious weakness in the Linux glibc library. It allows attackers to remotely take complete control of the victim system without having any prior knowledge of system credentials. CVE-2015-0235 has been assigned to this issue.
Qualys security researchers discovered this bug and worked closely with Linux distribution vendors. And as a result of that we are releasing this advisory today as a co-ordinated effort, and patches for all distribution are available January 27, 2015.

Am i affected?

The best way to find out for sure is to run this quick check through the blog link shown below

Information on how to test and patch

How can i get help to check or patch?

If you are our customer, write to support and we can schedule a fix time and date. In the meantime, we suggest to keep abreast of latest development of this vulnerability via online security channels.


DISCLAIMER:

  1. The above steps and steps mentioned in our blogs are purely for educational purposes only. They are not meant to replace mainstream advisories. 
  2. Use at your own risk
  3. The guides are put together from other online resources found on the general internet. We do not claim copyright nor proprietor rights on the article or advisories

Sunday, December 7, 2014

Our Trip to Barcelona and Paris

Let me tell you one thing, if you have not been to Barcelona or Paris, make the effort to visit both countries. Simply beautiful!.

Some pictures in Barcelona:

W Barcelona Hotel

Centre of town

La Rambla

:-)

W Barcelona @ Night

The Sagrada Familia

Trophy's inside CAMP NOU 

Entrance to the field

Awesome feeling

W Barcelona Hotel Bar

Shot from my room

Nice cool temperature @ 12 Celsius

Dinner at Ra Lambla

Some pictures from Paris

Eiffel @ Night

Magnificent structure

View from the summit of the tower

Galeries Lafayette

X-Mas decoration starts

Artistic building design

Bateaux-Mouches river cruise Dinner