GATINEAU, Quebec & NORTHWOOD, Ohio—Adaptiv Networks has announced a strategic wholesale partnership with Telesystem. As part of the partnership, Telesystem will incorporate Adaptiv’s powerful and economical SD-WAN, VPN, and SASE technologies into its product portfolio.

“Adaptiv’s SD-WAN and SASE solutions will enable us to meet the advanced networking requirements of our customer base in an innovative and affordable way,” said Bruce Wirt, chief revenue officer at Telesystem. “Importantly, Adaptiv’s enterprise-grade solutions are agile and reliable, providing seamless failover, high quality of service, and end-to-end network visibility and control. We believe that I.T. is about trust, and going to market with Adaptiv greatly increases our ability to build trust with our customer base.”

Telesystem is a leading provider of networking, communication, managed security, and cybersecurity solutions to SME and mid-market businesses in the United States. 

Adaptiv Networks provides simple, secure, and reliable cloud-managed network connectivity solutions for small and medium-sized businesses. These include SD-WAN, hybrid workforce connectivity, and VPN replacement. Adaptiv’s SASE (secure access service edge) managed security solutions provide real-time, cloud-based threat protection. 

“Telesystem’s core go-to-market strategy is to develop technology solutions for SME organizations that value a trusted layer of expertise and a managed experience that allows them to focus on their own business rather than vendor management. Telesystem’s portfolio of managed solutions is a perfect fit for Adaptiv Networks,” said Bernard Breton, CEO of Adaptiv Networks. “Together we are transforming the SD-WAN market landscape to provide innovative and cost-efficient service offerings for Telesystem customers.”

The streaming service market is vitally important to the global and U.S. economies. According to the annual Motion Picture Association (MPA), the digital content streaming marketplace has been growing rapidly, and in 2021 accounted for 72% of the combined theatrical and home/mobile entertainment market. To get an idea of its upward trajectory, in 2019, digital streaming represented just 46% of the market.

But piracy threatens this vibrant industry, putting revenue, franchises, and jobs at risk. In its report, the MPA estimates that online TV and film piracy costs the U.S. economy a minimum of  $29 billion in lost revenue each year, and robs the industry of hundreds and thousands of jobs.

A big part of the problem is the ease with which consumers can access out-of-market streaming content. Content creators and copyright owners never give licensors carte blanche to stream their content. Rather, they negotiate agreements with the creators on a region by region basis, and deploy IP blocks to enforce compliance and licensing rights. 

As anyone who has seen affiliate ads for VPN services knows, it is now child’s play to get around those IP blocks. VPNs are encryption tools that hide a device’s IP address as well as the user’s online activity. Many also offer users the ability to choose their geo-location for the express purpose of circumventing out-of-market restrictions.  According to Security.org’s Third Annual VPN Market Report, 22% of consumers say that “access to out-of-market streaming media” is their top reason for using a VPN service.

With piracy tactics constantly evolving, it’s time to approach piracy as the cybersecurity threat it demonstrably is. The following is a list of best practices for identifying potential  circumvention attempts:

Leverage IP Address As Starting Point
IP blocks are still effective for the simple reason the IP address is one of the most accurate ways to identify the location of a device. IP stands for “Internet protocol,” which is a set of rules that govern the format of all data that’s sent via the Internet. An IP address is the unique address that identifies an Internet-connected device, be it a computer, mobile phone, or connected TV. 

 Without the IP protocols, the Internet wouldn’t be able to tell one device from another, and data would be misdirected.  This makes the IP address persistent, and it’s a good starting point for determining where a device is geographically located, and whether to allow it access to content. There are caveats to this, such as network address translation (NAT) but for the sake of the topic, IP addresses are valuable for identifying a location.

Deploy Proxy Detection
Once the streaming platform determines the geo-location data, the next step is to determine whether or not the device is using a proxy server. Proxy servers are slightly different from VPNs, in that they hide only the device’s IP address, but do not necessarily encrypt the traffic. 

Therefore, we can safely assume that devices associated with a proxy are hiding their IP addresses for reasons other than privacy, which should raise a red flag for any security team. Proxies have many uses, but become nefarious when an attacker leverages multiple of them to avoid firewall IP address blocking.

Detect VPNs
While many VPNs invite consumers to leverage their services to more or less spoof their geo-location, it’s neither fair nor accurate to say that all VPNs do. The VPN market has exploded over the past few years, and continues to grow and become highly nuanced. While many enable their users to circumvent geo-restrictions, many more do not.

What’s more, per Security.org, 55% of VPN users just want the security and privacy that VPNs offer, and 35% of people use a VPN because their job requires it. Therefore, we can’t assume that all VPN users are keen to access content that is out-of-market to them.

The trick for streaming companies is to understand the nuances of the VPN market, distinguishing between VPN providers that tout (or simply allow) circumvention of geo-restrictions, and those that don’t. 

Next, they need to understand their own appetite for risk vs. user experience. A streaming service can opt to ban all VPN traffic (a tactic that retail sites like Amazon have deployed), but it may mean bad user experiences for the millions of consumers who happen to use a VPN. 

If total VPN blocking is unacceptable, the streaming service can prompt for additional authentication, such as entering a Zip or postal code, or even registering for an account prior to gaining access to free content. But even that has a limit as they are trusting a user is entering data truthfully.

Detect Residential IP Proxies
As streaming services get better at detecting VPN traffic that’s outside of their markets, pirates are moving on to a new tactic: residential IP proxy networks. These are networks that pay consumers to share their Internet. 

Next, those residential IP addresses are “rented” to other companies or players that want to appear as residential IP addresses within a specific region (e.g. a consumer in a specific city). Although residential IP proxies look like legitimate traffic, IP intelligence data can be deployed to determine if traffic is proxied.

Set Granular Access Rules
Once the security and digital access rights teams have a better understanding of the VPN services used by their customers, they can use this contextual insight to set rules that better protect their content. For instance, they can (and should!) block all traffic associated with a proxy.

They can approach VPN traffic on a case-by-case basis. Given many of the VPN services allow their users to select their exit point, streaming companies can opt to ban some providers, but not others, based on the VPN’s user policies. Amazon asks VPN users to disable their VPNs in order to access the site; streaming providers may want to follow suit.

Stay Vigilant
Finally, remain vigilant. Nefarious players—whether they’re pirates that steal content outright or some kind of provider that allows end users to do so—are in it for the vast sums of money to be gained. This makes them highly motivated to innovate new ways to circumvent geo restrictions, which could make keeping content safe feel like playing a game of whack-a-mole. 

But rest assured, there are data and security companies tracking their tactics, and offering up tools to protect unauthorized users from accessing the publisher’s content.

VPN demand surged on Nov. 20 as millions of people tuned in to watch Qatar vs Ecuador in the first game of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

According to SafetyDetectives researchers’ analysis, VPN demand during the first game increased by 1,038% compared to the same time 7 days prior.

VPN use has been growing among soccer fans in recent years, and Monday's surge is in line with increases in VPN demand seen during the 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cups.

A VPN is a security tool that hides the user’s identity and their device’s location and protects their internet traffic as they surf the internet. Soccer fans can use a VPN to bypass censorship and geo-restrictions to gain access to World Cup coverage and related content.

Fans may use a VPN to access geo-restricted content, such as free TV coverage in a different country than their own. In fact, the researcher has seen interest in the BBC’s World Cup coverage grow online in recent days, as people tune in to watch its English-language broadcasts. Traveling fans may also use a VPN to watch broadcasts being aired in their home country.

The SafetyDetectives research team compiled data to measure the impact of the FIFA World Cup 2022 on VPN demand. To calculate the surge, they compared VPN demand during the World Cup’s first game, Qatar vs. Ecuador, to data samples of VPN demand taken before the World Cup.

WAYNE, N.J.–At the 2018 NAB Show New York, JVC will debut the SFE-CAM Dockable Bridge, a Dual Link bonded LTE uplink that connects directly to its 800 and 900 Series cameras. It supports live HD streaming from multiple JVC cameras to HD-SDI decoders or IP video server at the station, as well as Facebook Live or other CDNs.

Featuring Peplink’s patented SpeedFusion VPN Bonding technology, the SFE-CAM Dockable Bridge—an upgraded version of the ProHD Dockable Bridge introduced last year—combines multiple cellular, wired, and Wi-Fi connections to create a robust and secure VPN connection, making it ideal for live ENG reports or webcasts, according to JVC.

The self-contained SFE-CAM Dockable Bridge, positioned between the battery and ProHD GY‑HM850/890 or CONNECTED CAM GY-HC900 camera body, plugs into the camera’s USB or LAN port. It can also be detached and used with other IP-enabled CONNECTED CAM, 4KCAM, ProHD, and JVC PTZ camera models. Plus, the SFE-CAM Dockable Bridge functions as a secure, battery-powered hotspot in the field, and its Wi‑Fi‑First feature bonds to local or public hotspots when available to reduce cellular data charges.

Equipped with dual cellular modems with redundant SIM slots, the SFE-CAM Dockable Bridge accepts SIMs from Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, and Sprint. It aggregates up to four different network links (LTE x 2, plus Wi-Fi or Ethernet), and supports global LTE coverage for worldwide operation. Other features include internal MIMO high efficiency antennas, two RJ-45 connectors for wired LAN/WAN connections, and a built-in GPS receiver for tracking the unit’s location with the ProHD Bridge Command Center.

“The SFE-CAM Dockable Bridge Bridge is the best choice for stations that rely on run-and-gun coverage,” said Edgar Shane, general manager of engineering, JVC Professional Video. “It connects directly to our 800 and 900 Series cameras, so you don’t need to carry additional equipment. You get a reliable, convenient, and affordable live broadcast alternative to microwave and satellite.”

Available in versions for Anton/Bauer or V‑mount batteries, the SFE-CAM Dockable Bridge is available now and has an MSRP of $3,495.

JVC will demonstrate the SFE-CAM Dockable Bridge at its booth N333 at NAB Show New York, Oct. 17-18 at the Javits Convention Center.