Network Security
Far too often, news of data breaches is accompanied by details of the failures in network security that allowed a hacker access to confidential data. Many of these failure are avoidable with adequate precautions such as a spam email filter and mechanism for controlling access to the Internet.
Almost as many breaches in network security can be attributed to poor employee training. Password sharing, unauthorized downloads and poor online security practices can result in hackers gaining easy access to a network and extracting confidential data at will.
It has been well chronicled that hackers will bypass organizations with strong network security and turn their attention to fish that are easier to catch. Make sure your organization does not get caught in the net – implement appropriate web filters and educate your employees on the importance of network security.
Jan 11, 2016 | Cybersecurity News, Internet Security News, Network Security
Hackers have potentially gained access to the data of hundreds of thousands of Time Warner Cable customers. The Time Warner Cable security breach was discovered by the FBI, which tipped off TWC last week. Affected individuals are now in the process of being notified.
320,000 customers potentially affected by Time Warner Cable security breach
The Time Warner Cable security breach was announced on Wednesday last week. Scant information was initially provided to the media about the security breach and how customer data came to be stolen by cybercriminals.
According to a statement released by the company, there has been no indication that the company’s computer systems were compromised in a cyberattack, and customers have only been advised to change their passwords as a precaution. The company advised customers via email as well as direct mail that their email addresses and passwords may have been compromised.
Over the next few days, further information about the Time Warner Cable security breach was released. At first a statement said residential customers were affected across all markets. It later came to light that the data were stolen not from TWC, but from a third party who had access to customer information.
Investigations into the TWC data breach are continuing, but at this present moment it would appear that the Time Warner Cable security breach only affects Roadrunner email accounts (rr.com).
Customers have been directed to resources where they are provided with further information about how to identify a phishing attack. There is a possibility that affected individuals will be contacted via email by the data thieves in an attempt to obtain further information that can be used to commit identity theft or fraud.
However, what will be particularly worrying for the victims is not the possibility that they may be subjected to future phishing campaigns but what confidential information they have in their email accounts. Email accounts may contain highly sensitive information about an individual which, in the wrong hands, could be used to cause considerable harm.
The information in an email account could allow a cybercriminal to build up a highly detailed knowledge of an individual. That information could then be used to conduct a phishing campaign or cyberattack on that individual’s contacts.
Last year, Ping Identity conducted a survey on 1,000 enterprise employees in the United States and discovered that almost two thirds of respondents shared passwords between work and personal accounts. Data in personal email accounts could also potentially be used to conduct phishing campaigns on employees with a view to gaining access to their employer’s computer network.
As a precaution against fraudulent use of any information, all affected customers should change their email password promptly. It would also be a wise move for any individual who has a roadrunner email account to also change their password, even if a breach notice letter or email is not received.
TWC is America’s second largest cable company and serves 16 million customers across 29 states.
Dec 23, 2015 | Cybersecurity News, Network Security
According to security researchers, the recently discovered Juniper Networks security flaw could have been created by the NSA to spy on Juniper Network customers. Others claim it is the work of a foreign government, although the NSA is still implicated.
Juniper Networks security flaw is a backdoor allowing customers’ information to be decrypted
Juniper Networks has discovered an external third party has inserted code into its software that could be used as a backdoor, potentially allowing hackers to decrypt secure communications and spy on customers’ data.
The networking equipment manufacturer’s corporate virtual private network (VPN) software was discovered to contain rogue code that allowed a security flaw to be exploited for the past three years. The Juniper Networks security flaw could have allowed the internal secure communications of customers to be viewed by hackers. The Juniper Networks security flaw would have allowed all VPN traffic to be monitored.
Juniper Networks security flaw now patched?
According to a statement released by Juniper Networks SVP and chief information officer, Bob Worrall, “Juniper discovered unauthorized code in ScreenOS that could allow a knowledgeable attacker to gain administrative access to NetScreen devices and to decrypt VPN connections.”
If a customer had communications intercepted they would likely to see a log file entry saying “system” had logged in and had a password authenticated. However, it has been proposed that an individual with the skill to insert the code and exploit the flaw would likely also be able to remove traces of a successful login attempt. Consequently, it is not possible to tell with any degree of certainty whether the Juniper Networks security flaw has actually been exploited.
That said, it would be odd for an individual or group of hackers to go to the trouble and expense of creating a sophisticated backdoor that allows secure communications to be monitored, and then not use it in the three years that it has existed.
A patch has now been released to tackle the issue and all customers have been advised to upgrade the software immediately. Whether the patch actually fixes the security flaw is debatable. Some suggest it does not tackle the vulnerability at all, and certainly does not entirely fix the problem.
Government agencies investigate: NSA implicated
The code insertion is being investigated by the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and the White House National Security Council has also taken an interest.
Junipers’ clients include the U.S. Defense Department, FBI, Justice Department, and the U.S. Government. The sophisticated nature of the hack, together with the types of customers Juniper has, has led many to believe the code insertion is the work of foreign government-backed hackers.
However, not all security experts agree. Some believe that far from Russia, North Korea, or China being behind the hack, it could actually have come from within. Ralf-Philipp Weinmann, CEO of German security research company Comsecuris, has suggested that this could well be the work of the NSA.
He claims the Juniper Networks security flaw was a re-purposed decryption backdoor that had been inserted by the NSA more than a decade ago, albeit indirectly. The Dual_EC encryption algorithm that the NSA had lobbied to be included in encryption standards after discovering a flaw that could be exploited made the hack to be possible.
While the NSA could have inserted the code, even if it didn’t it could certainly have exploited it and used it to eavesdrop.
While the U.S. government, FBI, and others investigate and attention is focused on who may have been able to gain access to highly confidential U.S. data, it should be noted that the U.S. is not the only country that has many high profile customers using Juniper Networks ScreenOS firewalls. The firewalls are popular in Arab countries and the security flaw could have been used by the United States, Israel, UK, and others to eavesdrop on secret communications of Arab states.
Dec 18, 2015 | Cybersecurity News, Internet Security News, Network Security
A recently published 2015 security study has shown cyberattacks are pervasive and are likely to be suffered by virtually all organizations. However, IT security professionals have been taking proactive steps to reduce end user security risk and have also implemented better cybersecurity solutions to keep networks secure. Consequently, they feel much better able to deal with 2016 security threats.
New 2015 security study indicates 80% of organizations have suffered a security incident this year
Optimism appears to be high and many organizations believe they will be able to prevent security incidents from being suffered in 2016, which is great news. Unfortunately, that does not appear to have been the case this year. According to the Spiceworks study, 80% of respondents suffered a security incident in 2015.
Even though 8 out of ten organizations admitted to being attacked this year, they do feel they will be better able to deal with whatever 2016 has in store. Seven out of ten respondents said they would be better equipped to deal with cybersecurity attacks in 2016.
The reason for the optimism is an increased investment in both cybersecurity solutions and the provision of further training to members of staff. A more security conscious workforce means it will be much easier to prevent security breaches caused by malware infections, phishing attacks, and ransomware.
The study indicated that 51% of companies were attacked by malware this year, while 38% suffered phishing attacks. Ransomware is a cause for concern and threats have been reported extensively in the media, yet only 20% of companies actually suffered a ransomware infection.
Theft of corporate data only suffered by 5% of companies
There have been numerous reports of data breaches being suffered in 2015, and hackers have been able to steal corporate data and tens of millions of consumer records, yet the survey indicates only 5% of respondents actually suffered data theft this year. 12% of companies reported instances of password theft during 2015. That said, it is still a major cause of concern. 37% of respondents said they were still worried about the theft of data and passwords.
End user security risk main cause for concern among IT security professionals?
The study revealed what is keeping IT security professionals awake at night, and for the vast majority it is the threat posed by end users. IT security professionals can invest heavily in security defenses to keep hackers at bay, yet all the effort can be undone by the actions of a single employee. 48% of respondents were concerned about end users installing software on their work devices or the use of unauthorized technology. 80% claimed the biggest data security challenge was reducing end user security risk.
IT security pros also rated devices by the level of risk they posed to network security.
Riskiest network connected devices:
- Laptops: 81%
- Desktops: 73%
- Smartphones: 70%
- Tablets: 63%
- IoT Devices: 50%
Measures have been taken to reduce end user security risk
IT security professionals are well aware that it can be a nightmare preventing end users from doing stupid things that result in their devices and corporate networks being compromised. Fortunately, they have realized there is a very simple and effective proactive step that can be taken to reduce end user security risk. That is to provide staff with security training.
The IT department can implement a wide range of sophisticated defenses to prevent security incidents, but if end users install malware on the network, respond to a phishing campaign, or give their login credentials out to a scammer, it will all be for nothing.
Respondents realized there is no use complaining about the risk that end users pose. Action must be taken to reduce end user security risk. By providing training on current threats and network security risks, the staff can be empowered to take action to keep their network secure.
Training employees to be more security conscious and instructing them how to identify scams and avoid malware is a highly effective strategy for reducing network security risk. The study revealed that 73% of IT security professionals have enforced end user data security policies and regular end user security training is now being provided by 72% of IT security pros.
Dec 17, 2015 | Cybersecurity Advice, Internet Security News, Network Security, Web Filtering
In the United States, healthcare phishing emails are being sent in increasing volume by cybercriminals looking for an easy entry point into insurance and healthcare providers’ networks. Healthcare employees are now being targeted with spear phishing emails as they are seen to be the weakest link in the security chain, resulting in HIPAA compliance breaches.
It is after all, much easier to gain entry to a healthcare network or EHR system if malware is installed by nurses, physicians, or administrative staff than it is to find and exploit server and browser security vulnerabilities. It is even easier if a member of staff can be convinced to divulge their email account or network login credentials. Hackers and cybercriminals are devising more sophisticated healthcare phishing emails for this purpose.
Clever healthcare phishing emails could fall any number of staff members
Even well trained IT security professionals have been fooled into responding to phishing scams, so what chance do busy physicians, nurses, and members of the billing department have of identifying healthcare phishing emails?
According to the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR), employers will be held responsible if their staff fall for a phishing email, unless they have taken proactive steps to reduce the risk of that occurring.
This week, OCR announced it arrived at a settlement with University of Washington Medicine for a 90,000-record data breach that occurred as a result of staff falling for healthcare phishing emails. The settlement involved UWM paying OCR $750,000.
Small to medium-sized healthcare organizations could also be fined for members of staff accidentally installing malware. UWM may be able to cover such a substantial fine, but the average 1-10 physician practice would be unlikely to have that sort of spare cash available. Such a penalty could prove to be catastrophic.
Why was such a heavy fine issued?
The issue OCR had with UWM was not the fact that a data breach was suffered, but that insufficient efforts had been made to prevent the breach from occurring. U.S. healthcare legislation requires all healthcare organizations to conduct a comprehensive, organization-wide risk assessment to identify potential security vulnerabilities. In this case, University of Washington Medicine had not done this. A risk assessment was conducted, but it did not cover all subsidiaries of the organization, in particular, the medical center whose employee was fooled by the phishing email.
Healthcare phishing emails are such a major data security risk that efforts must be made to reduce the risk to an acceptable level. Had a risk assessment been conducted, the phishing risk would have been identified, and action could have been taken to prevent the breach.
OCR would not expect organizations to always be able to prevent employees from responding to healthcare phishing emails. OCR does expect healthcare organizations to make an effort to reduce risk, such as advising staff members about the threat from healthcare phishing emails, in addition to providing basic data security training at the very least.
Addressing the data security risk from healthcare phishing emails
Since the risk of cyberattack via phishing emails is considerable, healthcare organizations of all sizes must take proactive steps to mitigate the risk of employees falling for the email scams. Staff members must be informed of the very real danger from phishing, and the extent to which cybercriminals are using the attack vector to compromise healthcare networks.
They must be told to be vigilant, as well as being instructed what to look for. Training on phishing email identification must be provided, and in order to satisfy auditors, a signature must be obtained from each member of stall to confirm that training has been received.
Staff members should also have their ability to identify healthcare phishing emails put to the test. They should be sent dummy phishing emails with email attachments and fake phishing links to see if they respond appropriately. If they respond incorrectly after training has been provided, further help with phishing email identification must be given. These processes should also be documented in case auditors come knocking.
Due to the considerable risk of a healthcare phishing attack, and the ease at which networks can be compromised, additional protections must also be employed. Small to medium-sized healthcare organizations that can ill afford a regulatory fine should make sure automated anti-phishing solutions are put in place.
These protections do not need to be expensive. There are cost effective solutions that can be employed that will reduce risk to a minimal and acceptable level. If training is provided and anti-phishing controls have been employed, OCR and other regulatory bodies would be less likely to fine an organization if a phishing-related data breach is suffered.
Deven McGraw, OCR Deputy Director for Health Information Privacy, recently pointed out that it is not possible to totally eliminate risk, but it is possible to reduce risk to an acceptable level. That is what OCR wants to see.
Automated solutions to reduce risk from healthcare phishing emails
To reduce the risk of members of staff responding to phishing campaigns, a powerful email spam solution must be implemented. Anti-spam solutions such as SpamTitan are cost-effective, easy to configure and maintain, and will block 99.98% of all spam emails. If phishing emails are not delivered, staff members cannot respond to them.
An anti-spam solution will not stop members of staff visiting malicious websites when surfing the Internet. Links to these malicious websites are often located in website adverts, on legitimate sites that have been hijacked by hackers, or contained in social media posts. To protect networks from these attack vectors, a web filtering solution should be employed.
WebTitan blocks users from visiting sites known to host malware. The anti-phishing solution can also be used to restrict Internet access to work-related websites. This will greatly reduce the risk from drive-by malware downloads and phishing websites.
Access rights can be configured on an organization-wide level to block malware-hosting sites. Group level privileges can be set to prevent social media networks from being accessed, for example. This control allows certain groups to have access to social media networks for work purposes, while reducing risk that comes from personal use. Individual access rights can also be set if required.
Summary
Provide training to the staff, block email spam and phishing emails from being delivered, and implement a web filter to manage web-borne risks, and not only will it be possible to keep networks and email accounts secure, heavy regulatory fines are likely to be avoided.
Dec 9, 2015 | Cybersecurity News, Internet Security News, Network Security, Web Filtering
Just over a month ago, researchers at Heimdal identified Cryptowall 4.0 ransomware; the latest incarnation of the nasty malware first discovered in September 2014. Since then, the malware has been further developed, with the third version discovered in January 2015.
Now, Cryptowall 4.0 ransomware is threatening consumers and businesses alike. The latest version of the malware is even sneakier and more difficult to detect, and its file encryption goes much further. To make matters worse, Cryptowall 4.0 ransomware has been packed into the Angler exploit kit, making it easier for the vicious malware to be downloaded to devices.
The Angler exploit kit takes advantage of vulnerabilities in browsers, making drive-by downloads possible. Any organization that has not installed the latest browser and plugin updates is at risk of having its files encrypted.
Cryptowall 4.0 ransomware – The malware keeps on evolving to evade detection
Last month, the Cyber Threat Alliance released new figures on the cost of Cryptowall infections. The criminals behind the malware have so far managed to extort $325 million from victims around the world. The latest version of the ransomware will see that extortion will continue. The bad news is, the latest version is likely to result in a much higher rate of infection. The money being ‘requested’ has also increased. Victims are no longer being asked for $300 to unlock their files. They are being urged to pay out $700 to unlock their files and keep their systems protected.
Victims are given less choice with the latest version of the malware. Not only will their files be encrypted, in order to make it harder for victims to restore encrypted files from backups, the latest version also encrypts filenames. The aim is to confuse victims even more. It is, after all, hard to restore files if you don’t know which files need to be restored.
Angler exploit kit used to infect computers with Cryptowall 4.0 ransomware
The Angler exploit kit is particularly nasty. First of all, it is not only Cryptowall 4.0 ransomware that will be installed. Visitors to malicious websites will have a host of malware installed on their computers. The network security threat is therefore considerable.
First of all, victims have to deal with Pony. Pony is installed and gallops around gathering information. It will steal login credentials and transmit the data back to the hacker’s command and control center. Attackers are looking for more than just a $700 ransom. What they are really after is access to content management systems and web servers.
A redirect will result in Angler being dropped, which will identify security vulnerabilities that can be exploited. Angler can incorporate new zero-day vulnerabilities and has been designed to be particularly difficult to detect. Angler will then install Cryptowall 4.0 ransomware.
Greater need to install a powerful web filter to prevent infection
Unfortunately, the use of the Angler exploit kit means end users do not need to download and install Cryptowall 4.0 ransomware manually – or open a malicious email attachment. Drive-by downloads will install the malware automatically if the user visits a website infected with malicious code.
Organizations can spread the news of the latest incarnation of Cryptowall to the workforce, and issue instructions to end users to instruct them to take greater care. However, since casual Internet surfing could result in computers being infected, greater protection is required.
Some end users will take risks and will ignore instructions. It is therefore a wise move to install software solutions to minimize the risk of infection by drive-by downloads. The cost of doing so will be much lower than the cost of dealing with multiple Cryptowall 4.0 ransomware infections.
WebTitan web filtering solutions are an ideal choice. They offer system administrators a host of powerful controls to prevent end users from visiting malicious websites and unwittingly infecting computers and networks. The software offers highly granular controls, allowing individuals or groups to have Internet access controlled. Protection against malware can be vastly improved without impacting critical business processes. WebTitan allows sys admins to block web adverts from being displayed, limit access to social media networks and certain website types, as well as sites known to contain malware and malicious code.
The inclusion of Cryptowall in the Angler exploit kit makes the installation of a web filtering solution less of an option and more of a necessity.
Essential security controls to reduce the risk of a Cryptowall 4.0 infection:
Conduct regular backups of your data – If you are infected, you must be able to restore all your files or you will have to pay the ransom.
Never store usernames and passwords on a computer – These can be read and transmitted to hackers.
Do not open unfamiliar email attachments – Even if an attachment looks safe, unless you are 100% sure of its authenticity, do not download or open it.
Install a spam filtering solution – make sure all email spam is quarantined and not opened.
Keep anti-virus solutions up to date – Virus definitions must be 100% up to date. Ensure that an AV solution is used that will detect Cryptowall 4.0 ransomware.
Install patches as soon as they are released – Your system must be kept up to date. It will be scanned for vulnerabilities that can be exploited.
Dec 2, 2015 | Cybersecurity News, Internet Security News, Network Security, Web Filtering
Point of sale malware is not new. Cybercriminals have been using point of sale malware to steal credit card numbers from consumers for many years. Unfortunately for retailers, the threat of POS malware is growing. Highly sophisticated malware is being developed and used to obtain a wealth of information from retailers about their customers. That information is being used to commit identity theft and fraud. POS malware is also being used to obtain corporate data.
Point of Sale Malware – The biggest data security threat for retailers
Retailers are at risk of having point of malware installed throughout the year, but in the run up to Christmas the threat is greatest. It is the busiest time of year for shopping and hackers and other cybercriminals step up efforts to get their malware installed. Hackers are hoping for another big payoff before the year is out, and they are likely to get it.
Over the Thanksgiving weekend, some of the most sophisticated malware ever seen was discovered. In some cases, the point of sale malware had been blocked. Many retailers were not so lucky. Unfortunately, identifying malware once it has been installed can be incredibly difficult, especially with the latest ModPOS malware. It is already responsible for providing millions of credit card numbers to hackers, and has caused millions of dollars of damage. The full extent of the infection is not yet known due to the stealthy nature of this new malware.
ModPOS – The most worrying point of sale malware to be seen to date
The new malware has been named ModPOS – short for Modular Point of Sale malware – and it is particularly dangerous, stealthy, and fiendishly difficult to identify once installed. Security experts have been surprised at the level of sophistication. An incredible amount of skill was required to produce malware as complex as ModPOS. It shows the level that criminals will go in order to obtain data and avoid detection.
The malware has been developed to make it exceptionally difficult to identify, and it has clearly been designed with persistence in mind. Once installed, it can perform a wide range of functions; not only serving as a keylogger and card reader, but also a tool for network reconnaissance. It is not just large U.S. retailers that will be affected. This point of sale malware may be used to infect multiple targets. If protections are not put in place to prevent infection, the potential for damage is considerable.
Security analysts first saw elements of this POS malware three years ago, but it has been subsequently developed further. It is difficult to even estimate the extent of infection due to the nature of the malware. The level of obfuscation is impressive.
It has taken some of the world’s leading cybersecurity analysts a considerable amount of time to identify this point of sale malware, and even longer to reverse engineer it. It is, to put it simply, the most complex and sophisticated point of sale malware ever discovered. iSight Partners’ senior director Steve Ward has been reported as saying it is “POS malware on steroids.” ModPOS is the result of an extraordinary amount of time, money, and development. Every aspect of the malware has been painstakingly developed to avoid detection. Every kernel driver is effectively a rootkit.
Investment by criminals in this malware is unprecedented but, then again, the rewards for that investment are likely to be as well. If a major retailer is infected, and many will be, every one of their customers’ data could potentially be obtained. The potential gains for investors in the development of this malware are likely to be off the chart.
Highly functional malware that reads cards, steals corporate data, and much more
The malware can act as a keylogger, recording all data entered by employees. It will serve as a card scraper and will read the credit and debit card details of every customer who pays via point of sale systems. The malware will simply read the card details from the memory. Even EMV terminals may not offer protection.
Data are exfiltrated to hackers’ command and control centers, but it is not even clear what data are being transmitted. The malware encrypts each transmission twice, with 128 bit and 256-bit encryption. As if that wasn’t enough, the data of each customer require a different security key to decrypt them.
The shell code used is virtually a full program in itself. According to one iSight security expert, the shell code contained approximately 600 different functions. And that is just one piece. There are many more than one in this malware. All of the different modules operate in kernel mode, making them exceptionally difficult to identify. Furthermore, the malware is not being sold via darknet marketplaces. It is being kept secret and used by the criminal gang that paid for its development. The gang behind ModPOS has effectively paid for a license to print money.
The methods being used to distribute this point of sale malware are not known, and there is no fix for the threat actor. At the present time, there is a high risk of infection, and no single defense mechanism that can be employed to prevent an attack. So far, approximately 80 major retailers have been warned to be on high alert.
Reducing the risk of point of sale malware infections
Since the threat actor is not known, retailers and other organizations should be ultra-cautious and supplement their defenses to prevent attacks from being successful. Additional measures to enhance security include:
Conversion to EMV terminals – If data is not encrypted it can be read by the malware. The memory must also be encrypted, not only stored data.
Protect all systems, not just POS – The malware contains many modules, and its full capabilities are not fully known. It is not just credit card details that are at risk. All corporate data must be protected.
Implement email filtering solutions – The malware may be delivered via spam and bulk email. Infected attachments and phishing links may be used. It is essential that robust anti-spam solutions are implemented to prevent infection.
Web filtering is essential – The executable file responsible for installing the malware must not be downloaded to any device. Blocking known malware websites and potentially malicious website adverts will help to reduce the risk of ModPOS attacks.
Instruct staff to be highly vigilant – Regardless of the software systems used to improve security defenses, employees will always be a weak link. Staff should be trained and warned to be ultra-cautious, and instructed how to spot potentially malicious emails, websites, and phishing campaigns.
Nov 25, 2015 | Cybersecurity News, Internet Security News, Network Security
You would think that a brand new computer would be secure, aside from requiring a few updates to software after being taken out of the box, but a Dell root certificate security flaw means even brand new Dell laptop computer could be compromised within seconds of being connected to the Internet. Understandably, corporate customers and consumers alike are in uproar over the eDellRoot certificate security flaw that was recently discovered.
The security flaw was revealed by Dell as part of the company’s remote assistance support service. In order for Dell to “streamline” support for users, the company installed a self-signed root certificate on at least two models of Dell laptop computers – the Inspiron 5000 series and the company’s XPS 15 laptop.
Unfortunately, the root certificate is installed in the Windows root store along with the certificate’s private key. Any individual with a modicum of technical skill could obtain the key and use it to sign fake SSL/TLS certificates. In fact, the key is publicly available on the internet so it is easy to obtain. This means that anyone using one of the aforementioned Dell laptops could visit a HTTPS-enabled website in the belief that the connection is secure, when in fact it may not be.
It would be possible for hackers to view data shared between the secure website and the Dell laptop. If the laptop is used to access a banking website via an open Wi-Fi network or the Internet is accessed via a hacked router, someone could listen in on that connection. Users could compromise their personal bank account information, passwords, or login credentials used to access their employer’s network.
Any company that has purchased either of the above Dell laptops could potentially be placing their entire network at risk. If a BYOD is in operation, personal Dell laptops are a huge risk to data security.
Not only could hackers eavesdrop on secure internet connections, it is possible that the Dell root certificate security flaw could be used to install malware on devices undetected. Since the certificate can be faked, it is possible that system drivers or software could be installed which fool the operating system into thinking they have come from a trusted developer. Even if a warning is issued, users may think it is safe to install a program because it appears to have been created by Dell.
Dell desktops, servers, and other laptops may contain the Dell root certificate security flaw
The extent of the problem is currently unclear, but the Dell root certificate security flaw may not be confined to two specific laptop models. All laptops, servers, and desktops sold by Dell could potentially be affected. The eDellRoot certificate is installed by Dell Foundation Services (DFS) and the application is not confined to the Inspiron 5000 and XPS 15 laptops. According to one source, the security flaw has also been found on the Dell Venue Pro. Dell says the root certificate was only installed on hardware since August 2015.
A few days after the discovery of the Dell root certificate flaw, another one was discovered by Duo Security. This certificate was only present on a small number of systems around the world, although that Dell root certificate was discovered on a SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) system.
It doesn’t end there. A third has been discovered. The DSDTestProvider certificate is installed by an application called Dell System Detect or DSD. This is not shipped with Dell hardware. Instead it is downloaded onto computers and laptops by users. If they visit the Dell support website they are asked to install the detection tool.
Dell Root Certificate Security Fix Released
Users are able to remove the eDellRoot certificate using a tool that has hastily been released by Dell. However, at the time of writing, there is no tool to remove the DSDTestProvider certificate. Any user of a Dell computer, server, or laptop should therefore keep up to date with eDellRoot and DSDTestProvider news and should check the Dell support website frequently for further information.
Extreme caution should be exercised when accessing apparently secure websites, and users should not access secure sites from open Wi-Fi networks until the Dell root certificate security flaw has been fixed.
According to ARS, security expert Kenn White was able to use the publicly available security key to create a secure HTTPS test site using the certificate. When he visited the site it flagged no warnings that the certificate could not be trusted when he used Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, and Google Chrome browsers. The only browser that recognized the certificate as being suspect was Firefox.
Nov 18, 2015 | Cybersecurity News, Internet Security News, Network Security, Web Filtering
If a user in your organization accidentally installs keylogging malware onto his or her computer, every keystroke entered on that computer – including login names and passwords – could be sent directly to hackers’ command and control servers.
This nightmare scenario could involve the exposure of a limited amount of sensitive data; however, if the malware has been installed on multiple computers, and the infections have not been discovered for a number of days or weeks, a considerable amount of data could be obtained by criminals.
Keylogging malware infection discovered by OH Muhlenberg Community Hospital
A hospital in Kentucky recently discovered that not only have multiple computers been infected with keylogging malware, those infections occurred in 2012. For three years, every keystroke entered on each of those computers was recorded and transmitted to the hackers responsible for the attack.
The computers in question were used by healthcare providers, employees, and contractors. Due to the length of time the computers were infected, it is not even possible to ascertain the data that may have been exposed and copied. Patient health information was entered, Social security numbers, health insurance information and other highly sensitive Protected Health Information. Providers would have entered their Drug Enforcement Administration numbers, state license numbers, National Provider Identifiers and other sensitive data.
Employees who logged into healthcare systems using the computers, could have had their login credentials recorded. Access to web services similarly would have involved credentials being compromised.
Such an extensive, long term keylogging malware infection could place many patients at risk of suffering identity theft or fraud, and physicians could have their identities stolen. Criminals could have used the data to commit medical fraud, insurance fraud or file false tax returns. The fallout from this cyberattack could therefore be considerable, and may cost the hospital dearly.
The danger of keylogging malware
Once keylogging malware has been installed on a computer, any data entered via the keyboard can be recorded. That information is then exfiltrated to a hacker’s server until communications with unauthorized IP addresses is blocked. In the case of the hospital, the malware was only discovered after a tip-off was received by the FBI. Agents had noticed suspicious communications between the hospital and third party servers. When the alert was issued and a security audit performed, a number of computers were discovered to have been infected.
Even when cybersecurity protections are installed, it is unfortunately all too easy for these to be bypassed. All it takes is for one user to inadvertently install malware. In the majority of cases, this action will not be noticed by the person responsible. No warning is issued about a potential infection and no flags raised by anti-virus software.
How are keyloggers installed on computers?
How can a hospital that has invested in cybersecurity defenses be attacked and fail to notice for three years? If regular scans of the hospital’s computers had been conducted, the infections may have been identified sooner. However, not all keylogging malware is easy to detect. Hackers are developing ever more sophisticated malware that is capable of evading detection.
There are a number of ways the malware could have been installed without being detected by anti-virus and anti-malware software. Since multiple computers were infected, it suggests that either an insider had installed the keylogging malware on multiple machines, via a USB for instance, or that multiple members of staff had fallen for a phishing campaign.
Phishing emails are sent out in the millions in the hope that some individuals will respond and download malware. Multiple infections suggest that an organization has been targeted using spear phishing emails. These are emails that are sent to a particular group of individuals within an organization. The subjects are researched and links to malicious websites are sent that are likely to entice the users to click. They are then directed to websites containing malicious code that installs files on their computers. Keylogging malware can also be installed via infected email attachments.
By targeting users, hackers and other cybercriminals are able to bypass robust security controls. Users are the weakest link, and it is far easier to target them than break through multi-million-dollar security defenses.
Cost-effective protection against phishing emails and malicious websites
There are two cost-effective solutions that can prevent staff members falling for phishing campaigns that install keylogging malware. The first works by ensuring phishing emails are never delivered to an organization’s employees. If the emails are blocked and are not delivered, they will not be able to respond. A powerful anti-spam solution will catch the vast majority of spam and phishing emails. In the case of SpamTitan, over 99.7% of spam emails will be captured.
Since hackers and spammers are constantly changing their tactics, and new malware is continually being developed, it is not possible for all spam emails to be captured 100% of the time. Occasionally, even the most powerful Anti-Spam software will miss the occasional email.
To ensure staff members do not respond to a request to visit a malicious website or open a malware-infected email attachment, it is essential to provide training. Training will help end users to identify the occasional spam email that sneaks past a spam filter.
An anti-spam solution will not prevent a user from clicking on a social media link to a malicious website. Ad networks can similarly contain links to malicious sites. Clicking on one of those links could result in keylogging malware being downloaded.
The second cost-effective solution to offer protection from phishing websites is web filtering software. A web filter can be implemented that will prevent adverts from being displayed or potentially harmful websites from being visited. WebTitan offers these protections and will keep end users safe when surfing the Internet. If end users cannot visit phishing websites and other dangerous sites, they will be prevented from inadvertently installing malware.
Alongside other cybersecurity protections, and the development of internal policies covering internet and email usage, organizations can reduce the probability that a cyberattack will be successful. If regular malware and virus scans are also conducted, when computers are infected, the severity of the security breach will be reduced.
Nov 17, 2015 | Cybersecurity Advice, Network Security
In order to manage cybersecurity risk effectively, data protection policies must be developed. However, a new research study conducted by risk and business consulting firm Protiviti, suggests that a third of companies have not yet developed data protection policies. When data protection policies have been implemented, many are insufficient and leave the company vulnerable to a cyberattack.
Data protection policies are inadequate or non-existent in many cases
Over 700 information security professionals and executives were polled and asked about their company’s efforts to keep data secure. Questions were asked about data retention, storage and secure disposal, as well as governance, privacy policies and a wide range of cybersecurity controls. It would appear that many firms were not managing cybersecurity risk effectively, leaving them vulnerable.
Information security solutions may have been implemented, but basic controls such as the development and issuing of data protection policies had been neglected. When policies had been written and implemented, many were insufficient and did not cover even a fraction of the elements necessary to keep systems and data secure. Many security holes were allowed to persist.
To manage cybersecurity risk, start at the top
The board must become involved in cybersecurity decisions and should take a greater interest in keeping their organizations secure. Policies must be developed that set rules for the entire organization, and awareness of data and network security must be improved. All members of staff must be made aware of the current threat levels and a culture of security awareness developed. Best practices must be defined and all users monitored to make sure that those practices are being followed.
The study indicates that board level involvement in cybersecurity issues is becoming more common, yet only 28% of survey respondents indicated there was a current high level of board engagement in such issues. What is even more worrying is there has actually been a fall of 2% in high-level engagement year on year. 15% of respondents said board engagement in cybersecurity matters was low, while a third said engagement was at a medium level, better than in previous years.
You must identify the most critical assets to effectively manage cybersecurity risk
In order to protect assets, they must first be identified. This may sound obvious, but many companies are unsure what their critical assets are according to the study. A number of companies had failed to identify the data that cybercriminals were most likely to try to obtain. Appropriate protections were therefore not being put in place to keep the most sensitive data secure.
Confidence in repelling cyberattacks is low
The majority of organizations are not particularly confident that a targeted attack could be repelled, even though cybersecurity protections had been put in place. Companies were believed to be better at protecting their assets and keeping sensitive data secure than in recent years, although considerable efforts still need to be made.
According to the researchers, a lack of confidence is actually good news, as it should spur companies to keep on developing their security protections.
Nov 10, 2015 | Cybersecurity News, Internet Security News, Network Security, Web Filtering
Critical security vulnerabilities in browser plugins have been widely reported in recent months. As soon as one has been found and patched, more are discovered. Zero-day Adobe Flash vulnerabilities (Shockwave Flash) have been some of the most publicized, due to the sheer volume discovered in 2015.
Earlier this year a number of companies pulled the plug on the Flash plugin, deeming it not to be worth the security risk. While it was once the most commonly used way of displaying videos and animations on webpages, the critical vulnerabilities that have been discovered have made it simply too risky to use. There have been many calls for Flash to be retired.
Google Chrome and Firefox stopped supporting Adobe Flash and many companies are moving over to HTML5 which offers the ability to display the same multimedia items without requiring a browser plugin to be used. One of the main problems with a plugin from a security perspective, is it will only be secure if the latest version is installed. Even then, as we have seen with the sheer number of security vulnerabilities found in Adobe Flash, the latest version many not be very secure at all.
If a user has not updated the plugin to the latest version, and an older version is still in use, criminals will be able to take advantage. A visitor to a website containing malware could result in the vulnerabilities being exploited. Exploit kits can be used by hackers to probe for security vulnerabilities in browsers to find out which software can be exploited. Other Adobe plugins can be exploited, such as PDF Reader.
Numerous critical security vulnerabilities in browser plugins discovered
It is not only Adobe plugins that are a problem of course, others company’s plugins also contain vulnerabilities that can be exploited. Even HTML5, which is seen by many as a more secure way of showing multimedia items on websites than Flash, is far from immune and also contains security vulnerabilities. No plugin is even required with HTML5.
In mid-October, Oracle released a security update for its Java software to deal with over twenty new security vulnerabilities that had been discovered. Oracle announced that an update was necessary on all computers as “all but one of those flaws may be remotely exploitable without authentication”. That means that a hacker could potentially exploit the vulnerabilities on any computer with an older version of Java installed, without the need to use a password.
Once critical security vulnerabilities in browser plugins have been announced and details of the flaws released online, the information is out there and available to hackers. Assuming hackers have not already discovered the vulnerabilities themselves.
A website link may not be as genuine as it appears (hovering your mouse arrow over it will not reveal a potentially malicious link!)
There are easy ways to check to see if a web link is legitimate or if the text has been changed so that it appears genuine. If you hover your mouse arrow over the link, the correct URL will be displayed. If end users get into the habit of checking every link before clicking, it will become second nature. Many phishing websites and other nasty web pages can thus be avoided.
Unfortunately, it is not always that simple. There are ways to make a URL appear genuine, even when the mouse arrow is used to check the link.
Some Japanese characters appear to be very similar to a forward slash, while certain Cyrillic characters are displayed as letters. This makes links appear genuine, and can be virtually impossible to spot. If one of these characters is present in a link and is displayed as a standard letter, the webpage could be a fake but would be indistinguishable from the genuine page.
An apparently genuine link could well be a link to a webpage containing malware. Many malicious websites can probe for critical security vulnerabilities in browser plugins.
These worrying issues were recently discussed at the SC Congress in New York, with Salesforce.com’s product security director Angelo Prado and senior product security engineer Xiaoran Wang demonstrating these and other worrying security flaws. They pointed out a particularly scary feature in HTML5 that allows a link to automatically download a file to a computer without the user being taken to the webpage used to host the file.
Protection is required and vigilance is key to avoid becoming a victim
The latest discoveries may make it exceptionally difficult to tell if a link is genuine. Even changing from the security flaw ridden Flash to HTML5 will not necessarily make the Internet a safer place. Fortunately, it is possible to take steps to ensure that end users are better protected, and stopped from visiting malicious websites. That said, it is essential that critical security vulnerabilities in browser plugins are addressed.
IT professionals should also install a web filtering solution such as WebTitan. Links can be blocked and users stopped in their tracks before they reach a malicious website. This type of protection is vital for businesses, schools, colleges and charities.
A visit to a malicious website can result in keyloggers being installed that can record and send passwords and login credentials to a hacker’s command and control center. Devices can become part of botnets and be used to send out huge volumes of spam emails, or computers could be hijacked and used for Bitcoin mining. Worse still, an infected computer, tablet, or Smartphone could be used to launch an attack on a corporate network.
It is also essential to be more security conscious. It may be difficult, or even impossible, to identify all online threats (and those delivered via email or social media networks), but many are obvious if you know what to look for. Staff training on security threats and online/email best practices must be provided if networks are to be kept secure.
It really does pay to take the advice offered by the FBI. Stop. Think. Connect. If in doubt. Do not connect. This should now be a common practice that is second nature. The current volume of data breaches now being reported suggest that for many employees it is not.
Oct 1, 2015 | Cybersecurity Advice, Network Security, Web Filtering
Visiting a coffee shop for a caffeine fix usually means having the opportunity to save some bandwidth by connecting to a free Wi-Fi network. In fact a coffee shop without free Wi-Fi is unlikely to be anywhere near as busy and those offering patrons the opportunity to connect to the Internet for free.
Even airports, restaurants, shopping centers and many pubs allow visitors to connect to their Wi-Fi for free. Many freelance workers even head to cafes to a full day’s work, while others just check email or surf the Internet. The ability to connect to someone else’s Wi-Fi is convenient and saves money. However, as many people discover, it may not be quite as free as they think. Connecting to free Wi-Fi hotspots carries considerable risks. There may actually a considerable cost. Identity theft and the emptying of a bank account!
The importance of a secure Wi-Fi connection
Many free Wi-Fi networks allow any user within range to connect without even having to register. These open networks really are open to anyone, and that means open to criminals as well. When users connect to these networks they allow any individual who is also connected to see a considerable amount of their data. Should a person with the inclination and a modicum of technical skill choose to inspect network traffic, they could potentially see the websites that are visited, read the emails that are sent, and even view login names and passwords. Installing malware on every device that connects is also pretty straightforward.
Not all Wi-Fi networks are open. Some coffee shops and free Wi-Fi hotspots require users to identify themselves. Access can only be gained if users logon. This requires the use of a token or password which is only provided to people who create accounts. These Wi-Fi networks use encryption that prevents data from being intercepted. That does not mean that these networks are entirely secure, only that additional security controls have been employed to make them safer.
If operators of public Wi-Fi networks really want to protect their users from the myriad of viruses and malware on the Internet, additional security controls should be employed. One of the best options in this regard is a web filter (often referred to as an Internet filter or content filter).
The importance of installing a web filter to protect users
A web filter will restrict the websites that can be visited while connected to a network. Many businesses have web filters in place to restrict the websites that employees can access while at work. Many homes have a parental filter in place that stops children (and adults!) from accessing pornographic content, gambling websites, dating sites and other types of website that contain inappropriate or potentially harmful content.
Coffee shops and cafes rarely have these web filters in place. They may filter the coffee, but they certainly do not filter the Internet. This means visitors could access pornographic material, gambling sites, and streaming services, and many of those websites contain really dangerous material – malware, viruses, and malicious code that could result in the users’ devices being infected. In some cases, their device could be compromised to the point that all data entered could be transmitted to a hacker.
Insecure or secure Wi-Fi – The choice is yours
When setting up a Wi-Fi network, the system administrator or operator of that network has a choice: Secure or insecure. The reality is that there is very little difference in terms of time when setting up a secure or insecure network, but there is a world of difference for users.
Even if an insecure network is chosen and kept totally separate from other networks, there is a risk that the insecure Wi-Fi network will be used by hackers to launch an attack on other networks that have been secured. Insecure Wi-Fi should therefore never be chosen.
Would you want your patrons or employees to be infected? What impact would that have on your business?
Are you waving a flag and shouting at hackers to come and attack your network?
Set up an insecure network and you might as well place a sign above your door saying hackers welcome! Attack our visitors and steal from our employees!
Fail to protect your network and your employees and loyal customers could have their privacy violated, devices compromised, and their most sensitive information revealed. The decision not to secure Wi-Fi, which is illegal in some parts of the world, could also be leaving you wide open to a lawsuit. It could also seriously damage your brand’s reputation and end up driving customers away.
Providing the public with free Wi-Fi access? Make sure you…….
Set up a secure password
An insecure password does not really offer much more protection than an open network. If your password is easy to guess, hackers will guess correctly before very long. Don’t use your shop name, use numbers and letters, include capital letters and even some symbols. Never use a name with a date appended to the end, or a number sequence such as 1234. Also do not use common words with a few specific characters replaced with numbers. You may think they are hard to guess, but not for a bot that tries many different common combinations.
Block the content that can be accessed through your network
Would you like a child to accidentally see the screen of someone viewing hardcore pornography while connected to your network? Would you like to deal with law enforcement officers when they visit you to find out why one your visitors are downloading terrorist manuals from your establishment? Of course not!
The answer is to restrict the content that can be viewed, and to do that you need to install a web filter such as WebTitan Wi-Fi. Its low cost, easy to set up, and it will restrict the websites that can be accessed through your network.
Filtering Wi-Fi should be as important to you as filtering your water and coffee. More so in fact. It protects you and it protects your customers. If your focus is providing a quality service for your customers, the provision of a web filter is essential. It could be the difference between a customer visiting your establishment or going to a more secure competitor.
Sep 17, 2015 | Cybersecurity Advice, Network Security
Most system administrators have a rather long to-do list. As soon as one item is cleared, another two seem to take its place. Oftentimes there are simply not enough hours in the day to deal with all of the issues. There are software problems, hardware problems, user problems, and it can be hard to find time to be proactive instead of reactive.
We would like to make your job easier and reduce the number of items on your future to-do lists. With this in mind we have listed five issues that you should avoid to prevent future headaches. They are basic, but that is why many system administrators forget them.
Network Security No No’s
Never host more than Windows Active Directory on a domain controller
Active Directory looks after the identities and relationships of your network. It will allow you to provide all employees with SSO (Single Sign-On) access. However, it is important that Active Directory is isolated and the machine you use is not used for anything else. Don’t mix up your assets, as in the event of one being compromised, anything else hosted on the same machine is also likely to be affected. After all, hackers are likely to have a snoop around and see what else is running on a server they have managed to gain access to. Keep everything separate, and you will be limiting the damage that can be caused in the event of a security breach.
Don’t access a workstation using your administrator credentials
Your administrator login credentials, if compromised, would allow a malicious insider or outsider to gain access to systems where a lot of damage can be caused. If you login to a compromised workstation using your administrator login, you could be giving your access rights to a hacker. Cached login credentials are not difficult to obtain. Github offers code that will allow anyone to change Local Admin privileges to Domain Admin privileges. If that happens, a hacker really can unleash hell.
Don’t ever reuse passwords
One of the most elementary data security measures is to ensure passwords are impossible to guess. In the unlikely event that your password is guessed, or is somehow compromised, it is essential that the password cannot be used to access any other systems, servers or workstations. Setting different access passwords for everything is a pain, but it is an essential security measure.
Don’t leave default logins active
Default logins are often exploited. Many can be obtained with a very quick search on the Internet. This applies for all networked devices, routers, and equipment. It is usually the first thing that will be attempted in order to gain access. How easy is this? Take hospital drug pumps as an example. There have been instances of patients searching online for the manufacturer’s website, obtaining the default login details, and then logging in to up their morphine doses. If patients can do it, it would not be too hard for a hacker.
Never, ever use an open Wi-Fi network
In a business environment, it is not possible to justify using an open Wi-Fi network. The risks that insecure Wi-Fi creates are simply too high. If you need to provide guest access, set up a guest login and password and make sure it is changed regularly. You may get a few complaints, but not as many as you will get when your system is compromised, data is exfiltrated, or heaven forbid, data is deleted or encrypted with ransomware.
Summary
It may be more convenient to share passwords, allow anyone to access Wi-Fi, share servers and use the same login to access everything, but it is a recipe for disaster. If anything goes wrong, and it eventually will, you must ensure that the damage caused is limited as far as is possible. Convenience should never jeopardize system security.
Sep 8, 2015 | Cybersecurity Advice, Network Security, Web Filtering
There has been a lot of talk recently about Social Engineering scams, but what is social engineering?. Social engineering is a term used in social science to describe the psychological manipulation of people into taking a particular action and influencing large groups of people. It is a technique used for good and bad. Politicians and governments use social engineering, and advertisers are known to use social engineering to convince the public to purchase products.
In recent months, most talk of social engineering has been about information security. Hackers and other online criminals are now using social engineering techniques to get Internet users to reveal their sensitive information, such as login names and passwords, and even credit card numbers and bank account details. The majority of large scale data breaches caused by hackers and malicious outsiders are usually discovered to include an element of social engineering.
How can you protect yourself from being manipulated into revealing information? How can you protect yourself and your company from employees falling for social engineering scams?
How is Social Engineering Used by Cybercriminals?
The commonest methods employed by cybercriminals to manipulate users into taking certain actions are detailed below. Being aware of how social engineering is used will help you to protect yourself and your employees from becoming victims of scams and phishing campaigns.
Abuses of Trust:
Online criminals know that if they want to get something from people, it is far easier to get what they want if they pretend to be someone that person trusts. People are wary of strangers after all. If a total stranger came up to you in the street and asked for your PIN number or email address and password, you would naturally not tell them. However, on the Internet it is not always so easy to tell if someone is actually a stranger. Seemingly legitimate reasons are also provided for disclosing such information.
Emails sent from colleagues, friends and family members
If you receive an email from someone you trust, chances are you will be more likely to respond to a request than if the same email had been sent by a stranger. If a family member sent you a link asking you to click, you may not even think twice before you click your mouse.
If your best friend, brother or sister sends you a URL saying, “You have got to see this, it is so funny!” You click the link, you see a video, and you wonder what on earth they were thinking about. The video wasn’t very funny at all!
Unfortunately, the reason the link was sent was not because it contained side-splitting humor, it was because clicking on the link caused malware being downloaded to your computer. The email was, of course, not sent from the person you thought it was, but by a hacker who was pretending to be someone you know.
It is not just “must see” images, jokes and videos that are sent. Many emails are sent that manipulate individuals by taking advantage of compassion or a desire to help a friend or family member in need. Emails are supposedly sent from individuals that find themselves in a spot of bother. A friend traveling abroad has had his wallet stolen and is stuck and can’t get home. He needs money transferred so he can buy a plane ticket to get home. In actual fact he is on the beach, and a hacker has gained access to his email account, not his wallet.
Phishing: Manipulating people into revealing confidential information
There has been a huge increase in the volume of phishing emails being sent in recent years. This is because these social engineering scams can be incredibly effective. They are used to get individuals to reveal highly confidential information that under normal circumstances they would never divulge.
Some of the most common social engineering scams used by online criminals to obtain sensitive information are detailed below. Be particularly wary if you receive one of these emails:
Urgent Charity Donation Required
Nothing brings out the scammers faster than a natural disaster. When people are suffering, have lost their homes, been flooded or hit by a hurricane, criminals take advantage and try to take their share of donations. If you get an email request money to help people in need, don’t respond to the email. Find the website of the charity and make a donation directly through the website or follow the instructions listed on the website. Don’t click the link provided. Criminals do not care about taking money from the needy, hence the huge volume of social engineering scams after a natural disaster.
You have won a prize draw, lottery or other prize
Don’t let the thrill of potentially receiving a large sum cash get the better of common sense. In order to win a prize draw, you first need to have entered. Don’t call the number supplied in the email and do not visit the link. You will need to supply bank information for a transfer (or your credit card details). There will only be one winner, and it will not be you.
Package or mail cannot be delivered
Courier companies do send emails informing you that you were out and they have not been able to deliver a parcel, but are you actually expecting one? Even if you have a birthday approaching or Christmas is just around the corner, do not respond to the email request directly. Use the tracking/consignment number to check, but check via the company website by entering in the URL into your browser. The links contained in emails could take you to a phishing website, and the information you enter will be collected by criminals.
Upcoming Elections – Party donations required
Want to do your bit for the Democrats or Republicans? Does the Green Party urgently need your cash for their campaign? Want to show your support for Labor or the Conservatives? Good on you! Just make sure that your donation goes to the right place. For that, you must find the official website and follow the instructions provided. Never click on a link in an email. Social engineering scams are very common in the run up to elections.
Summary of Good Practices to Avoid Social Engineering Scams
These tips will reduce the likelihood of you falling for social engineering scams. You need to be security aware and always be cautious about revealing any information, opening attachments or clicking on links.
- The first rule to avoid becoming a victim of a phishing campaign is never to click on an email link
- The second rule avoid becoming a victim of a phishing campaign is never to click on an email link
- Stop and think before you respond to any email request
- If you are not 100% sure of the genuineness of an email, mark it as junk or delete it
- If you are at work, and think an email may be a scam, seek advice from your IT department
- If you are asked to reveal login information or other sensitive data, report it. Do not respond
- If you want to respond to a request for a donation, search on google and find the official site. Get information on how to make a donation. Don’t trust the information provided in the email
- Never open an email attachment unless you are 100% sure it is legitimate
- If you have accidentally fallen for a scam (or think you may have) seek professional advice immediately, and change all of your passwords.
Aug 25, 2015 | Cybersecurity Advice, Network Security
Beware the threat from within: How to deal with insider threats
IT security professionals and C-suiters are well aware of the threat from hackers. Cyberattacks have been all over the news recently. Major security breaches have resulted in millions of files being stolen. Patient health records have been targeted with the cyberattack on Anthem Inc., the largest ever healthcare data breach ever recorded. That cyberattack, discovered in February this year, involved the theft of 78.8 million health insurance subscriber records.
Target was attacked last year and hackers managed to obtain the credit card details of an estimated 110 million customers. The finance industry was also hit hard in 2014, with 83 million J.P. Morgan Chase accounts compromised by hackers.
Cybersecurity defenses naturally need to be put in place, monitored, and bolstered to deal with the ever changing threat landscape. However, it is important not to forget the threat from within. Malicious insiders can be just as dangerous, and often more so than hackers. Just ask the NSA. They know all too well how dangerous insiders can be. Edward Snowden managed to steal and release data that has caused considerable embarrassment. In his case, he wanted the world to know what the NSA was up to. The NSA had gone to great lengths to make sure that what occurred behind its walls stayed secret.
Malicious insiders are often individuals who have been given access to patient and customer records, as well as the intellectual property of corporations, company secrets, product development information and employee databases. They are therefore potentially able to steal everything. The harm that can be caused by malicious insiders is therefore considerable.
It is not just theft of data that is a problem. Insiders may use their access to computer systems to defraud their employers, destroy data, or install malware and ransomware. Unfortunately, tackling the threat from within is a much more difficult task than preventing external attacks.
Bear in mind that insiders are not necessarily employees. They can include business partners and associates, contractors and past employees.
Which insiders pose the biggest threat
Unfortunately, any employee can steal corporate secrets and data; but the potential for damage increases as privilege levels increase. In a hospital, a physician may only have access to his or her caseload of patients. It may be possible for that physician to access the records of other patients of the facility, but not without triggering alarms. Those alarms may not be klaxons, but a flag would be raised that would alert anyone checking access logs that there may be some inappropriate activity.
A member of the IT department may have the highest level of privileges, and could potentially access huge quantities of data. One member of the IT department may not have access to everything, but in theory – and sometimes in practice – they could elevate their privileges for long enough to gain access to the data they require.
Recent research conducted by the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (CERT) shows that half of insider security breaches are conducted by individuals who have access to data. These individuals already have the authority to access systems containing valuable data. If you do not deal with insider threats, it is only a matter of time before a security breach is suffered.
It can be difficult to identify insider threats. Some say “it’s always the quiet ones,” but in reality, there is no way of being 100% certain which employees will steal data or sabotage systems. There are many potential reasons why an individual may decide to steal or delete data. Employers must therefore be aware of the risk and take action to mitigate that risk as far as is possible.
CERT research is useful in this regard. Studies have shown that that security breaches and data theft are most likely to occur in the time leading up to an employee leaving employment, and shortly after that employee has left – typically, a month either side of leaving a company.
As soon as an employee hands in his or her notice, place alerts on their accounts and conduct audits. If a worker is disgruntled or is unhappy at work, this could be a sign that they are looking for employment elsewhere and it would be wise to keep a close check on data access. It is a wise precaution to lower account privileges shortly before an employee leaves and to ensure that access is blocked as soon as they do. Many companies are a little lax when it comes to closing accounts and may not block access immediately.
Fortunately, risk can be managed. Adopt the following best practices to help you deal with insider threats and you will limit the opportunity for an insider to steal or delete data. You will also limit the damage that can be caused.
Best practices to deal with insider threats
- Minimum necessary information – Only give access to data critical for an individual to perform regular work duties
- Provide temporary access as appropriate – If tasks need to be conducted to perform atypical duties, temporarily escalate privileges to allow the task to be conducted and then lower those privileges when the task has been completed
- Monitor access to resources – Implement a system that monitors and logs access to data and regularly audit access logs to check for inappropriate activity
- Control access to physical resources – Restrict access to confidential files, stored backups, old computer equipment, and servers. Keep them under lock and key.
- Separation of duties – Restrict access as far as is possible: Do not assign full access to one individual, only allow part of a system to be accessed by a single employee. Use Privileged Access Management (PAM). This will limit the damage that can be caused.
- Implement policies and controls – Make sure these are communicated to all staff members.
- Restrict file transfers – As far as is possible, put controls in place to prevent data from being copied or exfiltrated. Prevent certain file types from being emailed outside the company and block peer-to-peer file sharing websites
- Encryption – Employ encryption for all stored data and control who is able to unencrypt files. Always protect data at its source.
Aug 4, 2015 | Cybersecurity Advice, Network Security
Not all habits are bad. Sure you should ease up on the alcohol, give up smoking, and stop biting your nails, but make sure you take some time to develop some good habits. Take a look at the best practices below, ensure you perform them regularly, and before long they will become second nature. You will then be able to legitimately rank yourself alongside the best system administrators. Even better, you should find you have far fewer bad days and even some when everything runs smoothly without a hitch.
Develop a ticket system and keep on top of requests
You are likely to receive more requests for assistance than you can deal with in a single day. If you are regularly flooded with requests, some will invariably be forgotten. Sometimes you will deal with an issue only for a user to complain that you have not. It is useful to be able to prove that you have dealt with a problem in a timely manner. A ticketing system will allow you to do this, as well as help you prioritize tasks and never forget a single reported system or computer issue.
Your system need not be expensive or complicated. If you work on your own in a small business, you can set up a very simple MS Access database to log all requests. Even a spreadsheet may suffice. A word document would also work. The important thing is that all requests are logged.
If there is more than one system administrator employed in your company, it is probable that you may need to have a more complex system. Helpdesk software is likely to be required if you are having to deal with hundreds of requests. They will need to be allocated to staff members, and follow-ups will be required. Making sure all queries have been answered and all reported problems resolved will be a nightmare without such a system in place.
Keep a log of your activity
If you ever have to justify what you have spent all your time doing, your ticketing system is your friend. You can show the volume of requests you have received/resolved on a daily basis, and use that information to show that your time has been well spent.
One clever way of reducing the requests you get is to log the requests and send the user (and his or her line manager) an email detailing the request received and the likely timescale for resolution. If a manager is involved, you may find the number of requests you are given will decrease. A formal request process and confirmation procedure is a wonderful way of cutting back on many of the requests for support that are usually sent to the desk of a Sys Admin.
Be proactive and avoid power/cooling issues
Overheating servers and power fluctuations cause many headaches and waste a lot of a Sys Admin’s time. It sounds obvious, and it is, but managing power and ensuring server rooms are effectively cooled are well worth the effort. Being proactive in this regard will save a great deal of time in the long run.
Power issues can be largely solved by installing an Uninterrupted Power Supply unit (UPS) on each of your servers. When purchasing a UPS, make sure it has sufficient power to last for an hour and that it will shut down the server properly, not just give up when it runs out of juice. The latter is particularly important as it will ensure files are not corrupted and will mean fewer reboots are required.
Are your routers, switches and servers locked away in a closet without any cooling systems installed? If you work in a small organization, this may well be the case. If your equipment frequently overheats, consider investing in a small air conditioning unit. Does your server overheat frequently at the weekend, yet is fine in the week? Oftentimes, air con systems are shut down at the weekend when there is no one in the office. A separate unit will solve this problem, just make sure it vents into the ceiling.
Monitor your network and devices connected to it
It is vital to monitor your network and systems. This will allow you to take action before they crash and services are lost. Install a system to monitor everything, and then install a system to monitor your monitoring system. Get the system to send you alerts, and you can prevent a lot of problems from occurring and avoid time consuming (and expensive) system outages.
If your Monday mornings are usually spent dealing with system crashes that have accumulated over the weekend, you can make the start of the week a lot easier if you put a monitoring system in place. Do you have a service level agreement in place with your ISP? If so, you may be able to add in a monitoring function on your switches and router as part of your service level agreement. This may not be possible though if you have a highly complex system or atypical network configuration. Fortunately, in most cases, monitoring systems are inexpensive, yet can save a lot of time, money, and hair loss from stress.
Cut back on time consuming manual chores
Repeating the same tasks over and over again wastes and extraordinary amount of time, plus each time a task is performed there is the possibility of mistakes being made. Use the automation and scripting controls on servers and other devices, and updates and installations can be performed automatically.
If you use Powershell for instance, Windows 2012 Server support will be streamlined. It may take a little time to set up, but it will save you hours in the long run. If you cannot do this, create a detailed checklist containing all of the settings for different applications to reduce the possibility of errors being made.
Don’t let users waste your time
OK, this is much easier said than done, but there are ways to reduce the time spent dealing with user issues. For instance, create a website page that lists the correct contact numbers and persons responsible for dealing with particular IT problems. Remember that users are non-technical individuals, so the language used must also be non-technical. “Server problems” rather than “Windows NT problems” for example.
Instruct all users visit the webpage before contacting you. You can then place updates on the webpage that may answer many of their questions. Also include a self-help section. (have you tried turning your computer off and on again?)
Include sections for changing passwords and the common problems you are asked to deal with that can easily be resolved by following a simple set of instructions. You will find the volume of helpdesk calls will reduce considerably. Also create a login banner to advise of maintenance schedules etc., to avoid being bombarded with calls when a planned outage takes place.
Get involved in the business
It is your job to deal with technical aspects of the business, yet you will need to be aware of how the business operates. In order to get authorization for IT upgrades or new equipment, it helps if you can explain, concisely, why the purchases are necessary, the impact they will have on the business, and the consequences if purchases are not made. Work on your communication skills and learn how to communicate effectively with non-technical staff members. It requires practice, and a great deal of patience sometimes, but it will make your life easier in the long run.
May 19, 2015 | Cybersecurity News, Network Security
When it comes to cyberattacks and the resultant data breaches, not all organizations are affected to the same extent. Larger organizations store greater quantities of data and a security breach may end up costing the company over $100 million to resolve, but such breaches are not suffered very often. In fact, when you compare the cost of breach resolution to the annual turnover of a company, the cost is actually very small indeed.
Even the huge data breaches that have affected Sony and Target have not cost the companies very much in the grand scheme of things. Compared to the annual turnover of both companies, the costs incurred are very low. As low as 1% of total turnover. The security breaches will be embarrassing, but the actual losses can be easily absorbed.
Benjamin Dean from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs recently pointed out in a post that the cost to large companies may not be insignificant, but it is nowhere near as high as many people would believe.
Consequently, there is little pressure on many large organizations to invest more heavily in cybersecurity defenses. This may not be true for heavily regulated industries such as finance and healthcare, where heavy fines can be issued for non-compliance with data security regulations, but for some companies the costs can be easily absorbed.
Many of these companies are covered by insurance policies that pay for the majority of the cost and the resolution costs are tax-deductible.
He points out that while there will be fallout as a result of a data breach, this may not be nearly as high as many companies are led to believe. Many Sony employees had their data exposed in the cyberattack but how many will leave their employment as a result? Sure, they will be unhappy, but will they leave in droves? Probably not.
Customers may incur losses, but Sony will not have to cover the cost. How about cases of identity theft? Can a customer determine with any degree of certainty that they have become a victim because of the data breach at Target or Anthem, or any number of other companies that have suffered cyberattacks?
In many cases, losses are not suffered by the company but by the banks. The data breaches that have affected Target and Home Depot are estimated to have cost the providers of credit and debit cards, not the retailers. The cost of replacing the stolen cards has been estimated to have cost credit unions around $60 million in September. Those costs were covered by the credit unions, not the retailers.
The same cannot be said for small to medium sized businesses
The larger the corporation, the easier it is for losses to be absorbed, but when it comes to small to medium sized businesses the losses from a data breach can be catastrophic. Will movie-goers avoid a Sony Entertainment film because of the data breach? Unlikely. Will customers change to a rival printing company because their preferred provider has breached their financial data? Much more likely.
For SMBs it is essential to invest in robust data security systems. The loss of customers will really be felt, and many SMBs do not have the budgets to cover data breach insurance premiums. The resolution costs, in many cases, simply cannot be absorbed.
Data breaches do not affect all departments equally
If you work in IT security, you will be very keen to get a budget increase to protect your company’s systems. If a breach is suffered, your department will have to perform a great deal of extra work. You are likely to be blamed for allowing the breach to happen. You may even be criticized for failing to explain the risks adequately.
It is therefore in your best interests to implement the best possible security controls to protect the business, but often getting the funding is problematic. Cybercriminals are developing ever more sophisticated methods of breaking through defenses and consequently the defenses that must be installed must also be sophisticated. That usually means they cost a lot of money. Getting a sufficient budget to cover the cost can therefore be a difficult task.
To make it easier, you will need to know how managers assess budget requests.
Risk Analysis – How managers decide on budgets
Before a potentially expensive cybersecurity measure is given the go-ahead, a cost analysis will be performed. Managers will assess threats separately and will calculate the Annualized Rate of Occurrence (ARO) – the probability that security will be breached in any given year. Then they will calculate the costs from such a breach: The Single Loss Expectancy or SLO. Multiply both of those figures and they will arrive at the Annual Loss Expectancy (ALO). Based on that figure, a decision will be made about the best way to deal with the threat and whether it is worthwhile doing so.
There are a number of measures that can be put in place to address the risk. These will also be assessed:
Risk Mitigation
The biggest costs fall into this category. These include installing robust firewalls, anti-virus and anti-malware solutions, spam and web filters, and employee training.
Risk Transference
It may be possible to reduce the cost of dealing with a breach, and this may prove to be more cost effective than installing security measure to reduce risk. An insurance policy may be purchased so the company doesn’t have to cover the full cost of a security breach.
Risk Avoidance
It may be possible to reduce risk by preventing certain activities from taking place. For instance, banning the use of social media websites at work to combat the threat from malware. Sometimes risk cannot be avoided. Maintaining an online presence is essential, so a company cannot remove the risk of a data breach by not operating a corporate website.
Risk Deterrents
These measures can be cheap and effective. Legal disclaimers and internal policies can be developed to tackle insider theft. They may warn of prosecution for anyone found to be inappropriately accessing corporate data. This may be sufficient to put some individuals off snooping.
Risk Acceptance
Some risks cannot be avoided and must be accepted. However, a company must be aware of the risk in order to make a decision about whether it can be accepted, as well as the cost of mitigating that risk and the potential for damage.
It is essential that security professionals are consulted before these calculations are made. Their input will be required to gain an accurate estimate of the probable costs and level of risk faced.
If you, as an IT security professional, can provide accurate figures that can be used in the cost/benefit analysis, your company will be able to determine which security measures are essential and will allocate budgets accordingly.
Make sure you are an asset to your company and create your own risk analysis. As an IT security professional, you are in the best position to do this. If budgets are subsequently not forthcoming, it will not be your department that is blamed when security breaches are suffered.
May 14, 2015 | Cybersecurity Advice, Network Security
Hackers and malicious insiders are trying to break through security defenses to get their hands on sensitive data, but what data are they actually looking for? Which data needs to be better protected?
There are federal laws that require physical, technical and administrative controls to be put in place to keep data secure. Fail to protect certain data types and there could be serious trouble, regardless of whether a hacker actually manages to compromise your network.
Some data types are obvious, others less so. Credit card numbers, bank account information, Social Security numbers and healthcare data all require robust security measures to keep the information secure. Have you made sure that each of the following 9 data types have appropriate controls in place to prevent unauthorized individuals from gaining access.
Financial Data
The goal of many hackers and cyber criminals is to gain access to bank account information, and the logins and passwords used to access online accounts. Once they have this information they can use it to make transfers and empty accounts. Credit/debit card numbers are also sought in order to make online purchases and create fake cards. PIN numbers, if stored, along with answers to security questions must similarly be protected with robust controls.
Medical Data
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires all covered entities to put physical, technical and administrative controls in place to keep medical data secure. In the wrong hands, medical data can be used to discriminate and defame. It is also used in spear phishing campaigns, and used with other data to commit fraud. Failure to secure these data is a violation of HIPAA Rules, and financial penalties are sure to follow. Criminal charges can even be filed against individuals for failing to secure highly sensitive data.
Driver’s License Numbers
A valid driver’s license number can be used to create fake driving licenses. These are not only useful for people who are not legally allowed to drive, they can be used to obtain other forms of identification and commit identity theft and fraud.
Student Data
Student data is increasingly being sought by criminals in order to commit fraud and identity theft. Universities and schools are required to protect data under the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which restricts the individuals who are allowed to access student records. Personal data, education information and test results must all be protected. Student Social Security numbers and dates of birth are highly sought after and often targeted by hackers.
Social Security Numbers
Social Security numbers (together with a limited amount of personal information) can be used to commit medical fraud, file false tax returns and steal identities. They are highly sought after by cyber criminals and often sold on darknet websites for big money. The SSNs of minors are particularly valuable, as they can be used for longer before fraud is identified. Social Security numbers are also covered by HIPAA rules and numerous other state and federal laws.
Health Insurance ID numbers
With health insurance information criminals are able to file claims for medical services that are not provided, and allow criminals to make fraudulent insurance claims. This data are highly sensitive and must be kept secure.
Intellectual Property Data
Your company’s secrets, product development information, computer codes, bespoke software, new product designs and blueprints are highly valuable to competitors. If your company has an edge, or is developing a new product or service, a competitor could use these data to develop similar products, and even bring a product to market first.
Human Resources Data
Human resources databases contain detailed information on employees such as salary information, bonuses, and confidential personal data. Criminals seek personal information of individuals in order to conduct convincing spear phishing campaigns. These data can also be used to blackmail individuals and discriminate.
Communications Data
Emails can contain highly sensitive information. When hackers gain access to an email account, they can obtain personal information, company secrets, and even many of the above data types. If an email account is compromised, it can be used to spread viruses and malware. Telephone records and text messages are also valuable.
Data must be secured at rest and in motion
Controls must be put in place to secure all forms of these data, whether they are in Word documents, PDFs, JPEGS, spreadsheets, EHRs or other databases. Just as paper files must be shredded when they are no longer required, the same applies to electronic data. Records must be securely and permanently erased when no longer required. It must not be possible to reconstruct any of these data once deleted.
It is essential to protect stored data, especially if it is housed on portable devices such as zip drives, laptop computers, portable hard drives and Smartphones. These devices are all too easily misplaced, lost or stolen. Data encryption should be considered to protect all stored sensitive data. Data must similarly be protected when in transit. Emails should be encrypted, as should SMS messages. A number of companies provide SMS and email encryption services to allow communications to be sent securely, with authentication controls to ensure only the desired recipient can view the messages.
Feb 11, 2015 | Cybersecurity Advice, Network Security
You are faced with an insurmountable problem: Your job requires you to keep the business secure from external attacks, and you must take action to deal with the threat from malicious insiders. It is your responsibility, and your job may well be on the line if something goes wrong and data is stolen, or your network is infected with a virus or malware.
Unfortunately, you have not had a budget increase and cannot afford to purchase the software solutions necessary to protect your business from attack.
This is a problem faced by many IT professionals. Management understands there is a risk and knows the risk is considerable, yet they expect you to work your magic with your hands tied behind your back.
You are not a magician; so, if management wants to be properly protected, it is your job to convince the powers that be that you need a bigger budget. We know you have already tried this. What you therefore need to do is improve your communication skills. You need to find a way to convince the management that additional funding is absolutely essential. One of the best ways of doing this is to explain that security risk is actually business risk.
You are not alone – 50% of IT professionals work with inadequate security measures
IT department funding is almost always limited. It is not possible to purchase the highest quality equipment, the best possible security measures, and have enough staff members to perform all of the required work. So if you are stressed, are suffering a critical lack of funding, or are desperately understaffed – you are not alone.
The situation has recently been assessed by the Ponemon Institute. Its latest survey probed IT security professionals and asked them about the level of security in their organization. It would appear that when it comes to cybersecurity protections, the management and IT department heads are often not on the same page.
The survey was large. Over 5,000 IT professionals send back responses to the survey and more than 2,500 of those respondents said their cybersecurity measures were inadequate. The problem for many was the fact that the upper management simply did not understand just how important it was to improve network security. Sure they understood there was a risk of attack, but they didn’t understand just how serious that risk was.
If a cyberattack occurs, it is their fault right? Unfortunately, you may have explained risk until you became blue in the face, but how well did you communicate?
A survey conducted two years ago by Ponemon suggests that when it comes to communicating with management, IT security professionals often have problems. In fact, 64% of IT staff were discovered not to have effectively communicated the seriousness of the threats, or had only started to communicate them properly following a data breach. Nearly half of the IT professionals taking part in the 2013 survey said communication between the IT department and management was “poor, nonexistent or adversarial”.
IT budgets rarely reflect the seriousness of security risks
When budgets for IT security are calculated, they are rarely sufficient to allow all risks to be effectively neutralized. Spending is often misaligned with the needs of the business. According to the Ponemon study, only 11% of the average security budget is devoted to protecting the application layer. Interestingly, 37% of organizations believe that the application layer poses the businesses threat to data security.
Why is this the case? According to Larry Ponemon, founder and CEO of the Ponemon Institute, it is because management has not been provided with the right information. He says that few organizations have actually performed a full security audit and that security risks have therefore not been identified. As a result, management is not aware of the level or risk, and budgets are not set accordingly.
Any organization that fails to invest in IT security is likely to have to cover far higher costs in the long term. Take Target for example. The money spent on resolving its data breach is far higher than the cost of implementing solutions that would have prevented the attack from being possible in the first place. The company now has to cover the cost of data breach resolution, in addition to investing in better security. The expected cost of the Target data breach is expected to top $1 billion!
If security intelligence technologies are implemented, companies are much better equipped to detect intrusions and contain attacks when they do occur. According to the study, the security breach resolution cost savings are, on average, $1.6 million less when security intelligence technologies are implemented prior to a security breach occurring.
IT security should not be an afterthought. Proper investment will see more security breaches prevented and the cost of resolution significantly reduced. It is therefore essential to communicate the need for investment. The most effective way to get your voice heard is to provide facts and figures to back up your argument and to explain security risk in the context of the financial cost, operational problems that will be suffered, and the likely damage to the company’s reputation if a breach is suffered.
Security tools are not cheap. Understand the business drivers that generate the funds that will cover the cost of security software and become more effective at communicating credible risk. Give management the information it needs to understand why greater investment is needed. You are then likely to be given the funding you need to effectively manage security risk.
Jan 8, 2014 | Internet Security News, Network Security, Web Filtering
Certain types of websites are known to contain malware and carry a high risk of infecting visitors. Video streaming websites, those providing adult content, and sites run by individuals who lack an understanding of basic security controls. However, it is not only these websites that carry a risk of infecting visitors with malware. Even large sites – we are talking Yahoo and YouTube here – have allowed malware to be installed. How is this possible with websites that generate huge revenues can also be infected?
The problem is not the websites themselves, but the content that is displayed on them. Malware is delivered indirectly, via the ad networks site owners sign up to or fail to block. There are a lot of unscrupulous advertisers out there, and many do not vet their customers very well. Some ad networks allow anyone to sign up. They also serve just about any kind of advert, even those containing malware or malicious links. Any visitor to those sites could potentially have their device infected. If one of those visitors is an employee of yours, your network could be in serious trouble.
Ad networks can allow malware to be delivered to users’ devices
An advert on a website could direct the visitor to a phishing website or one that contains multiple pieces of malware. That is not to say that the advertisers are deliberately phishing for information or want to infect visitors. They may not even be aware that their websites have been hijacked by hackers.
Advertising is often a necessary evil to make websites profitable. Without advertisers, many websites would simply go out of business. To generate revenue, site owners place code on their websites that third party servers can access. Adverts are then shown to visitors to that website via text, image, or even video ads. Those third party servers potentially syndicate adverts to tens of thousands of websites, including many legitimate and well known websites.
With the potential to send adverts to so many websites, ad networks are frequently targeted by cybercriminals. If they are successful, their malware can be very quickly syndicated and placed in front of tens or hundreds of thousands of individuals. In some cases, millions.
You may have even seen some of these adverts. Have you been served an advert that tells you that your system requires an urgent update? Your JavaScript is out of date? You can only view the content on the website if you download this security patch? A high percentage of these adverts are fake, and will install malware or malicious code on your computer.
Even if the ads direct you to a legitimate website, they often result in pop up browser windows being launched which can slow down your computer. Those pop ups may also contain links to many dangerous websites.
As a system administrator do you want your company’s employees to be presented with adverts telling them to update their software themselves?
What can IT managers do to prevent networks being compromised by employees
Recent research conducted by Cisco Systems has revealed that employees and other Internet users are much more likely to suffer a malware infection as a result of shopping online at legitimate websites than they are by visiting file sharing websites. How much more likely? 21 times apparently, according to Cisco Systems researchers.
Hackers often target industry and business websites and infect them with malware. This is because business network infiltration can be extremely profitable. These websites are often targeted through the ad networks they use to generate additional revenue from their sites.
As an IT Manager you will be expected to protect your network from malware. Due to the high risk of third party ads serving malware, is the answer to block all third party adverts from being displayed? Many IT security pros do just that, and block adverts. These individuals believe there is actually no benefit at all to be gained from allowing the adverts to be shown. They just add an unnecessary risk to surfing the Internet. They also waste bandwidth and employees time.
Blocking third party adverts from being displayed is straightforward. A firewall policy can be introduced to prevent the adverts from being displayed. This functionality is also included with WebTitan’s enterprise content filtering solutions. With the latter, certain types of website can also be blocked to protect employers and employees. It is also possible to block adverts and even apply specific controls for certain groups of users or even individual employees.
You may feel ad blocking is an unnecessary restriction and would prefer to instruct members of staff not to click on the website adverts. Unfortunately, there will always be one employee who breaks the rules and that could result in malware being delivered. Are you prepared to take that risk?
Dec 15, 2013 | Cybersecurity Advice, Network Security, Web Filtering
Without anti-phishing controls in place, your organization is likely to face a high risk of end users falling for scams. How good do you think your employees are at spotting phishing emails?
How good are you at spotting phishing emails? Are you a Grammar-Nazi who can spot a misplaced semi-colon from 50 paces? Are you a former Spelling Bee champion or an amateur super-sleuth?
Sometimes phishing emails are so obviously fake they are laughable. You would think that a scammer who goes to the trouble of sending out millions of emails claiming to be from a reputable company would actually check the spelling of the company name. Many don’t. Error-ridden phishing emails are common, and they are easy to identify.
However, don’t believe for one second that all phishing campaigns are that easy to identify. I write about Internet security and I have nearly fallen for one in the past. Admittedly, it was a very convincing one and in the early days I was a little naïve!
I tell you this as even the security conscious can fall for phishing campaigns from time to time. Sometimes scams and phishing emails are virtually impossible to distinguish from legitimate emails. Unless a software security solution is used, it is all too easy to inadvertently become a victim.
It used to be a rarity to be emailed a phishing email that was convincing, free from errors, and looked like it had been sent by a legitimate company. Today, scammers are much wiser. They know that a little time spent preparing a campaign properly will result in far more clicks and even more victims.
When you consider the money that can potentially be made from targeting business users, investing some time into creating highly convincing campaigns is well worth the investment. Spending a few hours or even a couple of days on a campaign could make the difference between getting no clicks and netting millions of dollars. Unsurprisingly, email spammers have realized this.
Spear phishing emails are becoming increasingly common
IT security professionals will be well aware that their end-users will be sent phishing emails that can be identified with one eye closed. These emails are sent out randomly in the millions. Fake PayPal receipts, Better Business Bureau warnings, potential lawsuits, and requests for money to help victims of natural disasters. These emails are very common. Unfortunately, they claim many victims. If they didn’t, the spammers would stop sending them.
However, there has been an alarming rise in spear phishing emails in recent months. These are more worrying as they have been expertly written and use personal information gained from the recipient to convince them to click on a link or open an attachment. They can even appear as if they have been sent by a friend, or contain information that has been gained from a social media account.
Sometimes an email will be sent to a number of individuals in a company. Other times the email targets one person. In the case of the latter, these insidious emails can be highly effective. An attacker gains access to the target’s Facebook account, either by being accepted as a friend, viewing pages that have been indexed in the search engines, or by guessing passwords. Then information posted to the user’s account can be used to construct a convincing email.
For example, you attended a school function, such as a sports day, and you post some pictures to your Facebook account. If someone had access to your account or could view your pictures (a friend of a friend of a friend for example) and they then sent you an email with a JPEG attachment, would you be likely to open it if they said they enjoyed speaking to you at the event and said they had attached a great picture of your child? How about if they mentioned your son by name? All of that information could be easily gained from Facebook without even having your password!
Simple anti-phishing controls will protect your network from spear phishing campaigns
Fortunately, defending against well researched and expertly written phishing emails is not difficult. There are a number of anti-phishing controls that can be used to prevent the emails from being delivered, as well as controls to stop users from visiting phishing websites.
The first line of defense is to prevent the emails from being delivered. To do that you need to install a spam filter, such as that offered by SpamTitan. SpamTitan Anti-Spam solutions prevent 99.98% of spam and scam emails from being delivered. It is one of the best anti-phishing controls you can implement to protect your workers and network.
Secondly, all members of staff, from the CEO down, should receive security awareness training so they know how to identify a phishing email. Training need not involve day-long courses. A little information can go a very long way. It is better to have face to face training but an email explaining how a phishing email can be identified is better than nothing. Remember to put training to the test by sending staff members fake phishing emails to see how their training is being applied at work. This will identify the weakest links, and further training can be provided.
Thirdly, it is possible to block users from clicking links to malware-infected websites. Employ a web filter and these and other potentially dangerous links can be blocked. SpamTitan’s web filtering solutions are ideal for this.
Along with Anti-Virus software and Anti-malware protection, users can be properly protected by using anti-phishing controls. All small to medium businesses should use each of the above solutions to minimize risk. A little investment in anti-phishing security measures can safe a fortune in data breach remediation costs. It could also prevent ransomware and other potentially catastrophic malware infections.
