The IT Security Attaché

Good day to you,

I would like to take this opportunity to share some very critical information with the self employed and home based business owners about the state of The IT Security Threats Landscape ~TITSTL~ and how it affects you. This is a discussion I have every day as more and more people in these categories are finding out the real effects and impacts of these threats are not excluding them and that they fall very much into the mix of it. As the economy tightens its grip on our lives, those who are being laid off are turning to home based and self employed business thus sparking an increased growth in this area of business. The SMB space has grown tremendously since his recession and to that end has become a serious security issue for us security professionals as we look across the IT Security Threats Landscape horizon.

Therefore, the reality of the issue must be faced thus bringing the question of, what am I to do about it.

I have published numerous articles on these threats, preventative measures and how to deal with the security issues of today and tomorrow on my blogs but I am going to do this as a summary of those here.

First let me say this, if it requires a security patch (let’s just keep it at security for now), it is vulnerable.

What does this mean?

Simple, any operating system, Microsoft, Mac, Linux, Solaris, you name it, that requires a security patch for any reason is vulnerable. The patch is to prevent exploit of the vulnerability right so it is a security risk.

I had to get that out of the way so that we wouldn’t get into the ridiculous argument of which is more secure than the other. The way I see it is simply that, if a door is left open for anyone to come through it, the length of time left open versus the threat that comes through it is just as critical. So, any open door is a threat no matter where. What comes through it may differentiate the severity. They all have their insecurities at some point but how the vendor/developer addresses it lessens the impact and wide scale visibility of the issue. While some may announce these vulnerabilities and findings, other may patch/update them behind the scenes thus limiting the visibility and knowledge of the user.

Second, anti-virus alone is NOT going to protect you from the threats of today. It takes a multi-layered approach and as such, the various layers of protection must be enforced. So telling yourself that you have anti-virus protection on your PC is being as naïve as saying the threats doesn’t affect me and i’m not worried about them. While it is true that most anti-virus vendors are bundling multiple threat protection/prevention layers into their solutions, the proper configuration becomes the caveat to that solution. While many deploy with an out of the box config, there will be tweaks needed to customize it to your environment and needs. So one must understand what is being deployed and if it will provide the layers of protection needed.

So why is IT Security so serious for me as a self employed or home based business?

Well, ask yourself these questions,

What is it that you do and how do you do it?

Do you use email?

Do you send emails to customers/clients/partners/associates/potential clients?

Do you leverage the powers of social networking/media (Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace, Facebook, Ning and the list goes on) today?

Do you use IM for personal and/or business use?

Do you browse the internet for data/information on whatever you’re working on or researching?

Do you do online banking or shopping?

Do you download multimedia contents from the web (music, movies, flash videos, etc)?

Do you download online presentations (PDF, PowerPoint)?

Did you know that PDF files presented one of the biggest security risks over the past 2 years but is the most widely distributed online document format?

Do you have a printer or some media player connected to you system(s) at home or in the office?

Do you have any applications running on that system aside from the operating system?

Do you know of the Breach Notification Law in your state and what it means for you?

When was the last time you downloaded a keygens or crack file to open full access to that app or game you really wanted but didn’t want to buy/pay for?

Maybe you didn’t crack/keygen it but someone did and opened a backdoor which planed a rootkit or some nefarious threats on your system(s). What happens when you use that for business purposes, what are you spreading to those you collaborate with?

Well by now i’m sure you’ve caught my drift and I don’t have to get technical for you to see how you’re affected. All these questions pose security risks in various ways and are able to be stopped, prevented and protected if the proper education, awareness and measures are put in place. Don’t ask if you’re affected or if I should be taking these things seriously, you must. You are as much a risk to me as I am to you if the proper steps are not implemented to secure your system and the data/information you have sitting on it about me, you and those you collaborate with.

That system is being used for personal and business use and at some point the access to/from or by a threat is heightened because of the lack of separation of the two. A system that is used by everyone in the home should not be the same used for doing your business. When someone in the home decides to crack that app and opens that backdoor, you’ll never know what can come through it and what your risk factor will be or are. Separate the two, business is business and personal is personal. The cost of a system today is much more affordable than a few years ago so it shouldn’t be a problem to get an extra one.

You are not a small business because you have 5 people working for you. You are not a small business because you only have 5 computers in your office or where you decide to conduct your business. To me as a security professional you are not a small business (home based or in an office) when you have records/information and access to 5000 people. A doctor who has an office with 5 employees and 8 systems managing 4000 patients’ info is not a small business in my eyes. If you’re a consultant running your own business and you manage systems or information for your clients you’re now there biggest risk because it’s your responsibility to control that. Every PC must be secured whether it is connected online or not as you never know if/when it will cross the line. This is how I see security.

When you decide to start doing business today you must consider the role you play with those in which you will be doing business and the kinds of interaction you will have with them. When sending an email from an infected system (whether you did or the resident worm) it is still coming from you and the possible effect on the recipient(s) can be adverse which may lead to legal issues.

When using social network can enhance your presence and what you do significantly, it is also an area of heightened risk both personally and professionally. Know the need and use it accordingly. Social networks are the future of collaboration but one must decide why the need and create the separation. If it’s for personal use one should always remember the impact on themselves as they are now putting themselves out there to the world. If for business, one should decide on how they want to be seen and what they would like the world to know about them and what they do. Social networking is a great thing to have and use, it’s the management and control of that presence that matters. The threats people face on social networks are the same they would face outside of it but just through a different medium. Educate yourself on these things and you will be ok.

As for the Breach Notification Law, most people didn’t even know of such laws about digital contents and its security. I strongly suggest you take a look at the law of your state and understand the legal and financial issues it presents for you. Learn it, know it, and understand it. If in doubt, reach out.

The active Conficker worm should be enough of an eye opener for you and if you don’t know what it is then you may have bigger problems that I thought. Security is not just about you, it’s about your way of life today both on and offline. I am not here to scare you but it is better to know before than after as the damage control, legal and financial issues after the fact is much worse and a very daunting issue.

As for the online scams, phishing and SPAM, it is only going to get worse and until you educate and make yourself more aware of and about them, you may fall victim to them as they are craftier than ever.

Ok so I have chatted enough and now you’re saying this is too much so I will leave a few articles of reference.  Feel free to contact me if you’d like to discuss further and in more details.

The Conficker Worm – my review

A grim day for browser security at hacker contest

State Security Breach Notification Laws as of December 16, 2008 and the Conficker worm

IT Security Education and Awareness 04-09 #1 – IT Security is a people problem, not an industry one

Apple Mac users warned of web-based malware threats RSPlug-F Mac Trojan horse distributed via HDTV website

TITSSN leverages the Twitter network for critical alerting, notification and network happenings (meetings and events) as of April 1st 2009

Security/Privacy Awareness 03-09 #1 – Do you understand the breach notification law is in your country/state, do you know what it means, all are affected.

Thank you and have a great day,

~Brett A. Scudder~

The IT Security Attaché

Hi all,

If your day went like mine then you must be beat, phew, what a week so far.

It’s 3am and i’m scanning the wires, net and blogs to see what’s up with Conficker so far. All is well and from the looks of things you still have time to get those patches loaded, get that anti-virus/anti-malware loaded, configured and run a full/deep scan.

I just completed a full scan of my network and double checked my logs and settings and everything looks ok. We’re still early into the day and so who knows.

For those who are saying it could be a joke/hoax and not preparing for it,

What if it isn’t?

Would you want to be prepared even if it isn’t?

I see that the anti-virus vendors have been busy. Some have released 4-6 new definition updates over the past 12 hrs and that’s a good sign. It means they are still working diligently on helping us stay secure. By the time it hits morning here in the US everyone should be running some April 1^st 2009 definitions as I expect there will be at least 1 or 2 within the first 8hrs. If you’re not running with an April 1^st def, then make sure you’re at least at March 31^st after running an auto update for definitions.

I haven’t slept since Saturday just from prepping for today and helping people get their systems patched, updated and secured but I am surely going to catch a few zzzzzzz in a few.

The day is young, be safe than sorry, patch and secure up and rest well.

Until later when I rise,

The IT Security Attaché

The Conficker Worm – my review

There have been many articles, reviews, information and posting about the Conf*ker as many people have started calling it. Depending on who you talk with you can replace the * with anything that suits your feelings towards it. The most interesting thing about this threat isn’t the fact that it’s neither a new one nor a new attack form, it’s the same old attackers doing the nefarious things they do but with a bit more sophistication. For me as an IT guy looking at all this, i’m getting the wow factor from some of the new developments and traits of the threat. So my take today will not be to overwhelm you with all the techno jargon and high level breakdown of the threat but just to speak on it in the most basic form so that even those who are non technical can grasp the severity of it.

So here goes.

If you get infected with the Conficker worm you’re screwed. Bottom line.

If this is a system that is on a business network it must be removed, quarantined, disinfected by any means necessary. Take no chances with this threat.

Get my drift?

Is this basic enough to understand?

Ok, let’s take it from another angle.

This worm is a blended (virus, worm, rootkit, botnet, adware, malware and the what else factor) threat in a blended threat with blended characteristics. It’s like catching a cold and getting a headache, ear ache, stomach ache, backache and chest pains all in one. It starts with a simple cold but quickly spreads to other critical areas of the body causing serious effects and harm. This threat is in a class by itself as it deploys various additional agents around the system that causes complete successful removal to be unclear.

If you have been infected with the worm you’re only real option is to completely wipe the system. Unplug, power down, power drain, complete power loss to all storage capacities of the system. This is a very serious threat.

As for those who have been asking about which anti-virus solution is best to protect against this, there isn’t one. Anti-Virus alone is not going to protect you from this threat and the blended effects. It will take a number of things to make this happen and here’s my list.

1.      System must be fully patched from all angles, the operating system, the applications, services, devices and drivers. When patching the Microsoft Windows operating system many people have auto update enabled but in different settings. Some have alert me of new updates but never apply the new updates. Some have it set to download and wait for my approval and they never approve the installation of the updates. Some have it set to download and install all updates. This is a good option to have. When patching the OS one must be prudent so as not to only apply critical patches but all software, severe and high updates as well. So I recommend if you’re doing the built in auto update please use the download and apply all. If doing it manually do a custom update which will reveal all the patches and updates needed.

2.      Anti-Virus alone will not protect you from this worm and most of the new threats in the IT Security Threats Landscape today and tomorrow. The need for an anti-malware solution is critical to combine the protective layers of web/content filtering, IDS/IPS, anomaly/heuristics based detection, network and proactive threat protections. This is a backup to the patching already performed on the system. A fully patched system can still be compromised if a targeted malicious code is allowed to reach it.

3.      Common sense if the name of the game and the winner of all security practices. Adding to the patching of the system and having the needed security solution comes the best practice of all, the user’s common sense in using the system effectively. As the person using the system one needs to pay very close attention to details in their messaging, web browsing and IM practices. Opening emails from known and unknown sources requires due diligence in thinking about the nature of the message, the contents and what is its relevance to you. A message from a known source may not have been sent by them but could have been the result of an infection on their system(s). This is the same for email and IMs. There are many IM worms that will hijack your IM client and send out messages to everyone in your contact list pointing them to a website for them to get a drive-by-download. Many people think very little of web based attacks while they are the fastest growing today because of the ease of infection and the delivery of the payload.

4.      User education and awareness. This is a very critical issue as many seem to think that these issues are a corporate or industry problem. When a threat like Conficker goes into the wild it is not targeting specific systems in specific industries only, it is doing a general attack across all systems within its path. IT Security is a people problem and we are all in its path whether we like it or not and no matter what OS vendor platform you’re on/running.

5.      Enable your built in firewall or get a third party one to put up some form of perimeter defenses.

6.      There are security suite solutions that bundles multiple security technologies and features in one suite. That may be a more viable option for you because of the integration and management options.

The fact of the matter is, we have these issues at the level they should have been years ago, in the media and across all industries as a people problem, not an industry one. I take the same approach to Conficker as I do to rogue Anti-Virus 2008/9 threat, if detected, wipe, clean, rebuild, reimage.

This isn’t something to play around with what is or if it is cleaned. The only way to be sure is to wipe it all out.

Thank you and have a great day,

~Brett A. Scudder~

The IT Security Attaché

This is from an email I sent out to my network distribution list today at 12 noon.

Good day to you,

This is a critical issue that has been highly overlooked and is a bigger problem than most people care to think. For those of us consultants who are responsible for our client’s infrastructure, please help them to understand where these laws apply and how it affects them. I’m bringing in someone from the attorney general’s office to do a presentation on this for us in the coming month. I’m trying to work with their schedule so stay tuned for the date of the meeting.

There are some serious new threats on the loose and the more I look at them is the easier i’m seeing the rate of success in their deliverables. Our organization speaks to these issues and we must understand what they mean for those we’re helping to understand. This new variant of the Conficker worm has some nasty new tricks to it and while following its development and path, i’m more convinced that this is a new level of sophistication way above the rogue Anti-Virus/Anti-Spyware 2008/2009 threat we encountered last year that is still being a major pain point for IT today. Whether this is an April fools days joke or not, as you can see, the financial ramifications of negligence will be heavy.

Get those system (OS, applications, devices) patches updated and current. Most people tend to patch the OS and leave vulnerable applications running with system access to the OS that even fully patched is still vulnerable. Patching is an all round process that applies to the OS, applications running on it and the devices being connected to it. Even the device drivers are a point of entry to a system today so patch them if needed. Check on those security policies and rules and ensure they are up and running. We have a few days before April 1^st so talk with your people about this and let them understand the need for being prudent about it.

Make no mistake people, this is a new age where technology rules and the threats are more real than ever before. This is not someone physically walking in and taking your data, this is someone sitting anywhere in the world and having access to it (if allowed).

I posted this on LinkedIn here http://www.linkedin.com/answers/using-linkedIn/ULI/447971-3071950 for a broader visibility from the business professional’s community. More feedback and input will be found there as well. Spread the word.

Thank you and have a great day,

~Brett A. Scudder~

State Security Breach Notification Laws

As of December 16, 2008

http://www.ncsl.org/programs/lis/cip/priv/breachlaws.htm