CyberheistNews Vol 4, # 14

Backup Failures And Ransomware Phishing: Recipe For Disaster

With system administrators in the crossfire between cybergangs who are wielding sophisticated ransomware like CryptoLocker on one side and CryptoDefense on the other, it's likely many of them have had backups and disaster preparedness on their minds. And that is a smart thing to do, because it looks like that their backup efforts need a boost.

Baseline Magazine recently reported on the findings from cloud storage provider TwinStrata, who "indicate that companies are plagued by backup issues— even when no emergencies threaten their data. The majority of respondents say they're experiencing multiple backup failures each year. Despite the fact that most organizations say the volume of data they need to back up is increasing, more than half of them aren't backing up applications daily. And when a disaster does hit, nearly two-thirds say it takes days to recover."

If over 50% of companies have problems with backups, and if end-users are not getting effective security awareness training, (so that they will not open ransomware phishing attachments and get their workstation infected and files encrypted) that's an accident waiting to happen, costing days of lost production time. End-users are the first line of defense and to prevent a whole bunch of lost files, lost time, or both, they need to get trained and constantly sent simulated phishing attacks so that they stay on their toes and keep security top of mind.

The 7 Steps Of The Cyber Kill Chain

Cyber security professionals are slowly but surely grabbing more and more military jargon. No surprises there, with a possible cyberwar brewing. The "kill chain" is a traditional warfare term most often used by the US Air Force as the command and control process for targeting and destroying enemy forces.

The last 12 months this "kill chain" concept has made it into cyber security marketing. Many vendors have come up with models, but Websense recently broke it out into a well-defined seven-stage model that cyber criminals utilize to get to their victims. You do not have to use all of these steps all the time, but often this is how attacks go down. Here is what it looks like:

1) Initial reconnaissance
2) Crafting a phishing lure to encourage the victim to click
3) Redirecting victim to a compromised server
4) Using an exploit kit to scan for vulnerabilities and zero-days
5) Drop malware onto the victim's machine
6) Call home to the command & control server
7) Exfiltrate (or encrypt) data and take over the workstation

Cyber security vendors are using these steps to explain how their products will disrupt the criminal process. These steps are also useful for you as an IT pro, so you can assess your own network and see how you can best defend against cyber attacks.

Arthur Wong, HP senior vice-president and general manager of HP Enterprise Security Services (ESS) globally, told ZDNet at a media briefing last Wednesday: "The bad guys, the adversaries, they collaborate way more than governments, and way more than commercial industries do themselves. When anyone wants to even launch an attack out there on a particular company, they're going to go into chat rooms and ask, 'Hey does anybody own a computer or a system inside this company?', and someone will put up their hand, or they'll know someone else, and a deal is negotiated".

I have been talking a lot about the criminal ecosystem the last few years. It's becoming more specialized, aligned with the 7 steps in the kill chain. According to Bob Hansmann, Websense's director of product marketing, cyber criminals now provide tailored services for every step of the kill chain, and even have aggregators that pull together whole attack campaigns.

Stay careful out there.

14 Things That Definitely Should Not Be On The Internet, But Are

You would think that after the recent few years of press showing the risks of the Internet that people would wise up. But no. To my astonishment it's getting worse, not better. Just have a look at this InfoGraphic that shows 14 things that absolutely should not be hooked up to the Net, but are, and worse, have weak passwords. Un-friggin-believable. If this is what the "Internet-of-Things" is going to look like, I want to get off this planet. Things like the entire traffic control system of Los Angeles, waterplants and hydroelectric plants. Augh! Just check out the InfoGraphic at our blog and shiver. (Hat Tip to WhoIsHostingThis)
http://blog.knowbe4.com/bid/381750/14-Things-That-Definitely-Should-Not-Be-On-The-Internet-But-Are

Quotes of the Week

"Happiness resides not in possessions, and not in gold, happiness dwells in the soul." - Democritus, Philosopher (460 BC - 370 BC)

"Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference." - Winston Churchill, Statesman (1874 - 1965)

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