Category Archives: Security

US-CERT Alert – Ransomware and Recent Variants (Read this!!)

The US-CERT and Homeland Security just released an alert concerning recent ransomware events targeting the medical industry, along with businesses in general…

US-CERT Alert – Ransomware and Recent Variants

This is important information which ALL network engineers should be aware of  and act upon! Please…do not delay!!

PS:  And no, this isn’t an April Fools joke…I sure wish it was!

1984 Has Arrived, Though a Bit Late

If you want to read a novel that paints a bleak picture of our future, then read Nineteen Eighty-Four. It was written by George Orwell way back in 1949, and basically describes a future society that controls all thought and expression, in favor of the ruling party. Government surveillance of the population runs rampant, with little or no privacy.

I remember when 1984 arrived thinking how glad I was that this vision of the future was wrong. Unfortunately though, it’s starting to look like certain aspects of the novel are in fact becoming real. Just look at the NSA and it’s surveillance program (which it just ended…maybe), or all the talk about installing back-doors into applications so that governments can track “terrorists”. Of course they won’t track us, right??

So today I read an article at ComputerWorld authored by Darlene Storm…

LA’s plan to scan license plates and send Dear Prostitute-seeking John letters

Incredible!! Just driving through the area could trigger this letter. Yes, we need to target the John’s and do what we can to shut down the sex-slave industry, but I’m not sure this is a good solution. Plus, our society is already a lot closer to 1984 than some may care to think…with all of the license plate scanning, facial recognition, and related Internet tracking that is in effect now, our perceived level of privacy is much smaller than we think.

So, we need to ask (if it’s not already too late), where do we draw the line?

New Versions of NMAP and Wireshark

If you have not already heard, new versions of NMAP and Wireshark have been released recently. These are my favorite open source programs, and to be honest, pretty much my favorite programs period. They are both maintained and managed by a dedicated team of people, and the quality of the software shows. Plus, the main authors (Gerald Combs for Wireshark, and Fyodor for NMAP) are both class acts…

NMAP is THE tool for running forensics on your network…to find the weaknesses before the bad guys do. It has MANY parts, which all work together in a very seamless manner, and should be in every network engineers tool kit. If you are not using it, stop what you are doing and get it now!! (Enough said!!) New version is 7.00.

Same thing about Wireshark. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…if you don’t have a network analyzer, then you’re not really a full and complete network engineer. Get it and learn it. There are plenty of resources on the Internet, for free, to help you get started (Google is your friend), and if you want to pay a little bit of money, Laura Chappell has a great website devoted to Wireshark training.

I just downloaded the updated Wireshark today (version 2.0.0), and I have to say the default screen is spartan, to say the least. Not sure if this is temporary in this initial v2 build, but either way, it does not look like it’s predessor. Note how clean (and empty) the startup screen is…

Initial Wireshark startup screen

Initial Wireshark startup screen

Here is some info from Gerald about this new version. I’m looking forward to learning what it has to offer!

A Good Laugh for a Friday!!

So, did you hear that China and the US have agreed to no longer engage in cybertheft against each other? No…I’m serious. Really. Take a look at this…

CNN Report – US & China Agreement

See…I told you!

When I first heard this I just laughed. Is today April 1st??  Way too funny. I’m just sure that China will now curtail their state sponsored cyber warfare. No…seriously…I’m sure they will.

Oh…and I saw some pigs flying today too!!

More Internet Scumbags to Report On

I just got an email forwarded to me from another employee within my company (she doesn’t work in IT). This is a scam that’s been around a long time…first via regular snail mail, and now via email. The problem, though, is it still works and it’s very easy to do. Just send a bunch of letters and emails to as many people as possible, stating that their domain names are expiring, and just send a check (or visit a website) to renew. Take a look at this…

Email example notifying me of domain expiration for "search engine submissions"

Email example notifying me of domain expiration for “search engine submissions”

Yes, the wording is simplistic, but it does look nice, and the cost is rather insignificant compared to all the other day-to-day invoices that crosses a employees desk. And you know what? A lot of people just pay this, without even thinking about it.

As for the link to make the payment, it points to the domain:  confirmation5408.com

WHOIS results

WHOIS results

A simple whois shows that this is located in China, and the domain was just registered in early July. (Yeah, I know…I’m so shocked that this is located in China!!)

So…what to do? Ignore these letters and emails, and make sure that your employees forward any IT related invoices to you for approval. Lots of companies fall prey to this, but with your diligence your company won’t be one of them.

Security Certifications – In High Demand

This should be obvious, but security certifications are in HIGH demand, let me tell you. Just look at all the high profile hacks over the last several years…and all of that is just the tip of the iceberg. So if you have a strong understanding of networks and protocols, and enjoy the security side of things, then I would suggest you pursue some security certifications. And start getting some experience within the security field, perhaps even where you are currently working. The security field is already going strong, and will only get stronger in the years to come. And…did I mention the pay is excellent??!!

Take a look at this ComputerWorld article on the top 8 security certs that are in demand.

The CISSP and SANS certs probably pertain most to the network side of things. (Disclaimer: I attend SANS conferences on a some-what regular basis, and I hold a SANS GSEC certification.)

Summary:  Security is vitally important in the network field, so do your career a favor and learn it!

The Sony Hack – With Plenty of Drama

I just finished reading a lengthy and interesting story surrounding the hacking of Sony’s network and related services. Yes, the hackers were nasty, and yes, Sony did not have the needed security measures in place. But what really hit me in reading this story was all the drama surrounding the events leading up to and after the hack. My goodness…I thought I was back in junior high school. It was both funny and sad…all at the same time.

Anyway, I would encourage you to read the whole story. In the midst of all the fluff and drama, you will find tidbits of good security information…things you should check and verify at your work. Remember…we might not be Sony (and all that that entails), but at the same time we don’t want to make the evening news…even if it’s just the local stations.

The story is in 3 long parts…it will take time to read, so I would suggest grabbing a good beverage of choice (for me, Dr. Pepper!!), and enjoy…

Fortune:  Sony Hack Part 1
Fortune:  Sony Hack Part 2
Fortune:  Sony Hack Part 3

In Finland, Doing the Crime Doesn’t Mean Doing the Time

Here is an incredible story out of Finland concerning the trial, conviction and sentencing of a youth heavily involved in cybercrime, payment fraud, botnets, and even calling in bomb threats. The kid (17 years old) was given a two year suspended sentence. I’m just shaking my head in disbelief…no wonder kids think they can get away with anything…because than can!!

Here is the Krebs story:  Finnish Decision is Win for Internet Trolls.

And yes, I’ll say it one more time…you really should be reading Krebs on Security everyday. If you value network security in any way, then this website will help you better understand network security and the world we live in.

Security Breaches…Here We Go Again

Greetings everyone…I’m back! My wife and I had a GREAT time in San Diego last week attending CiscoLive. It was an excellent conference, held in a great city (I love San Diego!!), and we had a wonderful time (my wife attended the Keynotes with me, along with the World of Solutions events, and the Customer Appreciation Event with Aerosmith). We tracked our steps and averaged between 13,000 and 15,000 steps each day…for each of us…wow!! We used a really nice app on our iPhones called Pacer, and it classified us as “Highly Active”. No kidding!! I’ll be posting some recaps of CiscoLive over the next several days.

Today, however, is more news within the field of security…or the lack thereof. And it’s not good folks…not good at all…

The US Office of Personnel Management announced a significant breach of their systems in which it’s estimated that personal information on between 10 to 14 million federal employees was stolen. (See the excellent report over at KrebsOnSecurity OPM Breach.) I heard a bit today from the Congressional Inquiry (that was very quickly organized I might add) that most of the affected systems were not properly secured (lack of timely patching of servers/systems, lack of robust authentication mechanisms…the list goes on). Part of me wants to stand up, turn towards Washington DC, and scream “Idiots!!”. But then the other part of me wants to run back to work, and double check my firewalls and routers…am I doing everything that I can to protect my company??

Ugh…security is a never ending process. One of the speakers at CiscoLive said that everyone has been hacked…whether you know it or not. I have realized now that I agree with that statement. I’m going to spend this summer double-checking all of my security processes and configurations. And I’m going to try and find evidence of an intrusion…I think it has already happened, but I’ve just not “seen” it yet.

One more bit of security news…if you are a user of LastPass, it too has suffered a breach. Here are a couple of good articles concerning it:  NetworkWorld LastPass Breach and over at KrebsOnSecurity LastPass Breach.

ComputerWorld – Reminder of How Weak Email Really Is

ComputerWorld just posted a great article today on how weak email really is in terms of securing sensitive information, yet so many corporations and users still use it for critical communications. Just ask Sony. Be warned. Check out the article here…

Sony reminds us all what a pathetically weak link email is

On a side note…if you don’t regularly check out ComputerWorld’s website you should. They do a great job of reporting on the IT industry and all it’s various nooks and cranny’s. Plus they publish a monthly magazine in PDF format, which I download on my iPad and read at my leisure. Staying up to date on the IT industry is an important part of a successful IT career, and ComputerWorld will help with that.