Industry Intel

Girl Scouts and OpenText empower future leaders of tomorrow with cyber resilience

The transition to a digital-first world enables us to connect, work and live in a realm where information is available at our fingertips. The children of today will be working in an environment of tomorrow that is shaped by hyperconnectivity. Operating in this...

World Backup Day reminds us all just how precious our data is

Think of all the important files sitting on your computer right now. If your computer crashed tomorrow, would you be able to retrieve your important files? Would your business suffer as a result? As more and more of our daily activities incorporate digital and online...

3 Reasons We Forget Small & Midsized Businesses are Major Targets for Ransomware

The ransomware attacks that make headlines and steer conversations among cybersecurity professionals usually involve major ransoms, huge corporations and notorious hacking groups. Kia Motors, Accenture, Acer, JBS…these companies were some of the largest to be...

How Ransomware Sneaks In

Ransomware has officially made the mainstream. Dramatic headlines announce the latest attacks and news outlets highlight the staggeringly high ransoms businesses pay to retrieve their stolen data. And it’s no wonder why – ransomware attacks are on the rise and the...

An MSP and SMB guide to disaster preparation, recovery and remediation

Introduction It’s important for a business to be prepared with an exercised business continuity and disaster recovery (BC/DR) plan plan before its hit with ransomware so that it can resume operations as quickly as possible. Key steps and solutions should be followed...

Podcast: Cyber resilience in a remote work world

The global pandemic that began to send us packing from our offices in March of last year upended our established way of working overnight. We’re still feeling the effects. Many office workers have yet to return to the office in the volumes they worked in pre-pandemic....

5 Tips to get Better Efficacy out of Your IT Security Stack

If you’re an admin, service provider, security executive, or are otherwise affiliated with the world of IT solutions, then you know that one of the biggest challenges to overcome is efficacy. Especially in terms of cybersecurity, efficacy is something of an amorphous...

How Cryptocurrency and Cybercrime Trends Influence One Another

Typically, when cryptocurrency values change, one would expect to see changes in crypto-related cybercrime. In particular, trends in Bitcoin values tend to be the bellwether you can use to predict how other currencies’ values will shift, and there are usually...

Worst Passwords of 2015, Best Passwords of 2016

Jan 27, 2016 | Industry Intel

When it comes to digital security, little is as important as knowing how to create a strong password. An ideal password is easy enough to remember so that it doesn’t need to be written down, yet complex enough to prevent someone else from guessing it. For many, this is a challenging and even frustrating experience, a delicate balancing act. However, there are a few techniques that can help you to reliably create strong passwords. The first thing to know is what passwords you should NEVER use.

SplashData, an online security company who’s “SplashID” software allows you to securely store your passwords, has recently released a list of the Worst Passwords of 2015. This list was compiled from more than 2 million passwords that were publicly leaked during the last year:

123456
password
12345678
qwerty
12345
123456789
football
1234
1234567
baseball
welcome
1234567890
abc123
111111
1qaz2wsx (first two columns of main keys on a standard keyboard)
dragon
master
monkey
letmein
login
princess
qwertyuiop (top row of keys on a standard keyboard)
solo
passw0rd
starwars

This is the fifth year that SplashData has released a Top 25 list, and many of the entries have been seen year after year. The passwords “123456” and “password” have been the top two entries since SplashData has started publishing an annual Top 25 list. However, due to the popularity of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”, this is the first year that related passwords like “solo”, “princess”, and “starwars” have appeared on the list.

What we can take away from this list is that many people continue to put themselves at risk by using weak, easily guessed passwords. “We have seen an effort by many people to be more secure by adding characters to passwords, but if these longer passwords are based on simple patterns they will put you in just as much risk of having your identity stolen by hackers,” Morgan Slain, CEO of SplashData, said in a statement.

“As we see on the list, using common sports and pop culture terms is also a bad idea. We hope that with more publicity about how risky it is to use weak passwords, more people will take steps to strengthen their passwords and, most importantly, use different passwords for different websites.”

So, what can you do to ensure that your passwords are strong?

Avoid using full words and names. Hackers regularly use “dictionary attacks” to guess passwords, and any word or name that is commonly known is considered unsafe to use.
Create passwords or passphrases of twelve characters or more with mixed types of characters. A password longer than 12 characters, if created with the appropriate complexity, will be nearly impossible to guess quickly.
Use a different password for each website you log into. If someone is able to discover your password for one site, they will not be able to use that same password to log into another site with your information.
Use a password manager such as LastPass or SplashID to organize and protect passwords, generate random passwords, and automatically log into websites. This is also a feature that is offered with some Webroot SecureAnywhere software packages.
Test your password for complexity with a password checker, such as Password Meter.

To create a strong password, try using the “Letter/Number Substitution” technique, which generate seemingly random jumbles of letters and numbers that only you would remember. First, think of a phrase that you want to associate with the site or service you are setting up.

Example: “testpassword” (DO NOT USE)

Next, substitute characters for some of the letters using numbers and special characters which resemble those letters.

Example: “t3$9@S$w0rD” (DO NOT USE)

This example password is rated as 100% “Very Strong” using the Password Meter. By using this technique with even longer words in combination with numbers or special characters placed between the words, you can create passwords that will be nearly impossible to guess. With these tips in mind, you can ensure that your password won’t appear on next year’s list!

Threat Recap: Week of January 17th

Jan 22, 2016 | Industry Intel

A lot happens in the security world, some big and some small, and many stories get lost in the mix. In an effort to keep our readers informed and updated, we present the Webroot ThreatBrief, highlighting 5 major security news stories of the week.

Kiev Airport Cyber Attack

In recent weeks, Ukraine’s infrastructure has been under attack by Russian hacktivists, with Kiev’s main airport as the primary focus of the latest attack. It would seem that the BlackEnergy malware platform was in use, once again, to gain access to several computers on the airport’s network, including access to air traffic control systems. Ukrainian authorities are still unsure if the Russian government is involved, as this string of attacks comes at a volatile time for both countries.

British Banks Fighting Malware Improvements

With over a dozen British banks being targetted by the persistent banking trojan, known as Dridex, it’s latest update is capable of altering crucial DNS settings. By changing these settings, it directs the unknowing user to a fake banking website, which allows sensitive information to be gathered and sent off to a command-and-control server for verification. Dridex is most commonly transmitted using macro-enabled MS Office documents sent as attachments via email.

Top US Cities Hit With Malware in 2015

In the past week, a study revealed the cities in the US that were the most common targets for malware attacks in 2015; the highest being Little Rock, Tampa, St. Louis, Orlando, and Denver. Each of the top five cities had rates over 650% of the national average, with Little Rock reaching 1,412% above. While it is unclear whether geographical location has any effect, the New England region was not present in the top 20 regions listed.

Encryption Still Major Issue for Companies

Encryption issues have plagued companies and customers alike for many years, and there are no signs of it slowing, as many companies still refuse to implement it on a widescale. This comes as no surprise as nearly two-thirds of companies only use encryption for “proprietary company data”, while most companies cite “employee data” as their reason for implementing encryption at all, it seems to be often pushed aside or forgotten.

Apple Corrects Cookie Theft Bug

It was noted recently that a bug found in Apple’s iOS that allowed for unauthorized access to unencrypted website cookies has been resolved with the release of iOS 9.2.1. The bug itself could allow attackers to impersonate unsuspecting users on their commonly browsed sites, and allow for a malicious javascript payload to execute on subsequent site visits.

Crypto-ransomware – still a real worry

Jan 21, 2016 | Industry Intel

This week, we held our first BrightTALK webinar of 2016 (January 19th), talking about crypto-ransomware. I’ve got to admit I’m always overwhelmed at the numbers of people interested in this as a topic, and I called in help from one of our top threat researchers Tyler Moffitt to help me out with answering the more technical questions. In fact, Tyler and I double-handed the presentation as we’re both getting used to discussing the issues. It always helps when you have a real expert on hand, my background isn’t a coding one.

We tried as always to be terrifyingly truthful. At Webroot, we have had a lot of success with our next-generation behavioral approach of stopping customers from getting infected by all the variants of Crypto. Inevitably that leads to malware authors’ taking an interest in finding ways around our defenses, which admittedly has lead to a few very regrettable failures in stopping the infections) Right now though we are holding our own and, in fact, have been forced to innovate more to be even better at stopping this threat.

None-the-less, we do not believe we can stop every crypto threat, but we do believe we can protect against these attacks far faster and more effectively than other endpoint solutions. I might add no testing or results I’ve seen anywhere else or claims from expensive machine learning next generation vendors makes me believe anything different. There are a lot of Emperor’s new clothes out there, and as my namesake Hans Christian Andersen’s points out, “They haven’t got anything on!”

I’ve also done something I don’t normally do and that’s send out slides to those that requested them, if for a good reason. Which usually is to persuade a recalcitrant or unbelieving customer they need to spend some cash on protecting their only real asset, their irreplaceable data. I did mention a story I was told by a Webroot Partner in Australia about a friend (not a Client of his) who’d paid-up AUS $100,000 to get his server unencrypted after an attack, much what the FBI were forced to admit they often advise too.

These days if the crypto-ransomware has encrypted your files and unless you have other precautions in place, you are in trouble. Even paying up is not a guarantee. And this isn’t just for businesses but home consumers as well; this infection will and does target anyone with a connected PC.

The presentation which I am referring to above can be accessed here: https://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/8241/181075. This is a very logical approach when it comes to discussing what crypto-ransomware is; it’s history; its variants; some ways it avoids detection and probably most valuable what to do to protect yourself from having to pay extortion money for your own data.

On a more emotional level, I’d like to take the treasured programming from the malware authors of crypto-ransomware and delete it forever. I’m sure they’d agree with their own assertion that CryptoWall is not malicious. I agree it isn’t – it’s pure evil in a digital age.

As tax season approaches, beware of tax related scams

Jan 20, 2016 | Home + Mobile, Industry Intel, Threat Lab

Tax season officially began on January 19^th, and with tax season comes the inevitable rise in tax-related scams. Identity thieves tend to step up their game a bit during tax season, looking to get the ultimate prize – your Social Security Number. Scammers often use the threat of jail time for unpaid tax debt to trick you into giving out sensitive personal information. As with so many scams, seniors are a major target. Telephone scams are particularly popular, but as more people file their taxes electronically, phishing emails and malicious email attachments have become more prevalent.

Now is a good time to help educate your family members about these types of scams. It is important to pay extra attention to any email that is tax related. Be aware that the IRS will not contact you via email to request any personal or financial information. Don’t click on any links or download any attachments from emails claiming to be from the IRS. If you need tax related information, go directly to the official IRS website at www.irs.gov instead of using a search engine.

For more information on taxes and security, the IRS have provided resources at: https://www.irs.gov/Individuals/Taxes-Security-Together

Threat Recap: Week of January 10th

Jan 15, 2016 | Industry Intel

Fitbit Accounts Hacked

On Monday of this week, it was reported that dozens of Fitbit accounts had been accessed, with users information leaking to external sites. According to Fitbit, customer’s usernames, passwords, and location information were accessed, likely from customers reusing passwords for multiple website logins. Fitbit doesn’t currently use two-step authentication for account security, but that is likely to change in the coming months.

Industrial Sized Vulnerabilities

Having devices connected to a network is always a risky proposition, especially when the devices in question are industrial motors; running power plants, water treatment plants, and other large infrastructure systems. Recently, a vulnerability was found that would allow unauthorized read and write access to the drives, thus allowing the motor speed to fluctuate or rise to unsafe levels. The vulnerability has been found in several variable-frequency drives currently available on the market.

Japanese Banks Attacked

Recently, the Rovnix banking trojan, which has been quite prevalent in Europe, has bridged the language barrier and aimed itself at the Japanese banking system. The infection is commonly spread through email attachments, which contain the malicious payload in an otherwise unsuspecting email. Using web injection, Rovnix is capable of loading an imitation page of the targetted bank and allow users to login normally, while logging that information externally.

Nissan Sites Hit with DDoS Attack

With the Detroit Auto Show taking place this week, it could only be coincidental that Nissan’s global and Japanese sites have been the main focus of a DDoS attack, in response to whale and dolphin hunting by Japanese hunters. Nissan appears to have been targetted, not due to their stance on hunting, but because they are a major Japanese corporation and the attack would bring national attention to the whaling issue.

NSA Code Found in Juniper Software

In the last week, Juniper Networks have announced they will no longer be using a particular piece of code that may have been linked to the NSA, to allow monitoring of private network sessions. The code used a mathematical constant that was generated using Dual Elliptic Curve, which is not only untrusted, but was widely distributed via government contracted software kits.

A look at a typical macro infection

Jan 14, 2016 | Industry Intel, Threat Lab

For over a decade, one of the most common ways to infect a computer with malware has been the implementation of “macros” in Word and Excel documents. Macros are small scripts that automate a series of commands in a document; most commonly they are used to automate legitimate repetitive tasks in applications like MS Excel and MS Word. Because of the security issues inherent to macros, Microsoft added security features in Office 2003 and all subsequent Office releases in order to curb macro abuses. In particular, the use of macros is disabled by default in Microsoft Office applications, requiring the user to manually turn macros on in order to use them.

Because of this, it is less likely to be infected by a document containing a malicious macro, but it is still possible. Typically, a document containing a malicious macro these days will be accompanied by instructions that ask the user to enable macros in their Office applications. Fortunately, these types of attacks are easy to detect if you know what to look for.

The first thing to be aware of is that unless you already use macros regularly in your work, you will probably never be sent a legitimate document that contains a macro script. In the case that you do use macros regularly, they will usually be similar types of documents that come from the same sources. If you receive a document via e-mail from an unknown sender, and the document contains macros, it is probably malware and should be deleted immediately.

The most popular type of malware infection these days comes in the form of a bogus shipping e-mail, such as a UPS Shipping Notice or a USPS “failed delivery” e-mail, as shown below:

In this example, we can see a few different things that would alert you to the fact that it is bogus. First, observe the “From” e-mail address. The e-mail claims to be from the USPS but the sender is from “no-reply@Postal-Reporter.com” instead of a “USPS.com” e-mail address. Secondly, because the e-mail address is an unknown or previously uncontacted sender, the fact that the message has a document attached is highly suspicious. We would recommend immediately deleting an e-mail like this and would especially advise not downloading or opening the attached document.

If this type of document is downloaded, it may not be immediately detected by security software because the document itself does not contain malware. It is only when macros are run that the malicious script is activated; usually this would trigger a download and launch of malicious software.

When this document is opened, what you will usually see in MS Word is something like this:

The document contains no real information but is meant to trick you into believing that you will not be able to read a message without enabling macros in MS Word. You can see that MS Word displays a yellow bar with “SECURITY WARNING: Macros have been disabled.”, also giving you the option to “Enable Content”. This is your clear warning that something is not right with this document. If you have opened a suspicious document and have gotten this far, you should immediately close and delete the document before going any further with it.

Knowing how to spot these types of attacks is the best way to avoid them, but there is one more thing you can do to ensure that a malicious macro document does not infect your computer. By default, the “Trust Center” setting for macros is “Disable all macros with notification”. This means that if macros are detected in a document, you will see that yellow “SECURITY WARNING” bar. We would recommend changing this setting to “Disable all macros without notification”, which will simply block the ability to use macros without prompting you to enable them:

This is especially useful if you share your computer with others who are not already trained in spotting these types of malicious documents. We hope that this helps you to pre-emptively detect and avoid these types of infections in the future.

Threat Recap: Week of January 3rd

Jan 8, 2016 | Industry Intel

Hackers Targeting Ukraine Energy Infrastructure

In the last week, several regions of Ukraine were subjected to electrical blackouts as the result of a malware attack. The malware package, dubbed BlackEnergy back in 2007 when it originally surfaced, has the capability to render machines unbootable, destroy critical systems, and create backdoors into the infected machine.

Tax Season Security Risks

As tax season approaches, many people are finding themselves as victims of identity fraud. This remains prevalent as many are not as concerned about online security when using government sites and entering personal information. By creating fraudulent sites and using phishing emails disguised as tax information, identity theft is easier and more widespread than ever before.

Comcast Security Not So Secure

Recently, third-party security vendor Rapid7, discovered a method of infiltrating the Xfinity security system by using a simple radio-jammer to disrupt the wireless signals used to determine if the home is secure or not. This gap in communication would be unnoticed as there is no indication to the homeowner that the “all clear” signal is no longer being received. Fortunately for Comcast customers, the issue is being reviewed and hopefully a solution is found.

Javascript Ransomware on the Rise

At the start of this year, a new variant of RaaS began making headway into the market, labeled Ransom32. This iteration of ransomware comes packaged in a javascript application that allows anyone with a Bitcoin account to run their own Ransomware campaign and customize everything from level of computer lockdown to the amount of Bitcoins to be paid.

Thai Police Forces Hacked

In response to the recent court decision regarding the deaths of two British tourists in Thailand, hacker group Anonymous targeted several police websites and took them offline. It is believed that the decision was made hastily and the men accused were charged and executed without solid evidence. An image displayed on many of the Thai police websites states, “Failed law. We want justice!”

Ransom32 – A RaaS that could be used on multiple OS

Jan 6, 2016 | Industry Intel, Threat Lab

Update: We now have a soundbite of the music played after infection:

The RaaS (Ransomware as a Service) business model is still seeing growth. Here is the latest cyber criminals have to offer and it could later on be used for Mac and Linux OS

As with all other RaaS platforms you sign up to create new samples from hidden servers in the Tor Network. Just input the bitcoin wallet address you want your “revenue” to be deposited in.

Once you input a deposit bitcoin address, you’ll be presented with a very easy to use portal with customization and stats. The customization allows you to fully lock the computer – which will make the lockscreen pop-up every few seconds and not be able to be minimized. What is interesting is that it even mentions to use caution with this feature as victims will find it difficult to check that their files have even been encrypted and will have to use another machine to pay the bitcoin ransom. The stats will show you how many people you are infecting and how many people are paying the ransom.

Once you click download it will generate the malware with your customized setting and payment amount. The size of the file is 22MB which is quite large for malware in general. This is because main malware component inside the payload, “chrome.exe” is a packaged NW.js application which contains the malware code. NW.js s a framework that lets you call Node.js modules directly from the DOM and enables a way of writing applications with multiple web technologies that work on ALL operating systems. While we did see strings in the code reference commands only used on Unix operating systems, current samples only work on windows… for now. We suspect that Mac/Linux compatibility is in the works.

This is the infection lockscreen that pops up once you are infected and files are encrypted. You are also blasted with music from the video game Metal Gear Solid – which is bizarre and very obnoxious. We see that they’ve made sure to use the free decrypt tactic that was first introduced in 2014 with CoinVault – we did confirm that this feature works.

As always, these come with detailed instructions on how to purchase bitcoins with USD and then send it over to the ransom wallet.

Webroot will catch this specific variant in real time before any encryption takes place. We’re always on the lookout for more, but just in case of new zero day variants, remember that with encrypting ransomware the best protection is going to be a good backup solution. This can be either through the cloud or offline external storage. Keeping it up to date is key so as not to lose productivity. Webroot has backup features built into our consumer product that allow you to have directories constantly synced to the cloud. If you were to get infected by a zero-day variant of encrypting ransomware you can just restore your files back as we save a snapshot history for each of your files up to ten previous copies.

Please see our community post on best practices for securing your environment against encrypting ransomware.

Top Security Predictions for 2016

Dec 30, 2015 | Industry Intel, Threat Lab

As 2015 comes to an end, we all look back at the huge list of big-name data breaches that occured, from passwords revealed to full on dating identities. It was not a pretty year for companies with lacking security protocols to say the least. And while we can sit here and delve into what happened, as a security company we must continue looking forward to what is going to happen next. Lessons were learned in 2015, but there is still going to be breaches, security problems to be solved, and as technology advances, so will the vectors for attack.

To look forward, to continue preparing, we here at Webroot have works on a list of our top 4 security predictions for 2016.

People Push Back: Tools that prevent unintentional data collection – such as cookie blockers, microphones, malicious advertisements, and camera blockers – will be increasingly adopted by consumers. Many of these tools block ads indiscriminately which will have an impact on legit sites ability to fund themselves. Consumers will also require web companies to disclose consumer data use and how it is being protected.

Increased Attacks on IoT Devices: As more common items add connectivity for convenience, and thus become part of the IoT, it is expected that hackers will take advantage of poorly implemented security. Weaknesses in passwords, firmware updates and the storage of user specific data make IoT devices a prime target and attacks against these devices will increase in 2016.

More Breaches: Cybercriminals will double down on phishing attacks – whether via telephone, texts, tweets, Instagram, Snapchat and other social avenues. With rapid growth on the rise in 2015, attackers will create remote sessions into PCs disguised as a trusted account vendor. Also, reps from fraudulent sites will offer support which results in a remote connection and users’ systems getting compromised.

2016 Presidential Elections: There will be a spike in cybercriminal activity that exploits the 2016 US presidential elections and causes mass disruption. The attacks will include spam emails, campaign donation scams, fake election sites and telephone-based threats, which have been on the rise in 2015. Attacks will target social media and will increase in activity as the election night approaches. As a result, candidates will need to be more security-aware than ever before.

With these in mind, this is not the limit of what we will see but more of the avenues that we feel will have the biggest impact on the global threat landscape. What predictions fo you have for this coming year? Share your ideas in the comment box below.

Top 11 Security resolutions for the New Year

Dec 29, 2015 | Industry Intel

2015 has been the worst year so far for security breaches. Although the state of online security reminds me of that scene in Office Space where Peter says that every day you see him is the worst day of his life, there’s a few things you can do to protect yourself against getting your data and online identity stolen. If you’re looking for a New Year’s resolution that isn’t “I’m going to buy a gym membership and only go for a week”, try this list (it goes to 11!) on for size.

Change your passwords, just in case – chances are the password database of some online service that you use has been stolen sometime in 2015. While most companies don’t store the actual password, they do store a password hash (fancy term for encryption, basically) that can sometimes be used to reverse engineer your password. That can take some time on a powerful computer, so even though the breach might have happened 6 months ago and nobody’s hacked into your account yet, that doesn’t mean you are safe. Change your passwords regularly, just like you change the batteries in your smoke detectors.
Use a password manager – every security boffin will tell you not to use the same password everywhere. The problem with that is that we all probably have at least 3 dozen online accounts. Remembering all those passwords, especially if you change them regularly, just isn’t feasible. That’s where password managers come in. Just remember one master password and the password manager software stores all the rest securely for you. It also fills in your password automatically if you use their browser extension. Don’t use the browser auto-fill for passwords, as those are usually not stored securely.
Use good passwords – don’t use a password that contains any personal information about yourself, such as your birthday, your dog’s name or your favorite flavor of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. Using that information makes it easier to break password hashes in the process mentioned in point 1. Good passwords should be long and random (that’s what she said!). If you do take the advice in point 2 and use a password manager, they typically offer a secure random password generator. If not, you can use this website: https://strongpasswordgenerator.com/
Secure your WiFi – when you plugged in that new wireless router you got for Festivus, you probably didn’t realize that you had to change the password on it. If you don’t then anyone you let on your wifi (or who breaks in) can log in to your router and do whatever they like. While the wireless security might also be on by default, it doesn’t hurt to check and make sure it is using the strongest security setting, which is the WPA2 protocol. To log into your router you generally have to look at the info on the bottom of the device to see how to login and what the default login and password are. Typically you’ll put the IP address of the router into your browser to get started. If the only association you have when I mention IP is a joke about a book called The Yellow River, then find the nerdy kid who lives on your street (the one wearing glasses and a Minecraft shirt) and offer them a $25 Gamestop gift card to come secure your router for you. Remember to notify the kid’s parents first so they don’t think you’re kidnapping him or her.
Change your PIN to something unpredictable – analysis of debit card PINs shows that over a quarter of them are one of 20 common combinations such as 1234 or 0000. If your PIN is one of the 20 on this list, then go change it right now to something that isn’t on the list. Also, saying “PIN number” is redundant since PIN stands for “Personal identification number”, so stop saying that.
Freeze your credit – if you get your identity stolen you’ll eventually get it sorted out. The problem is that will take hundreds of hours of your time, and you might not have access to your bank accounts until you get it cleared up. Have you tried living without money lately? It’s not a lot of fun. If you want a story scarier than the Krampus movie, read this. You can regularly check your credit reports for new accounts that you didn’t open, but an ounce of prevention is always best. Call up the credit agencies and freeze your credit. That way nobody, including you, can open new lines of credit without first unfreezing using a secure procedure. It’ll also stop you from impulse buying a new Mustang that you can’t afford. The FTC has a handy guide here.
Turn on two-factor authentication – two-factor authentication is one of the typical stupid names that techies come up with when naming technology. It should be called something self-explanatory such as “confirm my identity”. What it means is that when you log into an online service, they text you a passcode after you’ve logged in. You have to type in the code they text to your phone to confirm it’s really you. This makes sure that you not only know the password but also have access to your own phone. Two ways of identifying you – that’s what the phrase “two-factor authentication” means in plain English. It’s unlikely that a thief will be able to steal your password and your phone at the same time, which is why this makes things more secure. Good banks and credit unions will have this enabled by default. Some of your online services or banks might not have it turned on by default, which is dumb of them. If that’s the case, go into the settings and turn it on, or call them and ask them to turn it on for you. If your bank or credit union doesn’t offer 2FA (to make the phrase two-factor authentication even more obtuse) then it’s time to switch banking institutions.
Enable a PIN on your phone – yes it’s annoying. If it bothers you that much, get a phone with a fingerprint reader. If you don’t, then whoever finds your phone after you leave it in the bar at 3am will have your entire life at their fingertips. They can reset all your passwords because they have access to your email. Then they can clean out your bank accounts and leave you with something worse than a hangover the next morning.
Don’t believe anyone who contacts you – you know that guy who comes up to you at the gas station with an empty gas can and a story about a lost wallet? He’s a con man. Same goes for the person who calls you pretending to be Microsoft or the email pretending to be from Paypal. If someone initiates contact with you then chances are they aren’t who they say they are. If someone calls saying they are from your bank, from the IT department or from Microsoft and starts asking you for credit card numbers, passwords, or to remote into your computer, then hang up on them. The only legitimate call you’ll get from your bank is when their security department calls you in the middle of your holiday shopping spree to verify that you are the one who made those rash purchases. In those cases they’ll tell you what transactions were made with your card and ask you to confirm it was you and not a thief who stole your credit card details.
Update all your software – most hackers breaking into online systems use known vulnerabilities that have already been patched. They look for computers that haven’t been updated to the latest patches. Run Windows Update to update your operating system and also update any other software you use regularly. That software will generally have a menu option to check for updates under the Help or About drop-down menu. Well-written software will check for updates automatically. A lot of software is not well written.
Don’t open email attachments – especially from people you don’t know. Even if the email looks like it is from someone you know, it could be that their email account was hacked. If they didn’t tell you previously to expect an email with an attachment, then don’t open it. If you get a suspicious email from a friend or family member, call them up and ask them if they really sent it and why they attached a word document that it’s really, really important that you open right now. Most likely they’ll have no idea what email you are talking about. For a list of other common online and email scams, check out this page.

Wouldn’t it be nice if technology could be used to make all of the above something you don’t have to think about? Maybe in about 20 years this will be the case. In the meantime, it makes sense to spend a few hours protecting yourself now so that you don’t have to spend 100 hours on the phone with banks and creditors sorting out the mess when your identity gets stolen. Stay safe in 2016!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOO5S4vxi0o

Quick Tips to Protect Your New (and old) Apple Devices

Dec 28, 2015 | Home + Mobile, Industry Intel, Threat Lab

Apple has projected yet another record holiday for sales, but this should come as no surprise to fellow ‘Macheads’. I myself, am a huge fan of Apple and have been for a quite some time; I still have my iBook, and it still works! My desk is home to an iMac, Macbook, and many other small Apple devices. The one thing that most people believe is that there is no need to worry about security for their beloved Apple devices, which is a bit over inflated. So here are a Full this holiday season.

Top Ten tips for OS X security

Create a standard account (non-admin) for everyday use– Log into the standard account for your everyday activities, and to store your personal information. Whenever an administrator’s password is required, type the admin username, and the appropriate password. This will lead to more password requests than if you were working under an admin account. However these requests should make you think whether you should be entering your password.
Set Gatekeeper to allow Mac App Store and identified developers– Gatekeeper resides under Preferences>Security & Privacy and its main function is to allow the user to control which apps can be run without further escalation and or attention. If you download an application that doesn’t meet the criteria you will not be able to run it.
Stay current with OS X updates– Mac OS X has a built-in software update tool “Software Update”. It’s a good idea to run “Software Update” frequently and install updates when available.
Disable automatic login– Automatic login means that anyone who can access your Mac only needs to start it up to have access to all of your files.
Use the built in Firewall– The firewall can be tuned to your needs whether it be at home, work or travel.
Use a password manager to help prevent phishing attacks– It’s important to create complex, unique passwords, however for most of us, the more complicated the password the easier it is for us to forget it.
Use Mac FileVault for full-disk encryption– FileVault encrypts your entire hard drive using a secure encryption algorithm (XTS-AES 128). You should enable this feature on your Mac because if your hard drive isn’t encrypted, anyone who manages to steal your computer can access any data on it.
Use a Mac anti-virus (WSA)– Let’s face it, Mac malware is real and only getting worse.
Enable iCloud Mac locator and remote wipe– If your system is ever stolen you can log into iCloud.com or use the Find My iPhone app on an iOS device to locate your device, send it a command to lock it, have it issue a sound, or remotely wipe the device.
Use “Secure Empty Trash” to remove data– By default files are simply marked for deletion and not really deleted making file recovery simple. Using Secure Empty Trash things get much more difficult to recover.

Tips to secure your iOS

Enable Passcode Lock. This is one of the key security tips, The stronger the passcode the better. Apple has incorporated a fingerprint scanner in the newer iPhone models which allows users to use their fingerprints for authentication when unlocking their device and making purchases.
Erase all data before selling, trading in, or sending off for repair.
Update. By keeping your apps and operating system up-to-date, you will strengthen the security of your device. You can turn on the automatic downloads feature which will update apps in the background and without the need for you to do anything.
Don’t Jailbreak. Sure, some of the Jailbreak tweaks are cool and can do some fun things but is the lack of security really worth it?
Enable Safari security settings. These settings include blocking pop-ups, disabling autofill, fraud warnings, and the ability to clear cookies/history/cache. Alternatively, you can download Webroot’s secure web browser for iOS.
Disabling Bluetooth/WiFi. There are several freeware tools designed to sniff for Bluetooth and WiFi signals then gather information from open devices. It is also best to not use public WiFi; you don’t really know what the guy sitting at the other table in Starbucks is doing on his computer.
Find my iPhone. This should go without saying, this feature not only helps you find a lost or stolen phone, but it also makes wiping the phone a little harder. I had an iphone stolen and find my iPhone found it five months later… in Canada… someone sold it on ebay.
Disable Siri on Lock screen. Siri is a great tool and assest but she can also talk to much, this will keep her quite until the correct person is able to unlock the device.
Set up a VPN. A Virtual Private Network is a must-have and can bring extra security to anyone who uses their devices on different wireless networks. Some VPN services are free of charge, but some can cost several dollars a week which is more than a fair price for protecting your information.
Turn on two-step verification for Apple ID and iCloud – a great way to prevent issues without someone knowing both the password and the 4-digit verification code.

Webroot’s 2015 SMB Threat Report: An Analysis

Dec 23, 2015 | Industry Intel, SMBs

Recently, Webroot published 2015 SMB Threat Report: Are organizations completely ready to stop cyberattacks?, which included the results from a survey of 700 SMB decision makers worldwide about their IT security, their readiness for security response, and use of MSP recourses in their environment.

Many SMBs are outsourcing cybersecurity to managed services providers (MSPs) to make up for the lack of time and in-house expertise. According to the report, 81% of respondents agreed such outsourcing would improve their bandwidth for addressing other tasks. With the majority of SMBs surveyed planning to increase their cybersecurity budget in 2016, VARs across a broad variety of industries are beginning to embrace this service-centric relationship with their clients. For customers, choosing to work with an MSP means they avoid installation and maintenance headaches. They also avoid diverting resources towards laborious IT security support tasks or ad hoc break/fix reseller charges.

Although SMBs appear more aware of cybersecurity-related risks to their organizations, many are still unsure or under-informed about their own readiness to handle such risks even with heavy investments of time into protecting the environments. Incredibly, even with 56% of respondents reporting over 17 hours spent on cybersecurity, 44% are still feeling they have less time to stay up-to-date on threats.

Just 37% of IT decision makers surveyed in the US, the UK, and Australia believe their organizations are completely ready to manage IT security and protect against threats. While I am not entirely surprised given the considerable cybersecurity challenges SMBs face, but it’s still an alarmingly low number.

On the flip side, when asked how confident IT decision makers would be that someone on their staff could deal with a cyberattack, a surprising 84% responded confidently. Given the other responses to this survey, this was unexpected and indicates a discrepancy and possible misperception of IT resources, knowledge, and capability to thoroughly address a cyberattack.

Webroot’s SMB Threat Report makes it clear that the future of security is in need of some change with IT decision makers are stretched thin. In the near future, we should expect a continued movement towards “outsourced IT,” particularly on the cybersecurity front. According to the survey, 81% of respondents believe outsourcing IT solutions would increase their bandwidth to address other areas of their business. In order to reap the full array of benefits, though, IT decision makers must be proactive about identifying MSPs that offer “intelligent cybersecurity” solutions.

Our definition of intelligent? Solutions that are easy to install, can be managed remotely, and provide real-time protection against modern threats. While these are all important qualifications, we expect SMBs to place an increased premium on the “real-time” component.