You Can Now Hack Networks with a Fish Tank

Cyber Attack, Hacking, IOT, malware, Security, Security Threats, Uncategorized, , , ,
23
Jan 2018

The Internet of Things (IoT) can help run almost any device in use in your organization, but this also means you could be hacked by a fish tank.

This may sound highly unlikely, but this is exactly what happened to a North American casino and underlines just how vulnerable IoT devices are. It also demonstrates how every single IoT device, no matter how insignificant and harmless it may appear, is at risk. Hackers, after all, do not discriminate – if there’s a way to gain access to a network then they’ll exploit it.

As this is one of the more unusual attacks to have affected an IoT device, I’m going to take a closer look at it before advising you on a few tips to avoid getting hacked by a fish tank.

Hacking the Tank

The fish tank – which was situated in the unnamed hotel – had been installed with state of the art sensors which monitored and regulated factors such as water temperature, saline levels and release of food. Making devices such as these sensors compatible with IoT technology allows the tank to be controlled remotely, but this accessibility also opens up such IoT devices to the interests of hackers. Although the hotel had security measures in place, they were evidently not secure enough.

Many IoT devices lack advanced, internal security technology so any external security measures need to be as advanced as possible to pick up the slack. In this particular case, the fish tank’s sensors were hacked which allowed the hackers to transmit 10GB worth of data to a remote server based in Finland. The casino’s existing security tools were able to identify that data was leaking externally, but were unable to identify where from and where it was being transmitted to.

Thankfully, security experts Darktrace were able to pinpoint where the vulnerability was and were able to advise the casino to disconnect the fish tank sensors immediately. 10GB worth of data may not sound like a huge amount of data in this day and age, but when you consider the amount of personal and financial details a casino may hold, 10GB could cause a lot of concern for any patrons of the casino.

Securing IoT Devices

Being hacked through a fish tank is a highly embarrassing security flaw for any organization, so understanding how to secure IoT devices is paramount. Make sure you’re implementing the following security measures with IoT devices:

  • Change Default Passwords – Many IoT devices come preloaded with a default password and, by leaving this in place, you’re reducing the number of guesses and effort that a hacker needs to put into brute-force hacking the password. It’s estimated that around 15% of IoT device owners do not change this default password, so make sure you change this as soon as the device is installed.
  • Install Firmware – As I’ve previously mentioned, the security technology loaded onto IoT devices is sometimes sadly lacking. However, even worse than poor security software is outdated security software. And that’s why it’s crucial that any firmware updates are installed immediately to patch any potential vulnerabilities.
  • Separate Networks – The number of IoT devices operating in any one organization can easily run into the hundreds. Essentially, this means that there are hundreds of routes into your network and this could cause real chaos if just one device is breached. Therefore, penning off IoT devices into separate networks is a preventative step which can limit the reach of any hackers.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

 

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4 Real Life Examples of the IoT Being Hacked

Cyber Attack, Internet of things, IOT, Security, Security Threats, ,
09
Jan 2018

It’s easy to talk about the IoT (Internet of Things) security issues in theory, but what actually happens when the IoT gets hacked?

Understanding exactly what happens when IoT devices get hacked and how they get hacked is crucial in helping to protect your organization. Knowledge, of course, isn’t a cast iron guarantee you will avoid be hacked, but it certainly puts you in a much stronger position.

Let’s take a look at four real life examples of the IoT being hacked.

Unsecured University IoT

Verizon’s Data Breach Digest 2017 report details the example of an unnamed university where the network was flooded with Domain Name Service (DNS) requests for seafood restaurants. Whilst it sounds like a student prank, it was actually an outside attack by hackers which used 5,000 IoT devices such as vending machines and lighting systems. The hack was achieved through a brute force attack which took advantage of weak passwords so that malware could be deployed and bring the university’s network to a standstill.

IoT Cameras Hacked

The popular IoT security camera range – NeoCoolCam – has been found to contain a major security flaw which means that they can easily be hacked from outside the network they’re on. Given the security nature of the devices, these cameras can easily be compromised for unauthorized surveillance or even as a stepping stone to get even deeper into a network. Researchers at Bitdefender have found that all it takes is for the easily accessible login screen to be manipulated in order to take control of any of the 100,000+ cameras currently in use.

The Mirai Botnet

Poor password management is one of the biggest flaws in data security and the Mirai botnet certainly takes advantage of this. A piece of malware which infects network devices running on Linux, Mirai instructs these devices to constantly search the internet for vulnerable IoT devices. The fatal flaw contained within these IoT devices is that their factory set default username and passwords have not been changed. As Mirai is loaded with a list of these default details, it’s able to quickly take control of these devices and Mirai was even involved with an attack on Liberia’s internet infrastructure.

Hacking a Jeep

Perhaps the most disturbing and dangerous example of IoT devices being hacked is the case of a Jeep Cherokee 4×4 vehicle being compromised. Security researchers Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek were able to identify a zero day exploit which allowed them to send instructions to the vehicle through its entertainment system. Not only did this provide them with the opportunity to remotely change the in-car temperature, they could also influence the vehicle’s steering and braking systems. All it required was knowledge of the individual vehicle’s IP address to take control.

All four of these examples demonstrate just how far behind that IoT device manufacturers are when it comes to the security of their devices. Naturally, the manufacturers have a lot to do to ensure that their devices are safe from the moment they’re installed, but the owners of these devices also need to be mindful of good password practices.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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The Importance of a Business IT Continuity Plan

IT Continuity, IT Plan, Security, Services, , , , ,
07
Nov 2017

 

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A backup plan for your IT system in the case of a sudden disaster is crucial to ensure your business continues operating whilst that disaster is rectified.

Many businesses, however, don’t have a contingency plan in place that will allow their IT operations to continue in the case of an emergency. And this lack of preparation can lead to your business having to cease operations and, therefore, hit you hard financially. Naturally, no one can forecast an emergency or a disaster, so it’s important to get something established sooner rather than later.

To understand, in a little more detail, why a business IT continuity plan is so important, we’re going to take a closer look at what it can bring to your business and how to implement it.

The Main Benefits of Business IT Continuity

Say, for example, your business suffers a huge malware attack, this could seriously compromise all the PCs on your network and render them redundant. And how are you going to process orders or bring up customer records then? Exactly – you aren’t! However, with an IT continuity plan in place, you can put this into action whilst your IT team work at eradicating the malware attack – this allows you to continue serving your customers and helps your organization minimize the downtime.

It’s also quite possible that your business premises could be put out of action due to disasters such as fire or even natural disasters which could visit in the form of hurricanes. With your office, for example, out of bounds, it could appear that there’s no option but to down tools. If, though, you’ve planned for occasions such as this, you could execute remote working accessibility for your staff to work from home or alternate premises. Again, this helps to keep your organization afloat and operating.

IT Services are aligned to the customers needs. Dynamic Lifecycle approach to service. Interconnections between processes. Quality of Service. Reduced cost to serve because of use of standard process. ITIL is NOT… A methodology. A complete set of predefined low level processes – only the framework with which to build them.

Creating an Effective Plan

A good business IT continuity plan is one which has been carefully planned and designed by a team which incorporates all areas of your business. Whilst it may seem sensible to have an IT bias towards leading the project, they won’t necessarily understand which data and which applications are most important for different departments. And this is why we would always recommend a team comprising of individuals who can cover all aspects of the business’ needs.

Once this team is in place, you’ll find that the prioritization of IT resources allows you to get a better understanding of what’s required from your business IT continuity plan. Naturally, these plans are never perfect as they’re relying on a situation which hasn’t happened yet. Therefore, to get the best out of your IT continuity plans you need to put them in to practice to discover how effective they are for keeping your organization in business.

As we pointed out earlier, no one can predict when your business is going to be hit by a disaster be it through hacking, natural disasters or even just plain old equipment malfunction. However, what we can predict is that a business IT continuity plan is going to minimize the impact of such a disaster on your business and should be a prerequisite of any forward thinking organization.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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US Banks Targeted by Trickbot Malware

Cyber Attack, Hacking, malware, Security, trickbot, ,
03
Oct 2017

Necurs

Personal financial information is always highly private, so if this is compromised it’s a real invasion of privacy. Sadly, US banks are now under attack from malware.

Driven by the infamous Necurs hacking botnet, Trickbot is a form of malware that is currently carrying out sustained spam campaigns against US banks. It’s a cyber-attack which has been targeting financial organizations for around a year now, but it’s only recently that these attacks have been focusing on US banks.

Now, the majority of adults in the US use online banking services, so this is the kind of attack which needs to be brought to the attention of the masses. And, not only is there a security lesson for consumers to be found within this attack, but there’s also plenty for organizations to learn about good security practices.

TRICKBOT-BSS-IMAGE-

Tricky Trickbot

Trickbot utilizes, as its name suggests, trickery to achieve its nefarious needs and, in particular, it embraces a redirection scheme. Usually, when you’re transferred from one webpage to another then you can clearly see that the URL changes in your browser to demonstrate where you’re heading to. However, when being redirected by malware, the victim is first sent to an alternate website on a completely different server. As a live connection is kept with the intended website – in this instance an online banking service – this remains displayed with the user’s browser.

And lurking on these alternate websites is the malware’s malicious payload. In the case of Trickbot, these websites use webinjection to infect the victims with JavaScript and HTML coding which go on to steal login details and financial coding from affected users. Naturally, with this sort of sensitive data, hackers can go on to cause widespread damage to individuals finances, but how do people fall foul of these malware scams?

According to the security experts at Flashpoint, Trickbot is spreading its reach through the use of huge spam email campaigns. An example of this was seen in a spam email which claimed to be a bill from an Australian telecommunications organization, but actually contained JavaScript code which activated the Trickbot loader and compromised browsers in what is known as a man-in-the-browser attack.

Trickbot, however, is not a new, unique threat and Flashpoint believes that Trickbot is related to the Dyre banking Trojan which was last active in 2015. The build of both Trickbot and Dyre, so it would appear that either source code is being recycled or members of the same team are involved.

2302145_orig

How to Beat Trickbot

The key to beating Trickbot and not falling victim to its trickery is by simply verifying the emails in your inbox. And the most important checks to make are:

  • Do you recognize the sender of the email? If it’s an unusual or unknown sender name then just ignore it and, if it comes complete with an attachment, definitely ignore it.
  • What is the email asking for? Financial organizations, for example, will never email you to request sensitive data or to head online and enter this data into websites.
  • Are there any links in the email? If they have an unusual address you don’t recognize then don’t click on them as they could be sending you anywhere. And, even if the link reads as a genuine URL, this could still be disguising an alternate URL – hover over the link with your mouse to reveal the true direction of the link.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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Petya Cyber Attack Goes Global with Ransomware

Cyber Attack, Petya, Ransomware, Security, , , ,
05
Sep 2017

2017_Petya_cyberattack_screenshot

A major cyber attack has swept across the globe and, once again, it’s taken the form of ransomware to shut down computers and demand Bitcoin ransoms.

Known as Petya – the Russian word for stone – has managed to halt operations at a chocolate factory in Australia and even one of Russia’s biggest oil companies, so the scale and sophistication of its attack is clear to see. Following the recent WannaCry ransomware attack, Petya has made headlines in a security landscape where safety appears to be far from guaranteed.

As this is such a widespread attack – and the fact that new ransomware attacks are appearing weekly – it seems like the perfect time to look at Petya and reinforce what you can do to protect yourself.

The Story behind Petya

Although it’s difficult to confirm, it’s believed that the Petya attack originated in the Ukraine. Reports suggest that the ransomware was spread through the update server for MeDoc which is a popular brand of Ukrainian accounting software. Consumers believed they were simply downloading a new update for their software, but it was actually a powerful slice of malware which then spread like wildfire.

Petya.Random

This latest variant of Petya, however, is even more powerful than its original incarnation. It’s believed that Petya now comes loaded with a tool named LSADump which harvests data and passwords from all the PCs located on that network. Petya also appears to be encrypting every single file on the infected PCs through the master boot record – this helps your PC boot up Windows at startup.

Most disturbingly, though, it’s being reported that Petya may not even be ransomware and may, instead, simply wipe everything from a PC with no chance of recovery. While the thought of having to pay a small ransom to retrieve data is troubling enough, the idea that your data may never be retrieved brings a whole new level of concern to Petya.

Defending Against Petya

Regardless of whether Petya encrypts or destroys files, it remains a highly sophisticated strain of malware that no PC user wants to find on their system. Kaspersky and Symantec have assured consumers that their anti-virus software will actively identify and protect against Petya, but for many users this may be too late.

cyber-security-2296269_960_720

Unfortunately, despite the spate of attacks taking advantage of Windows vulnerabilities, many PC users are still incredibly lax when it comes to installing security updates and patches. The main reason for this procrastination is an issue of time, but what’s five to ten minutes of installing updates and rebooting compared to having all the files on your entire network encrypted or even deleted?

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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