Merit Event - Closing the Back Door in Your Systems

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The protection you need.

MERIT

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Closing the back door

Quote

"The History of every major Galactic Civilization tends to pass

through three distinct and recognizable phases, those of

Survival, Inquiry and Sophistication, otherwise known as the

How, Why and Where phases. "For instance, the first phase is

characterized by the question How can we eat? the second by the

question Why do we eat? and the third by the question Where

shall we have lunch? .” Douglas Adams



Introduction

• What door? Why we need to act?• The nature of the threat - How bad is it?• Who’s vulnerable?• When will it become a practical problem?• How can it be addressed?• The five point action plan• Where can we get help? • Where can we have lunch?


The Threat!

• Tiny outside…• Massive capacity inside.• Very Fast• Easy to conceal, Unobtrusive…• A watch or mobile phone• Practically impossible to exclude• Can you frisk staff and visitors?

Samsung SGH-i310 8 Gigabyte phone

featuring an 8 gigabyte hard disc.


The Threat!


The Threat!

Price £69.99 incVAT


The nature of the threat – Who says…


The nature of the threat

The DTI Security Breaches Report 2006

• Published 24th April 2006• Tracks the use and abuse of data• Identifies current and growing trends & threats• Firewalls and anti-virus• Large enterprises better protected than smaller

firms• Impact of incidents much larger on smaller firms




• Removable memory devices - Identified as the

top emerging threat• iPods, MP3 Players, Memory sticks, Watches

and even mobile phones – up to 60Gb.• Fast• Massive capacity - Gigabytes


The Threat!




Found that… “such devices are being used in 84 per cent of companies and, on average, a third of employees are

using them in the office”.

90% of those surveyed said they were aware of the

potential danger that removable media presents, and a

third of organisations admitted that removable media is

being used without authorisation.




"With removable media plummeting in price, soaring memory

capacity and more people using them at work, companies need to

be aware of how easy it is for staff to use them, lose them or take

competitive information away on them, all in the palm of their

hands,"

"If lost or stolen, vast amounts of valuable information could

seriously expose a company to extortion, digital identity fraud, or

damage to their reputation, integrity and brand."




• Mass data theft • Malware and hacker tools• Loss of the devices• Insiders as well as outsiders • Departing and disgruntled employees• Coercion – some ‘mafia style’ activity



Quotes

‘Opportunity makes the thief. If you give them the opportunity to

access systems that they shouldn’t, then things can go wrong’

‘There seems to be a fixation on threats from the internet and

external hackers but for the criminals, going the insider route is

easier and there can be much more financial benefit for them’

‘In addition, organised crime gangs have been blackmailing

people inside companies to obtain information ‘



Gartner Research

"Organisations are increasingly putting themselves at risk by

allowing the unauthorized and uncontrolled use of portable

storage devices". “These are ideal for anyone intending to steal

sensitive and valuable data… The impact of this goes beyond the

commercial value of the data.”


How Bad Is the Threat?

A demonstration


How Bad Is the Threat?

www.PodSnaffler.co.uk


Who’s Vulnerable

• If you have an unprotected PC – you are!

• If it’s happening why don’t I hear about it?

• Why wants to admit that their security was

breached?


Who’s Vulnerable

“In a recent survey 70% of employees admitted

taking information from work to which they were

not entitled. As Computer Weekly has

commented “anyone planning to leave will

remove most of the information they want well in

advance.”


What’s at risk

The Crown Jewels…

• Customer Lists (and CRM)• Contracts and Proposals• Correspondence• Prospects• Address books• Price Lists• Sales Invoices• Staff Records.


What’s at risk

Organisations that suffer massive data loss.• 80% are out of business within 3 Years• 30% are out of business within the year.


What’s at risk

Portable Hacking Tools

Powerful hacking tools are starting to appear on the Internet

which work from a small flashdrive, freely available:

• Showtraf - a tool that monitors network traffic on a

network and displays.• 'John-the-Ripper' (a password cracker)• Netpass - a utility used to ‘recover’ network passwords• Nemesis (Network intrusion tool).• …


When will it become a practical problem?

• Now.• If your data had left the building would you even know?• Has it already happened?• After the event is too late.• The DTI have raised the flag.• The possibility is ‘out there’.• Employee’s leaving – it happens before you know it.



Quote

“A learning experience is one of those things that says,

'You know that thing you just did? Don't do that.' ”

Douglas Adams

“Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to

learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their

apparent disinclination to do so.”

Douglas Adams


Who’s Vulnerable

In the press…

BBC 29AprilDigital cameras, MP3 players and handheld computers could be the tools that disgruntled UK employees use to sabotage computer systems or steal vital data, warn security experts.

The removable memory cards inside the devices could be used to bring in software that looks for vulnerabilities on a company's internal network. The innocent-looking devices could also be used to smuggle out confidential or sensitive information.

The dangers disgruntled employees posed was highlighted by a survey showing that almost half of the most serious security incidents businesses suffered last year were caused by company workers.


In the press…

Inside jobComputing Magazine 14 April

While companies guard against external hacks, it is easy to

overlook threats closer to home

Last year, more than a dozen employees who had worked for Citibank’s Indian call centre partner

Mphasis were arrested for allegedly stealing $350,000 (£199,842) from the bank’s American

customers.

…Similar threats can occur inside many organisations, warns Floris Van Den Dool, head of consultant

Accenture’s European security practice. ‘There seems to be a fixation on threats from the internet

and external hackers but for the criminals, going the insider route is easier and there can be much

more financial benefit for them,’ he says…

The UK’s former National Hi-Tech Crime Unit produced similar research that suggests 38% of

financial fraud results from internal security breaches and collusion. ‘Accessing unsecure

business applications from within the organisation is much easier than hacking through the corporate

firewall and the potential for fraud is far greater, according to Van Den Dool.

But according to a recent survey by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), 99%of UK companies

are failing to implement all the safeguards available to them to help prevent internal security breaches.


Who’s Vulnerable

In the press…

insiders infiltrating firms, U.K. cops warnApril 25, 2006, Silicon.com / CNET News.com

Employees are still one of the greatest threats to corporate security, as "new-age" mafia

gangs infiltrate companies, the U.K.'s crime-fighting agency has said.

Speaking on Tuesday Tony Neate, e-crime liaison for the Serious Organised Crime Agency

(SOCA), said insider "plants" are causing significant damage to companies.

"We have fraud and ID theft, but one of the big threats still comes from the trusted

insiders. That is, people inside the company who are attacking the systems," he said.

"(Organized crime) has changed. You still have traditional organized crime, but now they have

learned to compromise employees and contractors. (They are) new-age, maybe have computer

degrees and are enterprising themselves. They have a wide circle of associates and new

structures," he added.


Who’s Vulnerable

In the press…

Beware the enemy withinNews, Data Theft

Almost half the security experts who attended the recent E-Crime Congress in

London agreed that internal users were the greatest risk to their IT

security. Only 11% of respondents thought that external hackers were more

dangerous, while 44% rated external and internal threats equally.

The survey also established that only eight percent of respondents felt the

“average” company takes a proactive approach to security - with over half

(59%) reporting that companies were only reactive.


In the press…

A Spy Downloads on

China

… He claims to have downloaded some

of these documents from his police

computer into his MP3 player and given

a sample of them to Australian

immigration officials as proof of his

claims.

The Sydney Mercury Herald.


In the press…

Some other stories related to data theft in the news

•Workplace data theft runs rampant - BBC On-Line•Suspect in SJ Medical Data Theft to be in Court - CBS•Laptop Security - Full Disclosure•iPods Open Backdoor for Data Theft - VUnet•Healthcare Security Incidents: Summary Incidents list on - SecurityFocus•50 million identities stolen in US - Washington Post•Ford discloses employee data theft - UPI•Data breaches worst ever last year - Seattle Times•Portable storage devices: the curse of convenience - InfoWorld•Data Theft grew 650% over past three years - US Department of the Interior•Wave of Data Theft Causes Corporations to Consider Network Risks - Aon

Focus•Time to Get Physical (Physical Security and Data Theft) - Redmond

Magazine•Sacked Staff Turn to Sabotage - InfoSec News

…


How Can it Be Addressed?

The easy way and the hard way

• Public hangings and floggings?• Close the ports?• Physical security?• Frisk the staff?• Rely on the tekkies?• Sysadmin solutions?• Prevention is better than cure!


How Can it Be Addressed?

The easy way and the hard way

• Consult, train, confer, support your staff…• Inform staff – develop your AUP collaboratively.• Supportive technology: prevent abuse – not

merely report it.• Police the use of devices.• Police the use of content.• Audit trail.• Fit and Forget – on a day to day basis

Prevention is better than cure!


Five Point Action Plan

1. Be aware of the threats & plan an appropriate and

proportionate response.

2. Consider threats from insider as well as outside.

3. Ensure you have an appropriate AUP (acceptable use

policy) in place and that all staff are aware of it and agree it.

4. Adopt supportive technology to monitor and control use

of devices and data…

5. Conduct a security risk assessment - Ensure that this,

and your AUP, also covers the use of removable devices - as

well as Internet and Email use etc.

… (and don’t panic!)


Where can we get help?

Links and Resources

• www.TakewareGatekeeper.co.uk/issues• www.TakewareGatekeeper.co.uk/downloads• www.PodSnaffler.co.uk• www.merit.org.uk• www.security-survey.gov.uk


An Announcement

Gatekeeper AntiTheft for Small businesses

.



Quote

" There is a feeling which persists in England that making a

sandwich interesting, attractive, or in any way pleasant to eat is

something sinful that only foreigners do.” Douglas Adams



Thank you

Please visit the demo during lunch…

Merit Event - Closing the Back Door in Your Systems

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Transcript of Merit Event - Closing the Back Door in Your Systems