Experts have said it again and again and history has shown us that money is the root of all evil and so it goes the same for the development and eventual spread of more sophisticated malware intended for the ever growing mobile computing environment. Current malware is simple yet experts are warning users and other experts alike that it would only be time before some hacker develops a more robust and discreet form of malware that would circumvent standard virus scanners. As we have seen and read in news articles, these viruses, Trojans and other forms of malware are evolving so fast that removal and detection experts are finding it very hard to get one step ahead of them. In the time it takes to read this post, about 35 or so new types of malware would have been released into the wild to infect any of the millions of unprotected systems over the internet. The problem has gone into the pandemic stage that no system is safe for long. The soonest a new and more robust intrusion prevention and security system is in place, several new vulnerabilities in the computer systems we use are found and immediately exploited by hackers and their minion.
Economics or the promise of earning a buck from such malware creation and spreading is the major motivation for hackers. Say you get into the cell phone of your favorite Celebrity and get hold of private pictures, or get hold of a confidential report which lists the amount of funds along with the corresponding account information and much more information that one can sell quite profitably over the internet.
The Internet? Broken?!!? Naaahhh!!!
The internet has evolved into an uncontrollable organism or entity that no one can control. The wide scope and the millions of interconnected computers that make it up are all part of the system which makes it possible. Most IT experts that the internet is in need of an overhaul but the huge cost of making it better and removing all the problems that have been answered, that gave birth to several more problems is proving to be so hard to stop they defer it to the next time they get to it. There is much to be done with the internet, such as the establishment and replacement of ageing fiber optic networks that have failed before. Better equipment such as routers, switches and the implementation of back-up data transmission systems which would make it fail-proof would be a nice idea. Vulnerabilities which hackers capitalize on could be patched and repaired leaving less room for attacks. DOS attacks wherein data hubs are overloaded
True to this, most of the equipment in use by the internet has been gradually replaced with better and newer hardware but very vital links which cannot be turned off or hot swapped are prone to fail at a time or another. The failure of just one major link in the chain of inter-linked fiber networks can impact millions of users causing delays in internet use, millions of dollars of lost revenue for Internet based firms and other more sinister effects which could result in world turmoil. Imagine the network system of a small country which bought nuclear weapons off the black market can have these nukes launched beginning the end of all human life on earth. Banks which now use the internet for their transactional data transmission would have back-logged processing causing delays in millions of customer’s transactions.
The internet is indeed in need of a major overhaul yet the burden of cost and disruption is to prohibitive of such a move. It may happen sometime soon but with the current financial market crisis which is currently sweeping the globe, not in the too near future.
Financial Institutions – Prime Phishing Targets
Banks and other financial institutions are the most attacked institutions in the world which accounts for millions in losses according to RSA, one of the IT Industry’s leading security firms. The rise has been foreseen and predicted for many years yet banks are simply not taking it too seriously. Phishing involves the leeching of client information from bank networks for use in scams and fraud. This type of attack sits next to identity fraud and credit card fraud as the most expensive financial loss generators for the banking industry. The phishing attacks target mostly US based firms with the UK ranking second. Many countries are following as targets for phishing by hackers who aim to use the information they obtain for personal gains.
The banking industry is considered to be one of the most secure and IT dependent industries in the world but the diversity and sheer number of attacks is taking its toll on their systems prompting them to take notice. Credit Card fraud alone accounts for billions in losses worldwide that is suffered by financial institutions adding to that the newer types of attacks making it an IT Security Managers worst nightmare. In Europe, Germany is hailed to be the financial hub in the region yet it has managed to repel attacks which isn’t the same with it’s other neighboring countries. More strict legislation might be needed to deter criminals who now opt to use computers rather than a gun which is safer and involves less effort.
The Credit card Fraud problem is being addressed by the implementation of PCI DSS which is to secure and prevent hackers from getting card customer information while it is in transit over the network. The attacks now focus on more public domain which is the internet through social networks which is where most phishing attacks usually occur.
Wireless Networks – Still Bugging IT Managers
The advent of cheap wireless technology such as routers for as little as 50 Pounds has made the wireless revolution a true headache to IT managers from all over. Suddenly, the once secure office database and programs is open to all types of vulnerabilities from viruses to hackers getting stuff off the company’s servers selling or using it for profit. Securing the wireless network is proving to be harder than wired ones for the de-centralization of data once contained within corporate firewalls became mobile through WiFi enabled laptops and other digital devices.
Securing the entire WiFi network is out of the question due to the dynamic structure of such networks. Even the internet has been so hard to police that companies nowadays rely on end-point intrusion prevention methods using software and hardware that are pre-loaded with security systems. This would be the best option for the internet is a very dangerous place which no amount of security software can secure. Even with super-computers the task would be difficult due to the millions of computers that are interconnected forming the internet.
For corporate security it is also vital to have proper education for employees regarding the risks of unauthorized WiFi connections from within the company. Security engineers should also be aware of the risks and goals of the measures they are implementing so as to avoid holes in the security net they are putting in place. If possible invest in education seminars regarding real life scenarios which can raise awareness. Also allow employees to voluntarily declare personal devices which they bring into the office. This avoids the unauthorized occasional iPhone from popping up in your network scans. Regularly check for malware which may have gone through the security net which is already in place and keep all security software up to date.
MTV Networks Employee Information Exposed to WEB
Viacom, the company that owns MTV has confirmed the fact that there was indeed a leakage of information from their system that has resulted in personal information such as Social Security numbers, Birth dates and other employment related data. They confirmed the fact that the said information was taken from an employee workstation which may have been infected by malware that sent the said information to the outside without the management knowing about it. These types of problems are now becoming more common as people go on the web and as this case shows, the workstation in question was said to have entered a social networking site through which may have been the path the malware took. The said information was contained in password protected files and the company has said that it has launched an internal investigation as to why the employee in question may have been able to access the said site from the office workstation.
Information leakage such as this case is now so common that they happen even without anybody knowing about it. Even with installed security and intrusion prevention systems, programs that piggy-back onto legal programs have found and exploited ways to circumvent them exposing themselves to protection systems as legitimate programs. Social networks have been targeted as with the problems with Goggle’s Orkut, Myspace and the many other social networking sites which have fallen to hackers who use them as launch/propagation platforms to unload their payloads of Trojans, key-loggers and many other forms malicious code.
The Web transforming into the social network may be the best thing that has happened to many but it remains to be a thorn in IT Security People from all over. Many have fallen victim to such instances that have resulted in credit card fraud and full-blown identity theft cases which are a real-world issue everybody has take notice of. The threat is real and we must all make it a point to do our best. Install the proper intrusion prevention systems and establish systems usage security protocol which will minimize exposure to such threats which are sure to invade more of our daily lives as we go on living a second life in the internet of today, the Social net.
GMail Password Malware Found By User
As if we haven’t gotten enough warning about free stuff of the web, here’s a classic case of such malware found by an unsuspecting programmer who just happened to casually do a de-compilation of a popular utility used on Google Mail that allows archiving of all your email. As the story goes, A programmer was on the hunt for a way to back-up his email from GMail which he submitted a request to CodingHorror.com for such a utility from fellow programmers. He was referred to a commercial program called G-Archiver which was distributed by an American firm Mate Media. As all freeware usually do (which is not as much as their advertising says) it disappoints him quite to the extent that he decides to reverse engineer(in the fashion of true hacking) the said utility only to find the email address and passowrd of the program’s creator within the code that raised red flags as to the reason behind the said suspicious details. As it turns out, the said program was sending private data with respect to the users who have downloaded and used the said utility to archive their Gmail accounts.
The program contained the said information (email address and password) of the programmer so the said utility can send information to him without the users knowing about it from any platform and location it may have been used.
Most of the sites which offered the program for download have removed them from their software offerings and the authors at ZDnet Asia where this was first reported have not been able to get a reply from the firm which distributes the said utility as to an explanation to the said event. This is a classic case of complacency wherein people rely on big names for their needs sometimes even sacrificing common sense in the process as sad as it may seem. The reluctance of the developers to reply to the said allegations. The programmer took the email address and the pasword using it to log-on to Gmail where he finds 1,777 email from all the people who have used the software including their passowrds and other vital information. So, be wary of free and sometimes harmless stuff, they are the ones who can do most harm.