Are you ready for emerging threats?

Are you ready for the next wave of cyber attacks? My guess is probably not. How could you if you don't know what's coming?

You see, I have a really bad feeling about the next couple of years, at least as far as the technology field. We will continue to see cyber threats making huge leaps and bounds as malware writers continue to become well funded, organized operations. In the "old" frontier days of spyware, you pretty much only got the really nasty spyware/malware if you went somewhere on the web that you probably shouldn't have in the first place. That's already changing, as we see malware writers are now beginning to target ANY website that they can crack into and place their malware distribution software on. That means that even the knitting blog that your grandmother visits isn't safe anymore. And your uncle's website where he sells fishing lures is now a target, since his website was built three years ago with an e-commerce package that now resembles swiss cheese to a determined malicious hacker. These newer malware packages are also getting smarter about avoiding detection.

I'm not even to the good part yet. Unfortunately Microsoft Windows Vista has been a big flop and proven that it's not really ready for prime time mass adoption. It's unfortunate because it would be a welcome scenario if a larger installed base of users had a more secure operating system and more secure browser. The new Windows Service pack 3 for XP will do some good as far as security goes, but without User Account Control, it still isn't as secure as Vista.

A recent high profile "pwn to own" contest showed us that operating systems are more hardened and less vulnerable than ever before. None of the base operating systems were hacked on the first day. On the second day, hackers were allowed to go after bundled software on the system, such as web browsers. Apple's Safari web browser on the Mac platform was hacked by going to a prepared website where the hacker had prepared an exploit for an unknown vulnerability. The third day the hackers were allowed to go after third party installed software, and the Vista PC was compromised by an exploit with the Adobe Flash player software, a very ubiquitous add on that anyone needs to view most sites on the internet. This showed us that while browsers are still a target, no matter what operating system you are running, common applications running on computers are going to be the next thing that malware writers attack. I know most of you are well trained by now to perform your operating system updates, and web browsers, but are you prepared to keep track of every application that runs on your computer and keep every one up to date? You need to start getting used to doing that now.

So what can the Small Business owner/IT department/Consultant do to prepare yourself for these threats? Enforcing strict user policies and locking down computers so that end users can do the least damage should be high on your list. I know, user will cry and moan, but it must be done. Make no mistake, USERS SHOULD NOT HAVE ADMINISTRATIVE RIGHTS to their local computers. That point is so important, I feel it should be repeated. I repeat, USERS SHOULD NOT HAVE ADMINISTRATIVE RIGHTS to the local computer. More than ever, KEEPING SECURITY SOFTWARE CURRENT is another top priority. Consider ADDING A UTM (Unified Threat Management) device to protect your network, such as the ones made by Astaro. Such a device will allow you to FILTER INTERNET CONTENT, which is a good idea for many reasons, including security.

No matter what steps you take, you can never be 100% secure. But by taking practical steps you can be prepared to face new cyber threats with the confidence that you computer systems are not easy pickings for malware, malicious hackers, or identity thieves.

HP USB Keys: You want malware with that?

Apparently some USB keys that are shipping as an optional add-on for HP Proliant server are including some additional "features" that no user will want. This is REALLY bad news, because it is VERY likely that a sys admin would use this key well before he got to the point of installing any security software on the server. Read more here

No, the Better Business Bureau is not emailing you

Be aware, there's another phishing type email that is gaining momentum. It claims to come from the Better Business Bureau and advises you that there is a dispute involving YOUR business. So what's different about that? This phishing email is customized and actually targets your business by name and address. About 1400 people so far have taken the bait and gotten hit.

So NO, the BBB isn't emailing you so delete that email!

Read more details over at this article at SecurityFocus

More than you wanted to know about Viruses and other threats

Today, threats to your computer and IT systems are more widespread and varied than ever before. The damage can cost time, money and even destruction of your data. Nowadays with identity theft a big danger too, it becomes even more important to protect yourself against there threats. First let's take a look at the different kinds of viruses and threats.

First, let's look at some different types of Viruses and malware that is currently popular. Thanks to Wikipedia for the following descriptions.

Different Kinds of Threats

Virus: A computer virus is a computer program that can copy itself and infect a computer without permission or knowledge of the user. The original may modify the copies or the copies may modify themselves, as occurs in a metamorphic virus. A virus can only spread from one computer to another when its host is taken to the uninfected computer, for instance by a user sending it over a network or carrying it on a removable medium such as a floppy disk, CD, USB drive or by the Internet. Additionally, viruses can spread to other computers by infecting files on a network file system or a file system that is accessed by another computer.

Worm: A computer worm is a self-replicating computer program. It uses a network to send copies of itself to other nodes (computer terminals on the network) and it may do so without any user intervention. Unlike a virus, it does not need to attach itself to an existing program. Worms always harm the network (if only by consuming bandwidth), whereas viruses always infect or corrupt files on a targeted computer.

Spyware & Malware: Spyware is computer software that is installed surreptitiously on a personal computer to intercept or take partial control over the user's interaction with the computer, without the user's informed consent. While the term spyware suggests software that secretly monitors the user's behavior, the functions of spyware extend well beyond simple monitoring. Spyware programs can collect various types of personal information, but can also interfere with user control of the computer in other ways, such as installing additional software, redirecting Web browser activity, or diverting advertising revenue to a third party.

Trojans: A Trojan horse is a program that installs malicious software while under the guise of doing something else. A Trojan horse differs from a virus in that a Trojan horse does not insert its code into other computer files and appears harmless until executed. The term is derived from the classical myth of the Trojan Horse. Trojan horses may appear to be useful or interesting programs (or at the very least harmless) to an unsuspecting user, but are actually harmful when executed. There are two common types of Trojan horses. One is ordinary software that has been corrupted by a hacker. A hacker inserts malicious code into the program that executes while the program is used. Examples include various implementations of weather alerting programs, computer clock setting software, and peer-to-peer file sharing utilities. The other type of Trojan is a standalone program that masquerades as something else, like a game or image file, in order to trick the user into running the program.

How you can protect your Computer & Network

So, now you know a wee bit more about viruses then you ever wanted. What can you do personally and at the company level to protect yourself and your IT systems?

One thing that will go a long way to protecting your PC is to purchase proven security software. My personal recommendation differs from your environment, depending on whether you are a networked office with server, or a small office with 3 computers.

Recommended Products

In a true client/server network, I recommend Trendmicro Client Server Security line of products. They are easy to administer and rock solid. Everything can be done at the server, allowing your IT person to manage updates and deal with discovered threats appropriately. Trendmicro also has a complementary anti-spyware program that works great as well.

In a small network of say 3 computers, you can't beat the value of Panda Internet Security. For around 60 bucks, you get complete protection for up to 3 computers. Got an old Windows 98 computer? No problem, as Panda is one of the few vendors that their current generation of Anti-virus supports it. Even the client is very lean, it doesn't drastically affect the performance on a tired old Windows 98 box.

If you're a home user, there is a good Anti-virus product that's free for home use. It's called Avast! It's free for personal use at your home(not free for business use). So there's no excuse to go without Security software.

Safe Computing

Stay one step ahead of spyware. Be careful what websites you visit. The less mainstream the websites, the greater the risk of getting spyware or a Trojan. Beware of contest websites, especially the ones that pop up in browser advertisements. "Warez" (illegally copied software) websites that promise to allow you to download all the latest software for free are havens for crooks who use them to distribute malicious software in an effort to steal your identity. Many "Adult" sites are also dangerous for you to visit, since they can expose your computer to the same threats of spyware and Trojans.

Very often when someone needs me to remove spyware, malware of a trojan from their system, it means that they've accidentally been sent to an adult website or a page full of advertising. Now they start to get pop-ups and before they know it they can't close all the windows without clicking on something that will actually install a malicious piece of spyware. The answer? If that happens to you, do the following. Don't try to close the Internet Explorer windows the regular way. Instead, press Ctrl-Alt-Del and bring up the task manager. From there, click on the processes tab, select every instance of "iexplore.exe" one by one and click on End Process. This way you will avoid accidentally clicking on a window that is just waiting to install something malicious.

Beware of suspicious attachments! If you don't know who it's from, don't open it! And especially be wary of any files that end in .pif, .exe, .bat, .com & .js.

Having good security software, being informed and staying safe will go along way to helping you stay virus free.