RiskPundit

Koobface launches new Christmas message attack on Facebook

Symantec's Hon Lau, senior security response manager, is reporting that the Koobface worm/botnet began a new attack using fake Christmas messages to lure Facebook users to download the Koobface malware.

This again shows the flexibility of the command and control function of the Koobface botnet. I previously wrote about Koobface creating new Facebook accounts to lure users to fake Facebook (or YouTube) pages.

These Facebook malware issues are a serious security risk for enterprises. While simply blocking Facebook altogether may seem like the right policy, it may not be for two reasons: 1) No access to Facebook could become a morale problem for a segment of your employees, and 2) Employees may be using Facebook to engage customers in sales/marketing activities.

Network security technology must be able to detect Facebook usage and block threats while allowing productive activity.

OWASP Top Ten 2010 Release Candidate 1 available for review

The OWASP Top Ten 2010 Release Candidate 1 is now available for review. Security Ninja has comprehensive summary of the vulnerability list and excellent comments.

OWASP is far and away the most comprehensive information source for secure web application development guidance. And it's free!!

Koobface botnet creates fake Facebook accounts to lure you to fake Facebook or YouTube page

TrendMicro's Malware Blog posted information about a new method of luring Facebook users to a fake Facebook or Youtube page to infect the user with the Koobface malware agent. 

The Koobface botnet has pushed out a new component that automates the following routines:

• Registering a Facebook account
• Confirming an email address in Gmail to activate the registered Facebook account
• Joining random Facebook groups
• Adding Facebook friends
• Posting messages to Facebook friends’ walls

Overall, this new component behaves like a regular Internet user that starts to connect with friends in Facebook. All Facebook accounts registered by this component are comparable to a regular account made by a human. 

Here is yet another example of the risks associated with allowing Facebook to be used within the enterprise. However simply blocking Facebook may not be an option either because (1) it's demotivating to young employees used to accessing Facebook, or (2) it's a good marketing/sales tool you want to take advantage of.

Your network security solution, for example a next generation firewall, must enable you to implement fine grained policy control and threat prevention for social network sites like Facebook.

The new insider threat - lifestyle hackers

CSO Online published an article yesterday called Lifestyle Hackers. It simply points out that younger employees who are very active with Web 2.0 applications like Facebook and peer-to-peer, like to use these applications while at work in the name of productivity enhancement.

The use of these Web 2.0 applications by insiders increases the risk of security breaches. In most cases, these breaches are not malicious, rather inadvertent, but nevertheless damaging. 

It's a well written article but not news. I have written about the increased IT Security risk due to Web 2.0 applications several times:

Social Networking's Promise and Peril

Block Facebook?

Empirical evidence show that the top cyber security risks are related to Web 2.0

How to leverage Facebook and minimize risk 

Two more high profile Web 2.0 exploits - NY Times, RBS Worldpay

If Web 2.0, then IT Security 2.0

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Social Networking's Promise and Peril

NetworkWorld has an interesting article today on the perils of social networking. The article focuses on the risk of employees transmitting confidential data. However, it's actually worse than that. There are also risks of malware infection via spam and other social engineering tactics. Twitter is notorious for its lax security. See my post, Twitter is Dead.

Blocking social networks completely is not the answer just as disconnecting from the Internet was not the answer in the 90's. Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, among others can be powerful marketing and sales tools.

The answer is "IT Security 2.0" tools that can monitor these and hundreds of other web 2.0 applications to block incoming malware and outgoing confidential documents.

IBM CIO study ranks Risk Management and Compliance #3 of 10 CIO visionary plans

On September 10th, IBM released the results of a global study (registration required) they conducted of 2,500 CIO's from around the world. Of the ten top "visionary plans," these CIO's ranked Risk Management and Compliance third. Business Intelligence and Analytics was first followed by Virtualization. Also, I found it significant that Customer and Partner Collaboration came in fourth.

Unfortunately, the report did not divulge details of the methodology used beyond saying that over 2,500 CIO's were interviewed. If one grants that IBM is an able marketing organization, it genuinely wants to understand the priorities of CIO's so it can respond with the right services to increase its revenue. Therefore these priorities do represent what CIOs are thinking.

A more cynical opinion would be that this study is simply a marketing tool of IBM Global Services. In this case, IBM Global Services is advising CIOs that Risk Management and Compliance should be their third highest priority. Either way, this report highlights the importance of Risk Management and Compliance.

Looking at the study as a whole, it correlates the use of information technology to drive innovation with higher corporate profits. (Reminder - correlation and causation are not the same thing.)  In addition, information technology creates new risks which must be understood and mitigated.

Perhaps I am writing this because it supports my previously stated position that risk management enables innovation, e.g. Web 2.0 creates new risks which if not mitigated completely outweigh the value.

Cloud-based Data Leak Detection complements Data Leak Prevention - Monitoring P2P Networks

Can you imagine your Data Leak Prevention system not being perfect? Is there value in a service that scans P2P networks looking for leaked data that eluded your Data Leak Prevention (DLP) controls?

Tiversa offers such a service. In an example of the value of their service, according to a Washington Post article, they claim that "the personal data of tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers - including those in the Special Forces - continue to be downloaded to unauthorized computer users in countries such as China and Pakistan..."

On a separate, but possibly related note, there was an Ars Technica article last last week on a bill working its way through Congress called the "Informed P2P User Act." From the Ars Technica article:

"First, it requires P2P software vendors to provide "clear and conspicuous" notice about the files being shared by the software and then obtain user consent for sharing them. Second, it prohibits P2P programs from being exceptionally sneaky; surreptitious installs are forbidden, and the software cannot prevent users from removing it."

It's clear that P2P represents risks that can be reduced by both technical and legal means.

Block Facebook?

I just received an email advertisement from a "Web 2.0 security" vendor recommending that I use its product to block the evil Facebook. This is rather heavy handed.

Sales and marketing people want to use Facebook to reach prospects and interact with customers.
Sure there are issues with Facebook, but an all-or-nothing solution does not make sense. A more granular approach is much better. I discussed this issue recently in a post entitled, How to leverage Facebook and minimize risk.

Empirical evidence shows that the top cyber security risks are related to Web 2.0

Every consultant and vendor has a theory about the top cyber security risks. But what's really going on? SANS has the answer. Last week they released their analysis of threat and vulnerability data collected from 6,000 organizations and 9 million systems during the period from March 2009 to August 2009.

SANS says that two threat types dominate the analysis, both of which are tied to Web 2.0:

• Threats associated with people using Web 2.0 applications, i.e. their workstations' vulnerabilities that are not patched and are exploited when they visit web sites.

My take: While the hype around NAC has definitely waned, the importance of comprehensive and continuous end point discovery, vulnerability analysis, configuration compliance checking, and patching at the application level as well as the operating system level is increasing.

• Organizations' Internet-facing web sites remain vulnerable to threats like SQL Injection and Cross-Site Scripting.

My take: It's clear that using a rigorous Software Development Life Cycle process is just not getting the job done. Web application firewalls are a must have.

How to leverage Facebook and minimize risk

Marketing and Sales teams can benefit from using Web 2.0 social networks like Facebook to reach new customers and get customer feedback. It's about conversations rather broadcasting. So simply denying the use of Facebook due to security risks and time wasting applications is not a good option, much as in the 90's denying access to the Internet due to security risks was not feasible.

IT Security 2.0 requires finer grained monitoring and control of social networks like Facebook as follows:

1. Restrict access to Facebook to only those people in sales and marketing who legitimately need access.
2. Facebook is not a single monolithic application. It's actually a platform or an environment with many functions and many applications, some of which are pure entertainment and thus might be considered business time wasters. Create policies that restrict usage of Facebook to only those functions that are relevant to business value.
3. Monitor the Facebook stream to detect and block incoming malware and outgoing confidential information.

Palo Alto Networks, which provides an "Application/User/Content aware" firewall (is that a mouthful?), appears to be able to provide such capabilities. Perhaps we might call it a Web 2.0 network firewall.

Is anyone aware of another firewall that can provide similar functionality?