So you thought you were safe on a Mac? LOL

Apple SSL Vulnerability Affects OSX Too  - ThreatPost


Being an avid Apple user, I have had to crush the dreams of several other Apple fans when it comes to the security of their beloved operating system.  I switched from using a Windows based PC to an Apple  full-time shortly after being subjected to Vista.  Though I had never owned an Apple of my own until that point, my husband and several friends have always preferred their computers over mine, boasting about how secure they were and how vulnerable I was.  No matter who would make the comment, I would let them know that they were never any more secure than I was, and in fact could be more vulnerable.

Mac's operating system was not built more secure than Window's OS, there is no magic code that Apple has implemented that has made their OS insusceptible or invisible to hackers.  Less people used Macs.  More importantly to hackers, less BIG business money makers used Macs.  If a hacker was looking to threaten a massive audience, or to steal valuable information, then the amount of time they spent searching for a vulnerability and then implementing a strategy had better be a sure bet.  And with most of the world running on the Window's OS, this is their market!  At least it was...

And it was this lack of a customer base using Apple's OS that gave users the facade that they were "safer" than their PC counterparts.

Now, the story of the century!  Oh my goodness, the impenetrable Apple OS has a security vulnerability!  I can't believe Apple would do this to US, it's beloved users!

How shocked would we be if Windows announced a security vulnerability was discovered?
Don't even get me started on the updates and patches to Windows that go almost unnoticed...almost.

Oh, COME ON!  Give me a BREAK!  Just one day before, Google released an update for Chrome to fix several high-level vulnerabilities:

Google Fixes 28 Security Flaws In Chrome 33 - ThreatPost

So a high-level security vulnerability has been discovered in Apple's OS, and we know this NOT because of any malicious attack or attempt, but because Apple has released an update to iOS to fix this issue and is creating a fix for OSX.  And to that affect, I say thanks to Apple for releasing an update before  a hacker discovered the vulnerability!

NTP Reflected DDoS

Definition of common terms used throughout the article are always the best place to start.  The two most important definitions to be able to understand this article in its entirety are that of NTP and DDoS.  NTP (Network Time Protocol) is a networking protocol that is shared among computer systems and data networks that provides time information synchronization among them.  The next definition, DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) is a type of computer system and network exploitation “attack” where a malicious party attempts to flood a computer or network’s bandwidth in an attempt to render it unable to communicate.  The following article will be an attempt to educate and inform the readers of a rapidly growing and popular method of malicious attacks that can easily go un-noticed by the often times unaware offending party.

THREAT

     The recent rate at which these attacks are becoming more commonplace is alarming.  I have personal experience with these types of attacks and the needed steps to mitigate these types of threats.  The attack starts by a malicious party or parties deciding upon the target they would like to “attack”.  Once the target has been identified and their IP address obtained, the attacker(s) generate very large amounts of small 8-byte UDP “monlist query” packets that are sent to vulnerable or open NTP servers.  When these requests are sent to the NTP servers they are sent as spoofed sessions with a return IP address of the “target” the attacker(s) are intending to take down.  When the NTP server receives these requests it replies to each of the 8-byte “requests” with 400-byte “replies”.  As can be deduced from this math, as the number of 8-byte requests grows, so does the 400-byte replies by a 50:1 ratio.  The attacker(s) could for instance send 1 GB of traffic and the NTP servers return 50 GB of replies.

SOLUTIONS

     The NTP protocol uses UDP (User Datagram Protocol) port 123 as its destination port.  From the research that I have done the recommended plan to limit the impact and vulnerabilities of this type of attack is to update all NTP servers to a version of NTP which removes the “monlist” command, typically version 4.2.7 or later.  However, often times upgrading code is not an option immediately and the simplest solution is to block all traffic to a destination host with a UDP destination port of 123 for any source traffic.  For those hosts that NTP cannot be completely disabled for, there are other methods of limiting the traffic to specific trusted hosts that need NTP using Access Control Lists and authentication methods.  Also, there are restrictions that can be placed in the NTP server configuration file that will stop it from replying to NTP queries.

References:

http://www.ntp.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_Time_Protocol

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denial-of-service_attack#Distributed_attack

https://www.team-cymru.org/ReadingRoom/Templates/secure-ntp-template.html

https://cert.litnet.lt/en/docs/ntp-distributed-reflection-dos-attacks

https://isc.sans.org/forums/diary/NTP+reflection+attack/17300

http://www.symantec.com/connect/blogs/hackers-spend-christmas-break-launching-large-scale-ntp-reflection-attacks

Steps to Protect!

Web Application threats are becoming more and more of an issue for businesses and individuals. Luckily, there are many steps to stay protected and to prevent threats in the future.

Steps to protect/prevent threats within a business

Employee Training

Having the most secure networks and technology can be useless if employees do not understand their responsibilities in protecting the company’s resources. Not all employees will be tech savy, or up- to- date on the latest online safety procedures. It is the employers’ job to train employees on understanding the policies and practices that must be followed regarding online safety. Keeping files backed up, carefully scanning emails, and following rules on downloading and installing programs, can reduce the amount of vulnerabilities in your network, but only if employees are frequently trained on how to do so.

Protecting the Network

The primary tool for communication for a company is through email, which is also a primary way for a threat. Daily, many employee email accounts are flooded with fraudulent emails containing spam, and viruses, which may sometimes end up in the inbox instead of the spam folder. Compromising a company’s web address, and re-directing consumers to a different website is a way to hijack consumer information. These type of attacks are known as phishing. To reduce phishing, monitor returned emails, and consumer complaints pertaining to logins, passwords, and changes. Frequently search for websites that may have similar spelling to yours, also, search for the usage of your company’s logo.   

Steps to protect/prevent threats at home

Strong Passwords

I’m sure you’re thinking, “My password is strong enough, no one knows my birthday!”, but actually you may be wrong. Cracking passwords is a common security threat among attackers. A strong password does not only consist of numbers, but also symbols and a combination of upper and lowercase letters. Having a variety of passwords may be beneficial just in case one of your passwords becomes compromised.

Anti-Virus, Firewalls, and Anti-Malware

Viruses and malware can spread in many ways including through downloads, pop-ups, email attachments, links, and even over networks. It is very important to keep an anti-virus and anti-malware running on your computer to ensure protection. There are many times where you may accidentally click on a pop-up while trying to close it, and if that protection isn’t running on your computer to fight off the attack, it could cause major damages. If you are not sure what type of anti-virus/anti-malware to use, there are many free trials available on cnet.com.  Popular anti-virus software such as McAfee, Norton, and Avast are a few that you can “try before you buy”. Firewalls on the other hand are already installed on your desktop or laptop computers. Enabling your firewall protects your computer from network attacks and threats. If you are a mobile browser such as myself, these software are available for installation, simply by visiting your mobile’s application market.

Updates

Using updated software, plugins, and web browsers are critical to stay protected. By changing user settings to “automatically update”, that will ensure your software is always up-to-date. Often after an update, the software may prompt you to reboot the computer so that changes may be applied. Without properly updating software, plugins, and browsers, that may open up a window for an attack.

Tips

From a business and individual standpoint, it is important to stay educated. Always pay attention to the news regarding internet safety and changes. Don’t be afraid to share tips with family and friends. Browse and download safely from the websites and applications that you trust. Having control over your online safety is the way to keep YOUR privacy private.


References:
http://www.staysafeonline.org/business-safe-online/monitor-threats/
http://www.staysafeonline.org/business-safe-online/protect-your-customers/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jameslyne/2013/10/22/computer-virus-spreading-that-means-you-never-get-to-see-your-files-again/
http://download.cnet.com/windows/antivirus-software/

Defining Web Application Security

As web applications are becoming increasingly more complex and dynamic, so are the

malicious actions taken on them. The security of a web application or service is vital to maintain

proper function of the application, protect the users of the application, and protect the data

transferred through or stored by the web application. Every application has vulnerabilities, and

being able to detect them and protect against threats is the first step in protecting information

through web application security.


In an effort to raise awareness of threats to software, and to enhance the security of

applications, the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) started the OWASP Top Ten 

Project that “represents a broad consensus about what the most critical web application security

flaws are”. This project details the most common risks to applications, educating others on how

to identify security vulnerabilities and steps to prevent, or mitigate, threats to web applications

and software. As of 2013, OWASP has identified the following as the top 10 web application

security risks:

     1. Injection

     2. Broken Authentication and Session Management

     3. Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)

     4. Insecure Direct Object References

     5. Security Misconfiguration

     6. Sensitive Data Exposure

     7. Missing Function Level Access Control

     8. Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)

     9. Using Components with Known Vulnerabilities

     10. Unvalidated Redirects and Forwards


This list does not include all of the risks to web applications, and not all of these risks pertain to

individual applications.


The purpose of this blog is to provide knowledge and understanding of the web application

security standards today. Follow us as we answer the questions relevant to securing

information on the world wide web:

     • What is a threat?

     • How do you detect breaks in the security of a web application/service?

     • What steps can be take to protect information?


Knowing the web application, and knowing the users, will help identify relevant risks. The most

powerful tool in securing an application is to continuously improve the security.

NBC: All Visitors to Sochi Olympics Immediately Hacked

What can we do to secure our wireless devices and our data from hackers?

In an increasingly digitally wireless, always connected world, it is almost certain that you will have a mobile device connected to a network that you have no control over.
From Starbucks to universities, grocery stores, shopping malls, book stores, hotels, conference centers...networks are everywhere and ready for you to connect.
What data is on that device? Personal information, family member's addresses, your children's pictures and birth dates, their school information, banking information, calendars and schedules...
All this information could be used to impersonate you, track you, know when you will be at work or soccer practice, and how often you download music from iTunes and pay your mortgage, or when your paycheck is deposited.