Check out Episode 9 of the State of Security Podcast, just released!
This episode runs around an hour and features a very personal interview with me in the hot seat and the mic under control of @AdamJLuck. We cover topics like security history, my career, what I think is on the horizon, what my greatest successes and failures have been. He even digs into what I do every day to keep going. Let me know what you think, and as always, thanks for listening!
In case you weren’t able to catch up on the news last week, I’ve published some of the top Information Security stories that were identified by TigerTrax.
Have a great week!
—Adam
Just a heads up that the next CMHSecLunch is scheduled for Monday, November 9th at Tuttle Mall food court.
As always, the games begin at 11:30am and continue to around 1pm. Admission is FREE and everyone is welcome. Bring a friend!
Come by, hang out, have some food and great conversation. Talk about the threats and issues your team is facing and hear what others in the community have to say on the topic. It’s like hallway conversations at security conferences, without the travel, con-flu and noise.
Check it out and see you there!
Want to easily build out a scalable, customizable, easily managed, distributed honey pot sensor array? You can do it in less than a couple of hours with our HoneyPoint Security Server platform.
This enterprise ready, mature & dependable solution has been in use around the world since 2006. For more than a decade, customers have been leveraging it to deceive, detect and respond to attackers in and around their networks. With “fake” implementations at the system, application, user and document levels, it is one the most capable tool sets on the market. Running across multiple operating systems (Linux/Windows/OS X), and scattered throughout network and cloud environments, it provides incredible visibility not available anywhere else.
The centralized Console is designed for safe, effective, efficient and easy management of the data provided by the sensors. The Console also features simple integration with ticketing systems, SEIM and other data analytics/management tools.
If you’d like to take it for a spin in our cloud environment, or check out our localized, basic Personal Edition, give us a call, or drop us a line via info (at) microsolved (dot) com. Thanks for reading!
Just a reminder that MSI testing labs are seeing a LOT more usage lately. If you haven’t heard about some of the work we do in the labs, check it out here.
One of the ways that new clients are leveraging the labs is to have us mock up changes to their environments or new applications in HoneyPoint and publish them out to the web. We then monitor those fake implementations and measure the ways that attackers, malware and Internet background radiation interacts with them.
The clients use these insights to identify areas to focus on in their security testing, risk management and monitoring. A few clients have even done A/B testing using this approach, looking for the differences in risk and threat exposures via different options for deployment or development.
Let us know if you would like to discuss such an approach. The labs are a quickly growing and very powerful part of the many services and capabilities that we offer our clients around the world!
If you haven’t heard about our MachineTruth™ offering yet, check it out here. It is a fantastic way for organizations to perform offline asset discovery, network mapping and architecture reviews. We also are using it heavily in our work with ICS/SCADA organizations to segment/enclave their networks.
Recently, one of our clients approached us with some ideas about using MachineTruth to PROVE that they had segmented their network. They wanted to reduce the impacts of several pieces of compliance regulation (CIP/PCI/etc.) and be able to prove that they had successfully implemented segmentation to their auditors.
The project is moving forward and we have discussed this use case with several other organizations to date. If you would like to talk with us about it, and learn more about MachineTruth and our new bleeding edge capabilities, give us a call at 614-351-1237 or drop us a line via info <at> microsolved <dot> com.
Remember: #CMHSecLunch is tomorrow. 11:30, Polaris.
Come out and hang with some of your friends. This free form event is open to the public and often includes hacking stuff, lock picking, deep technical discussions, projects, etc.
Check it out at the link below & bring a friend!
http://cmhseclunch.eventbrite.com
Real computer information security is highly dependent on the awareness and concern of individual computer device users. But people don’t view the security of their computers, pads and smart phones the same way they view the security of their cars, or houses or kids. On the whole, we are apathetic about the subject.
I have often tried to figure out why this is true, and I’ve heard several reasons such as: “Computers and technology are just too complicated and technical. I feel inadequate to the task.” Or “I have too many things to worry about already. I don’t need anything else to take a bite out of my quality time.” Or “So what if I get hacked!? The worst that can happen is that I’ll be embarrassed a bit or lose some of my money – I’ll still have my health, my family and my life!” Of all these mistaken ideas I think the last one is the most dangerous; not believing that anything really bad will happen to me and mine because of a hack.
For years my compatriots and I have discussed the idea that what will truly shock society awake is a hacking incident so severe that nobody can just ignore the subject anymore; a kind of cyber-Pearl Harbor. But none of us actually want to see “the big one” occur. We are hoping that smaller but still significant incidents will get the ball rolling.
The Ashley Madison hack is a small step in this direction that I hope people will embrace and learn from, because the consequences of this hack are a cut above what has been experienced by the everyday user in the past. Think of the marital unrest this has caused – think of the divorces, the tears, the kids that no longer feel safe and secure. Then there are the legal entanglements and lost jobs (both present and future) to consider. Awful!
But the biggest consequence of all is the loss of human life that has (and will in my opinion) come about because of this exposure. There have been a number of suicides already that are directly attributable to the Ashley Madison debacle, and I would be amazed if there weren’t some murders to accompany them as well. Is it worth human lives to be apathetic and unaware!? Let’s hope that folks decide it isn’t and take steps to protect themselves.
Just a quick post today to point to 3 things infosec pros should be watching from the last few days. While there will be a lot of news coming out of Derbycon, keep your eyes on these issues too:
1. Chinese PLA Hacking Unit with a SE Asia Focus Emerges – This is an excellent article about a new focused hacking unit that has emerged from shared threat intelligence.
2. Free Tool to Hunt Down SYNful Knock – If you aren’t aware of the issues in Cisco Routers, check out the SYNful Knock details here. This has already been widely observed in the wild.
3. Microsoft Revokes Leaked D-Link Certs – This is what happens when certificates get leaked into the public. Very dangerous situation, since it could allow signing of malicious code/firmware, etc.
Happy reading!
MSI seems to be growing every day. As we bring on new staff, we are working hard to make sure that we maintain our existing corporate culture. It can be difficult to identify whether or not an individual has the necessary traits to be a successful employee. However, it’s important to think of the hiring process as an opportunity rather than a challenge.
The first thing I look for in a new employee is curiosity. To me, this is far more important than intelligence. An employee can always learn about how to support a specific system or perform a process. I think it’s much more important to find an individual that wants to understand WHY we use a specific process or HOW a system works. This is a trait that can’t be taught.
The next thing I look for is the ability to adapt. The Information Technology field changes rapidly. The latest and greatest piece of technology seems to be obsolete soon after it is published. It’s worthwhile to identify an individual that can handle these changes well.
IT professionals typically have to wear many hats. In my short career, I’ve served as an Information Security Officer, Help Desk Manager, Systems Administrator, Penetration Tester, Security Consultant, Infrastructure Manager, Intelligence Engineer and Pre-Sales Engineer. Typically those roles weren’t assigned until after I accepted a position. Due to the frequent shift in responsibilities, an IT professional must be flexible.
You may be wondering how you can spot these traits in an during an interview or by viewing the individual’s resume and LinkedIn profile. To discover a potential employee that is curious, look to see if they list diverse interests. If you’re attempting to identify an employee who has the ability to adapt to changes and remain flexible, look and see if they’ve supported a wide variety of systems and processes during their career.
Finally, it’s important to consider whether or not you enjoy spending time with this person. In some cases, you’ll spend more time with them than your own family. You could discover an employee with all the right traits and skills but will be in a difficult situation if your personalities clash. In short, take some extra time to look past someone’s employment history and discover whether or not they have the skills that can’t be taught.