Prepare and Prevent Ransomware Attacks

cryptolockerThis week we will be focusing on preventing, detecting, and recovering from the many variants of the crypto-ransomware exploit.  Ransomware attacks, such as CryptoLocker, CyrptoWall, Locky, Chimera, Zepto, and the like, have become one of the best money-making exploits for cyber-criminals, with new variants appearing on the scene every month.  These attacks usually start with a phishing email and a ZIP file attachment or a malicious link, so email vigilance can help. ...

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10 Ways To Drive A Cybersecurity Geek Crazy

crazyActually there are way more than ten ways, but here are some I see all the time.  We can play this like a game, so go ahead and give yourself a point for each one of these that apply to you.  This game scores like golf – low score wins.

  1. Weak, Guessable Passwords – short and simple passwords may be easy for you to remember, but they make an attacker’s job simpler ...
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Why Would You Hire A Hacker?

CEH-logoShould you hire a hacker?  Recently, the US Department of Defense did just that in their “Hack the Pentagon” event this spring.  This event resulted in the discovery of over 200 vulnerabilities that have been remediated, making our Defense network more secure.

The hackers we are recommending would be Certified Ethical Hackers (CEH) or Offensive Security Certified Professionals (OSCP).  These are professional cybersecurity practitioners who have received the specialized training ...

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20 Questions For Preparing An IT Risk Assessment

risk-assessment-managementMany small businesses are being dragged into the arena of IT risk assessment by larger client companies, suppliers, or regulators.  Common scenarios include credit card (PCI) or HIPAA compliance.  Since the Target breach, smaller vendors and supplier companies who have a network connection into the IT operations of a larger company are being required to undergo the same sort of vulnerability and risk assessment ...

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HTTPoxy Poses New Threats For Web Site Owners

A recent article in Naked Security caught my eye the other day about a new web site vulnerability called HTTPoxy.  This stands for HTTP requests and poisoned proxy settings.  Most web site use a technology called Common Gateway Interface (CGI) to run applications such as site search, collect information submitted on web forms, display comments, run a forum, or to display database queries such as pricing in a usable form on a web page.

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Happy SysAdmin Day 2016

sysadmin-dayToday is the 17th anniversary of the first SysAdmin Day.  If you know a SysAdmin, who would be the person you call when your computer is on the fritz, today is the day to buy them a Hallmark card, New Egg gift card, Star Wars poster or paraphernalia, or a Raspberry Pi.  I am sure the electronic or the edible variety would both be enthusiastically received.

So give your computer ...

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Using Your Phone For Video Surveillance

smartphone-videoI discovered a while ago that my LG smart phone can be used fairly easily to make a surreptitious video of a meeting simply by turning on the video camera and slipping the phone into a shirt pocket.  The camera lens clears the edge of the pocket nicely, and there is no indication, at least on my phone, the the camera is rolling.  This is a great way to keep a record ...

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Cybersecurity – Where Are We?

cybersecurity_436x270Sometimes in the maelstrom of cybersecurity battles, it is helpful to step back and see where we came from, where we are, and where we are going.  This year, in addition to studying for and passing the CISSP exam, I have been to a bunch of security conferences.  I’ve been to MISC.conf, Secure360, B-Sides, and the Tech Security Conference.  Here are some highlights and ...

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Setting Up TFA Without Authenticator

tfaMaybe you like the idea of two-factor authentication, but the Google Authenticator smartphone app seems too cumbersome.  Or maybe you are not a smartphone owner, because you don’t like the idea of a phone that can track your location to within a few feet, and keeps sharing all your personal data with the apps on your phone.  So you own a flip phone ...

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Removing TFA from an Account in Authenticator

google-authenticatorGoogle Authenticator is my favorite go-to app for setting up two-factor authentication.  But what if you want to remove an account from Google Authenticator?

I set up two-factor authentication for Facebook and the Authenticator app did not work.  So I tried again, and ended up with two accounts on the Authenticator list, neither of which worked.  This pushed other working accounts down far enough ...

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