Threats and Vulnerabilities CYBR650 Week 3

These past three weeks have been quite interesting and frankly, almost frightening, as we delve more into threats and vulnerabilities that companies face today. The discussion topics made me conduct further research into the STRIDE threat model, which, to me, is probably the best threat classification model one can use when thinking about threats that exist in the computer security world. The six threat categories of STRIDE are Spoofing identity, Tampering with data, Repudiation, Information disclosure, Denial of service, Elevation of privilege. More information can be obtained from the Microsoft website at https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee823878(v=cs.20).aspx.

During 2017, there were some remarkable vulnerabilities and exploits. One that was very interesting was KRACK (Key Reinstallation Attack). This allowed attackers to exploit vulnerabilities in the Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2) protocol to allow an attacker to eavesdrop on the network traffic between the device and Wi-Fi access point. Frankly, I was surprised to find out that there were security flaws in the WPA2 protocol. I was even more surprised to find out that over 41% of Android devices were vulnerable to variants of KRACK, with Linux systems also being heavily impacted. Some best practices to mitigate possible attacks on Wi-Fi networks and devices were recommended, including regularly updating your Wi-Fi router’s credentials, enabling your firewall, using a Virtual Private Network (VPN), and updating firmware often. You can read more on this at https://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/us/security/news/vulnerabilities-and-exploits/vulnerabilities-in-wpa2-reportedly-expose-wi-fi-enabled-devices-to-eavesdropping

Being an avid user of iPhones (I won’t trade my iPhone for the best Android device in the world), I did some research on vulnerabilities and exploits that exist in the Apple world. I didn’t have to look too hard. It seems that every iPhone and Mac computer is affected by the Meltdown and Spectre chip vulnerabilities, which can be exploited by hackers using malicious apps running on a device. This is why it is so important that users download apps and software only from trusted sources. The fact is that smartphones has become a way of life us today. It’s hard to imagine that only two decades ago, people were able to survive with only analog phones! Our smartphones now hold very valuable and sensitive data, like our banking information, credit card information, and lots of other private data. With the millions of Apple devices being used around the world, the risk factor is global, as users throughout the world can be impacted negatively. Read more at http://www.newsweek.com/apple-iphone-chip-vulnerability-most-disturbing-security-issue-decades-771638.

In today’s world of technological convenience and mobility, the threats and vulnerabilities seem to be ever-increasing. Like many people. I handle my bank transactions through my mobile phone. And attackers seem to be aware of the rise in popularity in online banking, often targeting individual users’ bank accounts with an increased number of mobile malware and mobile bank Trojans. It was pretty disturbing to learn that a research by the Kaspersky Lab's Global Research and Analysis team found over 1.6 million malicious mobile installation packages circulating, including 323,000 new malicious mobile programs and 2,500 mobile banker Trojans. Read more about it here http://www.darkreading.com/vulnerabilities---threats/mobile-malware-makes-mobile-banking-treacherous/d/d-id/1322957

One of my favorite security readings is the yearly Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR), and I’m not just saying that because I work for Verizon. This annual report explores the existing cybersecurity landscape, and uses the experience of many organizations to provide a detailed overview on the state of cybercrime today. Part of this task is to analyze thousands of incidents, including data breaches. Organizations would do well to use this report to prioritize and discover new ways to protect against threats. The fact is that if a company hasn’t suffered a cybersecurity breach yet, it’s because they are extremely-prepared, or lucky. My bet is the latter!