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Black Hat Trip Report – Trend Micro

By William "Bill" Malik (CISA VP Infrastructure Strategies)

At Black Hat USA 2020, Trend Micro presented two important talks on vulnerabilities in Industrial IoT (IIoT). The first discussed weaknesses in proprietary languages used by industrial robots, and the second talked about vulnerabilities in protocol gateways. Any organization using robots, and any organization running a multi-vendor OT environment, should be aware of these attack surfaces. Here is a summary of the key points from each talk.

Rogue Automation

Presented at Black Hat, Wednesday, August 5. https://www.blackhat.com/us-20/briefings/schedule/index.html#otrazor-static-code-analysis-for-vulnerability-discovery-in-industrial-automation-scripts-19523 and the corresponding research paper is available at https://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/us/security/news/internet-of-things/unveiling-the-hidden-risks-of-industrial-automation-programming

Industrial robots contain powerful, fully capable computers. Unlike most contemporary computers, though, industrial robots lack basic information security capabilities. First, at the architectural level, they lack any mechanism to isolate certain instructions or memory. That is, any program can alter any piece of storage, or run any instruction. In traditional mainframes, no application could access, change, or run any code in another application or in the operating system. Even smartphone operating systems have privilege separation. An application cannot access a smartphone’s camera, for instance, without being specifically permitted to do so. Industrial robots allow any code to read, access, modify, or run any device connected to the system, including the clock. That eliminates data integrity in industrial robots and invalidates any audit of malfunctions; debugging becomes exceptionally difficult.

Industrial robots do not use conventional programming languages, like C or Python. Instead, each manufacturer provides its own proprietary programming language. That means a specialist using one industrial robot cannot use another vendor’s machine without training. There are no common information security tools for code validation, since vendors do not develop products for fragmented markets. These languages describe programs telling the robot how to move. They also support reading and writing data, analyzing and modifying files, opening and closing input/output devices, getting and sending information over a network, and accessing and changing status indicators on connected sensors. Once a program starts to run on an industrial robot, it can do anything any fully functional computer can do, without any security controls at all. Contemporary industrial robots do not have any countermeasures against this threat.

Most industrial robot owners do not write their own programs. The supply chain for industrial robot programs involves many third-party actors. See Figure 1 below for a simplified diagram. In each community, users of a particular vendor’s languages share code informally, and rely on user’s groups for hints and tips to solve common tasks. These forums rarely discuss security measures. Many organizations hire third-party contractors to implement particular processes, but there are no security certifications relevant to these proprietary languages. Most programmers learned their trade in an air-gapped world, and still rely on a perimeter which separates the safe users and code inside from the untrusted users and code outside. The languages offer no code scanners to identify potential weaknesses, such as not validating inputs, modifying system services, altering device state, or replacing system functions. The machines do not have a software asset management capability, so knowing where the components of a running program originated from is uncertain.

Figure 1: The Supply Chain for Industrial Robot Programming

All is not lost – not quite. In the short term, Trend Micro Research has developed a static code analysis tool called OTRazor, which examines robotic code for unsafe code patterns. This was demonstrated during our session at Black Hat.

Over time, vendors will have to introduce basic security checks, such as authentication, authorization, data integrity, and data confidentiality. The vendors will also have to introduce architectural restrictions – for instance, an application should be able to read the clock but not change it.. Applications should not be able to modify system files, programs, or data, nor should they be able to modify other applications. These changes will take years to arrive in the market, however. Until then, CISOs should audit industrial robot programs for vulnerabilities, and segment networks including industrial robots, and apply baseline security programs, as they do now, for both internally developed and procured software.

Protocol Gateway Vulnerabilities

Presented at Black Hat, Wednesday, August 5, https://www.blackhat.com/us-20/briefings/schedule/index.html#industrial-protocol-gateways-under-analysis-20632, with the corresponding research paper available here: https://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/us/security/news/internet-of-things/lost-in-translation-when-industrial-protocol-translation-goes-wrong.

Industry 4.0 leverages the power of automation alongside the rich layer of software process control tools, particularly Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), and its bigger cousin, Supply Chain Management (SCM). By bringing together dynamic industrial process control with hyper-efficient “just-in-time” resource scheduling, manufacturers can achieve minimum cost, minimum delay, and optimal production. But these integration projects require that IIoT devices speak with other technology, including IIoT from other manufacturers and legacy equipment. Since each equipment or device may have their own communication protocol, Industry 4.0 relies heavily on protocol converters.

Protocol converters are simple, highly efficient, low-cost devices that translate one protocol into another. Protocol converters are ubiquitous, but they lack any basic security capabilities – authentication, authorization, data integrity or data confidentiality – and they sit right in the middle of the OT network. Attackers can subvert protocol converters to hijack the communication or change configuration. An attacker can disable a safety thresholds, generate a denial of service attack, and misdirect an attached piece of equipment.

In the course of this research, we found nine vulnerabilities and are working with vendors to remediate the issues. Through our TXOne subsidiary, we are developing rules and intelligence specifically for IIoT message traffic, which are then embedded in our current network security offerings, providing administrators with better visibility and the ability to enforce security policies in their OT networks.

Protocol converters present a broad attack surface, as they have limited native information security capabilities. They don’t validate senders or receivers, nor do they scan or verify message contents. Due to their crucial position in the middle of the OT network, they are an exceptionally appealing target for malicious actors. Organizations using protocol converters – especially those on the way to Industry 4.0 – must address these weak but critical components of their evolving infrastructure.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments below or @WilliamMalikTM

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Top Tips For Home Cybersecurity And Privacy In A Coronavirus-Impacted World (Part 1)

By Trend Micro

Welcome to the new normal. We’re all now living in a post-COVID-19 world characterized by uncertainty, mass home working and remote learning. The lines demarcating normal life have shifted abruptly – perhaps never to return. That’s not the worst that can happen, as we all know, but it does mean we all need to get used to new ways of living, working and studying from home. This has major implications for the online safety, security and privacy of our families.

To help you adapt to these new conditions while protecting what matters most, Trend Micro has developed a two-part blog series on “The New Normal.” Part 1 identifies the scope and specific cyber-threats of the new normal. Part 2 provides security tips and products to help address those threats.

What’s going on?

In April, nearly 300 million Americans were estimated to be in government-mandated lockdown. Even as some businesses, municipalities and states begin to relax these rules, experts have warned of subsequent waves of the virus, which could result in new localized lockdowns. In short, a lot of people will continue to work from home, while their children, also at home, attempt to study remotely from their mobile devices.

This has considerable implications for how we spend our time. Without that morning commute to work or school, more of it than ever will involve sitting in front of a desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone screen. Even the smart TV is enlisted. Dangers include

  • Use of potentially insecure video conferencing applications. The number of daily meeting participants on Zoom surged from 10 million in December 2019 to roughly 200 million in March.
  • Visits to P2P/torrent sites or platforms for adult content. In search of entertainment, bored kids or teens in your household may have more time and inclination to do this.
  • Downloads of potentially malicious applications disguised as legitimate entertainment or gaming content.
  • More online shopping and banking. June alone generated $73.2 billion in online spend, up 76.2% year-on-year. Whenever you shop or bank online, financial data is potentially exposed.
  • Use of potentially insecure remote learning platforms. Educational mobile app downloads increased by a massive 1087% between March 2 and 16. The trend continues.
  • Logging on to corporate cloud-based services. This includes Office 365, to do your job remotely, or using a VPN to connect directly into the office.
  • For recreation, streaming and browsing on your smart TV. But even your smart TV is vulnerable to threats, as the FBI has warned.

Risky behavior

Unfortunately, the increase in working from home (WFH), especially for those not used to it, may lead to an increase in risky behavior, such as: using non-approved apps for work; visiting non work-related sites on work devices; and using personal devices to access work resources. Recent global Trend Micro research found that:

  • 80% have used their work laptop for personal browsing, with only 36% fully restricting the sites they visit.
  • 56% of employees have used a non-work app on a corporate device, and 66% have uploaded corporate data to it.
  • 39% often or always access corporate data from a personal device.
  • 8% admit to watching adult content on their work laptop, and 7% access the dark web.

This is not about restricting your freedom to visit the sites you want to visit while at home. It’s about reducing the risk of exposing corporate data and systems to possible malware.

What are the bad guys doing?

Unsurprisingly, there has also been a major uptick in the volume of cyber-threats targeting home users. With a captive audience to aim at, it’s a huge opportunity for cyber-criminals to steal your log-ins and personal data to sell to fraudsters, or even to steal corporate passwords and information for a potentially bigger pay-off. They are helped by the fact that many home workers may be more distracted than they usually would be at the office, especially if they have young children. Your kids may even share the same laptops or PCs as you, potentially visiting risky sites and/or downloading unapproved apps.

There’s also a chance that, unless you have a corporate machine at home, your personal computing equipment is less secure than the kit you had in the office. Add to that the fact that support from the IT department may be less forthcoming than usual, given that stretched teams are overwhelmed with requests, while themselves struggling to WFH. One recent report claimed that nearly half (47%) of IT security pros have been taken off some or all of their typical security tasks to support other IT-related jobs. In another, only 59% of respondents said they believe their cybersecurity team has the right tools and resources at home to perform their job effectively.

It’s time to step up and take security into your own hands. Stay on the lookout for the following threats.

  • Unsecured home routers and smart devices might be hijacked in more sophisticated attacks designed to steal data from corporate networks via the home worker.
  • Phishing attacks spoofing well-known brands or using COVID-19 information/news as a lure. Google is blocking 18 million malicious pandemic-themed emails every day. The end goal may be to hijack your online consumer accounts (Netflix, banking, email, online shopping) or work accounts. Other phishing emails are designed to install data-stealing malware, ransomware and other threats.
  • Attackers may target vulnerabilities in your home PCs and the apps you’re using (video conferencing etc) to gain remote access.
  • Business Email Compromise (BEC) attackers may try to leverage the lack of internal communications between remote workers to impersonate senior execs via email, and trick finance team members into wiring corporate funds abroad.
  • Kids exposing home networks and devices to malware on torrent sites, in mobile apps, on social media, and via phishing attacks potentially imitating remote learning/video conferencing platforms.
  • Kids searching for adult/inappropriate content, and/or those that are bored and over-share on social media. Unicef has warned that millions of children are at increased of online harm as lockdown means they spend more of their days online.
  • Mobile apps represent a potential source of malware, especially those found on unofficial app stores. There has also been a reported 51% rise in stalkerware – covert surveillance apps used by domestic abusers and stalkers to target victims.
  • The pandemic has led to a surge in e-commerce fraud where consumers are tricked into buying non-existent products or counterfeit goods including medical items.

So what’s a remote worker/concerned parent to do to protect themselves and the family in the midst of the “new normal?”

Read Part 2 in this mini-series, which we’re publishing simultaneously with Part 1, where we share some best practice advice on how to keep your digital lives and work systems safe from online threats during lockdown—and where we provide tools to help you do just that.

The post Top Tips For Home Cybersecurity And Privacy In A Coronavirus-Impacted World (Part 1) appeared first on .

Top Tips For Home Cybersecurity And Privacy In A Coronavirus-Impacted World (Part 2)

By Trend Micro

The past few months have seen radical changes to our work and home life under the Coronavirus threat, upending norms and confining millions of American families within just four walls. In this context, it’s not surprising that more of us are spending an increasing portion of our lives online. But this brings with it some familiar cyber-risks. In Part 1 of this mini-series, we explained how cyber-criminals are looking to capitalize on these sweeping changes to society to further their own ends.

Now let’s take a look at what you can do to protect your family, your data, and access to your corporate accounts.

How you can stay safe online

The bad guys are laser-focused on stealing your personal data and log-ins and increasingly see the remote worker as an easy target for leapfrogging into corporate networks. That’s not to mention the potential internet safety risks inherent in bored kids spending more time in front of their screens. To respond, you’ll need to create an equally focused “home security plan” governed by sensible policies and best practices. Here are some of the key areas to consider.

Protect your smart home and router

Increasingly, unprotected smart home devices are being targeted by cyber-criminals to turn into botnets to attack others. They might also provide sophisticated attackers with a stepping-stone into your corporate systems, via the home network. The home router, with its known flaws, is (after the modem) the digital front door to the smart home and the basis for your networking, so it should be first in any security strategy. Consider the following when tackling home network security:

  • Regularly check for router firmware updates and apply as soon as they’re available. (If you’re using a home gateway (modem + router) firmware updates are done by your ISP, so you won’t have the option to do this.)
  • Change factory default admin passwords and switch on two-factor authentication if available.
  • Disable UPnP and any remote management features.
  • Use WPA2 on your router for encrypted Wi-Fi. Pick passwords for access that aren’t easily guessed.
  • Put the router in middle of house if possible, so the signal is not overly exposed to strangers outside. Likewise for extenders.
  • Invest in security for the entire home network from a reputable provider like Trend Micro.

Secure your home office

Cyber-criminals are primed to take advantage of distracted home workers and potentially less secure PCs/devices. Secure this environment by doing the following:

  • Again, apply a home network security solution. This protects your work devices, while also protecting the devices you use for recreation.
  • Apply any security updates to OS/software.
  • Install/maintain endpoint security software on all machines/devices.
  • Never use work laptops for personal use.
  • Switch on 2FA for any work accounts.
  • Use a VPN if applicable whenever connecting to the office.
  • Stay alert to phishing/BEC attempts.
  • Take advantage of any training courses to stay up-to-speed on the latest scams.
  • Disable macros in Office files – these are often used by hackers to run malware.

Stay safe from phishing

Phishing is the number one tactic used by attackers to trick you into installing malware or handing over your log-ins. Emails, text messages, social media messages and more are spoofed to appear as if sent by a legitimate company or contact. In response:

  • Be cautious of any unsolicited emails/texts/messages even if they appear legitimate.
  • Don’t click on any links/buttons in unsolicited messages, or download attachments.
  • Check directly with the sender rather than clicking through links or buttons provided or entering any confidential details.
  • Invest in cybersecurity tools from a trusted vendor like Trend Micro, to spot and block scam emails and malicious downloads/websites.

Use video conferencing safely

New videoconferencing platforms can introduce risk, especially if you’re not familiar with the default settings. Here’s how to stay safe when video conferencing:

  • Check first for end-to-end encryption.
  • Only download videoconferencing apps from official iOS/Android stores and manufacturer websites.
  • Get familiar with privacy settings. Switch off camera access if you don’t want to appear on-screen.
  • Ensure you’re always on the latest software version.
  • Never click on links/open attachments in messages from unknown contacts.
  • Use a password manager to store long and strong log-ins, and switch on two-factor authentication (2FA) if available.

Stay safe shopping and banking

Next, protect your financial information and stay safe from e-commerce fraud by doing the following:

  • Install AV on all PCs and devices.
  • Always use the latest browser versions and HTTPS sites.
  • Never click through on sensational promos or ads on social media/in emails. Always visit the site directly.
  • Always be cautious: if special offers seem too good to be true, they usually are.
  • Use a secure browser, password manager, and 2FA in your online accounts.
  • Use a VPN app on any device you use to shop or bank.

Think about online safety for kids

They may be under your roof for more hours of the day than usual, but your children are also likely to be spending more time online. That means you need to have a measured conversation with them about internet safety, backed up with parental controls. Consider the following:

  • Urge your kids to think before clicking, and before sharing on social media.
  • Make sure you have installed anti-malware from a reputable vendor on all their devices.
  • Look for security products that check/update their social media privacy settings.
  • Discourage or block downloads from P2P sites.
  • Set up parental controls to block inappropriate content and/or to regulate screen time and time on certain sites or with certain apps. Then set up admin protections, so they can’t change the settings.
  • Share your concerns around sexting.

Mobile security best practices
Finally, sheltering at home has limits, particularly for restless kids. When they go to the store or out to the park, facemasks notwithstanding, they’re likely going to use their mobile devices, just as they’ll continue to do at home. Of course, you’re not exempt either from mobile threats. Ensure mobile security by

  • Sticking to the official Google Play and App Store marketplaces. Enforce this through smart settings on your children’s phones.
  • Running anti-malware on your mobile device, from a reputable company like Trend Micro.
  • Ensuring your family’s devices are using the latest OS version.
  • Ensuring your family devices have remote lock and wipe feature switched on, in case they’re lost or stolen.
  • Never brick or jailbreak the device, as this can expose it to security risks.

How Trend Micro can help

When it comes to protecting the home from security and privacy threats during lockdown, leave no stone unturned. Cyber-criminals will always look for the weak link in the chain and focus their efforts there. Network security is important, but it doesn’t replace the need for protection on each individual device. You’ll need to cover your router, network, smart devices, and all endpoints (PCs, laptops, mobiles and other devices). Here’s how Trend Micro can help:

Trend Micro Home Network Security

Trend Micro Home Network Security provides industry-leading protection against any threats to internet-connected devices in the home. The solution

  • Blocks dangerous file downloads during web browsing to stop ransomware, data theft, phishing, and other malware. Blocks remote access applications.
  • Protects all smart devices, such as smart TVs, thermostats, security cameras, etc., that don’t have their own security solutions.
  • Parental Controls and Guardian allow parents to track and restrict their children’s internet usage at home and on-the-go, which could free-up bandwidth for important conference calls.

Trend Micro Security (PC and Mac)

Trend Micro Security, available in various editions (led by Trend Micro Maximum Security), is Trend’s flagship endpoint security product for consumers. Available for both PCs and Macs, it features AI learning to stop advanced threats. Among a wide range of protections, it includes:

  • Web Threat Protection when browsing the internet, defending you against bad websites that can steal your data or download malicious files.
  • Machine Learning, to protect you from new and unknown threats.
  • Ransomware protection via Folder Shield, to stop unauthorized changes and back-up files encrypted by suspicious programs.
  • Anti-phishing and anti-spam protection for Outlook clients, as well as Gmail and Outlook webmail on the PC, and Gmail webmail on the Mac.
  • Privacy Scanner (for Facebook and Twitter), Social Networking Protection for protection against malicious links in social networks, Pay Guard for protecting your online banking and buying.
  • Parental Controls to limit which software and websites you kids may use.

Trend Micro Mobile Security:

Trend Micro Mobile Security provides endpoint security for all your mobile devices, whether Android or iOS-based.

  • Blocks dangerous websites and app downloads.
  • Helps protects your privacy on Twitter and Facebook.
  • Protects your kids’ devices.
  • Guards against identity theft.
  • Optimizes your device’s performance.

Additional Trend Micro Tools:

Network and endpoint security should be supplemented with tools that accomplish specific tasks, such as protecting your internet connections, your passwords, and your identity data. Trend Micro provides

  • Wi-Fi Protection/VPN Proxy One Mac | iOS. VPNs with an emphasis on web threat protection or privacy, respectively. The first is available on all four platforms; the second is targeted for Apple devices.
  • Password Manager. Manages and encrypts your passwords, and automates your logins, while ensuring you use unique, strong passwords across all of your online accounts.
  • ID Security. Tracks your credentials, particularly the ones you use for buying and banking, to see if breaches of any of your identity data have led to their sale on the Dark Web. Notifies you when it has, so you can take steps to protect it.
  • Premium Services. Parents working from home are not expected to be IT or Security experts, so now’s the time to ensure professional help is around when you need it by signing up for one of Trend Micro’s premium service packages for help configuring, troubleshooting, optimizing, and disinfecting your devices if they get infected.

Maintaining your family’s security and privacy on all their devices during the coronavirus lockdown above all means changing your mindset, to take into account the mix of work and play in the household during the “new normal.” Use these tips and tools during lockdown and you’ll be well on your way to ensuring you and your family’s safety from malicious viruses—both digital and natural.

The post Top Tips For Home Cybersecurity And Privacy In A Coronavirus-Impacted World (Part 2) appeared first on .

ISO/SAE 21434: It’s time to put the brakes on connected car cyber-threats

By William "Bill" Malik (CISA VP Infrastructure Strategies)

Connected cars are on the move. Globally their number is set to grow 270% between 2018 and 2022 to reach an estimated 125 million in a couple of years. Increasingly, these vehicles are more akin to high-performance mobile computers with wheels than traditional cars, with features including internet access, app-based remote monitoring and management, advanced driver-assistance, and autonomous driving capabilities. But this also leaves them exposed to sensitive data theft and remote manipulation, which could create serious physical safety issues.

This is where a new standard comes in. ISO/SAE 21434 creates detailed guidance for the automotive industry to help it navigate these challenges and reduce reputational and cyber-risk. A new report from Trend Micro details what industry stakeholders need to, along with our recommendations as cybersecurity experts.

Packed with power

Modern automobiles do far more than transport their occupants from A to B. They are filled with computing power, sensors, infotainment systems and connectivity to help improve the car experience, traffic safety, vehicle maintenance and much more. This all creates complexity, which in turn leads to the emergence of cybersecurity gaps.

For example, there are now more than 100 engine control units (ECUs) in many modern vehicles, packed with software to control everything from the engine and suspension to the brakes. By hijacking the execution of any ECU an attacker could move laterally to any target in the vehicle, potentially allowing them to remotely cause life-threatening accidents.

As our report explains, there are three fundamental issues that make securing connected cars challenging:

Vulnerabilities are difficult to patch due to the highly tiered mature of car supply chains, firmware interoperability and long update times. If updates fail, as they can, a vehicle may be left inoperable.

Protocols used for connectivity between ECUs were not designed with security in mind, allowing attackers to conduct lateral movement.

Aftermarket products and services represent a third area of risk exposure. Akin to unsecured IoT devices in the smart home, they can be abused by attackers to pivot to more sensitive parts of the vehicle.

These vulnerabilities have been highlighted in research dating back years, but as connected cars grow in number, real-world attacks are now starting to emerge. Attack scenarios target everything from user applications to network protocols, to the CAN bus, on-board software and more. In short, there’s much for the bad guys to gain and plenty for carmakers to lose.

Here to help

This is where the new standard comes in. ISO/SAE 21434 “Road vehicles – Cybersecurity engineering” is a typically long and detailed document designed to improve automotive cybersecurity and risk mitigation across the entire supply chain — from vehicle design and engineering through to decommissioning.

As a long-time collaborator with the automotive industry, Trend Micro welcomes the new standard as a way to enhance security-by-design in an area coming under the increasing scrutiny of attackers. In fact, eight out of the world’s top 10 automotive companies have adopted Trend Micro solutions for their enterprise IT.

In order to follow ISO/SAE 21434 and protect connected cars, organizations need comprehensive visibility and control of the entire connected car ecosystem, including: vehicle, network and backend systems. They should then consider developing a Vehicle Security Operations Center (VSOC) to manage notifications coming in from all three areas and to create a bird’s eye view of the entire ecosystem.

Consider the following capabilities in each of these key areas:

Vehicle: Detect in-vehicle vulnerabilities and possible exploitation, including those in critical devices that connected the in-vehicle network to outside networks, for instance, in-vehicle infotainment systems (IVI) and telematic control units (TCUs).

Network: Apply network security policy, monitoring traffic to detect and prevent threats including connections between vehicle and backend cloud and data centers.

Backend: Secure data centers, cloud and containers from known and unknown threats and bugs without compromising performance.

Vehicle SOC: Take quick and effective action by correlating threats detected from the endpoint, network, and backend with individual notifications from each, enabling a bird’s eye view of comprehensive elements.

In uncertain times for the industry, it pays to get ahead of the game, and any prospective changes in local laws that the new ISO/SAE standard may encourage. For carmakers looking to differentiate in a tough market, and do the right thing by protecting their customers, Trend Micro is here to help.

To find out more, read the full report here.

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Connected Car Standards – Thank Goodness!

By William "Bill" Malik (CISA VP Infrastructure Strategies)

Intelligent transportation systems (ITS) require harmonization among manufacturers to have any chance of succeeding in the real world. No large-scale car manufacturer, multimodal shipper, or MaaS (Mobility as a Service) provider will risk investing in a single-vendor solution. Successful ITS require interoperable components, especially for managing cybersecurity issues. See https://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/us/security/news/intelligent-transportation-systems for a set of reports on ITS cybersecurity.

The good news is we now have a standard for automotive cybersecurity, ISA/SAE 21434. This standard addresses all the major elements of connected car security including V2X, reaching from the internals of ECUs and communications busses including CAN to the broader issues of fleet management and public safety. See https://www.iso.org/standard/70918.html for the current draft version of this standard.

Intelligent transport systems rely on complex, contemporary infrastructure elements, including cloud (for data aggregation, traffic analysis, and system-wide recommendations) and 5G (for inter-component networking and real-time sensing). ITS also rely on aging industrial control systems and components, for vehicle detection, weather reporting, and traffic signaling, some dating back forty years or more. This profound heterogeneity makes the cybersecurity problem unwieldy. Automotive systems generally are the most complex public-facing applications of industrial IoT. Any information security problems with them will erode public trust in this important and ultimately critical infrastructure.

Robert Bosch GmbH began working on the first automotive bus architecture in 1986. Automobiles gained increasing electronic functions (smog controls, seat belt monitors, electric window controls, climate controls, and so on). With each new device, the manufacturers had to install additional point-to-point wiring to monitor and control them. This led to increasing complexity, the possibility for error, extended manufacturing time, more costly diagnosis and repair post-sales, and added weight. See Figure 1 for details. By replacing point-to-point wiring with a simple bus, manufacturers could introduce new features connected with one pair of wires for control. This simplified design, manufacturing, diagnosis, and improved quality and maintainability.

Figure 1: CAN Networks Significantly Reduce Wiring (from National Instruments https://www.ni.com/en-us/innovations/white-papers/06/controller-area-network–can–overview.html)

The bus was simple: all devices saw all traffic and responded to messages relevant to them. Each message has a standard format, with a header describing the message content and priority (the arbitration IDs), the body which contains the relevant data, and a cyclic redundancy check (CRC), which is a code to verify that the message contents are accurate. This CRC uses a mathematical formula to determine if any bits have flipped, and for small numbers of errors can correct the message, like a checksum. This is not as powerful as a digital signature. It has no cryptographic power. Every device on the bus can use the CRC algorithm to create a code for messages it sends and to verify the data integrity of messages it receives. Other than this, there is no data confidentiality, authentication, authorization, data integrity, or non-repudiation in CAN bus messages – or any other automotive bus messages. The devices used in cars are generally quite simple, lightweight, and inexpensive: 8-bit processors with little memory on board. Any device connected to the network is trusted. Figure 2 shows the layout of a CAN bus message.

Figure 2: The Standard CAN Frame Format, from National Instruments

Today’s automobiles have more sophisticated devices on board. The types of messages and the services the offer are becoming more complex. In-vehicle infotainment (IVI) systems provide maps, music, Bluetooth connectivity for smartphones and other devices, in addition to increasingly more elaborate driving assistance and monitoring systems all add more traffic to the bus. But given the diversity of manufacturers and suppliers, impeding security measures over the automotive network. No single vendor could today achieve what Robert Bosch did nearly forty years ago. Yet the need for stronger vehicle security is growing.

The ISO/SAE 21434 standard describes a model for securing the supply chain for automotive technology, for validating the integrity of the development process, detecting vulnerabilities and cybersecurity attacks in automotive systems, and managing the deployment of fixes as needed. It is comprehensive. ISO/SAE 21434 builds on decades of work in information security. By applying that body of knowledge to the automotive case, the standard will move the industry towards a safer and more trustworthy connected car world.

But the standard’s value doesn’t stop with cars and intelligent transport systems. Domains far beyond connected cars will benefit from having a model for securing communications among elements from diverse manufacturers sharing a common bus. The CAN bus and related technologies are used onboard ships, in aircraft, in railroad management, in maritime port systems, and even in controlling prosthetic limbs. The vulnerabilities are common, the complexity of the supply chain is equivalent, and the need for a comprehensive architectural solution is as great. So this standard is a superb achievement and will go far to improve the quality, reliability, and trustworthiness of critical systems globally.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments below or @WilliamMalikTM.

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Securing Smart Manufacturing

By William "Bill" Malik (CISA VP Infrastructure Strategies)
IIoT

“Alexa, turn on the TV.”

”Get it yourself.”

This nightmare scenario could play out millions of times unless people take steps to protect their IoT devices. The situation is even worse in industrial settings. Smart manufacturing, that is, Industry 4.0, relies on tight integration between IT systems and OT systems. Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software has evolved into supply chain management (SCM) systems, reaching across organizational and national boundaries to gather all forms of inputs, parting out subcomponent development and production, and delivering finished products, payments, and capabilities across a global canvas.

Each of these synergies fulfills a rational business goal: optimize scarce resources across diverse sources; minimize manufacturing, shipping, and warehousing expense across regions; preserve continuity of operations by diversifying suppliers; maximize sales among multiple delivery channels. The supply chain includes not only raw materials for manufacturing, but also third party suppliers of components, outsourced staff for non-core business functions, open source software to optimize development costs, and subcontractors to fulfill specialized design, assembly, testing, and distribution tasks. Each element of the supply chain is an attack surface.

Software development has long been a team effort. Not since the 1970s have companies sought out the exceptional talented solo developer whose code was exquisite, flawless, ineffable, undocumented, and impossible to maintain.  Now designs must be clear across the team, and testing requires close collaboration between architects, designers, developers, and production. Teams identify business requirements, then compose a solution from components sourced from publically shared libraries. These libraries may contain further dependencies on yet other third-party code of unknown provenance. Simplified testing relies on the quality of the shared libraries, but shared library routines may have latent (or intentionally hidden) defects that do not come to life until in a vulnerable production environment. Who tests GitHub? The scope of these vulnerabilities is daunting. Trend Micro just published a report, “Attacks on Smart Manufacturing Systems: A Forward-looking Security Analysis,” that surveys the Industry 4.0 attack surface.

Within the manufacturing operation, the blending of IT and OT exposes additional attack surfaces. Industrial robots provide a clear example. Industrial robots are tireless, precision machines programmed to perform exacting tasks rapidly and flawlessly. What did industry do before robots? Factories either relied on hand-built products or on non-programmable machines that had to be retooled for any change in product specifications. Hand-built technology required highly skilled machinists, who are expensive and require time to deliver. See Figure 1 for an example.

Figure 1: The cost of precision

Non-programmable robots require factory down time for retooling, a process that can take weeks. Before programmable industrial robots, automobile factories would deliver a single body style across multiple years of production. Programmable robots can produce different configurations of materials with no down time. They are used everywhere in manufacturing, warehousing, distribution centers, farming, mining, and soon guiding delivery vehicles. The supply chain is automated.

However, the supply chain is not secure. The protocols industrial robots depend on assumed the environment was isolated. One controller would govern the machines in one location. Since the connection between the controller and the managed robots was hard-wired, there was no need for operator identification or message verification. My controller would never see your robot. My controller would only connect to my robot, so the messages they exchanged needed no authentication. Each device assumed all its connections were externally verified. Even the safety systems assumed the network was untainted and trustworthy. No protocols included any security or privacy controls. Then Industry 4.0 adopted wireless communications.

The move, which saved the cost of laying cable in the factory, opened those networks to eavesdropping and attacks. Every possible attack against industrial robots is happening now. Bad guys are forging commands, altering specifications, changing or suppressing error alerts, modifying output statistics, and rewriting logs. The consequences can be vast yet nearly undetectable. In the current report on Rogue Robots, our Forward-looking Threat Research team, collaborating with the Politecnico di Milano (POLIMI), analyzes the range of specific attacks today’s robots face, and the potential consequences those attacks may have.

Owners and operators of programmable robots should heed the warnings of this research, and consider various suggested remedies. Forewarned is forearmed.

The Rogue Robots research is here: https://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/us/security/news/internet-of-things/rogue-robots-testing-industrial-robot-security.

The new report, Attacks on Smart Manufacturing Systems: A Forward-looking Security Analysis, is here: https://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/us/security/threat-intelligence-center/internet-of-things/threats-and-consequences-a-security-analysis-of-smart-manufacturing-systems.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments below, or @WilliamMalikTM.

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Celebrating Decades of Success with Microsoft at the Security 20/20 Awards

By Sanjay Mehta

Effective collaboration is key to the success of any organization. But perhaps none more so than those working towards the common goal of securing our connected world. That’s why Trend Micro has always been keen to reach out to industry partners in the security ecosystem, to help us collectively build a safer world and improve the level of protection we can offer our customers. As part of these efforts, we’ve worked closely with Microsoft for decades.

Trend Micro is therefore doubly honored to be at the Microsoft Security 20/20 awards event in February, with nominations for two of the night’s most prestigious prizes.

Better together

No organization exists in a vacuum. The hi-tech, connectivity-rich nature of modern business is the source of its greatest power, but also one of its biggest weaknesses. Trend Micro’s mission from day one has been to make this environment as safe as possible for our customers. But we learned early on that to deliver on this vision, we had to collaborate. That’s why we work closely with the world’s top platform and technology providers — to offer protection that is seamless and optimized for these environments.

As a Gold Application Development Partner we’ve worked for years with Microsoft to ensure our security is tightly integrated into its products, to offer protection for Azure, Windows and Office 365 customers — at the endpoint, on servers, for email and in the cloud. It’s all about simplified, optimized security designed to support business agility and growth.

Innovating our way to success

This is a vision that comes from the very top. For over three decades, our CEO and co-founder Eva Chen has been at the forefront of industry leading technology innovation and collaborative success at Trend Micro. Among other things during that time, we’ve released:

  • The world’s first hardware-based system lockdown technology (StationLock)
  • Innovative internet gateway virus protection (InterScan VirusWall)
  • The industry’s first two-hour virus response service-level agreement
  • The first integrated physical-virtual security offering, with agentless threat protection for virtualized desktops (VDI) and data centers (Deep Security)
  • The first ever mobile app reputation service (MARS)
  • AI-based writing-style analysis for protection from Business Email Compromise (Writing Style DNA)
  • Cross-layer detection and response for endpoint, email, servers, & network combined (XDR)
  • Broadest cloud security platform as a service (Cloud One)

Two awards

We’re delighted to have been singled out for two prestigious awards at the Microsoft Security 20/20 event, which will kick off RSA Conference this year:

Customer Impact

At Trend Micro, the customer is at the heart of everything we do. It’s the reason we have hundreds of researchers across 15 threat centers around the globe leading the fight against emerging black hat tools and techniques. It’s why we partner with leading technology providers like Microsoft. And it’s why the channel is so important for us.

Industry Changemaker: Eva Chen

It goes without saying that our CEO and co-founder is an inspirational figure within Trend Micro. Her vision and strong belief that our only real competition as cybersecurity vendors are the bad guys and that the industry needs to stand united against them to make the digital world a safer place, guides the over 6000 employees every day. But she’s also had a major impact on the industry at large, working tirelessly over the years to promote initiatives that have ultimately made our connected world more secure. It’s not an exaggeration to say that without Eva’s foresight and dedication, the cybersecurity industry would be a much poorer place.

We’re all looking forward to the event, and for the start of 2020. As we enter a new decade, Trend Micro’s innovation and passion to make the digital world a safer place has never been more important.

 

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