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Not Just Good Security Products, But a Good Partner

By Greg Young (Vice President for Cybersecurity)
cybersecurity champion badge of honor

The analyst firm Canalys annually produces their Cybersecurity Leadership Matrix. Whereas many third-party assessments are looking at just the security product, this one focuses on the value to channel partners.

Sidebar: what is the channel? If you aren’t actively buying or selling cybersecurity and aren’t familiar with the term, the short answer is that the channel is how products get from the maker to the buyer. Resellers are the most commonly discussed example, however the channel is also distributors, system integrators, and others. Most established cybersecurity makers don’t have a big sales force that sells direct, for good reasons. Channel partners are usually not a single product seller, and they know a region, vertical or specific customer best and are ideally the end users’ de facto partner or trusted advisor. The channel dedicated for smaller companies sell more than just cybersecurity and can be an extension of the CIO team. Channel partners select products carefully: they are usually in for a much longer period of time and more of a commitment than a specific buyer.

Partners have to train staff, make significant investments, become familiar with the product and back it with their reputation. Features alone aren’t enough. Even the very best product that isn’t backed with a channel friendly vendor is a nightmare for the channel. Of course, bad products are a non-starter no matter how channel-friendly a company is as that reseller has to live with any fallout. Assessing channel success matters obviously to the channel but it is also significant for buyers. Channel partner success at the end of the day is a simple metric: a positive customer experience throughout a product lifecycle. In my experience a channel partner will do a more thorough product assessment than any enterprise buyer.

Canalys does a good job in capturing the channel aspects of a successful cybersecurity vendor with the leadership matrix, and they make it more than just about product or channel but combine the two.  So, it is good news that Trend Micro is in the upper right “Champions” quadrant in 2020.  It’s significant to me that Trend Micro is one of only seven entries in that quadrant when there are, according to Richard Stiennon, more than 2300 cybersecurity vendors in the world[1].  What is particularly significant to me is that the placement movement for Trend from last 2019 was so important, as it reflects the effort and focus we have put on our channel activities.

Like any third-party assessment it matters to know the context, so check out the Matrix here, and our own formal announcement here.

 

[1] https://www.techcentury.com/2020/02/14/cybersecurity-guru-stiennon-publishes-2020-yearbook/

The post Not Just Good Security Products, But a Good Partner appeared first on .

This Week in Security News: Google Faces Privacy Lawsuit Over Tracking Users in Incognito Mode and TrickBot Adds Enterprise-grade Module to Malware Arsenal

By Jon Clay (Global Threat Communications)

Welcome to our weekly roundup, where we share what you need to know about the cybersecurity news and events that happened over the past few days. This week, learn about a new module for the infamous trojan known as TrickBot that has been deployed. Also, read about Google’s $5 billion class-action lawsuit over claims that it has been collecting people’s browsing information when using the incognito browsing mode.

 

Read on:

No Entry: How Attackers Can Sneak Past Facial Recognition Devices

Now more than ever, businesses are looking into contactless entry solutions, turning to edge devices that use facial recognition or small devices like radio-frequency identification cards. These devices serve as the first line of defense for keeping intruders out of offices, which can be subject to many different types of attacks. In this blog, Trend Micro analyzes the different ways an intruder can trick or hack into facial recognition access control devices.

Cloud Security and Data Protection: What Enterprises Need to Know

Data security is rarely the first consideration when choosing a public cloud service provider. That is changing, though, because of the rise of tougher rules, regulations, and standards aimed at protecting consumer privacy. In this article, Mark Nunnikhoven, vice president of cloud research at Trend Micro, shares his thoughts on what enterprises need to know about cloud security and data protection.

Lemon Duck Cryptominer Spreads Through Covid-19 Themed Emails

In a recent campaign, Trend Micro came across a PowerShell script (mailer script) that distributes the Lemon Duck cryptominer through a new propagation method: Covid-19-themed emails with weaponized attachments. These emails are delivered to all Microsoft Outlook contacts of the user of a compromised machine, as similarly observed by SANS Internet Storm Center.

TrickBot Adds BazarBackdoor to Malware Arsenal

A new module for the infamous trojan known as TrickBot has been deployed: A stealthy backdoor that researchers call “BazarBackdoor.” The binary was first spotted being delivered as part of a phishing campaign that began in March, according to Panda Security. The campaign used the legitimate marketing platform Sendgrid to reach targets in a mass-mailing fashion.

Factory Security Problems from an IT Perspective (Part 3): Practical Approach for Stable Operation

This article is the last in a three-part series discussing the challenges IT departments face when they are tasked with overseeing cybersecurity in factories and implementing measures to overcome those challenges. For strong factory security, Trend Micro recommends three measures: network separation, layer-optimized measures, and integrated management of these elements. In this third article, Trend Micro explains this concrete approach to security.

Zoom Patches Two Serious Vulnerabilities Found by Cisco Researchers

Members of Cisco’s Talos threat intelligence and research group have identified two vulnerabilities in the Zoom client application that can allow a remote attacker to write files to the targeted user’s system and possibly achieve arbitrary code execution. The vulnerabilities, tracked as CVE-2020-6109 and CVE-2020-6110, are both rated high severity.

#LetsTalkSecurity: Ghost in the Machine 

This Week, Rik Ferguson, vice president of security research at Trend Micro, hosted the fourth episode of #LetsTalkSecurity featuring guest Joe Slowik, USN Vet, Adversary Hunter, and Digital Sanitation Engineer with a focus on ICS. Check out this week’s episode and follow the link to find information about upcoming episodes and guests.

Google Faces Privacy Lawsuit Over Tracking Users in Incognito Mode

Google faces a $5 billion class-action lawsuit over claims that it has been collecting people’s browsing information without their knowledge when using the incognito browsing mode that is meant to keep their online activities private. The lawsuit, filed in the federal court in San Jose, California, alleges that Google compiles user data through Google Analytics, Google Ad Manager and other applications and website plug-ins, including smartphone apps, regardless of whether users click on Google-supported ads.

Barcode Reader Apps on Google Play Found Using New Ad Fraud Technique

Trend Micro recently saw two barcode reader apps in Google Play, together downloaded more than a million times, that started showing unusual behavior (detected as AndroidOS_HiddenAd.HRXJA). This includes behavior that can be seen even when the user is not actively using the phone.

Email Scammer Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Texas Firms Out of More Than $500,000

A 64-year-old man has admitted his role in an email-based fraud scheme that relied on spoofed email addresses to con two companies out of more than $500,000. Kenety Kim, or Myung Kim, pleaded guilty Tuesday in a Texas court to conspiracy to commit money laundering as part his role in a business email compromise scheme.

Surprised by Google’s lawsuit over tracking users in incognito mode? Share your thoughts in the comments below or follow me on Twitter to continue the conversation: @JonLClay.

The post This Week in Security News: Google Faces Privacy Lawsuit Over Tracking Users in Incognito Mode and TrickBot Adds Enterprise-grade Module to Malware Arsenal appeared first on .

Message from Eva Chen – as a human being, not a CEO: We need to speak out and act against racism

By Eva Chen

 

I would like to express my outrage over the brutal killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery – not as the CEO of an international company, but as a human being and a citizen of the world. It makes me very sad, but also intensely frustrated and angry to realize how little is being done around the world to overcome the blatant inequality and racism that persists. The disturbing, high-profile incidents in the past weeks expose in a cruel way how we live in a world where fear, uncertainty and discrimination continue to impact the lives of black people every single day.

 

As a global society, we should do better; we must be better.

 

At Trend Micro, we are committed to providing a safe, empathetic and respectful environment where we reject any form of racism and discrimination, with zero tolerance. We not only welcome diversity in our Trend Micro family, we encourage it, whether it is diversity of race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, gender identification, sexual orientation, physical ability, age, religion, veteran status, socio-economic status, and political philosophy. We believe it is our different backgrounds and experiences that make us who we are and make us as strong as we are. But we continue to listen and learn how to create equality for all.

 

I feel very strongly that we all need to do something and become a force for change. We have an obligation towards our communities and our children to leave this world in a better place. I am fortunate as a CEO to be able to use my voice to speak out against any kind of discrimination, against racism in any form. I ask that we all seek to expand our perspectives and heighten our awareness of others. We must open our eyes to the current and ugly truth and challenge any subconscious tendencies to avoid this painful reality of inequality!

 

Today I am inspired to lift up the voice of a young Trend Micro employee who posted on our internal web site:

 

“Progress is a process. Unity is part of the process.
Unity drives awareness…
Awareness drives education…
Education drives action…
Action drives change…
Let’s make a change!”

 

These are very difficult times for us as individuals, communities, and as nations. I ask you to join me in doing our part to fight racism – we can’t afford any more lives to be lost, any more children growing up deprived of their opportunities. First and foremost, we need to listen to our black communities and educate ourselves. And we must acknowledge that this is an ongoing issue – and continue to fight inequality every day, even when the protests don’t make headlines anymore. We can all make a difference. Speak out against injustice, listen to the stories of inequality, act, vote and make a change.

 

Together, we can make this world a better place!

Eva Chen

The post Message from Eva Chen – as a human being, not a CEO: We need to speak out and act against racism appeared first on .

This Week in Security News: How the Cybercriminal Underground Has Changed in 5 Years and the NSA Warns of New Sandworm Attacks on Email Servers

By Jon Clay (Global Threat Communications)

Welcome to our weekly roundup, where we share what you need to know about the cybersecurity news and events that happened over the past few days. This week, learn about how, over the past five years, the cybercriminal underground has seen a major shift to new platforms, communications channels, products, and services. Also, read about a new wave of Sandworm cyberattacks against email servers conducted by one of Russia’s most advanced cyber-espionage units.

Read on:

How the Cybercriminal Underground Has Changed in 5 Years

Trend Micro has been profiling the underground cybercrime community for many years. Over the past five years, it has seen a major shift to new platforms, communications channels, products, and services, as trust on the dark web erodes and new market demands emerge. Trend Micro expects the current pandemic to create yet another evolution, as cyber-criminals look to take advantage of new ways of working and systemic vulnerabilities.

Shadowserver, an Internet Guardian, Finds a Lifeline

In March, internet security group Shadowserver learned that longtime corporate sponsor Cisco was ending its support. With just weeks to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to move its data center out of Cisco’s facility—not to mention an additional $1.7 million to make it through the year—the organization was at real risk of extinction. Ten weeks later, Shadowserver has come a long way toward securing its financial future. This week, Trend Micro committed $600,000 to Shadowserver over three years, providing an important backbone to the organization’s fundraising efforts. 

#LetsTalkSecurity: No Trust for the Wicked 

This Week, Rik Ferguson, vice president of Security Research at Trend Micro, hosted the fourth episode of #LetsTalkSecurity featuring guest Dave Lewis, Global Advisory CISO at Duo Security. Check out this week’s episode and follow the link to find information about upcoming episodes and guests.

Principles of a Cloud Migration – Security W5H – The HOW

Security needs to be treated much like DevOps in evolving organizations, meaning everyone in the company has a shared responsibility to make sure it is implemented. It is not just a part of operations, but a cultural shift in doing things right the first time – security by default. In this blog from Trend Micro, learn 3 tips to get you started on your journey to securing the cloud.

What’s Trending on the Underground Market?

Trust has eroded among criminal interactions in the underground markets, causing a switch to e-commerce platforms and communication using Discord, which both increase user anonymization, a new Trend Micro report reveals. Determined efforts by law enforcement appear to be having an impact on the cybercrime underground as several forums have been taken down by global police entities.

Is Cloud Computing Any Safer from Malicious Hackers?

Cloud computing has revolutionized the IT world, making it easier for companies to deploy infrastructure and applications and deliver their services to the public. The idea of not spending millions of dollars on equipment and facilities to host an on-premises data center is a very attractive prospect to many. But is cloud computing any safer from malicious threat actors? Read this blog from Trend Micro to find out.

Smart Yet Flawed: IoT Device Vulnerabilities Explained

The variety and range of functions of smart devices present countless ways of improving different industries and environments. While the “things” in the internet of things (IoT) benefits homes, factories, and cities, these devices can also introduce blind spots and security risks in the form of vulnerabilities. Vulnerable smart devices open networks to attack vectors and can weaken the overall security of the internet. For now, it is better to be cautious and understand that “smart” can also mean vulnerable to threats.

Cyberattacks Against Hospitals Must Stop, Says Red Cross

Immediate action needs to be taken to stop cyberattacks targeting hospitals and healthcare organizations during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic – and governments around the world need to work together to make it happen, says a newly published open letter signed by the International Committee of the Red Cross, former world leaders, cybersecurity executives and others.

Securing the 4 Cs of Cloud-Native Systems: Cloud, Cluster, Container, and Code

Cloud-native technologies enable businesses to make the most of their cloud resources with less overhead, faster response times, and easier management. Like any technology that uses various interconnected tools and platforms, security plays a vital role in cloud-native computing. Cloud-native security adopts the defense-in-depth approach and divides the security strategies utilized in cloud-native systems into four different layers.

Coinminers Exploit SaltStack Vulnerabilities CVE-2020-11651 and CVE-2020-11652

Researchers from F-Secure recently disclosed two high-severity vulnerabilities in SaltStack Salt: CVE-2020-11651, an authentication bypass vulnerability, and CVE-2020-11652, a directory traversal vulnerability. These can be exploited by remote, unauthenticated attackers, and all versions of SaltStack Salt before 2019.2.4 and 3000 before 3000.2 are affected. Trend Micro has witnessed attacks exploiting these vulnerabilities, notably those using cryptocurrency miners.

PonyFinal Ransomware Targets Enterprise Servers Then Bides Its Time

A Java-based ransomware known as PonyFinal has emerged, targeting enterprise systems management servers as an initial infection vector. It exfiltrates information about infected environments, spreads laterally and then waits before striking — the operators go on to encrypt files at a later date and time, when the likelihood of the target paying is deemed to be the most likely.

Qakbot Resurges, Spreads through VBS Files

Trend Micro has seen events that point to the resurgence of Qakbot, a multi-component, information-stealing threat first discovered in 2007. Feedback from Trend Micro’s sensors indicates that Qakbot detections increased overall. A notable rise in detections of a particular Qakbot sample (detected by Trend Micro as Backdoor.Win32.QBOT.SMTH) was also witnessed in early April.

CSO Insights: SBV’s Ian Keller on the Challenges and Opportunities of Working Remotely

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced businesses to change the way they operate. These abrupt changes come with a unique set of challenges, including security challenges. Ian Keller, Chief Security Officer of SBV Services in South Africa, sat down with Trend Micro and shared his thoughts on how SBV is coping with the current pandemic, the main challenges they faced when transitioning their staff to remote work, as well as how they plan to move forward.

NSA Warns of New Sandworm Attacks on Email Servers

The US National Security Agency (NSA) has published a security alert warning of a new wave of cyberattacks against email servers, attacks conducted by one of Russia’s most advanced cyber-espionage units. The NSA says that members of Unit 74455 of the GRU Main Center for Special Technologies (GTsST), a division of the Russian military intelligence service, have been attacking email servers running the Exim mail transfer agent (MTA).

Forward-Looking Security Analysis of Smart Factories <Part 2> Security Risks of Industrial Application Stores

In the second part of this five series column, Trend Micro looks at the security risks to be aware of when promoting smart factories by examining overlooked attack vectors, feasible attack scenarios, and recommended defense strategies. This column is especially applicable for architects, engineers, and developers who are involved in smart factory technology.

Factory Security Problems from an IT Perspective (Part 2): People, Processes, and Technology

This blog is the second in a series that discusses the challenges that IT departments face when they are assigned the task of overseeing cybersecurity in factories and implementing measures to overcome these challenges. In this article, Trend Micro carries out an analysis to uncover the challenges that lie in the way of promoting factory security from an IT perspective.

21 Tips to Stay Secure, Private, and Productive as You Work from Home on Your Mac

If you brought a Mac home from the office, it’s likely already set up to meet your company’s security policies. But what if you are using your personal Mac to work from home? You need to outfit it for business, to protect it and your company from infections and snooping, while ensuring it continues to run smoothly over time. In this blog, learn 21 tips for staying secure, private, and productive while working from home on your Mac.

Surprised by the new wave of Sandworm attacks? Share your thoughts in the comments below or follow me on Twitter to continue the conversation: @JonLClay.

The post This Week in Security News: How the Cybercriminal Underground Has Changed in 5 Years and the NSA Warns of New Sandworm Attacks on Email Servers appeared first on .

Principles of a Cloud Migration – Security W5H – The HOW

By Jason Dablow
cloud

“How about… ya!”

Security needs to be treated much like DevOps in evolving organizations; everyone in the company has a responsibility to make sure it is implemented. It is not just a part of operations, but a cultural shift in doing things right the first time – Security by default. Here are a few pointers to get you started:

1. Security should be a focus from the top on down

Executives should be thinking about security as a part of the cloud migration project, and not just as a step of the implementation. Security should be top of mind in planning, building, developing, and deploying applications as part of your cloud migration. This is why the Well Architected Framework has an entire pillar dedicated to security. Use it as a framework to plan and integrate security at each and every phase of your migration.

2. A cloud security policy should be created and/or integrated into existing policy

Start with what you know: least privilege permission models, cloud native network security designs, etc. This will help you start creating a framework for these new cloud resources that will be in use in the future. Your cloud provider and security vendors, like Trend Micro, can help you with these discussions in terms of planning a thorough policy based on the initial migration services that will be used. Remember from my other articles, a migration does not just stop when the workload has been moved. You need to continue to invest in your operation teams and processes as you move to the next phase of cloud native application delivery.

3. Trend Micro’s Cloud One can check off a lot of boxes!

Using a collection of security services, like Trend Micro’s Cloud One, can be a huge relief when it comes to implementing runtime security controls to your new cloud migration project. Workload Security is already protecting thousands of customers and billions of workload hours within AWS with security controls like host-based Intrusion Prevention and Anti-Malware, along with compliance controls like Integrity Monitoring and Application Control. Meanwhile, Network Security can handle all your traffic inspection needs by integrating directly with your cloud network infrastructure, a huge advantage in performance and design over Layer 4 virtual appliances requiring constant changes to route tables and money wasted on infrastructure. As you migrate your workloads, continuously check your posture against the Well Architected Framework using Conformity. You now have your new infrastructure secure and agile, allowing your teams to take full advantage of the newly migrated workloads and begin building the next iteration of your cloud native application design.

This is part of a multi-part blog series on things to keep in mind during a cloud migration project.  You can start at the beginning which was kicked off with a webinar here: https://resources.trendmicro.com/Cloud-One-Webinar-Series-Secure-Cloud-Migration.html. To have a more personalized conversation, please add me to LinkedIn!

The post Principles of a Cloud Migration – Security W5H – The HOW appeared first on .

21 Tips to Stay Secure, Private, and Productive as You Work from Home on Your Mac

By Trend Micro

Nowadays, Macs are part of the work-from-home workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic. If you’ve brought a Mac from the office to home, it’s likely your IT department has already set it up to meet your company’s security policies. But what if you’re enlisting a Mac already at home to do duty for your company? You need to outfit it for business, to protect it and your company from infections and snooping, while ensuring it continues to run smoothly over time.

Here are 21 tips for staying secure, private, and productive while working from home on your Mac—while also making sure your personal “helpdesk” is in place, should you run into problems while doing your work.

How to guard against viruses and cyber threats on your Mac

While good security habits are important for all Mac users (since, contrary to popular opinion, Macs are as vulnerable to malicious attacks as PCs), you need to take special care when working from home on your Mac because you’ll be interacting with your company’s applications and platforms over the internet. Start your “security upgrade” with the Mac itself, to keep it free of viruses and malware. Make sure your security checklist includes the following:

    1. Secure Your Mac. Ensure your Mac is in a secure, safe place, where family members can’t shoulder surf or use it, then set up a work account on your Mac (separate from your personal account), complete with a unique, complex password (disable automatic login), with only work-approved apps active on the account. Set the Mac to automatically lock one minute after sleep or your screen saver begins. Then turn on the Mac’s Firewall (if it’s not already on) and enable Stealth Mode, which will block incoming network requests from test applications.
    2. Keep Up to Date. Keep your Mac OS system, Web browser, and main work apps (e.g., Microsoft Office) up to date. Application updates often contain security improvements as well as bug fixes.
    3. Be Communication-Cautious. Use your messaging and email apps only for work, so as not to contaminate them with unexpected communications from friends, family, or strangers. Be particularly aware of phishing emails with potentially bad links and attachments, or with buttons to “help you log into” online accounts to allegedly adjust or renew some crucial account data. Credential data theft can be a doorway not only to the data on your Mac, but to your company’s online systems.
    4. Install Antivirus. Install endpoint security software on your Mac, if you don’t already have it. The solution should protect you from Web threats and when downloading files, and in the event something malicious lands on your disk, its scanning technology will help you remove the infection. The best endpoint protection will protect you and your files proactively from ransomware as well.

Trend Micro Mac Endpoint Security solutions include:

  • Trend Micro Ad Block One. Blocks ads and popups in your Safari browser.
  • Trend Micro Antivirus One. Protects your Mac from adware, ransomware, spyware, and malware.
  • Trend Micro Antivirus for Mac. Offers a full-protection solution for your Mac. When you install Antivirus for Mac, your endpoint security includes the Trend Micro Toolbar for Web Threat Protection, Fraud Buster for protection from phishing in Microsoft Outlook, and Folder Shield for protecting sensitive files from encryption by ransomware.

How to guard your privacy on Mac

Next, you need to make sure your work remains private. This means creating a “chain of privacy” that extends from your Mac over the internet to your company’s servers, so that each link in the chain is “locked” to ensure your company data remains private.

    1. Harden Your Mac. Enable FileVault (which encrypts your data), making sure you secure but remember your login password or recovery key; otherwise your data will become inaccessible. This ensures that if your Mac is stolen, the thief won’t have access to your company’s data.
    2. Protect Your Router. Most routers come with default settings (Admin and Password), which can make your router vulnerable to hacker attacks. Change the default Admin and Password on the router to strong, unique alphanumeric strings.
    3. Encrypt Your Network. Use an Ethernet connection from your Mac to the router; or if you must, a WPA-2 encrypted Wi-Fi connection with unique password access. And consider moving your family and their devices to the guest network, if your router supports the same WPA-2 protection for guests.
    4. Deploy Network Security. Deploy a network security solution, to protect all the smart devices in your home network, since a breach on any device (e.g., your smart speaker, your security camera) could affect the privacy of all your devices, including your work Mac. The network security solution should enable you to block incoming connections from remote-access software and to manage your family’s devices.
    5. Use a VPN. This ensures a secure and private tunnel between the Mac on your home network and your company’s servers, encrypting your data from the moment it’s transmitted.
    6. Use Strong Authentication. Use strong authentication whenever possible, both locally on your Mac and for online account logins. This can include Single-Sign On (SSO) solutions, PINs, Facial Recognition and Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) tools.
    7. Use Secure Video Conferencing. For team conference calls/video meetings, make sure your chosen solution has end-to-end encryption and proper access controls. Consider using headphones to better privatize your teammates’ conversation.
    8. Use a Password Manager. This ensures the privacy of all your company login credentials, since you don’t want to store them in your browser, where they can be hacked.
    9. Use Cloud Sync; Encrypt and Detach Local Backups. You’re probably accustomed to using iCloud for cloud sync/backup, but if you’re already using Microsoft Office, consider using OneDrive for Business, since it’s integrated with Office. And don’t use a USB memory stick for backup. Instead, when you’re doing your weekly local backup via Time Machine, use a hard drive that can be disconnected and locked when your backup is finished.

Trend Micro Mac Privacy/Security solutions include:

  • Trend Micro Home Network Security. Ensures your network and all the smart devices on it are secure, while providing Android and iOS apps to manage the network.
  • Trend Micro VPN Proxy One / WiFi Protection. VPN Proxy One protects your Mac and iOS devices with an emphasis on Privacy, while WiFi Protection emphasizes Security across all four platforms, including Mac, iOS, Windows and Android devices.
  • Trend Micro Password Manager for Mac. Trend Micro’s Password Manager is available for Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android devices. Synch your passwords across all platforms.

Tips and tricks to maximize your Mac

Working from home means contending with home distractions (though working in the office has its own set of distractions too). Staying productive therefore includes setting good work and break habits, physically optimizing your work-from-home Mac setup, and keeping your Mac in good working order. Effective and productive remote working, when it comes setting up good work habits, using efficiency maximizing tools, and separating work from home activities, is a whole topic in itself. Here we include only those tips that directly affect the healthy operation and optimization of your Mac:

    1. Deploy a Second Display. Hook up a large or second monitor to your Mac, for increased workspace. New MacBook users on Catalina MacOS can also attach an iPad with iOS 13 via Sidecar for use as a second monitor.
    2. Hook Up iPhone Calling to Your Mac. For efficiency’s sake, when your iPhone and Mac are on the same Wi-Fi network, you can make phone calls with your Mac by tying it to your iPhone and its cellular plan. The microphone and speakers of your Mac will be enlisted in the call. Ensure your Mac’s Contacts app includes your business contact cards and for easy Mac-assisted calling to your associates.
    3. Use Dictation. Now’s the chance for you to use the built-in dictation tools on your Mac (and iOS) to speed up writing letters, emails, memos, etc.
    4. Use Web Apps. Use the Web version of your office apps when possible; e.g., Microsoft Office 365, which includes Web Outlook, Word, Calendar, People, Sharepoint, Planner, Notes, OneDrive, etc. for efficient collaboration, reverting to the installed desktop apps when necessary. This can reduce the data footprint on your Mac.
    5. Periodically Optimize Your Mac. Every computer slows down over time, especially when doing heavy-duty work, due to system and application clutter, as well as duplication of files. Your home Mac may also be a bit short on memory and CPU power, so periodic use of Mac optimization tools, Apple’s or a third-party’s, can help ensure your Mac stays up to speed for maximum productivity.

Trend Micro Performance tools include:

  • Trend Micro Cleaner One Pro for Mac. This solution can help you monitor and clean the Memory, CPU, and Network Usage on your Mac. Its System Optimizer tools include complete file cleanup and a shredder for junk, big, and duplicate files, as well as a tool for controlling apps upon startup.

How to get remote computer assistance for your Mac

Finally, should things go wrong at any time with your working Mac setup, you need to make sure to have a work-from-home “Help Desk” in place for when you need it. This can include the following:

    1. Enlist your IT Department. Easy connection and a contact to your IT Department for device, network, and app requirements, as well as tech support for problems that may arise during your workday, is critical.
    2. Utilize Vendor Helpdesks. Use the community forums and chat services of your Mac, network, and app vendors. Apple provides its own Mac Support, along with Mac Service and Repair for Macs under warranty or for customers with AppleCare+.
    3. Purchase Support Services. Optional support services you purchase can help ensure the top-notch security and operation of your Mac, your network, and your workflow.

Trend Micro Solutions include:

  • Trend Micro Home Support. You can obtain technical support for all your Trend Micro-centric application needs using Trend Micro’s eSupport page, also known as Home Support. Note too that Air Support, which includes app log transfer, online engineer help, and email, can be initiated through the Trend Micro apps themselves through the Help screen.
  • Trend Micro Premium Support Services. Trend Micro provides both Premium Service and Ultimate Service Bundles, which includes support for your Mac. Services include 24×7 emergency assistance, problem fixing, virus and spyware removal, and PC security and health check service for up to 4 devices with Trend Micro Security installed, including Trend Micro Antivirus for Mac.

That’s it! These tips should get you started on the road to staying secure, private, and productive, while running smoothly, as you work from home on your Mac. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us are doing just that. Now is the time to keep your working Mac working for you!

The post 21 Tips to Stay Secure, Private, and Productive as You Work from Home on Your Mac appeared first on .

Securing the Connected World with Support for The Shadowserver Foundation

By Trend Micro

If the first few months of 2020 have taught us anything, it’s the importance of collaboration and partnership to tackle a common enemy. This is true of efforts to fight the current pandemic, and it’s also true of the fight against cybercrime. That’s why Trend Micro has, over the years, struck partnerships with various organizations that share a common goal of securing our connected world.

So when we heard that one of these partners, the non-profit Shadowserver Foundation, was in urgent need of financial help, we didn’t hesitate to step in. Our new $600,000 commitment over three years will help to support the vital work it does collecting and sharing global threat data for the next three years.

What is Shadowserver?

Founded in 2004, The Shadowserver Foundation is now one of the world’s leading resources for reporting vulnerabilities, threats and malicious activity. Their work has helped to pioneer a more collaborative approach among the international cybersecurity community, from vendors and academia to governments and law enforcement.

Today, its volunteers, 16 full-time staff and global infrastructure of sinkholes, honeypots and honeyclients help run 45 scans across 4 billion IPv4 addresses every single day. It also performs daily sandbox scans on 713,000 unique malware samples, to add to the 12 Petabytes of malware and threat intelligence already stored on its servers. Thousands of network owners, including 109 CSIRTS in 138 countries worldwide, rely on the resulting daily reports — which are available free of charge to help make the digital world a safer place.

A Global Effort

Trend Micro is a long-time partner of The Shadowserver Foundation. We automatically share new malware samples via its malware exchange program, with the end goal of improving protection for both Trend Micro customers and Shadowserver subscribers around the world. Not only that, but we regularly collaborate on global law enforcement-led investigations. Our vision and mission statements of working towards a more secure, connected world couldn’t be more closely aligned.

As COVID-19 has brutally illustrated, protecting one’s own backyard is not enough to tackle a global challenge. Instead, we need to reach out and build alliances to take on the threats and those behind them, wherever they are. These are even more pronounced at a time when remote working has dramatically expanded the corporate attack surface, and offered new opportunities for the black hats to prosper by taking advantage of distracted employees and stretched security teams.

The money Trend Micro has donated over the next three years will help the Shadowserver Foundation migrate to the new data center it urgently needs and support operational costs that combined will exceed $2 million in 2020. We wish the team well with their plans for this year.

It’s no exaggeration to say that our shared digital world is a safer place today because of their efforts, and we hope to continue to collaborate long into the future

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Is Cloud Computing Any Safer From Malicious Hackers?

By Rob Maynard

Cloud computing has revolutionized the IT world, making it easier for companies to deploy infrastructure and applications and deliver their services to the public. The idea of not spending millions of dollars on equipment and facilities to host an on-premises data center is a very attractive prospect to many. And certainly, moving resources to the cloud just has to be safer, right? The cloud provider is going to keep our data and applications safe for sure. Hackers won’t stand a chance. Wrong. More commonly than anyone should, I often hear this delusion from many customers. The truth of the matter is, without proper configuration and the right skillsets administering the cloud presence, as well as practicing common-sense security practices, cloud services are just (if not more) vulnerable.

The Shared Responsibility Model

Before going any further, we need to discuss the shared responsibility model of the cloud service provider and user.

When planning your migration to the cloud, one needs to be aware of which responsibilities belong to which entity. As the chart above shows, the cloud service provider is responsible for the cloud infrastructure security and physical security of such. By contrast, the customer is responsible for their own data, the security of their workloads (all the way to the OS layer), as well as the internal network within the companies VPC’s.

One more pretty important aspect that remains in the hands of the customer is access control. Who has access to what resources? This is really no different than it’s been in the past, exception being the physical security of the data center is handled by the CSP as opposed to the on-prem security, but the company (specifically IT and IT security) are responsible for locking down those resources efficiently.

Many times, this shared responsibility model is overlooked, and poor assumptions are made the security of a company’s resources. Chaos ensues, and probably a firing or two.

So now that we have established the shared responsibility model and that the customer is responsible for their own resource and data security, let’s take a look at some of the more common security issues that can affect the cloud.

Amazon S3 

Amazon S3 is a truly great service from Amazon Web Services. Being able to store data, host static sites or create storage for applications are widely used use cases for this service. S3 buckets are also a prime target for malicious actors, since many times they end up misconfigured.

One such instance occurred in 2017 when Booz Allen Hamilton, a defense contractor for the United States, was pillaged of battlefield imagery as well as administrator credentials to sensitive systems.

Yet another instance occurred in 2017, when due to an insecure Amazon S3 bucket, the records of 198 million American voters were exposed. Chances are if you’re reading this, there’s a good chance this breach got you.

A more recent breach of an Amazon S3 bucket (and I use the word “breach,” however most of these instances were a result of poor configuration and public exposure, not a hacker breaking in using sophisticated techniques) had to do with the cloud storage provider “Data Deposit Box.” Utilizing Amazon S3 buckets for storage, a configuration issue caused the leak of more than 270,000 personal files as well as personal identifiable information (PII) of its users.

One last thing to touch on the subject of cloud file storage has to do with how many organizations are using Amazon S3 to store uploaded data from customers as a place to send for processing by other parts of the application. The problem here is how do we know if what’s being uploaded is malicious or not? This question comes up more and more as I speak to more customers and peers in the IT world.

API

APIs are great. They allow you to interact with programs and services in a programmatic and automated way. When it comes to the cloud, APIs allow administrators to interact with services, an in fact, they are really a cornerstone of all cloud services, as it allows the different services to communicate. As with anything in this world, this also opens a world of danger.

Let’s start with the API gateway, a common construct in the cloud to allow communication to backend applications. The API gateway itself is a target, because it can allow a hacker to manipulate the gateway, and allow unwanted traffic through. API gateways were designed to be integrated into applications. They were not designed for security. This means untrusted connections can come into said gateway and perhaps retrieve data that individual shouldn’t see. Likewise, the API requests to the gateway can come with malicious payloads.

Another attack that can affect your API gateway and likewise the application behind it, is a DDOS attack. The common answer to defend against this is Web Application Firewall (WAF). The problem is WAFs struggle to deal with low, slow DDOS attacks, because the steady stream of requests looks like normal traffic. A really great way to deter DDOS attacks at the API gateway however is to limit the number of requests for each method.

A great way to prevent API attacks lies in the configuration. Denying anonymous access is huge. Likewise, changing tokens, passwords and keys limit the chance effective credentials can be used. Lastly, disabling any type of clear-text authentication. Furthermore, enforcing SSL/TLS encryption and implementing multifactor authentication are great deterrents.

Compute

No cloud service would be complete without compute resources. This is when an organization builds out virtual machines to host applications and services. This also introduces yet another attack surface, and once again, this is not protected by the cloud service provider. This is purely the customers responsibility.

Many times, in discussing my customers’ migration from an on-premises datacenter to the cloud, one of the common methods is the “lift-and-shift” approach. This means customers take the virtual machines they have running in their datacenter and simply migrating those machines to the cloud. Now, the question is, what kind of security assessment was done on those virtual machines prior to migrating? Were those machines patched? Were discovered security flaws fixed? In my personal experience the answer is no. Therefore, these organizations are simply taking their problems from one location to the next. The security holes still exist and could potentially be exploited, especially if the server is public facing or network policies are improperly applied. For this type of process, I think a better way to look at this is “correct-and-lift-and-shift”.

Now once organizations have already established their cloud presence, they will eventually need to deploy new resources, and this can mean developing or building upon a machine image. The most important thing to remember here is that these are computers. They are still vulnerable to malware, so regardless of being in the cloud or not, the same security controls are required including things like anti-malware, host IPS, integrity monitoring and application control just to name a few.

Networking

Cloud services make it incredibly easy to deploy networks and divide them into subnets and even allow cross network communication. They also give you the ability to lock down the types of traffic that are allowed to traverse those networks to reach resources. This is where security groups come in. These security groups are configured by people, so there’s always that chance that a port is open that shouldn’t be, opening a potential vulnerability. It’s incredibly important from this perspective to really have a grasp on what a compute resource is talking to and why, so the proper security measures can be applied.

So is the cloud really safe from hackers? No safer than anything else unless organizations make sure they’re taking security in their hands and understand where their responsibility begins, and the cloud service provider’s ends. The arms war between hackers and security professionals is still the same as it ever was, the battleground just changed.

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How the Cybercriminal Underground Has Changed in 5 Years

By Trend Micro
Cybercriminal Underground

The cybercrime economy is one of the runaway success stories of the 21st century — at least, for those who participate in it. Estimates claim it could be worth over $1 trillion annually, more than the GDP of many countries. Part of that success is due to its ability to evolve and shift as the threat landscape changes. Trend Micro has been profiling the underground cybercrime community for many years. Over the past five years, we’ve seen a major shift to new platforms, communications channels, products and services, as trust on the dark web erodes and new market demands emerge.

We also expect the current pandemic to create yet another evolution, as cyber-criminals look to take advantage of new ways of working and systemic vulnerabilities.

Shifts in the underground

Our latest report, Shifts in the Cybercriminal Underground Markets, charts the fascinating progress of cybercrime over the past five years, through detailed analysis of forums, marketplaces and dark web sites around the world. It notes that in many product areas, the cost of items has dropped as they become commoditised: so where in 2015 you expected to pay $1000 per months for crypting services, today they may be as little as $20.

In other areas, such as IoT botnets, cyber-propaganda and stolen gaming account credentials, prices are high as new products spark surging demand. Fortnite logins can sell for around $1,000 on average, for example.

The good news is that law enforcement action appears to be working. Trend Micro has long partnered with Interpol, Europol, national crime agencies and local police to provide assistance in investigations. So it’s good to see that these efforts are having an impact. Many dark web forums and marketplaces have been infiltrated and taken down over the past five years, and our researchers note that current users complain of DDoS-ing and log-in issues.

Cybercriminals have been forced to take extreme measures as trust erodes among the community, for example, by using gaming communications service Discord to arrange trades, and e-commerce platform Shoppy.gg to sell items. A new site called DarkNet Trust was even created to tackle this specific challenge: it aims to verify cybercrime vendors’ reputations by analysing their usernames and PGP fingerprints.

What does the future hold?

However, things rarely stay still on the cybercrime underground. Going forward, we expect to see a range of new tools and techniques flood dark web stores and forums. AI will be at the centre of these efforts. Just as it’s being used by Trend Micro and other companies to root out fraud, sophisticated malware and phishing, it could be deployed in bots designed to predict roll patterns on gambling sites. It could also be used in deepfake services developed to help buyers bypass photo ID systems, or launch sextortion campaigns against individuals.

Some emerging trends are less hi-tech but no less damaging. Log-ins for wearable devices could be stolen and used to request replacements under warranty, defrauding the customer and costing the manufacturers dear. In fact, access to devices, systems and accounts is so common today that we’re already seeing it spun out in “as-a-service” cybercrime offerings. Prices for access to Fortune 500 companies can hit as much as $10,000.

Post-pandemic threats

Then there’s COVID-19. We’re already seeing fraudsters targeted government stimulus money with fake applications, sometimes using phished information from legitimate businesses. And healthcare organisations are being targeted with ransomware as they battle to save lives.

Even as the pandemic recedes, remote working practices are likely to stay in many organisations. What does this mean for cybercrime? It means more targeting of VPN vulnerabilities with malware and DDoS services. And it means more opportunities to compromise corporate networks via connected home devices. Think of it like a kind of Reverse BYOD scenario – instead of bringing devices into work to connect, the corporate network is now merged with home networks.

Tackling such challenges will demand a multi-layered strategy predicated around that familiar trio: people, process and technology. It will require more training, better security for home workers, improved patch management and password security, and much more besides. But most of all it will demand continued insight into global cybercriminals and the platforms they inhabit, to anticipate where the next threats are coming from.

Fortunately, this is where Trend Micro’s expert team of researchers come in. We won’t let them out of our sight.

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This Week in Security News: New Bluetooth Vulnerability Exposes Billions of Devices to Hackers and Backdoor, Devil Shadow Botnet Hidden in Fake Zoom Installers

By Jon Clay (Global Threat Communications)

Welcome to our weekly roundup, where we share what you need to know about the cybersecurity news and events that happened over the past few days. This week, read about a new security vulnerability in Bluetooth that could potentially allow an attacker to spoof a remotely paired device. Also, learn about two malware files that pose as Zoom installers but when decoded, contain malware code.

Read on:

Forward-Looking Security Analysis of Smart Factories <Part 1> Overlooked Attack Vectors

Trend Micro recently released a paper showing the results of proof-of-concept research on new security risks associated with smart factories. In this series of five columns, Trend Micro will explore the security risks to be aware of when promoting smart factories by examining overlooked attack vectors, feasible attack scenarios, and recommended defense strategies. This first column introduces the concept of “smart manufacturing,” and explains the research methods and attack vectors that are unique to smart factories.

Backdoor, Devil Shadow Botnet Hidden in Fake Zoom Installers

Trend Micro found two malware files that pose as Zoom installers but when decoded, contain malware code. These malicious fake installers do not come from Zoom’s official installation distribution channels. One of the samples installs a backdoor that allows threat actors to run malicious routines remotely, while the other sample involves the installation of the Devil Shadow botnet in devices.

Adobe Releases Critical Out-of-Band Security Update

This week, Adobe released four security updates, one of them being an out-of-band security update for Adobe Character Animator that fixes a critical remote code execution vulnerability. All these vulnerabilities were discovered by Mat Powell of Trend Micro’s Zero Day Initiative and were not found in the wild.

QNodeService: Node.js Trojan Spread via Covid-19 Lure

Trend Micro recently noticed a Twitter post by MalwareHunterTeam that showed a Java downloader with a low detection rate. Its name, “Company PLP_Tax relief due to Covid-19 outbreak CI+PL.jar”, suggests it may have been used in a Covid-19-themed phishing campaign. Running this file led to the download of a new, undetected malware sample written in Node.js; this trojan is dubbed as “QNodeService”.

ShinyHunters Is a Hacking Group on a Data Breach Spree

In the first two weeks of May, a hacking group called ShinyHunters went on a rampage, hawking what it claims is close to 200 million stolen records from at least 13 companies. Such binges aren’t unprecedented in the dark web stolen data economy, but they’re a crucial driver of identity theft and fraud.

Netwalker Fileless Ransomware Injected via Reflective Loading

Trend Micro has observed Netwalker ransomware attacks involving malware that is not compiled but written in PowerShell and executed directly in memory and without storing the actual ransomware binary into the disk. This makes this ransomware variant a fileless threat, enabling it to maintain persistence and evade detection by abusing tools that are already in the system to initiate attacks.

Beware of Phishing Emails Urging for a LogMeIn Security Update

LogMeIn users are being targeted with fake security update requests, which lead to a spoofed phishing page. The phishing email has been made to look like it’s coming from LogMeIn. Not only does the company logo feature prominently in the email body, but the sender’s identity has been spoofed and the phishing link looks, at first glance, like it might be legitimate.

Phishing Site Uses Netflix as Lure, Employs Geolocation

A phishing site was found using a spoofed Netflix page to harvest account information, credit card credentials, and other personally identifiable information (PII), according to a Twitter post by PartnerRe Information Security Analyst Andrea Palmieri. Trend Micro looked into the malicious site, hxxp://secure-up-log.com/netflix/, to learn more about the operation and found that the sites have geolocation features.

New Bluetooth Vulnerability Exposes Billions of Devices to Hackers

Academics from École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) disclosed a security vulnerability in Bluetooth that could potentially allow an attacker to spoof a remotely paired device, exposing over a billion modern devices to hackers. The attacks, dubbed Bluetooth Impersonation Attacks or BIAS, concern Bluetooth Classic, which supports Basic Rate (BR) and Enhanced Data Rate (EDR) for wireless data transfer between devices.

#LetsTalkSecurity: Fighting Back  

This Week, Rik Ferguson, vice president of Security Research at Trend Micro, hosted the third episode of #LetsTalkSecurity featuring guest Katelyn Bowden, CEO & founder of The BADASS Army. In this week’s episode, Rik and Katelyn discuss fighting back and more. Check out this week’s episode and follow the link to find information about upcoming episodes and guests.

Fraudulent Unemployment, COVID-19 Relief Claims Earn BEC Gang Millions

An infamous business email compromise (BEC) gang has submitted hundreds of fraudulent claims with state-level U.S. unemployment websites and coronavirus relief funds. Behind the attacks is Scattered Canary, a highly organized Nigerian cybergang that employs dozens of threat actors to target U.S. enterprise organizations and government institutions. Researchers who tracked the fraudulent activity said the gang may have made millions from the fraudulent activity.

Factory Security Problems from an IT Perspective (Part 1): Gap Between the Objectives of IT and OT

The manufacturing industry is undergoing drastic changes and entering a new transition period. Today, it may be difficult to find companies that don’t include Digital Transformation (DX) or the Internet of Things (IoT) in their strategies. Manufacturing companies need to include cybersecurity in both the information technology (IT) domain and the operational technology (OT) one as well. This three-part blog series discusses the challenges that IT departments face when assigned the task of overseeing cybersecurity in factories and implementing measures to overcome these challenges.

What did you think about this week’s #LetsTalkSecuirty episode? Share your thoughts in the comments below or follow me on Twitter to continue the conversation: @JonLClay.

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This Week in Security News: How Researchers Used an App Store to Demonstrate Hacks on a Factory and Microsoft Again Surpasses 100 Vulnerabilities on Patch Tuesday

By Jon Clay (Global Threat Communications)

Welcome to our weekly roundup, where we share what you need to know about the cybersecurity news and events that happened over the past few days. This week, read about how researchers at Trend Micro used an app store to demonstrate hacks on a manufacturing facility. Also, learn about this month’s patch activity from Microsoft.

Read on:

How Two Researchers Used an App Store to Demonstrate Hacks on a Factory

When malicious code spread through the networks of Rheinmetall Automotive, it disrupted plants on two continents, temporarily costing up to $4 million each week. While awareness of these type of threats has grown, there’s still a risk that too many organizations view such attacks as isolated incidents, rather than the work of a determined attacker. Federico Maggi, a senior researcher at Trend Micro, set out to dispel that mindset.

#LetsTalkSecurity: Hacker Adventures  

This Week, Rik Ferguson, Vice President of Security Research at Trend Micro, hosted the second episode of #LetsTalkSecurity featuring Jayson E. Street, Vice President at SphereNY. This series explores security and how it impacts our digital world. In discussion with some of the brightest and most influential minds in the community, Trend Micro explores this fascinating topic. Check out this week’s episode and follow the link to find information about upcoming episodes and guests.

Microsoft Again Surpasses 100 Vulnerabilities on Patch Tuesday

For the third consecutive month Microsoft issued a hefty list of Patch Tuesday security updates covering 111 CVEs with 16 making the critical list. This is the third month Microsoft has had more than 100 vulnerabilities listed in its monthly security rollup, but unlike the last few months, May’s list does not contain any vulnerabilities currently being exploited in the wild.

Principles of a Cloud Migration – Security W5H – The WHERE

Where do we add security in the cloud? Start by removing the thinking that security controls are tied to specific implementations. You don’t need an intrusion prevention wall that’s a hardware appliance much like you don’t need an agent installed to do anti-malware. This blog puts the focus on your configuration, permissions, and other best practices.

Securing Smart Manufacturing

Trend Micro recently published a report that surveys the Industry 4.0 attack surface, finding that within the manufacturing operation, the blending of IT and OT exposes additional attack surfaces. In the current report on rogue robots, Trend Micro collaborated with the Politecnico di Milano to analyze the range of specific attacks today’s robots face, and the potential consequences those attacks may have.

Package Delivery Giant Pitney Bowes Confirms Second Ransomware Attack in 7 Months

Package and mail delivery giant Pitney Bowes suffered its second ransomware attack in seven months. The incident came to light after a ransomware gang known as Maze published a blog post claiming to have breached and encrypted the company’s network. The Maze crew provided proof of access in the form of 11 screenshots portraying directory listings from inside the company’s computer network.

Tropic Trooper’s Back: USBferry Attack Targets Air-Gapped Environments

Trend Micro recently found that Tropic Trooper’s latest activities center around targeting Taiwanese and the Philippine military’s physically isolated networks through a USBferry attack. Trend Micro also observed targets among military/navy agencies, government institutions, military hospitals, and a national bank. The group employs USBferry, a USB malware that performs different commands on specific targets, maintains stealth in environments, and steals critical data through USB storage.

Texas Courts Won’t Pay Up in Ransomware Attack

A ransomware attack has hit the IT office that supports Texas appellate courts and judicial agencies, leading to their websites and computer servers being shut down. The office said that it will not pay the ransom requested by the cybercriminals. Specifically affected is the Office of Court Administration, which is the IT provider for the appellate courts and state judicial agencies within the Texas Judicial Branch.

New MacOS Dacls RAT Backdoor Show Lazarus’ Multi-Platform Attack Capability

Trend Micro found an application sample in April called TinkaOTP that seemed like a normal one-time password authentication tool. However, further investigation showed the application bearing a striking resemblance to Dacls remote access trojan (RAT), a Windows and Linux backdoor that 360 Netlab discovered in December 2019.

Facebook Awards Researcher $20,000 for Account Hijacking Vulnerability

Security researcher Vinoth Kumar says Facebook awarded him $20,000 after he discovered and reported a Document Object Model-based cross-site scripting (DOM XSS) vulnerability that could have been exploited to hijack accounts. The researcher says he discovered the vulnerability in the window.postMessage() method, which is meant to safely enable cross-origin communication between Window objects.

Cloud Security: Key Concepts, Threats, and Solutions

Enterprises may be migrating requirements to the cloud, starting fully in the cloud (going “cloud native”), or mastering their cloud-based security strategy. Regardless of what stage of the cloud journey a company is in, cloud administrators should be able to conduct security operations like performing vulnerability management, identifying important network events, carrying out incident response, and gathering and acting on threat intelligence — all while keeping many moving parts in compliance with relevant industry standards.

From Bugs to Zoombombing: How to Stay Safe in Online Meetings

Forced to now work, study, and socialize at home, the online digital world has become essential to our communications — and video conferencing apps have become our “face-to-face” window on the world. The problem is that as users flock to these services, the bad guys are also waiting to disrupt or eavesdrop on chats, spread malware, and steal data. In this blog, Trend Micro explores some of the key threats out there and how users can stay safe while video conferencing.

Surprised by Texas courts’ decision not to pay the ransom in its latest ransomware attack? Share your thoughts in the comments below or follow me on Twitter to continue the conversation: @JonLClay.

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From Bugs to Zoombombing: How to Stay Safe in Online Meetings

By Trend Micro

The COVID-19 pandemic, along with social distancing, has done many things to alter our lives. But in one respect it has merely accelerated a process begun many years ago. We were all spending more and more time online before the virus struck. But now, forced to work, study and socialize at home, the online digital world has become absolutely essential to our communications — and video conferencing apps have become our “face-to-face” window on the world.

The problem is that as users flock to these services, the bad guys are also lying in wait — to disrupt or eavesdrop on our chats, spread malware, and steal our data. Zoom’s problems have perhaps been the most widely publicized, because of its quickly rising popularity, but it’s not the only platform whose users have been potentially at risk. Cisco’s WebEx and Microsoft Teams have also had issues; while other platforms, such as Houseparty, are intrinsically less secure (almost by design for their target audience, as the name suggests).

Let’s take a look at some of the key threats out there and how you can stay safe while video conferencing.

What are the risks?

Depending on the platform (designed for work or play) and the use case (business or personal), there are various opportunities for the online attacker to join and disrupt or eavesdrop on video conferencing calls. The latter is especially dangerous if you’re discussing sensitive business information.

Malicious hackers may also look to deliver malware via chats or shared files to take control of your computer, or to steal your passwords and sensitive personal and financial information. In a business context, they could even try to hijack your video conferencing account to impersonate you, in a bid to steal info from or defraud your colleagues or company.

The bad guys may also be able to take advantage of the fact that your home PCs and devices are less well-secured than those at work or school—and that you may be more distracted at home and less alert to potential threats.

To accomplish their goals, malicious hackers can leverage various techniques at their disposal. These can include:

  • Exploiting vulnerabilities in the video conferencing software, particularly when it hasn’t been updated to fend off the latest threats
  • Stealing your log-ins/meeting ID via malware or phishing attacks; or by obtaining a meeting ID or password shared on social media
  • Hiding malware in legitimate-looking video apps, links and files
  • Theft of sensitive data from meeting recordings stored locally or in the cloud.

Zooming in on trouble

Zoom has in many ways become the victim of its own success. With daily meeting participants soaring from 10 million in December last year to 200 million by March 2020, all eyes have been focused on the platform. Unfortunately, that also includes hackers. Zoom has been hit by a number of security and privacy issues over the past several months, which include “Zoombombing” (meetings disrupted by uninvited guests), misleading encryption claims, a waiting room vulnerability, credential theft and data collection leaks, and fake Zoom installers. To be fair to Zoom, it has responded quickly to these issues, realigning its development priorities to fix the security and privacy issues discovered by its intensive use.

And Zoom isn’t alone. Earlier in the year, Cisco Systems had its own problem with WebEx, its widely-used enterprise video conferencing system, when it discovered a flaw in the platform that could allow a remote, unauthenticated attacker to enter a password-protected video conferencing meeting. All an attacker needed was the meeting ID and a WebEx mobile app for iOS or Android, and they could have barged in on a meeting, no authentication necessary. Cisco quickly moved to fix the high-severity vulnerability, but other flaws (also now fixed) have cropped up in WebEx’s history, including one that could enable a remote attacker to send a forged request to the system’s server.

More recently, Microsoft Teams joined the ranks of leading business videoconferencing platforms with potentially deadly vulnerabilities. On April 27 it surfaced that for at least three weeks (from the end of February till the middle of March), a malicious GIF could have stolen user data from Teams accounts, possibly across an entire company. The vulnerability was patched on April 20—but it’s a reminder to potential video conferencing users that even leading systems such as Zoom, WebEx, and Teams aren’t fool-proof and require periodic vulnerability and security fixes to keep them safe and secure. This is compounded during the COVID-19 pandemic when workers are working from home and connecting to their company’s network and systems via possibly unsecure home networks and devices.

Video conferencing alternatives

So how do you choose the best, most secure, video conferencing software for your work-at-home needs? There are many solutions on the market today. In fact, the choice can be dizzying. Some simply enable video or audio meetings/calls, while others also allow for sharing and saving of documents and notes. Some are only appropriate for one-on-one connections or small groups, while others can scale to thousands.

In short, you’ll need to choose the video conferencing solution most appropriate to your needs, while checking if it meets a minimum set of security standards for working at home. This set of criteria should include end-to-end encryption, automatic and frequent security updates, the use of auto-generated meeting IDs and strong access controls, a program for managing vulnerabilities, and last but not least, good privacy practices by the company.

Some video conferencing options alongside Zoom, WebEx, and Teams include:

  • Signal which is end-to-end encrypted and highly secure, but only supports one-to-one calls.
  • FaceTime, Apple’s video chat tool, is easy-to-use and end-to-end encrypted, but is only available to Mac and iOS users.
  • Jitsi Meet is a free, open-source video conferencing app that works on Android, iOS, and desktop devices, with no limit on participants beyond your bandwidth.
  • Skype Meet Now is Microsoft’s free, popular conferencing tool for up to 50 users that can be used without an account, (in contrast to Teams, which is a paid, more business-focused platform for Office 365 users).
  • Google Duo is a free option for video calls only, while the firm’s Hangouts platform can also be used for messaging. Hangouts Meet is a more business-focused paid version.
  • Doxy.me is a well-known telemedicine platform used by doctors and therapists that works through your browser—so it’s up to you to keep your browser updated and to ensure the appropriate security and privacy settings are in place. Secure medical consultation with your healthcare provider is of particular concern during the shelter- and work-from-home quarantine.

How do I stay safe?

Whatever video conferencing platform you use, it’s important to bear in mind that cyber-criminals will always be looking to take advantage of any security gaps they can find — in the tool itself or your use of it. So how do you secure your video conferencing apps? Some tips listed here are Zoom-specific, but consider their equivalents in other platforms as general best-practice tips. Depending on the use case, you might choose to not enable some of the options here.

  • Check for end-to-end encryption before getting onboard with the app. This includes encryption for data at rest.
  • Ensure that you generate one-off meeting IDs and passwords automatically for recurring meetings (Zoom).
  • Don’t share any meeting IDs online.
  • Use the “waiting room” feature in Zoom (now fixed), so the host can only allow attendees from a pre-assigned list.
  • Lock the meeting once it’s started to stop anyone new from joining.
  • Allow the host to put attendees on hold, temporarily removing them from a meeting if necessary.
  • Play a sound when someone enters or leaves the room.
  • Set screen-sharing to “host only” to stop uninvited guests from sharing disruptive content.
  • Disable “file transfers” to block possible malware.
  • Keep your systems patched and up-to-date so there are no bugs that hackers can target.
  • Only download conferencing apps from official iOS/Android stores and manufacturer websites.
  • Never click on links or open attachments in unsolicited mail.
  • Check the settings in your video conferencing account. Switch off camera access if you don’t want to appear on-screen.
  • Use a password manager for video conferencing app log-ins.
  • Enhance passwords with two-factor authentication (2FA) or Single-Sign-On (SSO) to protect access, if available.
  • Install anti-malware software from a reputable vendor on all devices and PCs. And implement a network security solution if you can.

How Trend Micro can help

Fortunately, Trend Micro has a range of capabilities that can support your efforts to stay safe while using video conferencing services.

Trend Micro Home Network Security (HNS) protects every device in your home connected to the internet. That means it will protect you from malicious links and attachments in phishing emails spoofed to appear as if sent from video conferencing firms, as well as from those sent by hackers that may have covertly entered a meeting. Its Vulnerability Check can identify any vulnerabilities in your home devices and PCs, including work laptops, and its Remote Access Protection can reduce the risk of tech support scams and unwanted remote connections to your device. Finally, it allows parents to control their kids’ usage of video conferencing applications, to limit their exposure.

Trend Micro Security also offers protection against email, file, and web threats on your devices. Note too, that Password Manager is automatically installed with Maximum Security to help users create unique, strong passwords for each application/website they use, including video conferencing sites.

Finally, Trend Micro WiFi Protection (multi-platform) / VPN Proxy One (Mac and iOS) offer VPN connections from your home to the internet, creating secure encrypted tunnels for traffic to flow down. The VPN apps work on both Wi-Fi and Ethernet connections. This could be useful for users concerned their video conferencing app isn’t end-to-end encrypted, or for those wishing to protect their identity and personal information when interacting on these apps.

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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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Principles of a Cloud Migration – Security W5H – The WHERE

By Jason Dablow
cloud

“Wherever I go, there I am” -Security

I recently had a discussion with a large organization that had a few workloads in multiple clouds while assembling a cloud security focused team to build out their security policy moving forward.  It’s one of my favorite conversations to have since I’m not just talking about Trend Micro solutions and how they can help organizations be successful, but more so on how a business approaches the creation of their security policy to achieve a successful center of operational excellence.  While I will talk more about the COE (center of operational excellence) in a future blog series, I want to dive into the core of the discussion – where do we add security in the cloud?

We started discussing how to secure these new cloud native services like hosted services, serverless, container infrastructures, etc., and how to add these security strategies into their ever-evolving security policy.

Quick note: If your cloud security policy is not ever-evolving, it’s out of date. More on that later.

A colleague and friend of mine, Bryan Webster, presented a concept that traditional security models have been always been about three things: Best Practice Configuration for Access and Provisioning, Walls that Block Things, and Agents that Inspect Things.  We have relied heavily on these principles since the first computer was connected to another. I present to you this handy graphic he presented to illustrate the last two points.

But as we move to secure cloud native services, some of these are outside our walls, and some don’t allow the ability to install an agent.  So WHERE does security go now?

Actually, it’s not all that different – just how it’s deployed and implemented. Start by removing the thinking that security controls are tied to specific implementations. You don’t need an intrusion prevention wall that’s a hardware appliance much like you don’t need an agent installed to do anti-malware. There will also be a big focus on your configuration, permissions, and other best practices.  Use security benchmarks like the AWS Well-Architected, CIS, and SANS to help build an adaptable security policy that can meet the needs of the business moving forward.  You might also want to consider consolidating technologies into a cloud-centric service platform like Trend Micro Cloud One, which enables builders to protect their assets regardless of what’s being built.  Need IPS for your serverless functions or containers?  Try Cloud One Application Security!  Do you want to push security further left into your development pipeline? Take a look at Trend Micro Container Security for Pre-Runtime Container Scanning or Cloud One Conformity for helping developers scan your Infrastructure as Code.

Keep in mind – wherever you implement security, there it is. Make sure that it’s in a place to achieve the goals of your security policy using a combination of people, process, and products, all working together to make your business successful!

This is part of a multi-part blog series on things to keep in mind during a cloud migration project.  You can start at the beginning which was kicked off with a webinar here: https://resources.trendmicro.com/Cloud-One-Webinar-Series-Secure-Cloud-Migration.html.

Also, feel free to give me a follow on LinkedIn for additional security content to use throughout your cloud journey!

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This Week in Security News: 7 Tips for Security Pros Patching in a Pandemic and Coinminer, DDoS Bot Attack Docker Daemon Ports

By Jon Clay (Global Threat Communications)

Welcome to our weekly roundup, where we share what you need to know about the cybersecurity news and events that happened over the past few days. This week, read about a malicious cryptocurrency miner and Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) bot that targets open Docker daemon ports. Also, learn about tips for IT and security pros struggling to patch properly throughout the pandemic.

 

Read on:

#Let’sTalkSecurity: Bounty Smarter Not Harder

This Week, Rik Ferguson, Vice President of Security Research at Trend Micro, hosted the first episode of #Let’sTalkSecurity featuring Katie Moussouris, Founder and CEO of Luta Security. This series explores security and how it impacts our digital world. In discussion with some of the brightest and most influential minds in the community, Trend Micro explores this fascinating topic. Check out this week’s episode and follow the link to find information about upcoming episodes and guests.

Teaming Up with INTERPOL to Combat COVID-19 Threats

Partnerships matter in times of a crisis. Specifically, public-private partnerships matter in cybersecurity, which is why Trend Micro is always happy to reach out across industry, academia, and law enforcement to collaborate. Trend Micro is delighted to be working with long-time partner, INTERPOL, over the coming weeks on a new awareness campaign to help businesses and remote workers stay safe from an influx of COVID-19 threats.

7 Tips for Security Pros Patching in a Pandemic

Patch management has historically been a challenge for IT and security teams, which are under pressure to create strong programs and deploy fixes as they are released. Now, their challenges are intensified as a global shift to remote work forces companies to rethink patching strategies. In this article, experts in vulnerability and patch management share their advice for IT and security pros struggling to patch properly throughout the pandemic.

Principles of a Cloud Migration – Security W5H – The When

Security is as important to your cloud migration as the actual workload you are moving to the cloud. It is essential to plan and integrate security at every single layer of both architecture and implementation. If you are doing a disaster recovery migration, you need to make sure that security is ready for the infrastructure, your shiny new cloud space, as well as the operations supporting it.

Samsung Patches 0-click Vulnerability Impacting All Smartphones Sold Since 2014

This week Samsung released a security update to fix a critical vulnerability impacting all smartphones sold since 2014. The security flaw resides in how the Android OS flavor running on Samsung devices handles the custom Qmage image format (.qmg), which Samsung smartphones started supporting on all devices released since late 2014.

Security 101: How Fileless Attacks Work and Persist in Systems

As security measures get better at identifying and blocking malware and other threats, modern adversaries are constantly crafting sophisticated techniques to evade detection. One of the most persistent evasion techniques involves fileless attacks, which do not require malicious software to break into a system. Instead of relying on executables, these threats misuse tools that are already in the system to initiate attacks.

Zoom Acquires Keybase to Bring End-to-End Encryption to Video Platform

Popular communications platform provider Zoom Video announced on Thursday that it has acquired secure messaging and file-sharing service Keybase for an undisclosed sum. The move is the latest by the company as it attempts to bolster the security of its offerings and build in end-to-end encryption that can scale to the company’s massive user base.

Phishing, Other Threats Target Email and Video App Users

Trend Micro has seen several threats abusing tools utilized in work from home (WFH) setups. Cybercriminals are using credential phishing sites to trick users into entering their credentials into fake login pages of email and collaboration platforms and videoconferencing apps.

Firefox 76 Delivers New Password Security Features and Security Fixes

Just in time for this year’s World Password Day, Mozilla has released new Firefox Lockwise features. Starting with Firefox 76, users will be able to check whether any of the passwords they use are vulnerable (e.g., identical to a password that has been breached) and be alerted when their login and password is involved in a breach.

Excel Files with Hidden Sheets Target Users in Italy

A spam campaign using emails that have Excel file (.xls) attachments has been seen circulating and targeting users in Italy, Germany and other countries. The attachment appears blank when opened, but it has a sheet set to “hidden” that attempts to connect to a URL and download a file. Setting sheets to hidden is a documented feature. Some of the subjects of the spam emails written in Italian involve topics like free services, correcting information, invoice details, order completion and service assistance.

Coinminer, DDoS Bot Attack Docker Daemon Ports

Researchers found an open directory containing malicious files, which was first reported in a series of Twitter posts by MalwareHunterTeam. Analyzing some of the files, Trend Micro found a malicious cryptocurrency miner and Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) bot that targets open Docker daemon ports. The attack starts with the shell script named mxutzh.sh, which scans for open ports (2375, 2376, 2377, 4243, 4244) and then creates an Alpine Linux container that will host the coinminer and DDoS bot.

Naikon APT Hid Five-Year Espionage Attack Under Radar

After five years under the radar, the Naikon APT group has been unmasked in a long-term espionage campaign against several governments in the Asia-Pacific region. The Chinese APT group was first uncovered by Kaspersky researchers in 2015. A recently discovered widespread campaign reveals the group has spent the past five years quietly developing their skills and introducing the “Aria-body” RAT into their arsenal of weapons.

What do you think about Firefox’s new Lockwise password security features? Share your thoughts in the comments below or follow me on Twitter to continue the conversation: @JonLClay.

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Teaming up with INTERPOL to combat COVID-19 threats

By Trend Micro

If the past couple of months have taught us anything, it’s that partnerships matter in times of crisis. We’re better, stronger and more resilient when we work together. Specifically, public-private partnerships matter in cybersecurity, which is why Trend Micro is always happy to reach out across industry, academia and law enforcement to offer its expertise.

We are again delighted to be working with long-time partner INTERPOL over the coming weeks on a new awareness campaign to help businesses and remote workers stay safe from a deluge of COVID-19 threats.

The new normal

All over the world, organizations have been forced to rapidly adjust to the new normal: social distancing, government lockdowns and mass remote working. While most have responded superbly to the challenge, there’s no denying that IT security teams and remote access infrastructure are being stretched to the limit. There are understandable concerns that home workers may be more distracted, and therefore likely to click on phishing links, and that their PCs and devices may not be as well protected as corporate equivalents.

At the same time, the bad guys have also reacted quickly to take advantage of the pandemic. Phishing campaigns using COVID as a lure have surged, spoofing health authorities, government departments and corporate senders. BEC attacks try to leverage the fact that home workers may not have colleagues around to check wire transfer requests. And remote infrastructure like RDP endpoints and VPNs are being targeted by ransomware attackers — even healthcare organizations that are simultaneously trying to treat critical patients infected with the virus.

Getting the basics right

That’s why Trend Micro has been pushing out regular updates — not only on the latest scams and threats we’re picking up around the globe, but also with advice on how to secure the newly distributed workforce. Things like improved password security, 2FA for work accounts, automatic software updates, regular back-ups, remote user training, and restricted use of VPNs can all help. We’re also offering six months free use of our flagship Trend Micro Maximum Security product to home workers.

Yet there’s always more to do. Getting the message across as far and wide as possible is where organizations like INTERPOL come in. That’s why we’re delighted to be teaming up with the global policing organization to run a new public awareness campaign throughout May. It builds on highly successful previous recent campaigns we’ve collaborated on, to tackle BEC and crypto-jacking.

This time, we’ll be resharing some key resources on social media to alert users to the range of threats out there, and what businesses and home workers can do to stay safe. And we’ll help to develop infographics and other new messages on how to combat ransomware, online scams, phishing and other threats.

We’re all doing what we can during these difficult days. But if some good can come from a truly terrible event like this, then it’s that we show our strength in the face of adversity. And by following best practices, we can make life much tougher for the cybercriminals looking to profit from tragedy.

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This Week in Security News: Shade Ransomware Shuts Down, Releases Decryption Keys and WebMonitor RAT Bundled with Zoom Installer

By Jon Clay (Global Threat Communications)
week in security

Welcome to our weekly roundup, where we share what you need to know about the cybersecurity news and events that happened over the past few days. This week, read about how the operators of the Shade (Troldesh) ransomware have shut down and released more than 750,000 decryption keys. Also, learn about an attack using Zoom installers to spread a WebMonitor RAT malware.

Read on:

The Industry 4.0 Lab Never Ignores Brownfields – What POLIMI and Trend Micro Aim to Prove

It takes time for new technologies to penetrate the market and even the most innovative technology must be used safely and with confidence. Industry 4.0 technology is no exception. Engineers and researchers, including those at Politecnico di Milano (POLIMI) and Trend Micro, are currently investigating how to map ICT technology principles onto OT environments, including factory environments.

Shade (Troldesh) Ransomware Shuts Down and Releases Decryption Keys

The operators of the Shade (Troldesh) ransomware have shut down and, as a sign of goodwill, have released more than 750,000 decryption keys that past victims can now use to recover their files. Security researchers from Kaspersky Lab have confirmed the validity of the leaked keys and are now working on creating a free decryption tool.

Trend Micro’s Top Ten MITRE Evaluation Considerations

The MITRE ATT&CK framework, and the evaluations, have gone a long way in helping advance the security industry, and the individual security products serving the market. The insight garnered from these evaluations is incredibly useful but can be hard to understand. In this blog, read Trend Micro’s top 10 key takeaways for its evaluation results.  

New Android Malware Steals Banking Passwords, Private Data and Keystrokes

A new type of mobile banking malware has been discovered abusing Android’s accessibility features to exfiltrate sensitive data from financial applications, read user SMS messages, and hijack SMS-based two-factor authentication codes. Dubbed “EventBot” by Cybereason researchers, the malware can target over 200 different financial apps, including banking, money transfer services, and crypto-currency wallets. 

Principles of a Cloud Migration – Security, The W5H – Episode WHAT?

Last week in Trend Micro’s cloud migration blog series, we explained the “WHO” of securing a cloud migration, detailing each of the roles involved with implementing a successful security practice during the migration. This week, Trend Micro touches on the “WHAT” of security: the key principles required before your first workload moves.  

Critical WordPress e-Learning Plugin Bugs Open Door to Cheating

Researchers have disclosed critical-severity flaws in three popular WordPress plugins used widely by colleges and universities: LearnPress, LearnDash and LifterLMS. The flaws, now patched, could allow students to steal personal information, change their grades, cheat on tests and more. 

WebMonitor RAT Bundled with Zoom Installer

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the usefulness of communication apps for work-from-home setups. However, as expected, cybercriminals look to exploit popular trends and user behavior. Trend Micro has witnessed threats against several messaging apps, including Zoom. In April, Trend Micro spotted an attack using Zoom installers to spread a cryptocurrency miner. Trend Micro recently encountered a similar attack that drops a different malware: RevCode WebMonitor RAT. 

Group Behind TrickBot Spreads Fileless BazarBackdoor

A new campaign is spreading a new malware named “BazarBackdoor,” a fileless backdoor created by the same threat actors behind TrickBot, according to BleepingComputer. The conclusion is drawn due to similarities in code, crypters, and infrastructure between the two malware variants. The social engineering attacks used to spread the backdoor use topics such as customer complaints, COVID-19-themed payroll reports, and employee termination lists for the emails they send out. 

Critical Adobe Illustrator, Bridge and Magento Flaws Patched

Adobe is warning of critical flaws in Adobe Bridge, Adobe Illustrator and the Magento e-commerce platform. If exploited, the most severe vulnerabilities could enable remote code execution on affected systems. Francis Provencher, Mat Powell, and an anonymous reporter were credited for discovering the flaws, all working with Trend Micro’s Zero Day Initiative.

Guidance on Kubernetes Threat Modeling

Kubernetes is one of the most used container orchestration systems in cloud environments. As such, like any widely used application, it is an attractive target for cybercriminals and other threat actors. In this blog, Trend Micro shares three general areas that cloud administrators need to secure their deployments against, as they can introduce threats or risks to their Kubernetes-driven containerization strategies.

Loki Info Stealer Propagates Through LZH Files

Trend Micro previously encountered a spam sample that propagates the info stealer Loki through Windows Cabinet (CAB) files. Recently, Trend Micro also acquired another sample that delivers the same malware, but through LZH compressed archive files. Trend Micro detects the attachment and the dropper as TrojanSpy.Win32.LOKI.TIOIBYTU.

Security 101: How Fileless Attacks Work and Persist in Systems

As security measures improve, modern adversaries continue to craft sophisticated techniques to evade detection. One of the most persistent evasion techniques involves fileless attacks, which don’t require malicious software to break into a system. Instead of relying on executables, these threats misuse tools that are already in the system to initiate attacks.

COVID-19 Lockdown Fuels Increase in RDP Attacks

The number of attacks abusing the remote desktop protocol (RDP) to compromise corporate environments has increased significantly over the past couple of months, according to Kaspersky. With employees worldwide forced to work from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the volume of corporate traffic has increased significantly, just as the use of third-party services has increased to keep teams connected and efficient.

What measures are you taking to secure your migration to the cloud? Share your thoughts in the comments below or follow me on Twitter to continue the conversation: @JonLClay.

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Principles of a Cloud Migration – Security W5H – The When

By Jason Dablow
cloud

If you have to ask yourself when to implement security, you probably need a time machine!

Security is as important to your migration as the actual workload you are moving to the cloud. Read that again.

It is essential to be planning and integrating security at every single layer of both architecture and implementation. What I mean by that, is if you’re doing a disaster recovery migration, you need to make sure that security is ready for the infrastructure, your shiny new cloud space, as well as the operations supporting it. Will your current security tools be effective in the cloud? Will they still be able to do their task in the cloud? Do your teams have a method of gathering the same security data from the cloud? More importantly, if you’re doing an application migration to the cloud, when you actually implement security means a lot for your cost optimization as well.

NIST Planning Report 02-3

In this graph, it’s easy to see that the earlier you can find and resolve security threats, not only do you lessen the workload of infosec, but you also significantly reduce your costs of resolution. This can be achieved through a combination of tools and processes to really help empower development to take on security tasks sooner. I’ve also witnessed time and time again that there’s friction between security and application teams often resulting in Shadow IT projects and an overall lack of visibility and trust.

Start there. Start with bringing these teams together, uniting them under a common goal: Providing value to your customer base through agile secure development. Empower both teams to learn about each other’s processes while keeping the customer as your focus. This will ultimately bring more value to everyone involved.

At Trend Micro, we’ve curated a number of security resources designed for DevOps audiences through our Art of Cybersecurity campaign.  You can find it at https://www.trendmicro.com/devops/.

Also highlighted on this page is Mark Nunnikhoven’s #LetsTalkCloud series, which is a live stream series on LinkedIn and YouTube. Seasons 1 and 2 have some amazing content around security with a DevOps focus – stay tuned for Season 3 to start soon!

This is part of a multi-part blog series on things to keep in mind during a cloud migration project.  You can start at the beginning which was kicked off with a webinar here: https://resources.trendmicro.com/Cloud-One-Webinar-Series-Secure-Cloud-Migration.html.

Also, feel free to give me a follow on LinkedIn for additional security content to use throughout your cloud journey!

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Trend Micro’s Top Ten MITRE Evaluation Considerations

By Trend Micro

The introduction of the MITRE ATT&CK evaluations is a welcomed addition to the third-party testing arena. The ATT&CK framework, and the evaluations in particular, have gone such a long way in helping advance the security industry as a whole, and the individual security products serving the market.

The insight garnered from these evaluations is incredibly useful.  But let’s admit, for everyone except those steeped in the analysis, it can be hard to understand. The information is valuable, but dense. There are multiple ways to look at the data and even more ways to interpret and present the results (as no doubt you’ve already come to realize after reading all the vendor blogs and industry articles!) We have been looking at the data for the past week since it published, and still have more to examine over the coming days and weeks.

The more we assess the information, the clearer the story becomes, so we wanted to share with you Trend Micro’s 10 key takeaways for our results:

1. Looking at the results of the first run of the evaluation is important:

  • Trend Micro ranked first in initial overall detection. We are the leader in detections based on initial product configurations. This evaluation enabled vendors to make product adjustments after a first run of the test to boost detection rates on a re-test. The MITRE results show the final results after all product changes. If you assess what the product could detect as originally provided, we had the best detection coverage among the pool of 21 vendors.
  • This is important to consider because product adjustments can vary in significance and may or may not be immediately available in vendors’ current product. We also believe it is easier to do better, once you know what the attacker was doing – in the real world, customers don’t get a second try against an attack.
  • Having said that, we too took advantage of the retest opportunity since it allows us to identify product improvements, but our overall detections were so high, that even removing those associated with a configuration change, we still ranked first overall.

  • And so no one thinks we are just spinning… without making any kind of exclusions to the data at all, and just taking the MITRE results in their entirety, Trend Micro had the second highest detection rate, with 91+% detection coverage.

2. There is a hierarchy in the type of main detections – Techniques is most significant

  • There is a natural hierarchy in the value of the different types of main detections.
    • A general detection indicates that something was deemed suspicious but it was not assigned to a specific tactic or technique.
    • A detection on tactic means the detection can be attributed to a tactical goal (e.g. credential access).
    • Finally, a detection on technique means the detection can be attributed to a specific adversarial action (e.g. credential dumping).
  • We have strong detection on techniques, which is a better detection measure. With the individual MITRE technique identified, the associated tactic can be determined, as typically, there are only a handful of tactics that would apply to a specific technique. When comparing results, you can see that vendors had lower tactic detections on the whole, demonstrating a general acknowledgement of where the priority should lie.
  • Likewise, the fact that we had lower general detections compared to technique detections is a positive. General detections are typically associated with a signature; as such, this proves that we have a low reliance on AV.
  • It is also important to note that we did well in telemetry which gives security analysts access to the type and depth of visibility they need when looking into detailed attacker activity across assets.


https://attackevals.mitre.org/APT29/detection-categories.html 

3. More alerts does not equal better alerting – quite the opposite

  • At first glance, some may expect one should have the same number of alerts as detections. But not all detections are created equal, and not everything should have an alert (remember, these detections are for low level attack steps, not for separate attacks.)
  • Too many alerts can lead to alert fatigue and add to the difficulty of sorting through the noise to what is most important.
  • When you consider the alerts associated with our higher-fidelity detections (e.g. detection on technique), you can see that the results show that Trend Micro did very well at reducing the noise of all of the detections into a minimal volume of meaningful/actionable alerts.

4. Managed Service detections are not exclusive

  • Our MDR analysts contributed to the “delayed detection” category. This is where the detection involved human action and may not have been initiated automatically.
  • Our results shows the strength of our MDR service as one way for detection and enrichment. If an MDR service was included in this evaluation, we believe you would want to see it provide good coverage, as it demonstrates that the team is able to detect based on the telemetry collected.
  • What is important to note though is that the numbers for the delayed detection don’t necessarily mean it was the only way a detection was/could be made; the same detection could be identified by other means. There are overlaps between detection categories.
  • Our detection coverage results would have remained strong without this human involvement – approximately 86% detection coverage (with MDR, it boosted it up to 91%).

5. Let’s not forget about the effectiveness and need for blocking!

  • This MITRE evaluation did not test for a product’s ability to block/protect from an attack, but rather exclusively looks at how effective a product is at detecting an event that has happened, so there is no measure of prevention efficacy included.
  • This is significant for Trend, as our philosophy is to block and prevent as much as you can so customers have less to clean up/mitigate.

6. We need to look through more than the Windows

  • This evaluation looked at Windows endpoints and servers only; it did not look at Linux for example, where of course Trend has a great deal of strength in capability.
  • We look forward to the expansion of the operating systems in scope. Mitre has already announced that the next round will include a linux system.

7. The evaluation shows where our product is going

  • We believe the first priority for this evaluation is the main detections (for example, detecting on techniques as discussed above). Correlation falls into the modifier detection category, which looks at what happens above and beyond an initial detection.
  • We are happy with our main detections, and see great opportunity to boost our correlation capabilities with Trend Micro XDR, which we have been investing in heavily and is at the core of the capabilities we will be delivering in product to customers as of late June 2020.
  • This evaluation did not assess our correlation across email security; so there is correlation value we can deliver to customers beyond what is represented here.

8. This evaluation is helping us make our product better

  • The insight this evaluation has provided us has been invaluable and has helped us identify areas for improvement and we have initiate product updates as a result.
  • As well, having a product with a “detection only” mode option helps augment the SOC intel, so our participation in this evaluation has enabled us to make our product even more flexible to configure; and therefore, a more powerful tool for the SOC.
  • While some vendors try to use it against us, our extra detections after config change show that we can adapt to the changing threat landscape quickly when needed.

9. MITRE is more than the evaluation

  • While the evaluation is important, it is important to recognize MITRE ATT&CK as an important knowledge base that the security industry can both align and contribute to.
  • Having a common language and framework to better explain how adversaries behave, what they are trying to do, and how they are trying to do it, makes the entire industry more powerful.
  • Among the many things we do with or around MITRE, Trend has and continues to contribute new techniques to the framework matrices and is leveraging it within our products using ATT&CK as a common language for alerts and detection descriptions, and for searching parameters.

10. It is hard not to get confused by the fud!

  • MITRE does not score, rank or provide side by side comparison of products, so unlike other tests or industry analyst reports, there is no set of “leaders” identified.
  • As this evaluation assesses multiple factors, there are many different ways to view, interpret and present the results (as we did here in this blog).
  • It is important that individual organizations understand the framework, the evaluation, and most importantly what their own priorities and needs are, as this is the only way to map the results to the individual use cases.
  • Look to your vendors to help explain the results, in the context that makes sense for you. It should be our responsibility to help educate, not exploit.

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Principles of a Cloud Migration – Security, The W5H – Episode WHAT?

By Jason Dablow
cloud

Teaching you to be a Natural Born Pillar!

Last week, we took you through the “WHO” of securing a cloud migration here, detailing each of the roles involved with implementing a successful security practice during a cloud migration. Read: everyone. This week, I will be touching on the “WHAT” of security; the key principles required before your first workload moves.  The Well-Architected Framework Security Pillar will be the baseline for this article since it thoroughly explains security concepts in a best practice cloud design.

If you are not familiar with the AWS Well-Architected Framework, go google it right now. I can wait. I’m sure telling readers to leave the article they’re currently reading is a cardinal sin in marketing, but it really is important to understand just how powerful this framework is. Wait, this blog is html ready – here’s the link: https://wa.aws.amazon.com/index.en.html. It consists of five pillars that include best practice information written by architects with vast experience in each area.

Since the topic here is Security, I’ll start by giving a look into this pillar. However, I plan on writing about each and as I do, each one of the graphics above will become a link. Internet Magic!

There are seven principles as a part of the security framework, as follows:

  • Implement a strong identity foundation
  • Enable traceability
  • Apply security at all layers
  • Automate security best practices
  • Protect data in transit and at rest
  • Keep people away from data
  • Prepare for security events

Now, a lot of these principles can be solved by using native cloud services and usually these are the easiest to implement. One thing the framework does not give you is suggestions on how to set up or configure these services. While it might reference turning on multi-factor authentication as a necessary step for your identity and access management policy, it is not on by default. Same thing with file object encryption. It is there for you to use but not necessarily enabled on the ones you create.

Here is where I make a super cool (and free) recommendation on technology to accelerate your learning about these topics. We have a knowledge base with hundreds of cloud rules mapped to the Well-Architected Framework (and others!) to help accelerate your knowledge during and after your cloud migration. Let us take the use case above on multi-factor authentication. Our knowledge base article here details the four R’s: Risk, Reason, Rationale, and References on why MFA is a security best practice.

Starting with a Risk Level and detailing out why this is presents a threat to your configurations is a great way to begin prioritizing findings.  It also includes the different compliance mandates and Well-Architected pillar (obviously Security in this case) as well as descriptive links to the different frameworks to get even more details.

The reason this knowledge base rule is in place is also included. This gives you and your teams context to the rule and helps further drive your posture during your cloud migration. Sample reason is as follows for our MFA Use Case:

“As a security best practice, it is always recommended to supplement your IAM user names and passwords by requiring a one-time passcode during authentication. This method is known as AWS Multi-Factor Authentication and allows you to enable extra security for your privileged IAM users. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is a simple and efficient method of verifying your IAM user identity by requiring an authentication code generated by a virtual or hardware device on top of your usual access credentials (i.e. user name and password). The MFA device signature adds an additional layer of protection on top of your existing user credentials making your AWS account virtually impossible to breach without the unique code generated by the device.”

If Reason is the “what” of the rule, Rationale is the “why” supplying you with the need for adoption.  Again, perfect for confirming your cloud migration path and strategy along the way.

“Monitoring IAM access in real-time for vulnerability assessment is essential for keeping your AWS account safe. When an IAM user has administrator-level permissions (i.e. can modify or remove any resource, access any data in your AWS environment and can use any service or component – except the Billing and Cost Management service), just as with the AWS root account user, it is mandatory to secure the IAM user login with Multi-Factor Authentication.

Implementing MFA-based authentication for your IAM users represents the best way to protect your AWS resources and services against unauthorized users or attackers, as MFA adds extra security to the authentication process by forcing IAM users to enter a unique code generated by an approved authentication device.”

Finally, all the references for each of the risk, reason, and rationale, are included at the bottom which helps provide additional clarity. You’ll also notice remediation steps, the 5th ‘R’ when applicable, which shows you how to actually the correct the problem.

All of this data is included to the community as Trend Micro continues to be a valued security research firm helping the world be safe for exchanging digital information. Explore all the rules we have available in our public knowledge base: https://www.cloudconformity.com/knowledge-base/.

This blog is part of a multi-part series dealing with the principles of a successful cloud migration.  For more information, start at the first post here: https://blog.trendmicro.com/principles-of-a-cloud-migration-from-step-one-to-done/

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This Week in Security News: Security Researcher Discloses Four IBM Zero-Days After Company Refused to Patch and Trend Micro Integrates with Amazon AppFlow

By Jon Clay (Global Threat Communications)

Welcome to our weekly roundup, where we share what you need to know about the cybersecurity news and events that happened over the past few days. This week, read about a security researcher who has published details about four zero-day vulnerabilities impacting an IBM security product after the company refused to patch the bugs. Also, learn about Amazon’s new AppFlow and how Trend Micro Cloud One integrates with it.

Read on:

Trend Micro’s COVID-19 Resource Page

To help protect you during the COVID-19 pandemic, Trend Micro has put together a resource page to help address the new security challenges you may be facing. This page includes the latest news and information on COVID-19 scams, security tools and programs to help keep you informed and safe while you work remotely.

Security Researcher Discloses Four IBM Zero-Days After Company Refused to Patch

A security researcher has published details about four zero-day vulnerabilities impacting an IBM security product after the company refused to patch bugs following a private bug disclosure attempt. The bugs impact the IBM Data Risk Manager (IDRM), an enterprise security tool that aggregates feeds from vulnerability scanning tools and other risk management tools to let admins investigate security issues.

“We Need COBOL Programmers!” No, You Probably Don’t

New Jersey recently made the news following a plea for COBOL programmers to help modernize legacy systems running unemployment claims that had apparently failed following a recent spike in activity. In a recent blog from Bill Malik, VP of Infrastructure Strategies at Trend Micro, Bill explains why needing more COBOL programmers is likely not the answer.

 All the Things COVID-19 Will Change Forever, According to 30 Top Experts

We’re four weeks into the massive time-out forced on us by coronavirus and many of us have spent much of that time trying to get used to the radical lifestyle change the virus has brought. But we’re also beginning to think about the end of the crisis, and what the world will look like afterward. In this article, read Trend Micro CEO Eva Chen’s thoughts on how businesses will operate in the post-COVID world.

Gamaredon APT Group Use COVID-19 Lure in Campaigns

Gamaredon is an APT group that has been active since 2013 and is generally known for targeting Ukrainian government institutions. Trend Micro recently came across an email with a malware attachment that used the Gamaredon group’s tactics. Some of the emails used the coronavirus pandemic as a topic to lure victims into opening emails and attachments, and campaigns targeted victims in European countries, among others.

Grouping Linux IoT Malware Samples with Trend Micro ELF Hash

This year, 31 billion IoT devices are expected to be installed globally. Consequently, cybercriminals have been developing IoT malware, such as backdoors and botnets, for malicious purposes, including digital extortion. In response, Trend Micro created Trend Micro ELF Hash (telfhash), an open-source clustering algorithm that effectively clusters malware targeting IoT devices running on Linux, using Executable and Linkable Format (ELF) files.

SBA Reveals Potential Data Breach Impacting 8,000 Emergency Business Loan Applicants

The US Small Business Administration (SBA) has revealed a suspected data breach impacting the portal used by business owners to apply for emergency loans. On Tuesday, the US agency said the incident may affect close to 8,000 applicants to the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program (EIDL), which offers up to $10,000 to small business owners currently struggling due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Exposed Redis Instances Abused for Remote Code Execution, Cryptocurrency Mining

Recently, Trend Micro wrote an article about more than 8,000 unsecured Redis instances found in the cloud. In this blog, Trend Micro expands on how these instances can be abused to perform remote code execution (RCE), as demonstrated by malware samples captured in the wild. These malicious files have been found to turn Redis instances into cryptocurrency-mining bots and infect other vulnerable instances via their “wormlike” spreading capability.

Trend Micro Integrates with Amazon AppFlow

The acceleration of in-house development enabled by public cloud and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform adoption in the last few years has given us new levels of visibility and access to data. Putting all the data together to generate insights and action, however, can present a challenge. Amazon is changing that with the release of AppFlow. Trend Micro Cloud One is a launch partner with this new service, enabling simple data retrieval from your Cloud One dashboard to be fed into AWS services as needed.

iOS Exploit Lets Attackers Access Default iPhone Mail App

This week it was reported that alleged Chinese state-sponsored hackers have been exploiting a critical vulnerability in iOS to spy to Uyghurs Muslim minority in China. In a new report published by security firm Zecops, it has been noted that a bug in iOS has been exploited by hackers since at least January 2018.

Nemty Ransomware Ceases Public Operations, Focuses on Private Schemes

Threat actors behind Nemty ransomware are to close their ransomware-as-a-service operation as they zero in on private schemes. This was confirmed in a Russian hacker forum post that security researcher Vitali Kremez shared with Bleeping Computer. In the post, “jsworm,” the ransomware’s operator, declared that “we leave in private” (translated from Russian) and that current victims only have one week to acquire decryptors for the last time.

Maze Ransomware Attacks US IT Firm

According to a report from Bleeping Computer, IT managed services firm Cognizant suffered a ransomware attack purportedly conducted by threat actors behind Maze ransomware. The company has emailed their clients about the attack, including a preliminary list of indicators of compromise (IoC) identified through its investigation. The list of IoCs include IP addresses and file hashes, which have been linked to previous Maze attacks.

Containers Are Not VMs, and Other Misconceptions

The adoption rate of containers has been steadily growing as organizations begin to see the benefits container technology provides. This adoption represents a new computing paradigm for many of the engineers responsible for running the IT infrastructure of these organizations – but new concepts often come with misconceptions. In this article, Trend Micro’s Rob Maynard shares some of the biggest misconceptions about container technology.

Australian Health Insurance-Themed Spam Spreads Ursnif

Trend Micro researchers encountered a spam campaign referencing the Australian health insurance brand Medicare. The attachment, which Trend Micro detects as Trojan.X97M.URSNIF.THDAEBO, downloads the malicious file (detected as TrojanSpy.Win32.URSNIF.THDAEBO). The campaign aims to spread the spyware Ursnif, also known as Gozi.

Loki Delivered as CAB File Attachment

Trend Micro has found a spam sample that delivers the info stealer Loki through an attached Windows Cabinet (CAB) file in its honeypot. The email that bears the malicious file poses as a quotation request to trick the user into executing the binary file inside the CAB file.

Know the Symptoms: Protect Your Devices While Working from Home

Would you know if one of your devices was compromised? In this article, Trend Micro shares how cybercriminals are leveraging the COVID-19 pandemic to capitalize on vulnerable hardware and unsecured systems. Trend Micro also shares common symptoms of compromise across mobile devices, desktops, laptops and IoT devices.

What do you think will be the biggest change to business in the post-COVID world? Share your thoughts in the comments below or follow me on Twitter to continue the conversation: @JonLClay.

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Getting ATT&CKed By A Cozy Bear And Being Really Happy About It: What MITRE Evaluations Are, and How To Read Them

By Greg Young (Vice President for Cybersecurity)

Full disclosure: I am a security product testing nerd*.

 

I’ve been following the MITRE ATT&CK Framework for a while, and this week the results were released of the most recent evaluation using APT29 otherwise known as COZY BEAR.

First, here’s a snapshot of the Trend eval results as I understand them (rounded down):

91.79% on overall detection.  That’s in the top 2 of 21.

91.04% without config changes.  The test allows for config changes after the start – that wasn’t required to achieve the high overall results.

107 Telemetry.  That’s very high.  Capturing events is good.  Not capturing them is not-good.

28 Alerts.  That’s in the middle, where it should be.  Not too noisy, not too quiet.  Telemetry I feel is critical whereas alerting is configurable, but only on detections and telemetry.

 

So our Apex One product ran into a mean and ruthless bear and came away healthy.  But that summary is a simplification and doesn’t capture all the nuance to the testing.  Below are my takeaways for you of what the MITRE ATT&CK Framework is, and how to go about interpreting the results.

 

Takeaway #1 – ATT&CK is Scenario Based

The MITRE ATT&CK Framework is intriguing to me as it mixes real world attack methods by specific adversaries with a model for detection for use by SOCs and product makers.  The ATT&CK Framework Evaluations do this but in a lab environment to assess how security products would likely handle an attack by that adversary and their usual methods.  There had always been a clear divide between pen testing and lab testing and ATT&CK was kind of mixing both.  COZY BEAR is super interesting because those attacks were widely known for being quite sophisticated and being state-sponsored, and targeted the White House and US Democratic Party.  COZY BEAR and its family of derivatives use backdoors, droppers, obfuscation, and careful exfiltration.

 

Takeaway #2 – Look At All The Threat Group Evals For The Best Picture

I see the tradeoffs as ATT&CK evals are only looking at that one scenario, but that scenario is very reality based and with enough evals across enough scenarios a narrative is there to better understand a product.  Trend did great on the most recently released APT/29/COZY BEAR evaluation, but my point is that a product is only as good as all the evaluations. I always advised Magic Quadrant or NSS Value Map readers to look at older versions in order to paint a picture over time of what trajectory a product had.

 

Takeaway #3 – It’s Detection Focused (Only)

The APT29 test like most Att&ck evals is testing detection, not prevention nor other parts of products (e.g. support).  The downside is that a product’s ability to block the attacks isn’t evaluated, at least not yet.  In fact blocking functions have to be disabled for parts of the test to be done.  I get that – you can’t test the upstairs alarm with the attack dog roaming the downstairs.  Starting with poor detection never ends well, so the test methodology seems to be focused on ”if you can detect it you can block it”.  Some pen tests are criticized that a specific scenario isn’t realistic because A would stop it before B could ever occur.  IPS signature writers everywhere should nod in agreement on that one. I support MITRE on how they constructed the methodology because there has to be limitations and scope on every lab test, but readers too need to understand those limitations and scopes.  I believe that the next round of tests will include protection (blocking) as well, so that is cool.

 

Takeaway #4 – Choose Your Own Weather Forecast

Att&ck is no magazine style review.  There is no final grade or comparison of products.  To fully embrace Att&ck imagine being provided dozens of very sound yet complex meteorological measurements and being left to decide on what the weather will be. Or have vendors carpet bomb you with press releases of their interpretations.  I’ve been deep into the numbers of the latest eval scores and when looking at some of the blogs and press releases out there they almost had me convinced they did well even when I read the data at hand showing they didn’t.  I guess a less jaded view is that the results can be interpreted in many ways, some of them quite creative.  It brings to mind the great quote from the Lockpicking Lawyer review “the threat model does not include an attacker with a screwdriver”.

 

Josh Zelonis at Forrester provides a great example of the level of work required to parse the test outcomes, and he provides extended analysis on Github here that is easier on the eyes than the above.  Even that great work product requires the context of what the categories mean.  I understand that MITRE is taking the stance of “we do the tests, you interpret the data” in order to pick fewer fights and accommodate different use cases and SOC workflows, but that is a lot to put on buyers. I repeat: there’s a lot of nuance in the terms and test report categories.

 

If, in the absence of Josh’s work, if I have to pick one metric Detection Rate is likely the best one.  Note that Detection rate isn’t 100% for any product in the APT29 test, because of the meaning of that metric.  The best secondary metrics I like are Techniques and Telemetry.  Tactics sounds like a good thing, but in the framework it is lesser than Techniques, as Tactics are generalized bad things (“Something moving outside!”) and Techniques are more specific detections (“Healthy adult male Lion seen outside door”), so a higher score in Techniques combined with a low score in Tactics is a good thing.  Telemetry scoring is, to me, best right in the middle.  Not too many alerts (noisy/fatiguing) and not too few (“about that lion I saw 5 minutes ago”).

 

Here’s an example of the interpretations that are valuable to me.  Looking at the Trend Micro eval source page here I get info on detections in the steps, or how many of the 134 total steps in the test were detected.  I’ll start by excluding any human involvement and exclude the MSSP detections and look at unassisted only.  But the numbers are spread across all 20 test steps, so I’ll use Josh’s spreadsheet shows 115 of 134 steps visible, or 85.82%.  I do some averaging on the visibility scores across all the products evaluated and that is 66.63%, which is almost 30% less.  Besides the lesson that the data needs gathering and interpretation, it highlights that no product spotted 100% across all steps and the spread was wide. I’ll now look at the impact of human involvement add in the MSSP detections and the Trend number goes to 91%.  Much clinking of glasses heard from the endpoint dev team.  But if I’m not using an MSSP service that… you see my point about context/use-case/workflow.  There’s effectively some double counting (i.e. a penalty, so that when removing MSSP it inordinately drops the detection ) of the MSSP factor when removing it in the analyses, but I’ll leave that to a future post.  There’s no shortage of fodder for security testing nerds.

 

Takeaway #5 – Data Is Always Good

Security test nerdery aside, this eval is a great thing and the data from it is very valuable.  Having this kind of evaluation makes security products and the uses we put them to better.  So dig into ATT&CK and read it considering not just product evaluations but how your organization’s framework for detecting and processing attacks maps to the various threat campaigns. We’ll no doubt have more posts on APT29 and upcoming evals.

 

*I was a Common Criteria tester in a place that also ran a FIPS 140-2 lab.  Did you know that at Level 4 of FIPS a freezer is used as an exploit attempt? I even dipped my toe into the arcane area of Formal Methods using the GYPSY methodology and ran from it screaming “X just equals X!  We don’t need to prove that!”. The deepest testing rathole I can recall was doing a portability test of the Orange Book B1 rating for MVS RACF when using logical partitions. I’m never getting those months of my life back. I’ve been pretty active in interacting with most security testing labs like NSS and ICSA and their schemes (that’s not a pejorative, but testing nerds like to use British usages to sound more learned) for decades because I thought it was important to understand the scope and limits of testing before accepting it in any product buying decisions. If you want to make Common Criteria nerds laugh point out something bad that has happened and just say “that’s not bad, it was just mistakenly put in scope”, and that will then upset the FIPS testers because a crypto boundary is a very real thing and not something real testers joke about.  And yes, Common Criteria is the MySpace of tests.

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Trend Micro Integrates with Amazon AppFlow

By Trend Micro

The acceleration of in-house development enabled by public cloud and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform adoption in the last few years has given us new levels of visibility and access to data. Putting all of that data together to generate insights and action, however, can substitute one challenge for another.

Proprietary protocols, inconsistent fields and formatting combined with interoperability and connectivity hurdles can turn the process of answering simple questions into a major undertaking. When this undertaking is a recurrent requirement then that effort can seem overwhelming.

Nowhere is this more evident than in security teams, where writing code to integrate technologies is rarely a core competency and almost never a core project, but when a compliance or security event requires explanation, finding and making sense of that data is necessary.

Amazon is changing that with the release of AppFlow. Trend Micro Cloud One is a launch partner with this new service, enabling simple data retrieval from your Cloud One dashboard to be fed into AWS services as needed.

Amazon AppFlow is an application integration service that enables you to securely transfer data between SaaS applications and AWS services in just a few clicks. With AppFlow, you can data flows between supported SaaS applications, including Trend Micro, and AWS services like Amazon S3 and Redshift, and run flows on a schedule, in response to a business event, or on demand. Data transformation capabilities, such as data masking, validation, and filtering, empower you to enrich your data as part of the flow itself without the need for post-transfer manipulation. AppFlow keeps data secure in transit and at rest with the flexibility to bring your own encryption keys.

Audit automation

Any regularly scheduled export or query of Cloud One requires data manipulation before an audit can be performed.

You may be responsible for weekly or monthly reports on the state of your security agents. To create this report today, you’ve written a script to automate the data analysis process. However, any change to the input or output requires new code to be written for your script, and you have to find somewhere to actually run the script for it to work.

As part of a compliance team, this isn’t something you really have time for and may not be your area of expertise, so it takes significant effort to create the required audit report.

Using Amazon AppFlow, you can create a private data flow between RedShift, for example, and your Cloud One environment to automatically and regularly retrieve data describing security policies into an easy to digest format that can be stored for future review. Data flows can also be scheduled so regular reports can be produced without recurring user input.

This process also improves integrity and reduces overall effort by having reports always available, rather than needing to develop them in response to a request.

This eliminates the need for custom code and the subsequent frustration from trying to automate this regularly occurring task.

Developer Enablement

Developers don’t typically have direct access to security management consoles or APIs for Cloud One or Deep Security as a Service. However, they may need to retrieve data from security agents or check the state of agents that need remediation. This requires someone from the security team to pull data for the developer each time this situation arises.

While we encourage and enable DevOps cultures working closely with security teams to automate and deploy securely, no one likes unnecessary steps in their workflow. And having to wait on the security team to export data is adding a roadblock to the development team.

Fortunately, Amazon AppFlow solves this issue as well. By setting up a flow between Deep Security as a Service and Amazon S3, the security team can enable developers to easily access the necessary information related to security agents on demand.

This provides direct access to the needed data without expanding access controls for critical security systems.

Security Remediation

Security teams focus on identifying and remediating security alerts across all their tools and multiple SaaS applications. This often leads to collaborating with other teams across the organization on application-specific issues that must be resolved. Each system and internal team has different requirements and they all take time and attention to ensure everything is running smoothly and securely.

At Trend Micro, we are security people too. We understand the need to quickly and reliably scale infrastructure without compromising its security integrity. We also know that this ideal state is often hindered by the disparate nature of the solutions on which we rely.

Integrating Amazon AppFlow with your Cloud One – Workload Security solution allows you to obtain the security status from each agent and deliver them to the relevant development or cloud team. Data from all machines and instances can be sent on demand to the Amazon S3 bucket you indicate. As an added bonus, Amazon S3 can trigger a Lambda to automate how the data is processed, so what is in the storage bucket can be immediately useful. And all of this data is secured in transit and at rest by default, so you don’t have to worry about an additional layer of security controls to maintain.

Easy and secure remediation that doesn’t slow anyone down is the goal we’re collectively working toward.

It is always our goal to help your business securely move to and operate in the cloud. Our solutions are designed to enable security teams to seamlessly integrate with a DevOps environment, removing the “roadblock” of security.

As always, we’re excited to be part of this new Amazon service, and we believe our customers can see immediate value by leveraging Amazon AppFlow with their existing Trend Micro cloud solutions.

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“We Need COBOL Programmers!” No, You Probably Don’t

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

Editor’s note: While this topic isn’t entirely security-specific, Trend Micro leader William Malik, has career expertise on the trending topic and shared his perspective.

——

There was a provocative report recently that the Governor of New Jersey told reporters that the state of New Jersey needed COBOL programmers. The reason was that the number of unemployment claims had spiked, and the legacy system running unemployment claims had failed. That 40-year-old system was written in COBOL, so the conclusion was that the old language had finally given out. Hiring COBOL programmers would let the State update and modernize the application to handle the increase in load.

This might be the problem, but it probably is not. Here’s why.

  1. Software doesn’t wear out, and it doesn’t rust. Any code that’s been running for 40 years is probably rock solid.
  2. Computers have a fixed amount of specific resources: processing power, memory, network capacity, disk storage. If any of these is used up, the computer cannot do any more work.
  3. When a computer application gets more load than it can handle, things back up. Here’s a link to a process that works fine until excessive load leads to a system failure. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkQ58I53mjk Trigger warning – this may be unsettling to people working on assembly lines, or on diets.
  4. Adding more resources must fit the machine architecture proportionately.
  5. Incidentally, throwing a bunch of people at an IT problem usually makes things worse.

From these points, we learn the following lessons.

Software Doesn’t Wear Out

Logic is indelible. A computer program is deterministic. It will do exactly what you tell it to do, even if what you tell it to do isn’t precisely what you meant it to do. Code never misbehaves – but your instructions may be incorrect. That’s why debugging is such a hard problem.

Incidentally, that’s also why good developers usually make lousy testers. The developer focuses her mind on one thing – getting a bunch of silicon to behave. The tester looks for faults, examines edge conditions, limit conditions, and odd configurations of inputs and infrastructure to see how things break. The two mindsets are antithetical.

Once a piece of software has been in production long enough, the mainline paths are usually defect free. In fact, the rest of the code may be a hot mess, but that stuff doesn’t get executed so those defects are latent and do not impact normal processing. Ed Adams published a report in 1984 titled “Optimizing Preventative Service for Software Products” (https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/5390362, originally published in the IBM Journal of Research and Development, v 28, n 1). He concluded that once a product has been in production for a sufficient time, it was safer to leave it alone. Installing preventative maintenance was likely to disrupt the system. Most IT organizations know this, having learned the hard way. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is the mantra for this wisdom.

As a corollary, new software has a certain defect rate. Fixes to that software typically have a defect rate ten times greater. So if a typical fix is large enough, you put in a new bug for every bug you take out.

Computers Are Constrained

All computers have constraints. The relative amount of resources mean some computers are better for some workloads than others. For mainframes, the typical constraint is processing power. That’s why mainframes are tuned to run at 100% utilization, or higher. (How do you get past 100% utilization? Technically, of course, you can’t. But what the measurements are showing you is how much work is ready to run, waiting for available processing power. The scale actually can go to 127%, if there’s enough work ready.)

Different types of computers have different constraints. Mainframes run near 100% utilization – the CPU is the most expensive and constrained resource. PCs on the other hand never get busy. No human can type fast enough to drive utilization above a few percent. The constrained resource on PCs is typically disk storage. That’s why different types of computers do better at different types of work. PCs are great for user interface stuff. Mainframes are perfect for chewing through a million database records. By chance we developed mainframes first; that’s not an indictment of either type, Both are useful.

Computers Can Run Out of Resources

Any IT infrastructure has a design point for load. That is, when you put together a computer you structure it to meet the likely level of demand on the system. If you over-provision it, you waste resources that will never be used. If you under-provision it, you will not meet your service level agreements. So when you begin, you must know what the customers – your users – expect in terms of response time, number of concurrent transactions, database size, growth rates, network transaction load, transaction mix, computational complexity of transaction types, and so on. If you don’t specify what your targets are for these parameters, you probably won’t get the sizing right. You will likely buy too much of one resource or not enough of another.

Note that cloud computing can help – it allows you to dynamically add additional capacity to handle peak load. However, cloud isn’t a panacea. Some workloads don’t flex that much, so you spend extra money for flexibility for a capability that you can provide more economically and efficiently if it were in-house.

Add Capacity in Balance

When I was in high school our physics teacher explained that temperature wasn’t the same as heat. He said “Heat is the result of a physical or chemical reaction. Temperature is simply the change in heat over the mass involved.” One of the kids asked (snarkily) “Then why don’t drag racers have bicycle tires on the back?” The teacher was caught off guard. The answer is that the amount of heat put into the tire is the same regardless of its size, but the temperature was related to the size of the area where the tire touched the road. A bicycle tire has only about two square inches on the pavement, a fat drag tire has 100 square inches or more. So putting the same amount of horsepower spinning the tire will cause the bicycle tire’s temperature to rise about 50 times more than the gumball’s will.

When you add capacity to a computing system, you need to balance related capacity elements or you’ll be wasting money. Doubling the processor’s power (MHz or MIPS) without proportionately increasing the memory or network capacity simply moves the constraint from one place to another. What used to be a system with a flat-out busy CPU now becomes a system that’s waiting for work with a queue at the memory, the disk drive, or the network card.

Adding Staff Makes Things Worse

Increasing any resource creates potential problems of its own, especially of the system’s underlying architecture is ignored. Fore the software development process (regardless of form) one such resource is staff. The book “The Mythical Man-Month” by Fred Brooks (https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-mythical-man-month-frederick-p-brooks-jr/1126893908) discusses how things go wrong.

The core problem is adding more people require strong communications and clear goals. Too many IT projects lack both. I once was part of an organization that consulted on a complex application rewrite – forty consultants, hundreds of developers, and very little guidance. The situation degenerated rapidly when the interim project manager decided we shouldn’t waste time on documentation. A problem would surface, the PM would kick off as task force, hold a meeting, and send everybody on their way. After the meeting, people would ask what specific decisions had been reached, but since there were no minutes, nobody could be sure. That would cause the PM to schedule another meeting, and so on. Two lessons I learned concerns meetings:

  1. If you do not have agenda, you do not have a meeting.
  2. If you do not distribute minutes, you did not have a meeting.

When you add staff, you must account for the extra overhead managing the activities of each person, and establish processes to monitor changes that every participant must follow. Scrum is an excellent way of flattening potentially harmful changes. By talking face to face regularly, the team knows everything that’s going on. Omit those meetings or rely on second-hand reports and the project is already off the rails. All that remains is to see how far things go wrong before someone notices.

In Conclusion …

If you have a computer system that suddenly gets a huge spike in load, do these things first:

  1. Review the performance reports. Look at changes in average queue length, response time, transaction flight time, and any relevant service level agreements or objectives.
  2. Identify likely bottlenecks
  3. Model the impact of additional resources
  4. Apply additional resource proportionately
  5. Continue to monitor performance

If you are unable to resolve the capacity constraints with these steps, examine the programs for internal limitations:

  1. Review program documentation, specifications, service level objectives, workload models and predictions, data flow diagrams, and design documents to understand architectural and design limits
  2. Determine what resource consumption assumptions were built per transaction type, and expected transaction workload mix
  3. Verify current transaction workload mix and resource consumption per transaction type
  4. Design program extension alternatives to accommodate increased concurrent users, transactions, resource demands per transaction class
  5. Model alternative design choices, including complexity, size, and verification (QA cost)
  6. Initiate refactoring based on this analysis

Note that if you do not have (or cannot find) the relevant documentation, you will need to examine the source code. At this point, you may need to bring in a small set of experts in the programming language to recreate the relevant documentation. Handy hint: before you start working on the source code, regenerate the load modules and compare them with the production stuff to identify any patches or variance between what’s in the library and what’s actually in production.

Bringing in a bunch of people before going through this analysis will cause confusion and waste resources. While to an uninformed public it may appear that something is being done, the likelihood is that what is actually being done will have to be expensively undone before the actual core problem can be resolved. Tread lightly. Plan ahead. State your assumptions, then verify them. Have a good plan and you’ll work it out. Remember, it’s just ones and zeros.

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

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This Week in Security News: 5 Reasons to Move Your Endpoint Security to the Cloud Now and ICEBUCKET Group Mimics Smart TVs to Steal Ad Money

By Jon Clay (Global Threat Communications)

Welcome to our weekly roundup, where we share what you need to know about the cybersecurity news and events that happened over the past few days. This week, learn about 5 reasons your organization should consider moving to a cloud managed solution. Also, read about a massive online fraud operation that has been mimicking smart TVs to fool online advertisers and gain unearned profits from online ads.

 

Read on:

Letter from the CEO: A Time of Kindness and Compassion

As a global company with headquarters in Japan, Trend Micro has been exposed to COVID-19 from the very early days when it first erupted in Asia. During these difficult times, Trend Micro has also witnessed the amazing power of positivity and kindness around the world. In this blog, read more about the importance of compassion during these unprecedented times from Trend Micro’s CEO, Eva Chen.

What Do Serverless Compute Platforms Mean for Security?

Developers deploying containers to restricted platforms or “serverless” containers to the likes of AWS Fargate, for example, should think about security differently – by looking upward, looking left and also looking all-around your cloud domain for opportunities to properly security your cloud native applications. 

April Patch Tuesday: Microsoft Battles 4 Bugs Under Active Exploit

Microsoft released its April 2020 Patch Tuesday security updates, its first big patch update released since the work-from-home era began, with a whopping 113 vulnerabilities. Microsoft has seen a 44% increase in the number of CVEs patched between January to April 2020 compared to the same time period in 2019, according to Trend Micro’s Zero Day Initiative – a likely result of an increasing number of researchers looking for bugs and an expanding portfolio of supported products.

5 Reasons to Move Your Endpoint Security to the Cloud Now

As the world adopts work from home initiatives, we’ve seen many organizations accelerate their plans to move from on-premises endpoint security and detection and response (EDR/XDR) solutions to SaaS versions. In this blog, learn about 5 reasons you should consider moving to a cloud managed solution.

Why Running a Privileged Container is Not a Good Idea

Containers are not, by any means, new. They have been consistently and increasingly adopted in the past few years, with security being a popular related topic. It is well-established that giving administrative powers to server users is not a good security practice. In the world of containers, we have the same paradigm. In this article, Trend Micro’s Fernando Cardoso explains why running a privileged container is a bad idea.

Why CISOs Are Demanding Detection and Response Everywhere

Over the past three decades, Trend Micro has observed the industry trends that have the biggest impact on its customers. One of the big things we’ve noticed is that threats move largely in tandem with changes to IT infrastructure. As digital transformation continues to remain a priority, it also comes with an expanded corporate attack surface, driving security leaders to demand enhanced visibility, detection and response across the entire enterprise — not just the endpoint.

Shift Well-Architecture Left. By Extension, Security Will Follow

Using Infrastructure as Code (IaC) is the norm in the cloud. From CloudFormation, CDK, Terraform, Serverless Framework and ARM, the options are nearly endless. IaC allows architects and DevOps engineers to version the application infrastructure as much as the developers are already versioning the code. So, any bad change, no matter if on the application code or infrastructure, can be easily inspected or, even better, rolled back.

Work from Home Presents a Data Security Challenge for Banks

The mass relocation of financial services employees from the office to their couch, dining table or spare room to stop the spread of the deadly novel coronavirus is a significant data security concern, according to several industry experts. In this article, learn how managers can support security efforts from Trend Micro’s Bill Malik.

Principles of a Cloud Migration – Security, The W5H

For as long as cloud providers have been in business, discussing the Shared Responsibility Model has been priority when it comes to customer operation teams. It defines the different aspects of control, and with that control, comes the need to secure, manage, and maintain. In this blog, Trend Micro highlights some of the requirements and discusses the organization’s layout for responsibility.

Coronavirus Update App Leads to Project Spy Android and iOS Spyware

Trend Micro discovered a potential cyberespionage campaign, dubbed Project Spy, that infects Android and iOS devices with spyware. Project Spy uses the COVID-19 pandemic as a lure, posing as an app called ‘Coronavirus Updates’. Trend Micro also found similarities in two older samples disguised as a Google service and, subsequently, as a music app. Trend Micro noted a small number of downloads of the app in Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Austria, Romania, Grenada and Russia.

Exposing Modular Adware: How DealPly, IsErIk, and ManageX Persist in Systems

Trend Micro has observed suspicious activities caused by adware, with common behaviors that include access to random domains with alternating consonant and vowel names, scheduled tasks, and in-memory execution via WScript that has proven to be an effective method to hide its operations. In this blog, Trend Micro walks through its analysis of three adware events linked to and named as Dealply, IsErIk and ManageX. 

ICEBUCKET Group Mimicked Smart TVs to Steal Ad Money

Cybersecurity firm and bot detection platform White Ops has discovered a massive online fraud operation that for the past few months has been mimicking smart TVs to fool online advertisers and gain unearned profits from online ads. White Ops has named this operation ICEBUCKET and has described it as “the largest case of SSAI spoofing” known to date.

Fake Messaging App Installers Promoted on Fraudulent Download Sites, Target Russian Users

Fake installers of popular messaging apps are being propagated via fraudulent download sites, as disclosed in a series of tweets by a security researcher from CronUp. Trend Micro has also encountered samples of the files. The sites and the apps are in Russian and are aiming to bait Russian users.

“Twin Flower” Campaign Jacks Up Network Traffic, Downloads Files, Steals Data

A campaign dubbed “Twin Flower” has been detected by Jinshan security researchers in a report published in Chinese and analyzed by Trend Micro. The files are believed to be downloaded unknowingly when visiting malicious sites or dropped into the system by another malware. The potentially unwanted application (PUA) PUA.Win32.BoxMini.A files are either a component or the main executable itself of a music downloader that automatically downloads music files without user consent.

Undertaking Security Challenges in Hybrid Cloud Environments

Businesses are now turning to hybrid cloud environments to make the most of the cloud’s dependability and dynamicity. The hybrid cloud gives organizations the speed and scalability of the public cloud, as well as the control and reliability of the private cloud. A 2019 Nutanix survey shows that 85% of its respondents regard the hybrid cloud as the ideal IT operating model.

How to Secure Video Conferencing Apps

What do businesses have to be wary of when it comes to their video conferencing software? Vulnerabilities, for one. Threat actors are not shy about using everything they have in their toolbox and are always on the lookout for any flaw or vulnerability they can exploit to pull off malicious attacks. In this blog, learn about securing your video conferencing apps and best practices for strengthening the security of work-from-home setups.

Monitoring and Maintaining Trend Micro Home Network Security – Part 4: Best Practices

In the last blog of this four-part series, Trend Micro delves deeper into regular monitoring and maintenance of home network security, to ensure you’re getting the best protection that Trend Micro Home Network Security can provide your connected home.

Surprised by the ICEBUCKET operation that has described as “the largest case of SSAI spoofing” known to date? Share your thoughts in the comments below or follow me on Twitter to continue the conversation: @JonLClay.

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Principles of a Cloud Migration – Security, The W5H

By Jason Dablow
cloud

Whosawhatsit?! –  WHO is responsible for this anyways?

For as long as cloud providers have been in business, we’ve been discussing the Shared Responsibility Model when it comes to customer operation teams. It defines the different aspects of control, and with that control, comes the need to secure, manage, and maintain.

While I often make an assumption that everyone is already familiar with this model, let’s highlight some of the requirements as well as go a bit deeper into your organization’s layout for responsibility.

During your cloud migration, you’ll no doubt come across a variety of cloud services that fits into each of these configurations. From running cloud instances (IaaS) to cloud storage (SaaS), there’s a need to apply operational oversight (including security) to each of these based on your level of control of the service.  For example, in a cloud instance, since you’re still responsible for the Operating System and Applications, you’ll still need a patch management process in place, whereas with file object storage in the cloud, only oversight of permissions and data management is required. I think Mark Nunnikhoven does a great job in going into greater detail of the model here: https://blog.trendmicro.com/the-shared-responsibility-model/.

shared responsibility model

I’d like to zero in on some of the other “WHO”s that should be involved in security of your cloud migration.

InfoSec – I think this is the obvious mention here. Responsible for all information security within an organization. Since your cloud migration is working with “information”, InfoSec needs to be involved with how they get access to monitoring the security and risk associated to an organization. 

Cloud Architect – Another no-brainer in my eyes but worth a mention; if you’re not building a secure framework with a look beyond a “lift-and-shift” initial migration, you’ll be doomed with archaic principles leftover from the old way of doing things. An agile platform built for automating every operation including security should be the focus to achieving success.

IT / Cloud Ops – This may be the same or different teams. As more and more resources move to the cloud, an IT team will have less responsibilities for the physical infrastructure since it’s now operated by a cloud provider. They will need to go through a “migration” themselves to learn new skills to operate and secure a hybrid environment. This adaptation of new skills needs to be lead by…

Leadership – Yes, leadership plays an important role in operations and security even if they aren’t part of the CIO / CISO / COO branch. While I’m going to cringe while I type it, business transformation is a necessary step as you move along your cloud migration journey. The acceleration that the cloud provides can not be stifled by legacy operation and security ideologies. Every piece of the business needs to be involved in accelerating the value you’re delivering your customer base by implementing the agile processes including automation into the operations and security of your cloud.

With all of your key players focused on a successful cloud migration, regardless of what stage you’re in, you’ll reach the ultimate stage: the reinvention of your business where operational and security automation drives the acceleration of value delivered to your customers.

This blog is part of a multi-part series dealing with the principles of a successful cloud migration.  For more information, start at the first post here: https://blog.trendmicro.com/principles-of-a-cloud-migration-from-step-one-to-done/

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5 reasons to move your endpoint security to the cloud now

By Chris Taylor

As the world has adopts work from home initiatives, we’ve seen many organizations accelerate their plans to move from on-premises endpoint security and Detection and Response (EDR/XDR) solutions to Software as a Service versions. And several customers who switched to the SaaS version last year, recently wrote us to tell how glad to have done so as they transitioned to working remote. Here are 5 reasons to consider moving to a cloud managed solution:

 

  1. No internal infrastructure management = less risk

If you haven’t found the time to update your endpoint security software and are one or two versions behind, you are putting your organization at risk of attack. Older versions do not have the same level of protection against ransomware and file-less attacks. Just as the threats are always evolving, the same is true for the technology built to protect against them.

With Apex One as a Service, you always have the latest version. There are no software patches to apply or Apex One servers to manage – we take care of it for you. If you are working remote, this is one less task to worry about and less servers in your environment which might need your attention.

  1. High availability, reliability

With redundant processes and continuous service monitoring, Apex One as a Services delivers the uptime you need with 99.9% availability. The operations team also proactively monitors for potential issues on your endpoints and with your prior approval, can fix minor issues with an endpoint agent before they need your attention.

  1. Faster Detection and Response (EDR/XDR)

By transferring endpoint telemetry to a cloud data lake, detection and response activities like investigations and sweeping can be processed much faster. For example, creating a root cause analysis diagram in cloud takes a fraction of the time since the data is readily available and can be quickly processed with the compute power of the cloud.

  1. Increased MITRE mapping

The unmatched power of cloud computing also enables analytics across a high volume of events and telemetry to identify a suspicious series of activities. This allows for innovative detection methods but also additional mapping of techniques and tactics to the MITRE framework.  Building the equivalent compute power in an on- premises architecture would be cost prohibitive.

  1. XDR – Combined Endpoint + Email Detection and Response

According to Verizon, 94% of malware incidents start with email.  When an endpoint incident occurs, chances are it came from an email message and you want to know what other users have messages with the same email or email attachment in their inbox? You can ask your email admin to run these searches for you which takes time and coordination. As Forrester recognized in the recently published report: The Forrester Wave™ Enterprise Detection and Response, Q1 2020:

“Trend Micro delivers XDR functionality that can be impactful today. Phishing may be the single most effective way for an adversary to deliver targeted payloads deep into an infrastructure. Trend Micro recognized this and made its first entrance into XDR by integrating Microsoft office 365 and Google G suite management capabilities into its EDR workflows.”

This XDR capability is available today by combining alerts, logs and activity data of Apex One as a Service and Trend Micro Cloud App Security. Endpoint data is linked with Office 365 or G Suite email information from Cloud App Security to quickly assess the email impact without having to use another tool or coordinate with other groups.

Moving endpoint protection and detection and response to the cloud, has enormous savings in customer time while increasing their protection and capabilities. If you are licensed with our Smart Protection Suites, you already have access to Apex One as a Service and our support team is ready to help you with your migration. If you are an older suite, talk to your Trend Micro sales rep about moving to a license which includes SaaS.

 

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Monitoring and Maintaining Trend Micro Home Network Security – Part 4: Best Practices

By Trend Micro

We continue our four-part series on protecting your home and family. See the links to the previous parts at the end of this blog.

We’re now done with familiarizing ourselves with the features of Trend Micro Home Network Security (HNS) It’s now time for you to get a bit more adept at regular monitoring and maintenance, to ensure you’re getting the best protection HNS can provide your connected home.

Keeping Tabs on Your Home Network

Once you’re tracking the various internet-capable devices in your home within HNS, as with any security-related device it’s essential to monitor the activities captured by it. In the same way that we need to periodically review the videos taken by our security cameras, to check for any unusual events in or around the home that need our attention; so too, do you need to keep abreast of the goings on in your home network, particularly those of an unusual or suspect nature, as revealed by HNS. This can easily be done in two ways: via Voice Control and Reports.

Voice Control. When you want just a quick overview of the status of your network, you can use HNS’s Voice Control. Voice Control is available as a skill for both Amazon Alexa and Google Home.

Once the skill has been enabled, you can ask Alexa or Google Assistant to control your Home Network Security (HNS) using the following voice commands:

  • Start a Check Devices Scan – To check your network and devices, say: “Alexa (or Ok, Google), tell Trend Micro to scan my network.”
  • Get Your Security Status – To get a network security status update, say: “Alexa (Ok, Google), ask Trend Micro if my network is ok.”
  • Get An Online Activity Summary – To get a summary of a profile’s online activity, say: “Alexa (Ok, Google), ask Trend Micro what Tom (or any member of your household) did today.”
  • Pause the Internet for a Profile – To disconnect the devices assigned to a profile from the internet, say: “Alexa (Ok, Google), ask Trend Micro to pause the Internet for Tom (or any member of your household).”
  • Pause YouTube for a Profile – To prevent the devices assigned to a profile from accessing YouTube, say: “Alexa (Ok, Google), ask Trend Micro to turn off YouTube for Tom (or any member of your household).”
  • Use the Dashboard – Lastly, though not a voice command, checking out the Dashboard of the HNS app will give you a brief summary of the state of security of your home network, and will let you know if anything triggered any Parental Control rules that you’ve set.

Reports. On the other hand, if you have more time to spare, you can peruse the Reports for your devices, user profiles, and network usage.

  • Devices. On your HNS app, Tap Menu > Devices and select a device. Then, tap Report and choose the report you want to view in order to see more details.
  • User Profiles. From your HNS app, Tap Menu > Family and select a user profile. Then, tap Report and choose an event card from the list to see more details.
  • Network Usage. Besides knowing the status of your devices and users, it’s also necessary to know your network usage, especially when your home network relies on a metered connection. Having an idea which devices are hogs on the network will allow you to make proper adjustments, either to rules you implement for your youngsters and other members of your household; or to let you know that maybe you need to upgrade your internet plan to address the more intensive internet needs of your family. Network usage can be viewed by scrolling down to the bottom of the Dashboard and tapping the Network Usage graph; or you can just simply tap Menu > Network. Both will display more detailed network usage information.

Responding to Network Events

Now that you’re more acquainted with your home network through HNS, it’s vital that you know what to do when, for instance, you received a Smart Alert notification indicating an unusually high network activity detected on one of your connected devices.

A Range of Network Events. In brief, you’ll need to review the recent activities and perform the required actions to eliminate risks such as the following:

  • Check if there are any important security-related issues you need to resolve by checking if the ball at the top of the Dashboard says “Action Required”. Tap the ball to find out what you need to do to make sure your network and device security are optimal.
  • Check detected network activities.
  • Check if the device where the unusually high network activity was detected.
  • Select the device where the unusual activity was detected to view the Summary Report for the past 7 days.
  • You will see the unusual network traffic details, including the time range of the traffic and the amount of data used.
  • Check if the top 3 activity destinations were done by you or your family member.
  • If you are aware of the activities and not concerned about these events, tap Report > Not Unusual.
  • If these unusually high traffic activities were not caused by you or your family member, you need to double-check that the Network and Security settings are still enabled, to keep your connected devices protected. Moreover, you should fix any vulnerabilities on your devices, usually resolved by a software or firmware update.

For more specific information regarding these types of incidents, you may refer to this Technical Support article.

Monitoring the Health of Your Home Network Security Station

The Home Network Security Station takes care of your home and your family’s security and safety. In return, you should know how to check if it’s in good working condition.

Physical Status. Check whether the physical components (LED, Reset button, Power, and Ethernet ports) of your Station are intact.

Power. Ensure that the Station is powered on. To check if the Station has power supply, just follow these simple steps:

  • Connect the adapter to the outlet and the Station.
  • Make sure power on the outlet is turned on.
  • Change outlets to ensure power is on.

Offline Notifications. When the HNS Station is offline the user will receive a notification about it. In addition, the HNS app will indicate the Station is offline. This situation can be attributed to loss of either the internet or LAN connections.

Internet Connection. Make sure you have stable internet connection. Checking your internet connection is easy:

  • Disconnect your Home Network Security Station from the router.
  • Check if internet line is connected to the router’s WAN port.
  • If there is no internet connection, do the following:
  • Reboot your router
  • Check the network status from your Internet Service Provider
  • Check your router settings

If you are able to connect to the internet, just reconnect your Home Network Security Station to the router.

LAN Connection. Check the connection between the router and the HNS Station.

  • Ensure that the Ethernet cable provided is used to connect the HNS Station to any available LAN port of your router.
  • Check if the two LED lights of the LAN port are turned on.
  • The port on the right should be blinking green, while the other port should be a steady green or yellow.
  • If the LED lights don’t light up as mentioned, move the Ethernet cable to another router LAN port. Once the LED lights become normal, your HNS Station should be connected to the network.

Updates. Make sure that you update the HNS App if you receive a notification that indicates, “Update Needed. Please click the button below to get the latest version.” This will guarantee that your HNS is up-to-date with app improvements.

Getting Help. Always remember, if you encounter any questions, issues or concerns that you’re unable to resolve, Help is just a click away.

Final Thoughts

Home networks are everywhere these days. However, the user knowledge required to secure and maintain our home networks spans from tech newbies to gurus and often seems to be a rather complicated or even confusing task.

To help you maintain and monitor your home network, Trend Micro offers a simple plug-and-protect home network device to protect your smart home and connected devices from being hacked, while keeping the internet safe for your kids on any device. But plug-and-protect doesn’t mean plug-and-forget. As with any security device, ongoing monitoring and maintenance is needed to provide the best protection your home network and family members need and deserve.

For more information, go to Trend Micro Home Network Security.

To read the rest of our series on HNS, go to

You’re in Safe Hands with Trend Micro Home Network Security – Part 1: Setup and Configuration

Trend Micro Home Network Security Has Got You Covered – Part 2: Parental Controls

In Safe Hands with Trend Micro Home Network Security – Part 3: Testing Its Functions

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Why CISOs Are Demanding Detection and Response Everywhere

By Leah MacMillan

Over the past three decades, we’ve had time at Trend Micro to observe the industry trends that have the biggest impact on our customers. And one of the big things we’ve seen is that threats move largely in tandem with changes to IT infrastructure. This matters today because most organizations are transforming the way they run and manage their infrastructure—a daunting task on its own.

But with digital transformation also comes an expanded corporate attack surface, driving security leaders to demand enhanced visibility, detection & response across the entire enterprise — this is not just about the endpoint.

Transforming business

Over the past five years, there has been a major shift in the way IT infrastructure is delivered, and with that shift, increasing complexity. A big part of this change has been the use of the cloud, reflected in Gartner’s prediction that the market will grow to over $266 billion in 2020. Organizations everywhere are leveraging the cloud and DevOps to rapidly deliver new and differentiated applications and services for their customers, partners and employees. And the use of containers and microservices across a multi-cloud and hybrid environment is increasingly common.

In addition to leveraging public cloud services like IaaS, organizations are also rapidly adopting SaaS applications like Office 365, and expanding their use of mobile and collaborative applications to support remote working. Some are even arguing that working patterns may never be the same again, following the changes forced on many employers by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Combine these changes with networks that continue to extend to include branch offices and add new areas to protect like operational technology including industrial systems, and we can certainly see that the challenges facing the modern enterprise look nothing like they did a few years ago.

Under fire, under pressure

All of these infrastructure changes make for a broader attack surface that the bad guys can take advantage of, and they’re doing so with an increasingly wide range of tools and techniques. In the cloud there is a new class of vulnerabilities introduced through a greater use of open source, containers, orchestration platforms, supply chain applications and more. For all organizations, the majority of threats still prey upon the user, arriving via email (over 90% of the 52.3 billion we blocked in 2019), and they’re no longer just basic phishing attempts. There’s been an uptick in fileless events designed to bypass traditional security filters (we blocked 1.4 million last year). And Business Email Compromise (BEC) and ransomware continue to evolve, the latter causing major outages across local government, healthcare and other vulnerable sectors.

Organizations are often left flat-footed because they don’t have the in-house skills to secure a rapidly evolving IT environment. Mistakes get made, and configuration errors can allow the hackers to sneak in.

Against this backdrop, CISOs need visibility, detection and response capabilities across the extended enterprise. But in too many cases, teams are struggling because they have:

  • Too many security tools, in silos. Security leaders want to consolidate the 10, 20 or even 50+ security technologies currently in use across their organizations. And ideally, they need capabilities that work seamlessly together, sharing threat intelligence across security layers, and delivering a fully connected threat defense.
  • Too few people. Global cybersecurity skills shortages have now exceeded four million, with existing teams often overwhelmed by alerts, allowing serious threats to fly under the radar
  • Increased compliance pressures. CISOs are under pressure to comply with a number of regulations, and the impacts of non-compliance are increasingly strict. While newer, more demanding compliance requirements like GDPR and the California Consumer Privacy Act aim to protect data, they also present operational challenges for cloud teams with complex, manual and time consuming audits. Not to mention new regulations have teeth, with fines that can have a serious impact on the bottom line.  For example, as of March 2020, 227 GDPR fines had been levied, totalling over 466 million euros.

Beyond the endpoint

While endpoint detection and response (EDR) has become a popular response to some of these problems over recent years, the reality is that cyber-attacks are rarely straightforward and limited to the endpoint (as noted in the email statistic above). Security teams actually need visibility, detection, and response across the entire IT environment, so they can better contextualize and deal with threats.

This is what Trend Micro XDR offers. It provides visibility across not just endpoints but also email, servers, cloud workloads and networks, applying AI and expert security analytics to correlate and identify potential threats. The result is fewer, higher fidelity alerts for stretched IT security teams to deal with. Recognizing the skills shortage reality, we also offer a managed XDR service that augments in-house SOC activities with the power of Trend Micro security experts.

Detection and response is too important to be limited to the endpoint. Today’s CISOs need visibility, detection, and response everywhere.

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Letter from the CEO: A time of kindness and compassion

By Trend Micro

Dear Customers,

Together, we are facing a truly unprecedented situation and we have all had to adapt to the new reality. The global coronavirus pandemic is affecting our families, our communities, our organizations – indeed, it affects our perspective and way of life. As you certainly have too, at Trend Micro we have been busy over the past few weeks ensuring our employees are safe while also delivering uninterrupted service and protection for our customers. We have made it a priority to help organizations around the globe strengthen their security and ensure business continuity while so many of their employees work remotely.

As a global company with headquarters in Japan, we have been exposed to COVID-19 from the very early days when it first erupted in Asia. We have seen the massive impact this novel coronavirus has had on all of us: from social distancing, to families being separated, illness and even death. Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone who has been impacted by the virus, directly or indirectly.

The safety of our employees is our first priority and for the last few weeks the vast majority of our employees are all working from home – all 7,000 across 60 countries. It is heartwarming to see the different activities teams have launched to stay connected while being apart: virtual happy hours or morning coffee meetings, online sports classes to stay fit together, movie watching nights and even remote karaoke. I sometimes feel that we are more connected now than ever before.

In the midst of these difficult times, we have also seen the amazing power of positivity and kindness around the world. I am very touched and proud of how our employees, our Trenders, are stepping up even more than usual to engage in acts of generosity and community support. A few examples include:

  • Employee-initiated neighborhood help services such as shopping for the elderly
  • Tools developed to help our medical heroes, for example a 3D printed clip that allows medical staff to wear face masks more comfortably
  • New content for students and parents who are now working from home, developed by our Internet Safety for Kids & Families team
  • Over 60,000 masks donated to our communities
  • Give & Match activities supporting underserved neighborhoods in India and the Philippines, with the company matching each employee donation.

We have also seen Trenders donating some of their accrued paid vacation days to colleagues who might need additional time off to take care of family. There have been thousands of such acts of kindness – likely many more that I’m not even aware of. Knowing the passion of our employees, I know that there are new activities being organized and happening at this exact moment.

In this same spirit, it is very important to me – as well as the entire executive team – that we do the right thing for our employees and our customers during these difficult times, rather than focusing solely on what’s best for our bottom line. We intend to retain all of our employees, and are working to ensure that our teams that work on commission will continue to have a steady income, no matter how business goes. We know that not every company is as fortunate as we are, and many family members of our employees are out of jobs, so our executives have also committed to reducing their salaries if necessary, to ensure that every employee will receive company bonuses for the first half of 2020. If we protect our Trend Micro family, our Trend Micro family can protect and care for their communities.

I understand these times are difficult and while we are celebrating acts of kindness and positivity, many of our friends and families are struggling with health issues and other concerns. Our hearts go out to all those who are affected, to our healthcare workers and all essential employees who help keep our lives going. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Please stay safe – and stay at home!

Kind regards,

Eva Chen

 

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Shift Well-Architecture Left. By Extension, Security Will Follow

By Raphael Bottino, Solutions Architect

A story on how Infrastructure as Code can be your ally on Well-Architecting and securing your Cloud environment

By Raphael Bottino, Solutions Architect — first posted as a medium article
Using Infrastructure as Code(IaC for short) is the norm in the Cloud. CloudFormation, CDK, Terraform, Serverless Framework, ARM… the options are endless! And they are so many just because IaC makes total sense! It allows Architects and DevOps engineers to version the application infrastructure as much as the developers are already versioning the code. So any bad change, no matter if on the application code or infrastructure, can be easily inspected or, even better, rolled back.

For the rest of this article, let’s use CloudFormation as reference. And, if you are new to IaC, check how to create a new S3 bucket on AWS as code:

Pretty simple, right? And you can easily create as many buckets as you need using the above template (if you plan to do so, remove the BucketName line, since names are globally unique on S3!). For sure, way simpler and less prone to human error than clicking a bunch of buttons on AWS console or running commands on CLI.

Pretty simple, right? And you can easily create as many buckets as you need using the above template (if you plan to do so, remove the BucketName line, since names are globally unique on S3!). For sure, way simpler and less prone to human error than clicking a bunch of buttons on AWS console or running commands on CLI.

Well, it’s not that simple…

Although this is a functional and useful CloudFormation template, following correctly all its rules, it doesn’t follow the rules of something bigger and more important: The AWS Well-Architected Framework. This amazing tool is a set of whitepapers describing how to architect on top of AWS, from 5 different views, called Pillars: Security, Cost Optimization, Operational Excellence, Reliability and Performance Efficiency. As you can see from the pillar names, an architecture that follows it will be more secure, cheaper, easier to operate, more reliable and with better performance.

Among others, this template will generate a S3 bucket that doesn’t have encryption enabled, doesn’t enforce said encryption and doesn’t log any kind of access to it–all recommended by the Well-Architected Framework. Even worse, these misconfigurations are really hard to catch in production and not visibly alerted by AWS. Even the great security tools provided by them such as Trusted Advisor or Security Hub won’t give an easy-to-spot list of buckets with those misconfigurations. Not for nothing Gartner states that 95% of cloud security failures will be the customer’s fault¹.

The DevOps movement brought to the masses a methodology of failing fast, which is not exactly compatible with the above scenario where a failure many times is just found out whenever unencrypted data is leaked or the access log is required. The question is, then, how to improve it? Spoiler alert: the answer lies on the IaC itself 🙂

Shifting Left

Even before making sure a CloudFormation template is following AWS’ own best practices, the first obvious requirement is to make sure that the template is valid. A fantastic open-source tool called cfn-lint is made available by AWS on GitHub² and can be easily adopted on any CI/CD pipeline, failing the build if the template is not valid, saving precious time. To shorten the feedback loop even further and fail even faster, the same tool can be adopted on the developer IDE³ as an extension so the template can be validated as it is coded. Pretty cool, right? But it still doesn’t help us with the misconfiguration problem that we created with that really simple template in the beginning of this post.

Conformity⁴ provides, among other capabilities, an API endpoint to scan CloudFormation templates against the Well-Architected Framework, and that’s exactly how I know that template is not adhering to its best practices. This API can be implemented on your pipeline, just like the cfn-lint. However, I wanted to move this check further left, just like the cfn-lint extension I mentioned before.

The Cloud Conformity Template Scanner Extension

With that challenge in mind, but also with the need for scanning my templates for misconfigurations fast myself, I came up with a Visual Studio Code extension that, leveraging Conformity’s API, allows the developer to scan the template as it is coded. The Extension can be found here⁵ or searching for “Conformity” on your IDE.

After installing it, scanning a template is as easy as running a command on VS Code. Below it is running for our template example:

This tool allows anyone to shift misconfiguration and compliance checking as left as possible, right on developers’ hands. To use the extension, you’ll need a Conformity API key. If you don’t have one and want to try it out, Conformity provides a 14-day free trial, no credit card required. If you like it but feels that this time period is not enough for you, let me know and I’ll try to make it available to you.

But… What about my bucket template?

Oh, by the way, if you are wondering how a S3 bucket CloudFormation template looks like when following the best practices, take a look:

   
A Well-Architected bucket template

Not as simple, right? That’s exactly why this kind of tool is really powerful, allowing developers to learn as they code and organizations to fail the deployment of any resource that goes against the AWS recommendations.

References

[1] https://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/why-cloud-security-is-everyones-business

[2] https://github.com/aws-cloudformation/cfn-python-lint

[3] https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=kddejong.vscode-cfn-lint

[4] https://www.cloudconformity.com/

[5] https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=raphaelbottino.cc-template-scanner

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What do serverless compute platforms mean for security?

By Trend Micro

By Kyle Klassen Product Manager – Cloud Native Application Security at Trend Micro

Containers provide many great benefits to organizations – they’re lightweight, flexible, add consistency across different environments and scale easily.

One of the characteristics of containers is that they run in dedicated namespaces with isolated resource requirements. General purpose OS’s deployed to run containers might be viewed as overkill since many of their features and interfaces aren’t needed.

A key tenant in the cybersecurity doctrine is to harden platforms by exposing only the fewest number of interfaces and applying the tightest configurations required to run only the required operations.

Developers deploying containers to restricted platforms or “serverless” containers to the likes of AWS Fargate for example, should think about security differently – by looking upward, looking left and also looking all-around your cloud domain for opportunities to properly security your cloud native applications. Oh, and don’t forget to look outside. Let me explain…

Looking Upward

As infrastructure, OS, container orchestration and runtimes become the domain of the cloud provider, the user’s primary responsibility becomes securing the containers and applications themselves. This is where Trend Micro Cloud One™, a security services platform for cloud builders, can help Dev and Ops teams better implement build pipeline and runtime security requirements.  Cloud One – Application Security embeds a security library within the application itself to provide defense against web application attacks and to detect malicious activity.

One of the greatest benefits of this technology is that once an application is secured in this manner, it can be deployed anywhere and the protection comes along for the ride. Users can be confident their applications are secure whether deployed in a container on traditional hosts, into EKS on AWS Bottlerocket, serverless on AWS Fargate, or even as an AWS Lambda function!

Looking Left

It’s great that cloud providers are taking security seriously and providing increasingly secure environments within which to deploy your containers. But you need to make sure your containers themselves are not introducing security risks. This can be accomplished with container image scanning to identify security issues before these images ever make it to the production environment.

Enter Deep Security Smart Check – Container Image Scanning part of the Cloud One offering. Scans must be able to detect more than just vulnerabilities. Developer reliance on code re-use, public images, and 3rd party contributions mean that malware injection into private images is a real concern. Sensitive objects like secrets, keys and certificates must be found and removed and assurance against regulatory requirements like PCI, HIPAA or NIST should be a requirement before a container image is allowed to run.

Looking All-Around

Imagine taking the effort to ensure your applications, containers and functions are built securely, comply with strict security regulations and are deployed into container optimized cloud environments only to find out that you’ve still become a victim of an attack! How could this be? Well, one common oversight is recognizing the importance of disciplined configuration and management of the cloud resources themselves – you can’t assume they’re secure just because they’re working.

But, making sure your cloud services are secure can be a daunting task – likely comprised of dozens of cloud services, each with as many configuration options – these environments are complex. Cloud One – Conformity is your cloud security companion and gives you assurance that any hidden security issues with your cloud configurations are detected and prioritized. Disabled security options, weak keys, open permissions, encryption options, high-risk exposures and many, many more best practice security rules make it easy to conform to security best practices and get the most from your cloud provider services.

Look Outside

All done? Not quite. You also need to think about how the business workflows of your cloud applications ingest files (or malware?).  Cloud storage like S3 Buckets are often used to accept files from external customers and partners.  Blindly accepting uploads and pulling them into your workflows is an open door for attack.

Cloud One – File Storage Security incorporates Trend Micro’s best-in-class malware detection technology to identify and remove files infected with malware. As a cloud native application itself, the service deploys easily with deployment templates and runs as a ‘set and forget’ service – automatically scanning new files of any type, any size and automatically removing malware so you can be confident that all of your downstream workflows are protected.

It’s still about Shared Responsibility

Cloud providers will continue to offer security features for deploying cloud native applications – and you should embrace all of this capability.  However, you can’t assume your cloud environment is optimally secure without validating your configurations. And once you have a secure environment, you need to secure all of the components within your control – your functions, applications, containers and workflows. With this practical approach, Trend Micro Cloud One™ perfectly complements your cloud services with Network Security, Workload Security, Application Security, Container Security, File Storage Security and Conformity for cloud posture management, so you can be confident that you’ve got security covered no matter which way you look.

To learn more visit Trendmicro.com/CloudOne and join our webinar on cloud native application threats https://resources.trendmicro.com/Cloud-One-Webinar-Series-Cloud-Native-Application-Threats.html

 

 

 

 

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This Week in Security News: Exploring Common Threats to Cloud Security and Zoom Removes Meeting IDs from App Title Bar to Improve Privacy

By Jon Clay (Global Threat Communications)
week in security

Welcome to our weekly roundup, where we share what you need to know about the cybersecurity news and events that happened over the past few days. This week, learn about why Zoom has released an update for its Linux, Mac, and Windows apps that removes the meeting ID from the app’s title bar. Also, read about Trend Micro’s latest research on cloud-specific security, with examples of threats and risks that organizations could face when migrating to the cloud or using cloud services.

Read on:

Trend Micro Study Shows Cloud Misconfiguration as Major Threat

This week, Trend Micro released new research findings concerning cloud security, a major area of concern for enterprises of all sizes. The research confirms the role of both human errors and complex deployments in creating cloud-based cyber threats; above all, Trend Micro notes the dangers of cloud misconfiguration to cloud environments.  

NCSA Small Business Webinar Series

The National Cyber Security Alliance is hosting a series of webinars for small business owners, and Trend Micro is proud to support this effort with guest speakers sharing threat intelligence and security expertise. The topics will help small companies deal with the challenges of COVID-19, including sessions on telework, digital spring cleaning, e-commerce security, how to avoid COVID-19 scams and more.

Cisco ‘Critical Update’ Phishing Attack Steals Webex Credentials

An ongoing phishing campaign is reeling in victims with a recycled Cisco security advisory that warns of a critical vulnerability. The campaign urges victims to “update,” only to steal their credentials for Cisco’s Webex web conferencing platform instead. The campaign is looking to leverage the wave of remote workers who have come to rely on online conferencing tools like Webex and other platforms.

Principles of a Cloud Migration – From Step One to Done

Cloud migrations are happening every day and analysts predict over 75% of mid-size to large enterprises will migrate a workload to the cloud by 2021 – but how can you make sure your workload is successful? In this multi-part blog series, Trend Micro explores best practices, forward thinking, and use cases around creating a successful cloud migration from multiple perspectives.  

Zoomed In: A Look into a Coinminer Bundled with Zoom Installer

Trend Micro recently found a Coinminer bundled with the legitimate installer of video conferencing app Zoom, luring users who want to install the software but end up downloading a malicious file. The compromised files are assumed to come from fraudulent websites. Trend Micro has been working with Zoom to ensure that they are able to communicate this to their users appropriately.

Investigation into a Nefilim Attack Shows Signs of Lateral Movement, Possible Data Exfiltration

Trend Micro’s Managed XDR (MxDR) and Incident Response (IR) teams recently investigated an incident involving a company that was hit by the Nefilim ransomware, which was initially discovered in March 2020. What makes Nefilim especially devious is that the threat actors behind the attack threaten to release the victim’s stolen data on an online leak site.

Zoom Removes Meeting IDs from App Title Bar to Improve Privacy

Video conferencing service Zoom has released an update for its Linux, Mac, and Windows apps that removes the meeting ID from the app’s title bar. The update comes after the company’s users have often leaked their meeting IDs, and even meeting passwords, when sharing screenshots of their meetings on social media.

Analysis: Suspicious “Very Hidden” Formula on Excel 4.0 Macro Sheet

A malicious Microsoft Excel 4.0 Macro sheet with a suspicious formula that is set as “Very Hidden” was submitted by a customer and further analyzed by Trend Micro researchers. The sheet is not readily accessible via the Microsoft Excel User Interface (UI) due to a feature documented in the Microsoft website that allows users to hide sheets. The compromised files were commonly used as an attachment in spam.

Actively Exploited MS Exchange Flaw Present on 80% of Exposed Servers

Attackers looking to exploit CVE-2020-0688, a critical Microsoft Exchange flaw patched by Microsoft in February 2020, don’t have to look hard to find a server they can attack: according to an internet-wide scan performed by Rapid7 researchers, there are at least 315,000 and possibly as many as 350,000 vulnerable on-premise Exchange servers (out of 433,464 total) out there.

Misconfigured Docker Daemon API Ports Attacked for Kinsing Malware Campaign

A campaign that targets misconfigured Docker Daemon API ports through Kinsing malware was reported by security researchers from Aqua Security. The campaign exploited the ports to run an Ubuntu container. According to the researchers, Kinsing malware’s strings revealed that it is a Golang-based Linux agent.

Threat Actors Deliver Courier-Themed Spam Campaign with Attached ACE Files

Trend Micro researchers detected a new courier service-themed malicious spam campaign that uses ACE files as attachments. The samples were gathered from Trend Micro’s honeypot. The email poses as a shipment arrival notification with a fake receipt attached. It then convinces receivers to download the attachment by asking them to check if the address on the receipt is correct.blo

Exploring Common Threats to Cloud Security

Trend Micro’s recent cloud research provides examples of threats and risks organizations could face when migrating to the cloud or using cloud services. No matter the cloud service or platform, the common theme is that misconfiguration continues to be one of the major pitfalls of cloud security, affecting both companies who subscribe to cloud services and users of software that are hosted on the cloud.

PowerPoint ‘Weakness’ Opens Door to Malicious Mouse-Over Attack

A researcher is sounding the alarm over what he believes could be a novel attack vector which allows a hacker to manipulate a PowerPoint file to download and begin the installation of malware, simply by hovering over a hypertext link. The technique does require a victim to accept one pop-up dialogue box to run or install a program. For those reasons, Microsoft does not consider this a vulnerability.

Cloud Transformation Is the Biggest Opportunity to Fix Security

Lower costs, improved efficiencies and faster time to market are some of the primary benefits of transitioning to the cloud. However, it’s not done overnight. It can take years to move complete data centers and operational applications to the cloud and the benefits won’t be fully realized until most functional data have been transitioned.

Who is World Wired Labs and Why Are They Selling an Android Trojan?

A company advertising a remote access tool frequently used by criminals and nation-state hackers may be serving as a front for a Chinese hacking group, according to research published by BlackBerry Cylance. In a report on remote access trojans (RAT), researchers detail an Android malware variant, which they call PWNDROID4, that can be used to monitor targets’ phone calls, record audio, send and receive text messages, and track victims’ GPS location.

Is your organization looking to migrate to the cloud? Share your thoughts in the comments below or follow me on Twitter to continue the conversation: @JonLClay.

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Cloud Native Application Development Enables New Levels of Security Visibility and Control

By Trend Micro

We are in unique times and it’s important to support each other through unique ways. Snyk is providing a community effort to make a difference through AllTheTalks.online, and Trend Micro is proud to be a sponsor of their virtual fundraiser and tech conference.

In today’s threat landscape new cloud technologies can pose a significant risk. Applying traditional security techniques not designed for cloud platforms can restrict the high-volume release cycles of cloud-based applications and impact business and customer goals for digital transformation.

When organizations are moving to the cloud, security can be seen as an obstacle. Often, the focus is on replicating security controls used in existing environments, however, the cloud actually enables new levels of visibility and controls that weren’t possible before.

With today’s increased attention on cyber threats, cloud vulnerabilities provide an opportunistic climate for novice and expert hackers alike as a result of dependencies on modern application development tools, and lack of awareness of security gaps in build pipelines and deployment environments.

Public clouds are capable of auditing API calls to the cloud management layer. This gives in-depth visibility into every action taken in your account, making it easy to audit exactly what’s happening, investigate and search for known and unknown attacks and see who did what to identify unusual behavior.

Join Mike Milner, Global Director of Application Security Technology at Trend Micro on Wednesday April 15, at 11:45am EST to learn how to Use Observability for Security and Audit. This is a short but important session where we will discuss the tools to help build your own application audit system for today’s digital transformation. We’ll look at ways of extending this level of visibility to your applications and APIs, such as using new capabilities offered by cloud providers for network mirroring, storage and massive data handling.

Register for a good cause and learn more at https://www.allthetalks.org/.

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Cloud Transformation Is The Biggest Opportunity To Fix Security

By Greg Young (Vice President for Cybersecurity)

This overview builds on the recent report from Trend Micro Research on cloud-specific security gaps, which can be found here.

Don’t be cloud-weary. Hear us out.

Recently, a major tipping point was reached in the IT world when more than half of new IT spending was on cloud over non- cloud. So rather than being the exception, cloud-based operations have become the rule.

However, too many security solutions and vendors still treat the cloud like an exception – or at least not as a primary use case. The approach remains “and cloud” rather than “cloud and.”

Attackers have made this transition. Criminals know that business security is generally behind the curve with its approach to the cloud and take advantage of the lack of security experience surrounding new cloud environments. This leads to ransomware, cryptocurrency mining and data exfiltration attacks targeting cloud environments, to name a few.

Why Cloud?

There are many reasons why companies transition to the cloud. Lower costs, improved efficiencies and faster time to market are some of the primary benefits touted by cloud providers.

These benefits come with common misconceptions. While efficiency and time to market can be greatly improved by transitioning to the cloud, this is not done overnight. It can take years to move complete data centers and operational applications to the cloud. The benefits won’t be fully realized till the majority of functional data has been transitioned.

Misconfiguration at the User Level is the Biggest Security Risk in the Cloud

Cloud providers have built in security measures that leave many system administrators, IT directors and CTOs feeling content with the security of their data. We’ve heard it many times – “My cloud provider takes care of security, why would I need to do anything additional?”

This way of thinking ignores the shared responsibility model for security in the cloud. While cloud providers secure the platform as a whole, companies are responsible for the security of their data hosted in those platforms.

Misunderstanding the shared responsibility model leads to the No. 1 security risk associated with the cloud: Misconfiguration.

You may be thinking, “But what about ransomware and cryptomining and exploits?” Other attack types are primarily possible when one of the 3 misconfigurations below are present.

You can forget about all the worst-case, overly complex attacks: Misconfigurations are the greatest risk and should be the No. 1 concern. These misconfigurations are in 3 categories:

  1. Misconfiguration of the native cloud environment
  2. Not securing equally across multi-cloud environments (i.e. different brands of cloud service providers)
  3. Not securing equally to your on-premises (non-cloud) data centers

How Big is The Misconfiguration Problem?

Trend Micro Cloud One™ – Conformity identifies an average of 230 million misconfigurations per day.

To further understand the state of cloud misconfigurations, Trend Micro Research recently investigated cloud-specific cyber attacks. The report found a large number of websites partially hosted in world-writable cloud-based storage systems. Despite these environments being secure by default, settings can be manually changed to allow more access than actually needed.

These misconfigurations are typically put in place without knowing the potential consequences. But once in place, it is simple to scan the internet to find this type of misconfiguration, and criminals are exploiting them for profit.

Why Do Misconfigurations Happen?

The risk of misconfigurations may seem obvious in theory, but in practice, overloaded IT teams are often simply trying to streamline workflows to make internal processes easier. So, settings are changed to give read and/or write access to anyone in the organization with the necessary credentials. What is not realized is that this level of exposure can be found and exploited by criminals.

We expect this trend will increase in 2020, as more cloud-based services and applications gain popularity with companies using a DevOps workflow. Teams are likely to misconfigure more cloud-based applications, unintentionally exposing corporate data to the internet – and to criminals.

Our prediction is that through 2025, more than 75% of successful attacks on cloud environments will be caused by missing or misconfigured security by cloud customers rather than cloud providers.

How to Protect Against Misconfiguration

Nearly all data breaches involving cloud services have been caused by misconfigurations. This is easily preventable with some basic cyber hygiene and regular monitoring of your configurations.

Your data and applications in the cloud are only as secure as you make them. There are enough tools available today to make your cloud environment – and the majority of your IT spend – at least as secure as your non-cloud legacy systems.

You can secure your cloud data and applications today, especially knowing that attackers are already cloud-aware and delivering vulnerabilities as a service. Here are a few best practices for securing your cloud environment:

  • Employ the principle of least privilege: Access is only given to users who need it, rather than leaving permissions open to anyone.
  • Understand your part of the Shared Responsibility Model: While cloud service providers have built in security, the companies using their services are responsible for securing their data.
  • Monitor your cloud infrastructure for misconfigured and exposed systems: Tools are available to identify misconfigurations and exposures in your cloud environments.
  • Educate your DevOps teams about security: Security should be built in to the DevOps process.

To read the complete Trend Micro Research report, please visit: https://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/us/security/news/virtualization-and-cloud/exploring-common-threats-to-cloud-security.

For additional information on Trend Micro’s approach to cloud security, click here: https://www.trendmicro.com/en_us/business/products/hybrid-cloud.html.

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Principles of a Cloud Migration – From Step One to Done

By Jason Dablow
cloud

Boiling the ocean with the subject, sous-vide deliciousness with the content.

Cloud Migrations are happening every day.  Analysts predict over 75% of mid-large enterprises will migrate a workload to the cloud by 2021 – but how can you make sure your workload is successful? There are not just factors with IT teams, operations, and security, but also with business leaders, finance, and many other organizations of your business. In this multi-part series, I’ll explore best practices, forward thinking, and use cases around creating a successful cloud migration from multiple perspectives.  Whether you’re a builder in the cloud or an executive overseeing the transformation, you’ll learn from my firsthand experience and knowledge on how to bring value into your cloud migration project.

Here are just a few advantages of a cloud migration:

  • Technology benefits like scalability, high availability, simplified infrastructure maintenance, and an environment compliant with many industry certifications
  • The ability to switch from a CapEx to an OpEx model
  • Leaving the cost of a data center behind

While there can certainly be several perils associated with your move, with careful planning and a company focus, you can make your first step into cloud a successful one.  And the focus of a company is an important step to understand. The business needs to adopt the same agility that the cloud provides by continuing to learn, grow, and adapt to this new environment. The Phoenix Project and the Unicorn Project are excellent examples that show the need and the steps for a successful business transformation.

To start us off, let’s take a look at some security concepts that will help you secure your journey into this new world. My webinar on Principles to Make Your Cloud Migration Journey Secure is a great place to start: https://resources.trendmicro.com/Cloud-One-Webinar-Series-Secure-Cloud-Migration.html

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NCSA Small Business Webinar Series

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

Working from home? How do you keep your employees cyber-safe and cyber-secure? How do you protect your reputation, profit, and cash flow when you depend on your IT infrastructure as never before?

The National Cyber Security Alliance is hosting a series of webinars for small business owners, and we’re proud to support this effort with guest speakers to share our threat intelligence and security expertise.

The topics will help small companies deal with the challenges of COVID-19. The agenda is at https://staysafeonline.org/event_category/cybersecure-my-business/.

Here’s a quick overview of each session and why it might benefit your organization to tune in.

Telework Cybersecurity Best Practices – April 7: Many small business owners rely on face-to-face meetings with their teams. But, social distancing and work-from-home directives interrupt that way of doing things. In this session, we’ll discuss how to adjust your business to deal with a remote workforce. For some managers, not seeing every member of the team can be unsettling. We’ll talk about ways to overcome that barrier. For many organizations, using remote tools can put an extra burden on your IT gear and staff. We’ll talk about alternatives to lighten that load. And for most organizations, the new way of working can expose new and different information security vulnerabilities. We’ll offer some good practices to reduce your exposure.

Guest speakers from Trend Micro will be Greg Young and Ed Cabrera.

Spring has Sprung! Time for a Digital Spring Cleaning – April 14: One way to cut down on IT resource use is to get rid of unnecessary stuff. This webcast will suggest tactics to reduce the burden on your infrastructure. You will learn about cleaning up your storage, getting off unnecessary email lists, improving your – and your customers’ – privacy, and lowering your attack profile by getting rid of stale applications and services.

E-Commerce Security During COVID-19 – April 21, 2020: Businesses that rely on foot traffic are pivoting to on-line offerings. Restaurants support demand with delivery or curbside pick-up, which both put a strain on your IT resources. Unfortunately, the bad guys are exploiting weaknesses in on-line ordering and payment systems. We’ll talk about measures small businesses should consider to protect their reputation, cash flow, and profits during this transition.

Guest speakers from Trend Micro will be myself and Mitchel Chang.

How to Avoid COVID-19 Scams – May 5, 2020: Bad guys are trying to make money off Covid-19 worries. In this session, Lesley Fair, a Senior Attorney with the Bureau of Consumer Protection at the Federal Trade Commission talks about different kinds of scams and what to do about them, hopefully before anyone gets conned, and what steps you can take if you think you might have gotten stung. Ths session will be repeated on May 26.

Guest speakers from Trend Micro will be myself and Jon Clay.

What Are Phishing, Vishing and Smishing? How Can I Protect My Small Business From These Threats? – May 12, 2020: This session will discuss attacks that can arrive through email, messages, and video chats. Small businesses are targets as well as big firms and the public at large – the bad guys are going anywhere they can to make a (dishonest) buck. You’ll help your employees and customers protect themselves with some good advice, practices, and tools.

Mitchel Chang will be a guest panelist.

How to Avoid COVID-19 Scams – May 26, 2020: A second session of the May 5 discussion. This time Jon Clay and Myla Pilao will be guest speakers from Trend Micro.

Telework Cybersecurity Best Practices – June 9, 2020: A second session of the April 7 event. Greg and Ed will give a repeat performance attendees.

Each session starts at 2:00 PM Eastern time. NCSA will record each session, but you should register to listen in and ask questions live. While the information is tuned to meet the needs of small businesses, individuals at larger organizations, and the general public, will find good ideas and helpful hints an tips to stay safe and cope with this challenging time. We hope to see you soon.

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

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This Week in Security News: More Than 8,000 Unsecured Redis Instances Found in the Cloud and Wiper Malware Called “Coronavirus” Spreads Among Windows Victims

By Jon Clay (Global Threat Communications)
week in security

Welcome to our weekly roundup, where we share what you need to know about the cybersecurity news and events that happened over the past few days. This week, learn about 8,000 Redis instances running unsecured in different parts of the world, even deployed in public clouds. Also, read about a new Windows malware, called “Coronavirus,” that makes disks unusable by overwriting the master boot record (MBR).

Read on:

COVID-19: How Do I Work from Home Securely?

In light of the current COVID-19 crisis, shelter-in-place orders have forced many companies to support remote work. However, hackers are primed and ready to take advantage of home workers, whose machines and devices may not be as secure as those in the office. In this blog, learn about some of the major threats to home workers and their organizations, and what can be done to keep hackers at bay.

Vulnerability Researchers Focus on Zoom App’s Security

Researchers have turned up security and privacy flaws in Zoom, which has had success during the pandemic. In late March, one red-team member found that Zoom would display universal naming convention (UNC) paths as links, which, if clicked, would send a username and password hash to an attacker-controlled system. In this article, Brian Gorenc of Trend Micro’s ZDI program shares insight into Zoom vulnerabilities.

More Than 8,000 Unsecured Redis Instances Found in the Cloud

Trend Micro discovered 8,000 Redis instances running unsecured across the globe, even deployed in public clouds. The instances have been found without Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption and are not password protected. When left unsecured and allowed to be internet-facing or integrated into IoT devices, cybercriminals can find and abuse Redis servers to launch attacks such as SQL injections, cross-site scripting, malicious file uploads, and even remote code execution, among others.

Vulnerable VPN Appliances at Healthcare Organizations Open Doors for Ransomware Gangs

The increased enterprise VPN use due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the work-from-home shift has not gone unnoticed by ransomware gangs, Microsoft warns. Microsoft has pinpointed several dozens of hospitals with vulnerable gateway and VPN appliances in their infrastructure and decided to notify them directly about it and offer advice on how to keep safe.

Cloud-First but Not Cloud-Only: Why Organizations Need to Simplify Cybersecurity

The global public cloud services market is on track to grow 17% this year, topping $266 billion. However, while many organizations may describe themselves as “cloud-first”, they’re certainly not “cloud-only.” Hybrid cloud is the name of the game today: a blend of multiple cloud providers and multiple datacenters. While driving agility, differentiation and growth, this new reality also creates cyber risk.

Magecart Hackers Inject iFrame Skimmers in 19 Sites to Steal Payment Data

Cybersecurity researchers have uncovered an ongoing new Magecart skimmer campaign that has successfully compromised at least 19 different e-commerce websites to steal payment card details. According to a recent report, RiskIQ researchers spotted a new digital skimmer, dubbed “MakeFrame,” that injects HTML iframes into webpages to phish payment data.

The AWS Service to Focus On – Amazon EC2

Trend Micro recently analyzed the most affected AWS Services, finding that EC2-related issues topped the list with 32% of all issues and S3 contributed to 12% of all issues. While cloud providers offer a secure infrastructure and best practices, many customers are unaware of their role in the shared responsibility model. In this blog, learn how to secure data and configure environments with AWS best practices.

Wiper Malware Called “Coronavirus” Spreads Among Windows Victims

A new Windows malware has emerged that makes disks unusable by overwriting the master boot record (MBR). It takes its cue from the COVID-19 pandemic, calling itself simply “Coronavirus.” Overwriting the MBR is the same trick that the infamous NotPetya wiper malware used in 2017 in a campaign that caused widespread, global financial damage.

Raccoon Stealer’s Abuse of Google Cloud Services and Multiple Delivery Techniques

Raccoon Malware as a Service (MaaS) can steal login credentials, credit card information, cryptocurrency wallets and browser information. It can arrive on a system through delivery techniques such as exploit kits, phishing and bundled with other malware. In this blog, Trend Micro investigates campaigns that used exploit kits Fallout and Rig, and observes its use of Google Drive as part of its evasion tactics.

Developing Story: COVID-19 Used in Malicious Campaigns

The COVID-19 pandemic is being used in a variety of malicious campaigns including email spam, BEC, malware, ransomware and malicious domains.  As the number of those afflicted continue to surge by thousands, campaigns that use the disease as a lure also increase. Trend Micro researchers are periodically sourcing for samples on COVID-19-related malicious campaigns.

Threat Actors Abuse Evernote, Other Shared Platforms for Credential Phishing

Trend Micro researchers found campaigns that abuse the note-taking platform Evernote to host credential-phishing pages. The campaigns also exploit other shared platforms for editing images, making infographics and charts, and creating brand templates. Evernote’s notebook sharing functionality that uses public links is what threat actors exploited to spread malicious PDF files via phishing emails. 

Malicious Domains and Files Related to Zoom Increase, ‘Zoom Bombing’ on the Rise

As the use of video conferencing platforms has increased with many people working from home due to the COVID-19 outbreak, cases of “Zoom Bombing” and malicious domains and files related to Zoom have also been on the rise. Registrations of domains that reference the name of Zoom has significantly increased, and other communication apps such as Google Classroom have been targeted as well.

Russian Investigators Bust Credit Card Fraud Ring

Russian federal investigators have arrested at least 25 people accused of operating a credit card fraud ring, according to a statement released by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB). Those charged allegedly included a card fraud kingpin and two dozen associates linked to more than 90 websites that sold stolen credit card data and operated internationally.

Microsoft Corrects Misstatement Of 775 Percent Surge in Demand for Cloud Services Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

A recent Microsoft blog reported the tech giant had seen a “775 percent increase of our cloud services in regions that have enforced social distancing or shelter in place orders.” That line was wrong: the almost 8x increase only pertained to monthly users of the Microsoft’s Teams collaboration platform, and only in a one-month period in Italy, a region of the world particularly impacted by the virus.

Using Zoom? Here’s How to Keep Your Business and Employees Safe

The COVID-19 crisis has sparked a new wave of phishing, BEC, extortion, ransomware and data breach attempts, and although it’s not the only platform being targeted, Zoom has been the subject of some of the highest-profile incidents so far. Fortunately, there are things organizations can do to protect their business and their employees. In this blog, learn about best practices you can use to help secure your Zoom conferences.

Have you or your organization been a victim of “Zoom Bombing”? Share your thoughts in the comments below or follow me on Twitter to continue the conversation: @JonLClay.

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Using Zoom? Here’s how to keep your business and employees safe

By Bharat Mistry

Cyber-criminals are always looking for new opportunities to make money and steal data. Globally trending events are a tried-and-tested way of doing just this, and they don’t come much bigger than the current Covid-19 pandemic. It’s sparking a wave of phishing, BEC, extortion, ransomware and data breach attempts. And as increasing numbers of global workers are sent home, new opportunities are opening up to compromise video conferencing apps.

Although not alone in being targeted, Zoom has been the subject of some of the highest-profile incidents so far this year. Fortunately, there are things you can do to keep your business safe.

Under the microscope

The video conferencing app is in many ways a victim of its own success. Security concerns have been raised about it in the past, after researchers revealed zero-day flaw in the Mac Zoom client which could have allowed hackers to spy on users via their webcams. Later the same year, separate research revealed an API-targeted enumeration attack affecting the platform. Neither of these are thought to have been exploited in the wild.

However, things have changed today: with much of the world using the platform to hold business meetings and personal video calls, scrutiny of its security posture has never been greater.

From bugs to bombing

There are several risks to be aware of. The first is of several new vulnerabilities discovered in the platform: one of which could allow hackers to steal Windows passwords, and another two which could enable attackers to remotely install malware on affected Macs and eavesdrop on meetings.

Most news coverage, however, is focused on “Zoombombing” — when uninvited users crash meetings. This often happens when large-scale semi-public events are held, and meeting IDs are shared on social media. If there’s no password for the meeting and attendees aren’t screened, then Zoombombers may turn up. Once in the ‘meeting’, crashers often post offensive comments, stream adult content or do other things to disrupt the event.

The same underlying techniques could be used by hackers to eavesdrop on or disrupt business meetings. It’s all about taking advantage of unsecure settings in the app, (and possibly using brute-force tools to crack meeting IDs).

With access to a meeting, hackers could harvest highly sensitive and/or market-critical corporate information, or even spread malware via a file transfer feature.

The final threat is from phishing attacks. Hackers know users are looking en masse for ways to communicate during government lockdowns. By creating legitimate-looking Zoom links and websites, they could steal financial details, spread malware or harvest Zoom ID numbers, allowing them to infiltrate virtual meetings. One vendor discovered 2,000 new domains had been registered in March alone, over two-thirds of the total for the year so far.

What you can do

The good news is that there are several things you can do to mitigate the security risks associated with Zoom.

The most basic are:

  • Ensure Zoom is always on the latest software version
  • Build awareness of Zoom phishing scams into user training programs. Users should only download the Zoom client from a trusted site and check for anything suspicious in the meeting URL when joining a meeting
  • Ensure all home workers have anti-malware including phishing detection installed from a reputable vendor

Next, it’s important to revisit those administrative settings in the app, to reduce the opportunities for hackers and Zoombombers.

The most important revolve around the Zoom Personal Meeting ID (a 9-11 digit number every user has). If a hacker gets hold of this, and the meeting is not password protected, they could access it. A leaked email or simple brute-force/guessing techniques could enable a hacker to compromise the ID and associated URL. For reoccurring meetings, the threat persists.

Fortunately, automatically generated passwords are now switched on by default, and the use of personal meeting IDs are switched off, meaning Zoom will create a random, one-off ID for each meeting.

These setting should be kept as is. But organisations can do more, including:

  • Ensure you also generate a meeting ID automatically for recurring meetings
  • Set screen-sharing to “host only” to prevent uninvited guests from sharing disruptive content
  • Don’t share any meeting IDs online
  • Disable “file transfers” to mitigate risk of malware
  • Make sure that only authenticated users can join meetings
  • Lock the meeting once it’s started to prevent anyone new joining
  • Use waiting room feature, so the host can only allow attendees from a pre-assigned register
  • Play a sound when someone enters or leaves the room
  • Allow host to put attendees on hold, temporarily removing them from a meeting if necessary

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Cloud-First but Not Cloud-Only: Why Organizations Need to Simplify Cybersecurity

By Wendy Moore

The global public cloud services market is on track to grow 17% this year, topping $266 billion. These are impressive figures, and whatever Covid-19 may do short-term to the macro-economy, they’re a sign of where the world is heading. But while many organizations may describe themselves as “cloud-first”, they’re certainly not “cloud-only.” That is, hybrid cloud is the name of the game today: a blend of multiple cloud providers and multiple datacenters.

Whilst helping to drive agility, differentiation and growth, this new reality also creates cyber risk. As IT leaders try to chart a course for success, they’re crying out for a more holistic, simpler way to manage hybrid cloud security.

Cloud for everyone

Organizations are understandably keen to embrace cloud platforms. Who wouldn’t want to empower employees to be more productive and DevOps to deliver agile, customer-centric services? But digital transformation comes with its own set of challenges. Migration often happens at different rates throughout an organization. That makes it hard to gain unified visibility across the enterprise and manage security policies in a consistent manner — especially when different business units and departments are making siloed decisions. An estimated 85% of organizations are now using multiple clouds, and 76% are using between two and 15 hybrid clouds.

To help manage this complexity, organisations are embracing containers and serverless architectures to develop new applications more efficiently. However, the DevOps teams using these technologies are focused primarily on time-to-market, sometimes at the expense of security. Their use of third-party code is a classic example: potentially exposing the organization to buggy or even malware-laden code.

A shared responsibility

The question is, how to mitigate these risks in a way that respects the Shared Responsibility model of cloud security, but in a consistent manner across the organization? It’s a problem exacerbated by two further concerns.

First, security needs to be embedded in the DevOps process to ensure that the applications delivered are secure, but not in a way that threatens the productivity of teams. They need to be able to use the tools and platforms they want to, but in a way that doesn’t expose the organization to unnecessary extra risk. Second, cloud complexity can often lead to human error: misconfigurations of cloud services that threaten to expose highly regulated customer and corporate data to possible attacks. The Capital One data breach, which affected an estimated 100 million consumers, was caused partly by a misconfigured Web Application Firewall.

Simplifying security

Fortunately, organizations are becoming more mature in their cloud security efforts. We see customers that started off tackling cyber risk with multiple security tools across the enterprise, but in time developed an operational excellence model. By launching what amount to cloud centers of excellence, they’re showing that security policies and processes can be standardized and rolled out in a repeatable way across the organization to good effect.

But what of the tools security teams are using to achieve this? Unfortunately, in too many cases they’re relying on fragmented, point products which add cost, further complexity and dangerous security gaps to the mix. It doesn’t have to be like this.

Cloud One from Trend Micro brings together workload security, container security, application security, network security, file storage security and cloud security posture management (CSPM). The latter, Cloud One – Conformity offers a simple, automated way to spot and fix misconfigurations and enhance security compliance and governance in the cloud.

Whatever stage of maturity you are at with your cloud journey, Cloud One offers simple, automated protection from a single console. It’s simply the way cloud security needs to be.

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The AWS Service to Focus On – Amazon EC2

By Trend Micro
cloud services

If we run a contest for Mr. Popular of Amazon Web Services (AWS), without a doubt Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) has ‘winner’ written all over it. However, what’s popular is not always what is critical for your business to focus on. There is popularity and then there is dependability. Let’s acknowledge how reliant we are on Amazon Elastic Cloud Computing (EC2) as AWS infrastructure led-organizations.

We reflected upon our in-house findings for the AWS ‘Security’ pillar in our last blog, Four Reasons Your Cloud Security is Keeping You Up at Night, explicitly leaving out over caffeination and excessive screen time!

Drilling further down to the most affected AWS Services, Amazon EC2 related issues topped the list with 32% of all issues. Whereas Mr. Popular – Amazon S3 contributed to 12% of all issues. While cloud providers, like AWS, offer a secure infrastructure and best practices, many customers are unaware of their role in the shared responsibility model. The results showing the number of issues impacting Amazon EC2 customers demonstrates the security gap that can happen when the customer part of the shared responsibility model is not well understood.

While these AWS services and infrastructure are secure, customers also have a responsibility to secure their data and to configure environments according to AWS best practices. So how do we ensure that we keep our focus on this crucial service and ensure the flexibility, scalability, and security of a growing infrastructure?

Introducing Rules

If you thought you were done with rules after passing high school and moving out of your parent’s house, you would have soon realized that you were living a dream. Rules seem to be everywhere! Rules are important, they keep us safe and secure. While some may still say ‘rules are made to be broken’, you will go into a slump if your cloud infrastructure breaks the rules of the industry and gets exposed to security vulnerabilities.

It is great if you are already following the Best Practices for Amazon EC2, but if not, how do you monitor the performance of your services day in and day out to ensure their adherence to these best practices? How can you track if all your services and resources are running as per the recommended standards?

We’re here to help with that. Trend Micro Cloud One – Conformity ‘Rules’ provide you with that visibility for some of the most critical services like Amazon EC2.

What is the Rule?

A ‘Rule’ is the definition of the best practice used as a basis for an assessment that is run by Conformity on a particular piece of your Cloud infrastructure. When a rule is run against the infrastructure (resources) associated with your AWS account, the result of the scan is referred to as a Check. For example, an Amazon EC2 may have 60 Rules (Checks) scanning for various risks/vulnerabilities. Checks are either a SUCCESS or a FAILURE.

Conformity has about 540 Rules and 60 of them are for monitoring your Amazon EC2 services best practices. Conformity Bot scans your cloud accounts for these Rules and presents you with the ‘Checks’ to prioritize and remediate the issues keeping your services healthy and prevent security breaches.

Amazon EC2 Best Practices and Rules

Here are just a few examples of how Conformity Rules have got you covered for some of the most critical Amazon EC2 best practices:

  1. To ensure Security, ensure IAM users and roles are used and management policies are established for access policies.
  2. For managing Storage, keep EBS volumes separate for operating systems and data, and check that the Amazon EC2 instances provisioned outside of the AWS Auto Scaling Groups (ASGs) have Termination Protection safety feature enabled to protect your instances from being accidentally terminated.
  3. For efficient Resource Management, utilize custom tags to track and identify resources, and keep on top of your stated Amazon EC2 limits.
  4. For full confident Backup and Recovery, regularly test the process of recovering instances and EBS volumes should they fail, and create and use approved AMIs for easier and consistent future instance deployment.

See how Trend Micro can support your part of the shared responsibility model for cloud security: https://www.trendmicro.com/cloudconformity.

Stay Safe!

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COVID-19: How Do I Work from Home Securely?

By Trend Micro

The coronavirus pandemic—the infection officially designated as COVID-19—is causing upheaval across the globe. Aside from the serious economic and public health implications, one very practical impact of shelter-in-place dictums is to force many companies to support remote working where they can. The most recent data tells us that in 2017, eight million Americans worked from home at least some of the week — amounting to around 5% of US workers. However, the events of the past few weeks are driving what is being described in certain sectors as the biggest shift to home working since 9/11.

This will ensure that many companies can continue functioning while helping to achieve social distancing to minimise the spread of the virus. But there are challenges, particularly to smaller businesses who don’t have IT security teams to assist with the transition. Hackers are primed and ready to take advantage of home workers, whose machines and devices may not be as secure as those in the office. There’s also a risk that workers are more distracted by current events when working at home, creating more opportunities for cyber-criminals to strike.

This isn’t just about hackers stealing your personal log-ins and information to sell on the dark web. In a home-working context, corporate data and systems may also be at risk. It takes just one unsecured remote worker to let the bad guys in. The damage they end up doing may be particularly difficult for employers to weather given the extreme economic pressures already on many firms.

With that in mind, therefore, let’s take a look at some of the major threats to home workers and their organizations, and what can be done to keep the hackers at bay.

The main threats

Phishing messages are by far the number one threat to home workers. Cyber-criminals are using widespread awareness of COVID-19, and a desire for more information on the outbreak, to trick users into clicking on malicious links or opening booby-trapped attachments. Many are spoofed to appear as if sent by trusted organizations such as the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or the World Health Organization (WHO). They may claim to offer more information on the spread of the outbreak, tips on staying safe, and even provide details of how to get a non-existent vaccine online.

If you click through on a malicious link, the next stage of the attack could:

  • Take you to a convincing-looking log-in page (e.g., for Microsoft Outlook, Office 365, or any popular cloud apps) where your username and password could be harvested by hackers. With these, they have a foothold in the organization which could provide the foundation for a serious information-stealing attack.
  • Covertly initiate a malware download. This malware could exploit unpatched vulnerabilities on your computer to infect not just your machine but the entire corporate network it’s connected to, with ransomware, cryptojacking malware, banking trojans, information-stealing threats, and much more.

Brute forcing is another way for hackers to hijack your cloud accounts. They use previously breached username/password combos and run them through automation software to try them across billions of websites and apps. Because users reuse passwords across numerous accounts, the bad guys often get lucky and are able to unlock additional accounts in this way. Home workers using Microsoft Teams, Slack, Zoom and other cloud platforms for collaboration and productivity may be targeted.

Malicious smartphone apps are another threat to home workers. These may be disguised to trick the user into believing they’re downloading a COVID-19 tracker, for example. In reality, it could infect the device with ransomware, info-stealers, or other malware. That device could then spread the same malware to the corporate network, if it is connected to it via the home network.

Smart device threats are also a concern for home workers. More and more of us are investing in smart home devices. From voice assistants to smart speakers, connected refrigerators to smart TVs, it’s estimated that there’ll be as many as 128 million smart homes in the US by the end of this year. However, often these consumer-grade devices don’t have strong built-in protection. They may use weak, factory default passwords and/or contain multiple software vulnerabilities which are rarely patched by the manufacturer, if at all. The risk is that hackers could hijack one or more of these devices and use them as a stepping stone into the home and then corporate network – as we’ve demonstrated in previous research.

Friends and family could also introduce new cyber-threats, as they will also be confined largely to the home. That means they’ll be logging on to the home network with their own mobile devices, which may not be as well protected from threats as they should be. Once again, such threats could spread quickly from the home network to infect the enterprise network if it’s connected without adequate security controls. Another risk is of children using unsecured remote learning platforms, which may offer cybercriminals opportunities to hijack accounts, steal information and spread malware onto the network.

What are the hackers after?

Home workers represent an attractive target in their own right. After all, personal information and log-ins (home banking, Netflix, webmail etc) can be easily sold for a profit on dark web marketplaces. However, organizations represent a much bigger, potentially more lucrative pay day for cyber-criminals. While corporate PCs and networks might be fairly well secured, the rush to support home working may have left gaps the bad guys are keen to exploit.

By first compromising the home worker, and then pivoting through unsecured channels to the corporate network, hackers could spread ransomware, steal sensitive company IPs, infect work networks with crypto-mining malware, or steal large volumes of customer data. They may also look to hijack employees’ corporate email or other accounts as the first part of a multi-stage information-stealing attack. There have even been new warnings of Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks in which employees (usually those working in the finance department) are contacted by someone posing as a senior exec and ordered to wire business funds to a new bank account.

Working safely at home

With so many techniques at their disposal, it’s easy to imagine that the bad guys have the upper hand. But by putting a few best practices in place, there are things businesses and employees can do today to reduce home working security risks.

Consider the following:

  • User awareness exercises to improve the ability of home workers to spot phishing attacks.
  • Ensure all home workers are outfitted with anti-malware for any devices used for work. Trend Micro Maximum Security is an excellent place to start for PCs and Macs, while Trend Micro Mobile Security can help secure Android and Mobile devices.
  • Require strong, unique passwords for all accounts, stored in a password manager, such as Trend Micro Password Manager.
  • Enhance the above by switching on two-factor authentication for all enterprise accounts that have it (including any cloud platforms).
  • Always use a VPN for communication between home and corporate networks.
  • Ensure staff have a clear route to report any security incidents.
  • Switch on automatic updates for all home computer systems (operating systems and software).
  • Ensure smart home devices are on latest software version and have strong passwords or 2FA.
  • Use a network security solution like Trend Micro Home Network Security to secure your home network. It not only provides a secure baseline for working at home, with its web and content threat protections; you can block your kids’ use of the internet and YouTube while you’re having conference calls or doing other bandwidth-intensive work on the remotely-accessed corporate network.
  • Tightly enforce endpoint security policies: if possible, only allow work devices to connect to the corporate network, and/or employee devices that have been previously scanned for threats.

We don’t know how long COVID-19 will last. But by adapting to the new reality as quickly as possible, businesses and their home workers can at least close down any security gaps, enabling them to be as productive as possible — while most importantly, staying safe and healthy.

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This Week in Security News: Hong Kong Users Targeted with Mobile Malware via Local News Links and Hackers Hijack Routers to Spread Malware Via Coronavirus Apps

By Jon Clay (Global Threat Communications)

Welcome to our weekly roundup, where we share what you need to know about the cybersecurity news and events that happened over the past few days. This week, learn about Apple iOS smartphone users in Hong Kong targeted in a new campaign exploiting online news readers to distribute malware. Also, read about how hackers are hijacking routers and changing Domain Name System (DNS) settings in order to redirect victims to attacker-controlled sites promoting fake coronavirus information apps.

Read on:

Apple iOS Users Served Mobile Malware in Poisoned News Campaign

Apple iOS smartphone users in Hong Kong are being targeted in a new campaign exploiting online news readers to serve malware. This week, Trend Micro researchers said the scheme, dubbed Operation Poisoned News, uses links posted on a variety of forums popular with Hong Kong residents that claim to lead to news stories. 

The Wawa Breach: 30 Million Reasons to Try Dark Web Monitoring

Data breaches are the new normal. Last year in the US there were a reported 1,473 of these incidents, exposing nearly 165 million customer records. The latest data breach from convenience store and gas station chain Wawa could be one of the largest ever, affecting 30 million card records from customers.

Infosec Industry Shows Compassionate Side Amid #COVID19 Pandemic

As the coronavirus pandemic continues, large numbers of organizations have been forced to implement work from home measures for staff. While working from home, employees are more susceptible to cybersecurity threats, especially with a rise in tailored COVID-19 cyber-scams. In this article, read about how Trend Micro and other information security companies have taken steps to offer free resources and support to organizations and employees at this difficult time.

Nefilim Ransomware Threatens to Expose Stolen Data

A new ransomware named Nefilim has been discovered threatening to release its victims’ data to the public if they fail to pay the ransom. It is most likely distributed through exposed Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), as shared by SentinelLabs’ Vitali Krimez and ID Ransomware’s Michael Gillespie.

Remember Cryptojacking from Way, Way Back (2019)? Site Infections are Down 99% – Thanks to Death of Coinhive

Cryptojacking, the theft of computing power to mine digital currency, has been around at least since 2013 – and has shrunk in use dramatically with the death of Monero-mining service Coinhive. Since Coinhive’s closure last year, cryptojacking has been almost eliminated, according to a group of researchers from the University of Cincinnati in America, and Lakehead University in Canada.

Microsoft Alerts Users About Critical Font-Related Remote Code Execution Vulnerability in Windows

Microsoft released a security advisory on a zero-day remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability affecting Windows operating systems. The vulnerability is found in an unpatched library and comprises two RCE flaws found in Adobe Type Manager Library (atmfd.dll), a built-in library for the Adobe Type Manager font management tool in Windows. 

Credit Card Skimmer Found on Tupperware Website

Cybercriminals hacked Tupperware.com and planted malicious code designed to steal payment card information, Malwarebytes warned this week. The credit card skimmer was planted on the main website and some of its localized versions. The website has nearly one million visitors every month, indicating that hackers may have obtained a significant number of payment card records.

Mirai Updates: New Variant Mukashi Targets NAS Devices, New Vulnerability Exploited in GPON Routers, UPX-Packed FBot

Researchers observed a number of new developments related to the internet of things (IoT) malware Mirai, which actively searches for vulnerabilities in IoT devices. A new Mirai variant named Mukashi was found attacking network-attached storage (NAS) devices, a new vulnerability in GPON routers was exploited by Mirai, and a UPX-packed Fbot variant was detected by a Trend Micro honeypot.

Hackers Hijack Routers to Spread Malware Via Coronavirus Apps

Cybercriminals are hijacking routers and changing Domain Name System (DNS) settings, in order to redirect victims to attacker-controlled sites promoting fake coronavirus information apps. If victims download these apps, they are infected with information stealing Oski malware. This latest attack shows that hackers are becoming more creative in how they leverage the coronavirus pandemic.

Working from Home? Here’s What You Need for a Secure Setup

In response to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, many companies have rolled out work-from-home arrangements. As a result, there has been an influx of employees signing in remotely to corporate networks and using cloud-based applications, potentially opening doors to security risks. In this blog, Trend Micro shares how security teams and home office users can mitigate the risks that come with remote-working setups.

Russian Hackers Using Stolen Corporate Email Accounts to Mask their Phishing Attempts

In the last year, Russian military intelligence hackers have used previously hacked email accounts to send a wide array of phishing attempts. Feike Hacquebord, senior threat researcher at Trend Micro, explains new research regarding the group known as Fancy Bear, APT28, or Pawn Storm, and how they used hacked emails of high-profile personnel at defense firms in the Middle East to carry out an attack.

Review, Refocus, and Recalibrate: The 2019 Mobile Threat Landscape

Trend Micro analyzed 2019’s most notable mobile threats to assess the landscape and help users and enterprises reevaluate their measures and practices to defend against future threats. While there was a decrease in certain threats compared to 2018, in 2019 cybercriminals looked at the malicious mobile routines that worked in the past and adjusted these to make them more sophisticated, persistent, and profitable online and offline.

Have you seen any COVID-19 related cyber-scams? Share your thoughts in the comments below or follow me on Twitter to continue the conversation: @JonLClay.

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Riding another wave of success for our multi-layered detection and response approach

By Trend Micro

 

The corporate endpoint is a constant battle between cybersecurity white hats and criminal attackers. According to one study from the Ponemon Institute, 68% of organizations were victims of an attack on the endpoint in 2019. The risks and costs associated with undetected threats are immeasurable. Organizations need to detect and respond immediately before any significant damage is done.

In order to do this, CISOs must look beyond the endpoint to also include email, servers, cloud workloads and networks. This is the value of Trend Micro’s XDR platform. We heard feedback on this strategy recently, as Trend Micro was named a Leader in The Forrester Wave™: Enterprise Detection and Response, Q1 2020.

Under fire and over-stretched

Enterprise IT security teams are under unparalleled pressure. On one hand, they’re bombarded with cyber-attacks on a massive scale. Trend Micro detected and blocked over 52 billion such threats in 2019 alone. On the other hand, they’re facing a range of continuously evolving black hat tools and techniques including fileless malware, phishing, and supply chain attacks, that could lead to data theft and service outages. The stakes couldn’t be higher, thanks to an ever-tightening regulatory regime. All of this must be done with workforce challenges: the current cyber skills shortage for North American firms stands at nearly 500,000 workers.

These are the kinds of challenges facing Trend Micro customer MedImpact Healthcare Systems, the largest privately held pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) in the US. Processing more than one million healthcare claims daily, MedImpact must protect two primary data centers, three call centers staffed 24/7, and multiple private network routing centers — all to the strict compliance requirements of HIPAA, PCI DSS and other regulations.

As Frank Bunton, VP, CISO for MedImpact knows, effective endpoint detection and response (EDR) is vital to modern organizations. “EDR accelerates the threat analysis process so we can get to the solution faster,” says Bunton. “Speed to resolution is critical because we see attacks every day on just about every network.”

But MedImpact is similar to a lot of other organizations today in that it also appreciates the need to go beyond the endpoint for critical cross-layer detection and response. “XDR gives us the added confidence that our organization is protected on all fronts. If an endpoint detects a problem, it automatically uploads the suspect object to a tool that analyzes that problem and fixes it. By the time we are aware of an issue, the issue is resolved. There is no way we could manage this much information without extended security automation,” says Bunton.

The future is XDR

This is where XDR comes in. It has been designed to look not just at endpoint detection and response, but also to collect and correlate data from across the organization, including: email, endpoint, servers, cloud workloads, and networks. With this enhanced context, and the power of our AI and expert security analytics, the platform is able to identify threats more easily and contain them more effectively.

This matters to organizations like MedImpact, whose key challenge was “finding security solutions that could communicate with each other and share valuable data in real time.” XDR has visibility across the entire IT environment to detect earlier and with more confidence. It provides a single source of the truth and delivers fewer higher-fidelity alerts to enhance protection and maximize limited IT resources.

But don’t just take our word for it. Forrester gave us a perfect score for product vision, security analytics, performance, market presence and much more. “Trend Micro has a forward-thinking approach and is an excellent choice for organizations wanting to centralize reporting and detection with XDR but have less capacity for proactively threat hunting,” the report concluded.

To find out more… check out the Forrester report on leaders in this space.

Learn more from MedImpact’s success story.

 

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The Wawa Breach: 30 Million Reasons to Try Dark Web Monitoring

By Trend Micro

We’re all getting a little more worldly wise to the dangers that lurk around every corner of our digital lives. We know that the flipside of being able to shop, chat, bank and share online at the push of a button is the risk of data theft, ransomware and identity fraud. That’s why we protect our families’ PCs and mobile devices with security solutions from proven providers like Trend Micro, and take extra care each time we fire up the internet.

But what about the firms that we entrust to handle our data securely?

Unfortunately, many of these organizations still aren’t doing enough to protect our personal and financial information. It could be data we enter online to pay for an item or open an account. Or it could be payment card details that we’ve used at a local outlet which are subsequently stored online. These companies are big targets for the bad guys, who only have to get lucky once to crack open an Aladdin’s Cave of lucrative customer data.

What does this mean? That data breaches are the new normal. Last year in the US there were a reported 1,473 of these incidents, exposing nearly 165 million customer records. The latest affected customers of convenience store and gas station chain Wawa — and it could be one of the biggest ever, affecting 30 million cards.

Let’s take a look at what happened, and what consumers can do to steal a march on the bad guys.

What happened this time?

Wawa first notified its customers of a payment card breach in December 2019. But although the firm discovered malware on its payment processing servers that month, it had actually been sitting there since March, potentially siphoning card data silently from every single Wawa location. That’s more than 850 stores, across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, and Washington DC.

The company itself has so far declined to put a number on how many customers have been affected. However, while cardholders were still wondering whether they’ve been impacted or not, something else happened. At the end of January, a hacker began to upload the stolen cards to a notorious dark web marketplace, known as Joker’s Stash.

They are claiming to have 30 million stolen cards in total, which if accurate could make this one of the biggest card breaches of its kind, placing it alongside other incidents at Home Depot (2014) and Target (2013).

How does it affect me?

Once the data goes on sale on a dark web market like this, it is usually bought by scammers, who use it in follow-on identity fraud attacks. In this case, the stolen data includes debit and credit card numbers, expiration dates and cardholder names, but not PINs or CVV records. That means they can’t be used at ATMs and fraudsters will find it hard to use the cards online, as most merchants require the CVV number.

However, if the cards are of the old magstripe type, they could be cloned for use in face-to-face transactions.

Although Wawa said it has informed the relevant card issuers and brands, the cardholders themselves must monitor their cards for unusual transactions and then report to their issuer “in a timely manner” if they want to be reimbursed for any fraudulent usage. This can be a distressing, time-consuming process.

What should I do next?

This is by no means the first and it won’t be the last breach of this kind. In the past, data stolen from customers of Hilton Hotels, supermarket chain Hy-Vee, retailer Bebe Stores, and restaurant chains including Krystal, Moe’s and Schlotzsky’s has turned up for sale on Joker’s Stash. It can be dispiriting for consumers to see their personal data time and again compromised in this way by cyber-criminals.

Too often in the aftermath of such incidents, the customers themselves are left in the dark. There is no information on whether they’ve definitively had their personal or card data stolen, just an ominous sense that something bad may be about to happen. If the company itself doesn’t even know how many cards have been affected, how can you act decisively?

Credit monitoring is often provided by breached firms, but this is a less-than-perfect solution. For one thing, such services only alert the user if a new line of credit is being opened in their name — not if a stolen card is being used. And second, they only raise the alarm after the incident, by which time the fraudsters may already have made a serious dent in your finances.

Monitoring your bank account for fraudulent transactions is arguably more useful in cases like the Wawa breach, but it’s still too reactive. Here’s a handy 2-step plan which could provide better results:

Step 1: Dark web monitoring works

To get more proactive, consumers need Dark Web monitoring. These tools typically scour dark web sites like Joker’s Stash to look for your personal information. The beauty of this approach is that it can raise the alarm after a breach has occurred, when the data is posted to the Dark Web, but before a fraudster has had time to monetize your stolen details. With this information, you can proactively request that your lender block a particular card and issue a new one.

This approach works for all personal data you may want to keep protected, including email addresses, driver’s license, passport numbers and passwords.

Step 2: Password protection

Once you’ve determined that your data has been part of a breach and is being sold on the dark web, one of the most important things you can do is to change your passwords to any stolen accounts, in order to minimize the potential damage that fraudsters can do.

This is where password manager tools can come in very handy. They allow users to store and recall long, strong and unique credentials for each of the websites and apps they use. This means that if one password is compromised, as in a breach scenario, your other accounts will remain secure. It also makes passwords harder for hackers to guess, which they may try to do with automated tools if they already have your email address.

Following a breach, it also makes sense to look out for follow-on phishing attacks which may try to trick you into handing over more information to the fraudsters. Here are a few tips:

  • Be wary of any unsolicited email, even if it appears to come from a reputable vendor
  • Don’t click on links in unsolicited emails, or download attachments
  • If an email asks you for personal data, check directly with the source, rather than clicking through/replying
  • Invest in AV with anti-phishing from a trusted vendor, for all desktop and mobile devices
  • Ensure all operating systems and applications are on the latest version.

How Trend Micro can help

Fortunately, Trend Micro has several products that can help you, as a potential or actual victim of a data breach, to proactively mitigate the fallout from a serious security incident, or to foil the fraudsters:

Trend Micro ID Security: checks if your personal information has been uploaded to Dark Web sites by hackers. This highly secure service, available in apps for Android and iOS mobile devices, uses data hashing and an encrypted connected to keep your details safe, alerting when it has found a match on the Dark Web so you can take action. Use it to protect your emails, credit card numbers, passwords, bank accounts, passport details and more.

Trend Micro Password Manager: provides a secure place to store, manage and update your passwords. It remembers your log-ins, so you can create secure and unique credentials for each website/app you need to sign-in to. This means if one site is breached, hackers will not be able to use that password to open your other accounts. Password Manager is available for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android, synchronizing your passwords across all four platforms.

Trend Micro Fraud Buster: is a free online service you can use to check suspicious emails It uses advanced machine learning technology to identify scam emails that don’t contain malicious URLs or attachments but still pose a risk to the user, because the email (which may be extortionist) reflects the fact that the fraudster probably got your email address from the Dark Web in the first place. Users can then decide to report the scam, get more details, or proceed as before.

Fraud Buster is also now integrated into Trend Micro Security for Windows, protecting Gmail and Outlook webmail in Internet Explorer, Chrome, and Firefox. It’s also integrated in Trend Micro Antivirus for Mac, where it does the same for Gmail webmail in Safari, Chrome and Firefox on the Mac.

In the end, only you can guard your identity credentials with vigilance.

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This Week in Security News: How to Stay Safe as Online Coronavirus Scams Spread and Magecart Cyberattack Targets NutriBullet Website

By Jon Clay (Global Threat Communications)
week in security

Welcome to our weekly roundup, where we share what you need to know about the cybersecurity news and events that happened over the past few days. This week, learn about tips you can use to secure your home office. Also, read about how Magecart Group 8 targeted the website of the blender manufacturer, NutriBullet, in an attempt to steal the payment-card data of its online customers.

 

Read on:

A Message from Our COO Regarding Trend Micro’s Customer Commitment During the Global Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19)

As COVID-19 continues to impact individuals, families, communities and businesses around the world, Trend Micro has taken action to ensure that the COVID-19 crisis does not impact the customer experience of its products or services. In this blog from Trend Micro’s chief operating officer, Kevin Simzer, learn about the steps that Trend Micro is taking to not only ensure employee safety, but to continue to deliver exceptional customer service.

RDP-Capable TrickBot Targets Telecoms Sectors in U.S. and Hong Kong

A recently discovered TrickBot variant targeting organizations in telecoms, education and financial services in the United States and Hong Kong includes a module for remote desktop protocol (RDP) brute-forcing, Bitdefender reports. The malware has mostly been distributed through spam emails but was also linked to infections with other malware.

How to Stay Safe as Online Coronavirus Scams Spread

Unfortunately, it’s extraordinary global events like COVID-19 that cyber-criminals look for in order to make their schemes more successful. As organizations enforce remote working to reduce the impact of the virus, many will be logging-on from home or mobile computing devices, which may have fewer built-in protections from such threats. This makes it more important than ever to know how the bad guys are trying to cash in on COVID-19 and what you can do to stay safe.

DDoS Attack Targets German Food Delivery Service

Cybercriminals have launched a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack against German food delivery service Takeaway.com (Liefrando.de), demanding two bitcoins (about $11,000) to stop the flood of traffic. Liefrando delivers food from more than 15,000 restaurants in Germany, where people under COVID-19 restrictions depend on the service. The attack has now stopped, according to a report from BleepingComputer. 

Suddenly Teleworking, Securely

Telework is not a new idea and a good percentage of the workforce already does so. But the companies who have a distributed workforce had time to plan for it, and to plan for it securely. This event can’t be treated like a quick rollout of an application: there are business, infrastructure, and customer security impacts. In this blog from Trend Micro’s vice president of cybersecurity, Greg Young, learn how to set yourself up for secure remote work success.

COVID-19: With Everyone Working from Home, VPN Security Has Now Become Paramount

With most employees working from home amid today’s COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak, enterprise VPN servers have now become paramount to a company’s backbone, and their security and availability must be the focus going forward for IT teams.

New Ursnif Campaign Targets Users in Japan

Trend Micro researchers recently detected a new Ursnif campaign targeting users in Japan. The malware is distributed through infected Microsoft Word documents coming from spam emails. Ursnif, also known as Gozi, is an information stealer that collects login credentials from browsers and email applications. It has capabilities for monitoring network traffic, screen capturing, and keylogging.

Trend Micro’s David Sancho on Criminals’ Favorite IoT Targets

In this video, Trend Micro Senior Researcher David Sancho speaks with CyberScoop Editor-in-Chief Greg Otto about his 2020 RSA Conference presentation, which looked at where criminals are infecting Internet of Things targets.

New Variant of Paradise Ransomware Spreads Through IQY Files

Internet Query Files (IQY) were used to deliver a new variant of Paradise ransomware, as reported by Last Line. The said file type has not been associated with this ransomware family before. In the past, IQY files were typically used in other malware campaigns, such as the Necurs botnet that distributes IQY files to deliver FlawedAmmy RAT.

Magecart Cyberattack Targets NutriBullet Website

Magecart Group 8 targeted the website of the blender manufacturer, NutriBullet, in an attempt to steal the payment-card data of its online customers. Yonathan Klijnsma, threat researcher with RiskIQ, said in a post that a JavaScript web skimmer code was first inserted on the website of the blender retailer on Feb. 20, specifically targeting the website’s checkout page.

The IIoT Threat Landscape: Securing Connected Industries

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) provides bridges of connectedness that enable seamless IT and OT convergence. However, threat actors can cross these bridges to compromise systems. As the use of IoT extends beyond the home and goes into the vast industrial landscape, the scale of threats likewise grows for smart factories, smart cities, connected cars, and other smart environments.

What are you doing to secure your home office devices? Share your thoughts in the comments below or follow me on Twitter to continue the conversation: @JonLClay.

The post This Week in Security News: How to Stay Safe as Online Coronavirus Scams Spread and Magecart Cyberattack Targets NutriBullet Website appeared first on .

How to Stay Safe as Online Coronavirus Scams Spread

By Trend Micro
Here, we'll take a look at several best practices for protecting kids on the Internet, and how, as a parent or guardian, you can do your part to help safeguard young users' online activities.

Few national emergencies have the ability to strike panic into the populace quite like a virus pandemic. It’s fortunately something most of us have never had to experience, until now. At the time of writing, the number of global confirmed cases of Coronavirus infection, or COVID-19, has reached nearly 174,000 worldwide. Although the official US total currently remains a fraction of that (around 4,000), problems with testing mean many cases are likely to be going unreported here.

This is a difficult time for many Americans, as it is for citizens all over the world. But unfortunately it’s extraordinary global events like this that cyber-criminals look for in order to make their schemes more successful. True to form, they’re using mass awareness of the outbreak and a popular desire for more information on the virus, to trick users into giving away personal information and log-ins, or to unwittingly install malware on their devices.

As organizations enforce remote working to reduce the impact of the virus, many of you will be logging-on from home or your mobile computing devices, which may have fewer built-in protections from such threats. This makes it more important than ever to know how the bad guys are trying to cash in on COVID-19 and what you can do to stay safe.

Here’s a quick guide to the key online threats and security tips:

Phishing for trouble

Decades before COVID-19 burst onto the scene, a different kind of pandemic was spreading across the globe. Phishing messages have been one of the most popular tools in the hackers’ arsenal for years. In fact, Trend Micro blocked nearly 48 billion email-borne threats in 2019, 91% of the total we detected. Phishing is designed to trick the user into handing over their log-ins or personal and financial details, or persuading them to unwittingly download malware. Cyber-criminals typically achieve this by spoofing an email to make it appear as if sent from a legitimate and trustworthy source.

Once a user has been hooked, they are enticed into clicking on a malicious link or opening a malware-laden attachment. This could be anything from a banking trojan designed to steal online banking log-ins, to a piece of ransomware which will lock the user out of their PC until they pay a fee. It could even be cryptojacking malware which sits on the infected machine, quietly mining for Bitcoin while running up large energy bills and slowing down your PC.

The bad news is that phishing messages — whether sent by email, social media, text or messaging app — are getting harder to spot. Many now feature perfect English, and official logos and sender domains. They also often use current newsworthy events to trick the user into clicking. And they don’t get more high-profile than the COVID-19 pandemic.

Depending on how well protected your computing devices are, you may be more likely to receive one of these scam messages than be exposed to the virus itself. So, it pays to know what’s out there.

Watch out for these scams

The phishing landscape is evolving all the time. But here is a selection of some of the most common scams doing the rounds at the moment:

‘Official’ updates

Many of these emails purport to come from official organizations such as the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), or the World Health Organization (WHO). They claim to contain key updates on the spread of the virus and must-read recommendations on how to avoid infection. Booby-trapped links and attachments carry malware and/or could redirect users to phishing sites.

Coronavirus map

Sometimes legitimate tools can be hijacked to spread malware. Researchers have spotted a version of the interactive Coronavirus dashboard created by Johns Hopkins University which was altered to contain information-stealing malware known as AZORult. If emails arrive with links to such sites, users should exercise extreme caution.

Corporate updates

Many big brands are proactively contacting their customer base to reassure them of the steps they are taking to keep staff and customers safe from the virus. But here too, the hackers are jumping in with spoof messages of their own purporting to come from the companies you may do business with. FedEx is one such global brand that has been spoofed in this way.

Donations

Another trick is to send phishing emails calling for donations to help fund research into the virus. One, claiming to come from the “Department of Health” has a subject line, “URGENT: Coronavirus, Can we count on your support today?” A key tactic in phishing emails is to create a sense of urgency like this to rush the reader into making hasty decisions.

Click here for a cure

One scam email claims to come from a medical professional and contains details about a vaccine for COVID-19 which has been “hushed up” by global governments. Of course, clicking through to find the non-existent ‘cure’ will bring the recipient nothing but trouble.

Tax refunds

In the UK, users have received emails spoofed to appear as if sent from the government, and promising a tax refund to help citizens cope with the financial shock of the pandemic. As governments in the US and elsewhere start to take more interventionist measures to prop up their economies, we can expect more of these types of phishing email.

How to stay safe

The good news is that there’s plenty you can do to protect you and your family from phishing emails like these. A blend of the following technical and human fixes will go a long way to minimizing the threat:

  • Be cautious of any unsolicited emails/social media messages etc, even if they appear to come from a reputable organization or a known contact.
  • Don’t click through on any links/buttons in unsolicited emails, or download attachments.
  • If an email asks you for personal data, check directly with the sender rather than clicking through and entering those details.
  • Invest in cybersecurity tools from a trusted vendor like Trend Micro, to spot and block scam emails and block malicious downloads and websites.
  • Disable macros in Office files – these are often used by hackers to run malware.

How Trend Micro can help

Fortunately, Trend Micro Security can also help. Among its anti-phishing features are the following:

Antispam for Outlook: includes checks on email sender reputation, employs web threat protection to block malicious URLs in messages, and scans for threats in files attached to email messages.

Fraud Buster: uses leading-edge AI technology to detect fake emails in Gmail and Outlook webmail that don’t contain malicious URLs or attachments, but still pose a risk to the user.

To find out more about how Trend Micro can help keep your family safe from online threats and phishing, go to our Trend Micro Security homepage, or watch our video series: How to Prevent Phishing, Part 1 and Part 2.

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A message from our COO regarding Trend Micro’s Customer commitment during the global Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19)

By Trend Micro

The recent outbreak of COVID-19 has affected peoples’ lives across the globe and has quickly swept through and impacted individuals, families, communities, and businesses around the world. At Trend Micro, our number one priority is to ensure that our employees and their families are as safe as possible, and our thoughts are with those who have been affected by the virus.

Our team has spent a great deal of time reviewing options to ensure both the continued protection of our customers and partners, as well as the physical safety of our employees. We realize this situation remains very dynamic, as information continues to change day-to-day, and as such we will continue to provide updates as we learn more, but in the meantime we remain committed to providing the superior service and support that our customers, partners and suppliers have come to expect of our company throughout this situation.

We know the critical role that Trend Micro plays in your organization to keep your company and employees protected. We have taken several measures to ensure that the COVID-19 crisis does not impact your experience with Trend Micro products or services.

Listed below are several actions that the team has taken to date to not only ensure that our employees are safe, but to continue to deliver business “as usual” during this time:

Safety of Employees
Our number one priority is the health and safety of our employees around the globe. To that measure, we have:

  • Abided by local government guidelines: All of our global offices are adhering to guidelines and best practices from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), other global health organizations and local government guidelines.
  • Ability to work from remote locations: Many teams at Trend Micro have worked remotely from all corners of the globe for over a decade. This practice has enabled us to provide you with world-class products and service even in a time of social distancing. With the COVID-19 situation, we have shifted our workforce to virtual/remote wherever it is feasible, and we are maintaining critical onsite operations as needed.  At this time, we have not experienced any major impact to our business operations as a result of this temporary shift, and we will continue to closely monitor and adjust as appropriate to ensure we are continuing to deliver world class security protection and service for our customers and partners.
  • Travel restrictions: We have suspended all international travel, with only essential domestic travel permitted where still allowed (and if the employee is comfortable doing so).  As new restrictions are being placed daily, we will continue to closely monitor this situation and react appropriately.
  • Ongoing Vigilance: A cross-functional team within Trend Micro is closely monitoring all aspects of the crisis and will take prudent, agile, and swift action necessary to ensure the safety of our employees.  We are committed to doing our part to minimize the spread of COVID-19 while ensuring service continuity for you.

 

Continuity of Service
We are committed to ensuring that we continue to support the security needs of your organization, including but not limited to:

  • Product Infrastructure: All Trend products are built upon a highly reliable commercial cloud infrastructure and delivered through a variety of content delivery networks. This includes our ISO 27001-certified SaaS offerings.
  • Support Infrastructure: Our major global support centers have already shifted to remote/virtual operations and are working to ensure the customer experience is as seamless as possible.
  • Flexibility: As with any best-in-class SaaS organization, we are able to perform all systems monitoring and product development remotely.
  • Supply Chain: We are working very closely with our global suppliers and technical content providers/partners to ensure that availability and normal operations of our technology and services are not adversely impacted due to measures that they will have to put into place for combating this issue as well.
  • Resilience: Our R&D, Support and other technology teams are globally dispersed and able to provide you with around the clock access. Though geographically spread out, we are one global, highly coordinated team, dedicated to supporting your business needs. We have been operating in this model for decades, and we consider this to be one of Trend Micro’s inherent strengths for continuing to have a strong operational model in times of crisis such as this.

As an optimistic organization, we believe that because of this unfortunate situation, new ways to work together and incredible innovation will occur and will make us all stronger in the future.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to your local account representative or Trend Micro authorized support contact.   We will continue to watch this situation closely, react accordingly and communicate any substantial changes with our customers and partners.

On behalf of everyone at Trend Micro, thank you for trusting us with your business. We wish health and safety to you and your families, employees, and customers.

 

Sincerely,

Kevin Simzer

Chief Operating Officer

Trend Micro Incorporated

 

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Suddenly Teleworking, Securely

By Greg Young (Vice President for Cybersecurity)

So you suddenly have a lot of staff working remotely. Telework is not new and a good percentage of the workforce already does so. But the companies who have a distributed workforce had time to plan for it, and to plan for it securely.

A Lot of New Teleworkers All At Once

This event can’t be treated like a quick rollout of an application: there are business, infrastructure, and customer security impacts. There will be an increase of work for help desks as new teleworkers wrestle with remote working.

Additionally, don’t compound the problem. There is advice circulating to reset all passwords for remote workers. This opens the door for increased social engineering to attempt to lure overworked help desk staff into doing password resets that don’t comply with policy. Set expectations for staff that policy must be complied with, and to expect some delays while the help desk is overloaded.

Business continuity issues will arise as limited planning for remote workers could max out VPN licenses, firewall capacity, and application timeouts as many people attempt to use the same apps through a narrower network pipe.

Help Staff Make A Secure Home Office

In the best of times, remote workers are often left to their own devices (pun intended) for securing their work at home experience. Home offices are already usually much less secure than corporate offices: weak routers, unmanaged PCs, and multiple users means home offices become an easier attack path into the enterprise.

It doesn’t make sense to have workers operate in a less secure environment in this context. Give them the necessary security tools and operational tools to do their business. Teleworkers, even with a company-issued device, are likely to work on multiple home devices. Make available enterprise licensed storage and sharing tools, so employees don’t have to resort to ‘sketchy’ or weak options when they exceed the limits for free storage on Dropbox or related services.

A Secure Web Gateway as a service is a useful option considering that teleworkers using a VPN will still likely be split tunneling (i.e. not going through corporate security devices when browsing to non-corporate sites, etc.), unlike when they are in the corporate office and all connections are sanitized. That is especially important in cases where a weak home router gets compromised and any exfiltration or other ‘phone home’ traffic from malware needs to be spotted.

A simple way to get this information out to employees is to add remote working security tips to any regularly occurring executive outreach.

Operational Issues

With a large majority of businesses switching to a work-from-home model with less emphasis on in-person meetings, we also anticipate that malicious actors will start to impersonate digital tools, such as ‘free’ remote conferencing services and other cloud computing software.

Having a policy on respecting telework privacy is a good preventative step to minimize the risk of this type of attack being successful. Remote workers may be concerned about their digital privacy when working from home, so any way to inform them about likely attack methods can help.

Any steps to prevent staff trying to evade security measures out of a concern over privacy are likely a good investment.

Crisis Specific Risks

During any major event or crisis, socially engineered attacks and phishing will increase. Human engineering means using any lever to make it a little bit easier for targets to click on a link.

We’re seeing targeted email attacks taking advantage of this. Some will likely use tactics such as attachments named “attached is your Work At Home Allowance Voucher,” spoofed corporate guidelines, or HR documents.

Sadly, we expect hospitals and local governments will see increased targeting by ransomware due the expectation that payouts are likelier during an emergency.

But Hang On – It Is Not All Bad News

The good news is that none of these attacks are  new and we already have playbooks to defend against them. Give a reminder to all staff during this period to be more wary of phishing, but don’t overly depend on user education – back it up with security technology measures. Here are a few ways to do that.

  • Give your remote workers the security and productivity tools they need to protect themselves and their non-corporate IT resources.
  • Include an enterprise managed cloud storage account for work documents so employees don’t find free versions that may not be safe.
  • Enable customers and supply chain partners, who may also be teleworking, to interact with you securely.

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This Week in Security News: Operation Overtrap Targets Japanese Online Banking Users and Everything You Need to Know About Tax Scams

By Jon Clay (Global Threat Communications)
week in security

Welcome to our weekly roundup, where we share what you need to know about the cybersecurity news and events that happened over the past few days. This week, learn about the number of ways Operation Overtrap can infect or trap victims with its payload. Also, read about how to protect your personal identity data and money during tax-filing season.

Read on:

AWS Launches Bottlerocket, a Linux-based OS for Container Hosting

AWS has launched Bottlerocket, its own open-source operating system for running containers on both virtual machines and bare metal hosts. The new OS is a stripped-down Linux distribution that’s akin to projects like CoreOS’s now-defunct Container Linux and Google’s container-optimized OS. The project is launching in cooperation with several partners including Alcide, Armory, CrowdStrike, Datadog, New Relic, Sysdig, Tigera, Trend Micro and Waveworks.

Tax Scams – Everything You Need to Know to Keep Your Money and Data Safe

There are two things that cybercriminals are always on the hunt for: personal identity data and money. During the tax-filing season, both can be unwittingly exposed. Over the years, cybercriminals have adapted multiple tools and techniques to part taxpayers with their personal information and funds. This blog looks at the main threats out there and what you can do to stay safe.

March 2020 Patch Tuesday: Microsoft Fixes 115 Vulnerabilities, Adobe None

This week for March 2020 Patch Tuesday, Microsoft dropped fixes for 115 CVE-numbered flaws: 26 are critical, 88 important, and one of moderate severity. The good news is that none of them are under active attack. Adobe seems to have skipped this Patch Tuesday and there’s no indication whether the customary security updates are just delayed or if there won’t be any in the coming days.

Operation Overtrap Targets Japanese Online Banking Users Via Bottle Exploit Kit and Brand-New Cinobi Banking Trojan

Trend Micro recently discovered a new campaign dubbed “Operation Overtrap” for the number of ways it can infect or trap victims with its payload. The campaign targets online users of various Japanese banks by stealing their banking credentials using a three-pronged attack. Based on Trend Micro’s telemetry, Operation Overtrap has been active since April 2019.

Hackers Are Working Harder to Make Phishing and Malware Look Legitimate

Even though the overall volume of malware dropped in 2019, phishing and business email compromise (BEC) went up sharply, according to Trend Micro’s 2019 Cloud App Security Roundup. The company blocked nearly 400,000 attempted BEC attacks in 2018, which is 271% more than the previous year and 35% more credential phishing attempts than in 2018.

Busting Ghostcat: An Analysis of the Apache Tomcat Vulnerability (CVE-2020-1938 and CNVD-2020-10487)

Discussions surrounding the Ghostcat vulnerability (CVE-2020-1938 and CNVD-2020-10487) found in Apache Tomcat puts it in the spotlight as researchers investigated its security impact– specifically, its potential use for remote code execution (RCE). Learn more about the Ghostcat vulnerability in this blog analysis.

10 Key Female Cybersecurity Leaders to Know in 2020

In celebration of Women’s History Month, the editors of Solutions Review shared the accomplishments of ten key female cybersecurity leaders in 2020. Trend Micro’s CEO Eva Chen made the list based on her numerous accomplishments in the cybersecurity industry.

Coronavirus Used in Spam, Malware, and Malicious Domains

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is being used as bait in email spam attacks on targets across the globe. As the number of cases continues to grow, campaigns using the virus as a lure will likewise increase. This has been observed by multiple entities, and researchers from Trend Micro have also seen a significant spike in the detection of the subject in email spam attacks.

Cookiethief Android Malware Uses Proxies to Hijack Your Facebook Account

A combination of new modifications to Android malware code has given rise to Trojans able to steal browser and app cookies from compromised devices. Researchers from Kaspersky said the new malware families, dubbed Cookiethief, use a combination of exploits to acquire root rights to an Android device and then to steal Facebook cookie data. 

Nemty Ransomware Spreads via Love Letter Emails

Threat actors have been found distributing Nemty ransomware through a spam campaign using emails that pose as messages from lovers, according to a report by Malwarebytes and X-Force Iris researchers. Researchers from Trend Micro have also encountered the emails.

WordPress GDPR Plugin Vulnerable to Cross-Site Scripting Attacks

GDPR Cookie Consent, a WordPress plugin, inadvertently exposed websites to cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks through a vulnerability that affects versions 1.8.2 and below of the plugin. As disclosed in a report by NinTechNet, the vulnerability allowed privilege escalation. The plugin had over 700,000 active installations at the time of the exploit.

Analysis: Abuse of .NET Features for Compiling Malicious Programs

While the .NET framework is originally intended to help software engineers, cybercriminals have found a way to abuse its features to compile and execute malware on the fly. Recently, Trend Micro discovered several kinds of malware, such as LokiBot, utilizing this technique. 

OpenSMTPD Vulnerability (CVE-2020-8794) Can Lead to Root Privilege Escalation and Remote Code Execution

A root privilege escalation and remote execution vulnerability (designated as CVE-2020-8794) has been discovered in the free and open-source Unix Daemon, OpenSMTPD. The flaw originates from an out-of-bounds read, which attackers can take advantage of to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable systems.

Are you concerned about the security risks involved with filing your taxes online? Share your thoughts in the comments below or follow me on Twitter to continue the conversation: @JonLClay.

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Smart Check Validated for New Bottlerocket OS

By Trend Micro

Containers provide a list of benefits to organizations that use them. They’re light, flexible, add consistency across the environment and operate in isolation.

However, security concerns prevent some organizations from employing containers. This is despite containers having an extra layer of security built in – they don’t run directly on the host OS.

To make containers even easier to manage, AWS released an open-source Linux-based operating system meant for hosting containers. While Bottlerocket AMIs are provided at no cost, standard Amazon EC2 and AWS charges apply for running Amazon EC2 instances and other services.

Bottlerocket is purpose-built to run containers and improves security and resource utilization by only including the essential software to run containers, which improves resource utilization and reduces the attack surface compared to general-purpose OS’s.

At Trend Micro, we’re always focused on the security of our customers cloud environments. We’re proud to be a launch partner for AWS Bottlerocket, with our Smart Check component validated for the OS prior to the launch.

Why use additional security in cloud environments

While an OS specifically for containers that includes native security measures is a huge plus, there seems to be a larger question of why third-party security solutions are even needed in cloud environments. We often hear a misconception with cloud deployment that, since the cloud service provider has built in security, users don’t have to think about the security of their data.

That’s simply not accurate and leaves a false sense of security. (Pun intended.)

Yes – cloud providers like AWS build in security measures and have addressed common problems by adding built in security controls. BUT cloud environments operate with a shared responsibility model for security – meaning the provider secures the environment, and users are responsible for their instances and data hosted therein.

That’s for all cloud-based hosting, whether in containers, serverless or otherwise.

 

Why Smart Check in Bottlerocket matters

Smooth execution without security roadblocks

DevOps teams leverage containerized applications to deploy fast and don’t have time for separate security roadblocks. Smart Check is built for the DevOps community with real-time image scanning at any point in the pipeline to ensure insecure images aren’t deployed.

Vulnerability scanning before runtime

We have the largest vulnerability data set of any security vendor, which is used to scan images for known software flaws before they can be exploited at runtime. This not only includes known vendor vulnerabilities from the Zero Day Initiative (ZDI), but also vulnerability intelligence for bugs patched outside the ZDI program and open source vulnerability intelligence built in through our partnership with Snyk.

Flexible enough to fit with your pipeline

Container security needs to be as flexible as containers themselves. Smart Check has a simple admin process to implement role-based access rules and multiple concurrent scanning scenarios to fit your specific pipeline needs.

Through our partnership with AWS, Trend Micro is excited to help ensure customers can continue to execute on their portion of the shared responsibility model through container image scanning by validating that the Smart Check solution will be available for customers to run on Bottlerocket at launch.

More information can be found here: https://aws.amazon.com/bottlerocket/

If you are still interested in learning more, check out this AWS blog from Jeff Barr.

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Trend Micro Cloud App Security Blocked 12.7 Million High-Risk Email Threats in 2019 – in addition to those detected by cloud email services’ built-in security

By Chris Taylor

On March 3, 2020, the cyber division of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued a private industry notification calling out Business Email Compromise (BEC) scams through exploitation of cloud-based email services. Microsoft Office 365 and Google G Suite, the two largest cloud-based email services, are targeted by cyber criminals based on FBI complaint information since 2014. The scams are initiated through credential phishing attacks in order to compromise business email accounts and request or misdirect transfers of funds. Between January 2014 and October 2019, the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received complaints totaling over $2.1 billion in actual losses from BEC scams targeting the two cloud services. The popularity of Office 365 and G Suite has positioned themselves as attractive targets for cybercriminals.

Trend Micro™ Cloud App Security™ is an API-based service protecting Microsoft® Office 365™, Google G Suite, Box, and Dropbox. Using multiple advanced threat protection techniques, it acts as a second layer of protection after emails and files have passed through Office 365 and G Suite’s built-in security.

In 2019, Trend Micro Cloud App Security caught 12.7 million high-risk email threats in addition to what Office 365 and Gmail security have blocked. Those threats include close to one million malware, 11.3 million phishing attempts, and 386,000 BEC attempts. The blocked threats include 4.8 million of credential phishing and 225,000 of ransomware. These are potential attacks that could result in an organization’s monetary, productivity, or even reputation losses.

Trend Micro started publishing its Cloud App Security threat report since 2018. For third year in a row, Trend Micro Cloud App Security is proven to provide effective protection for cloud email services. The following customer examples for different scenarios further show how Cloud App Security is protecting different organizations.

Customer examples: Additional detections after Office 365 built-in security (2019 data)

These five customers, ranging from 550 seats to 80K seats, are across different industries. All of them use E3, which includes basic security (Exchange Online Protection). This data shows the value of adding CAS to enhance Office 365 native security. For example, a transportation company with 80,000 Office 365 E3 users found an additional 16,000 malware, 510,000 malicious & phishing URLs and 27,000 BEC, all in 2019. With the average cost of a BEC attack at $75,000 each and the potential losses and costs to recover from credential phishing and ransomware attacks, Trend Micro Cloud App Security pays for itself very quickly.

Customer examples: Additional Detections after Office 365 Advanced Threat Protection (2019 data)

Customers using Office 365 Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) also need an additional layer of filtering as well. For example, an IT Services company with 10,000 users of E3 and ATP detected an additional 14,000 malware, 713,000 malicious and phishing URLs, and 6,000 BEC in 2019 with Trend Micro Cloud App Security.

Customer examples: Additional Detections after third-party email gateway (2019 data)

Many customers use a third-party email gateway to scan emails before they are delivered to their Office 365 environment. Despite these gateway deployments, many of the sneakiest and hardest to detect threats still slipped though. Plus, a gateway solution can’t detect internal email threats, which can originate from compromised devices or accounts within Office 365.

For example, a business with 120,000 Office 365 users with a third-party email gateway stopped an additional 27,000 malware, 195,000 malicious and phishing emails, and almost 6,000 BEC in 2019 with Trend Micro Cloud App Security.

Customer examples: Additional Detections after Gmail built-in security (2019 data)

*Trend Micro Cloud App Security supports Gmail starting April 2019.

For customer choosing G suite, Trend Micro Cloud App Security can provide additional protection as well. For example, a telecommunication company with 12,500 users blocked almost 8,000 high risk threats with Cloud App Security in just five months.

Email gateway or built-in security for cloud email services is no longer enough to protect organizations from email-based threats. Businesses, no matter the size, are at risk from a plethora of dangers that these kinds of threats pose. Organizations should consider a comprehensive multilayered security solution such as Trend Micro Cloud App Security. It supplements the included security features in email and collaboration platforms like Office 365 and G Suite.

Check out the Trend Micro Cloud App Security Report 2019 to get more details on the type of threats blocked by this product and common email attacks analyzed by Trend Micro Research in 2019.

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Tax Scams – Everything you need to know to keep your money and data safe

By Trend Micro

Tax season has always been a pretty nerve-wracking time for hard-working Americans. But over the years, technology advances have arrived to gradually make the process a bit easier. The bad news is that they can also introduce new cyber risks and even more stress.

There are two things that cybercriminals are always on the hunt for: people’s identity data from their accounts, and their money. And during the tax-filing season both can be unwittingly exposed. Over the years, cybercriminals have adapted multiple tools and techniques to part taxpayers with their personal information and funds.

Let’s take look at some of the main threats out there and what you can do to stay safe.

What do they want?

Cybercrime is a highly efficient money-making business. Some reports suggest this underground economy generates as much as $1.5 trillion each year. (See Into the Web of Profit, April 2018, McGuire, Bromium.) And tax-related scams are an increasingly popular way for the bad guys to drive-up profits. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) claims that “thousands of people have lost millions of dollars and their personal information” to such attacks.

The bottom line is that they’re after one of two things: to trick you into wiring funds to them, and/or to get hold of your personally identifiable information (PII), including bank account and Social Security Numbers (SSNs). This personal data can subsequently be used to defraud you or the IRS, or may be deployed in follow-on identity fraud schemes to capture illicit funds from you.

There are various ways cyber-criminals can achieve these goals. The most common is by using social engineering tactics to trick taxpayers into sending money or personal information. But they might also use malware, either delivered to you personally or targeted at your tax preparer. This means you not only have to look after your own cybersecurity but also demand that the third-party businesses you work with store and transmit your sensitive information securely.

Look out for these scams

Here’s a round-up of the most popular tactics used by tax scammers today:

Impersonation: The fraudster gets in touch pretending to be an IRS representative. This could be via email, phone, social media or even SMS. They usually claim you owe the IRS money in unpaid taxes or fines and demand a wire transfer, or funds from a prepaid debit card. Sometimes they may ask for personal and financial details—for example, by claiming you’re entitled to a large tax refund and they just need you to supply your bank account info.

These interactions are usually pushy. The scammer knows the best way of making you pay up is by creating a sense of urgency and, sometimes, shaming the individual into believing they’ve been withholding tax payments. Phishing emails may look highly convincing, right down to the logo and sender domain, while phone callers will use fake names and badge numbers. Sometimes the scammers use personal data they may have stolen previously or bought on the Dark Web to make their communications seem more convincing.

In some impersonation scams, the fraudsters may even pretend to work for charities and ask for personal details to help disaster victims with tax refund claims.

Spoofing, phishing, and malware: In some cases, a text, email or social media message spoofed to appear as if sent from the IRS or your tax preparer actually contains malware. The scammers use the same tactics as above but trick the recipient into clicking on a malicious link or opening an attachment laden with malware. The covert download that follows could result in: theft of your personal information; your computer being completely hijacked by hackers via remote control software; or a ransomware download that locks your computer until you pay a fee.

Fake tax returns: Another trick the scammers employ is to use stolen SSNs and other personal information to file tax returns on your behalf. They can then try to claim a large payment in tax refunds from the IRS. The PII they use to file in your name may have been taken from a third-party source without your knowledge, and the first you might hear of it is when you go to file a legitimate tax return. It can take months to resolve the problem.

Attacks targeting tax preparers: Over half of Americans use third-party tax preparation companies to help them with their returns. However, this offers another opportunity for scammers to get hold of your sensitive information. In one recently discovered campaign, malware deployed on tax preparers’ websites was designed to download to the visitor’s computer as soon as they loaded the page. The IRS warns that businesses large and small are potentially at risk, as scammers are keen to get hold of tax information which enables them to file highly convincing fake returns in your name.

What to do

The good news is that by taking a few simple steps you can insulate yourself from the worst of these scams. Remember: the IRS does not contact taxpayers by email, text messages or social media to request personal/financial information— so if you receive communications that do, they are definitely a scam. It’s also important to remember that scams happen all year round, not just in the run-up to the tax filing deadline. That means, unfortunately, that you need to be on your guard all the time.

Here are a few other recommendations:

  • Install anti-malware from a reputable provider to block phishing emails and websites and prevent malware downloads.
  • Be wary of any unsolicited messages purporting to come from your tax preparer or the IRS. Always contact them directly to check whether it’s a genuine communication or not.
  • Don’t click on any links in unsolicited emails, or download attachments.
  • Obtain an Identity Protection PIN from the IRS before filing your taxes. This will prevent fake returns being filed in your name.
  • Alert phishing@irs.gov about any unsolicited emails from IRS scammers.
  • Protect your log-ins with tax preparation companies. Switch on multi-factor authentication (MFA) if available, and/or use a password manager to make your logins hard to guess or crack.

It also pays to demand that your tax preparer take their own precautions to keep your data secure. They should not be sending sensitive data or documents unencrypted in emails and must take steps on their own to combat phishing emails that target employees, since these can cascade to you during your tax preparation process. Whether hosted in the cloud or running on-premises, the servers that hold your data should also have adequate protection—and you have a right (and a duty to yourself) to ask ahead of time what they’re doing to protect it.

According to the IRS tax preparers should put the following internal controls in place:

  • Install anti-malware on all web and storage servers and keep their software automatically updated.
  • Encourage the use of unique, strong passwords via a password manager for each account, and deploy multi-factor authentication technology for clients.
  • Encrypt all sensitive files and emails exchanged with strong password protections.
  • Back-up sensitive data regularly to a secure off-site source.
  • Wipe clean/destroy any old hard drives and printers containing sensitive data.
  • Limit access to taxpayer data to staff who need to know.

How Trend Micro can help

Trend Micro offers a range of security tools to help taxpayers keep their personal and financial information safe from fraudsters.

Our flagship consumer solution Trend Micro Security (TMS) provides the following protections:

  • Protects against phishing links in emails that can take you to fraudulent sites. Its Fraud Buster feature for Gmail and Hotmail extends this to webmail.
  • Blocks malicious website downloads and scans for malware hidden in attachments.
  • Protects against ransomware and theft of sensitive data via Folder Shield.
  • Protects and manages strong, unique passwords with Password Manager, which is bundled with Trend Micro Maximum Security.

To find out more, go to our Trend Micro Security website.

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This Week in Security News: 10,000 Users Affected by Leak from Misconfigured AWS Cloud Storage and Massive U.S. Property and Demographic Database Exposes 200 Million Records

By Jon Clay (Global Threat Communications)
week in security

Welcome to our weekly roundup, where we share what you need to know about the cybersecurity news and events that happened over the past few days. This week, learn about how the data of train commuters in the U.K. who were using the free Wi-Fi in Network Rail-managed stations was unintentionally leaked due to an unsecured Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud storage. Also, read about how more than 200 million records containing property-related information on U.S. residents were exposed.

Read on:

Security Risks in Online Coding Platforms

As DevOps and cloud computing has gained popularity, developers are coding online more and more, but this traction has also raised the questions of whether online integrated development environments (IDEs) are secure. In this blog, learn about two popular cloud-based IDEs: AWS Cloud9 and Visual Studio Online.

Legal Services Giant Epiq Global Offline After Ransomware Attack

The company, which provides legal counsel and administration that counts banks, credit giants, and governments as customers, confirmed the attack hit on February 29. A source said the ransomware hit the organization’s entire fleet of computers across its 80 global offices.

Dissecting Geost: Exposing the Anatomy of the Android Trojan Targeting Russian Banks

Trend Micro has conducted an analysis into the behavior of the Geost trojan by reverse engineering a sample of the malware. The trojan employed several layers of obfuscation, encryption, reflection, and injection of non-functional code segments that made it more difficult to reverse engineer. Read this blog for further analysis of Geost.

Trend Micro Cooperates with Japan International Cooperation Agency to Secure the Connected World

Trend Micro this week announced new initiatives designed to enhance collaboration with global law enforcement and developing nations through cybersecurity outreach, support and training. The first agreement is with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), a government agency responsible for providing overseas development aid and nurturing social economic growth in developing nations.

Data of U.K. Train Commuters Leak from Misconfigured AWS Cloud Storage

The data of train commuters in the U.K. who were using the free Wi-Fi in Network Rail-managed stations was unintentionally leaked due to an unsecured Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud storage. Approximately 10,000 users were affected, and data thought to be exposed in the leak includes commuters’ travel habits, contact information such as email addresses, and dates of birth.

Critical Netgear Bug Impacts Flagship Nighthawk Router

Netgear is warning users of a critical remote code execution bug that could allow an unauthenticated attacker to take control of its Wireless AC Router Nighthawk (R7800) hardware running firmware versions prior to 1.0.2.68. The warnings, posted Tuesday, also include two high-severity bugs impacting Nighthawk routers, 21 medium-severity flaws and one rated low.

FBI Working to ‘Burn Down’ Cyber Criminals’ Infrastructure

To thwart increasingly dangerous cyber criminals, law enforcement agents are working to “burn down their infrastructure” and take out the tools that allow them to carry out their devastating attacks, FBI Director Christopher Wray said this week. Unsophisticated cyber criminals now have the power to paralyze entire hospitals, businesses and police departments, Wray also said.

A Massive U.S. Property and Demographic Database Exposes 200 Million Records

More than 200 million records containing a wide range of property-related information on U.S. residents were left exposed on a database that was accessible on the web without requiring any password or authentication. The exposed data included personal and demographic information such as name, address, email address, age, gender, ethnicity, employment, credit rating, investment preferences, income, net worth and property-specific information.

How Human Security Investments Created a Global Culture of Accountability at ADP

Human security is what matters during a cybersecurity crisis, where skills and muscle memory can make the difference in make-or-break moments. Leaders and culture are the most important predictors of cyberattack outcomes, so it’s time to stop under-investing in human security.

Ransomware Attacks Prompt Tough Question for Local Officials: To Pay or Not to Pay?

There were at least 113 successful ransomware attacks on state and local governments last year, according to global cybersecurity company Emsisoft, and in each case, officials had to figure out how to respond. Read this article to find out how officials make the tough call.

Wondering how more than 200 million records were exposed without requiring any password or authentication? Share your thoughts in the comments below or follow me on Twitter to continue the conversation: @JonLClay.

 

 

 

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This Week in Security News: Trend Micro Detects a 10 Percent Rise in Ransomware in 2019 and New Wi-Fi Encryption Vulnerability Affects Over a Billion Devices

By Jon Clay (Global Threat Communications)
week in security

Welcome to our weekly roundup, where we share what you need to know about the cybersecurity news and events that happened over the past few days. This week, read about how Trend Micro detected a 10 percent rise in ransomware attacks in 2019. Also, learn about a new Wi-Fi encryption vulnerability affecting over a billion devices.

Read on:

Trend Micro Detects a 10 Percent Rise in Ransomware

In its 2019 Annual Security Roundup, Trend Micro detected a decrease in the number of new ransomware families despite the overall attack increase. Additionally, it found that ransomware groups formed alliances in 2019 for more effective attacks. The healthcare industry remains the most targeted by ransomware; meanwhile, government and education sectors were also highly targeted.

In Safe Hands with Trend Micro Home Network Security – Part 3: Testing Its Functions

Are you sure your home network is secure? In the third post of its four-part series, Trend Micro breaks down home network security to help you test the following features: threat blocking, access control and parental controls.

Six Suspected Drug Dealers Went Free After Police Lost Evidence in Ransomware Attack

US prosecutors were forced to drop 11 narcotics cases against six suspected drug dealers after crucial case files were lost in a ransomware infection at a Florida police department. Evidence from the 11 cases could not be recovered following the attack that hit the Stuart police department in April 2019.

Hackers Expand Their Repertoire as Trend Micro Blocks 52 Billion Threats in 2019

Trend Micro’s 2019 roundup report reveals just how many tools, techniques and procedures hackers have at their disposal today. With 52 billion unique threats detected in 2019 by Trend Micro’s filters alone, threats are becoming an overwhelming challenge for many IT security departments.

New Wi-Fi Encryption Vulnerability Affects Over A Billion Devices

Cybersecurity researchers uncovered a new high-severity hardware vulnerability residing in Wi-Fi chips manufactured by Broadcom and Cypress—reportedly powering over a billion devices. Dubbed ‘Kr00k’ and tracked as CVE-2019-15126, the flaw could let nearby remote attackers intercept and decrypt some wireless network packets transmitted over-the-air by a vulnerable device.

Cybercrime Group Uses G Suite, Physical Checks in BEC Scam

An African cybercrime group named Exaggerated Lion uses G Suite and physical checks as new tools for Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks, reported in a research paper by Agari. Like other BEC scams, the targets belong to company departments that handle finance.

Cisco Patches Flaws in FXOS, UCS Manager and NX-OS Software

On Wednesday, Cisco released patches for 11 vulnerabilities in its products, including multiple flaws that impact Cisco UCS Manager, FXOS, and NX-OS software. The most important of the bugs is a high severity flaw in FXOS and NX-OS that could allow an unauthenticated, adjacent attacker to execute arbitrary code as root. The weakness can also be exploited for denial of service (DoS).

PowerGhost Spreads Beyond Windows Devices, Haunts Linux Machines

Trend Micro researchers encountered a PowerGhost variant that infects Linux machines via EternalBlue, MSSQL and Secure Shell (SSH) brute force attacks. The malware, previously known to target only Windows systems, is a fileless cryptocurrency-mining malware that attacks corporate servers and workstations, capable of embedding and spreading itself undetected across endpoints and servers.

Android Malware Can Steal Google Authenticator 2FA Codes

Security researchers say that an Android malware strain can now extract and steal one-time passcodes (OTP) generated through Google Authenticator, a mobile app that’s used as a two-factor authentication (2FA) layer for many online accounts.

Ransomware Hits U.S. Electric Utility

The Reading Municipal Light Department (RMLD) has been infected with ransomware, revealed in a statement by the electric utility company. RMLD did not disclose the details on how their system was infected or the demands of the group behind the malware and there was no indication of plans to pay ransom to the threat actors.

Are you surprised that the number of new ransomware families detected in 2019 decreased while number of attacks increased? Share your thoughts in the comments below or follow me on Twitter to continue the conversation: @JonLClay.

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Hackers Expand Their Repertoire as Trend Micro Blocks 52 Billion Threats in 2019

By Trend Micro

Variety is welcome in most walks of life, but not when it comes to the threat landscape. Yet that is unfortunately the reality facing modern cybersecurity professionals. As Trend Micro’s 2019  roundup report reveals, hackers have an unprecedented array of tools, techniques and procedures at their disposal today. With 52 billion unique threats detected by our filters alone, this is in danger of becoming an overwhelming challenge for many IT security departments.

In response, many CISOs are rightly re-examining how they approach threat defense. Rather than create potential security gaps and risk budget shortfalls through best-of-breed investments, they’re understanding that it may be better to consolidate on one provider that can do it all.

The state of play

Our report provides an alarming snapshot into a threat landscape characterized by volatility and chaos. Financially motivated cybercriminals collaborate and compete with each other on a daily basis to elicit profits from their victims. And there are plenty of those, thanks to increased investments in cloud and digital platforms that have broadened the corporate attack surface.

Three trends in the report stand out:

Ransomware is on the rise: Although the number of new families fell, the number of detected ransomware components jumped by 10% to top 61 million during the year. Attacks have been causing chaos across the US, particularly among under-funded public sector authorities and schools. The recent outage at Redcar council could be ominous for UK local authorities. As if service downtime wasn’t enough, several groups have also begun stealing sensitive data before they encrypt, and releasing it if victims don’t pay up — which will require organisations to evolve their threat defense strategies.

Phishing is evolving: As always, email-borne attacks accounted for the vast majority (91%) of threats we blocked last year, and increased 15% in volume from 2018. What does this mean? That phishing remains the number one vector for attacks on organisations. Although we noted an overall decline in total attempts to visit phishing sites, there were some spikes. Fraudsters appear to be targeting Office 365 in an attempt to bypass security filters: the number of unique phishing URLs that spoofed the Microsoft cloud platform soared by 100% from the previous year. BEC attacks, which the FBI has claimed cost more than any other cybercrime type last year, grew 5%.

The supply chain is exposed: At the same time, the digital supply chain has rapidly expanded in recent years, exposing more organisations to risk. This was particularly notable in the e-commerce space last year, as Magecart gangs managed to compromise an estimated two million sites. Many of these attacks focused on attacking supply chain partners, which provide JavaScript libraries to the victim sites. We also observed an increase in attacks focused on compromising DevOps tools and deployments, such as misconfigured versions of Docker Engine – Community and unsecured Docker hosts.

What happens now?

This is just the tip of the iceberg. We also detected a 189% brute force IoT logins, an increase in mobile malware, and much more. To regain the initiative in the face of such a wide-ranging set of threats, CISOs may find more value in taking a connected threat defence approach. This would consolidate protection onto a single provider across gateways, networks, servers and endpoints, with underlying threat intelligence optimizing defense at each layer.

Here’s a quick checklist of elements to consider:

  • Network segmentation, regular back-ups and continuous network monitoring to help tackle ransomware
  • Improved security awareness programs so users can better spot BEC and phishing attempts
  • Monitor vulnerabilities and misconfigurations in supply chain partners’ systems to defend against Magecart attacks
  • Scan container images at build and runtime for malware and vulnerabilities
  • Keep all systems and software on latest versions
  • Two-factor authentication and least privilege access policies to prevent abuse of tools that can be accessed via admin credentials, like RDP and developer tools

To find out more, read Trend Micro’s 2019 roundup report here: https://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/us/security/research-and-analysis/threat-reports/roundup/the-sprawling-reach-of-complex-threats.

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In Safe Hands with Trend Micro Home Network Security – Part 3: Testing Its Functions

By Trend Micro

We continue our four-part series on protecting your home and family. See the links to the previous parts at the end of this blog.

As you use more internet-connected devices and smart appliances in your home, it’s of utmost importance to make sure your gadgets are properly protected from malware and hackers—and Trend Micro Home Network Security (HNS) helps you do just that. But while it’s easy to set up, connect, and configure (and even to forget!), you reap the most benefit when you’re actively involved with it, maintaining and monitoring its features and controls.

Start by asking the question: Are you sure your home network is secure? As you learn what network security entails, by the end of this blog you’ll be able to answer that question confidently. The more you’re involved with HNS, as the tech-savvy “guru” of the household, the more you’ll know when things are properly secured.

We’ll cover three main topics in Part 3 of our 4-part series, where we help you to test the following features: Threat Blocking, Access Control, and Parental Controls.

1.   Threat Blocking

To better understand how HNS blocks malware on malicious websites from being downloaded to your devices, open your browser either from your mobile device or PC then proceed to these links:

http://www.eicar.org/download/eicar.com

http://test-malware.hns.tm

When you run these tests, the test URL will be blocked, your browser will say “Website Blocked by Trend Micro™ Home Network Security,” and the payload will not be downloaded to the test device. The HNS app will then notify you that a web threat has been blocked, along with the name of the test device that was able to detect it. In the future, you should monitor the HNS app for such messages, so you can see which malicious sites your family has been accessing and warn them.

2.   Access Control

Next, there are three aspects of Access Control that you should test to familiarize yourself with the features. They are: Approving and Rejecting Devices, Remote Access Protection, and Disconnecting Devices.

Approving and Rejecting Devices

Device control is the first part of access control.

  • Navigate to Settings -> Access Control and enable New Device Approval, after completing setup and allowing HNS to scan the network for devices.
  • Connect a device that has never been connected to the HNS-secured network. The phone that’s managing the HNS Station will receive a notification indicating, “Request from a new device to join the network”.
  • Once you tap the notification, you’re given the option to either Allow Connection or Block the new device’s connection to your network.

Based on the decision to Allow Connection, verify the connection status on the new device by navigating to a webpage or using an application that connects to the internet.

Remote Access Protection

For the next test, Remote Access Protection, you’ll use a real-world remote-access program commonly used in tech support scams. Note that remote desktop software such as LogMeIn, AnyDesk, TeamViewer, and others are not inherently harmful, but malicious hackers often use them for nefarious activities, such as tech support scams, where they lure you into downloading such a program, pretending they need it to “solve” your computer problems. Unsuspecting consumers around the world have fallen victim to such scams, often losing a large amount of money in fake support fees and ransoms. Additionally, such hackers can use remote desktop programs to scoop up your private data and sell it on the Dark Web.

Home Network Security gives owners peace of mind by preventing these types of Remote Desktop programs from establishing connections with remote computers.

In this test, we will use the free version of TeamViewer.

  • Download the remote access software from https://www.teamviewer.com and install it on two devices—e.g., a laptop and desktop computer. (It’s available for phones and tablets too.) One will act as the source, the other the target. The target PC should be on the same home network where HNS is installed. The source PC should be on another network.
  • Navigate to Settings -> Access Control -> Remote Access Protection in the HNS app and enable Block Remote Access.
  • From the source PC outside of your network, attempt to establish a TeamViewer connection to the target PC and start a session.

HNS will block the TeamViewer session and the HNS app will receive a notification of a remote access connection attempt, along with the name of the target PC. Once you’ve run your tests and understand how this access blocking works, you can delete the instances of TeamViewer on your devices, if you have no need of them.

Disconnecting Devices

Next, you should test Disconnecting Devices.

  • To do this, navigate to the Devices page and choose a connected device (indicated by a green status indicator next to the device’s name).
  • On the chosen device’s detail page, turn off the “Connect to the Network” switch to disconnect it from the network.
  • Using the disconnected device, attempt to browse to a webpage or use an online application to verify that the device no longer has access.

3.   Parental Controls

As we indicated in our last installment of this series, there are many facets to HNS’s Parental Controls. In this segment we will check the effectiveness of its Website Filtering, Content Filtering, App Controls, Time Limits, and Connection Alert & Notification capabilities.

Website Filtering

Testing Website Filtering is easy.

  • For this test, under the Filtering sector, first assign a test PC with the Pre-Teen-Age Level default profile for Filtered Categories.
  • Next, using the browser of your assigned test PC, attempt to go to a website that belongs to the default blocked categories in the Pre-Teen level, such as Personals or Dating.

The browser will show, “Website Blocked by Trend Micro Home Network Security” and indicate the rule that triggered the block, i.e., the Category: Personals/Dating rule in our test. The HNS app will receive a notification indicating HNS prevented your “Pre-Teen device” was from visiting a Personals/Dating site. Tapping the notification will show more details, such as the time and website visited.

Content Filtering

Moving forward, Content Filtering is next in our checklist.

  • Go to the HNS app, proceed to the test user’s profile Settings -> Filtering. Then scroll down to the Content Turn ON Google SafeSearch and YouTube Restricted Mode if they’re turned OFF, or vice-versa.
  • The change in settings should be reflected on the browser. To verify this, open a new instance of the browser.
  • From the Google Search results page go to Settings -> Search Settings and Turn On SafeSearch should have a check mark beside it if it’s turned ON by HNS, or it’s unchecked when turned OFF by HNS.
  • For YouTube, go to https://www.youtube.com and locate the 3 vertical dots near the SIGN IN button. Scroll down and check whether Restricted Mode is turned ON or OFF, depending on the toggled setting made from the HNS app.

When it’s toggled ON, you can try to search for inappropriate content, such as red band trailersDoing this, the user will see a message that says, “Some results have been removed because Restricted Mode is enabled by your network administrator.” In addition, videos with mature or inappropriate content will not be displayed when you open YouTube’s Home page.

App Controls

To continue, you can test the Inappropriate App Used functionality. Note that this feature only logs the apps opened in your devices; it does not block those apps from being used by the child.

  • From the HNS app, toggle on Inappropriate App Used from the Settings of the same test user account profile of the assigned test mobile device.
  • Enable Notifications and choose any or all that are listed in the App Category.

Next, on your test mobile device, open any of the apps that correspond to the App Categories you’ve chosen. For instance, when a gaming app is opened, The HNS app should get a notification that a Games App was found in the user’s device. Tapping this notification should open the Report section where more detailed information is presented, such as the name of the app, the amount of time it was used, and the name of the device that triggered the notification.

Time Limits

To test Time Limits, you can set up a simple rule that consists of the chosen days the family member can use the internet, set the internet time limit, and set the time spent on YouTube within the set time period they’re allowed to use the internet, then enable notifications for this rule.

As an example:

  • Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
  • 30 minutes of Internet allowed, including 15 minutes of YouTube
  • Times allowed: 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM

To check if the rule is working, look for when the user attempts to surf and use YouTube beyond what’s permitted by the rule. HNS will block access to the internet and YouTube and provide you with a notification that says the YouTube or internet time limit has been reached by the user account. This notification is also logged in the user profile’s Report section.

Connection Alert & Notification

Let’s wrap up testing the Parental Control features with enabling Connection Alert. This allows you to receive a notification when a device you choose, like your child’s mobile phone, reconnects to your HNS-secure network after getting home from school.

To do this, from the HNS App’s User Account > Settings, enable Connection Alert to indicate when the devices you have selected connect to the home network, according to your set schedule. You’ll only receive notifications of connections from HNS during that scheduled time.

And Now, the Answer to Your Question

Is your network secure? As the techie in your household, you’re the designated technical support for the family. As the saying usually goes, “Heavy is the head that wears the crown,” but armed with what you’ve just learned about Trend Micro Home Network Security’s capabilities, your burden will lighten significantly and you and your family will stay safe and secure from constantly evolving network threats.

Go to our website for more information on Trend Micro Home Network Security. And watch for Part 4 of this series, where we wind up with some additional monitoring and maintenance best practices.

Go here for Parts 1 and 2 of our series:

You’re in Safe Hands with Trend Micro Home Network Security – Part 1: Setup and Configuration

Trend Micro Home Network Security Has Got You Covered – Part 2: Parental Controls

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This Week in Security News: LokiBot Impersonates Popular Game Launcher and DRBControl Espionage Operation Hits Gambling, Betting Companies

By Jon Clay (Global Threat Communications)
week in security

Welcome to our weekly roundup, where we share what you need to know about the cybersecurity news and events that happened over the past few days. This week, learn about a variant of LokiBot that has been discovered impersonating a popular game launcher, known for Fortnite, to trick users into executing it on their machines. Also, read about how an advanced threat actor has been targeting gambling and betting companies with malware linked to two Chinese hacker groups.

Read on: 

LokiBot Impersonates Popular Game Launcher and Drops Compiled C# Code File

LokiBot, which can harvest sensitive data such as passwords and cryptocurrency information, has been discovered impersonating game launcher Epic Games—the company behind games such as Fortnite–to trick users into executing it on their machines. Further analysis revealed that a sample of this variant employs a quirky, installation routine that involves dropping a compiled C# code file.

DRBControl Espionage Operation Hits Gambling, Betting Companies

An advanced threat actor has been targeting gambling and betting companies with malware that links to two Chinese hacker groups. The mission — named “DRBControl” by security researchers — appears to be cyberespionage and includes stealing databases and source code from the targets. Researchers at Trend Micro painted a larger picture of DRBControl’s activities after analyzing a backdoor used by the group against a company in the Philippines.

Uncovering Risks in Ordinary Places: A Look at the IoT Threat Landscape

As the IoT continues to become more integrated into enterprises and homes, the threat landscape also expands. In this blog, Trend Micro looks at the most significant threats and vulnerabilities in IoT devices on the edge of the network, within the network itself, and on the cloud; as well as gains insights from the cybercriminal underground.

Newly Discovered Vulnerability Can Let Hackers Impersonate LTE Mobile Device Users, Researchers Say

German researchers have found a new vulnerability on 4G/LTE mobile devices that could allow hackers to impersonate the phone’s owner. In this article, Mark Nunnikhoven, vice president of cloud research for cybersecurity firm Trend Micro, discusses the threat level of this vulnerability and its risks, which include  running up a person’s bill by making international calls or using premium services offered by the victim’s provider, like a TV streaming service.

Fake Dating Apps Found as Top Source of Malware in Africa

According to research from Kaspersky, 7,734 attacks from 1,486 threats were detected, affecting 2,548 mobile users from the continent. The countries with the most recorded attacks were South Africa with 58%, as Kenya (10%) and Nigeria (4%) trail behind.

US Govt Warns Critical Industries After Ransomware Hits Gas Pipeline Facility

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued a warning to all industries operating critical infrastructures about a new ransomware in response to a cyberattack targeting an unnamed natural gas compression company’s internal network, encrypting critical data and knocking servers out of operation for almost two days. 

Plugin Leaves Nearly 100,000 WordPress Sites Vulnerable to Compromise

According to a report by WebARX, a vulnerability in a plugin for WordPress themes allows remote attack execution, gives full administrator rights, and can possibly even wipe out the entire website database. The vulnerability was discovered in ThemeGrill Demo Importer, a plugin that offers demo options for themes, widgets, and other content that can help customize websites.

MGM Grand Breach Leaked Details of 10.6 Million Guests Last Summer

A hacking forum this week published personal details of more than 10.6 million guests who stayed at MGM Resorts, the result of a breach due to unauthorized access to a cloud server that occurred at the famous Las Vegas hotel and casino last summer. Those guests included celebrities, tech CEOs, reporters, government officials, and employees at some of the world’s largest tech companies.

Stolen Credit Card Data Concealed through Fake Club Membership Cards

Stolen credit card data has been disguised through counterfeit club membership cards, as revealed by the U.S. Secret Service and reported by Brian Krebs. The cards, purportedly for exclusive use at name-brand retailers, had barcodes that contained the credit card information as well expiration dates and card verification values (CVVs). 

Adobe Releases Out-of-Band Patch for Critical Code Execution Vulnerabilities

Adobe has released an out-of-schedule fix to resolve two vulnerabilities that may expose user systems to code execution attacks. Users of Adobe Media Encoder and After Effects should update their software builds immediately. The tech giant thanked researcher Francis Provencher, alongside Matt Powell from Trend Micro’s Zero Day Initiative for reporting the vulnerabilities.  

Surprised by the scale of the giant MGM Grand breach? Share your thoughts in the comments below or follow me on Twitter to continue the conversation: @JonLClay.

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This Week in Security News: February 2020 Patch Tuesday Update and Misconfigured AWS S3 Bucket Leaks 36,000 Inmate Records

By Jon Clay (Global Threat Communications)
week in security

Welcome to our weekly roundup, where we share what you need to know about the cybersecurity news and events that happened over the past few days. This week, learn about the more than 140 February Patch Tuesday updates from Microsoft and Adobe. Also, read about how an unsecured and unencrypted Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) bucket was found leaking 36,077 inmate records in several U.S. states.

Read on:

February 2020 Patch Tuesday: Microsoft Fixes 99 Vulnerabilities, Adobe 42

This week, patches from Microsoft and Adobe for February were announced. Microsoft released fixes for 99 vulnerabilities – 12 critical, one of which is being exploited in the wild – and Adobe released fixes for 42, most of which are critical, and none actively exploited.

How to Manage Your Privacy On and Off Facebook

Where on Facebook is your privacy most at risk and what can you do to mange these risks? Although Facebook has taken steps to offer users tools to manage their data, such as their recent broad launch of their Off-Facebook Activity tool, they are not always easy to find. This blog from Trend Micro serves as a guide on how to protect your privacy on Facebook.

Emotet Malware Now Hacks Nearby Wi-Fi Networks to Infect New Victims

Emotet, the notorious trojan behind several botnet-driven spam campaigns and ransomware attacks, has found a new attack vector: using already-infected devices to identify new victims that are connected to nearby Wi-Fi networks. According to researchers at Binary Defense, the newly discovered Emotet sample leverages a “Wi-Fi spreader” module to scan Wi-Fi networks, and then attempts to infect devices that are connected to them.

Outlaw Updates Kit to Kill Older Miner Versions, Targets More Systems

Trend Micro discovered that the hacking group Outlaw has been busy developing their toolkit for illicit income sources. While they had been quiet since Trend Micro’s analysis in June, there was an increase in the group’s activities in December, with updates on the kits’ capabilities reminiscent of their previous attacks.

Irving Security Company Spun Out of Trend Micro Lands $26M in Funding

Cysiv announced this week the close of a $26 million Series A financing led by ForgePoint Capital, a top tier venture capital firm that invests in transformative cybersecurity companies. Trend Forward Capital has been actively backing Cysiv and is also participating in this financing. Proceeds will be used to scale business operations and fuel further platform enhancements.

Trickbot, Emotet Use Text About Trump to Evade Detection

Threat actors have been using text from news articles about U.S. President Donald Trump to make malware undetectable. Trickbot samples employing this technique were recently found, while Trend Micro researchers detected Emotet samples using the same method.

Puerto Rico Gov Hit By $2.6M Phishing Scam

According to reports, an email-based phishing scam hit Puerto Rico’s Industrial Development Company, which is a government-owned corporation aimed at driving economic development to the island along with local and foreign investors. The scam email alleged a change to a banking account tied to remittance payments, which is a transfer of money (often by a foreign worker) to an individual in their home country.

Malicious Spam Campaign Targets South Korean Users

The spam campaign, detected by Trend Micro researchers, utilizes attachments compressed through ALZip, an archive and compression tool widely used in South Korea. When decompressed, the attachment is revealed to contain two executable (.EXE) files that carry the information stealer TrojanSpy.

Google Removes 500+ Malicious Chrome Extensions from the Web Store

Google has removed more than 500 malicious Chrome extensions from its official Web Store following a two-month long investigation conducted by security researcher Jamila Kaya and Cisco’s Duo Security team. The removed extensions operated by injecting malicious ads (malvertising) inside users’ browsing sessions.

Dynamic Challenges to Threat Detection and Endpoint Security — and How to Overcome Them

As a result of great technological advancements, our environments are steadily changing. Now more than ever, individuals and organizations rely on technology to make life more dynamic. This reliance on technology and the consequent expanding attack surface are what cybercriminals bank on as they create threats that are meant to trick users and organizations. In this blog, learn how to step up your threat detection and endpoint security.

YouTube, Twitter Hunt Down Deepfakes

YouTube and Twitter have taken measures to clamp down on synthetic and manipulated media, including deepfakes. Deepfakes are media (images, audio, video, etc.) synthetically generated through artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML), which have been exploited in adult videos and propaganda using the faces and voices of unwitting celebrities, politicians, and other well-known figures.

Misconfigured AWS S3 Bucket Leaks 36,000 Inmate Records

An unsecured and unencrypted Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) bucket was found leaking 36,077 records belonging to inmates of correctional facilities in several U.S. states. The leak, which was discovered by vpnMentor, exposed personally identifiable information (PII), prescription records and details of inmates’ daily activities.

An In-Depth Technical Analysis of CurveBall (CVE-2020-0601)

CVE-2020-0601 is a vulnerability that was discovered by the National Security Agency (NSA) and affects how cryptographic certificates are verified by one of the core cryptography libraries in Windows that make up part of the CryptoAPI system. Dubbed CurveBall or “Chain of Fools,” an attacker exploiting this vulnerability could create their own cryptographic certificates that appear to originate from a legitimate certificate that is trusted by Windows by default.

In your opinion, what was the most noteworthy patch from this month’s update? Share your thoughts in the comments below or follow me on Twitter to continue the conversation: @JonLClay.

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How to Manage Your Privacy On and Off Facebook

By Trend Micro

Social media has come a long way in a short space of time. In a little over a decade, it’s grown from being the preserve of a relatively small group of online enthusiasts to one of the defining trends of 21st century life. As the undisputed global leader in this field, Facebook now boasts nearly 1.7 billion daily active users.

Not only do we share personal and global news, photos and videos with each other every day on the site, we also log-in to our favorite third-party websites and apps via Facebook to shop, chat, play games and much more. In short, social media makes life more fun, more social, and more connected.

But at the same time, our digital lives have become more complicated. Sometimes we share without realizing the significance of the data we’re showing others — including strangers, trolls and maybe even fraudsters. Sometimes we sign-up for third-party apps/services that take advantage of small print agreements to sell our data on to others — possibly for uses we did not want. And often, the websites we visit independently of Facebook send data on our browsing behavior back to the social network without our knowledge.

Some of us view this kind of tracking as the price we pay for free internet services, and welcome the improved personalization it enables. But others may feel creeped out that their family’s every click and swipe is being silently monitored, logged, and shared.

Time for action

The good news is that Facebook has been listening (to some extent!) to regulators and consumers, and has started the new year by offering users more tools to shine a light on where and how their data is being used, and how they can protect their privacy. But we’re talking here about a platform that has been growing non-stop for the past 15 years. Complexity is everywhere, and it’s not always easy to find the tools you need to enhance your privacy on the site.

That’s why we’ve put together this short guide. It’ll teach you where your privacy is most at risk on Facebook, and what you can do to manage these risks, including an assist by Trend Micro’s own Privacy Scanner tool.

Why should I be worried?

Although social media offers much to enrich and improve our lives, there are multiple levels of privacy risk involved in using it. For many of us, the stakes have risen almost silently in the background over the past few years. We can split these into three basic areas:

Oversharing: At a very basic level Facebook allows you to share news, pictures, stories and more with the world. But would you want your boss, prospective employer, law enforcement, credit agencies and other users to see every little thing about you? Yes, they increasingly use Facebook as a source of intelligence gathering, so you may want to limit who can view your information to just those in your friendship network.

Among the most prodigious collectors and monetizers of our private data are cyber-criminals. A Facebook account is a trove of sensitive personal information: everything from email addresses and phone numbers to partners and political preferences. It could all be leveraged to commit identity fraud or craft convincing phishing emails which trick you into giving away even more details. Something as innocuous as a photo of a family pet could provide hackers with some useful intel for guessing your online passwords. Or what about a real-time update from the beach? It might be all an opportunistic burglar needs to raid your home.

Third-party apps and websites: One of the most controversial aspects of data collection and use on Facebook relates to partner sites and services. Often, users sign-up for these apps without being fully aware of how their data will be used, or even what profile data the app may be gaining permission to harvest. It was data on 87 million Facebook users and their friends collected by a popular third-party personality test app that ended up being sold to Cambridge Analytica. It was then controversially used to target US voters ahead of the last Presidential election.

Following a huge FTC fine, Facebook is now more rigorous in ensuring third-party developers comply with its privacy and data use policies. But some users may still balk at their private data being sold on to third parties.

Other Off-Facebook activity: Apps and websites that you log into with your Facebook ID technically count as “off-Facebook activity”: that is, stuff that happens outside of the social site. But there’s more. Did you know, for example, that Facebook collects data from a huge number of additional sites and apps that aren’t obviously connected to the platform?

It uses code embedded on these sites to track what you do there, in order to make advertising on Facebook more targeted and personalized. So accurate and covert is this technology that it has given rise to a conspiracy theory that Facebook is somehow listening in to its users’ phone calls. It’s not. Users simply don’t know that, when they visit many sites and apps on the web, those same sites are secretly sending data back to Facebook, which then serves up relevant ads. Just bought Season One of your favorite show on a streaming app? You may get an ad for Season Two when you next visit your Facebook account.

Some people may be fine with this trade-off: privacy for a more tailored user experience. But many others may not. It’s one thing monitoring what you bought off an e-commerce site, quite another to track who you swiped left on when you were last on a dating site.

How can I manage my privacy better?

Fortunately, Facebook provides tools to help you to manage your privacy. Let’s go through some of them, from the newest to the oldest.

Off-Facebook
Facebook has just released a way of checking which sites/apps track and send data on your web usage back to the social network, clearing your data sharing history with them, and disconnecting for the future.

  • The Off-Facebook Activity tool can be reached here, or you can go to Settings > Your Facebook Information > Off-Facebook Activity.
  • Click Manage Your Off-Facebook Activity and you’ll see a list of the (possibly many) apps and sites that have shared info about you with Facebook, including how they shared the data, and what kind of data it is.
  • You can turn off this activity by going to Clear History. However, to prevent such data sharing in future, you will need to go to Manage Future Activity and then toggle it Off.

There are some caveats. Disconnecting in this way will log you out of any apps/sites you used Facebook to log into. In addition, it will not stop Facebook serving you advertising — you’ll get the same number of ads, except these won’t be as personalized as before. Facebook will also continue to receive information about your interactions on various sites, but this will be anonymized.

Particular apps, games and websites

You can also directly edit the privacy and settings of particular apps, games and websites you’ve logged into with your Facebook account.

  • Go here, or click Settings, then Apps and Websites in the menu on the left.
  • Click the name of the app, game or website you want to update, or Search Apps and Websites with the Search tool on the upper right to find it.
  • Once you’ve found the app, game, or website in question, update the information you’re sharing, who can see that you use it, and the notifications you receive.
  • Click Save to save your changes.

Basic privacy settings

Facebook has also overhauled its most basic privacy settings. Its Privacy Checkup tool features four distinct sections.

  • Click at the top of any page on Facebook and select Privacy Checkup. Then choose
  • Who Can See What You Share to review and change who can view your profile info and posts, and to block individuals if you wish.
  • How to Keep Your Account Secure to choose a stronger password and turn on login alerts.
  • How People Can Find You On Facebook enables you to choose who can look you up and send friend requests.
  • Your Data Settings on Facebook provides a list of apps and sites you’ve used Facebook to log-in to and allows you to remove these.

How Trend Micro can help

An easier option for managing your basic privacy on Facebook is the Trend Micro Privacy Scanner, which is available within Trend Micro Security on Windows and Mac, and within Mobile Security on Android and iOS. It automates the process of finding and fixing any potentially risky settings to keep your personal data safe from prying eyes.

It’s turned on by default in Trend Micro Internet and Maximum Security, as well as in Mobile Security.

  • Either click on the Privacy icon in the TMS Console, or in the PC or Mac browser click the Trend Micro Toolbar and select Check Your Online Privacy/Check Social Network Privacy
  • In Mobile Security, tap the panel for Social Network Privacy > Facebook.
  • Once you’re signed-in to Facebook, See Scan Results, and then click or tap Fix All, or click or tap on the drop down to view and edit each issue separately.

Facebook is getting better at privacy, but its controls can be hard to find, and functionality is constantly being updated. That’s why we recommend a privacy audit every few months. Check in with your Facebook Privacy settings directly or via the Privacy Scanner to make sure you’re not leaking personal data. Privacy is subjective, but we’re all getting more critical about how big corporations use our data — and that’s not a bad thing.

Go here for more information on Trend Micro Security and Trend Micro Mobile Security.

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