Year: 2014

Concepts, Security Assessments, Threat Modeling

Threat Modeling – What’s the worst that can happen?

Posted on by Ron Woerner

A threat is defined as “a person or thing likely to cause damage or danger.”  Threats are all around us, but we shouldn’t treat all threats as equal.  Too often we fail to identify threats because they aren’t readily apparent or we consider them to be too small.

Threats and vulnerabilities are both part of the overall risk equation.  While organizations are getting better at identifying and fixing weaknesses, many still don’t understand the potential threat landscape.  We’ve all heard, “Oh no one would ever want to attack us. We’re so small and our systems have no value.”  I can hear Target saying that about their HVAC systems. Malicious hackers can use anything connected to a production network in order to gain access.  It shouldn’t be assumed that a small target means it can’t be hit.

All organizations should conduct assessments to understand the multitude of threats they face both in and out of their cybersystems. Threat modeling is still a new arena in security, but it’s gaining in prevalence.  In CSOOnline (http://www.csoonline.com/), George V. Hulme has an article, “Can threat modeling keep security a step ahead of the risks?” where he makes a case for more effective threat modeling. He references how a CISO uses threat modeling to understand the organization’s risks, prioritize security spending, and focus security efforts.

Adam Shostack is also calling for increased threat awareness.  In his book coming out on Feb 17 called, “Threat Modeling: Designing for Security”  he explores various threat modeling approaches, explains how to test system designs against threats, and learn effective ways to address threats that have been validated at many top companies.

What does this mean for you?  As security professionals, we conduct threat modeling throughout our career.  That’s why we take the time to study threat modeling and apply it.

Careers, Concepts, Security Education, Security Management

Breaking into Security

Posted on by Ron Woerner

One of the common questions I am asked is, “How do I get a job in information security?”  Infosec continues to be a hot career field with many job opportunities.  Therefore, we continue seeing people who are interested, but don’t know the steps it takes to gain employment in information security.  This blog post answers the question, “How do I break into (the) security (career field)?”

A few years ago, I was asked a similar question of how I got started in security.  It all started as a computer science major at Michigan State University. I was also in Air Force ROTC.  This combination allowed me to start developing my security mindset.  As a military intelligence officer, I learned about data classification and safeguarding sensitive information. I left the Air Force for a job as a UNIX systems administrator where I learned how to apply technical controls to protect the systems and its data. As a junior security analyst, I learned the importance of policies and awareness. The combination of technical and managerial experience led me to security management roles. (You can read more about my experiences here: Me and my Job: Ron Woerner, Bellevue University, SC Magazine, April 2011)

To become a security professional, you need a mix of experience, knowledge, and abilities. It’s not generally an entry level career field, because you need time to develop yourself as a security professional who understands the many aspects of cybersecurity. The security community has a vast number of articles on breaking into the security career field.

This reminds me that everything old is new again. Many of the articles I mention above were written a few years ago. Things really haven’t changed over the years.  The career path still requires education, training, experience, and persistence.

As an extra, added bonus, here’s a 3 ½ minute Ted talk from Richard St. John: 8 secrets of success – http://www.ted.com/talks/richard_st_john_s_8_secrets_of_success.html (Watch for his explanation of CRAP).  It’s great, general information on how to succeed in any career.

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Concepts, Security Management

Is it time of Security Rating of Software and Systems?

Posted on by Ron Woerner

One of the fundamental papers in the Information Security industry is “The Protection of Information in Computer Systems” written by Jerome Saltzer and Michael Schoeder in the mid-1970s.  This paper defines eight design principles to ensure the safety, security, and functionality of computer systems and applications.  It’s timeless as those principles still apply today. If you haven’t seen it yet, Adam Shostack of Emergent Chaos does a great job in his blog of explaining the Saltzer and Schroeder Design Principles and equating them to something almost everyone can understand: Security in Star Wars.

One of the ideas that come out of it is the concept of “work factor” and the fire/safety ratings on safes.  Safes are classified by Underwriters Laboratory for their ability to protect their contents from both fire and burglars.  It’s the degree of protection that safe will protect its contents. There are both construction and performance requirements.  The former defines the minimum specifications for the container. The latter defines how long the safe must withstand a burglary attempt.  You can read more about it here: http://www.maximumsecurity.com/safes/pc/Burglary-Fire-Rating-Guide-d92.htm.

This idea isn’t new. A DARPA research report from 2001 presents it from a scientific standpoint: “Adversary Work Factor as a Metric for Information Assurance.” In this paper, Schudel and Wood present the hypothesis, “that adversary work factor is a quantifiable metric that yields valuable insights into the relative strengths and weaknesses of modern complex information systems.” The authors go on to develop an approach for observing and reporting adversary work factors for information systems.

It’s time we used the same approach in Cybersecurity. The UL rating system is a standard that’s long been in use in the physical world. Why not begin to follow it in the cyber world?  The IT industry should consider creating construction and performance standards for all computer systems and applications. An unbiased, standardized security work factor rating would allow consumers to understand the safety of an application or system to determine if it fits into their risk appetite.

Why reinvent the wheel?

Online Safety Tips

Protecting Yourself in an Insecure Cyberworld

Posted on by Ron Woerner

A friend of mine recently asked for 5 quick tips for people to protect themselves from cyberfraud and identity theft.  While there are many great ideas out there on the sites listed below, here are the five I promote:

  • Watch your credit card. When paying with a credit or debit card, pay attention to who has it and where it’s going.  It’s easy for the waiter/waitress or cashier to steal the information when they take it out of your sight.  Most identity theft occurs with the physical card and not online.
  • Keep track of your charges.  Know each time you spend money especially with credit and debit cards.  This will make the next steps easier when you check your statements. You won’t need to rely on your memory as much (“What’s this charge?” and “Did I make it?”). While this is mostly important for payments made by credit or debit card, it also applies to cash.
  • Pay attention to your statements.  At least once a month, go through all of your bank and credit card statements to ensure all transactions are credible.  It’s so easy to get lazy and neglect reviewing what’s being charged in your name.  With electronic statements, you can do this multiple times a month.  This allows you to catch potential problems earlier.
  • Be careful when using public wi-fi.  It’s a great convenience that so many places allow us to connect to the Internet using their free wi-fi.  Keep in mind though that it’s like yelling in public; it’s not secret.  Malicious hackers can “sniff” the airwaves and steal your information.  I don’t recommend using public wi-fi for anything sensitive.
  • Use strong passwords and keep them safe.  Passwords are our keys to our identity and personal data.  Choose and use the wisely.  Don’t use the same password for all websites. That’s the same as having the same key for your house, car, office, safe, etc.  Use different passwords especially for sensitive areas like your financial institutions.  Microsoft has a good, online password checker to help you select strong passwords.

Below are some of the websites* and resources you can use to learn more about keeping yourself and your family safe online:

What tips or sites do you have?  Please share using  the comments.

* These sites are not associated with Bellevue University. They are provided for your reference. Use at your own risk.

 

Human Aspects, Online Safety Tips, Security Education, Security Management

Security for the Real World – Password Policies

Posted on by Ron Woerner

Passwords suck.  They always have; they always will.  But we’re stuck with them.  They are the cheapest and easiest means of user authentication.

With passwords, come the ubiquitous password policies.  This post addresses two of them seen at most organizations*:
1. Thou shalt not share they password.
2. Thou shalt not write down thy password.

* “Thou shalt” isn’t usually used in policies.  I’m using it for effect.

There are many problems with these rules.  First, they are almost impossible to enforce, unless it’s a really small organization or you have a large police force.  Second, they are often violated by the top echelon in the company.  How many CEO’s share their account with their admin?  Are you going to tell the CEO that he’s violating the company policy?  That’s a CLM (Career Limiting Move) if you ask me.

Rules like the ones above are to protect the organization, not the employee.  They cannot be enforced, except when something bad happens.  Then, the enforcer can point to the policy and report the violation.  I call it a “speed limit” policy, which are good to follow, but aren’t continually nor consistently enforced.

Here’s the key to making those policies work: make the user responsible for his/her account.  The policy statement would then be, “All users are responsible for protecting their login credentials from unauthorized access like they would protect any other corporate asset.”  This puts the onus on the user.  If someone gains unauthorized access to the user’s account because he/she didn’t follow the rules, then the user is accountable.  They are guilty until they can prove themselves innocent.  If someone (like the CEO) wants to share their account, they can as long as they realize that’s it’s them who will be held responsible for any actions taken by the other party.

With so many passwords to remember, people need to write them down.  Telling people not to just isn’t realistic.  Some use a password vault application.  Others use a piece of paper.  Both are fine as long as it’s rigorously protected.  It’s fine for people to write down their passwords as long as they store it in a very safe location.  My mom has a piece of paper with all of her passwords on it in a desk drawer in her apartment.  I’m fine with it, since I may need it one day as her power of attorney.  Her apartment is in a secure facility, so the risk is minimal.  There’s a lot bigger risk of her becoming incapacitated and me not having access to her accounts.

That’s what it comes down to: understanding RISK and establishing Accountability.  What are the risks associated with the actions?  Who’s responsible?  Answer those and you make a cognitive decision that’s both realistic and enforceable.