30 minutes every week on data security, privacy, and the law…..(plus or minus ten)

On this week’s program:

* Why are web drive-by downloads proliferating like cockroaches?

* Sixty Minutes just covered a data security story. We rate the coverage.

* Our take on this week’s news.

–> Stream This Week’s Show with our Built-In Flash Player:

–> Scroll down to see links and show notes for this week’s show

–> Stream, subscribe or download Episode 78 – Listen or subscribe to the feed to automatically get the latest episode sent to you to your Google, Yahoo, iTunes, or other popular sites.

–>Tune into the show directly on iTunes, you can also subscribe to the program on iTunes.

–> A simple way to listen to the show from with stricter firewalls: Listen from Odeo. This site works better if you are behind a more restrictive enterprise firewall.

Please visit our sponsors, and be sure to let them know you heard about them on The Data Security Podcast:

• Vipre Anti-Virus, the complete Antimalware solution by Sunbelt Software. If you TRY the enterprise version, you get the home version for FREE! Go to: http://www.testdrivevipre.com .

• GamaSec Web App Scans: Spots cyber-hazards on your web site, and has advanced zero-day protection. GET YOUR FREE BASIC WEB APP SCAN, plus a special offer just for listeners to The Data Security Podcast. Go here to sign up, and add the offer code: Podcast.

• SonicWall;  Get the super fast UTM firewall that’s rated Five Stars (the Best rating) by Secure Computing Magazine.  Data Clone Labs is the premier SonicWall Medallion Partner for all your security needs.

• DeviceLock; Software that controls, manages and helps encrypt USB drives and other removable media. Get a free trial on their site, and be sure to let them know you heard about them on The Data Security Podcast.

Show Notes for Episode 78 of the Data Security Podcast

* Conversation:  Ira talks with Georg Hess, CEO and Co-Founder, Art of Defence, about network scans versus web application scans. OWASP AppSec DC 2009 takes place this week,  November 10-13th, in Washington, DC. The Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) is a worldwide free and open community focused on improving the security of application software. Their mission is to make application security visible,  so that people and organizations can make informed decisions about true application security risks.

* Tales From The Dark Web:  Our take on the 60 Minutes segment Sabotaging The System:  Could hackers get into the computer systems that run crucial elements of the world’s infrastructure, such as the power grids, water works or even a nation’s military arsenal? Be sure to watch this video segment with the highest level non-technical boss in your organization. Also, make sure you, and your non-technical boss watch the “Web Extras” from this segment.  One of the stunning parts of the segment was the claim that private companies are more vulnerable because the companies only care about profit. Unlike government networks, which are more secure (uh?).  If that was the case, how can that be squared against the portion of the segment that revealed that the Feds lost 12TB of data from the DOD, DOE, DOC and possible NASA, in 2007? Where was the profit motive that stopped good security in those organizations? Security expert Robert Graham explores this, and other issues, in this posting: Brazil outage NOT caused by hackers.

* From Our Take on The News:  New open-source voting technology – the developer is looking for jurisdictions to try it for free.  Read the Wired account.

* From Our Take on The News:  A technical overview of the newly discovered SSL vulnerabilities and possible mitigation. Ben Laurie has excellent, technical blog postings about the SSL protocol flaw.

* From Our Take on The News:  Voters hate traffic surveillance cameras — proven in three U. S. cities in last week’s elections. (As if we still need proof.) Great coverage of traffic surveillance and related matters in Maryland. (But the topic is universal).

* From The Wrap:  First iPhone worm found, details at F-Secure.  A how-to for changing the SSH default password in your jailbroken iPhone; one uses a computer connected to your iPhone to change the SSH settings.  Note: If you are not using a jailbroken iPhone, you don’t need to make changes to be protected from this particular attack.

For Thursday November 5th, we depart from our regular format for those with an advanced understanding of information security technologies. This episode is a one-topic special edition, providing coverage of a major man-in-the-middle flaw discovered in the SSL protocol (see, we told you it was for security geeks).

We will return to our regular format of the latest news on data security, privacy, and the law with Episode 78.  Episode 78 is scheduled to post Sunday night /Monday morning, November 8th, 2009 at ~12.01am Greenwich Mean Time. That is our regularly scheduled show posting time.

On Episode 77:  Conversation with Marsh Ray, discoverer of the new SSL flaw

–> Stream This Special Episode Show with our Built-In Flash Player:

–> Scroll down to see links and show notes for this week’s show

–> Stream, subscribe or download Episode 77 – Listen or subscribe to the feed to automatically get the latest episode sent to you to your Google, Yahoo, iTunes, or other popular sites.

–>Tune into the show directly on iTunes, you can also subscribe to the program on iTunes.

–> A simple way to listen to the show from with stricter firewalls: Listen from Odeo. This site works better if you are behind a more restrictive enterprise firewall.

Please visit our sponsors, and be sure to let them know you heard about them on The Data Security Podcast:

• Vipre Anti-Virus, the complete Antimalware solution by Sunbelt Software. If you TRY the enterprise version, you get the home version forFREE! Go to: http://www.testdrivevipre.com .

• GamaSec Web App Scans: Spots cyber-hazards on your web site, and has advanced zero-day protection. GET YOUR FREE BASIC WEB APP SCAN, plus a special offer just for listeners to The Data Security Podcast. Go here to sign up, and add the offer code: Podcast.

• SonicWall;  Get the super fast UTM firewall that’s rated Five Stars (the Best rating) by Secure Computing Magazine.  Data Clone Labs is the premier SonicWall Medallion Partner for all your security needs.

• DeviceLock; Software that controls, manages and helps encrypt USB drives and other removable media. Get a free trial on their site, and be sure to let them know you heard about them on The Data Security Podcast.

Show Notes for Episode 77 of the Data Security Podcast

Breaking news with an extended interview with Marsh Ray,  Senior Software Developer and Engineer with multi-factor security company PhoneFactor.

SSL lock engaged, but is the connection secure?

Marsh Ray discovered a major security flaw in the SSL protocol.   SSL is the most widely used encryption protocol on the internet.

Marsh Ray keeps a blog at extendedsubset.com.  He works for PhoneFactor, where you can read more about this vulnerability in SSL.

30 minutes every week on data security, privacy, and the law…..(plus or minus ten)

On this week’s program:

* Placing an online bet for the World Series? Employees of online betting sites might be selling customer data online.

* Google Book Search: What data is Google storing about readers of online books?

* Our take on this week’s news.

–> Stream This Week’s Show with our Built-In Flash Player:

–> Scroll down to see links and show notes for this week’s show

–> Stream, subscribe or download Episode 76 – Listen or subscribe to the feed to automatically get the latest episode sent to you to your Google, Yahoo, iTunes, or other popular sites.

–>Tune into the show directly on iTunes, you can also subscribe to the program on iTunes.

–> A simple way to listen to the show from with stricter firewalls: Listen from Odeo. This site works better if you are behind a more restrictive enterprise firewall.

Please visit our sponsors, and be sure to let them know you heard about them on The Data Security Podcast:

• Vipre Anti-Virus, the complete Antimalware solution by Sunbelt Software. If you TRY the enterprise version, you get the home version for FREE! Go to: http://www.testdrivevipre.com .

• GamaSec Web App Scans: Spots cyber-hazards on your web site, and has advanced zero-day protection. GET YOUR FREE BASIC WEB APP SCAN, plus a special offer just for listeners to The Data Security Podcast. Go here to sign up, and add the offer code: Podcast.

• SonicWall;  Get the super fast UTM firewall that’s rated Five Stars (the Best rating) by Secure Computing Magazine.  Data Clone Labs is the premier SonicWall Medallion Partner for all your security needs.

• DeviceLock; Software that controls, manages and helps encrypt USB drives and other removable media. Get a free trial on their site, and be sure to let them know you heard about them on The Data Security Podcast.

Show Notes for Episode 76 of the Data Security Podcast

* Conversation:  Samantha talks with Rebecca Jeschke  of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). There are lots of privacy objections to the Google book search settlement… EFF is leading the way on the privacy objections. Read about it here. And here’s the legal document filed by EFF… the settlement hearing has been indefinitely postponed.

* Tales From The Dark Web:  Are online casinos leaking information about their customers? Hard to say, as we saw the original web posting about this is only available in the Google Cache. Here is a story from TightPoker.com about the original posting. That story lists the original site at AustralianGambling.au, but the URL should be AustralianGambling.com.au .

* From Our Take on The News:  Lobbyists beware: judge rules metadata is public record. This story also talks about the Google metadata leak.

* From Our Take on The News: A MUST READ – Samantha writes at the ReasonableReporter.com about social engineering and how the technique is used in real life, and in the new movie Law Abiding Citizen:

* Wrap: Ira talked about the launch of Digital Forensics Magazine.

President Obama is annoucing $3.4b in stimulus monies for the “Smart” Power Grid today (see story here).

But, here is part of the story that is not getting much, if any, coverage: What are the security and privacy issues in deploying the Smart Grid and Smart Meters?

While I am not an expert on energy, I am knowledgable on the data security and privacy issues on this topic. This is an issue that could literally impact every citizen and business in the US, and impact the very foundation of the economy.

There are advanced technologies that could truly help secure the delivery of power. There are rules that can be put into place to help protect privacy. But, these items do not appear to be on the agenda today, and get little attention in day-to-day coverage.

Early deployments of the Smart Grid and Smart Meters have not made security and privacy a priority, much beyond lip service.

There will be some very negative outcomes for this program if  security and privacy are not truly “baked in” at the beginning of this next wave of deployments.

Written By: Ira Victor, GIAC G17799 GCFA GPCI GSEC   ISACA CGEIT

30 minutes every week on data security, privacy, and the law…..(plus or minus ten)

On this week’s program:

* Everyone loves retail gift cards…they are quick and easy for consumers, and for web application “hackers.”

* Some Time Warner cable internet users are vulnerable to serious attacks — when will Time Warner release a fix?

* Our take on this week’s news.

–> Stream This Week’s Show with our Built-In Flash Player:

–> Scroll down to see links and show notes for this week’s show

–> Stream, subscribe or download Episode 75 – Listen or subscribe to the feed to automatically get the latest episode sent to you to your Google, Yahoo, iTunes, or other popular sites.

–>Tune into the show directly on iTunes, you can also subscribe to the program on iTunes.

–> A simple way to listen to the show from with stricter firewalls: Listen from Odeo. This site works better if you are behind a more restrictive enterprise firewall.

Please visit our sponsors, and be sure to let them know you heard about them on The Data Security Podcast:

• Vipre Anti-Virus, the complete Antimalware solution by Sunbelt Software. If you TRY the enterprise version, you get the home version for FREE! Go to: http://www.testdrivevipre.com .

• GamaSec Web App Scans: Spots cyber-hazards on your web site, and has advanced zero-day protection. GET YOUR FREE BASIC WEB APP SCAN, plus a special offer just for listeners to The Data Security Podcast. Go here to sign up, and add the offer code: Podcast.

• SonicWall;  Get the super fast UTM firewall that’s rated Five Stars (the Best rating) by Secure Computing Magazine.  Data Clone Labs is the premier SonicWall Medallion Partner for all your security needs.

• DeviceLock; Software that controls, manages and helps encrypt USB drives and other removable media. Get a free trial on their site, and be sure to let them know you heard about them on The Data Security Podcast.

Show Notes for Episode 75 of the Data Security Podcast

Time Warner-supplied SMC cable modems: Open for Exploit?

* Conversation:  Ira talks with David Chen of Pip.io with an update on the critical vulnerabilities he discovered in a batch of Time Warner cable modems (made by SMC). TW now acknowledges the flaw, and they have made statements elsewhere that a fix is being deployed. David Chen tells us that as of this past weekend the vulnerabilities remain.  Both David Chen and The Data Security Podcast have attempted to get an update on a fix. Time Warner cable has not replied to written requests from David Chen, or from this program.  David Chen is blogging with recommendation on how he thinks Time Warner Cable could mitigate these flaws… see his latest blog here.

* Tales From The Dark Web: Retail gift cards are potentially vulnerable to attacks. One that jumps out: web application attacks. Read the entire report by Corsaire.

* From Our Take on The News: Jurors are using smartphone from the jury box and the deliberation room – potentially putting trial outcomes into jeopardy.

* From Our Take on The News: Treasury Strategies Sees Possible Bank Failures Due to Fraud Losses

* The Kicker: Long Island Teen Uses Hidden Video to Catch a Thief

30 minutes every week on data security, privacy, and the law…..(plus or minus ten)

On this week’s program:

* Now the bad guys are holding computer files for ransom if you don’t buy their phony anti-virus software. We have a workaround.

* Midyear elections are coming up, and the last thing the campaigns seem to think about is data security.

* Our take on this week’s news.

–> Stream This Week’s Show with our Built-In Flash Player:

–> Scroll down to see links and show notes for this week’s show

–> Stream, subscribe or download Episode 74 – Listen or subscribe to the feed to automatically get the latest episode sent to you to your Google, Yahoo, iTunes, or other popular sites.

–>Tune into the show directly on iTunes, you can also subscribe to the program on iTunes.

–> A simple way to listen to the show from with stricter firewalls: Listen from Odeo. This site works better if you are behind a more restrictive enterprise firewall.

Please visit our sponsors, and be sure to let them know you heard about them on The Data Security Podcast:

• Vipre Anti-Virus, the complete Antimalware solution by Sunbelt Software. If you TRY the enterprise version, you get the home version for FREE! Go to: http://www.testdrivevipre.com .

• GamaSec Web App Scans: Spots cyber-hazards on your web site, and has advanced zero-day protection. GET YOUR FREE BASIC WEB APP SCAN, plus a special offer just for listeners to The Data Security Podcast. Go here to sign up, and add the offer code: Podcast.

• SonicWall;  Get the super fast UTM firewall that’s rated Five Stars (the Best rating) by Secure Computing Magazine.  Data Clone Labs is the premier SonicWall Medallion Partner for all your security needs.

• DeviceLock; Software that controls, manages and helps encrypt USB drives and other removable media. Get a free trial on their site, and be sure to let them know you heard about them on The Data Security Podcast.

Show Notes for Episode 74 of the Data Security Podcast

* Conversation:  Ira talks with Gretchen Hellman, VP of Marketing for Vormetric about information security, the security issues with the new GOP web site, and election campaign security.

* Tales From The Dark Web:  Watch the video by PandaSecurity that demonstrates a damaging new fake anti-virus that denies access to files and applications on victim systems unless a ransom is paid. The link below takes you to a video of the attack, and we have posted the keys to defeat the current variant of lock out.  If you work in IT/InfoSec please write an email to users with a warning, include the keys to unlock the software, and have the end user re-image their hard drive.

Rogueware with new Ransomware Technology

Click here to view the Rogueware with new Ransomware Technology™ video. The video comes to us from Panda Security.  Take note that the malware icon disappears from the computer, and when it does, the attack is in place.  If you have a system that is infected with this attack, Panda has cracked the malware and has provided a list of working keys, which give access to the current variants of the TotalSecurity2009 attack:

WNDS-TGN15-RFF29-AASDJ-ASD65
WNDS-U94KO-LF4G4-1V8S1-2CRFE
WNDS-6W954-FX65B-41VDF-8G4JI
WNDS-G84H6-S854F-79ZA8-W4ERS
WNDS-TTUYJ-7UO54-G561H-J1D6F
WNDS-A1SDF-6AS4D-RF5RE-79G84
WNDS-A1SDF-RY4E8-7U98D-F1GB2
WNDS-5SRTS-AEHUF-YA54S-D6F35
WNDS-P9685-4H41A-DSW3A-2R64T
WNDS-2AE32-1VFC2-B6894-G67YU
WNDS-4TS8R-D6F5D-4JH8T-U4JK5
WNDS-FGS5D-649RG-4S53D-412SF
WNDS-452S3-ER00F-TSE35-S8FSD
WNDS-SERFH-2642S-F04SD-64FG1
WNDS-F40SA-1ER5H-4FG5D-F8412
WNDS-5D1V2-XB0D5-JT1TY-97DS3
WNDS-4BGY2-JY4KO-IT98Y-7HJ43
WNDS-G8FB6-1V87S-DRT1S-63SRG
WNDS-HFVDR-9844O-U54DA-5TBSC
WNDS-89OF7-7324R-5SAD4-TG68U
WNDS-JUYH3-24GHJ-HGKSH-FKLSD

* From Our Take on The News:  Danger Will Robinson! Danger! Additional insiders have stepped forward to shed more light into Microsoft’s troubled acquisition of Danger, its beleaguered Pink Project, and what has become one of the most high profile Information Technology disasters in recent memory. 

30 minutes every week on data security, privacy, and the law…..(plus or minus ten)

On this week’s program:

* Polymorphic malware – every time it attacks it has a new signature.

* The balance on your bank account looks find, too bad all your money’s gone.

* Our take on this week’s news.

–> Stream This Week’s Show with our Built-In Flash Player:

–> Scroll down to see links and show notes for this week’s show

–> Stream, subscribe or download Episode 72 – Listen or subscribe to the feed to automatically get the latest episode sent to you to your Google, Yahoo, iTunes, or other popular sites.

–>Tune into the show directly on iTunes, you can also subscribe to the program on iTunes.

–> A simple way to listen to the show from with stricter firewalls: Listen from Odeo. This site works better if you are behind a more restrictive enterprise firewall.

Please visit our sponsors, and be sure to let them know you heard about them on The Data Security Podcast:

• Vipre Anti-Virus, the complete Antimalware solution by Sunbelt Software. If you TRY the enterprise version, you get the home version for FREE! Go to: http://www.testdrivevipre.com .

• GamaSec Web App Scans: Spots cyber-hazards on your web site, and has advanced zero-day protection. GET YOUR FREE BASIC WEB APP SCAN, plus a special offer just for listeners to The Data Security Podcast. Go here to sign up, and add the offer code: Podcast.

• SonicWall;  Get the super fast UTM firewall that’s rated Five Stars (the Best rating) by Secure Computing Magazine.  Data Clone Labs is the premier SonicWall Medallion Partner for all your security needs.

• DeviceLock; Software that controls, manages and helps encrypt USB drives and other removable media. Get a free trial on their site, and be sure to let them know you heard about them on The Data Security Podcast.

Show Notes for Episode 72 of the Data Security Podcast

* Conversation:  Ira talks about a dangerous new twist to the banking attacks Yuval Ben-Izhak the CTO of security company Finjan. Here is the link to the Finjan Report on the new Zeus bank Trojan mentioned in the segment.

* Tales From The Dark Web: Polymorphic malware – every time it attacks it has a different signature.  That means you anti-virus won’t recognize it.  Ira talked about the presentation at ISACA Security and Risk Conference by Stuart Staniford, the Chief Scientist at FireEye.  Read the related Anti-Phishing Working Group paper on the topic.

* From Our Take on The News:  From Wired.com – Probe Targets Archives’ Handling of Data on 70 Million Vets

* From Our Take on The News:  Secure Flight Program by the TSA. EPIC (The Electronic Privacy Information Center) follows the surveillance and profiling of airline passengers. Their most recent post on the TSA “Secure Flight” program was in 2007, when the organization recommended that “secure flight should be grounded” due to privacy concerns. The program is now being expanded to require airline passengers to provide their date of birth when they purchase an airline ticket.  See: http://epic.org/privacy/airtravel/secureflight.html

Reporting from the ISACA Security and Risk Management Conference in Las Vegas, we have breaking security news this morning.

Organized cyber criminals have added a new damaging element to an already viscous cyber attack. Yuval Ben-Itzhak, CTO of Finjan spoke by phone with the Data Security Podcast about a frightening new twist to the surge of bank account stealing Trojan attacks.

First some background: This news program, and other media outlets, have been reporting in the last few months about a wave of bank account Trojans that have been stealing money from small and medium sized businesses, and local governments. Theses well organized cyber criminals have been combining web drive-by attacks, with unauthorized electronic funds transfers. The cyber criminals then use innocent money mules to launder the money. The mules are typically lured into popular “make cash at home” schemes.

A construction company in Maine lost $588,000 from a recent attack, and they are now suing their bank. It’s important to note that while consumers generally have 60 days to “unwind” an unauthorized electronic funds transfer, businesses accounts are only protected if the bank is alerted within 48 hours of an unauthorized transfer. On The Data Security Podcast earlier this week, we interviewed the lawyer representing the construction company that suffered the $588,000 loss, see link below.

The Data Security Podcast can now report a dangerous new element to these attacks. Ben-Izthak tells the Data Security Podcast that Finjin security researchers have seen the cyber criminals actually alter the “account view” online screens that a victim sees. Of course the altered screen views do not show suspicious transactions. This means that a business will probably lose the chance to catch unauthorized transactions within the 48 hour window.

Here’s the process – The business uses a computer(s) to do online business banking, and uses that same computer to do web activities, email, and other standard business internet tasks. The attackers use those normal internet activities to plant a version of Zeus banking Trojan onto the business computer systems. These attacks are designed to by-pass most firewalls and many popular anti-virus programs.

The Trojan captures log-in info, challenge question/answers, and account numbers, right from the business computer systems…all the info the criminals need to conduct unauthorized electronic funds transfers.

Here’s the new twist: The attackers are now altering the web screens that display business account information. The bank’s computers are not altered, but rather the business customer’s view of their own accounts, as seen from their own computers. This is known in security-speak as an integrity attack: when authorized persons are unable to trust the accuracy of their own information

Ira Victor, Co-Host of The Data Security Podcast, is covering the ISACA Las Vegas Conference and had an exclusive sit-down interview with well-known data security researcher and penetration testing expert ‘Famous Peter Woods’ (as he is known), about this new attack.  Peter Woods is the COO of First Base, a security company in the UK.  Mr. Woods is also a keynote speaker at the conference.

Peter Woods characterized this new variation of the Zeus bank Trojan “as a disaster.”  Mr. Woods recommended that business engage is a serious round of new user awareness training. When we asked Mr. Woods about technical counter-measures the banks could undertake, he questioned the willingness of many banks to invest in counter-measures that would truly be effective against these types of attacks. He thought that many banks would be more likely to add new legal disclosures in an attempt to indemnify themselves from financial loss.

Indeed, some banks are now putting new warnings on their web sites that encourage customers to “update anti-virus” and to “update system-patches.” Other speakers at the ISACA conference in Las Vegas generally agree that while that those measures are good for stopping certain attacks, they are mostly insufficient to thwart these newer types of attacks.

In Data Security Podcast Episode 71, Samantha Stone has an eye-opening interview with the attorney of the Maine construction company that lost $588,000 in a cyber attack, and is suing their bank. The cause of action? The plaintiff claims the bank breached it fiduciary duty when it failed to protect against the loss of the $588,000.  We suspect that a variant of  the Zeus banking Trojan attack was used to steal the money.

Be sure to listen to subscribe to our RSS feed and listen Data Security Podcast Episode 72. When that show posts, it will include our interview with Yuval Ben-Yitzhak of Finjan. Here is the link to the Finjan Report on the new Zeus bank Trojan.