Latest News

My latest ramblings.
Enjoy! I definitely got important things to say

Update on CMMC

April 22, 2020/0 Comments/in News /by Jeffrey Grim

Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC)

The CMMC space is still evolving. All definitive guidance is solely from Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment. The CMMC Accreditation Body has not fully established the C3PAO or certification processes. LP3 nor others can claim to provide CMMC certifications nor do we or others can promise certifications.

LEVERAGE YOUR NIST 800-171 COMPLIANCE FOR CMMC CERTIFICATION ROADMAP

Since CMMC version 1 has been released and is based on NIST 800-171, LP3 will do a fixed cost 800-171 assessment to include a System Security Plan (SSP) and a Plan of Actions & Milestones (POA&M) with a roadmap based on CMMC version 1 on the estimated level of effort to achieve compliance.

Be assured without the CMMC certification as part of your acquisition record (similar to DUNS and CAGE#) you will NOT be qualified to bid or receive Government Contracts as a Prime or a Sub. Let LP3 make the unknown known!

Why CMMC – Under Secretary of Defense Ellen Lord

Statement from Under Secretary of Defense Ellen Lord:

“Since I introduced the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification model last year, I have consistently stressed the importance of communicating and engaging extensively with industry, academia, military services, the Hill and the public to hear their concerns and suggestions. The purpose of this communication was, and still is, to ensure everyone fully understands the intent, process and requirements of CMMC to fight the very real threats that drive us to require rigorous cybersecurity.

Unfortunately, the Department has learned that some third-party entities have made public representations of being able to provide CMMC certifications to enable contracting with DoD. The requirements for becoming a CMMC third-party assessment organization (C3PAO) have not yet been finalized, so it is disappointing that some are trying to mislead our valued business partners. To be clear, there are no third-party entities at this time who are capable of providing a CMMC certification that will be accepted by the Department. At this time, only training materials or presentations provided by the Department will reflect our official position with respect to the CMMC program. I have also reached out to the presidents of the PSC, AIA and NDIA industry associations to make them aware as well, and they remain connected with my CMMC team.

Moving forward I am confident we will soon sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification Accreditation Body on the accreditation, certification and approval processes relating to the Defense Supply Chain. When that happens we will make an announcement.”

“The theft of intellectual property and sensitive information undermines our nation’s defense posture and economy. Global costs last year are estimated at $600 billion, with an average cost per American of $4,000.” Katie Arrington Chief of Information Security for Acquisition, Department of Defense

DoD Contractors

(Organizations Seeking Certification – OSC)

There are more than 300,000 vendors in the supply chain to the DoD, each of which will require assessment.

Organizations Seeking Certification include:

Prime Contractors
Subcontractors
In short, every organization that sells or services the Department of Defense

Facts.

Prime contractors and subcontractors must be certified under CMMC standards to any one of five levels. The highest levels are reserved for organizations exposed to the most sensitive information.
The implementation rollout will begin 1 September 2020, and take up to 5 years.
If a contract requires CMMC certification it will be listed in the Request For Proposal (RFP) Sections C and L.
The CMMC-AB will provide the standard for applying the model and certify trainers who will train assessors.
The CMMC-AB will provide an online marketplace where organizations can find an available, qualified C3PAO.
A certification will last 3 years, provided there are no incidents or other triggers inducing a second look at an organization.

But wait. We are just getting started.

Come back here often for detail and sign up below for alerts and emails.

There is much to come, we will provide information as we build it.

The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (OUSD(A&S)) (LINK)

https://www.acq.osd.mil/cmmc/index.html

The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (OUSD(A&S)) recognizes that security is foundational to acquisition and should not be traded along with cost, schedule, and performance moving forward. The Department is committed to working with the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) sector to enhance the protection of controlled unclassified information (CUI) within the supply chain.

OUSD(A&S) is working with DoD stakeholders, University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs), Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDC), and industry to develop the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC).

The CMMC will review and combine various cybersecurity standards and best practices and map these controls and processes across several maturity levels that range from basic cyber hygiene to advanced. For a given CMMC level, the associated controls and processes, when implemented, will reduce risk against a specific set of cyber threats.

The CMMC effort builds upon existing regulation (DFARS 252.204-7012) that is based on trust by adding a verification component with respect to cybersecurity requirements.

The goal is for CMMC to be cost-effective and affordable for small businesses to implement at the lower CMMC levels.
The intent is for certified independent 3rd party organizations to conduct audits and inform risk.

See The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (OUSD(A&S)) site for more details.

The CMMC contains five levels ranging from basic hygiene controls to state-of-the-art controls, but unlike NIST 800-171, the CMMC will not contain a self-assessment component.

Every organization that plans to conduct business with the Department of Defense will be required to undergo an audit by an authorized auditing entity before bidding on a contract or subcontracting to a prime.

Glossary

Accreditation – The process of issuing Licenses and Certificates.

Accreditation Body Board of Directors – The board of directors is the governing body of a nonprofit. Individuals who sit on the board are responsible for overseeing the organization’s activities. Directors meet periodically to discuss and vote on the affairs of the organization. The board of directors, as a governing body, should focus on the organization’s mission, strategy, and goals as defined in the bylaws.

Advisory Councils – Advisory Councils operate at the discretion of, but independently from the board, to inform and advise the board from the perspective of the Advisory Council’s membership. The advisory council’s leaders participate in the board as a non-voting member.

Affiliates – Business concerns, organizations, or individuals that control each other or that are controlled by a common third party. Control may consist of shared management or ownership; common use of facilities, equipment, and employees; or family interest.

Assessment – Formal process of assessing the implementation and reliable use of issuer controls using various methods of assessment (e.g., interviews, document reviews, observations) that support the assertion that an issuer is reliably meeting the requirements of a standard. In the context of CMMC, Assessments are performed against the requirements set forth in the CMMC for the OSC’s desired CMMC Level. Source: NIST SP 800-79-2 (adapted)

Assessor – A person who has successfully completed the background, training, and examination requirements as outlined by the CMMC-AB and to whom a License has been issued. Assessors are not CMMC-AB employees.

Asset Owner – A person or organizational unit (internal or external to the organization) with primary responsibility for the viability, productivity, security, and resilience of an organizational asset. For example, the accounts payable department is the owner of the vendor database. Source: RMM

Association – The process of linking an Assessor’s License Number with the License Number of a C3PAO.

Audit – Independent review and examination of records and activities to assess the adequacy of system controls, to ensure compliance with established policies and operational procedures, and to recommend necessary changes in controls, policies, or procedures. Source: NIST SP 800-32

Certified 3^rd Party Assessment Organization (“C3PAO”) – An Entity with which at least two Assessors are Associated and to which a License has been issued.

Certificate – A Record issued to an OSC upon successful completion of an Assessment which evidences the CMMC Level against which the OSC has been successfully assessed.

Certification – The process of receiving a Certificate.

CMMC – The set of standards initially defined by the DoD against which an OSC is to be Assessed.

CMMC Certified Organization – An Organization whose cybersecurity program has received a CMMC Certificate from the CMMC-AB.

Compliance – Verification that the planned cybersecurity of the system is being properly and effectively implemented and operated, usually through the use of assessments / audits. Source: CMMC

Control – The methods, policies, and procedures—manual or automated—used by an organization to safeguard and protect assets, promote efficiency, or adhere to standards. A measure that is modifying risk. (Note: controls include any process, policy, device, practice, or other actions which modify risk.) Source: NISTIR 8053 (adapted)

CUI (Controlled Unclassified Information) – Information that requires safeguarding or dissemination controls pursuant to and consistent with the law, regulations, and government-wide policies, excluding information that is classified under Executive Order 13526, Classified National Security Information, December 29, 2009, or any predecessor or successor order, or the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended. Source: E.O. 13556 (adapted)

Cybersecurity – Prevention of damage to, protection of, and restoration of computers, electronic communications systems, electronic communications services, wire communication, and electronic communication, including information contained therein, to ensure its availability, integrity, authentication, confidentiality, and nonrepudiation. Source: NSPD-54/HSPD-23

Defense Supply Chain (“DSC”) – The worldwide industrial complex that enables research and development, as well as design, production, delivery, and maintenance of military weapons systems, subsystems, and components or parts, to meet U.S. military requirements. DSC was substituted for Defense Industrial Base to reflect more specifically the base subject to CMMC assessments.

Digital Signature – An electronic file which is used to authenticate other electronic files and to encrypt files at rest and/or in motion.

Dispute – A formal process managed by the CMMC-AB through which an Assessor and an OSC can seek resolution of a disagreement over the Assessment results.

Dispute Adjudicator – A CMMC-AB employee who is responsible for reviewing and resolving a Dispute.

Educator – CMMC-AB employees who are tasked with educating and testing prospective and current Trainers.

Entity – A legal non-person Organization duly created and maintained under the laws of one or more jurisdiction, including without limitation corporations, limited liability partnerships, limited liability companies, and governmental agencies but excluding unincorporated Organizations such as, without limitation, partnerships.

FCI (Federal Contract Information) – Federal contract information means information, not intended for public release, that is provided by or generated for the Government under a contract to develop or deliver a product or service to the Government, but not including information provided by the Government to the public (such as on public Web sites) or simple transactional information, such as necessary to process payments. Source: 48 CFR § 52.204-21

License – A document issued to an Assessor, C3PAO, or Trainer, as appropriate, entitling them to perform their duties with respect to the CMMC-AB as further outlined below.

License Number – A unique identified linked to each Assessor, C3PAO, and Trainer.

Organization – An entity of any size, complexity, or positioning within an organizational structure (e.g., a federal agency, or, as appropriate, any of its operational elements). Source: CMMC

Organization Seeking Certification (OSC) – The Organization that is going through the CMMC assessment process to receive a level of Certification for a given environment. Source: CMMC

Record – A physical document, electronic file, entry in an electronic database, or the like.

Trainer – A person Licensed to provide Training to prospective and current Assessors. The Trainers are not CMMC-AB employees.

Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification Version 1 (LINK to PDF)

5 Benefits of External and Internal Penetration Testing

October 3, 2019/0 Comments/in Tips /by Jeffrey Grim

As network technologies and application features evolve at an ever-increasing rate, so too have the associated security vulnerabilities. But have our efforts to identify these vulnerabilities kept pace? Has security external and internal penetration testing evolved since its origin in the seventies? How have we changed our security testing approach, tools and methodology to meet the challenges of the changing threat landscape? To answer those questions, we’ll need to understand penetration testing.

What is penetration testing?

Penetration testing is different from vulnerability scanning. A vulnerability scan is used to identify, rank, and report vulnerabilities while a penetration test is used to exploit vulnerabilities or otherwise defeat the security controls and features of a system. Penetration testing is an authorized and proactive effort to assess the security of an IT infrastructure by carefully running tests to exploit vulnerabilities of the system, comprises in an operating system, misconfigurations, service errors, and even unsafe end-user behaviors. These evaluations help confirm the effectiveness of defensive mechanisms and adherence of end-users to security procedures. There are typically two types, External and Internal.

Penetration testing is conducted externally and attempts to exploit critical vulnerabilities that could be exploited by an adversary to remotely compromise client networks disrupting business operations, destroying data, or stealing sensitive information.

An internal penetration test always assumes that you have internal network access. It can provide valuable insight if you are worried that a rogue employee could try to access data that they’re not authorized to view. Internal penetration tests can also tell you how much damage an intruder could do if one of your employees mistakenly opens an attachment on a phishing email, or how far a visitor to your site could get by plugging their laptop into the local network.

Finally it is important to note that Internal Penetration testing is different from Internal Vulnerability Scanning. An Internal Vulnerability Scan, sometimes referred to as a Credentialed Scan, is used to identify, rank, and report vulnerabilities while a penetration test is used to exploit vulnerabilities or otherwise defeat the security controls and features of a system. This will provide additional analysis of business risk and can be used to assist risk mitigation investment decisions. Using both approaches provides a better analysis of business risk and can be used to make better risk mitigation investment decision. Internal Vulnerability Scanning will be covered a future post, so stay tuned!

Who needs Penetration Testing?

The goal of professional or amateur hackers is to steal information from your corporation. They may be after money or simply seek to sabotage your company. If you think about it, one single incident of system downtime can make a huge impact on your company’s reputation. Your business partners or customers may think twice about the security of their relationship with your company.

You may think a Windows® firewall and regularly updating your password is enough to ensure your security. Sadly that is not enough. Highly skilled hackers can get into your system easily and get all necessary information from you without you even knowing it.

Any company, corporation, or organization that relies on IT should have their system security tested regularly and update their security features to prevent the negative effect of system downtime and illegal hacking.

Penetration Testing – The Benefits

There are numerous benefits of employing penetration testing.

1. Detect and arrange security threats

A penetration test (pen test) estimates the ability of an organization to defend its applications, networks, users and endpoints from internal and external attempts to dodge its security controls to achieve privileged or unapproved access to protected assets. Pen test results confirm the threat posed by particular security vulnerabilities or faulty processes, allowing IT management and security experts to arrange remediation efforts. Organizations can more efficiently anticipate emergent security threats and avoid unauthorized access to crucial information and critical systems through executing regular and complete penetration testing.

2. Meet monitoring necessities and evade penalties

IT departments address the overall auditing/compliance facets of procedures such as HIPAA, SARBANES – OXLEY, and GLBA, and report testing necessities recognized in the federal NIST/FISMA and PCI-DSS commands. The complete reports produced by the penetration tests can assist organizations in evading substantial penalties for non-compliance and let them illustrate ongoing due diligence into assessors by maintaining required security controls to auditors.

3. Circumvent the rate of network downtime

Recuperating from a security flaw is expensive. Recuperation may include IT remediation efforts, retention programs, and customer protection, legal activities, reduced revenues, dropped employee output and discouraged trade associates. Penetration testing supports an organization to evade these financial setbacks by proactively detecting and addressing threats before security breaches or attacks take place.

4. Protect customer loyalty and company image

Even a single occurrence of compromised customer data can destroy a company’s brand and negatively impact its bottom line. Penetration testing helps an organization avoid data incidents that may put the company’s reputation and reliability at stake.

5. Service disturbances and Security breaches are expensive

Security faults and any associated disruptions in the performance of applications or services may cause debilitating financial harm, damage an organization’s reputation, grind down customer loyalties, generate negative press, and incur unanticipated fines and penalties. Frequent employment of penetration testing avoids these expenses by the organization.

Penetration testing helps your organization avoid IT infrastructure invasions. It is better for your business to proactively maintain its security than to face extreme losses, both to its brand equity and to its financial stability.

Penetration testing should be carried out whenever there is a change in the network infrastructure by highly experienced experts who will scrutinize internet connected systems for any weakness or disclosure of information which could be used by an attacker to compromise the confidentiality, availability or integrity of your network.

If you would like more information, contact LP3. We will be glad to help you make an informed decision on penetration testing for your IT environment.

Jeff Grim is CTO/CISO of LP3 and provides enterprise cyber security architecture advice to government and commercial clients.

Impact of Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) on DoD Contractors

October 3, 2019/0 Comments/in News /by Jeffrey Grim

Overview

The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition & Sustainment (OUSD(A&S) is working with DoD stakeholders, University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs), Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDC), and industry to develop the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC).

The CMMC will review and combine various cybersecurity standards and best practices and map these controls and processes across several maturity levels that range from basic cyber hygiene to advanced. For a given CMMC level, the associated controls and processes, when implemented, will reduce risk against a specific set of cyber threats.
The CMMC effort builds upon existing regulation (DFARS 252.204-7012) that is based on trust by adding a verification component with respect to cybersecurity requirements.
The goal is for CMMC to be cost-effective and affordable for small businesses to implement at the lower CMMC levels.
The intent is for certified independent 3rd party organizations to conduct audits and inform risk.

Basic Facts about CMMC and how it will affect your Business

Taken from FAQ posted at: https://www.acq.osd.mil/cmmc/faq.html

CMMC stands for “Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification”. The CMMC will encompass multiple maturity levels that ranges from “Basic Cybersecurity Hygiene” to “Advanced”. The intent is to identify the required CMMC level in RFP sections L and M and use as a “go / no go decision.”

New Framework and Assessment process based on Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). CUI is information the Government creates or possesses, or that an entity creates or possesses for or on behalf of the Government, that a law, regulation, or Government-wide policy requires or permits an agency to handle using safeguarding or dissemination controls.

A CUI Registry provides information on the specific categories and subcategories of information that the Executive branch protects. The CUI Registry can be found at: https://www.archives.gov/cui and includes the following organizational index groupings:

Critical Infrastructure
Defense
Export Control
Financial
Immigration
Intelligence
International Agreements
Law Enforcement
Legal

Natural and Cultural Resources
NATO
Nuclear
Privacy
Procurement and Acquisition
Proprietary Business Information
Provisional
Statistical
Tax

Resources, including online training to better understand CUI can be found on National Archives’ website at https://www.archives.gov/cui/training.html

The DoD is planning to migrate to the new CMMC framework in order to assess and enhance the cybersecurity posture of the Defense Industrial Base (DIB). The CMMC is intended to serve as a verification mechanism to ensure appropriate levels of cybersecurity practices and processes are in place to ensure basic cyber hygiene as well as protect controlled unclassified information (CUI) that resides on the Department’s industry partners’ networks.

Version 1.0 of the CMMC framework will be available in January 2020 to support training requirements. In June 2020, industry should begin to see the CMMC requirements as part of Requests for Information.

The initial implementation of the CMMC will only be within the DoD.

The intent of the CMMC is to combine various cybersecurity control standards such as NIST SP 800-171, NIST SP 800-53, ISO 27001, ISO 27032, AIA NAS9933 and others into one unified standard for cybersecurity. In addition to cybersecurity control standards, the CMMC will also measure the maturity of a company’s institutionalization of cybersecurity practices and processes.

Unlike NIST SP 800-171, CMMC will implement multiple levels of cybersecurity. In addition to assessing the maturity of a company’s implementation of cybersecurity controls, the CMMC will also assess the company’s maturity/institutionalization of cybersecurity practices and processes.

Your organization will coordinate directly with an accredited and independent third party commercial certification organization to request and schedule your CMMC assessment. Your company will specify the level of the certification requested based on your company’s specific business requirements. Your company will be awarded certification at the appropriate CMMC level upon demonstrating the appropriate maturity in capabilities and organizational maturity to the satisfaction of the assessor and certifier.

The certification cost has not yet been determined. The cost, and associated assessment will likely scale with the level requested.

There is no Self-certification

We expect that there will be a number of companies providing 3rd party CMMC assessment and certification. An independent 3rd party assessment organization will normally perform the assessment. Some of the higher level assessments may be performed by organic DoD assessors within the Services, the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) or the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA).

Your certification level will be made public, however details regarding specific findings will not be publicly accessible. The DoD will see your certification level.

The duration of a certification is still under consideration.

If my organization is certified CMMC and your company is compromised, you will not lose your certification. However, depending on the circumstances of the compromise and the direction of the government program manager, you may be required to be recertified.

If your organization cannot afford to be certified, it does that mean your organization can no longer work on DOD contracts. The cost of certification will be considered an allowable, reimbursable cost and will not be prohibitive. For contracts that require CMMC you may be disqualified from participating if your organization is not certified.

**Even if your organization does not handle Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), all companies conducting business with the DoD must be certified. The level of certification required will depend upon the amount of CUI a company handles or processes.

All Subcontractors currently on a DoD Contract, will need to obtain CMMC.

The government will determine the appropriate tier (i.e. not everything requires the highest level) for the contracts they administer. The required CMMC level will be contained in sections L & M of the Request for Proposals (RFP) making cybersecurity an “allowable cost” in DoD contracts

The CMMC is intended to serve as a verification mechanism to ensure appropriate levels of cybersecurity practices and processes are in place to protect controlled unclassified information (CUI) that resides on the Department’s industry partners’ unclassified networks. CMMC audits by third party assessment organizations will not be applied to classified systems or environments. The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) will include CMMC assessments as part of their holistic security rating score.

If you would like more information, contact LP3. We will be glad to help you make an informed decision about the impact that DFARS has on your business or organization. For more information about our DFARS / CMMC compliance services, please visit our website.

Jeff Grim is CTO/CISO of LP3 and provides enterprise cyber security architecture advice to government and commercial clients.

Phishing Trips: Is Your Company Being Taken on One?

October 3, 2019/0 Comments/in Tips /by Jeffrey Grim

Back in the good old days when vacation time came around, the expression was “Gone Fishing.” Boy, how times have changed in this new age of technology and cyber hacking!

Phishing has nothing to do with the sport of fishing– it’s a critical element of Internet Technology. Phishing is a process where nefarious hackers attempt to steal your passwords with a purpose of fooling people into downloading malware.

Phishing is a process where nefarious hackers attempt to steal your passwords with a purpose of fooling people into downloading malware.

Phishing has become a critical problem for businesses of all sizes. In fact, recent statistics show that 93 percent of phishing emails now deliver some type of ransomware, malware or other type of cyber attack. The worst part of these phishing attempts is that people are easily baited and don’t even realize they’ve been had until the system is infected.

Cyber security experts suggest that phishing attacks come in all shapes and sizes, but usually target specific individuals within an organization, especially those who have access to sensitive corporate data.

Just recently, Verizon sent out a warning stating that as few as 10 phishing emails can have up to a 90-percent chance of reeling in a sucker. The problem is that most targets are not hi-tech gurus. They’re professionals in areas such as manufacturing, retail, real estate or other industries, but they’re unaware of the new bait and switch tactics taking place over the web. These folks often think they’re opening a trusted news channel, dating site or generic puppy training video when the boss isn’t looking – and what happens? Bang! They let malware, ransomware or a virus in.

What Do You Do?

So what should you and your staff be looking out for to stay safe? Here is a list of the most common phishing techniques:

1. Mass-Market Emails

The most common method of attack comes by tricking someone into thinking that email comes from a trusted source. The message and header seems familiar enough. It could say, “UPS is trying to deliver a package.” Or, “Hi remember me?” Or, “I’ve been trying to reach you.” I even got one recently that said, “Is this you?” Some attacks specifically target organizations and individuals while others rely on methods other than email to get inside.

2. Spear Phishing Is even More Pointed – Targeting You Personally

In general, phishing is about casting a wide net. Spear-phishing, like those in the recent Russian attacks in our election process, goes after specific targets. It makes sense to the cyber criminals: better to go after a select few organizations with money, resources and data than just sending out random emails hoping for a big catch. An attacker may target a government agency, or official, to steal state secrets or secretly control a state or national government official. They often succeed because the attackers carefully tailor information specific to the recipient or include a file name the target is interested in. One that recently worked contained a malicious Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) macro that contained malware called Seduploader.

3. Whaling: Phishing for The Biggest Catches

When the targets are an organization’s top executives it’s called “whaling.”The targets are: data, employee information, and cash that an executive has direct control over. Naturally, information stolen from an executive will be of higher value than that stolen from a regular employee.

This requires a little more work because the hacker needs to know who the intended victim communicates with and what the communication entails – customer issues, legal docs, or even privileged information from the C-suite. Attackers start innocently enough, using social engineering to gather specific information about the victim and the company before launching their harpoons.

4. Heard of BEC, Business Email Compromise? That’s A Hacker Pretending to Be The CEO

BEC scams and CEO email fraud targets key individuals, especially in the organization’s finance and accounting departments. By doing so, it seems an order is coming right from the top – tricking targets into initiating money transfers to unauthorized accounts. By monitoring an executive’s email activity for a period of time to learn about company processes and procedures, the attack email is made to look like it has come from a targeted executive’s account to a regular recipient. Looking important and urgent, it directs a wire transfer to the attacker’s bank account. The haul? Last year BEC scams accounted for more than $4.5 billion in actual and attempted losses.

5. Sending In The Clones

Clone emails are another clever way to fool employees and they work just as well as the originals. The body of the message looks exactly like a previous message, the only difference is the message has been traded for a malicious one. It may say “need to resend the original” or “this is an update” to explain why the victim was receiving the message again. The hope is familiarity will soothe the receiver into opening the communication without thinking too much about it. Spearphishers even clone websites with fake domains to make the scam more difficult to detect.

6. Over The Phone Phishing Becomes Vishing

Vishing is “voice phishing” using a phone. Typically, the target gets a voice message disguised as a communication from a financial institution asking you to call a specific number and enter your account or PIN number to continue. The voice on the other end belongs to a hacker via a voice-over-IP service. Apple tech support communications are a favorite, using the fear of being hacked to do actual hacking.

7. Spreading Poisonous Messages Is Called Snowshoeing

It’s hard to keep up with the terminology, much less the forms of attack. “Snowshoeing” or “hit-and-run” spam is pushing out messages via multiple domains and IP addresses, so each address has a low volume of messages to avoid spam filtering.

“Hailstorm”, another barrage campaign, works like snowshoeing except with a short time span seeking to outsmart anti-spam tools that filter and block future messages with mass volume in limited time spans. But, usually by then, the hackers are long gone.

Learn to Recognize Phishing Lures

Most ordinary users are not good at recognizing a phishing attack while a savvy one may be able to. But that risk is too great to just leave it hanging out there. Because of that, do a risk assessment gap analysis to make it easier for users to recognize the seriousness of malicious messages. Simple defenses like spam filters are not enough; your organization should consider the implementation of an internal awareness campaign and train your staff to recognize different types of attacks to strengthen security defenses.

One Final Word

Be careful. That email or attachment may look like it comes from a trusted source, but who you may see as a pal, may only see you as chum.

If you would like more information, contact LP3. We will be glad to help you make an informed decision on cyber security for your business or organization.

For more information about our Security Awareness Assessment and Training Services, please visit our website.

Scott Lawler is CEO of LP3 and provides enterprise cyber security architecture advice to government and commercial clients.

Top 5 Success Factors for Cybersecurity Management Programs

August 9, 2018/0 Comments/in Tips /by Scott Lawler

It is a common scenario: an employee is terminated from his job and while being escorted from the facilities he tries to take a backup of his work, or worse, of confidential corporate information. As a leader of the cyber security team it is your job to train, handle and check any type of cyber theft issue, including this one. And if you have planned well, you deal efficiently with cybersecurity management by ensuring your employee contract legally protects the company and allows it to confiscate backup media from employees leaving the building.

But what happens if this issue is not accounted for?

The the company could face serious threats and even possible loss of proprietary information.

This scenario is often a very tricky situation for companies that are not prepared with a cybersecurity management program (CMP). An employee could very well walk out of the facility with a backup of sensitive information, possibly even the latest product designs or any other information critical to the growth or the financials of the organization. It is a problem that many companies face and the solution is to implement a CMP to protect the company against cyber crimes of this nature.

Cybersecurity Management

If you fail to manage your cybersecurity issues, your security measures will fail and your organization will be compromised. With phishing, ransomware and so many other types of cybercrime out there, it is critical that businesses plan, create and execute effective cybersecurity management programs that work. When these programs are implemented and consistently managed, the organization’s sensitive information will be protected. We must always keep in mind that an intruder only needs one cybersecurity weakness to compromise the organization. It is your team’s responsibility to properly manage all the cyber security controls and settings of your business so situations like these do not occur.

We cannot underestimate the need to develop and implement an effective cybersecurity management program to encompass all possible weaknesses. But what is the solution? A good CMP starts by keeping in mind these five key points:

Identify and get support from the senior leaders of all departments.
Develop an organization-wide cybersecurity management program and submit it for endorsement by the CEO.
Create a cybersecurity management work plan to implement the policy.
Mandate a document review process to support ongoing cybersecurity policy and management.
Complete the basic cybersecurity framework first.

Final Thoughts

Cyber threats are a real issue and organizations of all sizes need to prepare for cyber attacks, both internal and external. It’s a matter of setting up all-encompassing cyber threat policies and then testing them against all possible scenarios. The principle behind effective cyber security management is to be prepared for all situations, including internal cyber threats.

If you would like more information, contact LP3. We will be glad to help you make an informed decision on cyber security for your business or organization.

Scott Lawler is CEO of LP3 and provides enterprise cyber security architecture advice to government and commercial clients.

Don’t Be An Accomplice To Cyber Criminals

July 30, 2018/0 Comments/in Tips /by Scott Lawler

Vulnerabilities, Phishing, Internet Privacy only relate to big business, right?

Well, we would have to say that you’re totally wrong. Cyber security is a problem for everyone, from the end user at home to the large organization. It is definitely something we all need to be concerned with. Don’t believe me! Well maybe you will after I show you how vulnerable most home computers, mobile phones, tablets, and any other device that connects to the Internet really are.

Yes, we all do the basics when it comes to cyber security. We usually run an antivirus program on our devices, but most of us have overlooked the internet router, a prime target for cyber criminals. Yes, the router is a way in. Unfortunately, you and your Internet provider probably don’t even think about it. Most people simply set up their router once and then forget about it. You never, ever think of the router, unless you begin to have internet problems.

VPNFilter

The latest malware, known as VPNFilter is targeting the lowly router – and it has already infected over half a million of them.

What is the purpose? Having access to all of these routers gives the hacker a huge botnet of connected devices he can control. A simple command could result in a flash memory deletion causing the router to become completely useless and prevent you from getting on the internet again – until you buy a new router that is.

But let’s say he doesn’t want to block you from the internet. Instead, he wants to spy on your activity, get access to your passwords, credit card numbers, etc. That is what he’s really after. And once the router is infected with this virus, it can be used for almost anything.

Making The Small Internet User An Accomplice

Of course, the biggest danger is making the small user an accomplice in a much larger cyber attack. The biggest danger is that a cyber attacker can use these large groups of connected devices to flood large corporate websites, bringing them offline. In fact, there was a case where the Mirai botnet managed to bring down entire internet services in several states of the US for most of the day. Router-based attackes can be so damaging that the FBI has started investigating – managing to shut down a server using the same VPNFilter malware that cyber criminals use to send commands to infected devices.

What Can We Do About This Cyber Attack?

Unfortunately, there is no real way to tell if your router has been infected. So far Linksys, Mikro Tik, TP-Link and Netgear routers have been hit by malware. But whether your brand of router is one of these or not, it is a good idea for you to take a few cyber security precautions.

Here’s what you can do:

Restart and Update Firmware

Restart the router. Although this will only temporarily disconnect from an infected network, it will give you enough time to update your firmware. You can find out how to update your firmware by going to the manufacturer’s website and going to the downloads section. By updating the firmware you apply the latest manufacturer fixes which secure it from the VPNFilter malware.

You will need your router’s serial number to get the proper firmware. Check on the underside or back side of your router for the make and serial number. Then you log into the administrator panel through your web browser and install the update. Look for the web address to the administrator panel in the instructions packaged with the router.

Normally, you should update router firmware every few months or so since routers do not perform an auto-update.

Change the Default Password

Most routers come with a default password or no password at all. The manufacturer does this on purpose because it helps consumers set up the router easily. Unfortunately, hackers also know the default passwords. Look up the instructions to find out how to change the password via the website offered by the manufacturer.

Turn Off Remote Access

Many routers allow you to access the administrative panel remotely via the internet. This is nice when you first set up the router but you want to turn it off so cyber criminals cannot access and they can also change the settings, especially if you are using the default password that comes with the router.

Do a Factory Reset

If you notice that the router is acting a little wonky and you have tried all of the above tips, do a factory to reconfigure everything from scratch. It is a hassle and it may not get rid of persistent malware but it will restore your device to its original setup allowing you to make necessary changes.

Bottom Line

If you think cyber security does not affect you simply because you only use the internet at home, you would be wrong. Cyber security is something all Americans need to be on the lookout for. Just as you are alert to criminal activity in your neighborhood, you also need to watch out for cyber criminals who may be using your lowly router to build a powerful interconnected network and create havoc on the web.

If you would like more information, contact LP3. We will be glad to help you make an informed decision on cyber security for your business or organization.

Scott Lawler is CEO of LP3 and provides enterprise cyber security architecture advice to government and commercial clients.

Latest News

Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC)

Facts.

Glossary

What is penetration testing?

Who needs Penetration Testing?

Penetration Testing – The Benefits

1. Detect and arrange security threats

2. Meet monitoring necessities and evade penalties

3. Circumvent the rate of network downtime

4. Protect customer loyalty and company image

5. Service disturbances and Security breaches are expensive

Overview

Basic Facts about CMMC and how it will affect your Business

What Do You Do?

1. Mass-Market Emails

2. Spear Phishing Is even More Pointed – Targeting You Personally

3. Whaling: Phishing for The Biggest Catches

4. Heard of BEC, Business Email Compromise? That’s A Hacker Pretending to Be The CEO

5. Sending In The Clones

6. Over The Phone Phishing Becomes Vishing

7. Spreading Poisonous Messages Is Called Snowshoeing

Learn to Recognize Phishing Lures

One Final Word

Cybersecurity Management

Final Thoughts

VPNFilter

Making The Small Internet User An Accomplice

What Can We Do About This Cyber Attack?

Restart and Update Firmware

Change the Default Password

Turn Off Remote Access

Do a Factory Reset

Bottom Line

Interesting links

Pages

Categories

Archive