WannaCry

WannaCry – Keep Calm and Remember the Basics

cybersecurity, Network Security, Ransomware

The globe was recently hit by a massive ransomware campaign that stretched across 150 countries and infected tens of thousands of systems. The Russian Interior Ministry was affected, certain NHS hospitals were turning patients away and a few manufactures had to cease operations. Needless to say, this was a really big deal. Companies were left scrambling on Friday afternoon in attempts to make sure they weren’t the latest victim of the WannaCryptor 2.0, also known as WannaCry, malware from wreaking havoc in their network. This is the second iteration of this malware and it uses exploits previously found within leaked NSA hacking tools (ETERNALBLUE) that takes advantage of a bug within Windows SMBv1 protocol.

cyberattacks

Brain Power: Using The Neuromorphic Data Microscope for Cybersecurity Analysis

cybersecurity, Network Security

Digital computers and human brains have different strengths and weaknesses. If you give me a long list of arthimetic problems to solve, at some point I’ll slip up. “How did I get the wrong answer on that division problem? Oh yeah, I thought there was a 3 in the tens place of the dividend when it’s actually a 6. I’ve just been staring at all of these numbers for so long that I’m starting to get tired!” But CAPTCHAs are easy for me to use, and they somehow impede malicious web bots that try to break through authentication barriers.

Identity Management

Identity Management and Network Access Control

cybersecurity, Network Security, Staffing1 Comment

We hear about a new major security breach almost every week. Some of them rely on weak keys to do so. In the famous TJ Maxx breach, it is believed the hackers exploited a weak pre-shared key for Wifi. Had they been using WPA2-802.1x the key would have been infinitely stronger. This means the hackers would need to be in the same location for a longer period time and potentially dissuading them from continuing the hack. Even if they stuck around, it would have been obvious to staff that a car was lurking around for too long. Identity management would have helped to enable 802.1x and Radius, which generates unique keys and regenerates them in shorter intervals.

Malware

What You Must Know About Machine Learning Malware Analysis

cybersecurity, Network Security, Ransomware

We are in the post-signature era of antimalware software. Attackers are driven by the profit motive, and are also driven by a lust for power. About a decade ago, malware researchers determined that the amount of malicious files in the computing collective doubled every two years. Now, in a manner similar to Moore’s Law, the rate of malware growth is probably exponentially greater. Malware deployers aren’t only script kiddies who buy executables and crypters in the Dark Web. They’re also national militaries… Stuxnet anyone?