Beyond Network Security, Consider Disaster Recovery

Learn How to Keep IT Running When a Disaster Strikes

Disaster recovery has become a hot topic in the IT world. A University of Texas study found that 43% of companies experiencing a catastrophic data loss never recover and over half of them go out of business within two years. The Disaster Recovery seminar will cover key issues for companies to consider when they design their DR strategy.

Online Technologies Corporation, a managed data center operator, announces a free educational seminar on disaster recovery and electronic backup for CIOs and IT Managers. Online Technologies has partnered with UHY Advisors, Coretek Services, and Capricorn Diversified Systems, Inc. to deliver the seminar. The seminar will run from 10AM to 1PM on October 16^th, 2008 and will include lunch.

Online Technologies Corporation is the leading Michigan Data Center operator.

More on the seminar can be found at this Michigan Colocation site.

Automatic protections don't make you safer online

Automatic protections don't make you safer online, MSU researchers say: Threats to online privacy and security continue to plague Internet users, and the protections from Internet providers are only part of the answer, according to a national survey conducted by Michigan State University researchers. Professors Robert LaRose, Department of Telecommunication, Information Studies and Media, and Nora Rifon, Department of Advertising, Public Relations and Retailing, are co-directors of the survey sponsored by the National Science Foundation. Spam is the biggest problem, report 66 percent of Internet users, followed by spyware, cited by 42 percent; computer viruses, cited by 35 percent, and fraudulent e-mail or phishing attempts, reported by 34 percent. Nineteen out of 20 users have spam and virus protection. But 15 percent of the respondents have no protection against spyware, 28 percent have no defenses against phishing, and similar numbers are unaware of spyware or phishing defenses. Three-fifths of those surveyed use at least one of the default protections from their Internet provider, and a similar number update protections automatically.

However, those who use Internet service provider protections or automatic updates feel no safer than those who do not. "Those who set up their own protections regarding Web site verification receive less spam than those who rely on the Internet provider's protection and far less than those who don't have spam protection at all. It pays to do it yourself to avoid a false sense of security," LaRose said. "People who manually activate a scan of their system to look for updates and problems rather than letting the program automatically scan receive far fewer phishing e-mails and experience far fewer problems with spyware." While 87 percent of the respondents feel personally responsible for online safety to some degree, 66 percent are sometimes overwhelmed by the complexity of protecting themselves, and only about one in 10 users is confident that he or she can stay safe online. Only 40 percent of Internet users agree that online safety should be their sole responsibility, 74 percent assign responsibility to Internet providers, 75 percent to software companies and 47 percent to the government. And, many users still endanger themselves online by opening unexpected e-mail attachments (24 percent), clicking inside pop-ups (27 percent), clicking on links in e-mails (64 percent), failing to read the "fine print" before downloading files (72 percent) or registering at a Web site (58 percent). Fifteen percent of the respondents post personal information or pictures of themselves on sites that could be accessible to strangers. "Clearly there is a need for continuing user education. Online safety should be a required part of every computer literacy course," Rifon said. The survey was completed by 557 home Internet users contacted by phone in November and December of 2006. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percent. The fieldwork was completed by Schulman, Ronca, and Bucuvalas Inc. of Silver Spring, Md. Additional results can be found online at www.msu.edu/~isafety.

Wi-Fi Users, Beware: Hot Spots Are Weak Spots

From Wall Street Journal

Next time you are sitting in a hotel lobby checking email on your laptop, be careful: The "businessman" in the next lounge chair may be tracking your every move.

Many Wi-Fi users don't know that hackers posted at hot spots can steal personal information out of the air relatively easily. And savvy criminal hackers aren't settling for just access to credit cards, bank accounts and other personal financial information; they love to sneak into your company's network, too.

Whether you're using a Wi-Fi hot spot at a hotel, airport or cafe, "you've got to assume that anything you are doing is being monitored," says Shawn Henry, deputy assistant director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's cybercrimes division.

Home Wi-Fi networks are vulnerable, too, but it is far more fruitful for a hacker to pitch his tent in a busy hotel lobby or convention-center lounge where he can collect data from dozens of users. And Wi-Fi hot spots have proliferated, multiplying the potential targets for hackers. There were 66,921 hot spots in the U.S. last year, up 56% from 2006, according to advertising firm JiWire Inc. T-Mobile USA Inc. has 8,700 hot spots across the nation in such places as Starbucks and Borders Books & Music. AT&T Inc. has 10,000 hot spots in places like McDonald's, Barnes & Noble and Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.

Mr. Henry says businesses that offer Wi-Fi, like hotels, often don't know that their networks have been breached and many times don't report incidents they know about for fear of bad publicity. Users are frequently unaware they have been hacked. As a result, there aren't solid figures on the number of wireless-hacking incidents. But the FBI for several years has received reports from educational institutions, private security companies and other federal and local law-enforcement agencies about such attacks.

While the chances any one person will be hacked aren't high, the payoff for criminals can be great, says Tom Brennan, a manager for AccessIT Group, which assesses companies' security vulnerabilities.

In early 2006, when he was working for a different firm, Mr. Brennan helped a financial institution determine how its data network had been breached. An employee working on a laptop in Midtown Manhattan's Bryant Park used what he thought was a publicly available Wi-Fi signal to get Internet access. In fact, the signal he used had been set up by a hacker. When the employee reached his company's network, the hacker nabbed the employee's corporate user name and password.

Prosecutions involving wireless hacking have been few, though there have been some high-profile cases. In September, Max Butler, known on the Internet as "Iceman," was indicted on charges of wire fraud and identity theft. Mr. Butler allegedly went "war driving" -- searching for unprotected Wi-Fi networks -- and stole user names and passwords that gave him access to several banks' networks, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Mr. Butler hasn't entered a plea yet, and his lawyer declined to comment.

Doppelgängers

Hackers have an assortment of tools in their bags to filch your personal information.

Two popular methods are the "evil twin" and "man in the middle." Using either one, the hacker can monitor and record everything you do on the Web, including the input of credit-card numbers, user names and passwords. The hackers often sit or leave their equipment near other users but also can set up shop, say, out at the curb in a van.

A hacker might be able to completely take over the laptop, says Rick Farina, an engineer with AirTight Networks Inc., a wireless-security firm. The hacker can mine for vulnerabilities on your machine and search for user names and passwords. With access to your corporate user name and password, the hacker might be able to access your company's network to steal sensitive data.

The Bryant Park incident was an evil-twin attack; the hacker offered a wireless network posing as a legitimate signal. Once you're connected to the bogus network, everything you do on the Internet can be tracked.

In an evil-twin attack, the hacker might also direct users to a sham Web site, for example, one made to look like T-Mobile's. At that point, you're told to input credit-card information to purchase Wi-Fi access.

A man-in-the-middle attack is similar in that the hacker sets up a deceptive Wi-Fi signal. But once you connect to that, the hacker funnels you to the legitimate wireless network.

All of this happens behind the scenes undetected by the user. As a hacker, "the fact that you have come to me is 'Game over,' in most cases," says Amit Sinha, chief technology officer at AirDefense Inc, a Wi-Fi-security firm.

Some of the big Wi-Fi providers offer software that users can employ to protect themselves. T-Mobile offers a free download called HotSpot Connection Manager, which confirms that the user has connected to a genuine T-Mobile hot spot and not an evil twin. This extra layer of protection isn't mandatory to use T-Mobile's networks, and the company doesn't offer the software for Macs. Even with the added security, the company warns on its Web site, hot spots "may be subject to unauthorized interception and are not inherently secure."

Encryption Software

AT&T also offers a free download, called Connection Software, which offers authentication and encryption. It also has a feature that will automatically launch a virtual private network, or VPN, which is an encrypted means of sending data over the Internet that protects the data from interception. Many companies require use of a VPN for connection to the company network from a laptop. AT&T doesn't offer Connection Software for Macs.

Even with additional security, users shouldn't pass sensitive information over the Web at public hot spots. "It's the same thing as talking on a phone on a crowded bus, you probably don't want to give out your Social Security number," says Dennis Whiteside, vice president for broadband consumer marketing at AT&T.

Protecting Yourself

Stay current. Make sure your laptop is up to date. Don't use old versions of your operating system and Web browsers, says Mr. Sinha, of AirDefense. Keep your firewall, antivirus and antispyware software current, too.

Use a VPN. Virtual private networks can be set up for personal, as well as corporate, use. Do a Web search for "personal VPN" or try a software retailer. Karen Hanley, senior director of the Wi-Fi Alliance, a nonprofit industry trade group, says the chances of getting hacked using a wireless hot spot are slim. But "we need to remind people to practice safe computing."

Bank at home. Avoid conducting financial transactions at a hot spot. "Don't go sell your stocks or do any online banking," says David King, chief executive of AirTight Networks. Do all of your financial transactions at home, he says.

Name your home network. For your home network, don't use the generic name, called the SSID, that came with the wireless router, says Robert Richardson, director of the Computer Security Institute, an association of computer-security professionals. Hackers will often create Wi-Fi networks with names like "default" or "linksys" (named after a router manufacturer) because most laptops are configured to automatically connect to networks that they've used in the past.

Give Wi-Fi a rest. Turn off your laptop's Wi-Fi capabilities when you don't need to connect to the Internet. Most laptops search for Wi-Fi signals automatically and the connection stays open even if you don't boot up your Web or email application. If your laptop automatically connects to a Wi-Fi network run by a hacker, she might be able to search your computer for sensitive data, even information that would allow access to your company's network.

Wire up. John King, a 46-year-old engineer from Livermore, Calif., works for a company that mines computers for evidence in legal cases. He travels a lot for business and avoids Wi-Fi at hotels in favor of high-speed connections that plug into his laptop. He says he uses Wi-Fi to check email and stock listings if that's the only means available, but only if he's sure of the signal. "I won't go on a wireless access point that I'm not confident in," he says.

So You Think Your Wi-Fi Network is Secure?

Wi-Fi networks deliver tremendous benefits. They provide the ability to connect to the Internet almost anywhere at anytime. You can connect in your home, office, or the coffee shop without being tethered to a wall jack, and Wi-Fi is built into most laptop PC's.

Wi-Fi is also easy to set up if you don't think about security. Out of the box, you can quickly turn on your wireless network, and connect your without much effort. Without security however, everyone else can connect to your network with the same ease. If you don't take the steps to secure your wireless network everything you do over the wireless network can also be seen by hackers up to a mile away.

Who Needs Wireless Security?

One of the common reasons why users don't secure their Wi-Fi networks is that no one wants access to their network or that there is no important information on the network to worry about. Hacking is less about joy-riding on someone else's network and more about the financial payoff that can be gained by stealing confidential or personal information over the network. In fact, over half of cyber crimes are now committed over Wi-Fi networks, because they provide anonymity that wired networks don't provide.

With a poorly secured Wi-Fi network, a wireless hacker can read your email, see the websites you visit, and even access files on your system that aren't properly secured. Your e-mail username and password are easily picked off an unsecured Wi-Fi network when every time your email is updated. Once your e-mail account is compromised, it becomes very easy to gain personal identity.

Another common misconception is that Wi-Fi can only be accessed from 300 feet away. With a $50 antenna, a hacker can access your Wi-Fi network from a mile away, out of sight and undetectable.

War drivers looking for unsecured networks, locate and record Wi-Fi networks. They then share those locations on websites such as www.wigle.net for other war drivers and hackers to find and user those networks.

Why Are So Many Networks Unsecured?

While setting up a Wi-Fi network is easy, turning on security takes some technical expertise and the ability to understand terms like WEP, WPA, 802.1x, and EAP. While wireless equipment manufacturers provide access to these security parameters, very few of them make it easy to understand, or easy to set-up.

Wi-Fi Security for Dummies

There are 4 basic levels of Wi-Fi security: "Open" (unsecured), WEP, WPA-PSK, and 802.1X. Let’s walk through these techno-acronyms and explain these basic levels of security in less technical terms.

• "Open" is just that, open to all comers without any basic level of security. Like leaving your front door unlocked for anyone to enter, open networks are just a bad idea.

• WEP is the lowest level of security available on most Wi-Fi networks. Unfortunately, WEP have fundamental flaws that make it easy to hack and software on the Internet can crack WEP security in 10 minutes. WEP is equivalent to locking your screen door; it may keep your neighbor out, but it takes little effort to break in.

• WPA is the successor to WEP that is more difficult to crack. WPA is comparable to having a single lock on your front door, and giving a key to everyone you want to give access to. Keys can be shared or walked away with when someone leaves the network. The challenge with WPA is removing someone requires the entire network to be re-keyed and new keys re-distributed to valid users.

• "802.1X" is called enterprise-level security because it provides the highest level of Wi-Fi security available. 802.1X is widely deployed by Fortune 500 companies and eliminates the common key problem by providing a unique key for each valid user every time they enter the network. This is analogous to the room key used in hotels. Each authorized user gets a new unique key every time they enter the network valid only for the time they are on the network.

802.1x typically requires a RADIUS server, which takes training and some technical work to deploy and maintain. This put the highest level of Wi-Fi security out of reach for most small and mid-sized businesses because of implementation costs.

Products like WiTopia's SecureMyWiFi Business Edition addresses the need for small and mid-sized businesses to quickly and easily deploy strong Wi-Fi security. It can deliver 802.1x enterprise level security for small and midsize business that can be set up in less than 15 minutes without any wireless or security expertise.

It's important that wireless network users understand the dangers of unsecured networks, and properly secure their networks. Open (unsecured) and WEP are poor approaches to Wi-Fi security. WPA, while complex, offers a base level of security, and 802.1x offers the best security available. Businesses are best advised to use 802.1x through either RADIUS server or the more simplified approach that WiTopia offers.

How Secure is Your Wi-Fi Network Against War Drivers & Casual Network Intruders?

Did you know that your wireless Wi-Fi network can be accessed by hacker from over a mile away? With a laptop PC, Wi-Fi hackerware off the internet, and a $30 antenna, hackers can access your Wi-Fi network from much further away than your standard laptop can reach. If your network is unsecured or open, they have the capability to monitor every piece of information that is sent over the network, access your PCs, and if you're connected to a VPN, tunnel through to a corporate network.

War driving, the art of finding Wi-Fi networks, is becoming a popular game for many hackers. Armed with a PC, antenna, and GPS, hackers drive around their communities to locate wireless Wi-Fi networks, and can post them on popular war driving websites for all to access over the internet.

And finding unsecured networks is like shooting fish in a barrel:

Shipley, a computer security researcher and consultant, is demonstrating war driving. It doesn't take long to produce results. The moment he pulls out of the parking garage, the laptop displays the name of a wireless network operating within one of the anonymous downtown office buildings: "SOMA AirNet." Shipley's custom software passively logs the latitude and longitude, the signal strength, the network name and other vital stats After an hour, Shipley's black Saturn has crawled through rush hour traffic, and his jury-rigged wireless hacking setup has discovered eighty networks beaconing their location to the world.

http://www.securityfocus.com/news/8835

Walking down Yonge Street and Bay Street (heart of the Financial District in Toronto) one finds countless warchalking markings (warchalking refers to the "chalk marks" that people leave to indicate the proximity of open wireless networks). War driving, the act of looking for and using open, unsecure wireless networks is increasing with little-to-no legal action being taken. Until laws are set to deal with this, companies will need to deal with issues themselves.

http://www.enterpriseitplanet.com/security/features/article.php/3325971

Once wireless networks are identified by war drivers, they can be posted on numerous popular war driving websites. Many people are surprised to find out how easy it is to find their network up on a web site. To see if your network has been posted yet, try one of the more popular web sites:

http://www.wigle.net/gps/gps/GPSDB/onlinemap/

Type in your address & see what pops up.

When I put in my home address, my secure network wasn't found, but my neighbor's open Wi-Fi network was listed (unfortunately, his SSID was his last name) from the freeway which is over 1/2 mile from our house. His banking information and personal records were stored on his PCs on the network, and his POP3 e-mail account readily broadcast his username & password every time he received e-mail.

He has since secured his Wi-Fi network, but like many wireless users, he was under the misconception that because he couldn't get Wi-Fi access in his basement, hackers couldn't find his network. Not only did they find his network, they posted it on a web site along with the fact that it was not secured, the channel number, MAC ID, and the last time someone verified that it was still be open. Don't be a victim of hackers that want access to your personal & business information.