Government Executive - Authors - Judi Hasson

Dangerous Digits

Judi Hasson — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Now the threats are a lot more serious and a lot more difficult to fight.

Among the most serious information security threats are failing to consistently apply patches to systems and spear phishing attacks, in which a hacker sends an e-mail to a federal employee asking for personal, sensitive network information such as a user name and password.

A third type of threat is on the rise and now accounts for about a third of all successful cyberattacks on networks in the private and public sectors. It's called "invalidated inputs" or "input checking." To launch an invalidated input attack, a hacker types incorrect information into a text field on a government Web site. For example, to obtain a form, an agency might ask a user to type his or her age into a field appearing on the Web site. The application is expecting, in all likelihood, a double-digit number, say, 48.

But a hacker purposely types in more than two numbers, most likely a lot more numbers, and hides malicious code within that string of numbers. That code latches onto the software code that manages the release of information to users. The evil code could trick the government network into returning confidential information, including employees' financial records, Social Security numbers, health information or classified data.

It gets even more complicated on sites where people can type comments into a boxed text field. Any person can submit an answer that includes malicious code that could invade the system.

The government does not track -- at least in a public way -- the number of input-checking attacks that agencies have encountered. The threat is a big one, however. A 2006 study of 31,000 public and private sector sites by the Web Application Security Consortium, an international group of experts who develop security standards, found that 80 percent had been attacked by fake codes sent in by hackers.

Chances are your agency already has been hit by such an attack. If not, it's only a matter of time before it happens. The problem, security experts say, is most government and commercial codes are not as rigorous as they should be to prevent the false code from gaining entry. "Input validation flaws are built into the software," says Karen Scarfone, a computer scientist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. "In general, it is because software isn't written as securely as it should be."

One rule of thumb for IT security managers is to ensure that each field in a Web application accepts only those characters that would be expected for a particular request. For example, in a ZIP code field, the application should allow only the user to key in five numbers -- no more, no less. Responses for names and addresses could be limited to a certain length. Information security managers also could require that any input be run against a library of known answers, such as a database of ZIP codes and addresses, to confirm that the information is valid before accepting it into a system.

There is no magic bullet that will completely stop input checking, but security experts recommend that agency IT shops regularly scan applications for false messages. "This happens every day," says Bill Geimer, a program manager at the U.S. Agency for International Development. "Just check your inputs -- you will get a lot of your vulnerabilities fixed."

Computer experts say systems should be scanned every time something new is added to the server, such as a press release, an alert about a new program, an updated roster of executives or any new software installed from an outside vendor or built by the IT staff. Agencies should scan their sites once a month to spot fake code.

Some commercial off-the-shelf products can help find bad code. SPI Dynamics, an Atlanta-based Web application security firm that has nearly 100 federal, state and local government clients, sells a product called WebInspect, which security professionals use to test sites for corrupted code. The software starts at $6,000 for one Web server license, which allows users to install the software on multiple machines. But users can scan only one specific IP address.

Other steps that information security managers can take include:

Make sure programmers have the skills to write computer code that is so tight it can deter computer attacks.
Test new applications with a Web security device.
Be sure contracts with integrators include a specific clause for validating computer systems.
Test systems with fake attacks.
Vet every bit of data in your system.

Security firms and organizations continue to develop tools to fight input checking. The SANS Institute in Bethesda, Md., which provides cybersecurity training and manages the Internet Storm Center, planned to unveil an exam for programmers in August to make sure they know how to validate information submitted to agency Web sites. The exam, sponsored by the Software Security Institute, which is part of SANS, will be available to colleges and other institutions in January 2008.

These tools and processes are designed to prevent input checking, rather than find the malicious code after it has infiltrated a system, says Jeff Williams, chief information officer of Aspect Security in Columbia, Md., and chairman of the foundation of the Open Web Application Security Project. "Attackers try again and again and again," he says. "And eventually, they find a hole. We need to stop them much earlier."

Judi Hasson is a Washington-based freelance journalist covering government information technology.

]]>

Dangerous Digits

Judi Hasson — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Beware asking customers to type in data on the Web-the text fields can allow hackers to sneak malicious code onto your site.

This is the third in an occasional series on how to create a program that improves network security-without spending your entire working day doing it.

Security used to be pretty straightforward stuff: Apply the patches that software makers and security firms issued every week, and you could rest assured that you were 95 percent protected from hackers or viruses.

Now the threats are a lot more serious and a lot more difficult to fight.

It gets even more complicated on sites where people can type comments into a boxed text field. Any person can submit an answer that includes malicious code that could invade the system.

The government does not track-at least in a public way-the number of input-checking attacks that agencies have encountered. The threat is a big one, however. A 2006 study of 31,000 public and private sector sites by the Web Application Security Consortium, an international group of experts who develop security standards, found that 80 percent had been attacked by fake codes sent in by hackers.

One rule of thumb for IT security managers is to ensure that each field in a Web application accepts only those characters that would be expected for a particular request. For example, in a ZIP code field, the application should allow only the user to key in five numbers-no more, no less. Responses for names and addresses could be limited to a certain length. Information security managers also could require that any input be run against a library of known answers, such as a database of ZIP codes and addresses, to confirm that the information is valid before accepting it into a system.

There is no magic bullet that will completely stop input checking, but security experts recommend that agency IT shops regularly scan applications for false messages. "This happens every day," says Bill Geimer, a program manager at the U.S. Agency for International Development. "Just check your inputs-you will get a lot of your vulnerabilities fixed."

Make sure programmers have the skills to write computer code that is so tight it can deter computer attacks.
Test new applications with a Web security device.
Be sure contracts with integrators include a specific clause for validating computer systems.
Test systems with fake attacks.
Vet every bit of data in your system.

Judi Hasson is a Washington-based freelance journalist covering government information technology.

]]>

Dodging the Spear Phisher

Judi Hasson — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0400

What you don't know is that wasn't your trusted HR rep seeking your personal information. It was a hacker spear phishing -- employing a sophisticated cybercrime in an attempt to gain access to your organization's computer network and privileged information.

Simple phishing usually casts a wide net to steal identities by sending out a mass e-mail that claims to be from, say, eBay, PayPal, a bank or credit card company. Spear phishing, on the other hand, is much more targeted and much more personal. These e-mails are designed with you in mind, providing information that tricks you into believing that a legitimate source sent them. It could seem to be your trusted colleague, a manager from another business unit or agency office, or your boss.

The spear phisher uses information you provide to gain access to your account on a government system, then uses that access to hack into the entire network. The hacker not only can access files that you have access to, but can engage in widescale financial fraud, or steal military information, secret contract details or other proprietary data. The entry point might be an employee response to a bogus, but familiar-looking, e-mail that asks for key passcodes. Or the e-mail could ask the recipient to click on a link that downloads spyware that will allow the cyberthief an open door into the network.

Spear phishing is now one of the biggest vulnerabilities confronting information security executives in government and the private sector. The National Institute of Standards and Technology doesn't know (or won't tell) how many spear phishing attacks the federal government has suffered. But the chance that a spear phisher will target a federal worker and break into an agency network is likely increasing. Businesses had more than 55,000 phishing incidents in April alone, according to the Anti-Phishing Working Group in Cambridge, Mass. Financial services is the most targeted sector, as phishers look for ways to steal money from online accounts.

Spam filters, patches and firewalls are not very effective in stopping spear phishers. E-mail addresses are readily available. For example, the names and e-mail addresses of employees attending training conferences typically are listed on a conference's Web site or in printed conference materials. And providing aliases, such as a generic www.info@agency.gov, and then routing queries to the appropriate person inside the agency doesn't necessarily ward off phishers. Instead, aliases create another entry into the system.

IT managers contact employees who replied or opened an attachment and teach them what to look for in a fake e-mail. Mistakes sometimes are the best teachers, Paller says. He estimates that spear phishing attacks on government number only in the low hundreds, but says the threat should not be taken lightly. It takes only one successful attempt to create a lot of damage.

The most vigilant agencies, the minority, conduct penetration testing annually, but that's not enough to keep employees attentive. Security experts advise piggybacking spear phishing tests on regularly scheduled security tests, teaching workers each time what to avoid. It's important to conduct multiple tests to find the employees who reply to the fake e-mails.

The answers are recorded, and the names of employees who answered incorrectly are sent to their managers. Then managers follow up to provide one-on-one instruction about security threats. The daily online lesson is now part of the Office of Management and Budget's information security line of business, and other federal agencies can use it.

OMB required agencies to buy more secure applications starting July 1, making it more difficult to infect a system with malicious software if a person opens a bogus e-mail attachment. The requirement was part of OMB's June 1 memo requiring agencies to adopt standard security configurations for new computers by Feb. 1, 2008.

Core Security Technologies, a Cambridge, Mass.-based security firm, offers an e-mail program to teach workers how to avoid spear phishing. The program can be part of any defensive plan and requires workers to be tested repeatedly with fake attacks. Paul Paget, chief executive officer at Core Security, says about 15 percent of tested workers fail. The software costs $22,500 and resides on a supervisor's desktop.

Security experts suggest enforcing the following rules throughout an agency:

Report suspicious e-mail on a regular basis. Tell employees to call the information security office about suspicious e-mail and train them not to forward bogus e-mails.
Do not provide personal information, such as a password, a credit card number or any data that can be used to unlock an application or network, in reply to an e-mail.
Do not open any suspicious attachment.
When a spear phishing attack is successful, assess the damage and recover. Eradicating the malicious software is not easy. You must backtrack to a clean starting point on your system before it was corrupted.

Better security technology and programs to inoculate employees aren't foolproof, warns David Jevans, chairman of the Anti-Phishing Working Group. "There is no 100 percent way to prevent spear phishing," he says. But agencies can cut down on the chances that attacks will be successful. Train and retrain. Keep the rules for protecting systems and detecting an attack in front of employees as much as possible. That way, the next time it appears an officemate or boss has e-mailed a link to a great photo of Paris Hilton in jail, no one will be tempted to open it.

Judi Hasson is a Washington-based freelance journalist covering government information technology.

]]>

Dodging the Spear Phisher

Judi Hasson — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Protecting government data hinges on training employees not to take the bait.

This is the second in an occasional series on how to increase network security-without spending your entire working day doing it.

Your Human Resources department sends you an e-mail asking for your home address-again. And, oh, by the way, please verify your user name and password, too. "Gee," you think, "can't they keep their records straight?" You hastily type a reply and send it off.

What you don't know is that wasn't your trusted HR rep seeking your personal information. It was a hacker spear phishing-employing a sophisticated cybercrime in an attempt to gain access to your organization's computer network and privileged information.

The most effective defense is education, security experts say. Federal agencies must train computer users to spot fraudulent e-mails and resist replying to them. Educating includes "inoculation," or intentionally setting a spear phishing trap by sending out a false e-mail to a group of employees to see who takes the bait, according to Alan Paller, director of research at the SANS Institute of Bethesda, Md., which manages the Internet Storm Center and tracks cyberthreats. IT managers contact employees who replied or opened an attachment and teach them what to look for in a fake e-mail. Mistakes sometimes are the best teachers, Paller says. He estimates that spear phishing attacks on government number only in the low hundreds, but says the threat should not be taken lightly. It takes only one successful attempt to create a lot of damage.

Frequent testing is the inoculation strategy of information security managers at the U.S. Agency for International Development. When USAID employees log on each morning, a question appears on the monitor. The security questions are taken from a database of nearly 300 queries, such as "How frequently should you change your password?" and "Do you lock your PC if you leave your desk?" They test whether an employee can spot a spear phishing attack. The answers are recorded, and the names of employees who answered incorrectly are sent to their managers. Then managers follow up to provide one-on-one instruction about security threats. The daily online lesson is now part of the Office of Management and Budget's information security line of business, and other federal agencies can use it.

Security experts suggest enforcing the following rules throughout an agency:

Report suspicious e-mail on a regular basis. Tell employees to call the information security office about suspicious e-mail and train them not to forward bogus e-mails.
Do not provide personal information, such as a password, a credit card number or any data that can be used to unlock an application or network, in reply to an e-mail.
Do not open any suspicious attachment.
When a spear phishing attack is successful, assess the damage and recover. Eradicating the malicious software is not easy. You must backtrack to a clean starting point on your system before it was corrupted.

Judi Hasson is a Washington-based freelance journalist covering government information technology.

]]>