8/11/16 Weekly News Highlights, Vulnerabilities in Samsung Pay, Volkwagen locks, and Bluetooth doors, oh my!

Welcome back to Astria Horizon, your source for practical information news across the web. If you use Samsung Pay, our article today will inform you about a current vulnerability, as well as explain how to avoid the risks yourself. Plus major news in vulnerabilities in the remotes used to unlock Volkswagen vehicles from 1995-2016, and why you need to do some research before buying a Bluetooth door lock. Read on for our summaries of these articles.


1. CSO Online,"Samsung both denies and admits mobile payment vulnerability."

Last week's Black Hat security conference brought all sorts of presentations about vulnerabilities, and one that's caused a stir is in the contact-free payment method, Samsung Pay. According to CSO Online's article, security researcher Salvador Mendoza discovered a vulnerability in the payment method, where the data tokens from an unfinished transaction could be used to steal a victim's credit card for use on another contactless payment device. Samsung initially denied the vulnerability existed, but since has released a more detailed statement essentially saying that the attack is possible, but extremely unlikely.

The attack would require an attacker to be very near to the phone to access the NFC field of the phone, generally within inches. Small devices to read the tokens generated for payment can be created however, and even be designed to be worn around the wrist, hidden under a sleeve. The simplest way to prevent this type of theft if you use Samsung Pay is to simply be careful not to create any transactions you do not intend to finish. This prevents an unused token from being generating, and thereby leaves nothing for a cyber-criminal to steal. If you do end up starting a transaction without completing it, be sure not to let any strangers handle your phone. Keeping tabs on your device is one of the best countermeasures to this vulnerability.

2. Security Week, "Millions of Cars Vulnerable to Remote Unlocking Hack."

As cars become more and more integrated with software and new technology, new cyber-threats to our main method of transportation are bound to pop up. This article from Security Week however discusses a method of unlocking vehicles made as early as 1995, primarily by Volkswagon. It seems that the company uses very few encrypted codes to secure the signal to unlock their vehicles with a remote, and a thief who obtains this encryption could use it to recreate the signal sent from any remote to unlock VW vehicles within a 300 ft. radius. The newest VW vehicles are fortunately not affected by this vulnerability.

Other vehicles too were found to have weaknesses in their remote entry. HiTag2, another method of securing the signal to unlock cars with a remote, is found in vehicles made by Ford and Chevrolet, and has weaknesses of its own. The encrypted key needed to make sense of the signal for these models is based on a series of 4-8 rolling codes, which also could be obtained by a relatively unskilled hacker. The additional difficulty here is that the hacker would have to record the victim pressing the unlock button on the car several times, but even this is little challenge for a patient thief.

Unfortunately, with so many vulnerable vehicles on the market, it's unlikely that either of these will be patched for current vehicles. Fortunately the researchers have not publicly disclosed their findings, and so it is possible criminals will be unaware of how to perform these attacks. Still, the only way to entirely prevent it is unfortunately just to use the standard key to unlock your car.

3. Tech Hive, "Many Bluetooth Locks Open Easily for Attackers."

Image Credit: Poly-Control

Yet more vulnerabilities have turned up in the recent security conferences, this one affecting a newer technology, Bluetooth based smart locks. These are newer devices, locks that require you to enter a code with a special app on your phone to unlock the door. But according to the Tech Hive article, researchers have found exploitable flaws in most of the Bluetooth locks on the market, and many were able to be hacked with very minimal effort. Four of the 16 locks they tested even transmitted the unlock signal in plain text, so that anyone with a basic Bluetooth sniffing device could obtain the code needed to open the door themselves.

The more concerning issue is that few of the manufacturers seem to care about these exploits. One company even went so far as to state they were aware of the flaw and had no intentions of fixing it. This seems to be increasingly common in newer "smart home" devices, and many items such at WiFi enabled thermostats and lightbulbs only end up creating more weaknesses in security. In the case of door locks, the weakness could even give access to your home to thieves. Many of these devices are simply still very new, and haven't been properly tested. The best advice is to avoid such technology for the moment, or at the very least don't buy the door locks that transmit plain text.


That's all for this week, thanks for stopping in at Astria Horizon. If you'd like more information on how the experts at Astria Business Solutions can help you stay secure, visit our website at AstriaBiz.com

7/11/2016 Weekly News: Wendy's Breach Much Larger than Initially Believed

Welcome back to Astria Horizon for more security news from across the web. This week I'd especially like to call your attention to the article on the hacking of several Wendy's locations, including many that our customers in New Mexico may have been affected by. This breach was much larger than initially thought, and saw the theft of credit card data from customers for over half a year. In the article summary I have also included a link so you can see if any of the stores you may have visited were affected.

1. CSO Online, "Wendy's hack was bigger than thought and exposed credit card data."

In some unfortunate news about data breaches, it was found that the fast-food chain Wendy's hack was much larger than believed initially. While Wendy's believed less than 300 of its locations were affected, it was recently discovered that over 1000 of the franchised stores were affected by this breach. Many of these stores are located in Astria's home state of New Mexico, including many locations in Albuquerque and in Gallup. Wendy's has provided a list of affected locations which can be found here.

The locations affected had a targeted form of malware on their point-of-sale systems that specifically stole all credit card info, including the card  number, card-holder's name, expiration date, and even the verification code. This information was then believed to be sent out by the malware to the criminals who installed it. If you've eaten at Wendy's in the past year, it is highly advised that you view the list and check if your store was affected, and if it was, contact your credit card provider immediately for a replacement.

2. Watchguard Security Center, "Fitbits Hack ATMs?"

This short video from Watchguard shows the capabilities of Fitbits, the accuracy of their data, and how cyber-criminals could use these in the future. Corey Nachreiner discusses how security researchers found that using the motion data found on an average Fitbit device could allow them to detect which buttons the user pressed on an ATM's pin pad, essentially allowing the criminal to learn your pin. If the criminal also had a skimmer in place on that particular ATM, he would have access to both your card number and your pin, which of course would allow him to more easily make fraudulent purchases with your card.

While the concept was certainly interesting and had considerable accuracy, Nachreiner points out a few flaws with an attack of this type in his video. The most basic of issues is that as Fitbits and other fitness trackers are usually worn like a watch, they are rarely worn on your dominant hand. That means, the hand with the Fitbit is not likely to also be the hand you use to enter your pin, and so would not give the required motion data to any criminals. In spite of this and other issues he mentions in attacking Fitbits and similar devices, it is an interesting case study at the very least, and shows how criminals could benefit from the accuracy of the data collected by wearable devices.

3. Security Week, "Thousands of Websites Compromised to Spread CryptXXX Ransomware."

One of the newer forms of ransomware, CryptXXX, has come up with a new attack method. This article from Security Week discusses how at least 2000 different legitimate websites have been compromised, and now redirect visitors to download the ransomware. It seems that most of these have been running old and outdated forms of WordPress and Joomla! on their websites, as well as some outdated and vulnerable plug-ins. This allowed the hackers to break in to their websites, and redirect their viewers into accidentally downloading their ransomware.

The biggest thing to note here is that if you use a content management system (CMS) for your website like Joomla! or WordPress, it is vitally important to keep it updated. Hackers benefit greatly from taking over legitimate websites as it allows them to infect systems they otherwise would be unable to reach, making them a great target. And when CMS services are updated, it is often to patch vulnerabilities that cyber-criminals already know of. So leaving your CMS website un-updated often leaves it exposed attacks just like these, which hurt not only your business, but any customers or potential customers that may visit your website.


That's all for this week, check back next week for more news on Information Security. And if you want more information on how Astria Business Solutions can assist you in meeting your business' information security goals, visit our website at AstriaBiz.com

7/5/16 Weekly News: How to spot skimmers, Android malware affecting millions of devices, and Dangerous keyboard at 50 mil downloads

This week we found articles on skimmers and on risks to avoid with your cell phone. You may have heard of credit card skimmers before, but do you know how to spot them? We'll go over the differences today. Plus, a new Android malware that can't be deleted by factory resets. And lastly, we'll show you a keyboard app that you should definitely stay away from, even though millions of others have already downloaded.


1. From Krebs on Security, "How to Spot Ingenico Self-Checkout Skimmers."

Thieves are often out to steal credit card numbers, and one of the more popular methods to do such is to use skimmers. If you've never heard of them, skimmers generally are designed to lay on top of genuine devices where you would swipe your credit card, such as an ATM or the credit card terminal at your grocery store. They don't alter the real device's function, but instead silently record the numbers and pins of cards swiped through them for the thieves to collect when they return for the device.

In this article, Brian Krebs notes specifically a new skimmer that has been appearing at Wal-Mart locations, particularly in self-checkouts. The article shows what the genuine device and the skimmer look like so that you can spot them. One of the biggest notes to me is that in this particular model, the skimmer ends up covering the stylus holder on the left, which may be the fastest give away. Be sure to view the article if for nothing else than to see the pictures of the overlay skimmer.

Still, one of the best practices to check for overlay skimmers is to simply give a little tug on the top part of the credit card terminal. If a skimmer is in place, you may be able to feel a very noticeable seam from the bigger piece being placed on top of the smaller one. If you ever do find a skimmer, notify the owners of the terminal and the police.

2. From Security Week, "Millions of Android Phones Infected With 'Hummer' Trojan"

A new Android malware, dubbed "Hummer" by researchers, is affecting millions of Android phones. According to the article by Security Week, the malware has been around for several years, but only became widespread within the last year. Currently, the daily average of infected devices is at about 1.2 million, many of which are likely generating income for the malware creators.

The malware displays a heavy amount of ads on infected phones, and clicking on these, whether the user meant to or not, will generate income for the malware's developers. Security researchers estimate the malware could be generating as much as $500,000 per day for the criminals, making this a particularly profitable malware. Worse, the malware actually tries to root the device after install, making it very difficult to remove, even with factory resets. On top of that, it can download additional malicious apps, and uses the victim's data, possibly adding additional costs to the victim.

The biggest take away is simply, be careful! While this malware isn't widespread in the US at the moment, many others are. One of the biggest dangers with mobile devices is the lack of awareness of the risks, but the truth is that Android and Apple phones both have serious vulnerabilities, and should be treated as such. The same sorts of websites and habits that you should avoid on computers should also be avoided on your phones, or you could risk downloading malware that is nearly impossible to remove.

3. From CSO Online, "Dangerous Keyboard App Has More than 50 Million Downloads."

In a very similar vein to the previous article, CSO Online reported that a similar dangerous app is also across millions of devices, but this one is downloaded intentionally. The Flash Keyboard app on Android may appear to be a standard keyboard app with additional features, but it puts users' phones at risk and portrays further questionable actions, sending private user data to an unknown server without user permissions.

On top of that, the app requires nearly every permission set available, something keyboards generally do not need. This creates a vulnerability in the phone, as if the app was hacked, criminals could use it to download files, install shortcuts, and even potentially lock users out of their phones, all without any user notification. The only verification it requires is the initial permission set when you download it, which unfortunately many users ignore.

This app is indeed a risk, and it would be wise to stay away from it, but there's more to learn here. Pay attention to the permissions you give apps when they download, and ask yourself if the risks outweigh the benefits. Does a keyboard really need permission to access the web, download files, and install shortcuts without your notification? Do phone games need the same access? Be sure to consider these risks before you download any new app.


That's all for this week, check back next week for more news on Information Security. And if you want more information on how Astria Business Solutions can assist you in meeting your business' information security goals, visit our website at AstriaBiz.com

6/17/16 Weekly News: Most Organizations Unprepared for Cyber Threats, Email Scams Take $3b, Google Invests in Bug Bounty.

This week we at Astria found several interesting articles for discussion, including a report from RSA on the state of cyber-security levels worldwide, news from the FBI that losses from email scams have drastically increased in the past months, and Google investing further in the security of its Android OS.


RSA Research: "75% of Organizations are at Significant Risk of Cyber Incidents."

Security company RSA's findings in its second annual Cybersecurity Poverty Index revealed some unfortunate facts about the state of information security. It seems that about 75% of their survey respondents were found to be at a significant risk of various cybersecurity incidents, and about 50% were poorly prepared or even entirely unprepared for a cyber-attack on their network. The report notes that although most organizations are aware that cyber-security should be important, most do not invest in it until they experience a security incident themselves, largely because many organizations do not fully realize the costs of such security incidents.

This is certainly concerning, but it emphasizes how much people can do to help this situation. The biggest problem is a lack of knowledge, of the risks, and of what constitutes proper security. But spreading awareness and building the security mindset are incredibly key in improving these statistics.

Network World: "FBI: Business email scam losses top $3 billion, a 1,300% increase in since Jan."

This article by Network World discusses the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) announcement last week that the losses from e-mail based scams in businesses have reached over $3 billion, with nearly one third of that amount stolen from US businesses. The scams seem to have targeted businesses of many different industries, and do not seem to be targeting any particular type of business.

The scams are generally written as if from the company's CEO, often asking the victim for information (such as W-2's) to be sent over email or for funds to be wired to the criminal's account. Since the emails are well researched and often professionally written and formatted, the mid-level employees targeted by these scams often believe the requests are genuine, and don't question sending the funds or information to steal employee identities. The FBI has found, the losses from these scams have been increasing rapidly, proving that it is often more practical for criminals to perform social engineering attacks over more complicated malware to steal from businesses.

Security Week: "Google Increases Android Bug Bounty Payouts."

In more positive news, Security Week reported that Google has increased the payouts for its bug-bounty program for the Android OS. For those who aren't familiar with them, Bug-Bounty programs reward hackers for finding bugs and vulnerabilities in different software and disclosing it to the developer first. This allows the developer, in this case Google, to improve on their software, in this case Android OS, and limit vulnerabilities before they are actively exploited by malicious hackers.

The fact that Google is investing more in something that can improve Android's security is definitely a great sign. While their payouts are not considerably high, the more that developers invest in bug-bounty programs, the more that white-hat hackers can succeed and improve the security of software. Because software is never written perfectly, vulnerabilities will often exist, and it is much better for developers to able to patch it before attackers even know they exist.


That's all for this week, check back next week for more news on Information Security. And if you want more information on how Astria Business Solutions can assist you in meeting your business' information security goals, visit our website at AstriaBiz.com

6/8/16 Weekly News: How the LinkedIn breach effects you, Ransomware strikes the University of Calgary

Welcome back to Astria Horizon, your stop for information security news from across the web. This week, we'll be discussing some of the fallout from the 2012 breach of LinkedIn accounts. With the sale of information on over 117 million user accounts, many people may be wondering how it effects them, and why anyone would bother stealing information from a primarily social website. Two of our articles today will speak to the value of this information, and how it could be used by criminals. Additionally, the third article for the week covers another high-profile case of ransomware, this time infecting a University.


1. Krebs on Security, "Password Re-user? Got to Get Busy."

The first article today talks a bit more to the subject of the LinkedIn breach, particularly the subject of re-using passwords. Krebs on Security reported that in light of the breach, other major companies such as Facebook and Netflix may require some users to change their passwords. They are known to check the records for users who may have been exposed in breaches such as these, and contacting these users to recommend password changes on their websites as well as others.

Even if you do not hear from any of these companies, if you are in the habit of re-using your online passwords, it would be wise to consider changing to unique passwords across the board. The problem with reused passwords is that hackers often check breached passwords at multiple sites. So while a breach at LinkedIn may only reveal some basic information about yourself, the password you used could also allow the thief to access your eBay, Amazon, or PayPal account, which of course is quite a bit worse. Ultimately, the best strategy is to use unique passwords at each website.

2. WatchGuard Security Center, "Data from LinkedIn breach used in targeted email attack."

Staying on the topic of the LinkedIn Breach, this short article from WatchGuard discusses what cyber-criminals have been doing with the stolen information. CERT-Bund, Germany's federally sanctioned computer emergency response team, issued a warning that the stolen data from LinkedIn is being used to send targeted email-based attacks on victims of the breach. The emails are sent with information found on people's profiles, including name and job title to make the email look more legitimate, to encourage the victim to open a malicious attachment that contains varying types of malware.

The emails unfortunately look fairly legitimate, and for CERT-Bund to have issued a warning, the issue must be fairly prevalent. While so far the attacks have been in Germany, it is likely that similar emails may start appearing in the US as well. The biggest take-away is to be careful, and never open attachments from people you do not know. Just because an email looks official doesn't mean that it's safe, as cyber-criminals have become much more sophisticated in their methods of attack.

3. We Live Security, "University of Calgary bows down to ransomware demands."

In another unfortunate case of ransomware attacks, We Live Security has reported that the University of Calgary has given in to the criminals' demands. After apparently 10 days of battling the infection, the university decided that the best course of action was to pay the ransom of over $20,000 CND. It was not stated what ransomware variant infected their systems, or how it got in to their network, but it seems likely that proper backup procedures were not in place for the university to recover to.

As we have discussed in the past, we never recommend paying ransomware demands. Not only is it funding future illegal activity and painting yourself as a "paying customer" for future attacks; there is also no guarantee that you will receive genuine unlock codes. On top of that, many new variants of ransomware also leave behind other forms of malware to steal information even after successful decryption. If your system does get infected with ransomware, the safest course of action is to wipe and rebuild it, ideally from a recent backup.


That's all for this week, check back next week for more news on Information Security. And if you want more information on how Astria Business Solutions can assist you in meeting your business' information security goals, visit our website at AstriaBiz.com

Macs, Malware, and Mythology

In the battle of which operating system is the "best," the biggest factor is usually simply what you are used to and comfortable with. But arguments will always arise, and one of the most common arguments for Mac systems and OS X is that they don't get viruses. But is this accurate?

Just this past month, Malwarebytes set out to shed more light on this issue, specifically discussing malware on Mac systems, and if they truly need antivirus and antimalware products, and the answer may surprise you.

According to their article, which you can read here, Macs can indeed get viruses and malware. While there are fewer types of attacks on these systems than on PCs, that number is beginning to shift as well. As Macs are becoming increasingly popular, more malware is being written to exploit those users. In fact, they state that in 2015, there were five times as many OS X malware detections than the previous five years combined.

This is particularly increasing because many Mac owners do not believe they need any antivirus, leaving these systems much more exposed to attacks. With more and more Macs being used, and a large percentage of those without any additional protection against malware, cyber-criminals are finding it profitable to attack these systems as well. So while there may be fewer vulnerabilities on Macs than on PCs, the number of attacks on Macs are certain to increase.

The Malwarebytes article even goes on to cover what sorts of attacks are already affecting systems running OS X, including adware, information stealers, and even a recent instance of ransomware. Adware is the most prevalent, as it is one of the simplest to implement, but the fact that more serious forms of malware have been found is concerning. As cyber-criminals see more value in attacking Mac systems, more and more forms of malware are likely to be developed.

The moral of the story? Macs are not invulnerable, and need to be protected just like any other system. Fortunately, thanks to their increasing prevalence, there are now plenty of options for antivirus on OS X. Find a company that you are comfortable with and that has a well rated antivirus/antimalware, and install it to better defend your Mac today.

5/31/16 Weekly News: Locky back in action, More iOS vulnerabilities, and Hacking as a business

This week we found several interesting topics, including a Ransomware campaign restarting, a new vulnerability discovered in iOS devices, and how hackers are increasingly treating their activities in a business-like fashion.


1. CSO Online, "New JavaScript spam wave distributes Locky Ransomware."

It appears that the "Locky" developers found a new way to distribute their ransomware variant. According to the article by CSO Online, ESET researchers have seen a recent influx of Locky being distributed through JavaScript attacks, opposed to previous methods using Office documents. This comes only a few weeks after the news that the Locky ransomware campaign was disrupted by white-hat hackers, which you can read about here.

The attacks are still primarily distributed through email. The article warns that the attackers are sending Zip folders containing .js and .jse files within, which do not require the users to execute them. This file type is rarely sent in email except for malicious uses, so it is best to avoid these opening these entirely. The biggest take away from this is to be careful of what emails you open, and especially of what attachments you open.

2. Security Week, "'SandJacking' Attack Allows Hackers to Install Evil iOS Apps."

Apple's patches to iOS unfortunately have only gone so far. According to this article by Security Week, security researcher Chilik Tamir discovered the iOS 8.3 update was a little less than adequate. The 8.3 update added some new features for users and patched some vulnerabilities, including one that Tamir discovered which allowed apps on iOS devices to be replaced with fake versions of the same app. This could have been exploited to spy on user activity and steal information off of devices running these malicious apps, and so it was patched in the 8.3 update to prevent replacement of legitimate apps.

Tamir however has found that Apple's patch ignored the restore process in their update, which allows the original attack to still be implemented. The process is slightly different, but can still be entirely automated. This form of attack is still a proof of concept and may not be known to attackers, but it is still a vulnerability that Apple has yet to patch. In any case, it is an interesting concept and yet further proof that sandbox environments like those found on iPhones are not impervious to malware incursion.

3. HPE Business Insights, "The (Big) Business of Hacking."

This article put forward by Hewlet-Packard Enterprises discusses a subject that has caught many people's interests recently: the strategic changes of hackers treating their illegal activities as a business. Increasingly, hackers and other cyber-criminal organizations have formed their own "companies," complete with accounting departments, payroll, and R&D. According to the article, these sorts of criminal companies are often offer several illicit products and services, including stolen information, rented hacking software, and even hacking as a service.

This can be a problem because these "companies" are regularly searching for new businesses to break into, as they often need new information to sell; and lots of it. The article discusses how personally identifiable information is often worth as little as $1 online, which means that criminal companies selling this information need to have masses of it to be successful. HPE goes on to mention that it is becoming increasingly important to have information security practices in place to defend against this sort of activity, as it will likely only increase as more hackers adopt a business model for their illegal activities.


That's all for this week, check back next week for more news on Information Security. And if you want more information on how Astria Business Solutions can assist you in meeting your business' information security goals, visit our website at AstriaBiz.com