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Cyberattacks are becoming more sophisticated, with more evolved bad actors cropping up each day. This year has already seen more than a fair share of attacks and breaches. Some high-profile attacks include SolarWinds, Kaseya breaches, as well as attacks on the Colonial Pipeline and other critical infrastructure. At a time when we are more connected than ever, being “cyber smart” is of the utmost importance. Luckily, there are several steps that we can take daily to mitigate risks and stay one step ahead of malefactors. Here are a few quick tips: 

Use strong passphrases/password manager 

Everyone has many passwords to keep track of, including personal, work, and school accounts. A great solution to managing all of these accounts and complex passphrases and passwords is a password manager. Using long, complex, and unique passphrases/passwords is a good way to stop your account from being hacked, and an easy way of keeping track and remembering your passwords is by using a password manager. There are several password managers, including those built into modern web browsers. Choose a password manager that you will use and look for solutions that have been reviewed and where customer feedback is positive. Several resources are available for reviewing password managers including: 

Perform software updates 

When a device prompts you that it’s time for a software update, it may be tempting to simply click postpone and ignore the message. However, having the latest security software, web browser, and operating system on your devices is one of the best defenses against online threats. So, don’t wait - update. 

Do your research 

Common sense is a crucial part of maintaining good online hygiene.  One intuitive step you can take to stay safe online is to research before downloading anything new to your device, such as apps. Before downloading any new application to your device, make sure that it is valid by checking who created the app, what the user reviews say, and if there are any articles published online about the app's privacy and security features. 

Email attachments are also one of the most popular ways for malware to infect your device. If you don't know who sent you an email, do not open the attachments. It could be malicious even if it appears to be an Excel file, a PDF, a picture, or something else. 

Check your settings 

Solid cyber security implementation is becoming increasingly essential for privacy protection. Be diligent in double-checking your privacy and security settings and knowing who can access your documents. Web applications such as Chrome and Safari have built-in settings to improve your browsing experience and safeguard your information while on the internet. Some of these settings include privacy and cookies settings. 

This extends from Google docs to Zoom calls and beyond. For meetings on Zoom, for example, create passwords so only those invited to the session can attend. Be sure to restrict who can share their screen or files with the rest of the attendees.  

Several resources are available for checking your settings: 

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For more information on GW IT Security, please visit our security website: https://it.gwu.edu/gw-information-security.  

IT Support Questions? For IT support, please contact the Information Technology Support Center at 202-994-GWIT (4948), ithelp@gwu.edu, or it.gwu.edu. For self-help resources and answers to frequently asked questions, please visit the GW IT knowledge base.

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Original blog content provided by The National Cyber Security Alliance www.stayfaeonline.org, modified and posted with permission. 

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Holiday Shopping Image

15 Tips for Online Safe Shopping

Written by Kim Porter for NortonLifeLock

Online shopping is easy to love. What’s more fun than finding what you need and—after a few clicks and a short wait—having it show up at your door

Except when it doesn’t. In 2016, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center received nearly 300,000 online-theft complaints, and victims lost a total of $1.3 billion. It’s safe to say fake companies and identity thieves can turn the joy of buying into a hassle.

What to do? Don’t click that buy button until you check out these tips to help you do safe online shopping.

  1. Shop where you trust

Shopping IRL (in real life) offers this advantage: You’ll usually know the business and the inventory exist. But on the web, some businesses are fabricated by people who just want your credit card information and other personal details. Consider doing online business only with retailers you trust and have shopped with before.

  1. Size up the business

Break out your detective skills when you want to buy something from a new merchant. Does the company interact with a social media following? What do its customer reviews say? Does it have a history of scam reports or complaints at the Better Business Bureau? Take it one step further by contacting the business. If there’s no email address, phone number or address for a brick-and-mortar location, that could be a red flag that it’s a fake company.

  1. Beware rock-bottom prices

If a website offers something that looks too good to be true—like rock-bottom prices or an endless supply of free smartphones—then it probably is. Use similar websites to compare prices and pictures of the merchandise. Perpetually low prices could be a red flag that the business doesn’t have those items in stock. The website may exist only to get your personal information.

  1. Avoid public Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi networks use public airwaves. With a little tech know-how and the freely available Wi-Fi password at your favorite coffee shop, someone can intercept what you’re looking at on the web. That can include emails, browsing history or passwords. Shopping online usually means giving out information that an identity thief would love to grab, including your name and credit card information. Bottom line: It’s never a good idea to shop online or log in to any website while you’re connected to public Wi-Fi.

  1. Use a VPN

If you must shop online on public Wi-Fi, use a VPN (virtual private network). A VPN creates an encrypted connection between your computer and the VPN server. Think of it as a tunnel your Internet traffic goes through while you browse the web. Hackers lurking nearby can’t intercept it, even if they have the password for the Wi-Fi network you’re using. A VPN means you’ll likely have a safe way to shop online while you’re on public Wi-Fi.

  1. Use a strong password

If someone has the password to your account, they can log in, change the shipping address, and order things while you get stuck with the bill. Help keep your account safe by locking it with a strong password. Here are some tips on how:

  • Use a complex set of lowercase and uppercase numbers, letters, and symbols.
  • Avoid words that come from a dictionary.
  • Don’t use personal information that others can find or guess, such as birthdates, your kids’ names or your favorite color.
  • And don’t use the same password—however strong—on multiple accounts. A data breach at one company could give criminals access to your other, shared-password accounts.
  1. Check out the webpage security

You’ve probably seen that small lock icon in the corner of your URL field. That lock signals you that the web page you’re on has privacy protection installed. It’s called a “secure sockets layer.” Plus, the URL will start with “https,” for “hyper text transfer protocol secure.” These websites mask and transfer data you share, typically on pages that ask for passwords or financial info. If you don’t see that lock or the “s” after “http,” then the webpage isn’t secure. Because there is no privacy protection attached to these pages, we suggest you exercise caution before providing your credit card information over these sites.

  1. Watch out for email scams

Sometimes something in your email in-box can stir your consumer cravings. For instance, it might be tempting to open an email that promises a “special offer.” But that offer could be special in a bad way. Clicking on emails from unknown senders and unrecognizable sellers could infect your computer with viruses and malware. It’s better to play it safe. Delete them, don’t click on any links, and don’t open any attachments from individuals or businesses you are unfamiliar with.

  1. Don’t give out more information than you need to

Here’s a rule of thumb: No shopping website will ever need your Social Security number. If you’re asked for very personal details, call the customer service line and ask whether you can supply some other identifying information. Or just walk away.

  1. Pay with a credit card

When using a credit card, you’ll usually get the best liability protection—online and offline. Here’s why.

If someone racks up unauthorized charges on your credit card, federal regulations say you won’t have to pay while the card company investigates. Most major credit cards offer $0 liability for fraudulent purchases.

Meanwhile, your liability for unauthorized charges on your debit card is capped at $50, if you report it within two business days. But if someone uses your account and you don't report the theft, after 60 days you may not be reimbursed at all.

  1. Try a virtual credit card

Some banks offer nifty tools that act like an online version of your card: a virtual credit card. The issuer will randomly generate a number that’s linked to your account, and you can use it anywhere online and choose when the number expires. It might be best to generate a new number every time you buy something online, or when you shop with a new retailer. Anyone who tries to use that number will be out of luck.

  1. Check your statements regularly

Check your statements for fraudulent charges at least once a week, or set up account alerts. When you receive a text or email about a charge, you can check the message and likely easily recall whether you made the charge.

  1. Mind the details

After you make the purchase, keep these items in a safe place: the receipt, order confirmation number and postal tracking number. If you have a problem with the order, this information will help the merchant resolve the problem.

  1. Take action if you don’t get your stuff

Call the merchant and provide the details noted in Tip 13. If the merchant turns out to be fake, or they’re just plain unhelpful, then your credit card provider can help you sort out the problem. Often, they can remove the charge from your statement.

  1. Report the company

If you suspect the business is bogus, notify your credit card company about the charge and close your account. File a complaint with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. Tip: The FTC offers an identity theft recovery plan, should you need it.

 

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Logo for National Cybersecurity Awareness MonthNational Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM) is a month that helps raise awareness and highlight the importance of cybersecurity. Cybersecurity and Information Security overlaps with almost everything we do and every technology we use. NCSAM was started in 2004 by the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The creation of NCSAM was to help Americans be secure online. The month raises awareness for security and emphasizes both companies and individuals on how to protect themselves.

Over the years, NCSA and the DHS have put on joint events around many states for NCSAM. In the past events with panels of information security professionals have been done as well as talks and presentations. They have even done some summits around the states and webinars for all to join. This year they have panels, and presentations all around the country, including Washington, D.C. These events have had growing popularity each year and have had some high ranking and nationally recognized officials make appearances at these events.

Each year there are different themes. The themes are meant to emphasize a particular change in behavior that would help everyone be safer online. This year the theme is, “Own It, Secure It, Protect It”. The goal for this year's theme is to draw attention to careers in information security and to encourage accountability. Each week of the month will focus on a different area of the theme. The “own it” part of the theme is to have people take ownership of their data. Most people don’t realize how much private information is going out on the web. “Secure it”, is for having strong passphrases and avoiding scams and phishing. “Protect it” is being proactive with your information after it is out there. Being active in knowing where and who has your data, and how to keep it protected.

Here at GWU, we are involved with NCSAM by spreading awareness through the university and by hosting our own events. We have events like meet and greets with the Information Security team, Cybersecurity Jeopardy, webinars, and presentations throughout the month of October. If you want to attend any events or have a chance at winning some of our excellent prizes this year, check out the event calendar here, http://go.gwu.edu/ncsam2019.

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Information Security Photo Collage

People have a lot of pre-conceived notions about security teams and practices. While some misconceptions may be grounded in truth and others fairly outlandish, there is a lot going on behind the scenes that users may not see. From claims that we are all hackers wearing hoodies and doing nefarious deeds to the perception that we are here to get in your way, we will help you understand what is true, what is not, and why these perceptions might exist.

Myth #1: Security is just here to say no

Being at a university presents the unique challenge of providing the tools and technology necessary for students and faculty to research, learn, and achieve their goals. We must strike a difficult balance between the availability of those resources and the security of the university and our community. As security professionals, we do everything we can to enable safe and reliable access to the tools that the GW community needs to reach their goals. We are here to facilitate a safe IT environment in which all students, faculty, and staff can access the resources that they need, sometimes it sounds like, “no”, but what we are really requesting is modifications that reduce risk of exposure or breaches at GW.

Myth #2: Security only deals with technology

Many people believe that IT security only works on securing servers, reading logs, and other highly technical tasks. On the contrary, the security team has a wide range of responsibilities of which technology is only a part. The security team is continuously engaging with people and data in a multitude of ways. Often trying to help people protect themselves and the organization through a security awareness program or working directly with other teams to enhance security within their operations. They are constantly trying to improve way to protect the GW community’s data by updating policies, implementing best practices, and assessing security processes.

Myth #3: The security team is just a bunch of hackers

Just as many people think that the security team is nothing but hackers. This is far from the truth. Information security is a wide field with many specializations and it takes all sorts to be effective. While some members of the team might be highly technical penetration testers, their counterparts are security professionals focused on defensive security and protecting the GW network and assets from outside threats. Not to mention that members of the IT Security team range from awareness professionals working with people and outreach to analysts focused on identifying and reducing risk.

Myth #4: The security team takes care of security so I don’t have to

The security team works tirelessly to ensure that the GW community, information, and assets are as well protected as possible, but the team is not always the first line of defense. Security is your responsibility too. Our community is often the first line of defense when it comes to attacks from outside GW. Social engineering (aka tricking people and deceiving them) is a common tactic employed by attackers and encompasses phishing, piggy backing, and taking advantage of users in the workplace. All of this means that you, the user, needs to play a vital role in protecting the university, or, as we call it #SecuringGW. Protecting your own information is an essential puzzle piece to overall security of GW.  Catching phishing emails and forwarding them to abuse at GW may seem like a small task, but it is small actions like this that alert the team and protect GW from large breaches. Being aware of people trying to enter buildings where they don’t belong, and maintaining a clean desk free of sensitive materials are all security measures that you can take to do your part in #SecuringGW.

Fact: GW Information Security – Your Trusted Advisor

The information security team strives to facilitate access to the resources that the GW Community needs in as secure a manner as possible. Security affects everyone; data loss, lack of availability, and compromised systems impede day to day business functions, which means it affects the day to day lives of everyone on campus. In order to help prevent this, the security team acts as a Trusted Advisor to everyone in the GW Community. Whether you want to implement a new system, service, or application, or begin a new project, involving the GW security team as Trusted Advisors from the start enables us to aid in proper project oversight and completion while maintaining and promoting the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of GW’s data, systems, and services.

 

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Learn Social Engineering
OZKAYA, E. (2018). LEARN SOCIAL ENGINEERING

 

Previously, we discussed Social Engineering in the form of Phishing, a typically untargeted attack type that focuses on quantity over quality. However, not all Social Engineering attacks cast a large net, some get up close and personal. Attacks that involve pretexting are typically more focused and can be well planned and highly targeted; making them a credible threat to information security at any company.

Whether used in person or through other means of communication, pretexting is a dangerous method used by attackers to worm their way into systems and financial profit. Pretexting can be relatively simple and recycled constantly, but can also be well thought out, researched, and specifically tailored to each target. Ultimately, pretexting involves an attacker impersonating someone or having a “legitimate” reason to gain access where they do not belong.  Pretexting relies heavily on an attacker having convincing and effective aliases, stories, identities, and credibility.

The research conducted to carry out a pretexting attack is typically all open source. They might scour an organization’s web pages to understand the size, structure, and relationships, or they might look for company login portals such as HR sites, mail hosting, and VPN portals. Often times, attackers will try to find information on specific employees like email addresses, position within the company, and any other information that can be used to impersonate or manipulate them. Gathering all of this information about an organization helps attackers in understanding how the business operates and what type of attacks might work. If the target is a large company with thousands of employees then an attempt to impersonate someone is more likely to be successful than if the target is a small close knit business that would easily recognize an imposter.

Thorough research enables attacker to determine the best methods to gain unquestioned access to money transfers, systems, and other restricted areas. A tactic that attackers frequently use is to impersonate a target’s boss, an executive, or other important figure, and then urgently request money transfers to specified accounts. The hope is that the targeted individual will panic due to the urgency and fail to verify the transaction with anyone else. Other attack types include impersonating vendors, internal departments, or other entities who might have an already established relationship with the organization. The attacker may try to call the victim and using their false identity and back story, then get them to visit a fake company login page and input their credentials. With those credentials, attackers can now access potentially sensitive systems and data.

Whether a Social Engineer uses a relatively general pretext, or a highly targeted and well planned one, users should be aware of and able to prevent the danger that they pose. Preventing these kinds of attacks is not necessarily difficult, it just takes a bit of time and diligence. If someone asks you to complete a wire transfer, take the time to confirm that they are the ones that sent the email or made the phone call. Reach out with another form of communication to verify. Always confirm any backstory that is offered to you, if you have been asked to log into a portal to accept new compliance documents or policies, contact your compliance office to double check. If someone visits the office and claims to work for a maintenance company but they aren’t on your schedule, call the corporate office and verify that their employee is supposed to be there. Confirm package deliveries from delivery people you have never seen before. Be highly suspicious of anyone who contacts you and asks for login credentials, personal information, or financial details over the phone or through email. Always be wary of strangers trying to access systems, data, and even your office building. Take the time to protect yourself and your organization from attackers who try to manipulate you with convincing and well thought out back-stories and personas.

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Kennedy, D. (2014, March 05). Pretexting Like a Boss. Retrieved June 20, 2019, from https://www.trustedsec.com/2014/03/pretexting-like-boss/

Nadeem, M. (2019, April 17). Pretexting: Definition and examples | Social engineering. Retrieved June 20, 2019, from https://blog.mailfence.com/pretexting/

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What is Social Engineering?

We frequently hear about cyber-attacks on organizations using highly technical and sophisticated methods, involving malware and vulnerabilities that most people don’t understand. However, what we don’t typically hear about is how the attacker got in. According to Verizon’s Data Breach Investigation Report, in 2019, a third of all data breaches involved social engineering attacks to include phishing, pretexting, and a variety of other social engineering methods.

Social Engineering involves gaining the trust of unsuspecting users via manipulation or trickery, in order to gain unauthorized system access, credentials, or commit fraud. Attackers will attempt to take advantage of a multitude of psychological traits such as carelessness, curiosity, empathy, complacency, and most frequently ignorance.

Why does it Matter?

Social Engineering attacks are more common than you might think and odds are that you will encounter one yourself in some form or another. Failing to recognize a social engineering attack could range from a minor inconvenience to a life changing event. Compromise from such an attack could lead to needing a password reset to having a bank account drained of funds, or could even be the launching point for the next massive data breach that makes headlines worldwide.

The massive Target data breach of 2013, which exposed the credit card and personal information of 110 million people, was a result of a contractor falling for a phishing email, one of the many social engineering methods attackers use. The DNC email leak in 2016 was caused by a well-crafted but fake password reset request from Google; sent to a high ranking DNC official and resulting in the leak of highly sensitive information regarding the Democratic campaign.

Social Engineering is a large threat to the safety of not just large organizations, but also the individual.

Social Engineering Life Cycle Image

Social Engineering Life Cycle

Much like software development and risk management, many cyber-attacks follow a lifecycle approach; with a continuing cycle of input and output constantly improving the process. Social engineering is no different and even has a few lifecycle models dedicated to it. In its simplest form however, the Social engineering lifecycle follows four basic phases: Investigation, Hook, Play, and Exit.

The Investigation phase is when an attacker performs their recon. They might choose their targets based on position within an organization, ease of access, or they might choose a wide range of targets just to see what sticks. After choosing a target they will use public information to learn as much as possible. Sources such as social media, company websites, and other profiles provide a wealth of information for attackers to use.

The Hook phase involves the initial interaction with the target; ranging from email to in person contact. During the hook, the attackers focus is on spinning a web of lies to manipulate victims at their will.

During the Play phase an attacker gains a stronger foothold and carries out the attack. Depending on their goals, they will begin disrupting or stealing sensitive and valuable data.

The Exit phase points to the end of the lifecycle. The Social Engineer will attempt to remove all traces of their presence and bring an end to their charade. Everything the attacker has gained or learned during the process is then used during a new attack cycle to more effectively con another victim.

Social Engineering and unaware users provide a vast attack surface that can be easily taken advantage of.  Meaning that you need to do everything you can to be prepared for and protect yourself from the conmen of the internet age.

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GW Box is the university's enterprise file sharing service for online cloud storage and collaboration. GW also uses Gmail for email service, as such, the community has access to Google Drive as a cloud storage solution as well. Sharing and collaborating is essential to every work and study environment in the 21st century. Whether it’s for class projects or work projects, cloud storage and sharing solutions have changed and simplified how we do things. But, there are practices we should implement and guidelines we should follow in order to use the cloud responsibly. Below are the recommended Best Practices by GW IT and GW Information Security.

 

Security Best Practices Document

 

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Social media trends are not only fun, but they also include a hint of FOMO if we don’t participate. The same can be said for the newest viral trend of “how hard did aging hit me” challenge, also know as the “10 year challenge.” There have been speculations on the origin and purpose of this trend across the internet, even in the information security Twitter community.

Kate o'Neill Tweet Image

Kate O’Neill’s tweet is a perfect example of a growing distrust the public has of social media and the internet in general after the introduction of many AI technologies, whether they be related to ad content or predictive text.

This affects the GW community at every level; students, staff members, and faculty members alike partake in social media sharing. There is nothing that confirms that O’Neill’s tweet has truth to it. However, our goal is to highlight the need of users to be smart and to be safe online. Always be vigilant of what you post and how much detail you give out, especially when it comes to location sharing. Criminals are becoming increasingly more knowledgable about how to use technology to their advantage, as are large corporations like Facebook where we live our daily lives. The younger the clientele, the more common it is for them to live their life in the digital world. Be #securityaware.

Skeptics can agree that this trend and some others can be seen as data mining or data harvesting parading as a harmless social game. Realistically speaking, information security professionals know that technology has become so mobile that it goes where we go. So, our message to you is be mobile, but be mindful. Stay mindful of what you share and how much you share. It may sound like an older generation reprimanding you, but it is true, everything you do does not have to be a social media post.

Let us know in the comments below if you make it a habit to consider what details you post on social media or if you have generally seen it as harmless fun.

#bemobile #bemindful #securityaware

 

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data privacy graphicThis month, we’re talking about the importance of data privacy and steps you can take to better protect your data online. Data Privacy Day is Sunday, January 28 and was created to start a conversation about the importance of data privacy and provide resources to help you protect your data.

Here at GW, the Division of IT provides students, faculty and staff access to GW Google Drive and GW Box to store and collaborate on files. These document management solutions provide plenty of storage space and have features that allow users to easily share documents with others.

Image for security best practices in boxIn order to protect your data and GW’s data when using these services, follow these security best practices:

  • Evaluate the business need
    • If you don’t need to store or maintain a document, don’t
    • If the document contains regulated data, use GW Box, not GW Google Drive
    • If the document contains restricted or public data, you can use GW Box or GW Google Drive
  • Share with care
    • Be mindful of what you are sharing and with whom you are sharing it. It’s easy to make mistakes when it comes to sharing files so be mindful of typos and these options when you share:
      • Share with “People with the Link” - Anyone with the link to this file is able to access the document (this sharing means public)
      • Share with “People in your company” - Anyone with the link at GW will be able to access the document
      • Share with “People in this folder” - Anyone who has access to the folder will be able to access the document
  • Don’t store credit card numbers
  • Limit use and storage of Social Security Numbers (SSN)
    • Most of the functionality and use of SSN has been replaced by the GWID
    • If you do work with SSNs, be mindful of what you are storing on your local machine and in GW Box and GW Google Drive
    • Only store Social Security Numbers in GW Box and only if there is a valid business need

You can learn more about document management solutions at GW by visiting https://it.gwu.edu/document-management-services.

privacy matters to us graphicThe Division of IT is holding a Data Privacy Event on January 30, 2018 in the lower level of District House. Join us to learn more about data privacy resources.

If you’re interested in helping to shape a data privacy program at GW, please take our short survey: https://it.gwu.edu/data-privacy-survey. Respondents will be entered to win one of two books about data privacy.

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