cyberattacks – GW Information Security Blog

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year (for Scams!)

waseemzDecember 8, 2021March 29, 2023

Written by Patrick Hansen

Keeping an eye out for scams is a year-round job for anyone who uses the internet. But for scammers, the holiday season is the time to strike, while everyone is distracted by time off, gifts, and plans with family. From fake websites, gift cards, to even fake charities, it is important to stay on guard during the last part of the year.

Holiday Phishing

(If you need a refresher on phishing read this piece.)

Criminals love the amount of shopping and shipping that goes on during the last quarter of the year. They pretend to be Amazon, UPS, FedEx, Apple, and almost every other household brand name there is. A lot of phishing attacks come by email, declaring a problem with your order, shipping, payment, etc. In the past few years, SMS phishing has also shot up with intent just as malicious. Always remember, the real companies you interact with, won’t email or text you asking for personal information, and DON’T CLICK LINKS. If you are ever unsure about an email or text, look up the number for customer support and call.

Gift Cards

A gift card is a very sought after item for criminals because of the anonymous nature of purchases once it is gifted. Once it’s gone, it’s gone, and you won’t be able to get it back. Online, criminals will always try to get you to pay for a gift card and send them the information. Another thing to look out for is gift cards that have been tampered with. When buying a gift card from the store, make sure that the credit card number on the gift card is still covered. Criminals have ways to monitor when the card with that specific serial number is loaded with money so they can try to spend it before you can.

Fake This, Fake That

Online shopping can be extremely convenient, but there are things to watch out for. Some scammers will put up websites and buy domains that look very similar to real brand websites in appearance and URL. Always try to verify the website you are on in some way. If you are ever paying for something online, the “s” in “https” is a must. Sadly criminals will also set up fake charities designed to pull at your heartstrings. A quick Google search of the charity should provide enough information and others to verify it is real.

The holiday season is prime time for cyber thieves to attempt scams and steal your money and information. Always remember to double-check the random Amazon email, the random UPS text, gift cards, and everything else that is common for this time of year. Never give out your information and if there is any doubt, just contact the company itself. It is important to be aware of these attacks and be on guard year-round, but especially around the holidays, so you can enjoy them with cheer.

InfoSec Myths and Misconceptions

waseemzAugust 12, 2019March 9, 2020

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.

Social Engineering: Pretexting and Impersonation

waseemzJuly 8, 2019July 8, 2019

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.

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/

Social Engineering Methods Pt 1

waseemzJune 10, 2019March 9, 2020

Phishing

Phishing is a very simple and useful tool in an attacker’s arsenal. Phishing can lead to the exposure of sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, PII (personally identifiable information), and credit card information. So what is Phishing? It is at method used to obtain sensitive information from a victim that leverages social engineering and communications technologies that normal people use every day. There are various methods of phishing, with the most common being email, vishing (voice phishing), and smshing (text phishing). These methods can be blanket attempts that rely on quantity instead of quality (often called campaigns) or they can be very carefully crafted attacks with very specific targets (spear phishing and whaling). Luckily, identifying and defeating these attacks can be simple if you know what to look out for.

Email Phishing

Email is the hacker’s go-to for most phishing attacks; people wouldn’t think twice about receiving an email. Often times phishing emails will contain a malicious link, a malware attachment, or directly ask for sensitive information. In order to trick victims, these emails are crafted to appear from a big company, such as FedEx, Apple, or even from inside your own organization. Attackers use look-a-like or spoof emails to convince the target the email is legitimate. This can lead to compromised systems and/or exposed personal information, which can lead to further exposure of friends, family, and the victim’s organization.

Defeating Email Phishing:

Is the company logo/banner/design slightly off?
Would this person/company normally be sending you an email?
Should they already have the information they are asking for?
Never open unsolicited attachments
Legitimate Companies should never ask sensitive information through email
Use other methods to confirm the communication

Vishing

Voice phishing is growing in popularity and just like other types of phishing, vishing can be automated making it a dangerous tool. Attack examples include an “FBI” automated message, “IRS” tax refund/payment notification, or as a call from your local home improvement company. When attackers get on the line with their target they present a well thought out and engaging backstory to hook their victims. Impersonation is used in most vishing calls; attackers will impersonate IT staff, management in your company, and HR to appear official.

Defeating Vishing:

Ask the caller to provide information only you and they would know to ensure the caller’s identity
Never give sensitive information over the phone
If the call is suspicious, contact someone close to the individual, or through other means
Offer to call the individual back at the number in your staff/corporate directory, or at the number listed on the legitimate website

Smshing

Smishing sends texts to the targets phone in hopes of them clicking a malicious link, downloading malware, or returning sensitive information. Texts follow email phishing outlines and can be identified similarly. Many victims fall for smishing because they are unaware of the tactic and more trusting of texts. Don’t trust it more just because it’s a text message.

Defeating Smshing

Never provide sensitive information over text message
Avoid following random links
If you are unsure, reach out to your security team, or the communicating company
Do not call the number that texted you

Spear-phishing, Whaling & Campaigns

Most individuals come into contact with phishing campaigns. The goal of campaigns are to reach as many people as possible and hope for a hit. Whereas, spear phishing and whaling are techniques aimed at selected groups of individuals and executives. These are well planned, crafted, and executed, and shouldn’t be taken lightly. They aim to compromise victims with privileged access to systems, accounts, and resources. Victims typically don’t have the time to review these carefully crafted emails highly specific to the target and fall for the trap.

Defeating Spear-phishing and Whaling

Report suspicious emails looking for information to security
Verify communication with the contact through other methods
Attackers often impersonate colleagues, friends, and family
Always assume you’re a target
Opt for face to face meetings when possible (online or in person)

“Social Engineering” Demystified

waseemzJune 3, 2019March 9, 2020

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

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.