Sep 29 2008

Vista and defense in depth

Category: Information Security,Vista Security — DISC @ 3:47 pm

To be competitive and successful in today’s business environment demands a serious consideration of information security. Sometime low risk item could damage your company business and can lead to lose sensitive data. To recover from the aftermath of an incident can be a costly proposition.

One way to deal with the new threats is to be vigilant and know your weaknesses by assessing your infrastructure. On the other hand it helps a great deal to have an operating system which comes with built in security controls which you can turn on and off based on your security needs. Microsoft claims that Vista is the most secure operating system yet and was built with security as a top priority. However with all these built in security features, you may need to make some configuration changes to fit in your security requirements.

Windows Vista comes with many built in security features to protect your business assets. Below are the new security features.

[TABLE=4]

In the past access was the top priority for Microsoft operating system (open by default – start locking down as needed). Now in Vista the control is a top priority (closed by default – start opening up as needed).
Vista security development life cycle (SDLC) follows defense in depth model which compartmentalized and makes it tough for the intruder to get to the crown jewel. At the same time intruder risk the chance of detection at every layer. Defense in Depth model:

[TABLE=5]

Vista Service Hardening:
Vista service hardening is designed to run services with the least possible privileges. Four different features are utilized to achieve service hardening.

o Service isolation
o Least privilege
o Restricted network access
o Session 0 isolation

Service isolation – is a method by which a service can access an object without having a super user access account to secure the objects like registry keys.

Least privilege – Based on best practice each service should utilize the least privilege necessary to accomplish the task. Under Vista, when service initiate, it request for specific privileges provided by the local system.

Restricted network access – Under Vista, a service access can be restricted by TCP/UDP port, protocol, and direction that network traffic is flowing. Restricted network access will limit attack vector by blocking unnecessary ports, protocols and direction of the traffic.

Session 0 isolation – Vista does not allow any user application to run with session 0. All user applications must run in session 1 or higher. Only services and other non-user facing application run on session 0, to maintain isolation between services and user application.

Service hardening, when combined with other security features provides a tough defense. This defense in multiple layers is aimed to safeguard your system and also enables your business to be successful by keeping the threats at acceptable distance.


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Tags: closed by default, compartmentalize, defense in depth, incident, intruder, least privilege, open by default, restricted network access, safeguard, sdlc, security features, sensitive data, service hardening, service isolation, session isolation

Sep 04 2008

Web 2.0 and more data

Category: Information Security,Web 2.0 — DISC @ 5:52 pm

According to the Identity Theft Resource Center of San Diego, “the data breaches are on the rise in 2008” and with more data breaches so are the impact and amount of losses. Web 2.0 is next phase of internet creation, where huge social networks are built and citizens of the network enjoy the interactive and conversational approach of the new web frontier. Does the web 2.0 introduce new threats which can be exploited by cyber criminals?

To aid a social communication, users are required to input personal profile including birth date and residence addresses into these social networks to participate, which happens to provide a target rich environment for cyber criminals. These days new attacks are already taking advantage of personal information, some of which is retrieved from social network sites. If the account is hacked/breached from one of these social network sites, the impersonator can damage the (personal and professional) reputation by modifying the profile or changing/inserting the contents or comments.

Cross site scripting is one of the major threat facing Web 2.0, below is an example of XSS.

“In an incident reported in early December 2006 by Websense, hackers compromised the MySpace social networking site and infected hundreds of user profiles with a worm. This malicious code exploited a known vulnerability to replace the legitimate links on the user profiles with links to a phishing site, where victims were asked to submit their username and password. In addition, according to Websense, the worm embedded infected video in victims’ user profiles.”

AJAX is one of the main programming languages used to develop Web 2.0.

“A traditional Web site is like a house with no windows and just a front door. An AJAX Web site is like a house with a ton of windows and a sliding door. You can put the biggest locks on your front and back doors, but I can still get in through a window.”

What if you happen to be a peace activist or a whistle blower in your company? Then perhaps Uncle Sam or your employer wants to settle scores with you for some reason. The question is who is monitoring them or for that matter stopping them from getting into your account to steal or modify data to damage your reputation or career? The point is, besides all the functional benefits, web 2.0 comes with new threats which we need to be aware of. Without knowing these risks we can’t manage or mitigate them to a point which is acceptable to the society at large.

Web 2.0 contents are mostly interactive or dynamic in nature. The tools which were used to defend static contents might not be feasible for dynamic web 2.0 contents. Non-repudiation, validating the source and real time verification of the contents might be necessary to stay on top of the dynamic nature of web 2.0 threats.

Web 2.0 – Opportunity 2.0 or Threat 2.0?

How freely available online infomation on Web 2.0 was utilized to break into online banking account

Web 2.0 … The Machine is Us/ing Us

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gmP4nk0EOE


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Tags: ajax, cross site scripting, cyber criminals, data breaches, identity theaft, mitigate, non-repudiation, phishing, Web 2.0, web 2.0 threats, websense, xss

Aug 08 2008

ISO27k and compliance

Category: Information Security,ISO 27k — DISC @ 2:42 am

Security review is performed to identify and analyze risks and weaknesses in the current security posture of an organization. An ISO assessment is performed utilizing international standard ISO 27002 and company security policy, the purpose of the review is to evaluate the information security posture of an organization based on international standard. The level of compliance will indicate how close your organization is to meeting the key objectives for each 133 controls defined within 11 security control clauses collectively containing a total of 39 main security categories and one introductory clause introducing risk assessment and treatment.

It is important to not only assess the control for completeness (all relevant areas are addressed) and comprehensiveness (each individual area is covered completely), but also this balanced framework serves as the basis for both measuring an organization’s effectiveness in addressing risk and structuring an organization’s overall security program. Because ISO 27002 requirements are largely a superset of other major regulations, achieving ISO 27002 compliance positions most organizations to be well on their way to meeting the requirements of SOX, HIPAA and GLBA.

To achieve ISO compliance, thorough assessment utilizing all 133 controls will provide mitigating solution guidelines for gaps. To give your business an edge, conduct a security review based on ISO controls, if you would like to compare your security practices with international standard.
The result of the assessment will not only establish and maintain security policy, but also validates the policy’s completeness, design new controls and provide a road map to mitigate risks. An assessment of risks will determine what issues need to be addressed and provide a guideline to meet security regulations and a road map to build a world class ISMS (Information Security Management System).

ISO27001 is an international standard which is considered as an information security best practice or due diligence and is part of the security controls and audit controls specification document. ISO27002 is a code of practice which recommends guidelines for information security management systems and is closely linked to ISO 27001. ISO27001 continues to provide comprehensive best-practice advice and guidance to private and public organizations around the globe on how to design and implement a compliant information security management system ISMS.
An ISMS is not simply a set of documents. Maintaining and improving ISMS allows it to grow over time to address new business requirements. An ISMS is simply a system which addresses information security risks facing an organization and identifies the level of organization compliance with applicable regulations.

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Tags: glba, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, hipaa, Information Security, Information Security Management System, isms, iso 27002, iso assessment, iso compliance, ISO/IEC 27001, ISO/IEC 27002, sox

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