In a follow-up to the much-publicized security breach that exposed sensitive data on millions of South Carolina residents, the governor’s office has released the official report on the incident, as researched by security firm Mandiant. The origin of the attack was traced to an unnamed state employee clicking on a phising email, leading to the immediate compromising of that employee’s network credentials. From there, the hackers were able gain access to 44 different government systems and 74GB of uncompressed taxpayer data and encryption keys. More importantly, it was revealed that the millions of Social Security numbers stolen in this attack were being stored unencrypted, primarily because the current Internal Revenue Service standards do not require encryption of any kind.
What this means for you:
It’s a running joke that governments are typically way behind the times when it comes to operational efficiency, which was fine in the days of mimeographs, fax machines and microfiche, but it’s no longer a laughing matter in the age of the Internet. The fact that the IRS still isn’t requiring states to encrypt your critical data is an open invitation to cybercriminals everywhere, as well as every amateur hacker looking for a quick payday and street cred. On top of this, the fact that government agencies like South Carolina’s Revenue Department are relying on outdated and unsafe standards that even sophomore technology professionals would recognize as being insufficient is appalling and reprehensible, mea culpa notwithstanding.
Despite the egregious lack of security, the breach in question happened because an employee open the door. You may be well-informed and security conscious, but are your employees properly trained to spot and avoid phishing emails? Are they engaging in insecure behavior, either out of ignorance or willful disregard of company policy? If you handle sensitive personal information during the course of normal business, are they aware of the federal regulations regarding the handling and disposing of that information?
The new tradition of Black Friday (and Cyber Monday) shopping online has not only caught on with bargain hunters hoping to avoid crowds and early-morning lineups, it has also caught the eye of the digital criminal element as well, who will be counting on naive (and not so naive) shoppers clicking on links to dodgy sites that instead of delivering amazing deals, will end up costing unwary shoppers hunters more than they bargained for.
It is believed that various cybercriminals will attempt to lure victims into clicking links promising deals too good to pass up, either delivered via email, or posted on the various bargain/coupon code websites that are scattered across the internet. Once you click a link to a site that is handing out malware instead of savings, your machine is likely to get infected with one of the hundreds of variants of malware, all with the express intent of, wreaking havoc on your holiday weekend (and beyond), extoring money out of you via ransomware demands, or worse still, lying dormant and undetected on your computer until you start typing in sensitive information, like the password to your banking website and email account. Once that happens, you are only clicks away from identity theft and probable financial damage.
What this means for you:
Common sense and caution are your best defenses, but you should also observe the following:
- Have updated and working antivirus software from a well-known manufacturer.
- Only click links to websites that you recognize – make sure the link you are clicking isn’t being spoofed.
- Can’t confirm a website, or not familiar with the source? Google the domain name – the real domain name, to see if virus/hoax reports have been associated with that domain.
- If the deal sounds too good to be true – it probably is. Call the store to confirm the deal if in doubt. Talk to a human.
- Still can’t confirm? Proceed with extreme caution at your own risk. Is the deal really worth the risk of your security being compromised?
Image courtesy of “digitalart” / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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