Laptops and cellphones were once the sole domain of high-powered business executives, but thanks to the proliferation of high-speed internet and falling hardware prices, they are pervasive not only in professional environments, but in just about any walk of life. As you can probably guess, this also means an exponentially expanded attack surface for cyber criminals who are no longer focusing on traditional targets. Anyone who has a bank account or credit history is a potential victim, and younger targets can be exposed to potentially dangerous privacy invasions. Rather than enumerate the various ways in which your security and safety could be violated (we all have enough nightmares as it is), I’d like to focus on some positive actions you can take to make your mobile, digital life safer and more secure.
- Password protect your devices.
Even the most careful professional will misplace their mobile device on occassion. While passwords won’t stop determined hackers, it will keep most everyone else out until it can be recovered or remotely wiped. Laptops normally do not have remote wiping capabilities, so don’t stop at just a password for protecting these types of devices. - Use built-in apps, or purchase location-tracking software.
Late-model Android and iOS devices have location tracking and recovery capabilities built-in, but they must be enabled. You can add location tracking or a “phone-home” program to your laptop, but it requires the device to be connected to the internet in order for it to report its location. - Don’t store sensitive information on mobile devices.
With any portable device, the chance of it falling into the wrong hands is high. If you don’t have an IT department managing your device and controlling what can be stored on it, you should inventory what is stored on the device (sensitive client info, photos, personal financial data, passwords) and consider whether you need that information to be stored on that device. If you do, make sure you observe #4. - Encrypt any storage media.
All late-model Android and iOS devices have the capability to encrypt all data stored on the phone. It’s on be default on iPhones, but must be enabled manually on most Android devices. If you have to store sensitive data on your mobile device, make sure encryption is enabled and working. While it’s not completely necessary to encrypt your entire laptop hard drive, it is possible, and many financial service firms require it on their laptops. At minimum, store your sensitive data in an encrypted partition or folder, or on an encrypted thumb-drive. - Back up your data.
Do I even need to qualify this particular practice? Backups should be stored separately from the hardware being backed up. It should be transmitted and stored encrypted if it’s internet/cloud based. It should be as frequent as the minimum period of data loss you are willing to lose, e.g. if you can’t stand to lose an hours worth of work, your backups should run on an hourly basis. Be aware of the performance hits this may have on your hardware and network bandwidth. - Hide devices in parked cars or take them with you.
Mobile device thefts from parked cars is consistently at the top of all loss categories. Thieves know to target cars coming and going from office parks, universities, airports, and the retail/service businesses near these locations. Before you drive away from your work location to a Happy Hour or a quick bite or some grocery shopping, stow your laptop bag in the trunk or hide it in a hard to access part of the car. Don’t do this when you reach your destination, as the thief may already be there, watching for someone to do just that. If you can’t secure it or hide it properly, take it with you. - Add a leash.
If you are highly mobile and work from many locations, it’s easy to misplace your smaller electronics, and sometimes even laptops. Add a colorful leash to your thumb drives so you don’t forget them, and maybe even consider the same for your phone if you are prone to misplacing it. If you have to take your laptop bag with you to a place where you don’t plan to use it (because of #6), attach the strap to something you will be using at that location, whether it be to your jacket or purse, or even to your leg if you are sitting in a location with lots of noise or distraction. It’s easy to forget work-related tools when you are focused on non-work activities. - Be less conspicuous.
In open public places with crowds, conspicuous use of expensive mobile devices will flag you as a target for bold thieves. I’ve talked with victims whose laptops were pulled right out from under typing hands in a sidewalk cafe or picnic table, and have read numerous reports of smartphones and tablets being grabbed in broad daylight. If you want to work on your device in a busy environment, keep one eye on your surroundings, and place yourself and your device in a position where it will be less easy to snatch by a fleet-footed thief. - Educate your friends and family.
Even though you may be cautious and secure, the people around you can undo your careful preparations with carelessness or even well-meaning intent. Be mindful of everyone around you who might not be as savvy as you in technology, and choose carefully how you interact with them via email, social media, and even device sharing. Work laptops are notorious for being infected by family members who don’t have the same security concerns as you do. Quieting a young child with your smartphone may seem like a good idea at the time, but maybe there is some other way you can entertain them that doesn’t involve your work phone. - Report thefts/losses immediately.
Eventually, it will happen. Whether the device is stolen, damaged or infected and compromised, you should work immediately with the appropriate authorities and professionals to make sure you limit the damage, both to you and your organization, as well as any customers or clients who might be affected. Don’t wait.
Dutch scientists have recently announced a breakthrough in quantum mechanics that could have significant applications in networks and security. Where previous experiments in this field have demonstrated that information could be transmitted across great distances (up to 90 miles) via quantum mechanics, the researchers at Delft University were able to instantaneously transfer information between two quantum-entangled bits (Qubits) ten feet apart from each other, and they theorize this could be accomplished at greater distances as well. While this may not sound like a practical distance, there are two important facets to consider: the information doesn’t actually traverse the distance, the information just exists in two different places at the same time, and the materials used to build the Qubits (in this case, diamond) could conceivably be produced on a mass-scale.
What this means for you:
Though it sounds like science fiction, quantum computers are actually being built and are in use, though mostly in highly experimental situations. The benefit of quantum data communications go beyond speed: because data isn’t transmitted so much as teleported across distances, it would be theoretically impossible to intercept, tap or otherwise tampered with a quantum bit of information without altering it, and thereby rendering any sort of eavesdropping impossible. Quantum-based encryption keys would be unbreakable and could never be intercepted or replicated as has been the weakness exploited in Heartbleed and countless other security hacks. However, we are still years away from a quantum internet, or even a quantum home computer or router, so don’t give up on your current security measures just yet. Also keep in mind that even though quantum security is impossible to hack in theory, the devices that will be built to use quantum mechanics will still be designed by people, which means that it is only as impervious or infalliable as the humans that created it.
Image courtesy of Renjith Krishnan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Usually Apple is able to sit on the sidelines of today’s technology security circus , enjoying a (debatable) reputation for being more secure than Windows and even Android. Unfortunately, it had to step into center stage this week and own up to a security flaw in its core networking code used in both iOS and OS X. And not just a little one either: this one affects how SSL-encrypted network traffic is handled, and it affects iPhones, iPads running iOS 6 or 7, and any computer running OS X 10.9 “Mavericks”.
What this means for you:
In a nutshell, the bug essentially prevents the affected device from verifying the identity of the certificate used to guarantee the SSL encryption. When your Apple device fires up a secure connection using SSL, the first thing it’s suppose to do is check the SSL certification of the destination by verifying it’s identity. Except, in the case of the bug, it doesn’t but reports back to the device that everything is OK. This would be the equivalent of putting a blind doorman in front of your bar to check ID’s. Apple has released a patch for iOS 6 and 7, but still has not issued a fix for the OS X platform.
For now, until you verify you’ve patched your mobile device with the latest security update for your version of iOS, I recommend against using any applications that transmit confidential data (your’s or your client’s) over the internet. On the desktop/laptop side, avoid using Safari until OS X is patched, and switch to a browser like Chrome or Firefox, both of which implement their own SSL code that is not affected by this flaw. To keep track of whether or not Apple has fixed this hole, you can visit: http://hasgotofailbeenfixedyet.com/
Update: As of Feb 25, Apple has issued a patch for OS X 10.9. Make sure your Apple devices update to the latest version of their corresponding operating system.
The winter holidays are upon us, and with them comes the shopping, traveling and general merry-making. Law enforcement is also warning about the increasing rate of smartphone thefts as criminals take advantage of the increased distraction, armfuls of packages and winter clothing to abscond with devices they know most people carry and use these days. Though you can do a lot to lower your profile as a potential victim, its an virtual guarantee that a certain percentage of you will have your phone stolen or lost, and aside from the loss of the device itself, your data could also be exploited to your further detriment if your device isn’t properly safeguarded against possible theft. CNET has a comprehensive article detailing how you can secure your data and increase your chances of recovering your iOS, Android or Windows smartphone in case it is stolen, but if you are in a hurry (and who isn’t, these days?), I’ll provide a summary of the basics below.
What this means for you:
For all phones:
- Use a pin, password, or fingerprint to lock your phone.
- Encrypt your phone data. iPhones and Windows Phones do this by default, but it must be enabled manually on Android devices.
- Back up your critical data, whether it’s contacts, emails or photos.
For iPhone Users:
- Disable access to any features made available through the lockscreen, such as dialing and texting via Siri.
- Set up an iCloud account and enable “Find my iPhone” so that your device can be tracked in case of loss or theft.
For Android Users:
- Disable access to lock screen features.
- Setup Android Device Manager and make sure tracking and control of your device is enabled.
- If you use a microSD card, be aware that it cannot be wiped remotely like the phone’s internal memory (but it can be encrypted).
For Windows Phone Users:
- Sit back and relax, as tracking is enabled by default and the lock screen doesn’t allow access to anything.
The article is really worth reading. If you truly are pressed for time, skip to the part that is pertinent to your specific phone platform. The author provides much more detail on how each tracking system works, as well as what the systems can and can’t do. It may mean the difference between having a happy holiday or a blue Christmas if (when) you get separated from your smartphone.
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
A german security researcher has revealed that as many as 750 million cellphones may be vulnerable to to hacking via their SIM card if it’s encrypted with DES (Data Encryption Standard) originally coded in the 1970s. Through studies on approximately 1000 sim chips and phones, Karsten Nohl of Security Research Labs demonstrated the ability to fool the older SIM chips into thinking he was authorized to access confidential data on the phone, including SMS texts, call logs as well as pay for fraudulent services via the phone. In theory, this level of access could grant an attacker the ability to compromise and steal the phone owner’s identity on top of gaining access to online bank accounts and other high-risk areas.
What this means for you:
Mr. Nohl has not revealed to the public the details of which SIM cards may suffer from this weakness and has instead been working closely with SIM card manufacturers to assist them with identifying and hopefully remediating the weakness where they can. His estimates are that as many as 3 billion cell phones use the older-generation SIM cards, but only some of those are prone to the security bug he has exploited in the above research. According to SIM manufacturers, they stopped using the older DES method back in 2008, so it’s likely that if your phone is less than 3-years old, you are probably safe from this particular exploit. If you have a phone that is older than 3-years, you should consider replacing it with a newer phone, or at minimum, see about getting a new SIM card from your carrier if you want to continue using your cellphone.
In a public event hosted by the Reddit.com, infamous NSA whisteblower Edward Snowden answered questions posted by Reddit users on a variety of topics. Of particular note was his response to a question about whether encrypting emails would be an effective way to keep the NSA (or anyone else, for that matter) out of your business. Snowden’s response was both heartening and depressing at the same time:
Encryption works. Properly implemented strong crypto systems are one of the few things that you can rely on. Unfortunately, endpoint security is so terrifically weak that NSA can frequently find ways around it.
What this means for you:
Imagine you want to send a package that contains some very valuable items to a friend on the other side of the world. You carefully wrap the items and then lock them in a briefcase, which is in turn handcuffed to an armored guard, who is then transported via armored truck to your friend’s house. He makes sure that the package is put into your friend’s hands and verifies that your friend is indeed who he says he is, and he even calls you to let you know that the package has been delivered safely. This is analogous to using email encryption to send an email to a friend.
Unfortunately, your friend’s house has a broken lock on the front door, and he carelessly leaves the valuable items in plain view of a window that is also unlocked. That’s analogous to the weak endpoint security Snowden at the end of his response.
In other words, it doesn’t matter how much security you engage on your end if your recipients don’t engage in the same level of security. To use another real-world analogy: cyber attacks are like water – they will flow into every nook and cranny, looking for a way in. It doesn’t matter if 99% of the surface it is covering is impenetrable. That last 1% provides the hairline crack needed to seep in and destroy everything from the inside.
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Matt Honan, the Wired writer who had his digital identity stolen in a harrowing cyberattack last year, is back with another chilling article about yet another technology failing to protect us: this time it’s our beloved smartphones. More specifically, it’s the ones we’ve left behind, donated or possibly even sold via eBay, when we upgraded to a newer mobile device. The problem? Even though we may “wipe” the phones, the process may still leave enough information behind for the wiped phone to reveal sensitive information about their owners, including where the phone has been (geographically), what websites have been visited, and even phone numbers, addresses and other confidential data we thought erased.
What this means for you:
Depending on the type of phone you are discarding, and how it is wiped, this may or may not be an issue for you. For example, iPhones after the 3G mentioned in the article are encrypted by default, and if “reset” properly, the encryption key is destroyed, rendering any data on the phone unreadable, even if it is recovered. Most large organizations with a savvy IT department will only allow smartphones to access corporate email and files after your phone has been configured with proper security settings, up to and including an encrypted partition to store your email and any files you might access from the corporate network. Most Android phones should be able to encrypt all data (check “Settings -> Security”) depending on version of Android your phone is running, providing the same type of protection that Apple has on its late-model iPhones.
I can hear you saying, “I don’t have any data on my phone that is sensitive,” and unless you are 100% sure of this, always assume there is something on your phone you don’t want untrustworthy eyes seeing. Even older flip-phones have phone numbers, addresses and other data you might not want to share with a stranger. If you are at all in doubt, hold on to that phone until you can talk to a professional about wiping it securely. If you don’t plan on letting the phone have a second life through eBay or donation, take it to an eWaste facility or event that offers secure destruction. This process renders the phone (and any electronic device, like a hard drive) down to its basic metallic components, completely destroying any data stored in any component. Don’t have access to such a process? Drop your phone into a bowl of water for a day or, as the Wired article suggests, take a hammer to it (wear proper safety equipment please!) before disposing of it through a proper eWaste avenue. This isn’t a guaranteed method, but it will take a dedicated effort that most data scavengers will bypass in favor of the next discarded smartphone that will be an easier mark.
Thanks to the commoditization of computer hardware, it’s possible to buy a serviceable laptop that costs less than $500 brand new. This has resulted in many companies relaxing the restrictions they had on their purchase and use, but a small healthcare provider in North Idaho learned a harsh lesson that hardware costs are the least of their worries when it comes to losing a laptop. The Hospice of North Idaho recently had a laptop stolen that contained unencrypted, sensitive personal information on over 400 of their patients, and because this is a violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, the Department of Health and Human Services is slapping the non-profit hospice with a $50,000 fine.
What this means for you:
Even if you aren’t a healthcare provider, being aware of the data on your company’s laptops should be a top concern, regardless of whether you think the data doesn’t fall into the protected class outlined by HIPAA. Mobile electronics, like laptops and smartphones are a prized target of thieves, on top of being ridiculously easy to damage and/or misplace all on their own. If your laptops are used heavily on the road, you should consider encrypting some or all of the data on the device, as well as making sure employees are using physical security devices like cable locks whenever the laptop is set down for more than 5 minutes, even if in a “secured” working environment. If your smartphone has access to any company or customer data, you should have auto-locking enabled and at least a 6-digit pin or password to unlock it. Cable locks won’t stop a determined thief, but it will deter most casual theft, and data encryption + passwords will make sure you never have to have that meeting with a client (or worse, a prospect) to let them know that their data might be at risk.
Image courtesy of “cooldesign” / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
In yet another instance of high-profile data loss, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has announced that a laptop containing unencrypted, sensitive data was stolen. Ahead of a final determination of the extent of the data exposure, NASA has warned its 300,000 employees and contractors to be extra cautious and that they may be at risk for identity theft.
As a result of this theft and previous data exposure incidents, the organization has established a new policy that all laptops will be encrypted from this point forward, and until the encrpytion can be enforced, all laptops with sensitive data can no longer be removed from NASA facilities.
What this means for you:
The NASA laptop in question was password protected, but you may not be aware that gaining access to data on a password-protected laptop is trivial when you have the actual device in your physical control. Though it does add overhead to overall performance of laptops, encrpyted data partitions or even full-drive encryption is the only way to truly safeguard data on mobile devices, and a compromise that savvy organizations are willing to make in order to allow their knowledge workers the mobility required in today’s technology environment. If you or your knowledge workers work with sensitive data, whether it be employee records or client data, you should review your organization’s privacy and security policies to ensure you are properly protecting yourself from a damaging security breach and data loss.
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