WHITEPAPER- TOP 10 THREATS TO SME DATA SECURITY- WHITEPAPER

As much as it is difficult to find reality-based, accurate reporting on what the network security threat really is today, Scott Pinzon has identified 10 most common vectors of data compromises that could affect SMEs and also proposed practical techniques and defences to counter these vectors which are:

INSIDER ATTACKS– Verizon’s Intrusion Response Team investigated 500 intrusions in 4 years and could attribute 18% of the breaches to corrupt insiders. Of that 18%, about half arose from the IT staff itself.

MITIGATION

Implement the principle of dual control. Implementing dual control means that for every key resource, you have a fall-back.

 

LACK OF CONTINGENCY: Many SMEs have found that a merely bad data failure or compromise turns disastrous when there is no Business Continuity Plan, Disaster Recovery Plan, Intrusion Response Policy, up-to-date backup system from which you can actually restore, or off-site storage.

MITIGATION

Certainly if you have budget for it, hire an expert to help you develop sound information assurance methodologies. If you don’t have much money to work with, leverage the good work others have done and modify it to fit your organization.

POOR CONFIGURATION LEADING TO COMPROMISE: Inexperienced or underfunded SMEs often install routers, switches, and other networking gear without involving anyone who understands the security ramifications of each device.

MITIGATION

Perform an automated vulnerability audit scan. If you can’t afford to hire consultants, you probably can afford a one-time, automated scan of your network.

RECKLESS USE OF HOTEL NETWORKS AND KIOSKS HOTEL: Networks are notoriously lousy with viruses, worms, spyware, and malware, and are often run with poor security practices overall.

MITIGATION

Set and enforces a policy forbidding employees from turning off defences.

 RECKLESS USE OF WI-FI HOT SPOTS: Public wireless hot spots carry all the same risks as hotel networks and then some attackers commonly put up an unsecured wireless access point which broadcasts itself as “Free Public WiFi.” Then they wait for a connection-starved road warrior to connect.

MITIGATION

Teach users to always choose encrypted connections. Have them connect via a Virtual Private Network (VPN).

DATA LOST ON A PORTABLE DEVICE: Much sensitive data is compromised every year when workers accidentally leave their smart phone in a taxi, their USB stick in a hotel room, or their laptop on a commuter train. When data is stored on small devices, it’s wiser for administrators to stop thinking about what they’ll do “if that device ever gets lost…” and instead, think, “when it gets lost…”

MITIGATION

Manage mobile devices centrally. Consider investing in servers and software that centrally manage mobile devices.

WEB SERVER COMPROMISE: The most common botnet attack today is against web sites; and the fatal flaw in most web sites is poorly-written custom application code. MITIGATION

Audit your web app code. If (for instance) a Web form has a field for a visitor to supply a phone number, the web application should discard excess characters.

 RECKLESS WEB SURFING BY EMPLOYEES : A 2006 study by the University of Washington found that the sites that spread the most spyware were (in order)

1. Celebrity fan sites (such as the type that give updates on the follies of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears);

2. Casual gaming sites (where you can play checkers against a stranger)

3. Porn sites (coming in at a surprising third place)  

Social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook have taken the lead as virtual cesspools of spam, trojans, and spyware.

MITIGATION

Implement web content filtering. Use web filtering software such as WatchGuard’s WebBlocker. Web filtering solutions maintain databases (updated daily) of blocked URLs in scores of categories.

 MALICIOUS HTML EMAIL : The most common email attack now arrives as an HTML email that links to a malicious, booby-trapped site. One wrong click can trigger a drive-by download.

MITIGATION

Implement an outbound web proxy. You can set up your LAN so that all HTTP requests and responses redirect to a web proxy server, which provides a single choke-point where all Web traffic can be monitored for appropriateness.

 AUTOMATED EXPLOIT OF A KNOWN VULNERABILITY

Negligent SMEs get victimized if they don’t install Windows patches during the same month the patch is published.

MITIGATION

Invest in patch management or build an inexpensive test network.

 CONCLUSION

The suggested measures can go a long way in mitigating risks in SMEs and protecting their network but these are only examples of the procedures that a diligent IT administrator could implement to increase network security.

 

REFERENCE

 Scott P., (2008). WatchGuard Technologies -Top 10 Threats to SME Data Security. Retrieved on 05 March, 2014 from < https://www.watchguard.com/docs/whitepaper/wg_top10-summary_wp.pdf>