Insider Threats: The Enemy Within

The Hollywood portrayal of a hacker is a mysterious hooded figure sitting in a dark room, furiously tapping away at a keyboard in search of a back door into an organization’s system. However, the real enemy may be sitting in a brightly lit cubicle right outside the CEO’s office. Insider threats pose just as much danger to organizations as outside hackers. According to a research study by Intel, 43% of data losses happen due to the actions of “internal actors.” About half are unintentional accidents or carelessness, while the other half comprise purposeful malicious activity.

Security researcher Brian Krebs reports that some organizations are paying security firms or partnering with law enforcement to monitor the Darknet, a hidden online underworld that can only be accessed using special software that hides users’ identities and locations, in an attempt to stop disgruntled employees from selling privileged company information such as high-level system credentials. However, by the time an inside actor is snagged trying to strike a deal on the Darknet, the damage has already been done. Additionally, this monitoring does nothing to address the insider threats from carelessness, negligence, or a simple lack of cybersecurity awareness.

Continuum GRC recommends that organizations take the following proactive measures to protect themselves against insider threats:

Have a written acceptable use policy.

A written acceptable use policy is a very basic step that many organizations overlook. It is imperative that specific rules are established regarding the acceptable use of company hardware, software, and network access. The policy should be in writing and signed by every employee. While a written policy won’t stop insider threats due to malicious acts, it will provide leverage for a company to take disciplinary action against an employee who violates the policy.

Establish user behavior baselines and monitor your network for deviations.

The “human factor” in preventing insider threats only goes so far. Technical defenses are also necessary, including 24/7 monitoring of your organization’s system. Baseline patterns should be established for each user, and any changes in user behavior, such as a user logging into the system from an unusual location or attempting to access a part of the system they don’t need to do their job, should be flagged and investigated.

Restrict system access as appropriate.

No employee should have a higher level of access to the organization’s system than they need to do their job. A salesperson has no need to access employee tax and salary data. Employees in the human resources department wouldn’t normally need to access the billing system. Limiting system access not only protects against malicious insiders but also prevents hackers from obtaining the “keys to the kingdom” should they manage to steal credentials from a lower-access employee.

The cybersecurity experts at Continuum GRC have deep knowledge of the cybersecurity field, are continually monitoring the latest information security threats, and are committed to protecting your organization from internal threats and external security breaches. Continuum GRC offers full-service and in-house risk assessment and risk management subscriptions, and we help companies all around the world sustain proactive cybersecurity programs.

Continuum GRC is proactive cybersecurity®. Call 1-888-896-6207 to discuss your organization’s cybersecurity needs and find out how we can help your organization protect against insider threats.

Wendy’s Data Breach: Forget the beef, where’s the data security?

The Wendy’s data security breach, news of which first broke in January, is much worse than the fast-food company originally thought. Wendy’s first reported that the POS system breach impacted only about 5% — or approximately 300 – of its franchise-owned restaurants. However, after allegations by security investigator Brian Krebs that “a number of sources in the fraud and banking community” had told him that “there was no way the Wendy’s breach only affected five percent of stores — given the volume of fraud that the banks have traced back to Wendy’s customers,” Wendy’s finally admitted that its original figures were incorrect, and the number of locations compromised in the Wendy’s data breach is anticipated to be “considerably higher.”

In its statement to Brian Krebs, Wendy’s takes great pains to point out that the data breach impacted only franchised locations, not company-owned restaurants, and involved hackers stealing legitimate login credentials from third-party vendors who service the POS systems at those locations. However, that hasn’t stopped First Choice Federal Credit Union from filing a class-action lawsuit against the Wendy’s corporation, alleging inadequate information security practices and demanding that the chain improve data security at all 6,000 of its locations, both franchised and company-owned.

Human Hacking May Be Behind Wendy’s Data Breach

Wendy’s alleges that its POS systems were breached after hackers stole legitimate login credentials from third-party service providers, which allowed the hackers to remotely access the POS systems. The majority of data breaches, including the notorious Anthem breach, can be traced back to stolen login credentials. Usually, these credentials are acquired using human hacking (aka social engineering) techniques such as phishing emails. This illustrates the importance of companies ensuring that all third-party vendors adhere to cybersecurity best practices, including training their employees to spot phishing emails and other social engineering techniques.

Restaurants and retailers do not have to stand by helplessly while their POS systems are compromised; there are numerous proactive measures that can be taken to secure POS systems. These include monitoring the system for suspicious activity, including login credentials being used in an unusual manner or the POS system communicating with unknown external sources. If Wendy’s had taken its cyber and data security seriously, this data breach could have been prevented. However, the company chose to place the responsibility for POS system security on the backs of its franchisees, then, when a breach occurred, point fingers at those franchisees and their service providers.

The restaurant industry, which is planning to switch from human order clerks to automated touch screens and kiosks, cannot afford to repeat the mistakes made by the healthcare industry when it transitioned to electronic records. It is imperative that the industry realize that customer data security is just as important as food contamination prevention and take proactive steps to protect its POS systems.

The cybersecurity experts at Continuum GRC have deep knowledge of the cybersecurity field, are continually monitoring the latest information security threats, and are committed to protecting your POS system from security breaches. Continuum GRC offers full-service and in-house risk assessment and risk management subscriptions, and we help companies all around the world sustain proactive cybersecurity programs.

Continuum GRC is proactive cybersecurity®. Call 1-888-896-6207 to discuss your organization’s cybersecurity needs and find out how we can help your restaurant protect its POS data and ensure compliance with PCI DSS.

Following a string of high-profile incidents that began earlier this year, the healthcare industry has been highly focused on preventing ransomware attacks. IoT security has also emerged as a growing concern. However, healthcare organizations (as well as businesses in other industries) cannot afford to ignore another growing threat: spear phishing.

Like regular phishing, spear phishing involves sending legitimate-looking but fraudulent emails asking users to provide sensitive information and/or initiate wire transfers. However, while regular phishing emails are sent out en masse to the general public, spear phishing emails are highly targeted and sent to specific, predetermined victims, usually a small group of people working at a specific company.

In a recent press release, the Federal Bureau of Investigation warned of a dramatic rise in a type of spear phishing known as a “CEO email scam” or a “business email compromise scam.” According to the FBI, from October 2013 to February 2016, law enforcement identified 17,642 victims, totaling $2.3 billion in losses. Since January 2015, reports of spear phishing have increased by 270%.

Main Line Health Attack Proves that Employee Data Is at Risk

In February 2016, while everyone’s attention was focused on the Hollywood Presbyterian ransomware attack, Main Line Health, which operates four hospitals near Philadelphia, was hit by a spear phishing scheme. Emails were sent to employees, purportedly from the organization’s CEO and CFO, requesting employee payroll and W2 information. While some employees immediately realized the emails were fraudulent and reported them to management, at least one employee was tricked into sending the requested information to the hacker. As a result, Main Line Health had to notify its employees that their personal information may have been compromised and offer them free credit counseling and monitoring services.

When healthcare organizations think about cybersecurity, they usually focus on patient data protection. However, the hackers who compromised Main Line Health were not seeking to infiltrate patient data, but employee data, and the attack may have been connected to a very large spear phishing scheme targeting HR and payroll professionals in various industries nationwide. It is suspected that the hackers running the scheme intended to use the stolen data to file fraudulent tax returns.

How to Protect Against Spear Phishing

Email spam filters can be adjusted to recognize emails from suspicious sources and block them before they reach employees’ inboxes. However, some phishing emails will undoubtedly still get through. The best way to protect against spear phishing is to teach employees how to recognize the telltale signs of a spear phishing email, such as:

• The salutation and/or the closing seem odd. For example, management normally refers to you as “William” or “Mr. Doe,” but the email is addressed to “Bill.” In the case of Main Line Health, the closing is what alerted one employee to the fraud; the email message, which purported to be from the CEO, was signed “John Lynch,” but the employee knew that the company’s CEO goes by “Jack.”
• The request is unusual and/or does not follow normal company protocol. For example, the email is asking for employee W2 information, but requests like this are not normally handled through email or by the employee who received the request, or the person who allegedly sent the email has never requested similar information before, or it’s unusual for the person who allegedly sent the email to directly contact that particular employee.
• The wording and tone of the email are stilted. Many spear phishing attacks are launched by foreign hackers who are not fluent in English; the email may be riddled with punctuation, spelling, or grammar errors, be worded oddly, or use British spelling. The wording may also be overly formal – or overly casual.
• The domain the email was sent from is incorrect. Instead of “yourcompany.com,” the email may have been sent from “yourcompany.com-xyz.com” or some other derivative.

Employees should be taught that if something seems “off” about an email, they should consult a supervisor or IT security personnel before responding to it. Additionally, as part of your organization’s overall cybersecurity plan, a firm protocol should be established regarding requests for sensitive employee and patient data, and employees should be trained not to release sensitive data unless the protocol is followed.

In addition to using email spam filters to intercept suspicious messages, training employees to spot spear phishing emails, and implementing a solid security plan that includes protocol for the release of sensitive data, it’s a good idea for healthcare facilities to enlist the services of a professional cybersecurity firm such as Continuum GRC. The cybersecurity experts at Continuum GRC have deep knowledge of the cybersecurity field, are continually monitoring the latest information security threats, and are committed to protecting your healthcare organization from security breaches. Continuum GRC offers full-service and in-house risk assessment and risk management subscriptions, and we help companies all around the world sustain proactive cybersecurity programs.

Continuum GRC is proactive cybersecurity®. Call 1-888-896-6207 or book some time with us to discuss your organization’s cybersecurity needs and find out how we can help you protect your facility’s employee and patient data.