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5 Myths: Why We Are All Data Security Risks
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RyanSepe
RyanSepe,
 User Rank: Ninja
9/15/2014 | 2:10:07 PM
Silver Bullet
There is no silver bullet where security is concerned. Users need to be aware of the multiple threat vectors and need to be prepared on how to secure themselves against them. Security is a layered approach and you cannot and should not feel 100% safe with one security component. 

However, I think this again boils down to education. Articles like this are extremely helpful in providing where there are vulnerabilities and metrics as to most typical watering holes. I would like to see a follow up to this for user education as to what can be done to protect the average user from those 5 myths.
LanceCottrell
LanceCottrell,
 User Rank: Author
9/15/2014 | 2:33:33 PM
Re: Silver Bullet
I agree that there is no silver bullet. While user education is useful, I think it also allows security professions to let themselves off the hook. If a user can accidentally compromise their system, then there is a real problem with the design of the system.

Education of the executives, to ensure that proper security and security planning is a priority, is much more important. This article focuses mostly on breaking people out of a sense of complacency.
Marilyn Cohodas
Marilyn Cohodas,
 User Rank: Strategist
9/15/2014 | 2:40:02 PM
Re: Silver Bullet
Agree that the perennial problem of user education (or lack of security education) needs to be addressed, but what i found most provacative in this blog was Lance's statement in Myth #2: "I am smart enough to spot phishing attacks."

I'm sure he -- and most of the rest of you in the Dark Reading community -- are a lot smarter than I am about spotting a phishing email and other attacks, but if someone with a resume like Lance's admits that he too is susceptible to the myths of data securty risks, we all really need to sit up and take notice.
theb0x
theb0x,
 User Rank: Ninja
9/15/2014 | 4:30:23 PM
Spear Phishing
Lance, I am absolutly sure you could not trick me in a spear phishing attack for several reasons.

1) You must correctly pass a elaborate challenge/response request, spoof prevention, and GeoIP/blacklist Filter in order to register to have a unique email identifier generated to attempt to contact me.

2) HTML Markup, URLs, and Attachments are all stripped from all email.

3) The challenge/response sent to you just might be a counter-spear phishing attack.

 
LanceCottrell
LanceCottrell,
 User Rank: Author
9/15/2014 | 5:03:56 PM
Re: Spear Phishing
There is only a very fine line between that and opting out of email and other communications entirely, which would indeed prevent spear phishing by email. 
Kwattman
Kwattman,
 User Rank: Black Belt
9/17/2014 | 1:38:21 PM
5 Myths
In a quick poll of security professionals posted yesterday, statistics read that 40% do not have ANY security awarenessness in place and another 39% only do it annually. This lack of effective training breeds the complacency you talk about. Phishing, spear-phishing and vishing techniques used by cyber criminals vary and IT security pros need to keep this top of mind with users so they don't get fooled. Varying tests and training can prevent it from becoming background noise.
Kwattman
Kwattman,
 User Rank: Black Belt
9/17/2014 | 1:41:18 PM
Re: Spear Phishing
Interesting idea -- but according to a study done in the past 3 weeks, 90% of IT managers get at least a few phishing emails every month that miss the filters. So users still have to know what to look for.
LanceCottrell
LanceCottrell,
 User Rank: Author
9/17/2014 | 1:49:18 PM
Re: Spear Phishing
I agree that they should be trained, but a well done phishing attack will pass all the tests that a typical user would know how to apply. Users should have security knowledge and training, but relying on that to keep us secure seems like building your castle on sand. While they may know the right thing to do, most will ignore it if under pressure.
Kwattman
Kwattman,
 User Rank: Black Belt
9/17/2014 | 2:00:16 PM
Re: Spear Phishing
Curious as to how you came to that conclusion. While I don't disagree that the typical coffee break or death by PPT approach is unworkable, there are programs that actually work as they concentrate on changing behaviors and do it frequently enough to work, not point of failure or embedded training, which doesn't work. I've seen great success with layered defense-in-depth and security awareness (behavior training) as part of that - seems to reall make a major difference.
LanceCottrell
LanceCottrell,
 User Rank: Author
9/17/2014 | 2:07:34 PM
Re: Spear Phishing
I don't think we are actually disagreeing. Certainly training can help users detect many attacks, and can make them more consistent about doing so. My point is that no users will be 100% consistent, not all users will be even somewhat consistent, and well crafted attacks are almost certain to slip by even the ones that are paying close attention.

For that reason, I think that we need to design the security based on the assumption that users will not contribute to their own security. Not because they won't, or that they should not be trained to do so as much as possible, but because we can't count on it.

I often see security people suggest, and I am not saying that you are doing so, that users are the problem and all we need to do is make better users. I think that is a lazy cop out by the security developers, and unrealistic to boot.
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