Dark Reading is part of the Informa Tech Division of Informa PLC

This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them.Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 8860726.

Database Security
Authentication
Mobile
Privacy
Compliance
Identity & Access Management
Security Monitoring
Advanced Threats
Insider Threats
Vulnerability Management
Comments
5 Security Lessons WannaCry Taught Us the Hard Way
Newest First  |  Oldest First  |  Threaded View
Innerct
50%
50%
Innerct,
 User Rank: Apprentice
5/25/2017 | 3:54:15 PM
The weakest link
The main issue I se being missed over and over again.

Patching yes is key, but the most important is still Security awarness. How did this worm get in? It was via unwarry email users opening emails and fillowing links or activating attachments that is the entry point of this vulnerability.

The problem is we in the community tend to close the barn door after the horse has run through the house.

We do not need to depend on more tech solutions (Patching exempt).

Time to start serious end user education and start to close down the weekest link.

 
Joe Stanganelli
50%
50%
Joe Stanganelli,
 User Rank: Ninja
5/24/2017 | 11:09:28 PM
Re: First Lesson
FWIW, I don't know what the data for this past year is, but I remember a 2015 report that found that the three OSes that had the most reported vulnerabilities discovered in the past year were OSx, iOS, and the Linux kernel.  Ubuntu was a distant fourth.  Windows was 5th.

FWIW, here's the a relevant writeup at Dark Reading's sister site, InformationWeek: informationweek.com/ios-security-reports-say-no-iphone-is-safe/a/d-id/1319750

This is not to defend Microsoft, which certainly has its share of shortcomings.  But when it enterprise patch management, I'm not sure I'd place all the blame in Redmond.
Joe Stanganelli
50%
50%
Joe Stanganelli,
 User Rank: Ninja
5/24/2017 | 11:00:02 PM
Re: Lessons???
@mark: Realistically, automatic updates are not an uption for large enterprise organizations; they have to test updates and patches before implementing them to make sure that everything plays nice together.

A major telco got in big trouble here a couple years ago when it implemented a patch -- without prior testing; it wound up knocking out their consumer accounts receivable systems for a few days, to the chagrin of many customers.
markgamacheNerd
50%
50%
markgamacheNerd,
 User Rank: Apprentice
5/24/2017 | 12:15:55 PM
Lessons???
The only lesson that matters is, if any of these are lessons, there is a HUGE issue. This is not 2001, IT teams should be well versed in all of these.  Those that aren't should be ashamed! 

For the average user, turing off automaticic updates is its own reward.  This entire issue is self inflicted. 
Catherine Hudson
50%
50%
Catherine Hudson,
 User Rank: Apprentice
5/23/2017 | 4:47:24 AM
Lesson #2
Thank you for highlighting the importance of software asset management. SAM tools, such as Binadox, should not be ignored. It is the software asset management tools that reveal threats immediately upon software installation or subscription to a SaaS application.
Joe Stanganelli
50%
50%
Joe Stanganelli,
 User Rank: Ninja
5/22/2017 | 8:16:28 PM
#1
Of course, lesson #1 is generally the lesson from ANY headline-grabbing breach or security issue -- and most hacks, period.  Usually, Adobe is the culprit, but it's often other software too.  Patch management is, arguably, the number one way companies are failing in the InfoSec department.
kjh..2
0%
100%
kjh..2,
 User Rank: Apprentice
5/19/2017 | 9:21:44 AM
First Lesson
The First Lesson should have been to start migrating away from Windows OS wherever possible, especially for unsophisticated users.
LindsayCybSafe
0%
100%
LindsayCybSafe,
 User Rank: Strategist
5/19/2017 | 7:15:58 AM
Fallout is key
Thanks Ericka for this! The actions taken after a breach are never as simple as expected. The days of expecting a sequence as simple as breach = disclose = patch = apologise are gone. It's wheels within wheels - how do you drill down to the entry point? How are employees expected to know what infection looks like after the network is disconnected? Security by design needs to replace fallout processes in 2017. 


How Attackers Could Use Azure Apps to Sneak into Microsoft 365
Kelly Sheridan, Staff Editor, Dark Reading,  3/24/2020
Malicious USB Drive Hides Behind Gift Card Lure
Dark Reading Staff 3/27/2020
Register for Dark Reading Newsletters
White Papers
Video
Cartoon Contest
Write a Caption, Win a Starbucks Card! Click Here
Latest Comment: This comment is waiting for review by our moderators.
Current Issue
6 Emerging Cyber Threats That Enterprises Face in 2020
This Tech Digest gives an in-depth look at six emerging cyber threats that enterprises could face in 2020. Download your copy today!
Flash Poll
State of Cybersecurity Incident Response
State of Cybersecurity Incident Response
Data breaches and regulations have forced organizations to pay closer attention to the security incident response function. However, security leaders may be overestimating their ability to detect and respond to security incidents. Read this report to find out more.
Twitter Feed
Dark Reading - Bug Report
Bug Report
Enterprise Vulnerabilities
From DHS/US-CERT's National Vulnerability Database
CVE-2020-10940
PUBLISHED: 2020-03-27
Local Privilege Escalation can occur in PHOENIX CONTACT PORTICO SERVER through 3.0.7 when installed to run as a service.
CVE-2020-10939
PUBLISHED: 2020-03-27
Insecure, default path permissions in PHOENIX CONTACT PC WORX SRT through 1.14 allow for local privilege escalation.
CVE-2020-6095
PUBLISHED: 2020-03-27
An exploitable denial of service vulnerability exists in the GstRTSPAuth functionality of GStreamer/gst-rtsp-server 1.14.5. A specially crafted RTSP setup request can cause a null pointer deference resulting in denial-of-service. An attacker can send a malicious packet to trigger this vulnerability.
CVE-2020-10817
PUBLISHED: 2020-03-27
The custom-searchable-data-entry-system (aka Custom Searchable Data Entry System) plugin through 1.7.1 for WordPress allows SQL Injection. NOTE: this product is discontinued.
CVE-2020-10952
PUBLISHED: 2020-03-27
GitLab EE/CE 8.11 through 12.9.1 allows blocked users to pull/push docker images.