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Financial Firms Face Threats from Employee Mobile Devices
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tdsan
tdsan,
 User Rank: Ninja
7/30/2019 | 6:38:11 AM
Re: Kill the reliance
LOL, but their data is being harvested to fund the large corporate conglomerates and government entities every day. There are a few areas in which it is being done:
  • Microsoft - they have telemetry built into the OS where it sends information back to their location, it can be removed but most people don't know how (Google is your friend but even those guys are doing the same thing)
  • Phones - Amazon (mobile tool sends data back based on your shopping patterns), Google sends information back based on your location and browsing searches
  • Governments - they take information from a number of different sources including the ones mentioned and prioritize this data using tools called "Boundless Informant", "Prism", "XKeyScore" and "Facia"

Readings - Boundless Informant

So to be honest, nothing is private anymore, but I digress, the conversation has gotten off track. The financial firms and the information associated with mobile devices can be managed and controlled by tools from Aruba Networks, Airwatch, SOTI MobileControl and others (reference - MDM Mgmt Tools).

But you brought up some good points.

T

 
Ritu_G
Ritu_G,
 User Rank: Moderator
7/30/2019 | 2:24:18 AM
Kill the reliance
There's definitely something to be worried about since I don't know of anybody who isn't already connected by some sort of mobile device. But it's not just being connected on such technology but the dependence of people on it! I reckon there are a lot of people who would totally freak out if their devices crashed, least of all to know that all their private information was being harvested and collected to feed the greedy corporate commercialist companies!
tdsan
tdsan,
 User Rank: Ninja
7/22/2019 | 7:22:41 AM
Re: Basic security

Yes, that is good but what if you are dealing with a disgruntled employee or someone leaving the office (I have seen attorneys take case files). Also, if they copy files to the computer, disconnect it from the network, connnect the phone to the computer and then upload a file to and from the computer. Having a policy is good, but there is a thing called human nature which will always be the problem. - Todd

 
MelBrandle
MelBrandle,
 User Rank: Moderator
7/22/2019 | 1:32:43 AM
Basic security
At all my previous workplaces, employees would always be reminded that external networks cannot be connected to our work network. This is to prevent any potential risks from external sources. It has become more of a common practice and almost a common sense from then on. Employees need to know basic security concerns without even having to be told.
tdsan
tdsan,
 User Rank: Ninja
7/14/2019 | 9:45:19 PM
Alternative way of looking at potential attacks
One thing that is not mentioned is the fact that the user can unplug the machine from the network, connect the phone to the computer and download or upload files from or to the phone. The phone can act as a wireless beacon and sharing device where users from different regions can access the phone over a long-distances.

Also, the phone can be installed with application software to perform a network assessment of the environment, there are discussions about Raspberry PI being on a network for a period of 10 months, I am sure a phone would not even be considered an issue because NASA did not find that device and it sticks out, not so sure they would even think to look for a phone if configured right.

A way to address this issue would be a number of ways:
  • Disable USB using AD GPOs (Group Policies)
    • Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\USBSTOR\" -Name "start" -Value 4
  • Install and Configure "Comodo" to block PowerShell items on the network (any respected HIDS is good)
    • https://antivirus.comodo.com/
  • Configure the network to disable port if it has been disable for a period of time
    • SW1>enable
      SW1#configure terminal
      Enter configuration commands, one per line.  End with CNTL/Z.
      SW1(config)#interface range fastEthernet 0/1-2
      SW1(config-if-range)#switchport mode access
      SW1(config-if-range)#
      SW1(config-if-range)#switchport port-security
      SW1(config-if-range)#
      SW1(config-if-range)#switchport port-security maximum 1
      SW1(config-if-range)#switchport port-security mac-address sticky
      SW1(config-if-range)#switchport port-security violation restrict


There are a number of ways to address these issues but the addage is that we need to be forever vigilant.

Todd


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