Conficker Update Part Deuce
UPDATE 11 Jun 2009: Locally hosted bdtools removal tools (availabe at downadup.org for single computers and network. Cheers =D
Our favorite worm got an update 8 April according to Network World. Read more here…
And of course, at downadup.org.
Rackspace Delves into Cloud Computing Marketplace
Rackspace recently delved into the cloud computing arena with it’s Mosso division. Mosso delivers online presence in an application-as-a-service model and mimics Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure in delivering high-availabilty platforms on which to run services. With Amazon and Microsoft however, shell access remains limited and system-level access takes a back seat to stability. Mosso, in contrast, also offers provider-provisioned virtual server instances, which doesn’t require tackling a new learning curve. One can surmise that as the cloud marketplace matures, more providers will adopt this model. Ultimately, cloud computing will provide the availability and performance we want, without sacrificing the control we need.
Join the discussion at the Open Cloud Manifesto site.
Key-Genius Leverages Yubikey to Secure Web-Logins
So I was listening to another Security Now podcast and heard about a promising new authentication technology designed by Yubico that generates asynchronous one time passwords with a simple push of a button. The device can authenticate against the maker’s servers or your own. The device itself registers as a USB keyboard and is therefore compatible with most computers. The device costs less than $25 each, with discounts for bulk purchases.
Key Genius is a product that leverages the Yubikey to provide a more secure platform for logging into websites. It recently won an award in the Yubiking competition, in partnership with Security Now. The site stores site-specific passwords in an encrypted database, and using a browser extension, replies to valid Yubikey passwords by automatically inserting the correct password for the site. Usernames are not stored by Key Genius at all, so it’s up to the user to supply them to the website in question. This is actually a good thing, as compromise of the Key Genius database cannot in of itself bely a user’s logon credentials. This is a neat product that not only enhances convenience, but does so in a secure manner.
YouTube EDU
Sure this is old news, but I didn’t hear bout it till recently. YouTube’s EDU sub-site features lectures and educational videos from participating educational institutions. Newfound value aside, I still doubt you can get your IT department to unblock youtube.
Conficker Update
Update: An excellent resource list is available at the Internet Storm Center.
The headline at dailymail.co.uk read “April Fool’s Day computer virus is activated… but fails to cause internet chaos.”
I guess the rumors were unfounded. However, it’s important to note that the virus is still rampant and speculation on the potential uses of such a huge botnet are as well. Some surmise that it might be used to DDOS the crap out of some poor server(s). It might also be used to crack passwords or encryption. Check out http://downadup.org to read more and for removal tools. It’s also a good idea to prepare your network for the potentiality of attack. Don’t be a soft target.
Here’s a couple (read non-comprehensive) ideas on how to not be a soft target:
- Backup, backup, backup
- Have systems ready to leap into action if necessary, and keep at least one form of backup offline in case of worst-case scenarios.
- If you don’t already have a backup strategy in place, it’s time to implement one.
- Control access to your critical services
- Enforce strong passwords – or better yet, employ multi-factor authentication. PPP is a strong candidate for the thrifty.
- Audit your users – does that guy who quit last year still have an active user account? Do your non-administrative users have access to critical servers?
- Use fail2ban or iptables to detect and drop password-guessing attacks – even with 10 million + IP’s to choose from, it’s not easy to crack a password/one-time password combination when you only get 3 tries per IP.
- Watch your traffic (not really a botnet vulnerability, but good practice in general):
- Control your legacy services – seriously, it’s time to retire telnet and other services that transmit passwords in cleartext.
- https > http – especially when it comes to passwords. Don’t allow users the ability to transmit passwords over http.
- etc…
I’ve hardly compiled a comprehensive list, and I welcome comments for other good practices, but the most important takeaway is to be cognizant of your security stance. Don’t make it easy for the bad guys.
