breach – Fabella Security

Navigating the Cyber Seas: What You Need to Know About Recent Data Breaches

Posted on July 12, 2024 by Fabella Security in Articles

Ahoy, fellow digital sailors! As we dive into the heat of summer, it’s not just our bodies that need protection from sun overload – our digital lives need some serious safeguarding too. Recent events in the cyber world have thrown a couple of curveballs our way, and it’s high time we arm ourselves with knowledge and a pinch of humor to tackle these digital perils.

AT&T Data Breach: A Slight Bump on the Cyber Highway

First up on our radar, AT&T recently faced a data breach. From May to October 2022, unauthorized folks accessed call and text records. Luckily, your name, Social Security number, and financial information were kept safe from prying eyes. Think of it as someone sneaking a peek at your grocery list but not your bank statement. AT&T has since locked the doors and beefed up their security.

RockYou2024: The Mother of All Password Leaks

Next, we have the granddaddy of password leaks – RockYou2024. Nearly 10 billion passwords (yes, you read that right, billion with a B) were discovered on a hacking forum. It’s like finding out your secret cookie recipe was shared at the biggest bake sale ever. This treasure trove of passwords includes both new and old ones, setting the stage for potential credential stuffing and brute force attacks.

How to Protect Yourself: Tips from Your Cyber Lifeguard

So, how do you dodge these cyber cannonballs? Here are some lifesaving tips to keep your digital treasure chest secure:

Change Your Passwords:
- If you suspect any of your passwords might have been part of the leak, change them faster than you can say “cybersecurity.”
- Use strong, unique passwords for each account. Think of it as creating different keys for every lock.
Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA):
- Add an extra layer of security by enabling 2FA. It’s like having a bouncer for your online accounts.
Monitor Your Accounts:
- Regularly check your financial and online accounts for any suspicious activity. Consider it your digital equivalent of checking under the bed for monsters.
Be Cautious of Phishing Attempts:
- Be wary of emails or messages asking for your credentials or personal information. If it smells fishy, it probably is.

The Perils of Password Recycling

Using the same password across multiple accounts is like using the same key for your house, car, and office. If one gets compromised, you’re in big trouble. Always use unique passwords for different services to avoid a cyber domino effect.

Password Hygiene: Keeping It Clean

Practicing good password hygiene is crucial:

Create complex passwords that include a mix of letters, numbers, and special characters. Imagine you’re concocting a digital alphabet soup.

Avoid using easily guessable information like birthdays or common words. Your dog’s name might be cute, but it’s not a secret.

Additional Resources

For more detailed information on the AT&T breach, visit AT&T’s Data Incident Page, https://att.com/dataincident. For general cybersecurity tips, check out AT&T CyberAware, https://about.att.com/pages/cyberaware.

Stay informed and stay safe out there, digital sailors.

Anchors aweigh, and may your passwords be ever secure!

Patches and Data Theft

Posted on February 20, 2020 by Greg Price in Articles

If you use a Windows-based computer, you are aware of Patch Tuesday and also the dark side of Windows patching. To say Microsoft’s patching process is riddled with issues would be a kind gesture.

The last several Windows 10 updates were buggy, and, in some instances catastrophic if installed. I often envision the Microsoft patching process as a game of whack-a-mole: one issue is addressed, another bursts onto the scene and the cycle seems to loop continuously.

In October 2019, Microsoft released a new update that was designed to remedy a printer driver issue from the previous update. However, many users encountered the nightmare for all Windows users: The Blue Screen of Death. If you’re not familiar with the Blue Screen, I’ll summarize. Your PC stops functioning completely.

In October, those who encountered the dreaded Blue Screen had to roll back their machines to a previous version of Windows, if they did so within ten days of installing the update. As usual, miscellaneous applications and settings had to be restored, but at least you could resurrect your PC.

Fast forward a few months and Microsoft did it again; an update is causing major problems for some.

The February Windows 10 update, KB4532693, contains almost 100 different bug fixes and some enhancements to improve user interaction, but there’s another problem lurking among the update.

Your data is deleted.

Yeah, you read that correctly, not a Blue Screen of Death, arguably, something worse. Reports from many Windows forums reveal that Windows 10 will sometimes fail to load user profiles correctly following the installation of the February update. As a result, personal files and settings disappear. Some researchers suggest the issue is related to the mechanism Windows uses to install the update. A temporary user profile is created by the update process and the profile isn’t waived, rather, Windows gets “stuck” in the temporary profile, resulting in loss of data to your other profiles.

In the forums that I reviewed, users who experienced the issue didn’t lose all data; however, in all instances when the error occurred, all files saved to the Desktop, custom wallpapers and icons vanish.

Microsoft hasn’t issued a response to the complaints, yet. However, Windows 10’s rollback feature appears to address the problem.

If you observe the issue, I suggest rolling back to the most previous working version of Windows 10. The steps follow.

Click the Start button and select settings. Go to “Update & Security”, then select Recovery. Under “Go back to the previous version of Windows 10”, choose “Get started”. Follow the instructions. Eventually the PC will prompt for a restart, and, your device should revert.

But, please note, Windows 10 can only rollback within a ten-day window following an update – if you miss the timeframe, the rollback option is no longer available.

For me, I advocate for keeping devices updated. It’s a solid method for securing a device against known vulnerabilities and ensures that you have the latest features and functionality. Microsoft’s poor history with updates is disconcerting. Many people are afraid to enable auto-updates due to the continued failures, more strikingly, large organizations fear Microsoft patches – the looming concern of “breaking” the business is a palpable anxiety.

I don’t know how Microsoft tests and manages quality for the patches. I recognize that their software is wildly popular and testing every permutation and application isn’t a reasonable expectation; however, exposing users to a seemingly incompetent process only erodes confidence and instills a reticence to staying current. In fact, Windows users often litter discussion forums with questions of “who’s done it”, hoping to find the poor soul who jumped before looking.

Let’s hope Microsoft recognizes that new features don’t outweigh reliable, safe operations.

Shifting gears, a bit, MGM Resorts recently announced a data breach. The breach occurred in July 2019, resulting in data compromise of nearly 11 million guests.

MGM didn’t specifically express the number of affected guests; however, a cybercrime monitoring firm offered that 10.6 million people had their information breached.

According to a statement from MGM Resorts, they discovered the breach last summer. The stolen data was stored in a cloud server. Among the data were basic “phone book information”. Apparently, names, email addresses, phone numbers and physical addresses were the main items stored in the cloud server. A much smaller number of guests’ driver license, military ID and passport information were exposed.

ZDNet revealed the personal information theft, indicating that it was accessible on a hacking forum. After the ZDNet report, MGM Resorts published a statement in which they acknowledged the event. The statement indicated that they hired two cybersecurity companies to assist in the investigation and pledged to upgrade the security systems.

MGM Resorts further stated, “We are confident that no financial, payment card or password data was involved in this matter.” MGM indicated they notified guests according to state data breach laws. Law enforcement is also working the incident, no indication of the cybercriminal was offered, and, no one has overtly issued claim to the breach.

Given that most state data breach notification laws do not require victims to be notified when the stolen information is limited to basic data, such as directory information, it’s likely that many of those affected have no idea their information exists among the breached data.

If you’ve stayed at an MGM Resort property recently, I suggest you follow basic fraud monitoring techniques; even though no financial data seems to exist among the data, we only know what has been released and stated. Taking a few precautions isn’t a bad idea.

Check your financial accounts for fraudulent activity. If you observe something odd, contact your financial services provider and seek a review. If you employ credit monitoring, check your credit reports. If you don’t, request a free report. Again, if you notice something peculiar, report it.

And lastly, consider changing your passwords. Despite the relatively low quality of the data, password guessing success increases as the volume of pertinent data increases.

Watch those patches and check your financial records. Be safe.

Protect Your Business Continued

Posted on November 12, 2019 by Greg Price in Articles

Last week I referenced the Verizon breach report and some of the key observations among the data.

Small businesses are a favorite target for cyberattacks.

I offered two “stacks” of suggestions: the easy-to-do stack and the more-difficult stack. Each stack represents best practices for improving your cybersecurity posture and reducing data breach risk.

The “easy” stack included suggestions for raising employee awareness, managing backup routines, enabling automatic updates, upgrading password hygiene, and strengthening physical security.

The “difficult” stack is heavy with policy and planning.

Verizon’s report revealed that an incredible sixty percent of small businesses that suffered a data breach were closed within six months of the cybersecurity event.

Why?

Obviously, cost and damage to reputation account for many of the closures. However, given that small businesses often operate on razor thin margins, and, owners are also operators, time is a precious resource.

As a result, expending time on building technology usage plans and incident response plans are not front-burner priorities. Making payroll and improving revenue are vital to the business’ success, not a plan that may never be used – at least, that’s a common thought.

However, let’s suppose you operate a business that is dependent upon mechanical devices. Your ability to produce is dependent upon machines, and, more specifically the efficient operation of those devices.

If a device breaks, many small businesses owners have the expertise to repair their equipment themselves, in fact, their knowledge of the functional side of a business is often the value they depend upon for success. Manuals and a network of knowledgeable resources complement what the owner may lack.

What happens when a data breach occurs?

Choose your own adventure – a hacker breaks into your business software and steals customer data. Or, a ransomware attack is successfully deployed via an email and all of your computers and cash registers are broken. Or, perhaps, a thief smashes a window and walks away with your server.

What do you do?

If a piece of vital equipment broke, you’d employ your knowledge, or, knowledge network to repair the device.

In other words, you would launch a repair plan.

The same must exist with your IT operations. A plan is needed, especially if IT isn’t your core business function.

Enter the IT plans.

A written security policy is necessary for modern businesses. In some instances, a security policy is a regulatory requirement.

In Alabama, the new data breach notification law requires that businesses evaluate and implement reasonable security measures – a security policy/plan will assist in those efforts.

While there’s no penalty for not being proactive, if a breach results, your situation will not be enhanced by not having a written security policy.

A good security policy outlines how you manage customer data, how you protect it, and, if an incident occurs, what you do to respond.

I suggest considering the plan as a blueprint for you and your employees: if something goes wrong, it’s a basic manual for controlling the situation.

A good starting place for policies are templates designed by security experts. Free templates are available at https://www.sans.org/security-resources/policies.

Review the policy templates and tailor them to your specific needs. Share them with your employees and review them, at least annually.

Encryption is another must.

Encryption of your data reduces the likelihood of the data being read by an unintended recipient. Most modern operating systems provide a mechanism by which you can encrypt your local data. By enabling local encryption on your office devices, you reduce data loss through physical theft. If someone breaks into your office and steals a computer, an encrypted device presents a formidable challenge to the thief. Similarly, using encryption for accessing email and other sensitive systems is important. If you employ a commercial email product, encryption is always included in the solution, simply verify that it is enabled.

Backups, part two.

I mentioned the importance of backups last week. However, in addition to establishing a backup routine and testing the quality of your backups, there are a few additional items to consider.

The purpose of a backup is to restore lost data.

If your backup solution doesn’t encrypt your data, you should enable backup encryption. If a data thief gains access to your backups, if they aren’t encrypted, you’ve provided a nice package that enables easy theft of volumes of data from one location.

Also, consider your backup strategy.

Are you depending on a local device for backup, such as an external hard drive, tape? Do you depend on a cloud backup, such as Microsoft OneDrive?

Redundancy is important. If you backup data to a local external hard drive, that’s great – make sure it’s encrypted and stored safely. But, what do you do if the hard drive fails? What do you do if your cloud provider is down when you need to restore lost data, or, if your internet service provider is experiencing problems?

Redundancy provides extra protection and can be accomplished very simply. In fact, for small businesses, the tools are often available with current software subscriptions, the features simply need to be activated.

And, lastly, data destruction and life cycle should be reviewed.

Don’t hoard electronic data. If you have no regulatory requirement or business need to maintain copies of unused data, get rid of it. Dispose of the data properly, use verified tools for deletion of the data. By doing so, you reduce the amount of data that a would-be bad actor can access, and, make your systems run more efficiently.

Last week’s small, easy tasks will enhance your security posture quickly.

This week’s suggestions require more planning and thought. However, there are many free sources for technology, security plans, and, most modern software provide the enhanced features that I mentioned.

Be safe and protect your business and your customers’ data.