news190705

FFT news digest Jul 5 2019

Border games

For obvious reasons, border crossings are a key security risk and China has provided a vivid illustration of this. As the Guardian and other media report, travellers at the remote Irkeshtam crossing are being told to unlock their phones and police are then harvesting their contents. To do so, Android devices have an app installed on them while iPhones are connected to a hardware reader that scans them. Tourists say they weren't told what was happening and the practice only came to light when travellers took their phones (with the app still installed) to the media. Our training for travellers highlights the importance of assuming that anything on a phone or computer may be accessed when crossing borders. This means it's worth considering whether to take temporary devices with you (something that's mandatory at many organisations). If you do take your devices, it's good practice to leave an offline backup at home so there is a known good copy which can be used if necessary.

Cookie guidance

The UK data protection regulator, the Information Commissioner's Office, has published new guidance on the use of cookies. Cookies are small text files that were designed to make web browsing more efficient, but which can also enable companies to track users' behaviour. It's a notoriously difficult area to get right, and doubtless many computer users are both confused and irritated by the notices that pop up on every website they visit. The ICO's guidance provides a good overview of why it's important to understand the basic principles behind using cookies in a compliant way. In a blog post, the ICO also demolishes a number of common myths, including the idea that telling users that continuing to use a website amounts to consent. Key to compliance is informed consent and that means users must take a clear and positive action to agree to the use of non-essential cookies. It's a complex subject that is governed by two separate pieces of legislation. Expert advice is highly recommended. (We'd like to be able to explain why they're called 'cookies', but alas no-one can agree!)

Attack stats

There's been a significant fall in the number of cyber attacks reported by UK organisations over the past year. The survey by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) found that 32% of businesses said they had experienced cybersecurity breaches compared to 43% for 2018 and 46% for 2017. The findings also point to a continuing rise in the financial cost of incidents in which organisations have lost data or assets. The DCMS does not draw any clear conclusions about why the number of reported attacks has fallen, though it suggests the introduction of new data protection rules may have resulted in some organisations being less willing to admit to having suffered a breach. We believe the survey points to a wider cybersecurity trend which has seen attackers focussing greater effort on a narrower set of targets.

Celebrity by the numbers

What does it take to be considered a celebrity? According to the UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), the answer is 30,000 Instagram followers. The ASA'S ruling means that anyone with that number of followers will have to obey the same rules as celebrities like David Beckham (56.8 million Instagram followers) or Emma Watson (51.2 million). The case was sparked by a British lifestyle blogger who shared a sponsored post about an anti-histamine and sleep aid. The drug manufacturer said the blogger had 32,000 followers so could hardly count as a celebrity. The ASA said "she had the attention of a significant number of people" and was therefore "a celebrity for the purposes of the UK's advertising code".

VPN alert

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) service from Kaspersky Lab has become the first to begin blocking websites banned by the Russian government. According to an internet freedom rights group, users found they couldn't open a website that is banned in Russia; instead a message appeared saying the site did not exist. Last month, Russian officials said plans were underway to block nine leading VPNs after they refused to implement a blacklist that would cut off access to banned sites through their services. As a Russian company, Kaspersky would have been more open to sanctions than international competitors. From a user perspective, visitors to Russia may want to investigate whether the imminent block will affect their VPN provider. VPNs are not the only solution to secure connectivity and you might be surprised how simple the alternatives are to use.

Email risks

Email remains the key security risk facing most organisations, and many employees aren't receiving adequate training to combat the threat. Security firm, Barracuda, says almost half of the respondents to its survey said they had experienced ransomware attacks delivered by email, and 75% had seen attempts to hijack their brands. Despite the threat, Barracuda found that 56% of organisations admitted their employees failed to adhere to security policies, and 40% had seen unapproved workarounds being used. Many organisations said training was provided irregularly or (in 7% of cases) not at all. Barracuda warns that switching to instant messaging solutions such as Slack may not be an answer because of the likelihood that these will also be targeted by criminals. That warning is echoed by an opinion piece in the New York Times which points to Slack's lack of end-to-end encryption and a different access/retention policy for non-enterprise users.

In brief

A scam on Instagram is targeting people's apparent craving for the status of a 'Verified' badge. Sucuri has found messages and websites that take victims to fake login pages designed to steal credentials.

New malicious software aimed at Mac users is designed to evade detection by antivirus engines. Intego says the malware masquerades as an Adobe Flash installer and is lurking on multiple sites across the web.

More than 10 million Android users have downloaded a fake app promising Samsung firmware updates. CSIS Security Group says the app redirects users to a website filled with adverts and charges them for the updates. It's a reminder to be cautious about installing apps, even if they're in the official Play Store.

US officials have been told to maintain the ban on technology exports to Huawei despite President Trump's pledge to relax it. As Reuters reports, confusion reigns. For consumers, that confusion means it's safest to stay away from buying a Huawei device at the moment.

A survey suggests there is a widespread lack of cyber insurance among UK organisations. The report (from a UK insurance broker) warns of the risk of "add-on" policies which may not provide suitable cover.

Apple will repair a "very small number" of 2018 Macbook Airs which are affected by a problem with their logic boards. 9to5Mac says some 13" Retina models don't turn on.

Updates

Microsoft: Non-security Microsoft Office updates with improvements and fixes for the Windows Installer (MSI) editions of Office 2010, Office 2013, and Office 2016, and Mac AutoUpdate tool.

Cisco: Updates for multiple products. Vulnerabilities addressed include 10 rated 'High'.

VMWare: Advisory published to address vulnerability in wide range of products which could be exploited to cause a Denial of Service condition. Some products can be updated and there is a workaround for others.

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