ProCircular Information Security Experts Corner

Let’s take a look at an often under-utilized aspect of network topology in the small to medium business realm: that’s right, a networking article. But before you run off, what if I told you you could increase performance and lower your production down time with equipment you (might) already have!?

During a penetration test, we’ve found that a common (and easy) way to gather credentials and gain an initial foothold on the client’s network is to perform a Man-in-the-Middle poisoning attack abusing LLMNR & NBT-NS. Depending on how active users are on the network, this attack can give an adversary valuable information almost immediately. Fortunately, with a little knowledge, this attack can be easily remediated.

What is LLMNR & NBT-NS? 

RSA 2019 discussed a whirlwind of topics, including everything from up-to-the-second threats to the long-term global implications of General Data Protection Regulation or GDPR, the European Union’s data protection policy. Navigating the various events can be a daunting task, but there were a few talks that stood out as particularly relevant to ProCircular’s clients. In this blog I’ll recap an excellent presentation and Q&A on compliance.

The reason we wear our seat belts is not to avoid getting a ticket from the police, but rather to avoid a potential injury in a car accident. This analogy is an easy way to describe the difference between box-checking security and real security, and it's instantly understood regardless of technical knowledge. This message resonates with executives, because they typically prefer to “get to the point” and correctly protecting their data is “the point” of cybersecurity.

As cyber attacks continue to become more industry specific, we can expect 2019 to hold a variety of new threats designed to target manufacturing. Unlike banks and hospitals, which have been more frequently targeted and tend to be more prepared, the manufacturing industry is still working to get its arms around cybersecurity. This hasn’t been lost on hackers, who continue to benefit from organizations without high levels of maturity. Below are some trends and threats to consider while planning your security efforts in the coming year(s):