How are the ranson ware hackers gaining access?

[KFC911]

I will not divulge my secrets....

For free !

[jyl]

Originally Posted by Vipergrün

Users clicking links in targeted email, users have too many privileges, ransomware downloads to users system and has permissions to install and move laterally, game over. I won't go into a sales speech, but the company I work for is 100% effective in stopping ransomware, for just a tiny portion of what's being paid for ransom. Use to be large corporations, now its moving to SMB and municipalities. Very scary. I am getting alerts almost every day about attacks on infrastructure.

What’s the name of the software or company? A hint anyway?

[John Rogers]

Here's a little tidbit to make you worry. 4 or 5 years ago when I was teaching evening classes on basic computer security as well as a class for databases design I had a student who was the Information Systems Officer at the Sub Base San Diego and on one of the nights were were discussing disabling DVD drives, USB ports and such to prevent the bad boys and girls from breaking in. The student had been to a big time security seminar in Washington and they were demo'd a thumb drive with a copy of the Windows OS, boot instructions and a bunch of other utilities so a user could put the thumb drive in, reboot the computer then take their time searching for passwords, documents, databases or other nice to grab files! If out of time a reboot could be done after pulling the thimb drive and the PC would then wait for the normal user to login and grad that persons info and it would all be sent to the bad guy. Of course my students all laughed and said no way so the following class I got a laptop from the school and "Bill" did a demo......scary!

So that is why Camp Pendleton, Sub Base and MCRD San Diego ( I know of for sure) ALL have DVD hardware removed and the USB ports disabled and alarmed so if someone just sticks a thumb drive in the opening an alarm goes off and the building gets locked down that had the offense! Does it work.....yes the security is tested yearly on a usually unsuspecting civil servant and all is good to the world.
John

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by John Rogers

Here's a little tidbit to make you worry. 4 or 5 years ago when I was teaching evening classes on basic computer security as well as a class for databases design I had a student who was the Information Systems Officer at the Sub Base San Diego and on one of the nights were were discussing disabling DVD drives, USB ports and such to prevent the bad boys and girls from breaking in. The student had been to a big time security seminar in Washington and they were demo'd a thumb drive with a copy of the Windows OS, boot instructions and a bunch of other utilities so a user could put the thumb drive in, reboot the computer then take their time searching for passwords, documents, databases or other nice to grab files! If out of time a reboot could be done after pulling the thimb drive and the PC would then wait for the normal user to login and grad that persons info and it would all be sent to the bad guy. Of course my students all laughed and said no way so the following class I got a laptop from the school and "Bill" did a demo......scary!

So that is why Camp Pendleton, Sub Base and MCRD San Diego ( I know of for sure) ALL have DVD hardware removed and the USB ports disabled and alarmed so if someone just sticks a thumb drive in the opening an alarm goes off and the building gets locked down that had the offense! Does it work.....yes the security is tested yearly on a usually unsuspecting civil servant and all is good to the world.
John

Wow, that sounds like something from the movies.

Way back in the stone ages we were still running DOS 6.1 and 2 MB of RAM as the new latest and greatest. The company owner spent several hours putting passwords on his system. I told him that was pointless if someone has access to the computer itself. He challenged me to get into his computer. I closed the door, slipped in a 3.5 inch boot floppy, and had total control. I changed his passwords to GGAR (Give Glen A Raise) and was done in a minute. Reboot with no floppy, and pocket the floppy. Open the door and he was locked out. He laughed when I told him what the new password was.

I told him he does not have enough money to make me risk jail so he is safe from me.

That was still in the dial up modem days so hacking and viruses were pretty much unheard of.

[porsche4life]

You guys should watch the show Mr ROBOT. It’s a bit trippy but seems to do a good job showing all the ways computers can be exploited.

[Vipergrün]

Originally Posted by jyl

What’s the name of the software or company? A hint anyway?

CyberArk and our Endpoint solution... Hope it's cool to post that.