Monthly Archives: February 2017

UPS Tests “Last Step” Drone Delivery

Test demonstrates potential efficiencies drones can provide on rural delivery routes

Unlike previous drone tests, UPS/Workhorse test incorporates drone delivery into day-to-day delivery operations

Earlier this week, UPS announced that it has successfully tested a delivery drone that launches from the top of a UPS® package car, autonomously delivers a package to a home and then returns to the vehicle while the delivery driver continues along the route to making deliveries.

UPS, like Amazon, is working to reduce delivery times and its growing logistics bill. You can read more about Amazon’s efforts in my Amazon Prime Air Update.

The test was conducted on Monday in Lithia, Fla. in partnership with Workhorse Group (NASDAQ: WKHS), an Ohio-based battery-electric truck and drone developer. Workhorse built the drone and the electric UPS package car used in the test.

The drone used in Monday’s test was the Workhorse  HorseFly™ UAV Delivery system.. It’s an octocopter that’s fully integrated with Workhorse’s line of electric/hybrid delivery trucks. The drone docks on the roof of the delivery truck. A cage suspended beneath the drone, extends through a hatch into the truck. A UPS driver inside loads a package into the cage and presses a button on a touch screen, sending the drone on a preset autonomous route to an address. The battery-powered HorseFly drone recharges while it’s docked. It can carry a package weighing up to 10 pounds.

I like UPS’s approach to studying how drone delivery can reduce costs. A reduction of just one mile per driver per day over one year can save UPS up to $50 million. UPS has about 66,000 delivery drivers on the road each day. It’s easy to see how a delivery program like this, at least in rural areas where homes are far apart and drivers have to travel long distances to make a single delivery, has the potential to save UPS a ton of money. A program like this also has environmental benefits.

I’m encouraged to see companies like Amazon and UPS working to realize the cost saving potential of UAV’s. I’m especially encouraged to see the both companies refining their approaches into programs that have the potential to be deployed in the field in the near-term future.

Way to go UPS!

UPS serves on the FAA’s drone advisory committee.

Originally posted by Carl Bruckner
President at Concentric Sky.

Yahoo’s hack warning comes from a third breach, Yahoo says

How many times does this have to happen??
Three strikes and your out

Yahoo’s newly issued warning to users about malicious hacks is related to a third data breach that the company disclosed in December 2016.

A warning sent to some Yahoo users Wednesday read: “Based on the ongoing investigation, we believe a forged cookie may have been used in 2015 or 2016 to access your account.”

This breach was quietly revealed in a December 2016 statement from Yahoo that provided information on a separate hack that occurred in August 2013 involving more than 1 billion accounts. Some of 2015 and 2016 incidents have been tied to a “state-sponsored actor” that was involved in another 2014 breach that affected up to 500 million accounts.

“Forged cookies” are digital keys that allow access to information without re-entering passwords. The leaked data included email addresses, birth dates and answers to security questions. Yahoo declined to say how many people were affected.

“As we have previously disclosed, our outside forensic experts have been investigating the creation of forged cookies that could have enabled an intruder to access our users’ accounts without a password,” a Yahoo spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “The investigation has identified user accounts for which we believe forged cookies were taken or used. Yahoo is in the process of notifying all potentially affected account holders.”

A source familiar with the matter said the investigations for these breaches are nearing an end.

The earlier, catastrophic breaches that impacted over 1.5 billion accounts raised questions about Yahoo’s security, and called into question the company’s deal to sell itself to Verizon Communications.

Both SunTrust and CFRA retained their hold opinion on Yahoo shares, mostly tied to the fact that Verizon will likely still purchase the internet company and has renegotiated the purchase price. Bloomberg reported that the telecommunications company was able to reduce the initial $4.8 billion price by $250 million due to the data breaches.

I really think it time to delete that Yahoo account and put the matter to bed.

How to practice cybersecurity (and why it’s different from IT security)

Cybersecurity isn’t about one threat or one firewall issue on one computer. It’s about zooming out and getting a bigger perspective on what’s going on in an IT environment.

Credit: Thinkstock

Keeping companies safe from attackers is no longer just a technical issue of having the right defensive technologies in place. To me, this is practicing IT security, which is still needed but doesn’t address what happens after the attackers infiltrate your organization (and they will, despite your best efforts to keep them out).

I’m trying to draw attention to this topic to get security teams, businesses executives and corporate boards to realize that IT security will not help them once attackers infiltrate a target. Once this happens, cybersecurity is required.

In cybersecurity, the defenders acknowledge that highly motivated and creative adversaries are launching sophisticated attacks. There’s also the realization that when software is used as a weapon, building a stronger or taller wall may not necessarily keep out the bad guys. To them, more defensive measures provide them with additional opportunities to find weak spots and gain access to a network.

This mentality goes against the fundamental principle in IT security of erecting multiple defensive layers around what you’re trying to protect. By separating what you’re trying to protect from the outside world, you’re keeping it safe—at least in theory. While this works in physical security, where IT security has its roots, it doesn’t really work when you’re facing enemies who need to be successful just once to carry out their mission. Defenders, unfortunately, don’t have this luxury. They need to catch every attack, every time. Don’t take this statement as a knock against these antivirus software, firewalls and other defensive technologies; they’re still needed in conjunction with cybersecurity.

Cybersecurity means looking for attacker footholds, not malware

IT security and cybersecurity also differ on what action to take after an attacker breaks through your defenses. In IT security, when a problem is detected on one computer, it’s considered an isolated incident and the impact is limited to that machine.

Here’s how that scenario typically plays out: Malware is discovered on the controller’s computer, for example. An IT administrator or maybe a junior security analyst removes the machine from the network and perhaps re-images it. Maybe there’s an investigation into how the computer was infected and a misconfigured firewall is identified as the culprit. So, the firewall configuration is changed, the threat is neutralized, the problem is solved, and a ticket is closed. In IT security, where the quick resolution of an incident is required, this equals success.

Now, here’s how that same incident would be handled from a cybersecurity perspective. The team looking into the incident wouldn’t assume the malware infection is limited to one computer. And they wouldn’t be so quick to wipe the machine clean. They may let the malware run for a bit to see where it phones home and how it acts.

Most important, the incident wouldn’t be seen as a random, one-off event. When you apply a cybersecurity lens to incidents, the belief is that every incident is part of a larger, complex attack that has a much more ambitious goal besides infecting machines with malware. If you close a ticket without asking how an incident or incidents are linked (remember, attacks have many components and adversaries commonly carry out lateral movement) or where else attackers could have gained a foothold, you’re not doing your job.

To practice cybersecurity, zoom out

Practicing cybersecurity begins with security teams changing their mindset around how they handle threats. To start, they need to be encouraged to not quickly close tickets and spend time looking for a full-blown attack in their environment. They also need to understand that cybersecurity isn’t about one threat or one firewall issue on one computer. That view is much too myopic. Zoom out for a bigger view.

I admit this approach is a radical departure from how most organizations currently handle security. Further complicating this perspective is the fact that what I’m proposing can’t be learned in classrooms or professional development courses. The notion of experience being the best teacher applies to figuring out cybersecurity. Step one is thinking like a detective and asking questions about the incident like why was this attack vector used, are there any strange activities (however minor) occurring elsewhere in my IT environment, and why would attackers target our organization.

It’s this big picture thinking that separates cybersecurity from IT security. And it’s big picture thinking that will help companies detect and stop adversaries after they make their way into an organization.

 

Cyber Ransom vs. Ransomware

By now, we have all heard about ransomware as it has taken over the cybersecurity scene over the last couple of years. However, we want to make sure that everyone is clear about the difference between cyber ransom and ransomware, as there is a very clear distinction. Cyber ransom and ransomware attacks have been the most popular forms of cyberattacks as of late.

Cyber Ransom

The most common form of cyber ransom is through a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack. In a DDoS attack, hackers flood a business’ site with data requests, overwhelming the site’s legitimate functions. The flooding eventually forces that website to shut down. As far as the ransom is concerned, cybercriminals will threaten to launch an attack on an organization’s site unless the organization pays a ransom fee of a certain Bitcoin amount.

Another form of cyber ransom is through corporate extortion which is becoming more and more popular. This type of attack can be carried out in several ways. One approach, which Domino’s in Europe was hit with, is where a cybercriminal sends out a ransom letter threatening businesses with negative online reviews, complaints to the Better Business Bureau, harassing telephone calls, or fraudulent delivery orders.

Another variation of corporate extortion is where cybercriminals perform a data breach, where they gain access to a company’s network and gather sensitive data. The data collected is usually information on their clients such as credit cards, social security numbers, email addresses, and login credentials. While this seems like data breaches that we have heard about recently (Yahoo, Adult Friend Finder, and several social media sites), cybercriminals who are involved in corporate extortion are in it for the money. Once cybercriminals have performed the data breach, they will threaten to publicly release the information unless the company pays a set ransom fee.

Ransomware

Ransomware is the most common form of cyberattack seen today. In a ransomware attack, the cybercriminal will infect a machine with malware that encrypts all or some files on a user’s computer. Once the encryption process has completed, a ransom note will appear on the victim’s screen demanding payment in order to receive the decryption key. Payment for the decryption key is usually made in Bitcoins, which are extremely hard to trace back to the hacker. Ransomware is most commonly distributed through phishing campaigns where cybercriminals will send emails embedded with malware. Once the user on the receiving end clicks on a link or opens up an attached file, the malware will begin to download, and the encryption process will begin.

Cyber Ransom and Ransomware Connected

  • Cyber Ransom – Cybercriminals threaten to launch a DDoS attack on an organization’s site unless the organization pays a ransom fee.
  • Ransomware – Cybercriminals infect machines with malware that encrypts all or some files, then demand a ransom fee to receive the decryption key.

 

When put in these terms, cyber ransom and ransomware seem like they wouldn’t be connected at all. However, cybercriminals are becoming more and more sophisticated with their attacks every single day. So, here’s the kicker. Cybercriminals are starting to use the threat of DDoS as ‘smokescreens’ for more wicked attacks, such as ransomware. The hackers will use DDoS attacks to distract the IT department, so they are able to slip under the radar without being detected. While the DDoS attack or the threat of one will only distract IT individuals for a short time, that’s all the time hackers need. While the IT staff scramble to handle the momentary network outages, hackers can use automated scanning or penetration techniques to map a network and install ransomware.
To stop these types of attacks, look at some of the new technologies that continuously monitors your network traffic.