Overconfidence in technology is leaving companies exposed to phishing and other attacks that prey on humans, as evidenced by red team tests where 52% of employees clicked on a link in a fake email

HELSINKI, FINLAND – March 22, 2017 — /BackupReview.info/ — Attackers consistently prey on companies that have what cyber security experts call a “false sense of security” when it comes to relying too much on technology to defend their networks. The warning comes from a spokesperson for F-Secure’s red team – a group of cyber security experts specializing in ethically attacking organizations to highlight strengths and weaknesses in their security.

“Using technology to solve human problems just doesn’t work, and anyone telling you different is selling magic beans,” said Tom Van de Wiele, Principle Security Consultant at F-Secure. “Real-life attackers, especially criminals, live off perfecting subtle social engineering tricks that trick human beings into letting their guard down. And letting employees believe that cutting edge security technologies will handle everything gives a false sense of security, which is something today’s attackers are counting on.”

Gone phishing
Phishing exemplifies what Van de Wiele says are failings related to overconfidence in technology. According to PwC’s Global State of Information Security Survey 2017,* phishing was the #1 vector for cyber attacks targeting financial institutions in 2016. And based on the spread of managed phishing-as-a-service bundles on the dark net,** these attacks are likely to become more prevalent going forward.

“You’d be amazed by what people click on while they’re working. They’re not stupid, just caught off-guard, not necessarily expecting to be duped,” said Van de Wiele. And indeed, simulated phishing attacks have high success rates in F-Secure’s Red Teaming Tests.

For example, in a recent job, F-Secure red team experts sent out a fake LinkedIn email to see how many of the client organization’s employees would click on a link in an unsolicited email. 52% of employees clicked. In another test, F-Secure’s red team created an email leading to a fake portal where employees would need to log in using their domain credentials. 26% of recipients followed the email link to the portal, and 13% actually entered their login credentials.

Nothing is off limits
The Red Teaming Tests Van de Wiele and his colleagues conduct involve a comprehensive series of tests designed to highlight what companies are doing right and wrong when it comes to security. The tests challenge companies to successfully detect, contain, and respond to simulated cyber attacks intended to steal financial data and intellectual property, or control key parts of a company’s IT infrastructure.

According to Van de Wiele, these tests often surprise companies by revealing just how exposed they are. “Internal views of security rarely match the weaknesses attackers actually see,” he said. The tests encompass a company’s entire attack surface, not just digital but physical too – or anything under the company brand.

“Many companies are surprised when we gain access to offline servers, as many CISO’s are unprepared to deal with an attacker who gains physical access to their company’s premises. And that’s surprisingly easy to do: all you need is a safety vest and physical work order. Safety vests are better than Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak. Put it on and you can get anywhere, no questions asked.”

With Red Teaming Tests, organizations can:

  • Ensure that security controls are working and are aligned with their intended function
  • Measure the return of cyber security investments
  • Obtain an overview of how efficiently core assets or intellectual property are protected
  • Clarify if security processes need to be updated or if more security awareness training is required
  • Raise IT security awareness within relevant departments
  • Ensure that security monitoring works as intended
  • Test their ability to contain an attack

*Source: http://www.pwc.com/gx/en/issues/cyber-security/information-security-survey/financial-services-industry.html

**Source: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/12/07/phishing_as_a_service/

More Information:

  • F-Secure Red Teaming Tests — https://goo.gl/bTvVfD
  • Video: Let us in. Keep them out. — https://goo.gl/AH4SLU

About F-Secure
Nobody knows cyber security like F-Secure. For three decades, F-Secure has driven innovations in cyber security, defending tens of thousands of companies and millions of people. With unsurpassed experience in endpoint protection as well as detection and response, F-Secure shields enterprises and consumers against everything from advanced cyber attacks and data breaches to widespread ransomware infections. F-Secure’s sophisticated technology combines the power of machine learning with the human expertise of its world-renowned security labs for a singular approach called Live Security. F-Secure’s security experts have participated in more European cyber crime scene investigations than any other company in the market, and its products are sold all over the world by over 200 broadband and mobile operators and thousands of resellers.

Founded in 1988, F-Secure is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki Ltd.

f-secure.com | twitter.com/fsecure | facebook.com/f-secure

F-Secure Media Relations
Adam Pilkey
+358 40 637 8859

Source: F-Secure

 

 

Tags: