25 April 2015

In post ‘Security Think Tank: People and process remain the soft underbelly of banks’, John Colley discusses on the example of the Carbanak attack some new concepts for surviving the cyber war.

I like the idea of sharing knowledge about attack vectors and best practice for the defense against cyber-attacks across industries. But what is the proper scope for action?

John Colley writes:

‘Even worse, the persistence of bad cyber security practices is driving banks to try to protect badly designed systems by hiding them from view. Many banks try to prevent attackers discovering what internal programs they use; yet it shouldn’t matter if outsiders know what software a bank uses for its internal systems, if that software is secured properly in the first place.’

I am discussing such issues for months now. My advice is crystal clear:

Before you start sharing information about your internal systems with whatever partner, carefully consider

• what information and what level of detail is required, and
• how the information must be protected.

Every available information about your internal systems will support attackers in finding vulnerabilities in your systems. Remember: It’s merely a matter of time before cyber criminals break into your company network…

Too many details increase the attack surface of your company!

Have a good weekend!