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Solar Winds Blows Cyber Chill

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Solar Winds

The Solar Winds cyber-attack at the end of last year was a great example of the implications that this type of incident can have on the supply chain of an organisation.

Background

Solar Winds are a major US IT firm which provide software globally to Fortune 500 companies and the US government who regularly send out updates to their customers.

What Happened ?

During one of the updates Solar Winds inadvertently sent out updates that included a code that had been hacked. The code it is understood was added into the computer system “Orion” which is primarily used by firms to manage their IT resources. This particular system has 333,000 customers.

This created a backdoor to many of their customers computer systems which once in hackers installed further malware.It is understood that the attack took place for a number of months before it was discovered. It has been reported that 18,000 customers installed these updates which contained the malware.

Worst was still to come when US government agencies updated Orion’s software with the vulnerability being utilised to install Supernova and CosmicGale malware.This ultimately allows a hacker to  use remote code on the Orion software.

Who Was Impacted By This ?

The most highest profile company to be affected was FireEye who is a leading cyber security firm. Other companies including Microsoft, Cisco, Intel and Deloitte.

In addition to this a number of US government departments were compromised including the Department of Homeland Security and Treasury Department.

Who Carried Out The Attack ?

It is believed that Russian group SVR were behind this although some sources believe it may have been a Chinese targeted attack. No one is sure.

What Damage Was Caused?

Numerous e-mail accounts were broken into giving the hackers access to information contained within these.The accounts of the US government departments announced that only unclassified information  was compromised.

Impact On The Supply Chain

With many computer systems being accessed the task is to try and secure these and the time it will take to carry this out.

Many companies rely on companies for services be these IT related or otherwise and when these are compromised the implications of a cyber attack can run through the entire supply chain.

How Can Cyber Insurance Help ?

This form of insurance can provide many benefits for an organisation hit by such an attack.

The policy provides 24/7 emergency responses access to a specialist panel of vendors who have the specialism and skill set to manage and help with incidents such as these.

For example a forensic investigation can be carried out to ascertain the extent of the attack and if data has been compromised. Costs associated with subsequent claims by individuals and legal fees can also be covered under this policy.

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Coronavirus Being Exploited By Hackers

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Coronavirus

Coronavirus is sweeping the world with hackers taking advantage of people’s vulnerability and the uncertainty that exists in this situation.

The cyber threat landscape remains the same as do the techniques and methods that hackers utilize but hackers are also being more inventive and praying on innocent victims.

Phishing Attacks

This remains one of the most common forms of cyber attacks. The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) has announced that they are seeing cases of fraud where Coronavirus has been an avenue for cyber attacks. The losses are understood to be in excess of £800,000. Emails are inadvertently opened to trick individuals which leads to personal information being accessed by the hackers who then use this for illegal means.

This could include the impersonating of third party suppliers or the provision of business services. Another method is the bulk selling of face masks and hand sanitiser.

Also being seen are vishing (voice calls) and smashing (SMS) messaging. Everyone needs to be alert even more so to these dangers.

Hacker Scams 

Another pattern emerging is bogus emails coming from research agencies who are affiliated to bodies such as the World Health Organisation (WHO). The e-mail content pretends to be able to divulge information on individuals  who may have the infection.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-51838468

Remote Working 

A large proportion of the work force is now working from home and with this comes an increased exposure to cyber risks. Good housekeeping is therefore important and should include the following:-

  • Ensure that communications are secure
  • Ensure that strong passwords and multi factor authentication
  • Raise awareness of cyber attacks within the organisation
  • Make sure laptops are kept secure and in a safe location
  • Be careful not to disclose personal credentials
  • Log – off when not using the network
  • Review the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP)
  • Impose stricter procedures for financial processes and monetary transfers

Managing The Cyber Risk 

All organisations are facing a huge challenge with this infectious disease and the consequences that it brings with  business interruption being one of the main threats.

Cyber insurance includes incident response services which can assist with cyber attacks that may befall a company these include forensic investigation costs , public relations consultants and legal assistance. In the current climate it is even more important to have access to these specialist vendors.

 

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Norsk Hydro – A Ransomware Case Study

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Norsk Hydro, the Norwegian aluminium manufacturer were hit by a ransomware attack in March 2019. The company is one of the largest aluminium producers of its kind with smelting plants and factories in 40 countries being managed by their 35,000 employees.

The ransomware attack impacted on their production in Europe and the US which resulted in the company having to revert to manual operations to manage their industrial control systems albeit on a much slower basis than normal whilst they battled against the ransomware attack.

Parts of the business were however still operational which allowed a degree of production to still be maintained.The stoppage of the primary metal and rolled products had some operation impact from a business interruption perspective.

The CFO announced that the ransom bitcoin demand had and will not be paid as they attempted to restore the company’s software and preserve their data.

The cause of the cyber attack was as a result of an employee opening an infected e-mail from what was thought to be a trusted customer which allowed the hackers to gain access to their IT infrastructure and put in place the ransomware virus.This was an example of an Advanced Persistent Threat (APT).

The type of ransomware is thought to have been LockerGoga which enables hackers to encrypt computer files very quickly which are then locked with a ransom demand then being made to release them. The hackers also threatened to increase the ransom should their be any be any delays in paying to add further pressure to the situation.

Norsk Hydro made three quick decisions which helped mitigate the attack:-

  • The CFO announced that the ransom bitcoin demand had and will not be paid.
  • Microsofts cybersecurity team ( Detection and Response Team know as DART)  were engaged to help restore the operation.
  • Norsk Hydro were very transparent about the attack and hosted daily webcasts and press conferences providing updates on the attack which does not normally occur.

A special team was build up in the coming weeks which helped the business re over and reconstitute its business operations . This helped remove the threat posed by the hackers and to understand the mechanism of the ransomware attack.

Norsk Hydro shared a video of how they dealt with the ransomware attack in their Toulouse plant.

https://securityboulevard.com/2019/04/norsk-hydro-shares-a-4-minute-video-on-how-its-employees-stood-up-for-the-firm-post-an-extensive-cyberattack/

The financial impact of the ransomware attack is through to be in the region of $70- 80M. NorskHydro also purchased a cyber insurance policy which is believed to date to have paid out $33M.

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The Cyber Security Threats For 2020

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Cyber Security Threats

Cyber Security threats are evolving all the time making it extremely difficult for business to combat this and it is now even more important to have in place the appropriate protections to keep them safe from hackers.

The same core cyber security threats still exist but these are becoming more sophisticated and difficult to trace and prevent.

Ransomware   

Ransomware is now not just used as a scatter gun approach but is now being more targeted at businesses where ransom demands are now much larger than before. The decision now becomes to pay the ransom in order to obtain the decryption key to mitigate the interruption to the everyday operation of the organisation or to hold out and rely on the back-ups in place that hopefully would not be corrupted. New strains of ransomware are also appearing and becoming increasingly difficult to repel.

Phishing Attacks

These types of threats remain prominent and despite an increase in training by companies to help employees spot such attacks, commonly sent via e-mails, success is high for hackers still reaping rewards.

Internet of Things

The interconnection of devices is increasing at an alarming rate with all aspects of life now being connected from the office to the home . The concern is that people are more reliant on this and this provides greater opportunity for hackers to access a network and cause disruption.

The Supply Chain

The supply chain of any business is in many cases fundamental to its operation where this be the supply of technology or the provision of non IT services. The cyber security of such entities is in a number of cases not as robust as the principal business and should their IT be compromised this can lead to a hacker gaining access up the line.

The Insider Threat

This remains a prominent threat and is to an extent still hard to predict as this is determined by human nature. Even with the most sophisticated firewalls in place if an employee is determined enough to steal data they will succeed. It will be interesting to see how the Morrisons case develops which laid down that businesses are vicariously liable for the actions of employees in the event of a data breach of their employees personal data.

Artificial Intelligence  ( AI)  

AI as it is know is perhaps the newest of the cyber threat vectors that now exist and is the most unknown but potentially the one that could cause the most disruption. It is also the most difficult to defend against. Deep Fake videos are a fast developing area where a believable video conference call from what is thought to be the CEO could have been created by AI , this could lead to misinformation being relayed within the company and impact business decisions.

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What is the CCPA ?

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CCPA

The California California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA ) is a new consumer protection law which comes in effect from 1st January 2020 and is yet another sign that data protection is now taken very seriously. This follows closely in the steps of the General Data Protection Regulations ( GDPR) which were launch in May 2018.

Who does this apply to ?

  • This law is applicable in the state of California where organisations carry our business that involves collecting and processing the personal information of individuals.
  • Where an organisation has gross revenues of over $25,000,000
  • If an organisation buys / sells at least 50,000 consumers personal records for commercial gain
  • If an organisation earns more than 50% of their revenue from the selling of a consumers personal records.

If all any of this criteria is met then the CCPA will be applicable and the business will have to adhere to these regulations.

What are the consequences of non- compliance?

Should this be the case it is possible that the business could face the following penalties :-

  • Civil Penalty up to $7,500 for each intentional violation and $2,500 for other violations
  • In addition to this  the victims of a data breach may obtain $100 to $750 per consumer, per incident.

The importance of how a business manages its data is therefore of the utmost importance in order that these regulations are complied with and to avoid any penalties that stem from a breach of these regulations.

Some guidelines to the management of data 

  • Ensure that all employees are updated with this legislation and carry out training as applicable.
  • Ensure that all processes and procedures are aligned to comply with the new legislation and if not introduce new ones to cater for this.
  • Carry out a review of cyber security within the organisation and implement upgrades and improvements where necessary in order to mitigate a possible data breach.
  • Where necessary bring into line privacy notices and policies on websites and other public facing forums.

The protection of data is becoming a core value within businesses as in the event of a data breach the costs to manage this and the impact on their reputation can be severe.

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Agriculture – The Cyber Threats

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Agriculture

Agriculture is perhaps not recognized as a sector that could be the target of hackers however this sector is now relying on increased connectivity and communication on-line and with this comes the threat of possible cyber attacks.

The Farming community has varied experience in protecting its IT and limited experience in the management of these types of risks.

Cyber Threats

  •  Increased reliance on digitization and conversion from older computer systems
  •  Working with a broad number of suppliers increases supply chain threats
  •  Farm database being subject to a data breach from a hacker
  •  Loss of productivity as a result of a cyber attack impacting on yields
  •  Loss of storage facilities
  •  Compromise of farm management and logistics software  
  • Agricultural vehicle attacks

The Smart Factor

Agriculture is becoming more reliant on smart technology as this is cost effective and works effectively in this sector where movement of goods and animals dominants.

For example this involves some of the following :-

1.Livestock tracking wearables

2 Food tracking

3.Smart agriculture sensors for soil moisture and weather stations

Cyber Risk Management 

Agriculture is linked to the food industry and any compromise in technology is going to have a very significant impact of the food supply chain , protection of this is vital. The food sector is classified as part of the 13 sectors that fall under Critical National Infrastructure (CNI), the prominence of this therefore is at the highest level. The  management of risks in this sector should be a priority.

We have not seen many cyber attacks in this sector and it is maybe the case that few have been reported or they have been in significant to be reported.

Cyber Insurance 

This is relatively new form of insurance and is now being purchased by many businesses in many different sectors and it is conceivable that the farming sector will also consider this with cyber risk becoming more relevant .

 

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