On The Way to RSA

I, among many other F5ers will be in San Francisco next week attending the RSA Conference at Moscone Center.  I’ll be visiting with and interviewing many of our security partners like Splunk, PhoneFactor, Q1 Labs, WhiteHat Security, OPSWAT and others.  If you are a partner or customer and would like to share your F5 experience, let us know and we’ll try to capture it.  F5 is also co-sponsoring, with WhiteHat Security, the Web Application Security Consortium (WASC) RSA Meet-up luncheon at Jillian's@Metreon.  Take a break from the RSA show floor, relax and shoot some pool courtesy of WhiteHat Security and F5 Networks.  The deadline for registration is actually today and you can register here.  We’ll have some pretty neat announcements next week also.  So if you see a guy with a F5 shirt carrying a camera following another guy talking to the camera, stop and say Aloha!!

ps 

Related:

• F5 Networks Partner Spotlight – Splunk
• F5 Networks Partner Spotlight - Layer 7
• F5 Networks Partner Spotlight – OPSWAT
• F5 Networks Partner Spotlight - Secure Passage
• F5 Upcoming Event: RSA Conference 2011

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A Digital Poltergeist On Your Television

I love starting blogs with, ‘Remember when…’ and this is no different.  Remember when, we used to receive our television programming over the air via an antenna?  Many still do but the days of seeing a huge pointy metal object perched on top of a house are dwindling.  (That would actually be a cool photo essay – homes that still have working antennas.)  They’ve been replaced with satellite dishes and coax.  Even then, your programming was still coming over a dedicated cable from a system other than the internet.  Not so anymore.  The explosion of Internet ready Televisions, DVD players, Game consoles and other set top boxes to enjoy the entertainment the web has to offer has made many of us giddy with choices.  The range of web content, once exclusive to your browser, is now available to any room in the house and without a traditional computer.  Many Internet ready home entertainment devices come pre-equipped to watch Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, Vudu, Amazon VoD, CinemaNow, Pandora and many others.  You can also surf the web like you would through a traditional computer bringing a whole new world of entertainment to your television.  But, as many of you know, anything connected to the internet can be at risk.

If your computers and mobile phones weren’t enough, now your Television is at risk of viruses.  These will be new forms of viruses never before seen or associated with our beloved idiot box, as my mom used to call it.  These internet ready entertainment havens have processors, memory, many run on Linux and are connected to the internet, how could they not be targets?  For many of the online services, we also need to enter our personal information, credit card info and other identifying data which could be stored right on your TV.  The very same information criminals like to get their hands on.  According to Ocean Blue Software, a company that develops television application software, TV’s do not have enough power to run a full anti-virus program on them.  OBS is actually developing a cloud-based AV service which will scan content before it is delivered to the set.  While I have a firewall at the edge of my home network, my TV does not have any security software, like Anti-virus or personal firewall on it.  If you can fully navigate the web from your TV, like type in any address, then you might be more at risk since you’ll be able to download just about anything.  If you use email and click a malicious link, then guess what, you very well could be infecting your TV/DVD/Set-top with a new form of malware.

We’ve seen this again and again over the years.  The rush of newness, intrigue, our desire to have things when we want them and the need to be connected has often forgot or ignored the security implications.  Deal with it later or not thinking it is a threat since no-one (yet) has compromised anything.  First computers, then our phones and most recently, we saw it with Cloud Computing – jump into the savings but forget about the security.  That was one of the topics of year for Cloud in 2010, I think.  We need to build-in security at the onset; we need to consider the risks anytime we connect any device to the internet; we need to remember that if our sensitive information is available somewhere – then someone will be looking for it.  There are many consumer appliances that are IP already like toasters, refrigerators, thermostats, DVRs, garage door openers, coffee machines, and other home gadgets.  Sounds cool doesn’t it?  Log on to my coffee maker to make sure it is set to grind and brew 15 minutes before I arrive.  Maybe that’ll be the next threat vector – my toast got burnt due to a virus. 

BREAKING NEWS from the FUTURE: We just got a report that a hacker has shut down all the refrigerators on the West Coast and now people are running out to buy ice and scrambling to find their non-internet connected coolers.  Luckily, many still have their antique, plug into the wall fridges in the garage and are able to salvage some perishables.  We’ll update you as this story evolves….

ps

Related:

• Ocean Blue Says Connected TVs Are Vulnerable To Viruses
• Digital TV's At Risk Of Virus Infection Warns OBS
• Ocean Blue Neptune Software to Fight Digital TV Virus Risks
• McAfee: Google TV could be subject to malware, viruses in 2011
• IPv6 and the End of the World
• Hackers turn their attention to mobile technology
• Connected TVs come of Age. Now what do we do with them?
• Are connected TVs, STBs at risk for computer viruses?
• Cell Phone Acting as a Portal for DNS and Internet Security Threats
• Fake CCTV Sites Deliver Malware
• New generation of TV services begin to close gap on cable

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Technorati Tags: F5, integration, cloud computing, Pete Silva, security, business, education, technology, television, threats, appliances, context-aware, set top devices, web, internet, cybercrime, security, entertainment, identity theft, scam, email, data breach

Identity Theft: Good News-Bad News Edition

So which would you like first? 

Javelin Strategy & Research said identity theft incidents were down 28% in 2010 (vs. 2009) according to their latest consumer survey.  This is the lowest level since 2007 and about 3 million less victims than in 2009.  They partially attribute this to a decline in industry reported data breaches going from 604 (221 million exposed records) to 404 (26 million exposed records) in 2010 along with economic conditions, better security measures and busts by law enforcement playing a major role.  If you have an existing credit card account, there’s good news on that front also – fraud from existing credit cards was down 38% ($14 billion) compared to 2009 ($23 billion).  New account fraud, where the victim might not have any idea than an account was opened in their name, took top honors in types of fraud with $17 billion siphoned.  ‘Change in physical address’ was the No. 1 method of account takeover reported by victims.

Don’t drop the confetti yet, however.  While the overall numbers look encouraging, the devil is in the details as the cliché goes.  Even thought the overall numbers are down, the consumer out-of-pocket expense to resolve ID fraud went from $387 per incident to $631 in 2010 – a 63% increase.  Because criminals are using more clever ways to steal you data, you have to spend more time fixing the issue and the costs can grew.  Your friends and family are also sticking it to ya. ‘Friendly Fraud,’ when someone you know steals your info, increased 7% with 41% of this batch saying their SSN was stolen.

They also found a correlation between retail sales and identity fraud.  When sales are up, fraud is down and when sales are down, fraud goes up, says James Van Dyke, founder of Javelin Strategy & Research.  He feels that when the economy is doing well and people can make purchases with their own money, they are less likely to steal.  Add to that, better security measures are in place and people are more aware of identify fraud, thus they keep a better eye on questionable transactions.  Another bad sign is that while credit card fraud has dropped, debit card fraud went from 26% to 36% in a year.  This could be due to more people using debit cards rather than credit for purchases but also due to debit’s lower level of protection when it comes to fraud. Some would question the validity of the survey since it is a ‘self-report’ telephone survey and bank data would argue that fraud is actually up in many areas.  There are many more intriguing tidbits in the report and you can check out Javelin’s report with a couple interesting charts here.

ps

Related:

• Identity Fraud Fell 28 Percent in 2010 According to New Javelin Strategy & Research Report
• Survey: Consumers say ID theft down 28%
• ID theft down 28 percent U.S. in 2010 – survey
• Statement from the Identity Theft Assistance Center on Report Citing Significant Decrease in Identity Theft
• Synthetic Identity Theft: The Silent Swindler
• Identity Theft Roundup
• The New Wallet: Is it Dumb to Carry a Smartphone?
• Dumpster Diving vs. The Bit Bucket
• Got a SSN I can Borrow?

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Radio Killed the Privacy Star

With apologies to The Buggles and the 12 other bands that have covered this song:

RFID out there is always watching you,
Staying awake intent at tuning in on you.
When I was young I never thought it would come true.

Oh-a-oh

They put a chip on things and never let you be.
Your data gathered up with new technology,
Yes, there’s Security but problems we can see.

Oh-a-oh

They track your movement.
Oh-a-oh

What did you show them?

Radio killed the privacy star.
Radio killed the privacy star.

Sensors can even smell your farts.
Oh-a-a-a-oh

And now we meet with our Bluetooth headset’s glow,
See toll booth baskets and it seems so long ago,
And you remember when networks were so slow.

Oh-a-oh

This ain't the first one.
Oh-a-oh

Won't be the last one.

Radio killed the privacy star.
Radio killed the privacy star.

In my mind and in my car, we can't escape we've gone too far.
Oh-a-aho-oh,
Oh-a-aho, oh.

Radio killed the privacy star.
Radio killed the privacy star.
In my mind and in my car, we can't escape we've gone too far.
Sensors can even smell your farts, put the blame on Tesla.

You were a privacy star.
You were a privacy star.
Radio killed the privacy star.
Radio killed the privacy star.
(fade)

ps

Resources

• Buggles - Video Killed the Radio Star Live 2004
• National biometric pub list use 'explodes'
• NFL Beefs Up Super Bowl Security Tech
• Arrest Made in Bellagio Robbery
• With privacy issues waning, RFID begins ramp up
• Privacy Act doesn't cover pokie biometrics
• Hello, Big Brother: Digital sensors are watching us
• This time, Big Brother really is watching – but do you care?
• For foreign assets, Big Brother really is watching
• BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING EAST-END COMMUTERS
• Workers will now be tagged with a biometric database. Don’t say we did not warn you
• D.C. expanding public surveillance camera network
• We’re being watched
• Big Brother is watching
• Ski resorts storm the slopes with new apps
• Courts drawing line against warrantless phone data searches?

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Audio White Paper: Achieving Enterprise Agility in the Cloud

Cloud computing continues to be one of today’s most intriguing IT technologies, yet enterprises are still weighing whether it can help them achieve their business goals. Working together, VMware, F5 Networks, and BlueLock offer integrated solutions that help enterprises develop agility so they can easily and efficiently use cloud resources on demand to meet their changing needs.  Running Time: 24:21  Read full white paper here.  And click here for more F5 Audio.

  
Download now or listen on posterous

AudioWP_Achieving_Enterprise_Agility_in_the_Cloud.mp3 (23140 KB)

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Posted via email from psilva's prophecies

In 5 Minutes or Less Video Series

In 5 Minutes or Less Video Series promo. I decided to create a quick rundown of all the In 5 Minutes videos that are available.  See them all in 3 minutes…or Less. 

ps

Resources:

• F5 YouTube Channel
• F5 on DailyMotion
• F5 on Metacafe
• F5 on Howcast
• F5 on Veoh
• F5 on Sevenload
• F5 on 5min
• F5 on Graspr
• F5 on blip.tv

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