Research

As we mentioned in the last post, anti-malware tends to be the anchor in endpoint security control sets. Given the typical attacks that is justified, but too many organizations forget the importance of keeping devices up-to-date and configured securely. Even “advanced attackers” don’t like to burn 0-day attacks when they don’t need to. So leaving long-patched vulnerabilities exposed, or keeping unnecessary services active on endpoints, makes it easy for them to own your devices. The progression in almost every attack – regardless of the attacker’s sophistication – is to compromise a device, gain a foothold, and then systematically move towards the target. By ensuring proper hygiene on devices you can reduce attack surface; if attackers want to get in, make them work for it. When we say ‘hygiene’ we are referring to three main functions: patch management, configuration management, and device control. We will offer an overview of each function, and then discuss some technical considerations involved in the buying decision. For more detail on patch and configuration management, see Implementing and Managing Patch and Configuration Management. Patch Management Patch managers install fixes from software vendors to address vulnerabilities. The best known patching process is monthly, from Microsoft. On Patch Tuesday Microsoft issues a variety of software fixes to address defects, many of which could result in exploitation of their systems. Many other vendors have adopted similar approaches, with a periodic patch cycle and out-of-cycle patches for important issues – generally when an exploit shows up in the wild. Once a patch is issued your organization needs to assess it, figure out which devices need to be patched, and install it within the window specified by policy – typically a few days. A patch management product scans devices, installs patches, and reports on the success or failure of the process. Our Patch Management Quant research provides a very detailed view of the patching process, so check it out for more information. Patch Management Technology Considerations Coverage (OS and applications): Your patch management offering needs to support the operating systems and applications you need to keep current. Discovery: You cannot patch what you don’t know about, so you need a way to identify new devices and get rid of deprecated devices – otherwise the process will fail. You can achieve this with a built-in discovery capability, bidirectional integration with vulnerability management (for active and passive monitoring for new devices), asset management and inventory software, or more likely all of the above. Library of patches: Another facet of coverage is accuracy and support of the operating systems and applications you use. We talk about the big 7 vulnerable applications (browsers, Java, Adobe Reader, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook) – ensure those targeted applications are covered. Keep in mind that the word ‘supported’ on a vendor’s data sheet doesn’t mean they support whatever it is well. Be sure to test the vendor’s patch library and check the timeliness of their updates. How long do they take to package and deploy patches to customers after a patch is released? Reliable deployment of patches: If patches don’t install consistently – including updating, adding, and/or removing software – that means more work for you. This can easily make a tool more trouble than it’s worth. Do they get it right the first time? Agent vs. agentless: Does the patch vendor assess devices with an agent, or do they perform ‘agentless’ scanning (typically using a non-persistent or ‘dissolvable’ agent), and if so how do they deploy patches? This is almost a religious dispute, but fortunately both models work. If the patch manager requires an agent it should be integrated with any other endpoint agents (anti-malware, device control, etc.) to minimize the number of agents per endpoint. Remote devices: How does the patching process work for remote and disconnected devices? This includes field employees’ laptops as well as devices in remote locations with limited bandwidth. What features are built in to ensure the right patches are deployed, regardless of location? Can you be alerted when a device hasn’t updated within a configurable window – perhaps because it hasn’t connected? Deployment architecture: Some patches gigabytes in size, so some flexibility in distribution is important – especially for remote devices and locations. Architectures may include intermediate patch distribution points to minimize network bandwidth, as well as intelligent packaging to install only the appropriate patches on each device. Scheduling flexibility: Of course disruptive patching must not impair productivity, so you should be able to schedule patches during off hours and when machines are idle. Value-add: As you consider a patch management tool make sure you fully understand its value-add – what distinguishes it from low-end and low-cost (free) operating-system-based tools such as Microsoft’s WSUS. Make sure the tool supports your process and provides the capabilities you need. Configuration Management Configuration management enable an organization to define an authorized set of configurations for devices. These configurations control applications installed, device settings, running services, and on-device security controls. This is important because unauthorized configuration changes might indicate malware manipulation or operational error, perhaps exploitable. Additionally, configuration management can help ease the provisioning burden of setting up and reimaging devices in cas of malware infection. Configuration Management Technology Considerations Coverage (OS and applications): Your configuration management offering needs to support your operating systems. Enough said. Discovery: You cannot manage devices you don’t know about, so you need a way to identify new deviceand get rid of deprecated devices – otherwise the process will fail. You can achieve this with a built-in discovery capability, bidirectional integration with vulnerability management (for active and passive monitoring for new devices), asset management and inventory software, or more likely all of the above. Supported standards and benchmarks: The more built-in standards and/or configuration benchmarks offered by the tool, the better your chance of finding something you can easily adapt to your own requirements. This is especially important for highly regulated environments which need to support and report on multiple regulatory hierarchies. Policy editing: Policies generally require customization to satisfy requirements. Your configuration management tool should offer a flexible policy editor to define policies and add new baseline configurations

From CNet (and my inbox, as a member of the developer program): Last Thursday, an intruder attempted to secure personal information of our registered developers from our developer website. Sensitive personal information was encrypted and cannot be accessed, however, we have not been able to rule out the possibility that some developers’ names, mailing addresses, and/or email addresses may have been accessed. In the spirit of transparency, we want to inform you of the issue. We took the site down immediately on Thursday and have been working around the clock since then. One of my fellow TidBITS writers noted the disruption on our staff list after the site had been down for over a day with no word. I suspected a security issue (and said so), in large part due to Apple’s complete silence – even more than usual. But until they sent out this notification, there were no facts and I don’t believe in speculating publicly on breaches without real information. Three key questions remain: Were passwords exposed? If so, how were they encrypted/protected? A password hash or something insecure for this purpose, such as SHA-256? Were any Apple Developer ID certificates exposed? Those are the answers that will let developers assess their risk. At this point assume names, emails, and addresses are in the hands of attackers, and could be used for fraud, phishing, and other attacks. Share: