Security: Heartbleed, Apple, MacOSX, iOS, Linux, and Android

Abstract:
Nearly every computing device today is connected together via a network of some kind. These connections open up opportunities or vulnerabilities for exploitation by mafia, criminals, or government espionage via malware. While computers such as MacOSX are immune, along with their mobile devices based upon iOS iPhone and iPads... huge numbers of Linux and Android devices are at risk!

Heartbleed:

 This particular vulnerability can be leveraged by many sources in order to capture usernames and passwords, where those account credentials can be later used for nefarious purposes. Nefarious includes: command and control to attack commercial, financial, government, or even launch attacks against entire national electrical grids; stealing money; stealing compute resources. The defect is well documented.

Apple and Android/Linux Vulnerabilities:

There are many operating systems which are vulnerable to this defect, but for this article, we are only really concerned about the mobile market.

• 2014-04-14 - Not just websites hit by OpenSSL's Heartbleed – PCs, phones and more under threat

While most of the buzz surrounding OpenSSL's Heartbleed vulnerability has focussed on websites and other servers, the SANS Institute reminds us that software running on PCs, tablets and more is just as potentially vulnerable.
Williams said a dodgy server could easily send a message to vulnerable software on phones, laptops, PCs, home routers and other devices, and retrieve up to 64KB of highly sensitive data from the targeted system at a time. It's an attack that would probably yield handy amounts of data if deployed against users of public Wi-Fi hotspots, for example.

• 2014-04-12 - Millions of Android Devices Vulnerable to Heartbleed Bug

While Google said in a blog post on April 9 that all versions of Android are immune to the flaw, it added that the “limited exception” was one version dubbed 4.1.1, which was released in 2012.
Security researchers said that version of Android is still used in millions of smartphones and tablets, including popular models made by Samsung Electronics Co., HTC Corp. and other manufacturers. Google statistics show that 34 percent of Android devices use variations of the 4.1 software.

The company said less than 10 percent of active devices are vulnerable. More than 900 million Android devices have been activated worldwide.

• 2014-04-11 - Apple is IMMUNE from Heartbleed. OS X and iOS unaffected.

After taking a few days to check its security, the fruity firm joined other companies in publicly announcing how worried or secure its customers should feel.
“Apple takes security very seriously. IOS and OS X never incorporated the vulnerable software and key Web-based services were not affected,” an Apple spokesperson said.

Conclusions:
To give an adequate understanding regarding the number of mobile Android devices at risk, one could take the population of the United States, at roughly 317 Million people as a baseline. 90 million Android Linux based devices vulnerable, that is equivalent to nearly 28% of the population of the United States is at risk! This is no small number of mobile devices - there is a lot of patching that either needs to be done or mobile devices which should be destroyed. Ensure you check your android device!

Security: Android, Viruses, Malware, and Worms

[Courtesy AndroidAuthority]

Android: Malware Infestations for 2013

2013 Ending
Rounding out the 2013 Year with More Android Virus and Malware issues.

• 2013-12-17 - Android and SMS Text Messages to China
  http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/12/17/android_botnet/

• 2013-12-17 - Android Anti-Virus Unable to Kill Malware
  http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/12/17/android_anti_malware/

Somehow, this is no surprise.

2013 Investigation
A previous Network Management article discussing Android Malware from 2013 - not a pleasant place to be. Nearly a new Android exploit was uncovered every 2 weeks.

2013 Conclusions
A recent article in The Register mentions the dangers of Java and Android (which is based upon a Java port) on network clients:

Meanwhile, fully 99 per cent of all mobile malware discovered during the year targeted Android, as did 71 per cent of all web-based attacks on mobile devices.

Android mobile devices are less expensive than the alternative - but there is clearly a price to be paid.

Malware: Targeting Linux Platforms



[Screenshot courtesy ARS Technica]

This is not the first case of such worms, targeting Internet devices, in this case Intel based only.
http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/11/new-linux-worm-targets-routers-cameras-internet-of-things-devices/

Researchers have discovered a Linux worm capable of infecting a wide range of home routers, set-top boxes, security cameras, and other consumer devices that are increasingly equipped with an Internet connection. Linux.Darlloz, as the worm has been dubbed, is now classified as a low-level threat, partly because its current version targets only devices that run on CPUs made by Intel

[Screenshot courtesy Symantec]

A short article from Security company Symantec discussing the latest WORM targeting The Internet.
http://www.symantec.com/connect/blogs/linux-worm-targeting-hidden-devices

Symantec has discovered a new Linux worm that appears to be engineered to target the “Internet of things”. The worm is capable of attacking a range of small, Internet-enabled devices in addition to traditional computers. Variants exist for chip architectures usually found in devices such as home routers, set-top boxes and security cameras. Although no attacks against these devices have been found in the wild, many users may not realize they are at risk, since they are unaware they own devices that run Linux.

Android: Viruses, Worms, Trojans, and Malware

[Courtesy: Android Authority]

Abstract:
Sometimes the term "virus" generically, but there are really many kinds of "malware", of which Virus is a specific type. I categorized a few Android malware incidents from 2013 for friends. Please be aware of the "Apps" you buy, what you download, install, and even the web sites you go to.

A Brief 2013 History:
The Android ecosystem is not as "tight" as other ecosystems, such as Apple or Blackberry - as such, it is vulnerable to many more exploits... which may cause you money in bandwidth, future purchases, text messages, etc.

2013-01-09 --- Android users hit by scareware scam
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/security/android-users-hit-by-scareware-scam/9960

2013-01-13 --- “Bill Shocker” Android malware hits China, infecting 620K smartphone users
http://e27.co/bill-shocker-android-malware-hits-china-infecting-620k-smartphone-users/

2013-01-20 --- New variants of premium rate SMS trojan 'RuFraud' detected in the wild
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/security/new-variants-of-premium-rate-sms-trojan-rufraud-detected-in-the-wild/10165

2013-02-08 --- Researchers spot a fake version of Temple Run on Android's Market
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/security/researchers-spot-a-fake-version-of-temple-run-on-androids-market/10257

2013-02-27 --- Android drive-by download attack via phishing SMS
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/security/android-drive-by-download-attack-via-phishing-sms/10422

2013-03-26 --- First-Known Targeted Malware Attack On Android Phones Steals Contacts And Text Messages
http://www.forbes.com/sites/parmyolson/2013/03/26/first-known-targeted-malware-attack-on-android-phones-steals-contacts-and-text-messages/

2013-04-01 --- Evidence Mounts That Chinese Government Hackers Spread Android Malware
http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2013/04/01/evidence-mounts-that-chinese-government-hackers-spread-android-malware/

2013-04-03 --- Android malware: A new avenue for Chinese hackers
http://www.citeworld.com/security/21669/android-malware-chinese-hackers

2013-04-12 --- Malicious version of Angry Birds Space spotted in the wild
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/security/malicious-version-of-angry-birds-space-spotted-in-the-wild/11520

2013-04-18 --- Warning: Fake Instagram app on Android is malware
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/security/warning-fake-instagram-app-on-android-is-malware/11597

2013-04-26 --- Warning: Fake Biophilla app on Android is malware
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/security/warning-fake-biophilla-app-on-android-is-malware/11715

2013-05-02 --- A first: Hacked sites with Android drive-by download malware
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/security/a-first-hacked-sites-with-android-drive-by-download-malware/11810

2013-05-15 --- Android malware families nearly quadruple from 2011 to 2012
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/security/android-malware-families-nearly-quadruple-from-2011-to-2012/12171

2013-05-21 --- Malware charges users for free Android apps on Google Play
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/security/malware-charges-users-for-free-android-apps-on-google-play/12245

2013-07-09 --- New Android malware infects 100,000 Chinese smartphones
http://www.zdnet.com/new-android-malware-infects-100000-chinese-smartphones-7000000497/

2013-08-13 --- Google messaging service hacked, sends malware to Android users
http://rt.com/news/google-messaging-hacked-malware-451/

2013-08-26 --- Android Malware: 44 Percent Of Android Users Vulnerable To Attacks According To U.S. Government
http://www.ibtimes.com/android-malware-44-percent-android-users-vulnerable-attacks-according-us-government-1399347

2013-08-27 --- Nearly 7,000 Malicious Android Apps Infest China's Appstores
http://securitywatch.pcmag.com/mobile-security/315218-nearly-7-000-malicious-android-apps-infest-china-s-appstores

2013-09-12 --- Email Spam Campaign Spreading Android Malware
http://threatpost.com/email-spam-campaign-spreading-android-malware

2013-10-25 --- New Android Banking Trojan Targeting Korean Users
http://thehackernews.com/2013/10/new-android-banking-trojan-targeting.html

2013-11-07 --- Another zombie 'bogus app' bug shambles out of Android
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/11/07/another_zombie_bogus_app_bug_shambles_out_of_android/

2013-11-17 --- New Voicemail Notification - WhatsApp - Malware
http://techhelplist.com/index.php/spam-list/314-new-voicemail-notification-whatsapp-malware

2013-12-02 --- Nexus phones carry SMS crash bug vulnerability
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/12/02/nexus_phones_carry_sms_crash_bug_vuln/

Sun/Oracle - Leading in Tape Storage

Sun/Oracle - Leading in Tape Storage

Oracle just released the best tape drive unit on the market today, for Government, Managed Services, and Enterprises.

Tape Systems

The old portable cassette players, with tapes, were very reliable when driving, jogging, or even playing at home. Older had disk based iPods would experience skips when one goes out jogging, but quickly started to put portable cassettes out of business. Of course, flash media is now replacing spinning fixed disk systems, but the capacity is not quite there to replace rotating fixed media for larger capacity systems.

Tape was the media of choice over the years for many reasons:

• extremely high capacity
  
• extreme long term media durability
• extreme shock resistance
  
• wide environmental operating factors
• excellent portability
  
• low cost

There is a reason why tape has been so widely used in the Space Program - the reliability of long term use on satellites and craft like the Space Shuttle.

Transferring data from a hard disk during a jog will cause a skip. Transferring data from a spinning disk under massive G-Force of a space craft launch, you are likely to get a crash.

Disks were getting more portable with the ability to auto-park heads to better absorb shock, disks could spin down to avoid shock issues, and the storage was surpassing tapes. Tape storage solution seemed to show little benefit in modern era.

StorageTek T10000C

With native storage on had disks topping out at 2 Terbytes, there seemed like little hope for tape.

The StorageTek T10000C was released from Oracle, who purchased Sun, who purchased StorageTek - the premier vendor of Tape Archive systems in data centers. This latest product turned back the clock on data center history:

• 5 Terbyte performance
  (over doubling the maximum capacity of spinning rust on a fixed disk)
• Built in Encryption
  (for securing of data on the cartridges)
• Sustained 240 Megabytes / Second transfer rate
  (2x faster than copeting tape systems, 360MB/sec compressed transfer rate, out-performs inexpensive fixed-disk solutions)
• Exabyte Storage Capacity in a Library
  (worlds largest tape library storage capacity)
• WORM Capability
  (to provide auditing of systems in government compliance)
• Extremely Energy Efficient
  (200x more energy efficient than low end disk arrays since tapes do not have to draw power to store data or remain spinning.)
• Inexpensive Large Capacity Backups
  (up to15x less expensive than low-end disk arrays)
• Long Life Expectancy
  (30+ years media archive life)
  

Network Management Connection

In an era where Network Management Centers are centralized and managing customers world-wide, governments require the interactions of system analysts to be archived and stored for long periods of time. Often, these interactions require video streaming from a desktop screen in a Windowing environment.

Writing this archive data to disk does not pass an audit, since someone can come along and delete a file. Encrypting the data becomes important, for long term storage. Massive media requirements are driven by screen video capture.

The StorageTek T10000C will meet the requirements of the strictest audit, the streaming throughput of the largest managed services center, the capacity for the highest definition monitors, and the lowest cost requirements of those large centers.

Don't miss your opportunity to simplify life in your managed services data center.