Some of the biggest security blunders of 2020 were tied to the exploitation of VPNs. The limitations of this 25-year-old technology were exposed just as global mass remote workforce initiatives reached a fevered pitch. VPNs are not fit for purpose in a world where secure access is more important than ever.

Join two of the industry’s most prolific experts on secure access, Dr. Zero Trust himself, Chase Cunningham, and Brigadier General (ret) Greg Touhill, President of Appgate Federal and the first Federal CISO of the United States, as they help you navigate your way toward a state of Zero Trust.

We’ll discuss the four main pillars of building and executing a superior remote access strategy:

1. Confront your VPN
2. Develop your Roadmap
3. Enforce Zero Trust Access
4. Unleash Operations

With:

Dr. Chase Cunningham, Zero Trust Expert, former Principal Analyst at Forrester

Brigadier General (ret) Greg Touhill, President, Appgate Federal

Moderated by:

Jason Garbis, SVP Products, Appgate

25.Feb..2021 5:00 PM (CET)

The post Four Ways to Transform Secure Access in 2021 appeared first on Softlanding Ltd..

The partnership allows Softlanding , to resell and provide services for App Gate.
Helmut Hubmann, CEO at Softlanding , said, “Our customers are looking for solutions to help them with data discovery, secure collaboration, Sharepoint and TEAMS security. Our partnership with AppGate allows us to expand our security solutions portfolio to include Software Defined Perimeter,Digital Threat Protection,Risk based Authentication and offensive Services.

About AppGate
An industry leader in secure access solutions changing cybersecurity for the better by making it simpler for users and operators and harder for adversaries.

Secure Access to Your Network and for Your Consumers
We work hard to master the offense, understanding how cybercriminals operate, so that we can build the best defense. Our solution

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While this a fact known to everyone, we would like to highlight some alarming piece(s) of news.

• Coronavirus, alone, is to be blamed for a 238% rise in cyberattacks on banks.
• Ransom attacks crossed 148% in the first quarter of 2020.
• In the first six months of 2020 alone, more than 81 international firms from 81 countries complained of data breaches.
• A whopping 600% increase in phishing attacks was witnessed before the arrival of March.

You are highly mistaken if you feel cyberattacks like phishing attacks or data breaches are only limited to big companies and firms. You could personally fall prey to cyberattacks if you do not secure your personal information and gadgets. Take a look at the following cybersecurity tips that you must take note of and implement in the coming times.

Secure passwords

The era of using Password or 12345 as your password is long gone and not so hysterical anymore. Today, you have your personal and sensitive information stored in your system and your emails. Tomorrow it could be all wiped off or leaked. Firstly, make sure you do not let anyone use your computer while you are gone. Do not use predictable passwords like your name or your birthdate to make it easy for you to remember. It is also easy for hackers to crack it.

Use two-factor authentication options

2FA codes are the best way to secure your online account (along with a strong password). It could be a four- or six-digit code sent on your registered phone number or email address. Whether it is your social media count or email id; make sure you enable 2FA.

Antivirus software

Cybersecurity breaches can happen unknowingly by clicking on “interesting” links or unknown website portals. Installing antivirus software and firewall on your system is definitely a safe and sane decision in this time and age. Make sure to purchase such software from reputed companies.

Install updates

Outdated software can pose a big security threat to your device. Software updates are meant to provide better security and ward off any kind of bugs that act as access to steal information. Enable automatic updates on your device to reduce cybersecurity risks.

Along with staying updated on the tips mentioned above, make sure you keep your devices secure by only installing applications from trusted developers. Avoid public WiFi at all costs unless it’s an emergency and most importantly, always backup your data. These tips are simple and easy to follow. Also, they significantly reduce the risks of cybersecurity attacks.

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Covid-19 has forced businesses to rethink the working ways and has caused the propagation of a work-from-home or remote-working culture on a massive scale. Cloud-based SaaS videoconferencing and other supporting applications have made this transition a smooth one and allowed the corporate workforce to remain productive.

The real problem is now being faced by the exceptionally skilled technical workers who require system access which is possible only on highly-secure corporate networks like industrial building management systems. Managers also have to ensure that only authorized personnel are granted access to these systems. Till 2019, access to the systems was only possible if the employee was present on-site. The travel restrictions and social distancing measures that were put in place in 2020 have strained these employees and created potential risks that are critical to operations.

For building management system maintenance, earlier the data center operators allowed access through traditional VPN software. But this software has limitations such as vulnerability to common attack vectors and the complexity and difficulty in managing these VPNs. Also, in most cases, dynamic access is not allowed based on user context and conditions.

Owing to these problems, many data center operators are now looking for suitable alternatives to the more traditional VPNs. One of the best answers for such data center operators who manage sensitive industrial systems is the Software-Defined Perimeter (SDP). One of the biggest advantages offered by SDP is the ability to enforce least privilege access to third party organizations. In contrast to a VPN, SDP based access allows employees to work on specific systems which are a part of the support contractor’s agreement, without giving them access to the entire network.

For example, if a contractor is responsible for the maintenance of wireless humidity and temperature sensors of a data center, that contractor can be given limited access to the relevant servers without allowing access to the other building management systems. SDP also has a feature that allows the data center operators to determine whether or not a system is sufficiently updated and secured to access the network. These additional security and audit controls provide much better safety access control than traditional VPNs.

All in all, The traditional VPNs are no longer suitable for dynamic and multi-dimensional access control for industrial building management systems.

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However, it is one of the efficient tools to deal with today’s sophisticated threats.

Zero trust is a security model that requires all users to be authorized, authenticated, and continuously validating security posture and configuration, before being given access to data or apps.

Simply put, the users and devices, both inside and outside the network, are considered untrustworthy (even they have passwords to access).

The trust is vulnerability in a zero trust model. That’s why this concept is known as zero trust. Even a trusted and familiar user needs to get verified to get access.

Zero trust can be incorporated through multifactor authentication identity and access management, and endpoint security technology to validate the user’s identity.

For example, an OTP is sent to the registered number of a user once he logs in using their password.

However, Zero Trust can only be successful if organizations can continuously monitor and validate that a user and his device has the right attributes and privileges. Single validation simply won’t be sufficient, because threats and user attributes are likely to change.

Therefore, organizations should ensure that all access requests are continuously screened before allowing connection to any of your organization or virtual accounts.

The implement of Zero Trust policies mainly relies on real-time visibility into user attributes such as user identity, endpoint hardware system, path levels, OS versions, and user logins.

Why Get Serious about Zero Trust Security

Zero Trust is one of the essential measures to control access to applications, data, and networks. It integrates a wide range of preventative techniques such as endpoint security, least privilege controls, identity verification, and micro-segmentation to prevent potential attackers and restrict their access in the event of a data incident.

This security layer is important as organizations often increase their number of endpoints within their network and increase their infrastructure to cover cloud-based applications and servers.

Zero trust networks let access rights only when it is more than important, verifying all request to link to its systems before approving access.

Minimizing security perimeters into tiny zones to create distinct access to various parts of the network minimizes lateral access across the network.

Finally, by strengthening the network and limiting user access, Zero Trust security aids the organization prevents breaches and reduce potential damages. This is an important preventive measure as the attack might be launched by the users inside.

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To carry out a pass the hash attack, the threat actor first captures the hashes from the targeted networking using certain hash dumping tools.

Then they use a pass the hash tool to lace the captured hashes on a Local Security. This often tricks a Window’s authentication system into considering that the malicious actor’s endpoint is that of the genuine user. This way, it will pass the required credentials when the attacker attempts to access the target network. And they don’t need the real password to do that.

PTH attacks leverage the authentication protocol, as the passwords have remained static for all session until it is rotated. Threat actors commonly capture hashes by scraping the active memory of a system and other tools.
While PTH attacks commonly occur in Windows-based systems, Linux, UNIX, and other platforms are not immune to this attack.

In Windows, PTH leverages SSO or Single Sign-On through NT Lan Manager NTLM, Kerberos, and other authentication processes. Whenever a password is created on a Windows system, it is often hashed and stored in the SAM (Security Accounts Manager), LSASS (Local Security Authority Subsystem) process memory, the Credential Manager store, and an ntds. dit database in Active Directory, or elsewhere.

Therefore, when you log into a Windows workstation or server, you leave behind your passwords.

How to Deal with Pass the Hash Attack?

To make a PtH attack successful, an attacker has to gain local administrative access on a system (PC) to capture the hash. Once the perpetrator gets into the system, they can meet their purpose easily, stealing more passwords.

Incorporating the following security practices can help eliminate, or at least reduce the impact of a Pass the Hash attack:

Having the least Privilege Security System:

It can reduce the possibility, and minimize the effect of a PTH attack, by minimizing a threat actor’s capability to get privileged access and permissions. Removing needless admin rights will be a long term solution to minimize the risk of PTH and many other security threats.

Implying Password Management Solutions:

Make sure to rotate your passwords frequently. You can automate password rotation after each privileged session. It will help you block PTH attacks.

Separating Privileged and Non-Privileged Accounts:

In this practice, different types of non-privileged accounts and privileged accounts are separated. It can minimize the attacker’s reach to the administrator accounts and thereby, minimize the risk for compromise, as well as the risk for lateral activity.

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