DevelopSec: Developing Security Awareness

Hi and welcome to the DevelopSec newscast for October 20th, 2015.  I am James Jardine and I wanted to take a few moments to talk about some recent news stories over the past week.

• Apple removes several apps that could spy on encrypted traffic - http://arstechnica.com/security/2015/10/apple-removes-several-apps-that-could-spy-on-encrypted-traffic/ , http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/10/09/apple_borks_adblocking_app_over_privacy_concerns/

 

• Apps installed a root certificate on device.
• Could allow monitoring of data, even SSL/TLS traffic.
• Recommended to uninstall the apps, unfortunately it was not made clear which ones they are.

• com CSRF bug pays security tester $25,000 - http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/10/09/hotmail_hijack_hole_earns_boffin_25k_double_bug_bounty_trouble/
  • Wesley Wineberg found a Cross-Site Request Forgery flaw in the Microsoft Outlook.com website.
  • Could hijack user sessions.
  • Responsible/Coordinated disclosure allowed flaw to be resolved before publicly disclosed.
• Medicaid Data Breach, Security Issue at NC and CA Facilities - http://healthitsecurity.com/news/medicaid-data-breach-security-issue-at-nc-and-ca-facilities
  • Spreadsheet sent via email unencrypted.
    • Highlights importance of attention to detail. Sometimes the simplest mistakes create a potential risk.
    • Difficult to prove if data was accessed by unauthorized users.
    • What options could be used instead of emailing the attachment?
  • Thumb drive stolen from employees home
    • Data should be encrypted.
    • Ensure policies exist that cover acceptable use of portal storage.
    • Ensure that employees are trained on the policies.

 

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