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Security UPDATE--Phishing and Pharming--June 22, 2005

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1. In Focus: Phishing and Pharming

2. Security News and Features

- Recent Security Vulnerabilities

- Three Previous Microsoft Security Bulletins Re-released

- Setting Up Windows Server Update Services

3. Instant Poll

4. Security Toolkit

- Security Matters Blog

- FAQ

5. New and Improved

- Rugged and Encrypted Laptop

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==== 1. In Focus: Phishing and Pharming ====

by Mark Joseph Edwards, News Editor, mark at ntsecurity / net

You've undoubtedly heard of "phishing," luring users (typically through email messages) to phony Web sites that imitate legitimate Web sites to try to trick users into divulging private information such as logon IDs, passwords, and account numbers. Phishing can lead to unauthorized monetary charges against your merchant accounts, unauthorized use of your services, and more.

Tools such as CoreStreet's SpoofStick (at first URL below) and the Netcraft Toolbar (at second URL below) can help in some cases. Both tools are add-ons for Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) and Mozilla Firefox that try to determine and display the real domain of the site you're visiting.

http://www.corestreet.com/spoofstick/

http://news.netcraft.com/archives/2004/12/28/netcraft_antiphishing_toolbar_available_for_download.html

Recently, hackers are combining phishing with DNS poisoning or DNS hijacking--also known as "pharming." In a pharming attack, the attacker changes DNS records of the servers at an ISP or at the company that's the target of the attack or modifies a client system's HOSTS file or DNS settings. Obviously, protecting against such attacks means devising some method of establishing trust in DNS query results. The two tools I mentioned above don't help much against pharming.

I know of three ways to help prevent pharming attacks. The first method is for a company to use a service, such as one recently announced by MarkMonitor, to monitor the company's DNS servers for unauthorized changes. When unauthorized changes are detected, MarkMonitor alerts the company so that it can begin working to correct the situation.

http://www.markmonitor.com

A second method, which is also new, is to use Next Generation Security's (NGSEC's) AntiPharming tool, which works at the client level (rather than the server level) to prevent unauthorized changes to a system's HOSTS file and local DNS settings. It also listens on the system's network interfaces to capture DNS query responses and then doublechecks those responses against "three secure DNS servers." The tool comes with three DNS servers preconfigured, and you can modify those server addresses as you see fit. The tool is available free for personal use and requires a fee for commercial use.

http://www.ngsec.com/ngproducts/antipharming

Another new solution, Identity Cues from Green Armor Solutions, works at the Web site level. The first time a user logs on to an Identity Cues-protected Web site, the product generates colored visual cues that will then appear each time the user logs on to the site. A spoofed Web site won't be able to generate the same cues, so a user sent to a spoofed site will immediately know that he or she isn't visiting the legitimate Web site. Identity Cues is definitely a novel concept.

http://greenarmor.com

All three approaches sound like good ideas and would go a long way towards thwarting phishing and pharming. I suspect that there are other ways to help prevent pharming, but at this point I'm unaware of any other solutions. If you know of any, please send me an email message that fills me in on the details.

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==== 2. Security News and Features ====

Recent Security Vulnerabilities

If you subscribe to this newsletter, you also receive Security Alerts, which inform you about recently discovered security vulnerabilities. You can also find information about these discoveries at

http://www.windowsitpro.com/departments/departmentid/752/752.html

Three Previous Microsoft Security Bulletins Re-released

Microsoft released ten security bulletins this month. Did you know the company also re-released three older security bulletins? Find out what they are and whether you need to load them in this story on our Web site.

http://www.windowsitpro.com/Article/ArticleID/46735

Setting Up Windows Server Update Services

Patch management is a headache for security administrators at most organizations. Microsoft has developed an improved patch-management product, called Windows Server Updates Services. WSUS offers benefits for organizations of all sizes, thanks to its flexibility, advanced features, and ease of deployment. John Howie walks you through the process of installing and configuring WSUS for your organization, obtaining updates, and configuring clients to use WSUS to obtain updates.

http://www.windowsitpro.com/Article/ArticleID/46195

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==== Resources and Events ====

Anti-spam product not working?

Many email administrators are experiencing increased frustration with their current anti-spam products as they battle new and more dangerous email threats. In-house software, appliances and even some services may no longer work effectively, require too much IT staff time to update and maintain, or satisfy the needs of different users. In this free Web seminar, learn how you can search for a better way to protect your email systems and users.

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Token Authentication: Getting It Right

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==== 3. Instant Poll ====

Results of Previous Poll: How will you use WSUS in your enterprise?

The voting has closed in this Windows IT Pro Security Hot Topic nonscientific Instant Poll. Here are the results from the 32 votes.

- 56% As my patch management infrastructure

- 6% As a backup to SMS 2003 or other patch management infrastructure

- 0% As a reporting tool to check on compliance with patches

- 38% I won't be using WSUS

New Instant Poll: Does your network firewall provide stateful application-layer inspection in addition to the traditional stateful packet inspection?

Go to the Security Hot Topic and submit your vote for

- Yes

- No

http://www.windowsitpro.com/windowssecurity#poll

==== 4. Security Toolkit ====

Security Matters Blog: Security Checklists and Scripts

by Mark Joseph Edwards, http://www.windowsitpro.com/securitymatters

If you're looking for security checklists and helper scripts for Windows platforms, there are several available from Corp-Sec, a nonprofit group of IT professionals. In addition to those resources, you can also find scripts that help with incident response, a list of security mailing lists that you might want to join, whitepapers, and more.

http://www.windowsitpro.com/Article/ArticleID/46750

FAQ

by John Savill, http://www.windowsitpro.com/windowsnt20002003faq

Q: What's port 445 used for in Windows 2000 and later versions?

Find the answer at

http://www.windowsitpro.com/Article/ArticleID/46743

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[email protected].

Editor's note: Share Your Security Discoveries and Get $100

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