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ON SECURITY By Susan Bradley On March 21, the US president issued a warning about the possibility of Russian cyberattacks against American businesses,
[See the full post at: Check your defenses]

Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher

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lmacri, OscarCP, Kathy Stevens, Charlie, windbg, Fred

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Susan Bradley wrote:

ON SECURITY By Susan Bradley On March 21, the US president issued a warning about the possibility of Russian cyberattacks against American businesses,
[See the full post at: Check your defenses]

On the brink of a very possible global disaster, it is strange that there is no active thread here for this urgent letter from the US Government =>
“https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/03/21/fact-sheet-act-now-to-protect-against-potential-cyberattacks/ “

* _ ... _ *

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Kathy Stevens

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You’re posting a reply in it.

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Ergo why I posted this.

Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher

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See the posts Kaspersky and Ukraine, Kaspersky and Ukraine, and Germany warns against Russian anti-virus use.

https://www.askwoody.com/forums/topic/kaspersky-and-ukraine/#post-2434864

https://www.askwoody.com/forums/topic/kaspersky-and-ukraine/

https://www.askwoody.com/forums/search/Kaspersky/page/2/

 

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In the post Germany warns against Russian anti-virus use I wrote,

According to BLEEPINGCOMPUTER, HackerOne has kicked Kaspersky’s bug bounty program off its platform.

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/hackerone-kicks-kaspersky-s-bug-bounty-program-off-its-platform/

The action follows the German Federal Office for Information Security’s (BSI) warning against using Kaspersky anti-malware products due to Russian threats against the EU, NATO, and Germany earlier this month.

In addition, since September 2019, all US government agencies and their contractors have been prohibited from using cybersecurity products provided by or using software made by Kaspersky.

The US ban on agencies and their vendors/contractors is comprehensive and covers the, “contracting for hardware, software and services developed or provided by Kaspersky Lab or its related entities, or using any such hardware, software or services in the development of data or deliverables first produced in the performance of the contract”.

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/06/15/2018-12847/federal-acquisition-regulation-use-of-products-and-services-of-kaspersky-lab

In short, if you do work for the US federal government you are restricted from using Kaspersky products on any IT system that directly or indirectly touches government work.  So, the way we see it, if one of your employees uses a Kaspersky product on their personal computer and uses the computer to check their office email you are in violation of the federal ban.

Or if you maintain computers for a firm that does work for the federal government you are also prohibited from using Kaspersky products on any device that may interface with your client’s hardware or software.

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OscarCP

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Over recent weeks we have seen an increase of email spam with heading like:

• Processed _ invoice #94851
• Your email delivery has been delayed

In each case the email had an attachment – opening the attachment represented a threat.

Some do’s and don’ts.

Do’s:

• Use a subscription email service that provides a high level of security.
• Make sure that your email service’s virus filter is activated.
• Screen your email on the service’s webmail interface before downloading it to Outlook or similar software.
• Make sure that you are running anti-virus software (other than the Russian owned  Kaspersky anti-malware products) and keep it updated.
• Disable the message preview option in Outlook and similar software to prevent malicious programs from sneaking into your system.
• Ignore or delete messages containing attachments that are from unknown senders.
• Think twice before opening graphics and media attachments, they may carry viruses.
• Keep several independent email accounts so that if one goes down you have an alternative.
• Back up your email on a scheduled basis. In Outlook go to File, Open & Export, Import/Export, and follow the directions from there. We export to an external drive using the Outlook Data File PST format.
• Use dedicated computers that are isolated from your network to screen email and browse the internet so that if a virus sneaks through it can be isolated and not attack production workstations.

Don’ts

• Do not open an email attachment from an unknown sender/address.
• Do not open any executable files, documents, spreadsheets, etc. from email addresses that you do not recognize.
• Do not download executable files or documents from the internet.
• Do not open files with a double file extension such as filename.txt.vbs.
• Make sure that your virus software screens all incoming and outgoing email.

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windbg, SueW, wavy, OscarCP

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Several days ago, the BBC posted an excellent article entitled The three Russian cyber-attacks the West most fears at  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-60841924

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BBC News just now:  More must reconsider Russian anti-virus software use, UK warns – BBC News

National Cyber Security Centre blog: Use of Russian technology products and services following… – NCSC.GOV.UK

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Kathy Stevens

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Kathy Stevens wrote:

Screen your email on the service’s webmail interface before downloading it to Outlook or similar software.

Does that actually provide any safety?

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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Kathy Stevens

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wavy

By screening our email on the server’s interface before downloading to Outlook, etc. we have an opportunity to delete suspicious messages before they are delivered to our computers. By doing so, viruses are prevented from reaching our hardware.

And yes, so far it has worked for us.

We have also found it useful in minimizing the impact of brute force email attacks by minimizing traffic congestion on our modems and routers during an attack.

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Kathy Stevens: “By screening our email on the server’s interface before downloading to Outlook, etc. we have an opportunity to delete suspicious messages before they are delivered to our computers. By doing so, viruses are prevented from reaching our hardware.”

This looks like a really good idea.
How common a practice is this in organizations, public and private, that have their own email servers?

Ex-Windows user (Win. 98, XP, 7); since mid-2017 using also macOS. Presently on Monterey 12.15 & sometimes running also Linux (Mint).

MacBook Pro circa mid-2015, 15" display, with 16GB 1600 GHz DDR3 RAM, 1 TB SSD, a Haswell architecture Intel CPU with 4 Cores and 8 Threads model i7-4870HQ @ 2.50GHz.
Intel Iris Pro GPU with Built-in Bus, VRAM 1.5 GB, Display 2880 x 1800 Retina, 24-Bit color.
macOS Monterey; browsers: Waterfox "Current", Vivaldi and (now and then) Chrome; security apps. Intego AV

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OscarCP

I have no idea if anyone else screens their email prior to downloading it.

We do it at the recommendation of our email service provider.

In addition, our employees and guests are prohibited from using company hardware or internet services to view personal email or scan the internet.

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OscarCP

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This partial banning of Kaspersky’s applications, in this case by the US government, is as necessary as it is unfortunate. I wonder how many more things like this are still waiting in the wings, getting ready to come on stage.

As Eugene Kaspersky said, in closing his much criticized for being cautious declaration (*) in the early days of the conflict: “War is not good for anyone.”

No, it’s not. Unfortunately knowing this about war is not enough to prevent it.

(*) Criticism that was not well applied, in my opinion, as people that sleep safe at home, in their own beds at night, were really criticizing him for what? Not being a sort of kamikaze hero and attacking Putin openly? Not considering the trouble he could get in his working associates and his own family? Maybe he should have been that heroic, but in my book I have no call for asking someone to do something possibly dangerous, perhaps to the point of heroism that I know I won’t have to do myself. His critics must have different books.

Ex-Windows user (Win. 98, XP, 7); since mid-2017 using also macOS. Presently on Monterey 12.15 & sometimes running also Linux (Mint).

MacBook Pro circa mid-2015, 15" display, with 16GB 1600 GHz DDR3 RAM, 1 TB SSD, a Haswell architecture Intel CPU with 4 Cores and 8 Threads model i7-4870HQ @ 2.50GHz.
Intel Iris Pro GPU with Built-in Bus, VRAM 1.5 GB, Display 2880 x 1800 Retina, 24-Bit color.
macOS Monterey; browsers: Waterfox "Current", Vivaldi and (now and then) Chrome; security apps. Intego AV

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KP

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Some Russians are leaving the country and to keep Kaspersky AV viable as a company, perhaps a move outside of Russia will be needed to keep the company going.

One of the sad side-effects of the Russian invasion, although the humanitarian effect is even worse.

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I read somewhere here, in AskWoody, that, according to Eugene Kaspersky, his company’s actual place where the software is developed and distributed from is now in Switzerland, set up there in view of how things were going inside Russia at the time — and still are. IF so, those people might be able to enter Switzerland as refugees, get Swiss work permits and go to work in that place.

Good luck to them.

Ex-Windows user (Win. 98, XP, 7); since mid-2017 using also macOS. Presently on Monterey 12.15 & sometimes running also Linux (Mint).

MacBook Pro circa mid-2015, 15" display, with 16GB 1600 GHz DDR3 RAM, 1 TB SSD, a Haswell architecture Intel CPU with 4 Cores and 8 Threads model i7-4870HQ @ 2.50GHz.
Intel Iris Pro GPU with Built-in Bus, VRAM 1.5 GB, Display 2880 x 1800 Retina, 24-Bit color.
macOS Monterey; browsers: Waterfox "Current", Vivaldi and (now and then) Chrome; security apps. Intego AV

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Please see my recent post on Kaspersky and Ukraine at

https://www.askwoody.com/forums/topic/kaspersky-and-ukraine/

It concludes, “In short, we do not feel comfortable doing business with Kaspersky and recommend that other computer users find alternative antivirus tools in order to ensure their safety while on line, due in part to:

• Kaspersky Lab being a Moscow-based company,
• Eugene Kaspersky’s failure to speak out against the invasion and occupation of the Ukraine,
• Eugene Kaspersky’s historic ties to the KGB, Russian military, and the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, and
• The history of the Russian governments intrusion into the operations of the “private sector” organizations.

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wavy

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Unfortunately, Kaspersky is damned no matter what position he takes, either by Putin or the West. From my perspective, his background was an asset, not a liability, especially in the war against state actors. In the past, he’s been a valuable contributor in the cyber community. Let’s not forget that Kaspersky Labs builds an excellent product and it’s never good for consumers when a major competitor exits the market.

As I stated a month back or so, I notified my clients that I could no longer recommend Kaspersky as an option going forward. I’ve since recommended that business clients remove Kaspersky A-V from even their home devices. I always thought of Kaspersky as one of the good guys, but now the risk of compromise is simply too great. Sadly, Putin has essentially destroyed the integrity of the entire Russian tech sector for the foreseeable future.

Don’t know how I missed this FCC press release (yeah I do, it was Friday):

Carr Welcomes Expansion of FCC’s National Security Blacklist (pdf)

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OscarCP

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Also, please read my further opinions on this issue here, where I provide links to probably further reliable information on Kaspersky’s personal history and that of his company:

https://www.askwoody.com/forums/topic/kaspersky-and-ukraine/#post-2435509

Ex-Windows user (Win. 98, XP, 7); since mid-2017 using also macOS. Presently on Monterey 12.15 & sometimes running also Linux (Mint).

MacBook Pro circa mid-2015, 15" display, with 16GB 1600 GHz DDR3 RAM, 1 TB SSD, a Haswell architecture Intel CPU with 4 Cores and 8 Threads model i7-4870HQ @ 2.50GHz.
Intel Iris Pro GPU with Built-in Bus, VRAM 1.5 GB, Display 2880 x 1800 Retina, 24-Bit color.
macOS Monterey; browsers: Waterfox "Current", Vivaldi and (now and then) Chrome; security apps. Intego AV

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I read the entire thread and now I can’t get the jingle from “Duck and Cover” out of my head.

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