Chapter 23
Issuing an information security policy pamphlet or directing employees to an intranet page that details security policies will not, by itself, mitigate your risk.
Every business must not only define the rules with written policies, but must make the extra effort to direct everyone who works with corporate information or computer systems to learn and follow the rules. Furthermore, you must ensure that everyone understands the reason behind each policy so that people don't circ.u.mvent the rule as a matter of convenience. Otherwise, ignorance will always be the worker's excuse, and the precise vulnerability that social engineers will exploit.
The central goal of any security awareness program is to influence people to change their behavior and att.i.tudes by motivating every employee to want to chip in and do his part to protect the organization's information a.s.sets. A great motivator in this instance is to explain how their partic.i.p.ation will benefit not just the company, but the individual employees as well. Since the company retains certain private information about every worker, when employees do their part to protect information or information systems, they are actually protecting their own information, too.
A security training program requires substantial support. The training effort needs to reach every person who has access to sensitive information or corporate computer systems, must be on-going, and must be continuously revised to update personnel on new threats and vulnerabilities. Employees must see that senior management is fully committed to the program. That commitment must be real, not just a rubber-stamped "We give our blessings" memo. And the program must be backed up with sufficient resources to develop, communicate, test it, and to measure success.
Goals The basic guideline that should be kept in mind during development of an information security training and awareness program is that the program needs to focus on creating in all employees an awareness that their company might be under attack at any time. They must learn that each employee plays a role in defending against any attempt to gain entry to computer systems or to steal sensitive data.
Because many aspects of information security involve technology, it's too easy for employees to think that the problem is being handled by firewalls and other security technologies. A primary goal of training should be to create awareness in each employee that they are the front line needed to protect the overall security of the organization.
Security training must have a significantly greater aim than simply imparting rules. The training program designer must recognize the strong temptation on the part of employees, under pressure of getting their jobs done, to overlook or ignore their security responsibilities. Knowledge about the tactics of social engineering and how to defend against the attacks is important, but it will only be of value if the training is designed to focus heavily on motivating employees to use the knowledge.
The company can count the program as meeting its bottom-line goal if everyone completing the training is thoroughly convinced and motivated by one basic notion: that information security is part of his or her job.
Employees must come to appreciate and accept that the threat of social engineering attacks is real, and that a serious loss of sensitive corporate information could endanger the company as well as their own personal information and jobs. In a sense, being careless about information security at work is equivalent to being careless with one's ATM PIN or credit card number.
This can be a compelling a.n.a.logy for building enthusiasm for security practices.
Establis.h.i.+ng the Training and Awareness Program The person responsible for designing the information security program needs to recognize that this is not a one-size-fits-all project. Rather, the training needs to be developed to suit the specific requirements of several different groups within the enterprise. While many of the security policies outlined in Chapter 16 apply to all employees across the board, many others are unique. At a minimum, most companies will need training programs tailored to these distinct groups: managers; IT personnel; computer users; non-technical personnel; administrative a.s.sistants; receptionists; and security guards. (See the breakdown of policies by job a.s.signment in Chapter 16.) The person responsible for designing the information security program needs to recognize that this is not a one-size-fits-all project. Rather, the training needs to be developed to suit the specific requirements of several different groups within the enterprise. While many of the security policies outlined in Chapter 16 apply to all employees across the board, many others are unique. At a minimum, most companies will need training programs tailored to these distinct groups: managers; IT personnel; computer users; non-technical personnel; administrative a.s.sistants; receptionists; and security guards. (See the breakdown of policies by job a.s.signment in Chapter 16.) Since the personnel of a company's industrial security force are not ordinarily expected to be computer proficient, and, except perhaps in a very limited way, do not come into contact with company computers, they are not usually considered when designing training of this kind. However, social engineers can deceive security guards or others into allowing them into a building or office, or into performing an action that results in a computer intrusion. While members of the guard force certainly don't need the full training of personnel who operate or use computers, nonetheless they must not be overlooked in the security awareness program.
Within the corporate world there are probably few subjects about which all employees need to be educated that are simultaneously as important and as inherently dull as security. The best designed information security training programs must both inform and capture the attention and enthusiasm of the learners.
The aim should be to make security information awareness and training an engaging and interactive experience. Techniques could include demonstrating social engineering methods through role-playing; reviewing media reports of recent attacks on other less fortunate businesses and discussing the ways the companies could have prevented the loss; or showing a security video that's entertaining and educational at the same time. There are several security awareness companies that market videos and related materials.
NOTE.
For those businesses that do not have the resources to develop a program in-house, there are several training companies that offer security awareness training services. Trade shows such as Secure World Expo (www.secureworldexpo.com) are gathering places for these companies The stories in this book provide plenty of material to explain the methods and tactics of social engineering, to raise awareness of the threat, and to demonstrate the vulnerabilities in human behavior. Consider using their scenarios as a basis for role-playing activities. The stories also offer colorful opportunities for lively discussion on how the victims could have responded differently to prevent the attacks from being successful.
A skillful course developer and skillful trainers will find plenty of challenges, but also plenty of opportunities, for keeping the cla.s.sroom time lively, and, in the process, motivate people to become part of the solution.
Structure of the Training A basic security awareness training program should be developed that all employees are required to attend. New employees should be required to attend the training as part of their initial indoctrination. I recommend that no employee be provided computer access until he has attended a basic security awareness session.
For this initial awareness and training, I suggest a session focused enough to hold attention, and short enough that the important messages will be remembered.
While the amount of material to be covered certainly justifies longer training, the importance of providing awareness and motivation along with a reasonable number of essential messages in my view outweighs any notion of half-day or full-day sessions that leave people numb with
The emphasis of these sessions should be on conveying an appreciation of the harm that can be done to the company, and to employees individually, unless all employees follow good security work habits. More important than learning about specific security practices is the motivation that leads employees to accept personal responsibility for security.
In situations where some employees cannot readily attend cla.s.sroom sessions, the company should consider developing awareness training using other forms of instruction, such as videos, computer-based training, online courses, or written materials.
After the initial short training session, longer sessions should be designed to educate employees about specific vulnerabilities and attack techniques relative to their position in the company. Refresher training should be required at least once a year. The nature of the threat and the methods used to exploit people are ever-changing, so the content of the program should be kept up to date. Moreover, people's awareness and alertness diminish over time, so training must be repeated at reasonable intervals to reinforce security principles. Here again the emphasis needs to be as much on keeping employees convinced of the importance of security policies and motivated to adhere to them, as on exposing specific threats and social engineering methods.
Managers must allow reasonable time for their subordinates to become familiar with security policies and procedures, and to partic.i.p.ate in the security awareness program. Employees should not be expected to study security policies or attend security cla.s.ses on their own time. New employees should be given ample time to review security policies and published security practices prior to beginning their job responsibilities.
Employees who change positions within the organization to a job that involves access to sensitive information or computer systems should, of course, be required to complete a security training program tailored to their new responsibilities. For example, when a computer operator becomes a systems administrator, or a receptionist becomes an administrative a.s.sistant, new training is required.
Training Course Contents When reduced to their fundamentals, all social engineering attacks have the same common element: deception. The victim is led to believe that the attacker is a fellow employee or some other person who is authorized to access sensitive information, or authorized to give the victim instructions that involve taking actions with a computer or computer-related equipment. Almost all of these attacks could be foiled if the targeted employee simply follows two steps: Verify the ident.i.ty of the person making the request: Is the person making the request really who he claims to be?
Verify whether the person is authorized: Does the person have the need to know, or is he otherwise authorized to make this request?
NOTE.
Because security awareness and training are never perfect, use security technologies whenever possible to create a system of defense in depth. This means that the security measure is provided by the technology rather than by individual employees, for example, when the operating system is configured to prevent employees from downloading software from the Internet, or choosing a short, easily guessed pa.s.sword.
If awareness training sessions could change behavior so that each employee would always be consistent about testing any request against these criteria, the risk a.s.sociated with social engineering attacks would be dramatically reduced.
A practical information security awareness and training program that addresses human behavior and social engineering aspects should include the following: A description of how attackers use social engineering skills to deceive people.
The methods used by social engineers to accomplish their objectives.
How to recognize a possible social engineering attack.
The procedure for handling a suspicious request.
Where to report social engineering attempts or successful attacks.
The importance of challenging anyone who makes a suspicious request, regardless of the person's claimed position or importance.
The fact that they should not implicitly trust others without proper verification, even though their impulse is to give others the benefit of the doubt.
The importance of verifying the ident.i.ty and authority of any person making a request for information or action. (See "Verification and Authorization Procedures," Chapter 16, for ways to verify ident.i.ty.) Procedures for protecting sensitive information, including familiarity with any data cla.s.sification system.
The location of the company's security policies and procedures, and their importance to the protection of information and corporate information systems.
A summary of key security policies and an explanation of their meaning. For example, every employee should be instructed in how to devise a difficult-to-guess pa.s.sword.
The obligation of every employee to comply with the policies, and the consequences for non-compliance.
Social engineering by definition involves some kind of human interaction. An attacker will very frequently use a variety of communication methods and technologies in attempting to achieve his or her goal. For this reason, a well-rounded awareness program should attempt to cover some or all of the following: Security policies related to computer and voice mail pa.s.swords.
The procedure for disclosing sensitive information or materials.
Email usage policy, including the safeguards to prevent malicious code attacks including viruses, worms, and Trojan Horses.
Physical security requirements such as wearing a badge.
The responsibility to challenge people on the premises who aren't wearing a badge.
Best security practices of voice mail usage.
How to determine the cla.s.sification of information, and the proper safeguards for protecting sensitive information.
Proper disposal of sensitive doc.u.ments and computer media that contain, or have at any time in the past contained, confidential materials.
Also, if the company plans to use penetration testing to determine the effectiveness of defenses against social engineering attacks, a warning should be given putting employees on notice of this practice. Let employees know that at some time they may receive a phone call or other communication using an attacker's techniques as part of such a test. Use the results of those tests not to punish, bur to define the need for additional training in some areas.
Details concerning all of the above items will be found in Chapter 16.
TESTING.
Your company may want to test employees on their mastery of the information presented in the security awareness training, before allowing computer system access. If you design tests to be given on line, many a.s.sessment design software programs allow you to readily a.n.a.lyze test results to determine areas of the training that need to be strengthened.
Your company may also consider providing a certificate testifying to the completion of the security training as a reward and employee motivator.
As a routine part of completing the program, it is recommended that each employee be asked to sign an agreement to abide by the security policies and principles taught in the program. Research suggests that a person who makes the commitment of signing such an agreement is more likely to make an effort to abide by the procedures.
ONGOING AWARENESS.
Most people are aware that learning, even about important matters, tends to fade unless reinforced periodically. Because of the importance of keeping employees up to speed on the subject of defending against social engineering attacks, an ongoing awareness program is vital.
One method to keep security at the forefront of employee thinking is to make information security a specific job responsibility for every person in the enterprise. This encourages employees to recognize their crucial role in the overall security of the company. Otherwise there is a strong tendency to feel that security "is not my job."
While overall responsibility for an information security program is normally a.s.signed to a person in the security department or the information technology department, development of an information security awareness program is probably best structured as a joint project with the training department.
The ongoing awareness program needs to be creative and use every available channel for communicating security messages in ways that are memorable so that employees are constantly reminded about good security habits. Methods should use all of the traditional channels, plus as many non-traditional ones as the people a.s.signed to develop and implement the program can imagine. As with traditional advertising, humor and cleverness help. Varying the wording of messages keeps them from becoming so familiar that they are ignored.
The list of possibilities for an ongoing awareness program might include: Providing copies of this book to all employees.
Including informational items in the company newsletter: articles, boxed reminders (preferably short, attention-getting items), or cartoons, for example.
Posting a picture of the Security Employee of the Month.
Hanging posters in employee areas.
Posting bulletin-board notices.
Providing printed enclosures in paycheck envelopes.
Sending email reminders.
Using security-related screen savers.
Broadcasting security reminder announcements through the voice mail system.
Printing phone stickers with messages such as "Is your caller who he says he is?'!
Setting up reminder messages to appear on the computer when logging in, such as "If you are sending confidential information in an email, encrypt it."
Including security awareness as a standard item on employee performance reports and annual reviews.
Providing security awareness reminders on the intranet, perhaps using cartoons or humor, or in some other way enticing employees to read them.
Using an electronic message display board in the cafeteria, with a frequently changing security reminder.
Distributing flyers or brochures.
And think gimmicks, such as free fortune cookies in the cafeteria, each containing a security reminder instead of a fortune.
The threat is constant; the reminders must be constant as well.
WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME?".
In addition to security awareness and training programs, I strongly recommend an active and well-publicized reward program. You must acknowledge employees who have detected and prevented an attempted social engineering attack, or in some other way significantly contributed to the success of the information security program. The existence of the reward program should be made known to employees at all security awareness sessions, and security violations should be widely publicized throughout the organization.
On the other side of the coin, people must be made aware of the consequences of failing to abide by information security policies, whether through carelessness or resistance. Though we all make mistakes, repeated violations of security procedures must not be tolerated.
Chapter 16.
Recommended Corporate Information Security Policies Nine out of every ten large corporations and government agencies have been attacked by computer intruders, to judge from the results of a survey conducted by the FBI and reported by the a.s.sociated Press in April 2002. Interestingly, the study found that only about one company in three reported or publicly acknowledged any attacks. That reticence to reveal their victimization makes sense. To avoid loss of customer confidence and to prevent further attacks by intruders who learn that a company may be vulnerable, most businesses do not publicly report computer security incidents.
It appears that there are no statistics on social engineering attacks, and if there were, the numbers would be highly unreliable; in most cases a company never knows when a social engineer has "stolen" information, so many attacks go unnoticed and unreported.
Effective countermeasures can be put into place against most types of social engineering attacks. But let's face reality here--unless everyone in the enterprise understands that security is important and makes it his or her business to know and adhere to a company's security policies, social engineering attacks will always present a grave risk to the enterprise.
In fact, as improvements are made if I the technological weapons against security breaches, the social engineering approach to using people to access proprietary company information or penetrate the corporate network will almost certainly become significantly more frequent and attractive to information thieves. An industrial spy will naturally attempt to accomplish his or her objective using the easiest method and the one involving the least risk of detection. As a matter of fact, a company that has protected its computer systems and network by deploying state-of the-art security technologies may thereafter be at more risk from attackers who use social engineering strategies, methods, and tactics to accomplish their objectives.
This chapter presents specific policies designed to minimize a company's risk with respect to social engineering attacks. The policies address attacks that are based not strictly on exploiting technical vulnerabilities. They involve using some kind of pretext or ruse to deceive a trusted employee into providing information or performing an action that gives the perpetrator access to sensitive business information or to enterprise computer systems and networks.
WHAT IS A SECURITY POLICY?.
Security policies are clear instructions that provide the guidelines for employee behavior for safeguarding information, and are a fundamental building block in developing effective controls to counter potential security threats. These policies are even more significant when it comes to preventing and detecting social engineering attacks.
Effective security controls are implemented by training employees with well-doc.u.mented policies and procedures. However, it is important to note that security policies, even if religiously followed by all employees, are not guaranteed to prevent every social engineering attack. Rather, the reasonable goal is always to mitigate the risk to an acceptable level.
The policies presented here include measures that, while not strictly focused on social engineering issues, nonetheless belong here because they deal with techniques commonly used in social engineering attacks. For example, policies about opening email attachments--which could install malicious Trojan Horse software allowing the attacker to take over the victim's computer--address a method frequently used by computer intruders.
Steps to Developing a Program A comprehensive information security program usually starts with a risk a.s.sessment aimed at determining: What enterprise information a.s.sets need to be protected?
What specific threats exist against these a.s.sets?