The Frustrations with Website Security
Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri
The Frustrations with Website Security
Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri
WHAT YOU’RE IN STORE FOR?
• Creating a security risk posture for your website
• Understand Hosting and its role in security
• How to differentiate Security Firewalls
• Dispelling the myth of “Why would anyone hack me?”
• Understanding how websites get hacked
• WP security essentials, tools and resources
The Frustrations with Website Security
Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri
59.6%26.5%Websites Powered By
CMS Market Share Owned
Source: W3Tech
Site upgraded to version 4.0+
87.5%
The Frustrations with Website Security
Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri
Hosting Environment
• Shared Servers: Popular choice in hosting for its cost-savings. Multiple sites sharing memory and processing power from one server.
• Virtual Private Servers (VPS): VS provides protected and set amount of memory and processing power. Physical server partitioned into multiple VPS.
• Dedicated Servers: Most expensive option, provides full capacity of a physical server’s resources. Highly customizable with added benefits of control.
• Recommendation: Isolate site groups from one another to help mitigate the risk of infection across all properties.
The Frustrations with Website Security
Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri
Differentiating Security Firewalls
Resource: https://blog.sucuri.net/2016/04/ask-sucuri-differentiate-security-firewalls.html
The Frustrations with Website Security
Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri
The Frustrations with Website Security
Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri
The Frustrations with Website Security
Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri
The Frustrations with Website Security
Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri
Dispel the Myth “Why would anyone Hack me?”
Resource: https://blog.sucuri.net/2015/02/why-websites-get-hacked.html
The Frustrations with Website Security
Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri
July 2016 – 1.05 Billion Websites
Source: Internet Live Stats
The Frustrations with Website Security
Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri
Targeted Attacks Attacks of Opportunity
Occurs .001% of the time
There is a specific “target”
How the attack will happen is unknown
The exploit is unknown, defined by what is found
There is enough motivation and return
Automated / Manual
High-level of skill / expertise
Personal (i.e., political, competitor, hatred)
Method of attack for organizations
Occurs 99.99% of the time
Don’t have a specific “target”
The attack is known
The exploit is known, low-hanging fruit
The motivation and return is dependent on mass affect
Mostly automated
Low-mid level skill / expertise
Not-Personal (i.e., wrong place, wrong time)
Method of attack for websites
The Frustrations with Website Security
Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri
Automation
• Key in today’s attacks, making it the most effective way to affect 10’s of thousands of websites at the same time (i.e., maximum exposure and increased potential for success)
• Introduces efficiency and effectiveness into the attack sequence, enabling less skill adversaries (i.e., new breed of script kiddies)
• Allows bad actors to be faster to the draw targeting new software vulnerabilities
• Enabled by the development and expansion of global bot networks (botnets)
The Frustrations with Website Security
Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri
Motivations
The Frustrations with Website Security
Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri
REVENUE• Make money off your website or
it’s resources
• Earning potential could be based on stealing information (i.e., data exfiltration)
• Impression based affiliate marketing schemes
• Criminal enterprises
The Frustrations with Website Security
Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri
AUDIENCE
• Make money off your audience
• Extremely valuable to attackers
• Ability to take advantage of the trust you’ve built with your followers / customers
The Frustrations with Website Security
Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri
RESOURCES
• Make money off your resources
• Abuse of the infrastructure supporting your website
• Integrated into larger criminal networks (a.k.a botnets)
The Frustrations with Website Security
Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri
LULZ
• It’s not about the money
• Bored, why not? • If it allows me to access it, why
wouldn’t I?
• Badge of honor amongst peers!
• Hacktivism
The Frustrations with Website Security
Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri
How do Websites Get Hacked?
https://blog.sucuri.net/2015/05/website-security-how-do-websites-get-hacked.html
The Frustrations with Website Security
Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri
How Websites Get Hacked
Access Control Software Vulnerabilities
Cross-site Contamination
Third-PartyIntegrations Hosting
The Frustrations with Website Security
Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri
Access Control• Refers to how access is restricted to specific areas, places, or things. • Websites access control extends to all applications that provide some
form of access to the web environment:• How do you log into your WP-Admin? • How do you log into your Hosting Administration Panel? • How do you log into your Server? (i.e., FTP, SFTP, SSH)• How do you log into your Computer?
• When thinking about access control, think beyond the website application.
• Attacks to access control come many times in the form of Brute Force attacks.
The Frustrations with Website Security
Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri
Software Vulnerabilities
• Refers to bugs in code that can be abused to perform nefarious acts. They include things like:• SQL Injection (SQLi), Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), Remote Code Execution (RCE), Remote File Inclusion
(RFI), etc.…
• Familiarize yourself with the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP), specifically the OWASP Top 10.
• CMS applications struggle with vulnerabilities in their extensible parts (i.e., plugins, themes, extension, modules, etc…)
The Frustrations with Website Security
Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri
Cross-site Contamination
• Refers to the lateral movement an attacker makes once in the web server.
• This is referred to as an internal attack, not an external one. An attacker is able to gain entry into the web server via a vulnerable site, then use that to leap frog into all other websites on the web server.
• It’s often the contributing factor to a number of reinfections, website owners focus on the website affected and the symptoms, but spend little time looking at the websites that show no external signs of compromise.
• Rampant in environments that do not employ functional isolation on the web server, and employ improper permissions and configurations.
The Frustrations with Website Security
Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri
Third-Party Integrations
• Third-party integration refer to a number of things, the most prevalent affecting security is the integration of ads and their associated ad networks.
• These integrations are introducing a weak link into the security chain, where ad networks are attacked and used to penetrate unsuspecting websites - malvertising
• Malvertising is the act of manipulate ads to distribute malware, often in the form of malicious redirects and drive-by-downloads
• Exceptionally difficult to detect because of their conditional nature, and the fact that they are outside of the website environment
The Frustrations with Website Security
Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri
Hosting
• Its been a long time since there has been a mass-compromise of a large shared-hosting provider (circa 2011)
• The issues with hosts today revolve around hosts that aren’t really hosts; organizations that try to offer a complete solution – marketing / development / security / hosting / SEO, etc.. • Inexperienced service providers that introduce confusion and noise to an already
crowded marketplace• They know enough to be dangerous, but rarely house the in-house skills or
knowledge• Contribute to a number of cross-site contamination issues due to poor
configurations
The Frustrations with Website Security
Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri
Malware Distribution
Search Engine Poisoning
Spam Email
Phishing Lures
Infection Types
Defacement
DDoS/Bots/Backdoors
Ransomware
The Frustrations with Website Security
Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri
Type Description Motivation Association
Malware Distribution Drive-by-DownloadsEnd-points are the target
RevenueAudience
Search Engine Poisoning (SEP)
Search Engine Result Pages (SERP)
Pharma / Casino / Luxury GoodsRevenueAudience
Phishing Lures Email / Social Phishing campaignsFinancial / Credential Theft
Spam Email Email spam campaignsLeverage your server / IP / domain
RevenueAudienceResource
Defacement Hacktivism Lulz
DDoS/Bot Scripts/Backdoors
Server level scriptsAbuse resources / access control
RevenueResource
Ransomware Hold you hostageHow your audience hostage
RevenueAudience
Data Exfiltration Steal data from your environmentE-Commerce / PCI
ResourceAudience
RevenueAudience
The Frustrations with Website Security
Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri
Thinking Website Security
How to improve your WordPress security posture
The Frustrations with Website Security
Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri
THE IMPACTS OF COMPROMISE
Brand Website Blacklisting
Emotional Distress
Economic
Business
Visitor Compromise
Technical
SEO Impacts
The Frustrations with Website Security
Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri
Business Impacts EconomicBrand Emotional Distress
Brand Reputation• Your brand is made up of the unique user experience you offer
through your design, content, product offering and services• Your website, and the experience your audience has plays a critical
part in the reputation of that brand• Tolerance is the highest its ever been around website compromises,
so reputation is recoverable • Loss of trust in your brand can drive your audience to look for
alternatives to your brand
The Frustrations with Website Security
Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri
Economic Impacts• Our research has shown a little over 90% drop in traffic immediately
following a compromise, that number goes up if a website gets blacklisted
• Whether your website leverages ads, static content, or sells product, it directly or indirectly helps your business generate some form of revenue / exposure
• Costs associated with post-compromise services, to include time / money spent on tools, education and consultation
Business Impacts EconomicBrand Emotional Distress
The Frustrations with Website Security
Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri
Emotional Distress• Anxiety – nothing ever goes fast enough• Confusion – unclear what steps to take, who to talk to, where to start• Anger – you want to reach across the matrix and shake someone • Sadness – a general feeling of feeling overwhelmed, exhausted• Distrust – an erosion of trust in technology, internet, people
Business Impacts EconomicBrand Emotional Distress
The Frustrations with Website Security
Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri
Website Blacklisting• The most impactful in that it has the ability deter people from
reaching your website and its content / product / services• Blacklists extend beyond search engines like Google and Bing, but
can be found in end-point AntiVirus Solutions like Malwarebytes, Norton, EST, McAfee and so many others.
• This can lead to your website being flagged globally in large networks (i.e., cisco, websense, etc… )
Technical Impacts SEOBlacklisting Visitor Compromise
The Frustrations with Website Security
Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri
SEO Impact• The ability to control or manipulate what Search Engines see when
they crawl your website, leading to dirty Search Engine Result Pages (SERP), impacts to your Domain Authority and Value
• Injection of keywords and phrases that might be contrary to your brand, inclusion of things like: Viagra, Cialis, Casinos, Gucci, and use those references to redirect your website to other sites
• Directly tied to the creditability of the website, and potentially affects the blacklisting of your website with search engines like Google, Bing, and others.
Technical Impacts SEOBlacklisting Visitor Compromise
The Frustrations with Website Security
Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri
Visitor Compromise• Malware distribution can include various forms of “Drive by
Download” attempts that look to install nefarious applications on your visitors machines (i.e., rogue AntiVirus systems)
• Websites can be used to attack browser plugins like Java, Flash, Adobe and others technologies. Can also be used to attack other websites within the same browser.
• Compromise include the distribution malware like Ransomware that can encrypt local environments, making them unusable until the user pays a fine.
Technical Impacts SEOBlacklisting Visitor Compromise
The Frustrations with Website Security
Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri
Technology will never replace your responsibility as a website owner.
The Frustrations with Website Security
Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri
Tips For Managing Website Security1. Employ Defense in Depth Principles – layers like an onion. Complement your tools,
one may fail and so it’s important to have a next step. Example having a firewall in conjunction with continuous monitoring and detection.
2. Leverage best practices like Least Privilege – not everyone needs administrative privileges.
3. Place emphasis on how people access your website, leveraging things like Multi-Factor and Two-Factor Authentication.
4. Protect yourself against the exploitation of software vulnerabilities through use of a Website Firewall – focus on Known and Unknown Attacks.
5. Backups are your friends – your safety net – try to have at least 60 days available.
6. Register your website with Search Engines – Google and Bing have Webmaster Tools, leverage their infrastructure to tell you the health of your website.
The Frustrations with Website Security
Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri
Tools to Help Mitigate Online Risk INFOSEC Institute WP Security Plugins: http://resources.infosecinstitute.com/7-best-wordpress-security-plugins/
PCMag Password Managers- My pick LastPass: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2407168,00.asp
Backups- WPBeginner Pros & Cons: http://www.wpbeginner.com/plugins/7-best-wordpress-backup-plugins-compared-pros-and-cons/
How did my WP Site get Hacked- A Tutorial: https://blog.sucuri.net/2015/08/ask-sucuri-how-did-my-wordpress-website-get-hacked-a-tutorial.html
WPScan- How to install WP vulnerability scanner: https://blog.sucuri.net/2015/10/install-wpscan-wordpress-vulnerability-scan.html
WP-CLI Series- Secure WordPress Management: https://blog.sucuri.net/2015/07/wp-cli-guide-connect-to-wordpress-via-ssh-intro.html
The Frustrations with Website Security
Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri
Resources for Staying Informed WordPress Security: https://wordpress.org/about/security/
Hardening WordPress : https://codex.wordpress.org/Hardening_WordPress
Sucuri Blog- Defining Common Website Terminology: https://blog.sucuri.net/2015/07/common-website-security-terminology-defined.html
Sucuri Blog- Understanding the WP security plugin ecosystem: https://blog.sucuri.net/2014/09/understanding-the-wordpress-security-plugin-ecosystem.html
Sucuri Blog- Understanding WP plugin vulnerabilities: https://blog.sucuri.net/2015/03/understanding-wordpress-plugin-vulnerabilities.html
The Frustrations with Website Security
Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri
Q & A Tweet us @SucuriSecurity using #AskSucuri
The Frustrations with Website Security
Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri Krystle Herbrandson| @kherbrandson #WCBOS #AskSucuri
THANK YOU!