Security Incident

becloudWho deals in Belgium with security incidents?

The Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium (CCB) is the central authority for cybersecurity in Belgium:

Companies can get help from “The Cyber Security Coalition” and should contact CERT.be to report a security incident.

Individuals can get security advice from Safeonweb.be.

Victims of misleading practices, fraud or swindle in Belgium can report their case on meldpunt.belgie.be.

meldpunt

Protection of Privacy in Belgium is addressed by CBPL.

The Office of the Ombudsman for telecommunications

Europol Public Awareness and Prevention Guides

Out phishing

outfishingFraudsters frequently use tactics such as fake phone calls, texts and emails to obtain your information, perhaps claiming to represent your bank, your utility companies, or even the police. To maintain your personal and financial security, be sure to be on your guard for:

• Vishing: a telephone call from someone claiming to represent your bank, intended to coerce you into sending your money to another account or handing over cash/cards.

• Phishing: an email, which looks like it’s from us, designed to trick you into providing personal and financial information.

• Smishing (SMS phishing): a text message, which looks like it is from us, designed to trick you into providing personal and financial information by calling a number or clicking a link.

Remember:

• Be wary of unsolicited requests for your personal information, such as usernames, passwords or bank details.

• If a phone call seems suspicious, don’t be afraid to hang up and call your bank on a known number – use a different phone line where possible.

• If an email looks suspicious, do not click on links or download documents.

• If you have suspicions regarding a text message claiming to be from the bank, call your bank on a known number to check before acting on it.

Safer browsing on the Internet

privacy-cookiesSafer browsing on the Internet

If you are concerned about the ´behind the scenes´ of your Internet access, you may apply the following changes on your network:

– use DNS servers that block sites hosting malware, phishing schemes, and scams:

guidelines for using alternative DNS servers can be found on WikiLeaks

a list of Free & Public DNS Servers is published by about.com

– install tools to detect and protect against web page trackers (scripts, pixels, and other elements):

here is a list of Browser Extensions that Protect Your Privacy

use Ghostery to control page trackers

Check your pc or mac for IP leaks and see what your give away on information: IP/DNS Detection.

VISTA and Chrome with McAfee Bitdefender

VISTA and Chrome with McAfee Bitdefender

Chrome traffic may be blocked by Bitdefender. Check the McAfee Firewall settings in that case and reset the firewall rules.

To reset the firewall rules open BitDefender, switch it to Expert View from the Options button then go to the Firewall tab -> Programs and click on the ‘Reset Rules‘ button. Confirm when asked to reset the rules then restart the PC. The first time you run Chrome again, the Firewall should set a new rule and let the traffic flow.

Microsoft Outlook 2007 with GMAIL and AVAST

Microsoft Outlook 2007 with GMAIL and AVAST

Since both GMAIL and AVAST (Anti-Virus) both use SSL, you need to tweak the account settings in Microsoft Outlook to make your authentication work.

In summary:

use the standard settings for a gmail account in Outlook and configure the SSL settings for a gmail account in Avast

Is it safe?

Is it safe?

No matter the OS platform you selected, a good Anti-Virus scanner is necessary when you connect to the Internet. This especially applies when you exchange information with attachments. Always keep the virus scanner up-to-date. It’s good practice to, at least once a week, check for virus definition updates ! Check my ‘Best of Breed Software‘ page for freeware anti-virus scanners.

Do not participate in the computer virus histeria, rather consult a security guru or an expert. Beware of a hoax, many people like you to panic and to forward unproductive and alarming messages. Before you spread the news first find out the truth and check sites like Hoax-Slayer. Although much safer than a PC, also MACs need protection. Some folks (at securemac.com) give good advice for MacOS users.

Finally, if you have gone through these recommendations, you can check if all is safe with GRC’s Shields Up.

 

Check this post about security incident reporting.

 

Netgear WPN802v2 – invalid security certificate

Using Firefox 3.0.x to connect to the Netgear Wireless Accesspoint WPN802v2, may fail due to an invalid security certificate error (see picture below):

Alert: <ip address> uses an ivalid security certificate

When this error occurs, you won’t be able to connect to the admin interface of the Wireless Accesspoint. I managed to fix this by creating a security exception in the Firefox Certificate Manager:

Select in ‘Tools‘ from the Menu bar, ‘Options’:

Select in the ‘Advanced’ tab – the ‘Encryption’ tab. Next, select ‘View Certificates‘.

In the Certificates Manager, select the ‘Servers’ tab. Next, select ‘Add Exception‘

Enter the IP Address of the Wireless Access Point in the ‘Add Security Exception’ window and select the ‘Get Certificate‘ button.

The Certificate Status will be displayed.

Select ‘Confirm Security Exception‘ and exit the Certificate Manager.

You should now be able to logon the Admin interface.

Data Backup and Archive in a Small Office or Home Office (SoHo) environment.

backupData Backup and Archive in a Small Office or Home Office (SoHo) environment.

The difference between a backup and an archive is the retention. A backup will serve for short term recovery or system restore after a failed installation. Typically, you make a backup before installing software that alters data and or system files. An archive serves to store copies of information for a long time. Keeping a copy of your data on an extra drive will safeguard it from disk crashes or any other loss of systems.

The success of a good backup and archiving policy depends on your data organization. The more pc’s you have, the bigger the challenge to keep track of all your data. Here are some basic rules to keep control of your electronic information storage.

1) Keep your original data in centralized folders. Categorize your data (music, pictures, videos, invoices, contracts, letters, etc.) and use separate folders (as suggested by your operating system windows or MacOS). Some folders change more frequently than others and some files are more important than others.

2) Use a simple backup and restore tool to perform the backup and archive jobs. Do not use software that creates proprietary files, because this creates a dependency on the software and the operating system to restore information. Use a tool that stores the files without compression and that maintains the directory structure (e.g. SyncBack for windows or FreeFileSync for MacOS); this way you can access your copied data directly, without the use of any tool.

3) Use external drives to copy your data to (usb or firewire attached). Select reliable products for your archive drives and avoid systems that require proprietary drivers. You may opt to use a (different) drive for each of the category of data: music, pictures, etc. Do not rely on cloud-based storage for archiving.

4) Make at least once a month a full backup of your data. In case proprietary file formats are used, keep a copy of the software that is needed to read those files on a future safe medium (cd-rom or hard drive – try to avoid zip drives or floppy drives). Verify regularly the backup integrity: check if the data can be restored and is readable.

5) In case of an archive, keep the copies of your data in a remote place. Holding archives under the same roof will not help in case of a fire or a burglary. These days, small format external drives can easily be stored in a (locked) office desk or a bank safe.

Data Backup and Archive in a Small Office or Home Office (SoHo) environment.

backupData Backup and Archive in a Small Office or Home Office (SoHo) environment.

The difference between a backup and an archive is the retention. A backup will serve for short term recovery or system restore after a failed installation. Typically, you make a backup before installing software that alters data and or system files. An archive serves to store copies of information for a long time. Keeping a copy of your data on an extra drive will safeguard it from disk crashes or any other loss of systems.

The success of a good backup and archiving policy depends on your data organization. The more pc’s you have, the bigger the challenge to keep track of all your data. Here are some basic rules to keep control of your electronic information storage.

1) Keep your original data in centralized folders. Categorize your data (music, pictures, videos, invoices, contracts, letters, etc.) and use separate folders (as suggested by your operating system windows or MacOS). Some folders change more frequently than others and some files are more important than others.

2) Use a simple backup and restore tool to perform the backup and archive jobs. Do not use software that creates proprietary files, because this creates a dependency on the software and the operating system to restore information. Use a tool that stores the files without compression and that maintains the directory structure (e.g. SyncBack for windows or FreeFileSync for MacOS); this way you can access your copied data directly, without the use of any tool.

3) Use external drives to copy your data to (usb or firewire attached). Select reliable products for your archive drives and avoid systems that require proprietary drivers. You may opt to use a (different) drive for each of the category of data: music, pictures, etc. Do not rely on cloud-based storage for archiving.

4) Make at least once a month a full backup of your data. In case proprietary file formats are used, keep a copy of the software that is needed to read those files on a future safe medium (cd-rom or hard drive – try to avoid zip drives or floppy drives). Verify regularly the backup integrity: check if the data can be restored and is readable.

5) In case of an archive, keep the copies of your data in a remote place. Holding archives under the same roof will not help in case of a fire or a burglary. These days, small format external drives can easily be stored in a (locked) office desk or a bank safe.

Privacy and Security

Privacy and Security

You should be concerned about your Privacy on the Internet. Anti-Virus protection is not the only safety net, your mail messages expose a lot about you.

To keep your messages and files confidential, while sending them over the Internet, you can use PGP or S/Mime.

For more information refer to:

Tuning the Windows environment – Windows Folder Sharing

Windows Folders Sharing (Windows XP)

To get full control of your Folder sharing options, you may need to modify the Folder Options settings.

In the Windows explorer menu, select ‘Tools’. In the ‘Tools’ pull-down menu, choose the ‘Folder Options’. The Folder Options window has a ‘View’ Tab which lists the Advanced Settings. In the Advanced Settings, untag the ‘Use simple file sharing’ (see Dutch example below):

WinFolderSharing

You may apply these settings only to one folder or all folders. Once this setting is applied, you will be able to control the access by user and by access type (read/write/etc.).

Read also the NetBIOS security settings.