hardware – Computer Security Articles

Now, hang on a sec: You haven’t accidentally stumbled onto the world’s last remaining Sir Mix-a-Lot fan site. (If only!) No, the buts of which I speak at this particular moment are the single “t” variety — as in, the contradictory kinds of statements that are so frequently missing when we talk about technology.

You know what I’m talking about, right? Here in these tribal times of 2019, it’s all too easy to fall into a pattern of seeing a certain sort of product or type of device as being either “awesome” or “inferior,” with little gray space in between those extremes. You’ve used this kind of smartphone for years now, damn it, so it has to be the best! And that other company’s devices are, like, obviously awful. They’re from the competing team! They could never be worth your while.

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ComputerWorld Independent

Business laptop? $1,000. Sending away the thief? Priceless.

May 14, 2019 admin hardware, laptops, Security

Credit to Author: Sharky| Date: Tue, 14 May 2019 03:00:00 -0700

The time is 2001, not long after 9/11, and the place is New York City. Heightened security awareness is the order of the day, and everyone in pilot fish’s office is required to carry an access card that activates the office doors. Look out for tailgaters, they’re all told. Those are people dressed like professionals who slide in behind someone with an access card and then steal wallets, coats and more.

One morning, fish arrives at the office and passes a man in business-casual attire carrying a laptop tucked under his arm and headed for the elevators. Fish doesn’t recognize the fellow, but he does know the co-worker who is running behind him, calling for someone to call building security and the police. The co-worker had returned to an empty desk just seconds after this tailgater had snatched his laptop, well before the tailgater could make a clean getaway.

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ComputerWorld Independent

Security theater, ’80s style

April 23, 2019 admin hardware, Security

Credit to Author: Sharky| Date: Tue, 23 Apr 2019 03:00:00 -0700

It’s the late 1980s and pilot fish is working on business application development for an aerospace and defense contractor where physical security is surprisingly lax. There’s a guard on duty at the front desk during business hours, but that’s about the extent of it. That changes with the announcement that all personal gear will be subject to inspection on leaving the building.
Now there are guards 24/7, and everyone leaving the building is politely requested by those guards to open their briefcases and backpacks. The guards then take a look inside before waving the owners through.
Rumor has it that this security push came about because some Apple Mac computers have gone missing. And it continues for about six months, and then suddenly ceases.
What happened? Employees have to rely on rumor again, which holds that the cleaning crew had taken the Macs, which makes sense given that large, wheeled trashcans would make the job easy.
The exit checks never turned up anything, but even law-abiding pilot fish can’t help but notice that it would be pretty easy to cover any contraband in a bag with a few clothes or newspapers and never be discovered, given the cursory nature of the searches.

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Kaspersky Security

Weaponized USB devices as an attack vector

April 17, 2019 admin #TheSAS2019, Business, enterprise, hardware, SAS, SAS 2019, Security Analyst Summit, USB

Credit to Author: Alex Perekalin| Date: Wed, 17 Apr 2019 11:42:14 +0000

Trojanized HID devices as well as surveilling or malicious cables are serious threats that can be used to compromise even air-gapped systems.

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