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Australian Cyber Security Centre urges Australians to protect themselves from VPNFilter Malware threat

Australian Cyber Security Centre urges Australians to protect themselves from VPNFilter Malware threat

An announcement made by the Australian Cyber Security
Centre
(ACSC) warned Australian users to be careful of a malware
called VPNFilter. It is dangerous because it can collect whatever data flows
through the device and even worse, it can disable the devices.

The ACSC is alerting Australian users to be
aware of the VPNFilter malware. It is known to affect networking equipment
including Linksys, MikroTik, Netgear and TP-Link, as well as QNAP
network-attached storage (NAS) devices.

This malware is a malicious actor that can compromise
a device. Once affected, network traffic, including website credentials that
are traversing the device can be collected.

The malware can also be leveraged to collect
data that flows through the device. This could be for straightforward
data-collection purposes, or to assess the potential value of the network that
the device serves. If the network was deemed as having information of potential
interest, there is an option also to continue collecting content that passes
through the device or to propagate into the connected network for data
collection.

More importantly, the malware can also be
used to disable the device. It can be triggered on individual victim machines
or en masse, and has the potential of
cutting off internet access for hundreds of thousands of victims worldwide.

The VPNFilter Malware is known to have
infected 500,000 devices in at least 54 countries. The type of devices targeted
by this is difficult to defend. They are regularly on the perimeter of the
network, without any intrusion protection system (IPS) in place, and typically
do not have an available host-based protection system such as an anti-virus
(AV) package.

The ACSC have released recommendations which Australian
citizens can do to their devices in order to protect them against this
malicious activity.

First would be to update the network devices
to the latest available version of the firmware. It is important to note that updates
are typically not automatic. Users should visit the manufacturers’ website for
specific information on how to apply updates.

Second would be to disable network device
management interfaces, such as Telnet, SSH, Winbox and HTTP/S, on WAN
interfaces. If remote management of the router is required, guarantee that a
complex password is used and a protocol that supports encrypted remote
connections, such as SSH and HTTPS.

Third would be something as simple as remembering
to change default log-in password of the router during the initial setup.

Similarly, a recent report
emphasised an increase in botnet-assisted attacks, amplification DDoS attacks,
and the return of long-lasting, multi-day DDoS attacks. A distributed
denial-of-service (DDoS) attack is an attack in which multiple compromised
computer systems attack a target, such as a server, website, system or other
network resource, causing a denial of service for users of the targeted
resource.

Such attack typically floods the targeted
servers, systems or network to sabotage the victim. As the target system slows
down or even crashes, it stops legitimate users from using the system. 

PARTNER

Qlik’s vision is a data-literate world, where everyone can use data and analytics to improve decision-making and solve their most challenging problems. A private company, Qlik offers real-time data integration and analytics solutions, powered by Qlik Cloud, to close the gaps between data, insights and action. By transforming data into Active Intelligence, businesses can drive better decisions, improve revenue and profitability, and optimize customer relationships. Qlik serves more than 38,000 active customers in over 100 countries.

PARTNER

CTC Global Singapore, a premier end-to-end IT solutions provider, is a fully owned subsidiary of ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corporation (CTC) and ITOCHU Corporation.

Since 1972, CTC has established itself as one of the country’s top IT solutions providers. With 50 years of experience, headed by an experienced management team and staffed by over 200 qualified IT professionals, we support organizations with integrated IT solutions expertise in Autonomous IT, Cyber Security, Digital Transformation, Enterprise Cloud Infrastructure, Workplace Modernization and Professional Services.

Well-known for our strengths in system integration and consultation, CTC Global proves to be the preferred IT outsourcing destination for organizations all over Singapore today.

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Planview has one mission: to build the future of connected work. Our solutions enable organizations to connect the business from ideas to impact, empowering companies to accelerate the achievement of what matters most. Planview’s full spectrum of Portfolio Management and Work Management solutions creates an organizational focus on the strategic outcomes that matter and empowers teams to deliver their best work, no matter how they work. The comprehensive Planview platform and enterprise success model enables customers to deliver innovative, competitive products, services, and customer experiences. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, with locations around the world, Planview has more than 1,300 employees supporting 4,500 customers and 2.6 million users worldwide. For more information, visit www.planview.com.

SUPPORTING ORGANISATION

SIRIM is a premier industrial research and technology organisation in Malaysia, wholly-owned by the Minister​ of Finance Incorporated. With over forty years of experience and expertise, SIRIM is mandated as the machinery for research and technology development, and the national champion of quality. SIRIM has always played a major role in the development of the country’s private sector. By tapping into our expertise and knowledge base, we focus on developing new technologies and improvements in the manufacturing, technology and services sectors. We nurture Small Medium Enterprises (SME) growth with solutions for technology penetration and upgrading, making it an ideal technology partner for SMEs.

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HashiCorp provides infrastructure automation software for multi-cloud environments, enabling enterprises to unlock a common cloud operating model to provision, secure, connect, and run any application on any infrastructure. HashiCorp tools allow organizations to deliver applications faster by helping enterprises transition from manual processes and ITIL practices to self-service automation and DevOps practices. 

PARTNER

IBM is a leading global hybrid cloud and AI, and business services provider. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. Nearly 3,000 government and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM’s hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM’s breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and business services deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM’s legendary commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service.

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