A tempting side hustle

Image from Unsplash

 

“Dear Patrick, I’d like to point out a super interesting high-tech opportunity to you!” Or: “We’re impressed by your profile. How open would you be to learning more?” Those were in my own language, but they also come in English: I’m working on an exciting opportunity for an Information Security Team Lead role. Would you be open to a quick chat this week to discuss further?

Headhunters work on behalf of companies to find candidates for hard-to-fill positions. If I ever wanted to work elsewhere, I wouldn’t even need to start looking; potential employers reach out to me regularly. This mostly happens via LinkedIn, because that’s where your professional profile is up for grabs.

It’s not just companies trying to connect with professionals. Criminal organizations also attempt to recruit new people. Not via LinkedIn, but through platforms like Telegram – a space where criminals feel right at home.

They don’t want you to come and work for them.  In fact, they want you to stay exactly where you are. You only need to do one thing: give them access to your organization’s systems. They’ll handle the rest. Besides an attractive reward, you’ll probably get a few extra days off. Because their ultimate goal is to infect your organization with ransomware. Usually, everything grinds to a halt, and work can’t resume for weeks. Recently, Jaguar Land Rover’s global car production was down for three weeks. The financial damage is estimated in the hundreds of millions. Earlier this year, a German napkin manufacturer had to file for bankruptcy after two weeks of lost revenue.

Cybercriminals need initial access – a digital foot in the door. Phishing is a tried-and-true method, but now active recruitment is happening too. And it’s highly targeted. A certain ransomware gang is currently looking for employees in finance, insurance, and travel. Hospitality, the automotive industry, and oil companies are also on their radar. They’ll tell you not to worry about criminal prosecution because they take great care of their insiders; they promise to handle your login credentials discreetly. According to them, the worst that can happen is you’ll get fired. “Don’t listen to those clueless security people – they have no idea what they’re talking about!”

Handling your login credentials discreetly? Sounds nice, but that’s only half the story. You can’t exactly work anonymously – much of what you do is logged. Logs will show: user xyz performed this action on that date at that time. If there are serious indicators, there are extensive ways to hunt down the suspected culprit. And we’ll gladly use them.

It may look like easy money, but don’t be fooled. You won’t get away with “that wasn’t me” when your user ID is in the logs. That’s exactly why you should never share your password with anyone – not even a colleague. Because what if that colleague falls for a Telegram message and hands over your credentials? Such a reckless move could cost you not only your current job but your future career. Who wants to hire someone who got fired for that reason?

Better listen to the advice of one of those “clueless security people” and steer clear of such practices. If financial trouble tempts you, seek help instead.

Because of a few days off, this blog appears earlier than usual.

And in the big bad world…

…I unfortunately didn’t have time to fill this section this week.

 

New friends

Image from Unsplash

It was somewhat between a conference and a summer camp: there were lots of people and it was a bit chaotic. On my way from one presentation to the next workshop, I was harassed by a few teenagers; a small scuffle even broke out, during which I put them in their place.

As I continued on my way, I noticed that the boy who had been the most aggressive had slipped a note into my pocket. I wanted to read it only once I was out of their sight, but that was a big mistake. We will never know what message that boy wanted to convey. Because at that moment, the alarm clock went off. And no matter how hard I tried to pick up the thread again, it didn’t work.

Of course, you start fantasizing about the meaning of such a dream, and especially what would have been written on that note if it had been real. It was probably a cry for help, and the scuffle was only meant to get that note into my pocket. Maybe I’ve watched too many movies like that.

Anyway, let’s continue with the theme that someone needs help but apparently can’t ask for it openly. In my work, I don’t encounter that so directly – people with a security issue simply ask for advice; sometimes even when they suspect the expected answer will mean extra work or require them to abandon their current way of working. Fortunately, colleagues usually understand the importance of security measures.

Outside of my direct work, situations like that can certainly occur. Our organization has a huge impact on what you and I have in our wallets. But also on the profits of legal or illegal trade. And when it comes to money, crime is always lurking. That doesn’t always mean people spontaneously start doing criminal things. But because we manage an insane amount of data about everything and everyone, professional criminals sometimes set their sights on our employees.

Here’s a snippet from an NOS news report dated August 20: "An Amsterdam municipal official who is in custody on suspicion of corruption and complicity in explosions has sold data on a large scale to criminals, according to the Public Prosecution Service. Those criminals then carried out attacks or caused explosions at dozens of addresses he had provided."

It seems this official independently set up a little business selling addresses. However, often it works the other way around: people with access to certain data are approached by criminals. And that doesn’t always happen in a straightforward way. No, often they first try to become friends, and maybe at some point they help you with something. They’re looking for a weak spot in you, something you could really use help with. And you get that help from your new friend. A little while later, a small favor is asked. "Look at this, someone hit my car! Luckily, I just managed to note the license plate. The police are too busy to look into it, but for the insurance I really need to know who that jerk is. Hey, you have access to that kind of information, you’ll help me out, right?"

They’ll probably come back to you more often, and then you can’t get out of it. You’ve done something that you shouldn’t have, and now you’re stuck. You don’t want to pass on information anymore, but your new ‘friend’ won’t accept that. If you don’t help him anymore, your boss might find out what you’ve done…

That situation may seem hopeless, but help is always available. And luckily, you don’t have to appear in my dreams for that. There are various internal channels you can turn to. Look for information on subversive crime. Do something before it’s truly too late. And for the vast majority who are not affected by this: remember that you never know who will cross your path in the future.

And in the big bad world...

• AI is also very useful for cybercriminals.
• ENISA has received a budget for incident response.
• Hackers hacked the computer of a North Korean state hacker.
• An Austrian judge has condemned the 'Pay or Okay' principle as it violates the GDPR.
• Many Tesla owners unintentionally share data about their cars and trips.
• Is the claim that passkeys can be stolen incorrect.
• The Chinese are once again targeting us.
• There is still a browser available without AI.
• The recent data breach may affect all participants in the population screening. [DUTCH]