Traveling Safely
SIRT IT Security Roundtable
Harvard Townsend
Chief Information Security Officer
harv@ksu.edu
May 7, 2010
Agenda











What and where are the risks?
Using Internet cafes and WiFi hot spots safely (is that
possible?!)
Protecting your eID and other passwords
Protecting your personal and financial info
ATM security
Airport risks
Laptop security
Things to do before you leave (important!!)
USB Flash drive security
Beware of export restrictions on certain technologies
K-State VPN service
2
What are the risks?




Physical theft (esp. your laptop or
phone, and of course wallet/purse)
Information loss/theft (personal,
institutional, passwords, acct info)
Identity theft
Financial fraud/theft
3
Where are the risks?






Internet cafés
WiFi hot spots
Any public computer, even some private
ones (e.g. hotel business center)
Airports
ATM machines
Any country with lax law enforcement or
untrustworthy government
4
Is China a Risk?







January 2010 – Google discloses cyber attacks from China that target Gmail accounts of
Chinese human rights activists as well as intellectual property; some 30 other
corporations similarly attacked; Google implicates the Chinese government
January 25, 2010 – five web sites of Chinese human rights groups hit by DDoS
April 2010 – NY Times reporter’s email hacked while in China; reports that many of his
colleagues experienced the same thing
April 2010 - Researchers at University of Toronto exposed a cyber spy ring that pilfered
documents and email from computers in 100 different countries; the common thread is
the attacks originated from computers in China and targeted the Dalai Lama (stole his
email), Tibetan human rights advocates, the Indian Defense Ministry, and foreign
journalists who cover China and Taiwan
China is a hotbed for cybercrime, state-sponsored or otherwise
Extremely lax IT security
Recent amendment to Chinese Law on Guarding State Secrets states that "Information
transmissions should be immediately stopped if they are found to contain state secrets,"
and that if state secrets have been found to be leaked, the companies must keep records
of the incident and notify authorities. The definition of state secrets in China is quite
broad; information such as maps and economic statistics could be considered prohibited
for discussion. There’s no such thing as privacy or net neutrality in China!
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/27/AR2010042704503.html
5
Internet Cafés

Technology typically not managed well.
Susceptible to:





Worms, Trojan horses, etc.
Keyloggers
USB thumb drive infections
Browser cache, temporary files,
deleted files, log data leave a trace of
your activity
Staff sometimes part of the conspiracy
6
Internet Cafés
What can you do about it?







Avoid them altogether, or just use them for innocuous activities like
checking the weather, bus/train/flight schedules, tourist sites
Research local Internet Cafés before you leave or ask someone
you trust (hotel concierge?) to determine which ones are reputable
Never use them for financial transactions
If at all possible, don’t use your K-State eID and password (even
secure web access with https does not protect you from
keyloggers)
Make sure it has antivirus software running and up-to-date – do a
manual scan if possible; check for a firewall too
Or run a free web-based AV check (like Trend’s HouseCall http://housecall.trendmicro.com/), although this can be timeconsuming and you’re paying for your time on the computer
Check installed programs, programs running in memory for
anything suspicious (difficult for average user, esp. if the programs
7
are in a foreign language)
Internet Cafés
What can you do about it?




When you delete a file, use a secure delete tool like “Eraser” (if you can
install programs on the computer)
NEVER let it save your login/account information
in the browser
Use “Private Browsing” in Firefox or IE which does
not save any history/cache/cookies
Or clear the browser cache, cookies, history before
you leave






Firefox – Pull down Tools menu, select “Clear Private Data”, check all the
boxes, select “Clear Private Data now”
IE – Pull down Tools menu, select “Delete Browsing History…”, select
“Delete All”
Watch for shoulder-surfing
Don’t leave your computer unattended with any sensitive information
showing, or authenticated sessions open (lock the screen)
Carry your own programs on a USB flash drive (browser, AV software,
email client, password safe, VPN client, Secure erase, etc.)
Summary – AVOID or BE PARANOID!
8
Other public computers


Treat them ALL with suspicion
Hotel business centers





Probably better than Internet café, esp. at
reputable hotel, but even those are not
without risk
They typically use an acct with Administrator
privileges, so anyone can install anything
Use same precautions as Internet Cafés
Don’t use for financial transactions, your
eID/password, or other sensitive sessions if
at all possible
Plug your own laptop in if possible; turn off
File/Printer sharing
9
Other public computers

Public libraries


In U.S., have extensive filtering that can
prevent some malware too. Might be
better managed than other public
computers, depending on the staff at that
library
Public Kiosks

“Danger, Will Robinson!” (just check the
weather and news)
10
The WiFi Dilemma




It’s SOOO useful and SOOO risky
Unsecured wireless networks are very easy to
snoop – someone near you or even across
the street can watch ALL of your traffic
Are freely available programs that watch WiFi
traffic looking for anything that looks like a
username and password, or account info
Hotels – just because you have to register/pay
or authenticate doesn’t mean it’s secure. They
typically are not encrypted and you don’t know
who is in the room next to you.
11
Wireless security



Use K-State’s VPN service to access KState systems; this does NOT protect your
other Internet traffic
Don’t do financial transactions or other
sensitive work in public WiFi zones, if
possible; HTTPS reduces the risk
General wireless security:
www.onguardonline.gov/wireless.html

Wireless terminology:
www.onguardonline.gov/wireless.html#glossary
12
Protecting your eID



Avoid using it in Internet Cafés and
other public computers, if possible
Use K-State VPN service to access KState resources when possible
Change your eID password when you
get home as a precaution
13
Protecting Your Personal
and Financial Information


Take all the online precautions mentioned thus far
Always know where your passport is







Stow it securely on your person
Hide it in your hotel room or put it in a safe
Beware of pick-pockets
Conceal your valuables
Don’t let a vendor/server take your credit card out of
your sight
Pay with cash as much as possible (so you don’t have to
use your credit card)
Let your credit card companies know your travel
destination and dates (can now do this online with some
major credit cards)
14
ATM security






US Secret Service estimates annual loss
from ATM fraud at $1 billion ($350K per day!), 80% of that due
to card skimming (bogus card reader placed over the top of
the real card reader)
“ATM skimmer” = device attached
to an ATM machine to steal bank account info
Rampant in Europe, growing threat
in U.S. too
Look for indicators of tampering with the keypad or card
swipe/feed mechanism
Device fits over real card reader and stores or transmits (via
cell phone, for example) the data from the magnetic stripe on
the card; criminals also get PIN with camera or fake keypad
Can buy skimmers online for $1500-$2500
15
ATM Skimmers
Bogus keypad designed for
Diebold ATM
Skimmer found at Citibank ATM in
Woodland Hills, CA, Dec. 2009
Skimmer found at Wachovia Bank in
Alexandria, VA, Feb. 28, 2010; loss
to customers exceeded $60,000 16
ATM security



Only use ATMs in the lobby of
reputable banks; esp. beware of
solitary ATMs in secluded places at
night
Watch for people looking over your
shoulder
Make a few large withdrawals instead
of many smaller ones so you use the
card less often
17
Airports

High risk of theft



16,000 laptops lost or stolen in airports in
US and Europe PER WEEK!!
Will cover laptop security later
Don’t let valuables out of your site,
esp. at security screening; criminals
target airports and create diversions to
distract you while they steal your
laptop
18
Airports



Use same precautions with the public
WiFi in airports that you would in any
public WiFi hot spot
General rule – don’t connect to
unknown wireless networks
Remember that just because you pay
for the service does not mean it’s
secure.
19
Airports



Beware of the oft-seen but bogus “Free
Public WiFi” adhoc/computer-to-computer
wireless network – don’t try to connect to it.
It may give someone access to your
computer if you have file sharing enabled
without password protection or an account
without a password
In most cases, it’s harmless, but your
computer may start advertising “Free Public
WiFi” to people near you
20
Airports


Know what you can and cannot bring into
the country – don’t discover that at the
Customs check at the destination airport
Israel would not allow iPads into the
country for about two weeks in April due
to an unfounded fear that its WiFi
implementation might interfere with
communications and did not meet
European Union standards (not true)
21
Laptop Security




Six stolen on K-State campus thus far in 2010
Stolen laptops a daily occurrence in Manhattan
Never leave unsecured laptop unattended
Use a locking security cable





Don’t leave it in view in your vehicle



Hotel room
Public locations, coffee shop
Conferences, training sessions
Cost $15-$50, combination or key lock
Don’t trust the trunk - remember the quick release lever inside
the vehicle?
Use strong password on all accounts
Don’t store sensitive info on it, but if you have to,
encrypt the entire hard drive (K-State uses PGP Whole
Disk Encryption software for this purpose): www.kstate.edu/its/security/pgp
22
Laptop Security



Don’t let it out of your sight when you travel
Be particularly watchful at airport security
checkpoints
Always take it in your carry-on luggage


Never put it in checked luggage
Use a nondescript carrying case


One that doesn’t look like a laptop carrying case
Remove the manufacturer logo from the case

Be careful when you take a nap in the airport

Wrap the carrying case strap around your body

Or use the locking security cable to secure it
Take a cheap netbook or an iPad instead of your laptop

23
Tracking & Recovery
Software




If stolen, the computer contacts the company the next
time it’s on the Internet; the company then traces it and
contacts law enforcement to recover it; very effective in
the U.S.; inconsistent results outside the U.S.
This software led to the recovery of a laptop stolen in
Columbia, MO, that later appeared on the K-State
network (January 2010)
Computrace LoJack for Laptops from Absolute Software
(www.absolute.com) is an example
Pre-installed in BIOS on many laptops




Dell
HP
Have to buy the license to activate
Costs about $30-$50 per year
24
Before you leave home
THESE ARE REALLY IMPORTANT!!!

Backup your data

Record identification information






Record make, model, serial number of laptop
Take pictures of it
Label it with ownership and contact info; a conspicuous label is a
significant deterrent
Write down credit card account numbers and phone numbers
for credit/debit card companies (and take it with you); can’t
use U.S. toll-free numbers overseas but can call them collect
so take the right phone numbers with you
If leaving the country, notify the financial institutions of the
accounts you will use (destination and dates of travel);
otherwise, they are likely to lock your account when they see
transactions from another country
Notify the U.S. state department if going to a volatile location:
25
travelregistration.state.gov
USB Flash Drive Security

DO NOT store confidential data on them!!




Common way malware spreads – don’t use it in a
computer you cannot trust, like an Internet Café;
just putting the drive in the computer can infect it
Don’t use it as a backup device
Delete files so they aren’t recoverable



Too easy to lose, easy target of theft
Good tool for this is Eraser (eraser.heidi.ie)
Encrypt files on it with TrueCrypt (truecrypt.org)
or Buy an encrypted USB flash drive

Ironkey a popular brand; 8 GB encrypted drive about
$200 - www.ironkey.com
26
Export Controls




“Export” broadly defined by Feds, includes
“actual shipment of any covered goods or
items”
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) by
the Commerce Dept. controls technology –
types of encryption technology have
historically been an issue
Int’l Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) by the
State Dept. controls weapons (duh!)
K-State’s University Research Compliance
Office (URCO) has training available
www.k-state.edu/research/comply/ecp/index.htm
27
Is the Cisco VPN client
restricted?
“Civilian Solutions: Restricted Encryption and
Unrestricted”
 Cisco's restricted strong encryption solutions may
be exported or re-exported to most
civilian/commercial end users located in all
territories except the embargoed destinations and
countries designated as supporting terrorist
activities. Countries listed in Part 746 of the EAR
as embargoed destinations requiring a license are
Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria.
 See list of countries with embargos at
www.bis.doc.gov/policiesandregulations/regionalconsiderations.htm
28
Cisco VPN client?
“Government Solutions: Restricted Encryption”
 Government entities not located in the following
countries require a U.S. export license in order
to obtain restricted non-retail strong encryption
items: Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada,
Czech Republic, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary,
Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania,
Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand,
Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia,
Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom,
United States.
29
Virtual Private Network (VPN)





VERY good thing to use to access K-State
from off-campus, like public WiFi hotspots
Encrypts all network traffic between your
computer and the K-State border
Makes your computer appear to be on
campus to get access to restricted resources
Does NOT necessarily encrypt everything that
goes to the Internet (“split tunneling”)
Also does not encrypt traffic once it is on
campus, but that’s not important when you’re
traveling
30
31
Virtual Private Network (VPN)


Must install Cisco “VPN Client” software
Information and software (including a new
64-bit Windows client) available at:
www.k-state.edu/its/security/vpn/


Cannot use it on campus yet (to secure your
wireless, for example); will be able to soon.
If can get to Internet but not K-State, modify
the “Transport” configuration in the VPN
client:


Enable Transparent Tunneling
IPSec over TCP
32
Disconnected
Connected
33
What’s on your mind?
34