Traveling Safely
SIRT IT Security Roundtable
Harvard Townsend
Chief Information Security Officer
harv@ksu.edu
May 6, 2011
Agenda


What and where are the risks?
Using Internet cafes and WiFi hot spots safely (is that
even possible?!)









New K-State VPN service is your friend!
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
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?






Percentage of Computers Infected with Malware
January 2010 – Google discloses cyber attacks from China that target Gmail accounts of
[Source:
PandaLabs
Q1 Report,
Apr. 5,(now
2011]
Chinese human rights activists as well
as Google
intellectual
property
known as
“Operation Aurora”); some 30 other corporations similarly attacked; Google implicates
the Chinese government
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
Amendment to Chinese Law on Guarding State Secrets in 2010 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
Info-stealing malware (steals
username/password, financial account info)
USB thumb drive infections
Browser cache, temporary files, deleted
files, log data leave a trace of your activity
Employees 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)
Change your eID password after you return to the U.S.
Make sure it has antivirus software running and up-todate – do a manual scan if possible
7
Internet Cafés
What can you do about it?



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





Somewhat 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
Public Kiosks

“Danger, Will Robinson!” (just check the weather
and news)
9
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 and intercepts anything that looks like a
username and password, or account info
Hotel wireless – just because you have to
register, pay, and/or authenticate doesn’t mean
it’s secure. Typically they are not encrypted and
you don’t know who is in the room next to you.
“Firesheep” can intercept Facebook and Twitter
sessions to change your status, send messages,
and/or post on the wall of friends
10
Firesheep Defenses


Use K-State’s new full tunnel VPN service
(more about this later)
Configure Facebook to encrypt all network
traffic (https: in the web address)

Change in “Account”->”Account Settings”->
”Account Security”
Wireless security



Don’t do financial transactions or other
sensitive work in public WiFi zones, if possible;
HTTPS reduces the risk, as does the full tunnel
VPN service
Use K-State’s VPN service to access K-State
systems; the default “split tunnel” encrypts all
traffic to/from K-State, but does NOT protect
your other Internet traffic
A “full tunnel” option is now available that
encrypts ALL wireless traffic – you should use
this every time you’re in a public WiFi
location, even in Manhattan
12
Virtual Private Network
(VPN) Service





Must install Cisco “AnyConnect” VPN client
software
Information and software available at:
www.k-state.edu/its/security/vpn/
Available for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux,
soon for some Smartphones
This new version uses SSL instead of
IPSEC so it works better with firewalls and is
more reliable
Also can use it on the K-State campus
wireless, which is advisable since WEP
security is weak (stronger WPA2 security
available soon on campus)
13
Virtual Private Network
(VPN) Service

Default is “split tunnel” – only K-State traffic
encrypted



Better performance for non-K-State/Internet
traffic, esp. streaming videos like Netflix
Suitable for home wireless network IF you
properly secure your home wireless
“Full tunnel” encrypts ALL traffic, but sends
Internet traffic through K-State’s network
instead of your Internet Service Provider
(Cox, AT&T, etc.)


Performance may suffer
Highly recommended in public WiFi locations
(coffee shop, airport, McDonald’s, etc.)
14
Split Tunnel (only K-State
traffic encrypted)
Disconnected
Full Tunnel
(everything encrypted)
Connected
15
Protecting your eID




Avoid using it in Internet Cafés and other
public computers, if possible (due to risk of it
being stolen by keylogger malware)
Use K-State’s VPN service to access K-State
resources when possible
Change your eID password when you get
home as a precaution
Use a web-based password manager like
LastPass to manage your passwords (even
though lastpass was hacked recently…)
16
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)
Use “virtual credit card number” if available from your cardissuing bank – only good for a single purchase, or single
merchant, or limited time; is in essence a throw-away card
number tied to your account; can generate yourself online
Let your credit card companies know your travel destination
and dates (can now do this online with some major credit
cards)
17
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
Criminals can buy skimmers online for $1500-$2500
18
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 19
ATM security



Only use ATMs in the lobby of
reputable banks; esp. beware of
solitary ATMs in secluded places at
night (risk of assault/theft)
Watch for people looking over your
shoulder
Make a few large withdrawals instead
of many smaller ones so you use the
card less often (although carrying lots
of cash is risky)
20
Airports

High risk of theft




Fall 2008 report: 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
Put your smartphone in your shoe or
carry-on bag (i.e., out of sight) when
going through X-ray to reduce risk of theft
21
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.
Use “Personal/WiFi Hotspot” feature of
Smartphone (laptop connects to Internet via WiFi
through your phone); beware of eating up your
cell phone data plan allotment
Use “MiFi” device (WiFi connection
through cellular 3G/4G network)
22
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
23
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 2010 due to an
unfounded fear that its WiFi implementation
might interfere with communications and did
not meet European Union standards (not
true)
Are recent reports of Israeli airport security
taking apart computers looking for
explosives
24
Laptop Security




20+ stolen on K-State campus in 2010
Stolen laptops a daily occurrence in Manhattan
Never leave unsecured laptop unattended
Use a locking security cable







Hotel room
Public locations, coffee shop
Conferences, training sessions
Cost $15-$50, combination or key lock
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
Don’t leave it in view in your vehicle

Don’t trust the trunk - remember the quick release lever inside
the vehicle?
25
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



Use a nondescript carrying case



One that doesn’t look like a laptop carrying case
Remove the computer manufacturer logo from the case
Be careful when you take a nap in the airport



Never put it in checked luggage
K-State administrator traveling in Asia this spring, told at
check-in in Kuala Lampur airport in Malaysia to reduce
weight of carry-on; put laptop in checked bag – gone when
he arrived at destination
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
26
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-$45 per year per computer
27
Before you leave home
THESE PRECAUTIONS ARE REALLY IMPORTANT!
 Backup your data
 Record identification information of your laptop




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
them with you); can’t use U.S. toll-free numbers
overseas but can call them collect so take the correct
phone numbers with you
28
Before you leave home

Don’t rely solely on electronic device for your
reservations, confirmation numbers, itinerary,
etc. Have paper copies.




In case device stolen or battery dies
Can show cab driver a piece of paper with the address of
your destination instead of handing him your Smartphone
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: travelregistration.state.gov
29
Take my stuff, please!
www.theregister.co.uk/2010/09/13/social_network_burglary_gang/
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 (too easy to lose
it)
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
31
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
32
What’s on your mind?
33