decrypting myths
The
configuration
mistakes that
provide field
days for hackers
There’s no escaping the fact
that many modern cyberthreats
are incredibly sophisticated
and difficult to prevent. But
there are steps that CISOs
can take to stop hackers
leveraging some of the
preventable mistakes that can
leave organisations at risk.
Tim Bandos, Vice President
of Cybersecurity at Digital
Guardian, details the top
five configuration gaffes that
organisations must avoid to
reduce threat exposure.
S
ometimes it’s the
little things. In
hindsight, more
often than not,
getting hacked
can stem from a
minor misstep or
completely preventable mistake. Common
security mistakes and overlooked
misconfigurations can open the door for
malware or attackers, potentially leaving
your environment and any exposed data
ripe for the picking. Avoid these top five
configuration gaffes to reduce the threat
exposure to your organisation.
Default credentials
It almost seems too obvious to include
here but leaving default usernames and
passwords unconfigured for databases,
installations and devices, by far, is one
of the most common and easy items for
a hacker to exploit.
Leaving default credentials on network
devices such as firewalls, routers or even
operating systems, allows adversaries to
simply use password checking scanners
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Issue 20
to walk right in. In more skilled setups,
hackers can simply stage a series of
scripted attacks geared at brute forcing
devices by focusing on either default
usernames and passwords, or basic
passwords like ‘qwerty’ or ‘12345’.
A few months ago, researchers
uncovered a Python-based web scanner,
Xwo, that can easily scan the web for
exposed web services and default
passwords. After collecting default
MySQL, MongoDB, Postgre SQL
and Tomcat credentials, the scanner
forwards the results back to a command
and control server.
Leaving default credentials on any device
is akin to leaving your keys in a locked
door. Even a 12-year-old with some
Internet access at home could majorly
breach a corporation just by using one of
these freely available tools on the Internet
to check for default credentials.
Password reuse
Having strong and complex passwords
isn’t the only action that needs to be
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