Protecting Client Systems from the Crimeware Invasion

WHITE PAPER: EN Protecting Client Systems TE from the Crimeware InvasionRPRISE SECURITYWhite Paper: Enterprise Security
Protecting Client Systems
from the Crimeware Invasion
Contents
The new threat landscape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Through the backdoor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Mobile workers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Remote workers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Peripheral devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Personal email . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Closing backdoors and stopping crimeware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Virus protection and remediation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Spyware protection and remediation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Vulnerability-based intrusion prevention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
File-based intrusion prevention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Inbound and outbound traffic control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Integrated client protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14Protecting Client Systems from the Crimeware Invasion
The IT threat landscape has changed from one where individual glory-seeking hackers work to seehow many network operations they can disrupt to one where organized crime makes a concertedand financially motivated effort to silently steal confidential information from specific organizations.Ignoring traditional IT perimeter defenses, this new breed of hackers enters networks though thebackdoor, frequently hitching rides on laptops, tunneling into the network through VPN connectionsopened by remote users, sneaking in via smartphones, or hijacking instant messaging sessions.Once on the inside, they employ complex, stealthy crimeware methods to collect passwords, creditcard information, bank account numbers, customer records, or any other type of information thatthey can profit from. The true goal of these new attacks is to gain unauthorized access to yoursystems and information on an ongoing basis.For organizations, not only is the threat of information theft real, but there is also a realimpact on the organization with every successful infection. When spyware or adware infects theendpoints, end users see their system speed and productivity grind to a slow pace. Help desks areinundated with support calls from unhappy users that can't access information or run business-critical applications. Worst of all, IT administrators don't have enough time and staff to continuallytrack down, quarantine, and repair infected endpoints. These new and sophisticated types of threats and attacks require new levels of protection on an organization's client systems. While antivirus technology can play an important role in the defense, it must be joined by a coordinated, multilayered defense that includes proactivevulnerability-based intrusion prevention, file-based intrusion prevention, and inbound andoutbound traffic control.
The new threat landscapeOnly a few years ago the majority of threats to the well-being of an organization's computinginfrastructure came from glory-seeking hackers that simply wanted to impress their friends. Virus and worm authors... [download for more]