Security Basics mailing list archives
Re: Social Engineering
From: Gregory Boyce <gboyce () akamai com>
Date: Thu, 05 Jan 2006 13:01:34 -0500
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 coder wrote:
OK, Everyone seems to think that Social Engineering cant be solved with software, so I shall show you some of the ideas I have to defeat SE with software. Idea 1: A Directory site. The site will be used by companies to find out if Person X works at company Y. how will this work? Well, first an admin is nominated from the company (pref. someone who is "up" on security i.e. a sys admin) This admin will register the company with the site, Then he will register everyone in the company with the site If you want to view info in the site, you will have to use the un/pass sent when the admin registered you, to prevent terminated users staying on the server, en email is sent from the site every X days with a link (like the one securityfocus sends for you to finish your registration) if you do not reply to the email after X days, you are put into an MIA list (if someone searches for you, you will not be found... but you are not deleted either) when this happens the admin will receive an email asking why you haven't replied and if you should be deleted. if someone tries clicking on the link after the expiration time for a new link to be sent (or if you are deleted), nothing will happen.. just incase the person who got canned tired to reactivate his/herself. I don't think I have covered all the bases here, but I will do more thinking later.
Problems: 1) Verifying that the name matches someone at the company does not help if you cannot confirm that the person you are speaking to is that person. 2) Publishing a companies entire corporate directory to anyone who may need it makes coming up with a name to fake with that much easier. 3) Are you planning on publishing job titles with the names? a) If no, then someone in the mailroom at a large company could pretend to be someone that you should listen to. b) If yes, you're opening up the company to scavanging by recruiters who just want to know the names of all of your admins so they can try to hire them away. 4) A lot of the social engineering attempts that I have received were attempts to collect information on employees in order to put together the exact information you're suggesting that people should publish freely.
=------------------------------------------------= Idea 2. Folder security information. In Mitnicks book he says it is a good idea to rate information by security priority. e.g. If its Priority 1, then you cant send it tom anyone... even if they work in the same company P2, you can send it to a verified person in the company etc... So I want to write a program then, when you open a folder on the file server, a message will pop-up saying: The info. in this folder is Priority X, this means you... blahablahblah.. Again, I will work more on this idea... and I have the added bonus of testing it out where I work.
Problems: 1) Anything that implements this will be OS specific 2) It will only work if the system accessing the folder already has your program installed (unless you're suggesting that computers should auto-execute applications located on a remote filesystem, which has its own implications). Why not just create a text file that states the security level of the directory? - -- Gregory Boyce | gboyce () akamai com -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.1 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Using GnuPG with Thunderbird - http://enigmail.mozdev.org iD8DBQFDvV79Ry7J/ecQa/MRAnHXAJwOL/oIoEerdRiuJnyifG5rN6UpugCeLBLe dELwWUaCKzdbnBOYxh3smmI= =iHq8 -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- EARN A MASTER OF SCIENCE IN INFORMATION ASSURANCE - ONLINE The Norwich University program offers unparalleled Infosec management education and the case study affords you unmatched consulting experience. Tailor your education to your own professional goals with degree customizations including Emergency Management, Business Continuity Planning, Computer Emergency Response Teams, and Digital Investigations. http://www.msia.norwich.edu/secfocus ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current thread:
- RE: Social Engineering, (continued)
- RE: Social Engineering jpippin (Jan 05)
- Re: Social Engineering theanathema . at . gmail . com (Jan 04)
- Re: Social Engineering barcajax (Jan 04)
- Re:Social Engineering Snuff (Jan 04)
- RE: Social Engineering coder (Jan 05)
- Re: Social Engineering List Spam (Jan 05)
- Re: Social Engineering Mario Platt (Jan 05)
- Re: Social Engineering Joshua Shaffer (Jan 05)
- Re: Social Engineering Ansgar -59cobalt- Wiechers (Jan 06)
- RE: Social Engineering Ebeling, Jr., Herman Frederick (Jan 06)
- Re: Social Engineering Gregory Boyce (Jan 06)
- RE: Social Engineering Burton Strauss (Jan 06)
- RE: Social Engineering Liviu Lica (Jan 09)
- Re: RE: Social Engineering pg_vlad (Jan 05)
- Re: RE: Social Engineering Mike Lisanke (Jan 05)
- RE: Social Engineering Mike Fetherston (Jan 05)
- RE: Social Engineering coder (Jan 06)
- RE: Social Engineering jpippin (Jan 09)
- RE: Social Engineering m_r_welch (Jan 09)
- RE: Social Engineering Murad Talukdar (Jan 10)