RE: unusual user activities

[William Baltas <bill.baltas () cleanwaterteam com>]

   SMB is the protocol Microsoft uses for file sharing.  As a general rule, a file share should never be allowed on the 
Internet (at least I've never seen a good case for this).  If SMB traffic is coming and going to the Internet, a file 
share is exposed to the Internet.
   
   Bill
   
   -----Original Message-----
From: Voulnet [mailto:voulnet () gmail com] 
Sent: Friday, August 26, 2011 9:54 AM
To: William Baltas
Cc: security-basics () securityfocus com
Subject: Re: unusual user activities
   
   What does internet traffic through SMB usually means?
   
   On Fri, Aug 26, 2011 at 7:49 PM, William Baltas
   <bill.baltas () cleanwaterteam com> wrote:
   >   Unusual behavior is difficult to define if you don't define normal behavior first.  For example, several years 
ago I worked for a police agency.  When IT started analyzing traffic patterns we noticed items we thought very unusual 
(traffic to adult/porn sites, download of suspicious files, etc.)  We contacted the Detective Bureau with our findings, 
and found that the officers in question were conducting ongoing investigations; this traffic was normal.  In my current 
position, this traffic would be grounds for termination.
   >
   >   The following might be considered unusual:
   >
   >   Traffic to the internet using the SMB protocol.
   >   Sending email directly from a workstation, bypassing smtp servers
   >   Connections to thousands of hosts from a single workstation
   >   Anti-Virus/Malware alarms on a workstation over a period of time (it's not unusual for someone to get infected 
from time to time)
   >   Users that have A/D accounts consistently locked out (this is probably not the user with the locked account, but 
someone trying to access the locked account.)
   >   Be aware of staff that asks for permissions to files and directories where they are not authorized.
   >   Look for traffic such as port scanning
   >   Watch for applications such as sam spade, angry IP scanner, cain and able, nmap and others
   >   If you have port security set on your switches, watch for ports that are continually disabled
   >   Look for DNS zone transfers from workstations and servers that are not your DNS servers.
   >
   >   I hope this helps.
   >
   >   Bill
   >
   >
   >   -----Original Message-----
   > From: listbounce () securityfocus com [mailto:listbounce () securityfocus com] On Behalf Of websicher () 
googlemail com
   > Sent: Friday, August 26, 2011 1:03 AM
   > To: security-basics () securityfocus com
   > Subject: Re: unusual user activities
   >
   >   Hi,
   >
   >   "unusual behaviour" is a very wide field from my perspective - but let's give it a try:
   >
   >   #1: Use of (web) proxy:
   >   You could monitor the URLs the user called. If ofentimes a web proxy website is visited (e.g. hidemyass.com) it 
could be hint for illegal web activities (e.g. trying to hack sth.)
   >
   >   #2: Online bookmarks:
   >   Primarily it's not a network topic but a security issue I witnessed some years ago. A company's employee stored 
his bookmarks to internal servers (including port numbers, etc.) on a publicly accessible external bookmarking website.
   >
   >   #3: Number of uploads:
   >   If there's a remarkable number of uploads from the user's PC it may be the case that he "exports" company data 
to his own storage area, e.g. Google Docs. You should monitor the upload traffic.
   >
   >   #4: Upload / Download volume:
   >   You should compare the user's upload and download data volumes compared to the average of employees with the 
same job position or in the same department. (e.g. an IT person will probably have a higher volume than an HR employee)
   >   If the volumes are significantly above the average you should closely monitor the traffic.
   >
   >   Well that's all I can think of at the moment. If you provide more details on which areas you'd specifically like 
to cover maybe we can add more ideas.
   >
   >   Cheers,
   >   Pascal
   >
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Securing Apache Web Server with thawte Digital Certificate
In this guide we examine the importance of Apache-SSL and who needs an SSL certificate.  We look at how SSL works, how 
it benefits your company and how your customers can tell if a site is secure. You will find out how to test, purchase, 
install and use a thawte Digital Certificate on your Apache web server. Throughout, best practices for set-up are 
highlighted to help you ensure efficient ongoing management of your encryption keys and digital certificates.

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