Jul 2, 2019
Craig was on with Dan Ferrantino sitting in for Jim Polito. We talked in some detail about some of the things that are going on right now. Did you know that there are retaliatory strikes from Iran going on right now? Unfortunately, they are aiming them directly at your business? We went through some of the details of that what you can do. I gave some real-world examples and solution.
These and more tech tips, news, and updates visit - CraigPeterson.com
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Are You Ready? Iranian Cyber Counter Attacks
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Transcript:
Below is a rush transcript of this segment, it might contain errors.
Airing date: 07/02/2019
Iran, Russia, Boeing and Keeping Safe
Craig Peterson
Good morning, everybody. Craig Peterson here. I was on with Danny
this morning because Jim is on vacation. We talked in some detail
about some of the things that are going on right now. Did you know
that there are retaliatory strikes from Iran going on right now?
Unfortunately, they are aiming them directly at your business? We
went through some of the details of that what you can do. I gave
some real-world examples and solution. So here we go with
Danny.
Danny Ferrantino
That music means it is Tuesday morning and our tech talk guru,
Craig Peterson is joining us. Good morning, Craig.
Craig Peterson
Hey, good morning Danny. Good job,
Danny Ferrantino
I try and try and try. You're kind enough to send us the show notes
early. Looking through the show notes. There seems to be kind of
one correlation between all of the topics. Everyone's out to get
me, buddy.
Craig Peterson
That's the bottom line. It isn't just the government coming after
you for tax money. Now we're not only supporting the some of these
people who are on welfare, maybe down on their luck, etc. We're
also supporting people living in Eastern European countries, their
entire families, extended families. There is one story from last
year, or maybe it's two years ago now, this lady over there in
Eastern Europe. She did what's called from doxxing. That begins
with figuring out a little bit about some companies she found a guy
who was at a Facebook page had a LinkedIn profile. She found out
that he was the president of this company. You know, a midsize, a
small, medium-sized company. After finding out more about the guy,
she sent a link a LinkedIn to him, and a Facebook request friend
request saying remember me back from school, you know, using the
information she had she knew what school he went to because he
posted it online. She did some more research on the business
website. Of course on the business website, it says, here's the
CEO. Here's the CFO here, all of my top guys and gals. She
researches them, find out more information about them. She spent
time watching the CEO and followed him for a while. She found out
he was going on vacation to the Bahamas, not the D.R. Okay. So he
will probably come back alive. She figured out okay, well, this is
when he's going on vacation. By the way, criminals breaking
entering now, robberies at homes home invasions are also using the
same technique. They know when you're gone during the summer time
because you post it on social media, and they use that all online
information to figure out who you are? If you might have good
assets, and then they break into your house while you're gone.
Because you told them you're going away for a week.
Danny Ferrantino
Yep, I got it.
Craig Peterson
Yeah, exactly. In this case, the CEO is out on vacation, and he's
pretty unreachable. She has found out what his email addresses,
calls up, and gets his password reset. Yes, this takes a while to
explain all of this. But it only takes about two-three days worth
of work. She sends in an email off to the CFO saying posing as the
CEO, "Hey, we got this new vendor, they're critical. We haven't
paid them in three months". "If we don't send them the money right
now, they're going to cut us off, or our manufacturing is going to
shut down in the business. I need you to wire this money, Right
now.
Danny Ferrantino
I see where this is going.
Craig Peterson
She got the CFO to wire $45 million out of the country. Now, the
FBI is saying that, and the secret service as well, in the
briefings I've had with them that it only takes 90 seconds for all
that money to be unreachable almost guaranteed. It was in this
case, as well. She's supporting not only herself the rest of her
life, her family and her the extended family the rest of her life,
and it is all because of what people are posting on social media.
What we're doing with our devices.? So if you go to my company and
mainstream dot net online, Danny, there is an Officer's page like
everybody else has. Right? You've seen them here's our senior
staff. So you go to that page. But ours is quite different, and it
says due to security concerns, we're not telling you, sucker.
That's what we need to start doing ourselves with our data with our
businesses and our business data. Because they are out to get you,
Danny,
Danny Ferrentino
Everyone thinks that you know, you want to be all-inclusive, and
let everyone know and try to sell yourself online. More times than
not that can come back to hurt you as you just discussed.
Craig Peterson
Yeah, look at how great we are. We have all these attorneys here
from H-A-AR- VARD, you know, they have Native American blood and
all these other things that you want to highlight. However,
bragging about them, now, in this day and age can be dangerous.
Even in press releases, we used to say a lot more than we say now
because they are using it against us. I regularly see businesses,
small businesses, here's another one where they had about $80,000
that was stolen right out of their operating account. Now, that's
money that they need to stay in business. A group operating out of
China took it, and it was, obviously, a big deal. The company spent
10s of thousands of dollars flying over to Hong Kong, trying to
file police report trying to get their money back and they never
did.
Craig Peterson
Now we've got this thing going on with President Trump and Iran. Of
course, there was a whole thing in place, and we're going to bomb
bomb bomb bomb bomb Iran. If you remember the early 80s, that
little ditty. And he pulled it back. And what did he do instead? I
don't know if you follow this. But he decided, here's what we're
going to do. It wasn't reasonable. They shot down an unmanned
drone, and it was not a reasonable response for us to drop bombs
and maybe kill 150 people. Well, in what he did instead was he
launched a cyber attack against Iran. It is all from what we can
gather and public statements and everything. He began a cyber
attack against the Iranian infrastructure that controls the
missiles that launch the missiles. Also, do you remember this thing
with Russia and the power plant? Where we flicked Russia's lights
on and off a few times to let them know we were in their
systems.
Danny Ferrentino
Hey just to let you know, we're here. Yeah.
Craig Peterson
Yeah, exactly. So now Iran has started attacking. They've increased
their attacks now, primarily on our businesses, because they're
trying to hurt our economy. They're using some special malicious
software designed to wipe the contents of your computer. They're
not going to bother holding it ransom. They want to put you out of
business. It is straight from the Homeland Security Department. We
have to be careful now. The Homeland Security is warning us that
there's been a dramatic increase in Iranian hacking, and what are
we doing, Danny? Our businesses are not protected. It's crazy. It's
like 95% of our companies are easily penetrated. They have said
that two-thirds of all companies in the SMB space will be
compromised this year. That's what they're expecting. Two-thirds.
And we're not doing enough about it, too.
Danny Ferrentino
We're talking with our tech talk Guru, Craig Peterson. Craig. Now,
this isn't new with the hacking the cybersecurity. Why is it that
people are just so far behind the eight-ball on something like
this? People like you that are out here telling us we need to do
something. Is it people don't care? Is that they don't believe it's
going to happen to them?
Craig Peterson
Well, I, I talked to a lot of people, as you know, because I run
these webinars for the FBI Infragard program. And I have a lot of
clients, up pick up new clients every week, and help them out. And
so here's what I hear the most right? It is confusing. It is
overwhelming. They feel like they have no control over it, and
there is nothing they can do. None of which is true, by the way.
But at the same time, I also think that they have legitimate
reasons to feel that way. You know, the software they bought, they
bought Norton Antivirus and so they're all set. They purchased this
Symantec software or whatever. Both companies, by the way, have had
employees, high up like the CEO or Executive V.P., saying their
software is useless today. I can't blame these companies for
feeling that way. So I'm trying to help people I know there's a lot
of businesses that can't afford to hire me. So, Danny, what I'm
doing this summer for everybody that's on my email list, everyone
who's on my text list is going to get an invite, I'm going to be
doing a dozen 15-minute if you will give or take, webinars. It's my
security summer. It's 100% free for anyone who wants to attend.
We're going to go through the brass tacks of what you need to do,
the basics, let's get back to the basics. Let's make sure you're
securing your stuff, let's find out what the data you have, what
your data assets are of your small business and medium business and
what you need to protect them. I'm going to help people understand
this. And, you know, I've got my fingers crossed, that we're going
to help move that needle. I've helped a lot of businesses, over
5000 so far, move the needle. I am doing this for my listeners. As
you were mentioning earlier today, 76% of mobile apps have flaws,
that are allowing hackers to steal passwords, to get into bank
accounts to find your texts and things. What this goes back to the
unprofessional nature the people who are writing software. Did you
see what came out about Boeing? Sorry, I am rambling a bit. On
Boeing with their 737 Max 8, did you hear what came out yesterday?
The software in the Boeing jet has that is having problems right
now. It turns out some of that software had been written by
software developers in India, who earned $9 an hour? You know,
it's, how do you know how good that software is? Do they do proper
code reviews? Do they have the senior people in place that
understand the security implications, that understand all of the
flight systems? You can't fix a problem with a computer if you
don't understand all of the components involved? So I, I put a lot
of blame on some of these businesses trying to save money on the
bottom line. They are not hiring the experienced technical people,
and I know a few people, quite a few that, that have significant
experience programming and managing projects for 30 years that are
having some trouble finding work. Why? They want to hire the young
kid, is it going to be with them for the next 30 years, right? It's
a, what do they call that, where you're you're not going to hire an
older person, age discrimination.
Danny Ferrantino
You've got to have the experience. They don't know what they're
doing, Craig. And so that's why there are so many of these issues
nowadays with these either be poorly written code, or poorly
written security measures or whatever else. And unfortunately, a
lot of our cyber enemies are picking up on this.
Craig Peterson
Very, very true. I blame Microsoft. Here's why. Okay, you know how
easy it is to program. Nowadays, it's drag and drop. It's like, if
you want to build the car, you pull this transmission off the
shelf, and you put it on top of this frame. Nothing by that you had
to bolt together, by the way, you drop them on, and all the parts
fit together. But when something happens, all you have is a red
light on the dashboard, and you have no idea it's a problem with
the transmission the drive, train somewhere, right. Or maybe you
have a low tire. Bill Gates made it so easy for so many years for
people to write software. And on one side, it's terrific, I'm glad
that he's done that because we've got some great software because
of it. But, on the other hand, we are now surrounded by people that
are considered professionals. Look at the average small business
their I.T. person is whoever likes computers the most. They I.T.
professionals, they haven't worked at all these different levels.
That's what the whole security summer is going to be about. I'm
going to let everybody know. So you can attend you'll know which
sessions There are so that you can go the ones that apply to you
the most I'm not charging a dime, but for this, okay, so it's
simple. I'm trying to get this information I'm trying to help the
Small Business/medium business that says to an employee you're my
computer gal now because you like computers the most. This security
thing, as you pointed, out is enormous. We've got nation states
coming after us who realize what our weaknesses are. Right now
we've got Iran coming after our businesses, massively, as a
retaliatory strike.
Danny Ferrantino
Well, Craig, as always, great stuff and now that you've scared me
straight,
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