These Anti-Spoofing Strategies Help Save Time and Money
Spoofing may sound like a funny word, but for the parties involved, the effects aren’t very laughable. The word spoofing refers to a type of cyber-attack where a hacker impersonates another device, computer and/or network to launch attacks against hosts, steal data and spread malware. There are numerous types of spoofing attacking including:
- IP Address Spoofing Attacks: In an effort to disguise themselves, an attacker sends IP packets from a false source.
- ARP Spoofing Attacks: Short for Address Resolution Protocol, this type of attack describes an instance where a hacker sends fake ARP messages across a local area network to obtain data intended for the host’s IP address.
- DNS Server Spoofing Attack: Short for Doman Name System, this attack reroutes specific domain names to different IP addresses, while sharing files infected with malware.
- Email Spoofing Attack: Refers to an instance where an attacker pretends to be a loved one or co-worker by spoofing the email in the “From” field.
- Caller ID Spoofing: Refers to an instance where a hacker disguises your phone number behind a fake one.
Although IP address spoofing is the most common, you or someone you know has more than likely experienced some form of caller ID or email spoofing. It may come in the form of an attacker pretending to be grandchild who needs money or an email from your “boss” asking for gift cards or a wire transfer. An attacker’s strategy changes daily, but you can get prepared by implementing these simple tips at your business and in your everyday life.
Tips for Spoofing Prevention
While there are no fool-proof plans to prevent spoofing, these five tips can help fight off attackers:
- Packet Filtering: As packets are transmitted across a network, organizations rely on filtering and blocking certain spoofing packets that have conflicting source address information.
- Trust Relationships: Organizations should avoid trust relationships that only use IP addresses for authentication. Spoofing attacks thrive when trust relationship protocols are in place. Verbal verifications and two-factor authentications work best to prevent spoofing.
- Software: There are many spoofing detection options available for businesses which help to inspect and verify certain data before it is transmitted across the network. Such detection software plays a huge role in detecting ARP spoofing attacks.
- Network Protocols: Employing cryptographic network protocols such as Transport Layer Security (TLS), Secure Shell (SSH) and HTTP Secure (HTTPS) is essential to authenticating data when it is sent and received.
- Employee Education: Organizations must train employees to recognize phishing emails by analyzing suspicious requests for passwords or money, slightly off URLs or logos, and unprotected links.
Extra Measures You Can Take
With the education on specific attacks and the steps you can take, hopefully you can help mitigate spoofing attacks at your organization. If you want to take the next step, Colony West is here to help close additional gaps in compliance and employee education. Our knowledge and work in the industry in addition to our Cyber Insurance solutions can help alleviate your exposure to hackers, offer coverage for your most valuable assets and help you build a post-incident plan. Talk to us today to see how best we can serve you.