May 30 Webinar | SOC Talk: Automating Threat Response
Reduce Alert Noise and False Positives
Boost your team's productivity by cutting down alert noise and false positives.
Automate Security Operations
Boost efficiency, reduce burnout, and better manage risk through automation.
Dark Web Monitoring
Online protection tuned to the need of your business.
Maximize Existing Security Investments
Improve efficiencies from existing investments in security tools.
Beyond MDR
Move your security operations beyond the limitations of MDR.
Secure with Microsoft 365 E5
Boost the power of Microsoft 365 E5 security.
Secure Multi-Cloud Environments
Improve cloud security and overcome complexity across multi-cloud environments.
Secure Mergers and Acquisitions
Control cyber risk for business acquisitions and dispersed business units.
Operational Technology
Solve security operations challenges affecting critical operational technology (OT) infrastructure.
Force-Multiply Your Security Operations
Whether you’re just starting your security journey, need to up your game, or you’re not happy with an existing service, we can help you to achieve your security goals.
Detection Investigation Response
Modernize Detection, Investigation, Response with a Security Operations Platform.
Threat Hunting
Locate and eliminate lurking threats with ReliaQuest GreyMatter
Threat Intelligence
Find cyber threats that have evaded your defenses.
Model Index
Security metrics to manage and improve security operations.
Breach and Attack Simulation
GreyMatter Verify is ReliaQuest’s automated breach and attack simulation capability.
Digital Risk Protection
Continuous monitoring of open, deep, and dark web sources to identify threats.
Phishing Analyzer
GreyMatter Phishing Analyzer removes the abuse mailbox management by automating the DIR process for you.
Integration Partners
The GreyMatter cloud-native Open XDR platform integrates with a fast-growing number of market-leading technologies.
Unify and Optimize Your Security Operations
ReliaQuest GreyMatter is a security operations platform built on an open XDR architecture and designed to help security teams increase visibility, reduce complexity, and manage risk across their security tools, including on-premises, clouds, networks, and endpoints.
Blog
Company Blog
Case Studies
Brands of the world trust ReliaQuest to achieve their security goals.
Data Sheets
Learn how to achieve your security outcomes faster with ReliaQuest GreyMatter.
eBooks
The latest security trends and perspectives to help inform your security operations.
Industry Guides and Reports
The latest security research and industry reports.
Podcasts
Catch up on the latest cybersecurity podcasts, and mindset moments from our very own mental performance coaches.
Solution Briefs
A deep dive on how ReliaQuest GreyMatter addresses security challenges.
White Papers
The latest white papers focused on security operations strategy, technology & insight.
Videos
Current and future SOC trends presented by our security experts.
Events & Webinars
Explore all upcoming company events, in-person and on-demand webinars
ReliaQuest ResourceCenter
From prevention techniques to emerging security trends, our comprehensive library can arm you with the tools you need to improve your security posture.
Threat Research
Get the latest threat analysis from the ReliaQuest Threat Research Team. ReliaQuest ShadowTalk Weekly podcast featuring discussions on the latest cybersecurity news and threat research.
Shadow Talk
ReliaQuest's ShadowTalk is a weekly podcast featuring discussions on the latest cybersecurity news and threat research. ShadowTalk's hosts come from threat intelligence, threat hunting, security research, and leadership backgrounds providing practical perspectives on the week's top cybersecurity stories.
May 01, 2024
About ReliaQuest
We bring our best attitude, energy and effort to everything we do, every day, to make security possible.
Leadership
Security is a team sport.
No Show Dogs Podcast
Mental Performance Coaches Derin McMains and Dr. Nicole Detling interview world-class performers across multiple industries.
Make It Possible
Make It Possible reflects our focus on bringing cybersecurity awareness to our communities and enabling the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.
Careers
Join our world-class team.
Press and Media Coverage
ReliaQuest newsroom covering the latest press release and media coverage.
Become a Channel Partner
When you partner with ReliaQuest, you help deliver world-class cybersecurity solutions.
Contact Us
How can we help you?
A Mindset Like No Other in the Industry
Many companies tout their cultures; at ReliaQuest, we share a mindset. We focus on four values every day to make security possible: being accountable, helpful, adaptable, and focused. These values drive development of our platform, relationships with our customers and partners, and further the ReliaQuest promise of security confidence across our customers and our own teams.
The Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack, which targeted DynDNS servers, and literally ‘broke the internet’ for several hours on October 21st, pushed an issue that has been plaguing security professionals since the dawn of the Internet of Things (IoT) into mainstream media.
Typically DDoS attacks occur when infected personal computers or workstations form what is known as a botnet and overwhelm a server with an excess of traffic or requests. In this particular case however, servers belonging to a popular Domain Name System (DNS) company were hit.
For some background, DNS functions like the internet’s iPhone contacts list. It translates domain names (your friends’ names), which are easy for humans to remember, into server IP addresses (their phone numbers) and allow networking devices (your phones) to communicate in order to ensure you end up at the appropriate destination. However, when DNS goes down, traffic loses its ability to travel to sites using this particular service.
The DynDNS attack was completely different, however. This time the botnet did not consist of just workstations, but IoT devices, as well; and it occurred on a colossal scale due to the sheer number of devices that make up the IoT. This means that our fancy smart thermostats, baby monitors, home automation systems, and light bulbs could have theoretically contributed to this attack.
Going forward, if we want to prevent something like this from happening in the future, we need to be collectively more diligent about hardening IoT devices. So how do we do that exactly?
Your smart devices live on your home network. Therefore, their security is completely dependent upon your network configurations. Check your networking devices’ manufacturer guidelines regarding admin panel control access. Typically this is achieved by simply typing 192.168.1.1 (or a similar IP) into your browser. These panels offer an easy-to-understand Graphical User Interface (GUI) for users. In addition, default login credentials can easily be located online (herein lies a part of the problem…).
Upon logging in, consider changing the device login credentials from the factory default. Ensure that your network is protected by Wi-Fi Protected Access II (WPA2) encryption and consider hiding your Service Set Identifier (SSID). This will prevent your network’s name from being visible to outsiders. Users will have to know it and manually type it and the password in to gain access.
Device firmware can also be updated from these panels. Ensure that your device is running the latest version. Firmware updates are important because unlike software, firmware controls essential functions of the device hardware due to how it is configured. If there is an automatic update option, select this for peace of mind.
In a similar fashion, IoT devices can also be updated from administrative panels. Check manufacturer guidelines for information on how to access these settings from your home network. Firmware and security updates should also be maintained on these devices.
Many IoT devices also come with apps to control them. Maintain similar diligence with mobile security in order to prevent unwanted tampering. Create a strong master password for access to your device; ensure all devices and applications are fully patched and updated; turn off Bluetooth capabilities when not in use; never allow other applications to have full access to your mobile device; avoid rooting your mobile devices; ensure these devices are fully encrypted and avoid leaving them unattended.
As the IoT grows, the threat of this type of attack will increase dramatically. Preventing the next IoT DDoS attack depends on all of us. So do your part to create a more robust home network and don’t be afraid to step up your security game!