SEC Consult has released a damning update to its study on hardcoded cryptographic secrets in embedded systems which shows that the number of devices on the web using known private keys for HTTPS server certificates has gone up by 40% in the last nine months: http://blog.sec-consult.com/2016/09/house-of-keys-9-months-later-40-worse.html. Cryptography expert Kevin Bocek, VP Security Strategy at Venafi commented below.
“New research that identifies private keys are being reused in critical network security devices is disturbing, but nothing new. And it’s even more scary since it applies to many of the vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure and telecommunications systems. We share SEC Consult’s frustration. The use of encryption is meant to uniquely authenticate applications and protect privacy; leaving devices with keys and certificates that – in some cases – are used millions of times, is simply insane. It’s just like leaving the ‘key to kingdom’ on the doorstep and putting up a billboard advertising the vulnerability. Conventional security tools such as IDS, Firewalls and AV will not help when an attacker isable to look inside your encrypted traffic, or can masquerade as one of your trusted applications or devices. Bad guys can literally take whatever data they want undetected.
Worse still, this problem is only going to get bigger! The attack surface is broadening, with millions more devices being added daily. Plus, DevOps is driving developers to go faster and the skills needed for protecting keys and certificates are in short supply. That things are getting worse is no surprise – it’s a 40% increase in just one year! IoT devices developed or deployed, and in many cases in DevOps organisations, multiply the problems many times over.
This is why companies need to take back control and take immediate action to protect themselves. By identifying all of their keys and certificates used on networks, across the cloud, and out on the Internet, organisations can identify possible failures like rampant key reuse that threatens to smash the foundation of security. Once key reuse is identified, organisations can then triage: either replacing vulnerable keys and certificates with new and unique ones, quarantining those that can’t be replaced and working with vendors to resolve the issue.”
ISBuzz Team embodies the collaborative efforts of the dedicated staff at Information Security Buzz, converging a wide range of skills and viewpoints to present a unified, engaging voice in the information security realm. This entity isn't tied to a single individual; instead, it's a dynamic embodiment of a team diligently working behind the scenes to keep you updated and secure. When you read a post from ISBuzz Team, you're receiving the most relevant and actionable insights, curated and crafted by professionals tuned in to the pulse of the cybersecurity world. ISBuzz Team - your reliable compass in the fast-evolving landscape of information security
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.