Talking to (actual) people – a guide for security folks

As you may have noticed*, there was somewhat of a commotion over the past week when the WannaCrypt ransomware infection spread across the world, infecting all manner of systems**, most notably, from my point of view, many NHS systems.  This is relevant to me because I’m UK-based, and also because I volunteer for the local ambulance service as a CFR.  And because I’m a security professional.

I’m not going to go into the whys and wherefores of the attack, of the importance of keeping systems up to date, the morality of those who spread ransomware***,  how to fund IT security, or the politics of patch release.  All of these issues have been dealt with very well elsewhere. Instead, I’m going to discuss talking to people.

I’m slightly hopeful that this most recent attack is going to have some positive side effects.  Now, in computing, we’re generally against side effects, as they usually have negative unintended consequences, but on Monday, I got a call from my Dad.  I’m aware that this is the second post in a row to mention my family, but it turns out that my Dad trusts me to help him with his computing needs.  This is somewhat laughable, since he uses a Mac, which employs an OS of which I have almost no knowledge****, but I was pleased that he even called to ask a question about it.  The question was “am I safe from this ransomware thing?”  The answer, as he’d already pretty much worked out was, “yes”, and he was also able to explain that he was unsurprised, because he knew that Macs weren’t affected, and because he keeps it up to date, and because he keeps backups.

Somebody, somewhere (and it wasn’t me on this occasion) had done something right: they had explained, in terms that my father could understand, not only the impact of an attack, but also what to do to keep yourself safe (patching), what systems were most likely to be affected (not my Dad’s Mac), and what do to in mitigation (store backups).  The message had come through the media, but the media, for a change, seemed to have got it correct.

I’ve talked before about the importance of informing our users, and allowing them to make choices.  I think we need to be honest, as well, about when things aren’t going well, when we (singularly, or communally) have made a mistake.  We need to help them to take steps to protect themselves, and when that fails, to help them clear things up.

And who was it that made the mistake?  The NSA, for researching vulnerabilities, or for letting them leak?  Whoever it was leaked them?  Microsoft, for not providing patches?  The sysadmins, for not patching?  The suits, for not providing money for upgrades?  The security group, putting sufficient controls in place to catch and contain the problem?  The training organisation for not training the users enough?  The users, for ignoring training and performing actions which allowed the attack to happen?

Probably all of the above.  But, in most of those cases, talking about the problem, explaining what to do, and admitting when we make a mistake, is going to help improve things, not bring the whole world crashing down around us.  Talking, in other words, to “real” people (not just ourselves and each other*****): getting out there and having discussions.

Sometimes a lubricant can help: tea, beer, biscuits******.  Sometimes you’ll even find that “real” people are quite friendly.  Talk to them.  In words they understand.  But remember that even the best of them will nod off after 45 minutes or so of our explaining our passion to them.  They’re only human, after all.

*unless you live under a rock.

**well, Windows systems, anyway.

***(scum).

****this is entirely intentional: the less I know about their computing usage, the easier it is for me to avoid providing lengthy and painful (not to mention unpaid) support services to my close family.

*****and our machines.  Let’s not pretend we don’t do that.

******probably not coffee: as a community, we almost certainly drink enough of that as it is.

Author: Mike Bursell

Long-time Open Source and Linux bod, distributed systems security, etc.. Founder of P2P Consulting. マイク・バーゼル： オープンソースとLinuxに長く従事。他にも分散セキュリティシステムなども手がける。 View all posts by Mike Bursell