android, stating the obvious

an android in the work place, originally uploaded by bR!@n.

The Android platform is quickly becoming the “Windows OS” for mobile in the sense that it is topping the list of targets for mobile malware (much like Windows is for the desktop/server world). Why are malware writers so keen to targeting this OS compared to other platforms? What can users and developers do to improve the situation?

It’s a popularity contest.

Much like in Windows, this principle has been regarded as the main driving force that malware writers are supposed to be following when selecting their target platform. The more users an OS has, the higher probability they have of a successful infection. Though there have been live attempts at multi-OS malware, history has proven (as of the moment) that the idea is too complex to be in practical use. The large population of Android users is just what the attackers are looking for; more infected devices means more profit.

Many can argue that iOS has more users, but popularity is not the only variable in the formula.

The loose Market.

The official Android Market is loosely monitored compared to its iOS counterpart. The Apple AppStore has been known to give developers a rigorous acceptance process before allowing their apps to be posted online. The Android Marketplace, shall we say, is more forgiving. Third party sites are also found everywhere in the internet giving the malware writers more places to offer their malicious apps.

Factor in to this the fact that Google has made the Android SDK open to the public. This gives any one patient enough to learn, the ability to scrutinize the platform’s inner workings and in the process identify vulnerabilities just waiting to be exploited.

The Android Market is relying heavily on end users to do their own filtering. Users are expected to read their application permissions before installing apps from the market, but to non-techie folks this is just one extra button to press “ok”. Google can do a better job of filtering these apps themselves or if this is just too much for them, at least switch those texts with simple icons informing users of the common permissions being used by the app (because pictures are just prettier to look at than letters ;p).

Rooting is acceptable.

Rooting your device has its good and bad points. A rooted device is capable of far more functions but this also compromises the OS’s security check points that protects it from malicious attacks. Apps are given higher priviledges and are allowed to do more critical tasks making it more vulnerable.

Rooting your device is now very much accepted compared to the earlier days of jailbreaking an iPhone. In fact, in most cases, it has become a necessity. The wide variety of android devices and its fast paced development has made rooting a viable option rather than purchasing a new divice just to get the latest Android release. Custom firmware that allows old devices to run updated Android versions can be seen everywhere.

...

Given the rise of mobile malware (the Android platform getting the bigger bite of the pie chart), users are advised to exercise precaution. Almost all entry vectors of these infections are user installed or are allowed by users. Mobile malware (at least for the time being) are relying heavily on social engineering to trick users into getting infected. At this point, prevention is still within the end user's powers and being critical about what gets into your device is key to ensuring that you will have less chance of getting infected.

You can get more information on Android-based threats here: http://blog.trendmicro.com/a-snapshot-of-android-threats-infographic/

explore.

Bangui Windmills, originally uploaded by bR!@n.

i'm used to finding myself in unexpected places. just seems everywhere is a weird place to be. a welcome surprise every time. i would get somewhere and look around and see how everything just beautifully fits in. then i realize, how do i belong in all of this? i would see everything as they are, perfectly in their place. and i guess i'm just there to see the pretty picture they paint. an observer, always outside looking in. no.. better an explorer, always wanting to see everything there is to see.

Malware Evolution

a piece of the puzzle #DefCon19, originally uploaded by bR!@n.

The news and discoveries under the Stuxnet attacks have practically opened the gates to a whole new generation of malware. It has shown complexity, technique, and most importantly intent that has never been observed before in the antivirus industry. It, most probably has, given birth to the term APT.

Malware History

DOS
Back in the days of DOS, computer security was as easy as keeping your computer lab doors locked. Computers played very minimal part in our lives and businesses and was seen as just a tool for crunching numbers or drafting and printing out documents. But nevertheless, this simple setting has produced the very first types of malware that we can still see today; trojans and viruses.

Trojans are programs often intended to do malicious things on your computer. Back in the day, malicious intent on a computer just means showing annoying stuff on screen providing the malware writer bragging rights for the world to see.

During these times, these machines are mostly isolated and access is limited to people around its vicinity. The virus is the first type of malware to exhibit propagation capabilities. It is a complex program that is able to attach itself to another program without destroying the host, thus the name virus. With this capability, it is able to spread to different computers without the user's knowledge. Every time the host program is executed, the virus code is executed as well, enabling it to infect other files and deliver its payload.

The DOS era has seen very few malware compared to their numbers today. Viruses, specifically, are limited simply because they are very hard to code. Creating just a single virus will take skill and dedication, not to mention the needed advance knowledge in binary file structure and operating system intricacies.


Windows, The Internet, and Electronic Mail

With the dawn of Windows came the rise in popularity of High Level Languages. Computer Science became a popular subject and the software industry became a big business. Suddenly, computers started playing bigger roles in our everyday lives and one of their major contributions was their part in improving communications.

The internet has made sharing information faster. It also brought electronic mail to the masses and with email came spam and worms. This new method of propagation by means of email has given the malware writers the ability to spread their malicious programs faster and farther, reaching thousands of computers in different parts of the world in just seconds. The number of malicious software multiplied because of the boom of Computer Science. High level programming languages are easier to learn compared to the assembly machine language and more people started coding.

More and more computers started to get connected to the internet and thus more endpoints are accessible to attackers. One other type of malware that was created to take advantage of this interconnectivity is the backdoor. Backdoors have basically one mission, to install itself in computers and give control to the malware writer. Once in control, the attacker can do anything in the system from stealing information, to accessing the local network. Given worms and backdoors, attackers now have the basic tools for hacking.


Web 2.0

As the internet grew, it became largely available to everyone and with Web2.0 (internet content by the users) more and more people started going online on a regular basis. Websites became the next big thing and scripting was put on the spotlight being the dominant programming language used on the internet.

With its popularity, websites became a major delivery vector for the modern malware. Drive-by infections and cross-site scripting were effective enough that even users just surfing the internet get infected by viewing websites. Malware delivered through these techniques came to be known as web threats.

A grey area in the malware landscape, at some point, also started to popup, giving rise to adwares and spywares. These two types of malware were initially seen to be not as harmful as the other types; adware being a script or program displaying ads on your computer and spyware being a monitoring application that sits in the background sending information to servers about your computer use habits. But eventually they were proved to be unwanted programs by users and were categorized as greyware.


Organized Cyber Crime

With all of these different types of malware coming out, people would think that the antivirus industry has already got their hands full. But things are just starting to get organized in the malware writing community. Blended threats. The bad guys suddenly decided to work together and combine these different malware techniques. We no longer see individual malware files, but multi-component malware infections. We suddenly encounter malware infections that arrive through a drive-by, propagates through the local network by a virus installing each infected computer with a backdoor, which then sends out worm emails to every person in the local address book. All of these actions hidden to the user by a rootkit component.

People started seeing profit in the malware business. It is no longer about bragging rights, but getting rich. They start to invest money, people, and skills. These efforts produced the different packers and malware kits that gave the malware community the abilility to speed up malware creation and multiply the number of malicious files exponentially. They started to mass produce much like a business factory, giving the antivirus community one big headache.


Advanced Persistent Threats

Now we are at the dawn of a new malware breed. The next stage in its evolution. After organized cyber crime, the underground malware organizations are now starting to get hired.

Before, they earn money by spreading their malware to as many computers as possible, installing backdoors, which came to be known as BotNets. They are then free to steal information from the infected machines like usernames, passwords, telephone numbers, etc. and sell them on the black market to the highest bidder.

But nowadays, they are starting to take a role more like of an assassin. Why would they take their chances in malware propagation, when money is sure when you get hired to do a single job? One task to do, one target, and they get paid. This is the concept of a targeted attack.

Now, underground organizations are honing in on this milk cow and they are continually improving on their craft, making the new generation of malware more dangerous. They have one task to accomplish. They are focused and most probably will stop at nothing until they finish the job. The name gives a clear definition to what type of malware we are dealing with today: Advanced Persistent Threats.

Advanced:
These are not your ordinary programs coded by a lonesome engineer. These bad boys are assembled components much like how big programming companies are making their software. Every component is crafted by a team with high specialization on the specific task of the component, be it a rootkit module, the propagation module, or the payload.

The "advanced" term also doesn't just pertain to the malware creation process. It can also describe the amount of research and planning involved in executing the attack. Identifying entry points, the kind of security the target has, what parts are vulnerable, etc. Everything done is for the purpose of achieving the goal. The difficulty this brings is that almost nobody knows what the end goal is until they start doing it.

Persistent:
Everything they do is for one goal. They will never stop until it is accomplished. Probably because they will not get paid otherwise, if they're the underground malware organization. If they are not doing it for money, then they will just have the same, if not more motivation. Their plan A will always have plans B and C and they will have multiple attempts at an attack as long as they know they've not been found out.

Threat:
Of course, the threat part is the actual payload. This type of malware attack will always have a harmful intent towards its target and thus will always be considered a threat.



Conclusion

With the evolution of malware threats over the years, no one could have predicted that it can go this far. The changes that were seen in their different generations are just proof that they evolve along with the advancements in computer technology. Though they differ in technique, they do have one thing in common; they will always need a target. And one observation that can be seen throughout its history is that the malware goes wherever its target's entry point is; from file infection, to email, to websites, and now even mobile devices.

As we continue to use technology in our daily lives, there will always be the risk of infection and malware files will continue to exist. It will always be there to remind us that security should not be taken lightly. They will continue to evolve and adapt, as long as they can find vulnerabilities in our technology that can be compromised.

we were kings

on his way home..., originally uploaded by bR!@n.

2pm.. once, used to be my favorite time of day. because at that time, all the grown-ups are asleep. and the only children around are the ones that dared to sneak away from being put into bed for the afternoon nap. so i know i was in good company. the streets will be so quiet at first, but as soon as we know that they are already dreaming, the streets are ours! for the next hour or two, the world will be ruled by children.. certain type of children.. the brave ones. we will play our hearts out under the blazing heat and fear no one, because for those precious minutes the world was ours.. and then eventually people start waking up. and as soon as we smell the delicious miryendas being prepared, we start running back to our houses, being the children of our parents once again.

ten years after

4th year MIDES, originally uploaded by bR!@n.

Stumbled onto my old multiply blog and found this one to be worth reposting here.


When we were young, we thought we knew exactly what we wanted to be. During pre-school, I wanted to be a fireman. Then I grew up and realized, what the heck was I thinking? (“,)

The point is we always have our goals. Then life happens, and we loose track. We make decisions everyday that takes us closer to the person we will be. That person isn’t always the one we want… but what happens is we compromise and take what we can get. I personally think that the stage we know exactly what we want us to be, is during that last year in high school (when life was a blur and everything happens too fast).

You see, everything was even up to that point. Everybody had a fair chance. We had our whole lives ahead of us and the world was an “oyster” apparently (according to Ross, whatever that means). It was that year that we decided who we wanted to be, built our goals and started to dream. I guess I could say it was the time we decided to grow up and make our own lives.

That was a very big crossroads and everyone went their separate ways to try and chase that life. We were young optimists that faced life head on... But I guess we were too young to realize what the future really had in store for us.

Ten years after, here we are… still lost in this world, trying to find their place. I would like to think that a few of us already made it. But for those that are still adrift… well that’s life. We will eventually find our way and kick ass. But until then, the world can wait for our awesomeness some other time. ;P

missing the open road #daybreak

shedding light, originally uploaded by bR!@n.

4am.. you step out the front door and in an instant, you feel the whole world still asleep around you. you take your first breath in the morning air, filling your lungs with the cold, making you shiver to the bones. your mind tells you it's too early to be awake, but you shove the thought away.. i'll have a long way to go.

you throw your backpack on your right shoulder as you grab your duffle bag with your left hand. you feel the weight as you lift it and you remember how you packed everything in there the night before. your right hand goes into your pocket feeling for the car keys. the jingling sound echoes in the silence. i'm ready to go.

dumping everything in the back compartment you make your way to open the creaking gate. everything was too quiet, you'd think the sound will wake up the neighborhood. but no one takes notice. shhh..

finally you get behind the wheel, and at that point you know it's gonna be a good day. settling in, you make yourself comfortable. you put the keys in the ignition and you hear the thing come to life. you put the car in gear, release the hand break, and turn on the head lights. here we go!

raindrops

raindrops, originally uploaded by bR!@n.

it's raining again and you're trapped at home, trying your best to keep dry. the sound of rain banging on the galvanized iron roof almost feels constant that you'll miss it when you wake up one morning and the downpour finally stops.

you feel the cool wind on your face and you see trees swaying outside along with the raindrops. you turn on your tv knowing it's been raining for hours and you see the news.. flooded streets, traffic all around, classes suspended; the usual stuff. you look outside and you appreciate, for the first time, the foreign straight lines over imposed on your familiar background.

it was a welcome change of view. summer's over. your things will get wet, but that's what umbrellas are for.

1999

clock tower, originally uploaded by bR!@n.

1999. The turn of the century.. almost. It was a year of promise going into the new millenium. Somehow, the following year was seen as an opportunity for a new beginning, a time to start over. Possibly due to the fact that three digits of the year will be reset to zero. Square one.

1999. I don't know, something about the figure just grabs a hold of me. It almost literally spells out "anticipation".. "what's next?".. or probably the more appropriate "we got this far, now what?".

1999. I would imagine everyone at that time was busy preparing to go across one millenium to the next. As for me, I was just busy enjoying my final year in high school, thinking what college life would be like, and dreading the long commute I will be facing the next year.

1999. "I got this far.. now what?"

college mornings

grills, originally uploaded by bR!@n.

i start my typical day waking up from bed, which is actually nothing more than an old mattres that i lay down the family room every night. i look out our window grill to see the morning light then i look at the time on the old family wall clock (that we had since i can remember) and compute how much sleep i got after staying on the phone for hours last night. after realizing that it's just been three hours since i finally went to bed and the headache kicks in, i do a quick recall if any of my morning classes have any scheduled exams. if i was lucky and only had lectures in the morning, i will happily sink my head back to my pillow and go back to dreaming. (snooze..)

hours later, when i wake up on my own accord or when the living room gets too busy and i'm forced to evacuate my squatter of a bed space, i would get up, pick up my "bed", and finally get ready for school.

the usual morning ritual follows. eat brunch... or lunch, depending on how much i slept in, brush my teeth, take a bath, and finally get into my school clothes which is usually just the same as what i would wear at home (shirt, shorts, and slippers). as soon as i'm all dressed up like... well, someone buying "suka sa tindahan", i will head on out the door (with a hundred and twenty pesos in my pocket) and take the hell of a commute from Bulacan to Diliman.

#prayforjapan

ohayoo!, originally uploaded by bR!@n.

Japan will always be dear to me. It was my first out of the country trip. It was where I first got into photography. My first time living alone.


On the first morning "ever" waking up on a foreign country, I took this shot out of my hotel room window.


...Today, calamity struck Japan. We are all wishing for the best. The world's prayers are with you.

"when lightning strikes..."

"when lightning strikes...", originally uploaded by bR!@n.

Life has a weird way of doing things. Somehow feels like I'm retracing my steps.

Being back here feels so surreal. I know I've been here before, but somehow everything feels so different and at the same time so much the same as they were three years ago.


How many times have I walked through these same streets, going to the office and coming home? Familiar stalls line up the sidewalks as I recall the times I pass them everyday. Almost all the things I remember stayed the same and it's only me whose changed. It was like being misplaced in time. A younger me used to explore this city, but now it's just me.. all grown up with the burden of responsibility.


The setting was certainly different. The circumstances were all the same. It was work that landed me here before, a junior engineer excited to explore a new town. For one month, this was my city and I enjoyed its experience.


Now three years after, I'm back right smack in the middle of it. A lot has happened and although physically the city hasn't changed a bit, I know I have. 


back from taiwan... (April 29, 2008)
: http://bhry23.multiply.com/journal/item/9/back_from_taiwan...