An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure - some principles are timeless.
But if you look at most enterprise security stacks you see an almost token effort at prevention – via signature-based AV – and then an immediate jump to detective and remediate controls.
So, does that mean the old saw about the value of prevention just isn’t true in cyber security? No way. Just take a look at MITRE ATT&CK and count how many attacks cut off at the knees if you deny the attacker privileged access. So many of the techniques we geek out on are only possible if the attacker first gains admin authority. But according to the so-called immutable laws of security once you gain root you’ve already won the battle. The rest of these APT level techniques are just necessary to stay under the radar long enough to win the war.
In this real training for free webinar, I’m going to update a shocking visual I built a while back and that is simply color coding the ATT&CK Tactic/Technique matrix according to each technique prerequisites. When you see how much of the matrix dims in risk when you deny admin authority you may be surprised.
But denying privilege is only the first of 2 preventive technologies that can pre-empt so many attacks. The other is application control. Early attempts at this noble pursuit were too ham-fisted and gave it a bad name in many infosecpros’ memories. But technology advances and a pragmatic approach to application control is more realistic than ever, and in this webinar, I’m going to show you how it can stop so many attacks in their tracks. It takes intelligence and granularity. But with the right policy you can preserve system management and end-user productivity while denying attackers access to LOLBins (living off the land binaries). And attackers deeply rely on LOLBins like powershell and wmic in today’s attacks.
Joining me for this real training for free event is James Maude, Lead Cybersecurity Researcher, from our sponsor BeyondTrust. He will show you real world examples of how BeyondTrust solutions stop recent malware strains.
Meet the Presenters
Randy Franklin Smith, Microsoft MVP & Windows Security Expert, and CEO at Monterey Technology Group, Inc.
Randy Franklin Smith is an internationally recognized expert on the security and control of Windows and Active Directory security who specializes in Windows and Active Directory security. He performs security reviews for clients ranging from small, privately held firms to Fortune 500 companies, national, and international organizations.
Randy Franklin Smith began his career in information technology in the 1980s developing software for a variety of companies. During the early 1990s, he led a business process re-engineering effort for a multi-national organization and designed several mission critical, object-oriented, client/server systems. As the Internet and Windows NT took off, Randy focused on security and led his employer's information security planning team. In 1997, he formed Monterey Technology Group, Inc. where he serves as President.
James Maude, Lead Cyber Security Researcher
James Maude is the Lead Cyber Security Researcher at BeyondTrust’s Manchester, U.K., office. James has broad experience in security research, conducting in-depth analysis of malware and cyber threats to identify attack vectors and trends in the evolving security landscape. His background in forensic computing and active involvement in the security research community makes him an expert voice on cybersecurity. He regularly presents at international events and hosts webinars to discuss threats and defense strategies.