04
Mon, Nov
1 New Articles

Five Tips for Avoiding and Detecting Malware on IBM i

IBM i (OS/400, i5/OS)
Typography
  • Smaller Small Medium Big Bigger
  • Default Helvetica Segoe Georgia Times

The threat of malware infecting your IBM is a real danger. Use these tips to lower your risk of being affected.

Several things can be done to reduce your exposure to malware - be it some sort of virus or ransomware or the latest type of malware, cryptomining software. I often talk about the need to implement multiple layers of defense, or "defense in depth." This area of security demands the same sort of planning. Determine what technology should catch the first layer of threats and then determine what would happen if that layer is breached. What's stopping the malware from wreaking havoc with your system?

Stop the Clicking!

Let's face it, one of the best things you can do is to stop your user community from clicking on phishing email. How do you do that? Education. This is a prime example of the need to perform security awareness training on more than just the first day of work. Employees need to be educated on the latest threats. Training users to not click on links or open attachments from email they don't recognize is a must. They also need to be trained not to provide information such as passwords or personally identifiable information when requests come via email and especially when the request is from senior management. Employees should understand that those types of requests will never come via email and most certainly never from senior management.

Limit the File Shares

If someone clicks on a link that downloads malware, what will protect your IBM i next? That all depends on what has been shared. A file share allows you to map a drive where the drive is IBM i. Once mapped, whatever path is associated with the file share looks to the PC like another drive. If the user maps a drive to the root directory via a read/write file share and downloads malware, once the malware has affected the PC, it will start walking the drives on the PC - including the IBM i drive - and will infect every directory and/or object to which the user has authority. But it's not just limited to directories. Sharing root also shares the /QSYS.LIB file system - in other words, your libraries and objects in the libraries could also be encrypted and held for ransom. The message? Avoid read/write file shares to root if at all possible. If you have to share root, make it a read-only share. A read-only share doesn't allow malware to infect the file system. It still allows the entire system to be accessed (read) but not infected.

Shares should be defined at the lowest level possible - meaning the share should be defined for the directory (or library) containing the objects to be shared. You do not need to share root to share other parts of the IFS.

Set Appropriate Access Controls on the Directories

Another aspect to whether the virus will be successful is whether the profile running the process has sufficient authority to change the object. I've seen a virus where it renamed directories. It was successful because root had been shared and it had also been left at the default *PUBLIC authority of data authority *RWX and object authority *ALL. This caused all subdirectories to be created with the same *PUBLIC authority setting. The virus walked through the entire IFS, renaming all directories and subdirectories that had been left at the default authority.

After first checking to ensure no processes are writing directly to root, consider changing the *PUBLIC authority of root to DTAAUT(*RX) OBJAUT(*NONE). This is the equivalent of *USE authority, which allows you to read the contents of root and traverse through it to the subdirectories but not modify, create, or delete a directory.

It should go without saying that limiting the users who have been assigned *ALLOBJ special authority must also be accomplished; otherwise, it doesn't matter what authority is assigned to the directory. The users' *ALLOBJ will provide all authority to all directories and objects in them.

Virus Scan the IFS

IBM i is considered to be the perfect host. It stores documents, images, etc. that have been infected with malware but doesn't actually get infected itself. If an infected document gets uploaded to a folder, for example, IBM i itself won't be infected, but the next person who opens that document will. The solution to this issue is to run a virus scan against the IFS. And I recommend running a natively running virus scan solution such as HelpSystems' StandGuard AntiVirus rather than mapping a drive to the IFS and running the virus scanner from another location in the network. Using a non-native solution is very problematic; it requires a share to root, produces huge amounts of network traffic because the objects have to be brought over to the device doing the actual scans, produces many false positives because they don't know what to do with IBM i objects, causes exposures as the objects are sent over the network in cleartext, and requires the process to run as a profile with *ALLOBJ if any corrections or quarantines are to occur. StandGuard is highly configurable and doesn't cause issues on the network.

Back Up!

The ability to recover from malware - especially ransomware - depends on the quality of your last backup. Take some time to review your backup script to ensure that you are fully backing up the IFS should you ever need to restore some or all of it to recover from a ransomware attack. Also review the frequency to ensure you are saving it often enough.

Summary

Viruses can and do affect the IFS. I hope you implement these tips for a strong "defense in depth" security strategy.

Carol Woodbury

 

Carol Woodbury is IBM i Security SME and Senior Advisor to Kisco Systems, a firm focused on providing IBM i security solutions. Carol has over 30 years’ experience with IBM i security, starting her career as Security Team Leader and Chief Engineering Manager for iSeries Security at IBM in Rochester, MN. Since leaving IBM, she has co-founded two companies: SkyView Partners and DXR Security. Her practical experience and her intimate knowledge of the system combine for a unique viewpoint and experience level that cannot be matched.

Carol is known worldwide as an author and award-winning speaker on security technology, specializing in IBM i security topics. She has written seven books on IBM i security, including her two current books, IBM i Security Administration and Compliance, 3rd Edition and Mastering IBM i Security, A Modern, Step-by-Step Approach. Carol has been named an IBM Champion since 2018 and holds her CISSP and CRISC security certifications.


MC Press books written by Carol Woodbury available now on the MC Press Bookstore.

IBM i Security Administration and Compliance: Third Edition
Don't miss the newest edition by the industry’s #1 IBM i security expert.
List Price $71.95

Now On Sale

Mastering IBM i Security Mastering IBM i Security
Get the must-have guide by the industry’s #1 security authority.
List Price $49.95

Now On Sale

BLOG COMMENTS POWERED BY DISQUS

LATEST COMMENTS

Support MC Press Online

$

Book Reviews

Resource Center

  • SB Profound WC 5536 Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application. You can find Part 1 here. In Part 2 of our free Node.js Webinar Series, Brian May teaches you the different tooling options available for writing code, debugging, and using Git for version control. Brian will briefly discuss the different tools available, and demonstrate his preferred setup for Node development on IBM i or any platform. Attend this webinar to learn:

  • SB Profound WP 5539More than ever, there is a demand for IT to deliver innovation. Your IBM i has been an essential part of your business operations for years. However, your organization may struggle to maintain the current system and implement new projects. The thousands of customers we've worked with and surveyed state that expectations regarding the digital footprint and vision of the company are not aligned with the current IT environment.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT Generic IBM announced the E1080 servers using the latest Power10 processor in September 2021. The most powerful processor from IBM to date, Power10 is designed to handle the demands of doing business in today’s high-tech atmosphere, including running cloud applications, supporting big data, and managing AI workloads. But what does Power10 mean for your data center? In this recorded webinar, IBMers Dan Sundt and Dylan Boday join IBM Power Champion Tom Huntington for a discussion on why Power10 technology is the right strategic investment if you run IBM i, AIX, or Linux. In this action-packed hour, Tom will share trends from the IBM i and AIX user communities while Dan and Dylan dive into the tech specs for key hardware, including:

  • Magic MarkTRY the one package that solves all your document design and printing challenges on all your platforms. Produce bar code labels, electronic forms, ad hoc reports, and RFID tags – without programming! MarkMagic is the only document design and print solution that combines report writing, WYSIWYG label and forms design, and conditional printing in one integrated product. Make sure your data survives when catastrophe hits. Request your trial now!  Request Now.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericForms of ransomware has been around for over 30 years, and with more and more organizations suffering attacks each year, it continues to endure. What has made ransomware such a durable threat and what is the best way to combat it? In order to prevent ransomware, organizations must first understand how it works.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericIT security is a top priority for businesses around the world, but most IBM i pros don’t know where to begin—and most cybersecurity experts don’t know IBM i. In this session, Robin Tatam explores the business impact of lax IBM i security, the top vulnerabilities putting IBM i at risk, and the steps you can take to protect your organization. If you’re looking to avoid unexpected downtime or corrupted data, you don’t want to miss this session.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericCan you trust all of your users all of the time? A typical end user receives 16 malicious emails each month, but only 17 percent of these phishing campaigns are reported to IT. Once an attack is underway, most organizations won’t discover the breach until six months later. A staggering amount of damage can occur in that time. Despite these risks, 93 percent of organizations are leaving their IBM i systems vulnerable to cybercrime. In this on-demand webinar, IBM i security experts Robin Tatam and Sandi Moore will reveal:

  • FORTRA Disaster protection is vital to every business. Yet, it often consists of patched together procedures that are prone to error. From automatic backups to data encryption to media management, Robot automates the routine (yet often complex) tasks of iSeries backup and recovery, saving you time and money and making the process safer and more reliable. Automate your backups with the Robot Backup and Recovery Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAManaging messages on your IBM i can be more than a full-time job if you have to do it manually. Messages need a response and resources must be monitored—often over multiple systems and across platforms. How can you be sure you won’t miss important system events? Automate your message center with the Robot Message Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAThe thought of printing, distributing, and storing iSeries reports manually may reduce you to tears. Paper and labor costs associated with report generation can spiral out of control. Mountains of paper threaten to swamp your files. Robot automates report bursting, distribution, bundling, and archiving, and offers secure, selective online report viewing. Manage your reports with the Robot Report Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAFor over 30 years, Robot has been a leader in systems management for IBM i. With batch job creation and scheduling at its core, the Robot Job Scheduling Solution reduces the opportunity for human error and helps you maintain service levels, automating even the biggest, most complex runbooks. Manage your job schedule with the Robot Job Scheduling Solution. Key features include:

  • LANSA Business users want new applications now. Market and regulatory pressures require faster application updates and delivery into production. Your IBM i developers may be approaching retirement, and you see no sure way to fill their positions with experienced developers. In addition, you may be caught between maintaining your existing applications and the uncertainty of moving to something new.

  • LANSAWhen it comes to creating your business applications, there are hundreds of coding platforms and programming languages to choose from. These options range from very complex traditional programming languages to Low-Code platforms where sometimes no traditional coding experience is needed. Download our whitepaper, The Power of Writing Code in a Low-Code Solution, and:

  • LANSASupply Chain is becoming increasingly complex and unpredictable. From raw materials for manufacturing to food supply chains, the journey from source to production to delivery to consumers is marred with inefficiencies, manual processes, shortages, recalls, counterfeits, and scandals. In this webinar, we discuss how:

  • The MC Resource Centers bring you the widest selection of white papers, trial software, and on-demand webcasts for you to choose from. >> Review the list of White Papers, Trial Software or On-Demand Webcast at the MC Press Resource Center. >> Add the items to yru Cart and complet he checkout process and submit

  • Profound Logic Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application.

  • SB Profound WC 5536Join us for this hour-long webcast that will explore:

  • Fortra IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small. This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business? This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn: