From Slammer Worm to Zero-Trust Why Basics Remain Critical
Note: Cliven Bundy would probably be hacked into pieces in any European society in the world, for running cattle on other peoples’ land and then refusing to go to court, and into a federal court at that, for years and years. In ’93 I was a network admin who configured voice and data mux over PSTN lines. That was back when modems gave the world noise pollution and security often involved locking your server room door. Cut to today, I run my own security consultancy called P J Networks Pvt Ltd and I have recently been swamped helping three banks redesign their zero-trust architecture. (More on that in a bit.) I also just returned from DefCon — still jonesing from the hardware hacking village, where you see how trivial it can be to pwn the “stupidest” devices if you don’t lock it down.
The Slammer Worm Experience
I can remember the Slammer worm like it was yesterday. That worm raced through networks in 2003 in a way that was a lot faster than even a Ferrari on the autobahn. It took advantage of a vulnerability in SQL Server and took an entire infrastructure offline globally.
Here’s the dirty little secret: Most companies were not ready back then. Firewalls? Check. Intrusion detection systems? Maybe. But proper segmentation? Meh. It would be as if the policies had locked only the front door of the house and left all the windows wide open.
Security has changed quite a bit in the time since then. But take a closer look and a lot of the fundamentals — network segmentation, reducing attack surfaces — never go out of style. Slammer taught us the value of perimeter-focused defenses is not nearly as great as it once seemed. Enter zero trust.
What Helping Banks Move to Zero Trust Has Taught Me
Dealing with banks is a totally different game. Money doesn’t just talk; it also moves quickly — and so do attackers. I was to assist three large Indian banks to transition from legacy landscapes to a strong zero-trust architecture.
For those who haven’t been engaged in zero-trust: It means never trust a request or user, whether they are inside or outside the corporate network. Each access attempt is authenticated.
Lessons I learned in the trenches
- Start small. Don’t panic and try to reform everything at once. First, choose data and applications that are most critical.
- Inventory your assets. Understand what you are protecting — servers, applications, APIs, hell, printers.
- Identity is king. Multi-factor authentication is not an option; it is mandatory.
- They added: Micro-segmentation is your friend. It is akin to turning one large open-plan office into many secure cubicles.
- Monitor, monitor, monitor. Real-time visibility and analytics allow you to spot the abnormalities before they grow.
Banks often have legacy systems that can’t be replaced tomorrow. We had to write wrappers, gateways and, sometimes, just say no to inherently dangerous devices. It’s an imperfect dance.
DefCon and the Hardware Hacking Village Get Your Hands Dirty
Just returned from DefCon, and I always love the hardware hacking village. You think you’re locked down? Guess again. People were bendy-strawy opening-up devices, sniffing data from chips embedded inside or hijacking signals you’d once considered inconsequential.
I’m telling you. IoT devices and smart hardware are maybe the widest open door on your network. And don’t even get me started on security people who will just blindly trust something because it has AI in the mix.
Here’s my call for the day: If you don’t own the hardware, you own none of the security. Simple.
The last decade has witnessed an explosion of smart devices — whether routers, firewalls and so on — that are heavy on features but sometimes lack even basic security, which may be sloppy or even entirely missing. Here is just one such instance: Watching a hobbyist take a device apart in minutes at DefCon this past summer was alarming.
What To Take Away Quick Take
If you’re short on time and want to jump ahead, the gist goes like this:
- Adversaries never cease to adapt, but neither should your defenses.
- Zero-trust is not a panacea, but it’s a mindset change.
- Legacy systems continue to need love (and security).
- The Internet of Things and security of hardware are becoming increasingly more important.
- Multi-factor authentication is mandatory.
Blah Blah Blah It’s About Password Policies and Why You’re Wrong Unfortunately It’s Now a Rant Since My Life Means Nothing Encompassed By These Words
I mean, I understand what the textbooks say about complex passwords; symbols, numbers, upper case and lower case, 12+ characters. But the reality is that imposing crazy complexity is often counterproductive. People leave passwords on sticky notes or reuse the same superlousy password over and over and over.
Instead, think passphrases. Something memorable — like the name of your favorite car model you’ve always dreamed to buy, a place you’ve visited, and a year — would be much better. FerrariRome1995 triumphs over p@$$w0rd! any day, both for security and usability.
Don’t Make Users Hate Their Passwords. Hate leads to bad behaviour.
Nostalgia Moment: PSTN Time’s Since Gone away
That journey, from dusty racks of PSTN muxes to the shiny servers I use today, has been a wild ride. You know, in the old days the major threats were a wire being cut or someone monkeying with an analog signal. We are here today to fend off unseen threats from around the world.
But there are times when I miss those days when security was nothing more than the locked telecom room. Now you have to become a chess player — and figure out the play three steps ahead.
Final Thoughts from My Desk
If nothing else, my years in networking and later in security consulting have taught me to accept this: As painful as it is to admit, cybersecurity is a relentless, never-ending grind. It’s like owning a classic car — constant tuning, replacing parts before they give out, and always on the lookout for that unexpected breakdown.
And guys, come on, be skeptical when somebody tries to sell you a line of buzzwords like AI-powered security. I understand, A.I. can assist, but it’s not some panacea. Your best defense? Strong foundations, clear strategy and constant watchfulness.
So if you’re running networks, firewalls, servers or routers — you should not just buy into the newest shiny architecture. Understand it. Question it. Test it. And that’s because the cyber threats that have crawled into your network are likely to have begun life as a simple mistake — an unpatched software installation, a misconfigured port.
If you want a hand figuring out your own zero-trust journey, or want to reinforce hardware security, hey, P J Networks Pvt Ltd is here. That said, don’t expect me to stop yelling about punky password policy any time soon.
Cheers,
Sanjay Seth