ENGINEERING

Wombat Security Technologies (Wombat) announced it is launching the industry’s first simulated USB attack service to address the growing threat of fraud due to rogue memory devices loaded with malicious malware and spyware. Wombat’s USBGuru™ is a software-as-a-service product that enables security officers to assess and train employees not to use removable memory devices of unknown origin. An expansion of Wombat’s family of Social Engineering Assessment products, USBGuru improves upon traditional penetration testing, allowing organizations to assess and mitigate risk at the same time by teaching employees to defend against attack. USBGuru follows in the footsteps of PhishGuru, Wombat’s award winning email phishing simulation service, recognized for its ease-of-use and proven effectiveness.

“Advanced persistent threats continue to target the human element within organizations with the malicious use of memory devices as one of the most recent attack vectors to threaten businesses, said Joe Ferrara, President and CEO of Wombat Security Technologies. “Performing mock attacks on end users and providing just-in-time training has already been scientifically proven to be effective at reducing user susceptibility to attack. Wombat’s new service will extend this training to the use of memory devices to help companies protect against the latest breeds of malware and spyware used to infect corporate networks and steal valuable data.”

How it Works
Security officers use Wombat’s cloud-based interface to easily create a custom executable file with brief training embedded in the file. The executable file is saved onto removable memory devices which can be distributed to any location in and around their organization. When an employee plugs the rogue USB drive into their computer they will be presented with just-in-time training. The training message will explain the risks associated with removable memory devices and provide practical advice to the employee. The USBGuru administrator interface provides detailed reports for security officers to know who is most susceptible to memory device attack, track training completion, and group susceptible individuals together for targeted follow up.

By assessing and training employees throughout the year, Wombat’s new USBGuru attack simulation service enables security officers to:

•     Determine the risk their organization faces due to the use of rogue memory devices by employees
•     Understand which employees are most susceptible to these attacks and who should receive additional training
•     Provide a teachable moment that ensures employees will follow company policy and only use USB drives they acquired personally, or through their IT department
•     Increase acceptance of security awareness training
•     Protect corporate networks from Malware, Spyware and other malicious software

Wombat also provides complementary software training modules that can be used in conjunction with mock or simulated attacks to reinforce learned concepts. The combination of simulated attacks and interactive training modules provides the capacity for continuous improvement so security officers can improve their company’s security posture by changing employee behavior.

Ferrara continued, “The USBGuru simulated attack service is yet another tool in Wombat’s comprehensive arsenal of security awareness and training solutions that empower security officers to tackle today’s most pressing cyber security issues including e-mail security, password management, social networking, web browsing, smartphone/BYOD vulnerabilities, phishing and social engineering.    

Wombat’s USBGuru simulated attack service is available now, just in time for Cyber Security Awareness month in October.