Is Your IT Department Prepared to Defend Your Business Against a NAT Slipstreaming Attack?
There’s a new variant attack that was recently announced in October 2020 that every business needs to be aware of and prepared to defend against, including yours. The attack is known as NAT (Network address translation) Slipstreaming and using a web browser, it allows a hacker to bypass firewalls and reach any unmanaged device within your company’s internal network. It was first discovered by Armis researchers working together with Samy Kamkar, Chief Security Officer and Co-Founder of Openpath Security Inc. You’re going to want to make sure that your IT department knows about this.
What Is NAT Slipstreaming?
NAT Slipstreaming is a new attack that exploits vulnerabilities in almost every enterprise-level company firewall or router currently known. These vulnerabilities then allow a hacker access to any unmanaged device on your local network. Most companies and businesses are currently vulnerable to this level of attack and it doesn’t matter if you already have a firewall in place. The attack bypasses it.
How Does NAT Slipstreaming Work?
It might sound like the stuff of spy movies, but NAT Slipstreaming is very real and can give a hacker access to devices on your network like printers and even security cameras. To see just how easy it is for a hacker to do, there’s a video available for reference that can show you the speed and ease for a hacker to breach your network, even if you have a firewall. All it takes is for someone in your company to accidentally and unknowingly click on a malicious link and open it up in a web browser on a device that’s connected to your local network.
What Are the Risks of NAT Slipstreaming?
The impact of an attack like NAT Slipstreaming is broad. It really all depends on the level of maliciousness of the hacker using the attack. The effects could be as minor as creating a nuisance, like printing out unwanted pictures from a printer. The effects could also be wildly severe, such as a full-on ransomware attack or taking control of internal camera devices and full security systems.
What’s Being Done to Protect Against NAT Slipstreaming?
Currently, companies including Google, Apple, Mozilla, and Microsoft have all released web browser security patches for their web browsers, including Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge. The real danger are devices running with unpatched browser versions. That’s why it is so important that your IT department is aware of this attack. Those web browser security patches only help deal with the threat if they’re actually installed on the browsers in the computers connected to your internal network.
If you’re unsure whether your IT Department is aware of this attack, or how to best protect your company against NAT Slipstreaming, you can call the security experts at Acom Integrated Solutions at (800) 323-2266. You can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter to keep yourself informed about any new attacks and what you can do to defend yourself. You should always feel secure about your security.
