Call (716) 373-4467
12Jun

What Is Push-Bombing & How Can You Prevent It?

Cloud account takeover has become a major problem for organizations. Think about how much work your company does that requires a username and password.

Employees end up having to log into many different systems or cloud apps.

Hackers use various methods to get those login credentials. The goal is to gain access to business data as a user as well as launch sophisticated attacks, and send insider phishing emails. 

How bad has the problem of account breaches become? Between 2019 and 2021, account takeover (ATO) rose by 307%.

 

Doesn’t Multi-Factor Authentication Stop Credential Breaches?

Many organizations and individuals use multi-factor authentication (MFA). It’s a way to stop attackers that have gained access to their usernames and passwords. MFA is very effective at protecting cloud accounts and has been for many years.

But it’s that effectiveness that has spurred workarounds by hackers. One of these nefarious ways to get around MFA is push-bombing.

 

How Does Push-Bombing Work?

When a user enables MFA on an account, they typically receive a code or authorization prompt of some type. The user enters their login credentials. Then the system sends an authorization request to the user to complete their login.

The MFA code or approval request will usually come through some type of “push” message. Users can receive it in a few ways:

  • SMS/text
  • A device popup
  • An app notification

Receiving that notification is a normal part of the multi-factor authentication login. It’s something the user would be familiar with.

With push-bombing, hackers start with the user’s credentials. They may get them through phishing or from a large data breach password dump.

They take advantage of that push notification process. Hackers attempt to log in many times. This sends the legitimate user several push notifications, one after the other.

Many people question the receipt of an unexpected code that they didn’t request. But when someone is bombarded with these, it can be easy to mistakenly click to approve access.

Push-bombing is a form of social engineering attack designed to:

  • Confuse the user
  • Wear the user down
  • Trick the user into approving the MFA request to give the hacker access

 

Ways to Combat Push-Bombing at Your Organization

 

Educate Employees

Knowledge is power. When a user experiences a push-bombing attack it can be disruptive and confusing. If employees have education beforehand, they’ll be better prepared to defend themselves.

Let employees know what push-bombing is and how it works. Provide them with training on what to do if they receive MFA notifications they didn’t request.

You should also give your staff a way to report these attacks. This enables your IT security team to alert other users. They can then also take steps to secure everyone’s login credentials.

Need help enhancing your employee training? Contact Databranch today or visit us here to learn more about our Breach Prevention Platform and Security Awareness Training with simulated phishing tests.

 

Reduce Business App “Sprawl”

On average, employees use 36 different cloud-based services per day. That’s a lot of logins to keep up with. The more logins someone has to use, the greater the risk of a stolen password.

Take a look at how many applications your company uses. Look for ways to reduce app “sprawl” by consolidating. Platforms like Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace offer many tools behind one login. Streamlining your cloud environment improves security and productivity.

 

Adopt Phishing-Resistant MFA Solutions

You can thwart push-bombing attacks altogether by moving to a different form of MFA.

Phishing-resistant MFA uses a device passkey or physical security key for authentication. 

There is no push notification to approve with this type of authentication. This solution is more complex to set up, but it’s also more secure than text or app-based MFA.

Visit our website here to learn more about passkeys along with the other 2 main forms of MFA.

 

Enforce Strong Password Policies

For hackers to send several push-notifications, they need to have the user’s login.

Enforcing strong password policies reduces the chance that a password will get breached.

Standard practices for strong password policies include:

  • Using at least one upper and one lower-case letter
  • Using a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols
  • Not using personal information to create a password
  • Storing passwords securely
  • Not reusing passwords across several accounts

 

Put in Place an Advanced Identity Management Solution

Advanced identity management solutions can also help you prevent push-bombing attacks. They will typically combine all logins through a single sign-on solution. Users, then have just one login and MFA prompt to manage, rather than several.

Additionally, businesses can use identity management solutions to install contextual login policies. These enable a higher level of security by adding access enforcement flexibility.

The system could automatically block login attempts outside a desired geographic area. It could also block logins during certain times or when other contextual factors aren’t met.

 

Do You Need Help Improving Your Identity & Access Security?

Multi-factor authentication alone isn’t enough. Companies need several layers of protection to reduce their risk of a cloud breach.

Are you looking for some help to reinforce your cybersecurity? To learn more about how we can help take this off your IT plate, call 716-373-4467 x 115 or email [email protected].

 

Article used with permission from The Technology Press.

comments powered by Disqus
Access Control Administrative Privileges AI AI algorithms AI in Cybersecurity Annual Security Training Anti-Virus Artificial Intelligence Authenticator App Automation Backup and Recovery Backup Redundancy BCDR BEC breach prevention Breach Prevention Platform Breaches business continuity Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Business Email Compromise Business Email Compromises Business Growth Business Phone System Business Software BYOD Call Directory Channel Futures MSP 501 Cisco Cloud Accounts Cloud Data Backup Cloud Infrastructure Cloud Security Cloud Solutions Compliance Comprehensive Cybersecurity Compromised Credentials Computer Installation computer support Computer Upgrades Conditional Access Credential Theft Cyber Attacks Cyber Criminals Cyber Defenses Cyber Insurance cyber liability insurance Cyber Risk Management Cyberattacks Cyberinsurance cybersecurity Cybersecurity Awareness month Cybersecurity Breach Cybersecurity Culture Cybersecurity Strategy Cybersecurity Training Cybersecurity Webinar Dark Web Dark Web Monitoring Data Backup Data Backup and Recovery Data Backup Solution Data Breach Data Breaches Data Governance Data Loss Data Management Data Privacy Compliance Data Privacy Regulation data protection Data Recovery Data Restoration Data Security deepfake Deepfakes Defense in Depth Denial of Service Device Security Disaster Recover Disaster Recovery DNS Filtering doug wilson employee cybersecurity training Encryption Endpoint Detection and Response Endpoint Protection field technician Foundation Security Gift Card Scams Hackers Hosted VoIP Hybrid work i.t. service provider Identity Theft incident response plan Incident Response Planning Insider Threats Internet Explorer Internet of Things Intrusion Detection Intrusion Prevention IoT Devices IT Budget IT Budgeting IT Compliance IT Infrastructure IT Myths IT Partner IT Policies IT Resource IT Security IT Service Provider IT Services IT Support Juice Jacking Local Admin local admin privileges Lost Devices M365 malware Managed Clients Managed Detection and Response Managed IT Managed IT Provider Managed IT Services managed service provider managed services Manages Services MDR MFA Microsoft Microsoft 356 Microsoft 365 Copilot Microsoft End of Support Microsoft Office Mobile Devices MSP MSP 501 Winner MSP501 Multi-Factor Authentication Network Monitoring Network Security Network Testing Networking New Computer NIST Framework Offboarding Office 365 Outlook Outsourced IT password management Password Manager Password Managers Password Protection password security Passwords Patch Management Patches Patching PC Performance Penetration Testing Personal Data phishing Phishing Attacks PII Proactive Monitoring Processor productivity Professional Tune-Up Public WiFi Push-Bombing RAM Ransomware Ransomware Prevention Recovery point objective Recovery Time Calculator Recovery time objective Remote Monitoring Remote Working repeatbusinesssystems Ring Groups risk assessment Risk Management Risk Tolerance Rock-It VoIP RPO RTO RTO Costs SaaS SaaS Backup Scammers Scams security Security Assessment Security Assessments Security Awareness Training Security Defaults Security Key Security Scans SLAM Method Smart Tech Smishing SMS Social Engineering Social Media Security Software Integration Software-as-a-Service Solid-State Drive Sponsored Google Ads SSD stolen credentials Storage Teams technical support scam technology best practices Technology Budget Technology Infrastructure Technology Management Technology Plan Technology Policies Technology Review Threat Detection Threat Identification Threat Modeling top-performing managed service providers Updates virus VoIP Systems VPN Vulnerabilities Vulnerability Assessment Vulnerability Management Warning Signs Webinar Windows 10 Windows 11 Windows 8.1 Work Computers World Backup Day zero trust policy