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Forum Discussion
Is ransomware attack on ReadyNAS possible?
Synology NAS servers are under attack of SynoLocker ransomware http://www.cso.com.au/article/551527/synolocker_demands_0_6_bitcoin_decrypt_synology_nas_devices/. Devices are encrypted and the owners a...
Manufacturers expect people to fully understand the tech sheet of their products, if they don't, they should call pre-sales before buying and they are welcome to contact technical support after buying to help them get started (most manufactures provide 30-90 days free call support).
The end user is not supposed to know what to do, he is just supposed to know who to call, and you get support phone numbers with every product. IMO quick start guide is an error, you should only get the full guide.
I know most people don't even read the detailed tech sheets, so manual is an abstract thing for them (many don't read terms of use either by the way...).
So, yes the end user is expected to have a thoughtful approach in the first place, and unfortunately most people are left under the impression that numeric is not real and can be treated casually. They don't read contracts, they don't watch their words while posting on forums / mail, they give their bank information more easily than they would on phone, they forget that a machine can break and don't do backups, they click on everything (whereas most people are afraid to walk alone in dark streets)...
That said there are warning. Microsoft UAC is a known one, some firewalls alert you for both outgoing and incoming connections, the first time you use IE you have an alert too, you get alerts when certificates are not valid, when you first run the NAS you are asked for a new password...
As for the antivirus, 5.X were less powerful machines for most of them, my NAS has the option (RN104) but it is not able to handle it. More over updating a software for years takes time and money, what is used in there is not used for newer products. This means that research will slow down and may not be able to keep up with the dangers, resulting in 100% insecure device rate (or in 300% increase price for products). The choice has been made to support devices for a certain amount of time. Usually (depending on models and manufacturers) new features are developed for a short period (1 to 3 years) and then bug fix are released for another 2 to 5 years.
You have to understand manufacturers a little bit here. They need to pay people to update softwares, but consumers are pulling prices down. So they have to choose between having a bigger price point but a good support (works for professional stuff and Apple) or lower prices but to stay with a decent support (some even choose to drop the support to a legal minimum for that reason). Netgear would be really happy to provide you with lifetime warranty and updates but with the actual pricing they have it's not possible and I think they do a pretty good job. In IT you often get what you paid for, if not spent in hardware or software then the premium is support.
Your router with only NAT is secure enough for most people, but won't handle a direct attack if ports are forwarded (a forwarded port lets everything pass on consumer routers). Now the problem is not about being secure, but having a security adapted to your needs and skills. I have two enterprise class firewalls, they are very good at what they are doing, but lambda users will just be unable to use them and will get worse security with them than with a classic less powerful thing. Now if you only store family photos on your NAS, you are probably more worried about losing them than about them being stolen, so you should backup (and yes ReadyNAS having a backup function, that's obvious it's not here for fun, this should trigger questions from users). So in this case money would be better spent on another NAS or a cloud subscription than on an enterprise class firewall.
The end user is not supposed to know what to do, he is just supposed to know who to call, and you get support phone numbers with every product. IMO quick start guide is an error, you should only get the full guide.
I know most people don't even read the detailed tech sheets, so manual is an abstract thing for them (many don't read terms of use either by the way...).
So, yes the end user is expected to have a thoughtful approach in the first place, and unfortunately most people are left under the impression that numeric is not real and can be treated casually. They don't read contracts, they don't watch their words while posting on forums / mail, they give their bank information more easily than they would on phone, they forget that a machine can break and don't do backups, they click on everything (whereas most people are afraid to walk alone in dark streets)...
That said there are warning. Microsoft UAC is a known one, some firewalls alert you for both outgoing and incoming connections, the first time you use IE you have an alert too, you get alerts when certificates are not valid, when you first run the NAS you are asked for a new password...
As for the antivirus, 5.X were less powerful machines for most of them, my NAS has the option (RN104) but it is not able to handle it. More over updating a software for years takes time and money, what is used in there is not used for newer products. This means that research will slow down and may not be able to keep up with the dangers, resulting in 100% insecure device rate (or in 300% increase price for products). The choice has been made to support devices for a certain amount of time. Usually (depending on models and manufacturers) new features are developed for a short period (1 to 3 years) and then bug fix are released for another 2 to 5 years.
You have to understand manufacturers a little bit here. They need to pay people to update softwares, but consumers are pulling prices down. So they have to choose between having a bigger price point but a good support (works for professional stuff and Apple) or lower prices but to stay with a decent support (some even choose to drop the support to a legal minimum for that reason). Netgear would be really happy to provide you with lifetime warranty and updates but with the actual pricing they have it's not possible and I think they do a pretty good job. In IT you often get what you paid for, if not spent in hardware or software then the premium is support.
Your router with only NAT is secure enough for most people, but won't handle a direct attack if ports are forwarded (a forwarded port lets everything pass on consumer routers). Now the problem is not about being secure, but having a security adapted to your needs and skills. I have two enterprise class firewalls, they are very good at what they are doing, but lambda users will just be unable to use them and will get worse security with them than with a classic less powerful thing. Now if you only store family photos on your NAS, you are probably more worried about losing them than about them being stolen, so you should backup (and yes ReadyNAS having a backup function, that's obvious it's not here for fun, this should trigger questions from users). So in this case money would be better spent on another NAS or a cloud subscription than on an enterprise class firewall.
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