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This editorial highlights the worrisome trend of Chinese cyber-attacks on US energy companies and emphasizes the importance of increased security awareness. It discusses the potential threats to personal accounts, brokerage accounts, peace of mind, and job security. The article also explores the methods used by attackers, such as spear phishing and application attacks.
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Beyond Security Awareness! ALAN PALLER APALLER@SANS.ORG THE SANS INSTITUTE
The Public Is Awakening • editorial on Jan 26 Why the 'China virus' hack at US energy companies is worrisome by John Yemma, Editor “The stakes in the global cyber-war are at least as high as those in the global war on terror.”
Four years building to public outrage • August 29, 2005: Titan Rain • August 17, 2006: Gen. Lord Confirms
Major General William Lord “China has downloaded 10 to 20 terabytes of data from the NIPRNet” “They’re looking for your identity so they can get into the network as you,” “There is a nation-state threat by the Chinese.” Maj. Gen. William Lord, director of information, services and integration in the Air Force’s Office of Warfighting Integration and Chief Information Officer August 21, 2006 Government Computer News “Red Storm Rising” October 6, 2006: Commerce BIS Division The federal government's Commerce Department admitted Friday that heavy attacks on its computers by hackers working through Chinese servers have forced the bureau responsible for granting export licenses to lock down Internet access for more than a month.
Four years building to public outrage Dec 1, 2007: 300 British Companies Apr 8, 2009: The Grid
Four years building to public outrage January 15, 2010 Google & more January 25, 2010: Oil Companies
How Do These Attacks Threaten You? Your bank account Your brokerage account Your peace of mind Your job security
Your Bank Account • Attacker: Opens accounts in most banks • You: Get your machine infected (we’ll come back to how you did that) • Attacker: Installs keystroke logger • You: Visit your bank site and sign on • Attacker: Captures your keystrokes; sends the data to his server; signs on to your account; moves money to his account in the same bank; takes your money away • Big difference: personal account; business account 9 9
Your brokerage account • Attacker: Buys a lot of shares in a penny stock • You: Get your machine infected (we’ll come back to how you did that) • Attacker: Installs keystroke logger • You: Visit your brokerage site and sign on • Attacker: Captures your keystrokes; sends the data to his server; signs on to your account; sells your shares; uses your money to buy the penny stock causing the price to rise sharply; moves money to his account in the same bank; takes your money away. • Called pump & dump 10
Your Peace of Mind • You: Get your machine infected (we’ll come back to how you did that) • Attacker: Installs attack software or denial of service tool or spam generation tool • Attacker attempts to penetrate DoD using your computer, or denies service to a commercial site using your computer, or sends out 300,000 spam messages. • At 3 AM one night, the FBI knocks on your door asking why you are attacking DoD, or attacking a commercial web site, or sending spam. • An event you don’t forget. 11 11
Your Job Security • You: Get your machine infected (we’ll come back to how you did that) – especially by the Chinese • The attacker waits until you use your credentials to sign on to DoE’s systems. • The attacker uses your access to gather data, infect other systems, and leave back doors. • The attack is discovered and traced to your machine. • You are asked to explain why you signed into DoE with an infected system – your answer affects your career 12
Places you visit January: 87,000 web sites infected and infecting visitors who trusted them. … and the big one: Application Attacks 14
Email with attachments • Osama was captured this morning – see attached pictures of him in custody • The Department has just agreed to a 14% cutback in staff, the attached spreadsheet shows which groups are going to have to give up the most positions • Britney Spears caught in an embarrassing position • Give money to victims of the Pakistan flood • Many, many more. 15
Email you respond to Spear Phishing - Victims being attacked while doing what they should be doing What’s wrong with this hypertext url? http://www.microsoft.com/security 16
How Spear Phishing works • An e-mail arrives from your security officer saying: “ Microsoft has given us a heads-up about a major new vulnerability. They won’t be making the patch public until tomorrow but have offered us early access to the patches. Before you leave work today go to the following Microsoft site and download the new patch http://www.microsoft.com/security/alert-windows.mspx 17
Why it went to the wrong place: html code was actually: • <a href="http://www.hackersite.com"> http://www.microsoft.com/security/alert-windows.mspx </a> • Would it have fooled anyone in your organization? 18
Setting the stage Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, and Science and TechnologyApril 17, 2007 Chairman: Jim Langevin "We don't know who's inside our networks. We don't know what information has been stolen. We need to get serious about this threat to our national security." • State Dept witness: Don Reid, Senior Coordinator for Security Infrastructure • Commerce Dept witness: Dave Jarrell, Manager, Critical Infrastructure Protection Program
Two responses Commerce • No idea when it got it in, how it got in, or where it spread • Took 8 days to filter (ineffective) • Unable to clean the systems; forced to replace them • Do not know whether they have found or gotten rid of the infections State • Detected it immediately • Put effective filter in place within 24 hours; shared filter with other agencies • Found two zero-days • Helped Microsoft and AV companies create patches and signatures • Cleaned infected systems, confident all had been found
What was the difference? • Was it tools? No • Almost same commercial tools – Commerce had more commercial IPS/IDS • Was it skills? Yes • Commerce – only experience was firewall operations not even firewall engineering. No training other than prep for Security + and later for CISSP • State – experience and training in forensics, vulnerabilities and exploits, deep packet inspection, log analysis, script development, secure coding, reverse engineering. Plus counter intelligence. And managers with strong technical security skills.
Which skills matter most? • Security skills: • System forensics; network forensics and deep packet inspection; Windows, UNIX, and PDA defensive configuration; log analysis; script development; exploits and penetration testing; secure coding; reverse engineering. Plus counter intelligence. • Foundations: • Networking and network administration; computer operations and system administration; Java and C/C+ programming including the 25 most dangerous programming errors
Is Any Country Investing In Developing These Skills? Wicked Rose Key weapons in future wars will be people with advanced, technical cyber security skills
Where do we find the people with skills? 1. Pathways to Professionalism – A Federal Initiative Security officers may continue in their positions after one year only if they master one of four key technical areas in security. 2. The US Cyber Challenge
Q. You're in your senior year in high school -- had you already taken computer courses at school?A. I enrolled to take Introduction to Programming this year, but they cancelled it; they couldn't find a suitable teacher. Q. How do people demonstrate and test their skills if they do not have the opportunity to play in the NetWars rounds?A. There aren't many options for kids with lots of cyber skill to be able to exercise and further develop those skills. Most would just simply target random servers and hack illegally, so it was great that I found NetWars.
Who is supporting the US Cyber Challenge? FBI NSA DHS
Seven Levels • Cyber Foundations • Cyber Patriot Cyber Defense Competition • The Security Treasure Hunts • NetWars • The Cyber Camps • Collegiate Cyber Defense Leagues • Internships and Scholarships