Category: InfoSec
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Building a Global IDS
[This was originally published on Aviary Magazine and mirrored on attrition.org.] A good Intrusion Detection System (IDS) is designed to not only warn of known attacks, but to second guess and stop unknown attacks. This is done by utilizing known signatures of existing attacks, and speculating on unseen or new intrusion techniques that have some…
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In Response To: Unplugged! The biggest hack in history
[This was originally published in Aviary Magazine and mirrored on attrition.org.] Original Articlehttp://www.zdnet.com/filters/printerfriendly/0,6061,2345639-2,00.htmlBy John Simons, WSJ Interactive EditionOctober 1, 1999 8:54 AM PT The Phonemasters and I In 1994, I was learning as much about computers and telephony as I could possibly take in. Had an extra 500 page manual? I’d digest it in days.…
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The Last Line of Defense, Broken
[This was originally published on SecurityFocus and mirrored on attrition.org.] The Last Line of Defense, BrokenThe Public Perception of Security Companies Getting Compromised Every so often, the protectors of your most important digital resources get hit with a little mud in the face. The so-called last line of defense is broken, and the security company…
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Why Your Network is Still Vulnerable
[This was originally published on Hacker News Network (HNN) and mirrored on attrition.org.] You trust the security experts. Their books and articles about security are often the bibles of System Administrators. Their one paragraph biographies tell you of their ten to twenty years doing network security. They take on impressive titles of neat sounding companies…
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Subversion of Information Attacks
[This was originally published on Aviary Magazine and mirrored on attrition.org.] The Real Threat What is the absolute worse consequence of hackers on the Internet? Defacing high profile sites? Deleting a dozen machines effectively shutting down an entire business? Flooding subnets and denying access to an ISP of five thousand people? None of the above.…
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Network Solutions Inc. Security Problem
AFFECTED SYSTEMS Any system with a registered domain name. BACKGROUND Network Solutions Inc. has the monopoly on the registration of domain names across the .com, .org and .net top level domains (TLDs). Thus, they have a “captive audience.” It was to this audience that Unsolicted Bulk Email (UBE) was sent regarding their services. Due to…
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Defacto Damage: Unusual Trends in Loss Figures
[This was originally published on Aviary Magazine and mirrored on attrition.org.] A disturbing trend is emerging in computer crime across the United States. A trend that can not easily be passed off as mere coincidence either. With each computer crime comes a figure for damages and losses. Not surprisingly, when media and law enforcement report…
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How to Get A Real Security Budget
[This was originally published on SecurityFocus and mirrored on attrition.org.] There you are, a highly paid professional administrator for a large Information Technology (IT) shop. Responsible for dozens, sometimes hundreds or thousands of machines that process company business;business in the form of vital correspondence between Research and Development, financial transactions for your countless customers. Perhaps…
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The Newbie’s Guide to Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt
[This was originally published on Hacker News Network (HNN) and mirrored on attrition.org.] Introduction Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt (FUD). We all live with it, and we’re all accustomed to it at one level or another: “Do I have enough insurance?”; “Did I leave the coffee pot on when I left for work this morning?”; “Will…
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Life in and around 6 South, 626
[This was originally published on Aviary Magazine and mirrored on attrition.org. It was written by Dale Coddington and myself.] Recently, two of the Attrition Staff caught up with Kevin Mitnick and asked a few more questions about his living conditions. We presented him with an article by Kimberly Tracey (-1-) to establish a baseline for…