This blog is now moving to http://blog.securitynow.us

After careful consideration, I feel it is better to have my Security Now blog hosted on another server.

To access this new Location please visit: http://blog.securitynow.us

I hope this move will enable a much better experience for my readers.

Thanks
Keith

BotNets should you care, yes. What is being done about this issue.

Georgia Tech has a method (only in prototype right now) that will help detect and eliminate some of the BotNets that are running wild on the internet. For those that are wondering what a Botnet is here is the definition at Wikipedia: Definition  

To sum it up a BotNet is basically a series of unsuspecting users surfing the internet, their machines get infected with a program that is hidden and lays dormant until the person that needs to use these machines for various reasons, for example to attack a server, harvest email addresses, steal somebody's identity along with many worse things. When the person running the BotNet needs to use these zombie computers they call them up via some sort of control channel and launch the attack from the many systems they have access to (this can be in the thousands). After the attack if information has been gathered from other systems the hacker decides he/she needs. The information is received from the zombie machines at their leisure while keeping their anonymity intact. 

Makes you wonder if you have ever been blacklisted from accessing a site or from emailing and you have done nothing wrong. 

I can't stand to see people being wrongly prosecuted because someone is using their machine without their knowledge. 

This is another reason I perform forensic investigations. Imagine if someone was collecting and serving up Kiddie Porn from your machine without your knowledge. Every photo, every modification along with every transfer of those files is a separate felony. You go to jail, not the real culprit. 

If you are ever in that situation, work with Law Enforcement to help figure out exactly what happened and also have a good lawyer that can enlist the help of a forensics specialist to nail down exactly what  happened and you are in fact a victim. 

Be aware, If you do collect these type of files and try to say you don't we can prove that as well and you need to go to jail and you will. In my opinion pedophiles are one of the worst types out there.

Thank You Georgia Tech, your development will help a the internet community and your hard work is greatly appreciated!

For full details on the Georgia Tech BotNet Sniffer: Go Here Read the pdf it is a very interesting and a somewhat technical read.

Cyber Command and a bit on Social Engineering

Today I read some interesting information with regard to the creation/expansion of the US Cyber Command, this group is planning posts all around the US to allow the US to engage in a CyberWar. 

They are currently recruiting many White Hat (Ethical) Hackers to sit in front of banks of monitors to attempt to catch other countries from attacking US resources. 

From what I understand so far (from many sources) is that the plan is to launch a full scale counter attack across the internet if necessary. This type of activity has a huge potential of many internet outages along with routing issues. 

I will not form an opinion on this action as of yet since I'm not fully aware of the exact plan and impact on preventing someone from another country from getting into the US resources. You can read more HERE

On another note: As I monitor the boards, I heard of the death this morning of a 31 year old IT professional. He was also a major contributor to many of the security boards. Someone posted the obituary  to the board. 

Never do this as this post included detailed information about his family, real name, place of employment and where he was from. This type of information has the potential of giving someone more than enough information to perform identity theft within the next few days.  

Please Never post that type of information about anyone (dead or alive) as this can hurt the families in more ways than you can imagine.

When setting up an account refrain from using mother's maiden name or pets names... In those fields where required. Make something up that you will remember. Better to be safer than sorry.

Welcome to my Security Related Blog

This is my first posting using blogger.com. It appears to be a great place to share my thoughts of various items within the security community.

I really want to make more people aware of the need for security and how many people are pulled into a false sense of security.

As I post more you should see a wide variety of issues noted that may be disturbing to many, some will say to themselves "Hey that sounds like me, is my company or personal life being subjected to that" and then many will say "wow that happened to me".

I welcome your comments as this will help nurture our community into a safer computing experience without isolating yourself from the rest of the world.

Please remember the only truly safe computer is one that has been unplugged, hard disk removed and destroyed and sitting collecting dust.

I will try to help, as we move forward, for you know and understand where the line is where security adversely impacts your daily business or your web experience. Yes, there is a line, we security professionals sometimes have a hard time admitting it, but business must continue to operate in a productive manner.

I will be covering topics ranging from Social Engineering, Identity Theft, to High Level Security Issues and threats.

Thanks and I hope you bookmark this site, things will be changing fast as new experiences will be posted. Security is and always will be an ever evolving entity.