Miasmatic Threat Level Joey Hernandez CISM, CISSP

Miasmatic Theory Miasm – Greek meaning “Pollution” or “Taint” Early Miasmatic Theory belief – Diseases: Transmitted through Air, Water, Soil, & other sources in THE ECOSYSTEM that surround us – The understanding that particular MIASM pollutes the encompassed LOCAL ECOSYSTEM producing a diseased state

Miasmatic Theory Continued Required Actions – For Long Term Resolution Classify Diseases – To determine those caused by outside influence Discovered: – External conditions required removal (Malaria.. Remove the Mosquitos) – Underlying Root MIASM must be removed (Malaria.. What about the stagnant water, and Cleanliness?) All MIASMATIC Layers must be addressed

Grasping The Miasma Concept Understanding Cholera To Malware Urbanization had initially led to overcrowding in poor housing conditions and resulted in outbreaks of Cholera, tuberculosis, and typhoid fever, to name a few. Implementation of preventive measures was based on the “Miasma theory” according to which poisonous vapor or mist filled with particles from decomposed matter and emissions of organic decomposition from the earth, identifiable by its foul smell, then thought to be the source of most illnesses. This was the basis of the “Sanitary Movement” which addressed sewage disposal, water treatment, food safety programs and public education about hygienic practices, resulting in the decline of the aforementioned diseases. During the cholera epidemic in London in the 1850s, John Snow traced the origin of and stopped the epidemic by removing the handle of the Broad Street pump, identifying the source of the epidemic to be a contaminated water supply. Local health boards began to develop and implement water treatment and other sanitary requirements in major cities such as New York in 1866, which subsequently led to implementation of water treatment systems and mandatory pasteurization of milk. Similarly, in 1892, Max von Pettenkofer, one of the pioneers of public health and advocate of the Miasma theory, prevented an outbreak in Munich by starting treatment of the wastewater system. “We Have To Treat The Cyber Miasmatic Root” Citation: Schlipköter U, Flahault A. Communicable diseases: achievements and challenges for public health. Public Health Reviews 2010;32:

Cyber Miasma Diseased Locales – “The ECOSYSTEM” – Top Level Domains – Countries Infection – Prioritize LOCALES Develop Methods For – External Condition Mitigation – Removal of Root Causes

Selection Criteria For Miasmatic Rating Miasma Rating Domains Hosting Malware Malware Detected Countries With Greatest Risk Spam Production Trended Malware Countries Hosting Most Malware

Miasmatic Rating NationRanking United States of America1 China2 Russia3 France4 Germany5 Brazil6 Italy7 Great Britain8 Korea9 India10 Higher ranking = Higher Risk USA/China/Russia – The Known - Knowns Although Relevant – The Skew For Consideration Is The IP Distribution – Population Utilizing/Access To The Internet – Attribution France  India – The Unknowns?

Thought Provoking Solutions Create Global Policies With Local Implications ITU, ENISA, ICANN, UN etc – Disable Capabilities Economic Sanctions – Just as travel is limited during outbreaks…. So Should Bank & Credit Card Companies Limit Spending In “Infected” Countries – Economic Impact Will Open Eyes! Change The View From Infectious To Miasmatic With A Focus On Efforts To Sanitize The Environment – Hold The Country Accountable Not The User!

References Sophos Security Threat 2013 Microsoft Intelligence Report 2012 McAfee Malware Report SRI Whitepapers – Exploit Reports Kaspersky Lab – Risk Reports WHO.INT