1. CYBER SECURITY 101

2. TOPICS Past Present and Future Vulnerability, Attack, Defense
Network
Password
Social Engineering
Design
Resources

3. The First Virus

4. In 1969 the first message was sent on the pre-cursor to the ARPANET a precursor to the modern internet.

5. In 1971 the creeper virus was created
In 1971 the creeper virus was created. It replicated itself across the ARPANET and installed on the local system displaying the message. “IM THE CREEPER. CATCH ME IF YOU CAN”. Another programmer wrote a program “REAPER” to seek out and destroy the CREEPER virus.

6. In December 2013 Microsoft moved to take down the ZeroAccess botnet comprised of ~ 3 million infected computers.

7. CYBER THREATS

9. SCALE
Hard Drive Size: 500 GB
GB = Giga Byte
Giga = 1.0 E 9 = Billion = 1000 million
Byte = 8 bits = Memory to store ~ 1 character “a”
Bit = Binary digit = 1 or 0
Nibble = 4 bits or half a byte 
MP3 Size: 3.5 MB
MB = Mega Byte
Mega = 1.0 E 6 = Million = 1000 thousand
Trojan: 100 KB
KB = Kilo Byte = 1.0 E 3 = thousand

10. VIRUS
A self replicating program
installs itself in another program.
not necessarily malicious
Harm may result due to its method of infection
Memory in a computer is a approximate thing.
Viruses exploit this to infect a program.
empty space in memory blocks
Compress a program to make room
Delete parts of program and insert its code
Dispersal amongst many files using multiple methods.

12. MUTATION
Viruses, Trojans and worms can infect each other
May be accidental or intentional
Popular viruses may be exploited by other virus writers.
May work in tandem or conflict.
Exploit the same flaw
Exploit resultant flaws
Delete and replace existing infection
Ex. Cholera/CTX is the cholera virus infected with the CTX mass mailing worm. Mutations are rarely viable, but still a threat. Doubly so since they present an additional challenge of detection, and malfunction.

13. TROJAN HORSE non replicating uses subterfuge to infect
Usually not destructive in and of themselves,
Tend to open backdoors for
more malicious programs
monitoring
Remote control
Stealing personal information
Key logging
Vectors
attachment in a
free program to download movies
Fake AV pop up
May perform as advertised or appear to fail to do anything
TROJAN HORSE

14. ZEUS / SPYEYE
There was a crackdown on ZEUS/SPYEYE in It was used to steal information from NASA, Bank of America, CISCO, Amazon.
Easy to install
User friendly
Difficult to attribute

15. Worms
Self replicating
propagate by exploiting vulnerabilities
open network ports,
flaws in software design.
Incidental cost due to transmission method
consumes excessive bandwidth while searching for new targets
This suspicious traffic makes it easier to spot

16. There’s some overlap in the definition of different types of malware
There’s some overlap in the definition of different types of malware. The distinction doesn’t really matter since the goal is to prevent infection and keep your system secure.
No system is perfect but there’s a great deal the average user can do to thwart attackers and protect themselves.
Social engineering is a big part of malware. If you encounter a fake AV program, or PHISHING attempt it is intentionally alarmist. It covers most your screen with a flashing dire warning and counters racking the total number of infections found.
Spear phishing is becoming more common too. It’s hard to avoid putting information out there as a public institution. Encountering a Cyber threat is inevitable, but most attempts are fairly transparent.
grey
area

17. Vitek Boden :
Machony shire, Australia In 2001 millions of tons of sewage were dumped into natural parks by the Queensland waste management system. At first they thought it was a malfunction but after the problem persisted they realized they were subject to an cyber attack.
The stations had remotely controllable nodes and they noticed a pattern of the attacks and setup a sting capturing 49 year old Vitek Boden in his car with a laptop and some propriety hardware for the accessing sewage systems controls.

18. Lulsec:
Was a group of hackers who gained notoriety in 2011 for a series of high profile attacks against corporations. Most members were caught after their leader outted himself to an FBI informant and assisted in there capture.

19. AV : Antivirus
They operate by scanning your system against there database of malware signatures. There’s no reason not to have one.
They can be bothersome due to system resource consumption and permission conflicts but their settings can be tweaked to reduce their resource usage and when installing programs from a trusted source they can be disabled.
Still they should be installed. Scans should be run at least weekly and virus definitions updated daily.

20. Firewall
Controls network traffic flow. What programs can communicate on which ports, and filters incoming traffic.
Stand alone equipment, and most O/S have one built in.

21. Spam Filters
SPAM is such a problem that this is a de-facto feature of most mail clients and AV applications, but it’s worth noting. They can operate intelligently parsing mail based on algorithms ranging from strong to weak or in conjunction with whitelist/blacklist.
Whitelisting is inclusive, you designate what domains, or addresses can pass through to your mailbox.
Blacklist are exclusive, designating what domains or addresses cannot send mail to your mailbox.

22. System Permissions Operate using the lowest permission level possible.
An infection operates with the same permissions it is running under.
It’s possible to limit the scope of infections by using an account with standard permissions
If your system is infected as an admin, your whole system is now vulnerable
As a standard user it may be limited to that profile
The default account created usually is an Administrator regardless of its name

23. Phishing is an attempt to gain access to credentials, account information, or funds directly. Usually they’re SPAMMed in bulk.
Spear PHISHING is a target phishing attempt. The message will be tailored towards a specific group of users. In either case the same principles of avoidance apply.

24. Spotting Spam
Grammar
Check the sender address.
Mouse-over links
If you get an from a vendor and you thinks it’s illegitimate. Just go to the site.

25. Mobile Devices Increasingly targeted by cyber attackers
They face the same threats as computers (viruses, worms, trojans, etc)
Unsecure Apps
Gather personal information
Create security holes
Embedded malware
Anti Virus Apps

26. SpyGold.A Trojan Targets Android OS
Forwards copies of txt messages and phone calls onto a remote server.
Installs/Uninstalls apps
Makes phone calls
Sends TXTs
Can operate at a bot

27. Passwords Updates Trusted Sources Constant Vigilance
Cyber Security Tips
Passwords
Updates
Trusted Sources
Constant Vigilance

28. (also some combination of the three)
Cracking Passwords
3 General Methods
Brute force: every possible password
Dictionary: common passwords and iterations
Capture:
deciphering the encrypted password
Spoofing an active session
(also some combination of the three)

29. Password Policy Don’t use a common phrases or words
Don’t use the same password in multiple places
Make it Complex
Change it occasionally
Make it Easy to remember
Password Policy

30. Password Re-use Cascade Varying levels of encryption Open Sessions
Attackers won’t stop at exploiting one account
Using different passwords prevents limits the scope of successful attacks
Varying levels of encryption
Not every site stores passwords with the same level of security
Not every site needs a strong password
Online Banking: Yes
Candy Crush : No
Candy Crush with saved credit card: Yes
Open Sessions
After logging into a website a session is created
Attackers can bypass authentication by capturing this session information
Don’t keep multiple tabs or windows open when accessing secure sites
Logout when you’re finished working on a site
Routinely clear internet history
Avoid storing passwords in the browser

31. Creating a strong, easy to remember password
Simple phrase: what day is it again?
Remove spaces: whatdayisitagain?
Capitol Letters: wHatdayisitagain?
Numbers: wHatd7ayisitag4ain?
Special Characters: wHatd7!ayisitag4ain?
Extra letters wHatd7!ayisihtag4ain?

32. Final Word
Explore your computer while it’s working so you’ll know when it’s not
What accounts are on the machine?
What permission levels do they have?
What programs and services are running ?
Start automatically ?
What files (pictures, documents, etc) are important ?
When was the last time you backed them up ?
Are they backed up online and offline ?
Is the online backup secure ?
Antivirus program
How up to date is the program ?
Up to date Virus definitions ?
Routine Scan schedule ?
Firewall is running
What programs are allowed through
What internet browser(s) do you use ?
Are they up to date ?
What Plugins, Toolbars, Add-Ons does it have ?
Are they from a trusted source ?
Do they collect personal information and what ?
What version of
Adobe Reader
Adobe Flash
ActiveX or Plugin
Java

33. Resources Free AV Applications
Wild list
National Institute of Standard and Technology
Department of Homeland Security
Password Strength Checker
Sophos A-Z Threats

34. CYBER SECURITY 101