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Steganography and the Insider Threat
May 3, 2013 8:50 am | CommentsWhether the insider threat or the external threat is more serious has been the subject of perennial discussion ever since the concept of threats to information systems emerged. And there is no end in sight. The insider threat is a particularly intractable problem because there are so many ways insiders can steal information from an enterprise network.
Defense Contractor Spied on for Years by Chinese Hackers
May 2, 2013 3:55 pm | by Sean Gallagher | CommentsQinetiQ, a UK-based defense contractor, has its fingers all over some of the US Defense Department's most sensitive systems. The company's subsidiaries provide robots, diagnostic systems, intelligence systems for satellites, drones and even "cyber-security" to the US Department of Defense. But for at least three years, QinetiQ was apparently unintentionally supplying its expertise to another customer: China.
Fast Digital Forensics Sniff Out Accomplices
May 2, 2013 3:06 pm | by Paul Marks | CommentsWhen a suspect is apprehended, their computers, phones and other devices become important sources of evidence. But mining all that data – a typical case can involve several terabytes of information — takes time, and usually requires specially trained officers. Backlogs can delay investigations for weeks.
Cyber-dam Busted
May 2, 2013 11:09 am | by Bill Gertz | CommentsU.S. intelligence agencies traced a recent cyber intrusion into a sensitive infrastructure database to the Chinese government or military cyber warriors, according to U.S. officials. The compromise of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ National Inventory of Dams (NID) is raising new concerns that China is preparing to conduct a future cyber attack against the national electrical power grid.
Chinese Cyberespionage: Brazen, Prolific And Persistent
May 2, 2013 10:12 am | by Kelly Jackson Higgins | CommentsTracing malware and breaches to their attackers is not straightforward — anyone can hide behind layers of IP addresses — but China has been confirmed as a major player in cyberespionage in multiple reports this month, as both Verizon and FireEye independently have released data that points the finger at the country for the bulk of cyberspying activity.
Don't Text 'LOL' after Bombing Boston
May 2, 2013 9:57 am | by Spencer Ackerman | CommentsDias Kadyrbayev noticed on Thursday, April 18 that the image of "Suspect #2" — a shaggy-haired young man in a white baseball cap — released by the FBI in connection to the Marathon bombings looked like his friend Dzhokhar. Kadyrbayev, 19, texted Tsarnaev that evening around 8:40 to ask what was up with that.
Software Bug Used to Win Video Poker
May 1, 2013 4:26 pm | by Kevin Poulsen | CommentsOn Monday, July 6, 2009, two engineers from Nevada’s Gaming Control Board showed up at the Silverton Casino Lodge. They’d come to examine machine 50102, a Game King video poker unit on the casino floor that had been waiting for them, taped off like a crime scene, all weekend.
Vermont's College Grads in Digital Defense are in Huge Demand
May 1, 2013 4:04 pm | by Ken Picard | CommentsAs a kid, Catherine Stamm was always interested in police work and criminal forensics, until she realized she couldn’t stomach “the whole blood thing.” But as a high school student in North Babylon, N.Y., she also loved messing around with computers. So she decided to attend Champlain College and pursue a degree in computer and digital forensics, which doesn’t involve messy crime scenes.
Steubenville Coaches, School Administrators May Not Have Reported Abuse
May 1, 2013 10:35 am | by Andrew Welsh-Huggins | CommentsA grand jury on Tuesday began investigating whether other laws were broken in the case of a 16-year-old girl a judge determined was raped by two high school football players after an alcohol-fueled party last summer. One of the questions before the 14-person panel meeting in Steubenville, in eastern Ohio, is likely to be whether adults such as coaches or school administrators knew about the rape allegation but failed to report it.
How a Serial-killing Night Nurse Hacked Hospital Drug Protocol
May 1, 2013 9:48 am | by Charles Graeber | CommentsNurses deal with drugs every day. Most do so professionally, safely, reliably. A very few abuse them, getting high or selling them for a profit, mostly opiates. And a tiny minority — a handful in the history of nursing — turn medicines into a murder weapon. One such nurse was Charles Cullen.
As Cyber Threats Mount, Criticism of Government Overreach
May 1, 2013 8:53 am | by Jerry Markon | CommentsThe hacker, Andrew Auernheimer, was convicted and sentenced to more than three years in prison for obtaining about 120,000 e-mail addresses of iPad users from AT&T’s Web site. The case highlights a growing debate over how to define right and wrong in the digital age, what is public and proprietary online, and how far law enforcement should go in pursuing cyber crime.
The FBI Cracks 'Sextortion' Plot against Pro Poker Players
May 1, 2013 8:35 am | by Nate Anderson | CommentsAt 8:05am on the morning of December 1, 2010, an FBI search warrant team swarmed up to a Silicon Valley home on an unusual misson: find the "sextortionist" who had been blackmailing pro poker players over the Internet. Outside and down the street, the force behind the search warrant was sitting in her car, waiting for the all clear.
Forcing Tech Companies to Comply with Wiretap Orders
April 30, 2013 11:33 am | by Ellen Nakashima | CommentsA government task force is preparing legislation that would pressure companies such as Facebook and Google to enable law enforcement officials to intercept online communications as they occur, according to current and former U.S. officials familiar with the effort.
Minnesota Amends Civil eDiscovery Rules
April 30, 2013 9:05 am | by Brendan Kenny | CommentsLike a host of other states, Minnesota is amending its civil procedure rules to emphasize proportionality, collaboration and informality in the discovery process. These changes should help litigants and courts resolve cases speedily, effectively, and fairly by narrowing the parameters of e-discovery.
Survey Explores Legal and Technical Ramifications of Digital Forensics
April 30, 2013 8:58 am | CommentsWith digital investigations evolving to include numerous devices, applications and mediums, the SANS Institute is embarking on a new survey about modern-day digital forensics investigations. The survey is being sponsored by Guidance Software, Bit9, Cellebrite and FireEye.
