Cure Your Big App Attack

Not that I really needed to point his out but, security attacks are moving ‘up the stack.’  90% of security investments are focused on network security, yet according to Gartner, 75% of the attacks are focused at the application layer and ‘over 90 percent of security vulnerabilities exist at the application layer, not the network layer.’  SQL Injection and XSS are #1 and #2 reported vulnerabilities and the top two from the OWASP Top 10.  Plus, from Forrester Consulting, the average loss of revenue per hour for a layer 7 DDoS attack is $220,000.  These vulnerabilities are some of the...

Custom Code for Targeted Attacks

Botnets?  Old school.  Spam?  So yesterday.  Phishing?  Don’t even bother…well, on second thought.  Spaghetti hacking like spaghetti marketing, toss it and see what sticks, is giving way to specific development of code (or stealing other code) to breach a particular entity.  In the past few weeks, giants like Sony, Google, Citibank, Lockheed and others have fallen victim to serious intrusions.  The latest to be added to that list: The IMF – International Monetary Fund.  IMF is an international, intergovernmental organization which oversees the global financial system.  First created to help stabilize the global economic system, they oversee exchange rates and...

And The Hits Keep Coming

In case you missed this over the long weekend, a few more notable names were compromised in recent weeks.  A few weeks ago I wrote about how the Big Attacks are Back and it sure seems like the hits keep coming.  First, last Friday, Lockheed Martin said that earlier in the week, they detected that someone was trying to break into their network through the VPN.  Lockheed is a huge military contractor providing fighter jets, spy satellites and other military and intelligence equipment for the US and other government entities.  They are also known for Skunk Works or their Advanced...

The Big Attacks are Back…Not That They Ever Stopped

As we've seen with some of the recent high profile internet attacks, like HBGary, RSA, Google, Comodo and others, no one is immune from being a target and the perpetrators are exceedingly organized, exceptionally skilled and extremely well-funded. Often, the culprits might be better trained than the IT staff deployed to thwart the attacks. The attacks are targeted, elaborate and aggressive, not to mention a bit creative. The attacks are multi-layered in that once one type of attack settles in, another can and will crop up. They are not simply looking to deface a website but they are attempting to...

2010 Year End Security Wrap

Figured I’d write this now since many of you will be celebrating the holidays over the next couple weeks and who really wants to read a blog when you’re reveling with family and friends.  It’s been an interesting year for information security, and for me too.  I started the year with New Decade, Same Threats? and wondered if the 2010 predictions of: social media threats, smarter malware/botnets, using the cloud for crime, financial DDoS, rogue software, Mac and Mobile malware, more breaches and a whole host of others would come through.  And boy did they.  Social media was...

Today’s Target: Corporate Secrets

Intellectual Property is one of a company’s most precious assets and includes things like patents, inventions, designs, source code, trademarks, trade secrets and more.  These formulas, processes, practices and other inside information can differentiate your brand and give a competitive edge in the marketplace.  An often cited example is Coca-Cola’s formula or KFC’s 11 herbs and spices.  For technology companies it can be their software, hardware design, development process, roadmaps, patents and others pertinent to the company.  In F5’s case, we own the patent for Cookie Persistence technology and have had to lawfully protect that valuable intellectual property. A...

Dan Kaminsky Interview Part I

Peter Silva of F5 sits down with IOActive's Dan Kaminsky. In this extremely informative and lively discussion, the Domain Name System is the topic. DNS infrastructure, DNS vulnerabilities including DNS Cache Poisoning, DNSSEC and what's happened since the discovery of the flaw are all discussed. In 3-10 minute segments. ps Technorati Tags: Pete Silva,F5,security,application security,network security, business, banks, education, economy, technology, blogging, blogs, social networking, webinar, video, partners

Dan Kaminsky Interview Part II

Peter Silva of F5 continues his conversation with IOActive's Dan Kaminsky. Please see Part 1 for complete description. In this segment, Dan talks about the discovery of DNS Cache Poisoning, DNSSEC and the overall importance of DNS to the Internet. ps Technorati Tags: Pete Silva,F5,security,application security,network security, business, banks, education, economy, technology, blogging, blogs, social networking, webinar, video, partners

New Decade, Same Threats?

Do I call it Twenty-Ten or Two Thousand Ten?  Just not Two Thousand and Ten since that pesky decimal takes us back 10 years.  Eh, either way, the new year and decade brings out all the predictions for the coming year with this one taking the cybercriminal approach.   The various 'Year in Reviews' also make appearances since we need to understand where we came from to know where we’re going.  These are always interesting due to the various points of view even if many of the predictions are the same: social media threats, not necessarily more but smarter malware/botnets, using...