Technology Solutions for the Business of Gevernments

Don’t let lack of training dollars or your schedule prevent you from keeping up with the latest IT trends in an ever-changing market.

If you missed the #1 government-focused IT expo and conference in our nation’s capital this March, it’s now coming to your desktop! And it’s FREE!

Attend Virtual FOSE from the convenience of your computer – no travel, no fees, and no time away from the office! You can visit Virtual FOSE at your own pace and during the times most convenient for you.

You’ll experience:

• In-depth educational sessions covering key topics such as Cyber Security, Web 2.0, Cloud Computing, Virtualization, and more! Some sessions are recordings from the FOSE Conference (a $295 value, now FREE), as well as LIVE sessions followed by Q&A.
• Exceptional speakers featuring industry leaders from DHS, NASA, State Dept., EPA, GSA, and more!
• Emerging technologies in a virtual exhibit hall
  Virtual product demos and experts on hand to answer questions immediately
• Real-Time Networking
  Targeted networking opportunities with thousands of IT professionals through group chat in the virtual networking lounge, or individual communication via email, instant message, and more! Through the search feature, you choose the specific professionals you want to network with.

Because this is a free event, space is limited. Register today at VIRTUAL FOSE

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Examiner:
FOSE: DC’s Largest and Longest Running Government Technology Show

FOSE has been functioning for more than 30 years, and no other venue draws over 10,000 senior-level IT decision makers from local, state and the federal government to network, evaluate services, products and solutions from over 400 organizations.

Forbes.com:
FOSE Announces Special Program on International Cybersecurity Issues and Initiatives
“FOSE is a great opportunity to become acquainted with new technology,” said Jacob Brown, a representative from the Department of Defense Inspector General’s Office. “It’s good to see it here, before you see it in the field. It helps you stay ahead of the curve.”

TV Worldwide:
New Show Footage

FOSE on Facebook |  FOSE on Twitter |  FOSE Group on LinkedIn |  FOSE on YouTube

Until nest time — Stay safe online!

You are well aware of the challenges we as a CyberSecurity community face from rapid changes in the technology landscape. FOSE 2010 is the place to discover opportunities and solutions along with changing expectations for government IT professionals.

Register today for the FOSE 2010 experience http://www.fose.com.

You can expect:

• 3 days of IT resources helping you navigate today’s shifting tech landscape
• 2 full conference days packed with education on emerging technologies, trends, and new improvements to existing solutions
• Thousands of products on the FREE* EXPO floor allowing you to gain one-on-one insight into the capabilities of our exhibitors through demos, theater presentations and FREE Education.
• Attend the Accenture CyberSecurity Pavilion or Focus on Digital Forensics.

*FOSE is a must-attend free show for government, military, and government contractors.

It’s time to register and reserve your place at FOSE http://www.fose.com

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Recently, While watching the twitter public_timeline (TPT), I managed to get myself tangled up in an uncomfortable situation online.  While on the TPT I came across an alleged hacktivist, became overly curious, and followed up by conducting private research to better understand the intentions behind his or her hacktivism activities.

It wasn’t long before I began to notice discrepancies in the hacktivist’s focused cyber attacks. While conversing with this particular hacktivist I also drew some curious head shakes from security experts who allegedly had connections with the US government (AC).

In a nutshell, I managed to upset both the hacktivist and the AC’s! All of this online drama came about because I unintentionally set myself up for such a situation to occur.  Some of you may be wondering why I even bothered to pursue following and questioning such a controversial profile.

For as long as I can remember I’ve always been inherently curious. I was one of those kids who would find Santa’s hidden stash and secretly unwrap everyone’s Christmas gifts, then re-wrap all of the gifts back to perfection. Perhaps I was checking gift equality or I was just a nosy kid. Whatever the reason behind such invasive curiosity, this curiosity beast is one that I have to fend off and suppress on a consistent basis!

This type of curiosity could have easily become a Teksquisite reputation downfall. I could have been targeted both by the hacktivist and by government investigations. Though I did receive some direct communications via messaging and phone regarding statements I made about the hacktivist on twitter, I was not aware until much later in the game (by other concerned security
professionals) that this was a situation that I should graciously remove myself from.

“Harassment comes in many different forms and is not limited to physical or verbal abuse. Harassment can occur in any media or forum in which individuals interact.” –The Free Library

3 important steps to extricate yourself from situational cyberharassment

1. NEVER respond to flames.
2. NEVER confront the individual(s) with evidence or accusations
3. Remove yourself immediately from all hostile situations

The above steps should sever any type of online harassment situation almost immediately.  Although there may be some negative fallout from my particular situation, I anticipate that the steps I have taken above will successfully eliminate the possibility that cyberharassment will continue to exist.

If the above steps do not resolve a cyberharassment situation, you may be looking at the more serious case of cyberstalking.

“Cyberstalking and cyberharassment are very similar. Most people use them interchangeably, but there is a subtle distinction, typically relating to the perpetrator’s intent and the original motivation for their behavior.”

“While the two situations usually involve many of the same online tactics, cyberstalking is almost always characterized by the stalker relentlessly pursuing his\her victim online and is much more likely to include some form of offline attack, as well. This offline aspect makes it a more serious situation as it can easily lead to dangerous physical contact, if the victim’s location is known.” –Wiredsafety

In the past I have voluntarily worked with both Wiredsafety.org as an Internet Security Specialist and HaltAbuse.org as an Internet Security Advocate. Both organizations offer extensive help to victims of cyberstalking. If you are involved in an online situation that has escalated beyond the status of cyberharassment, be sure to contact one of the organizations listed above for further information on how to protect yourself online.

Until next time – stay safe online!

The butterfly effect: “Small variations of the initial condition of a dynamical system may produce large variations in the long term behavior of the system.”

In the realm of Internet security, webmasters (hosting service providers) are pivotal in reducing the impact of compromised/malware-laden websites.  Once a compromised site becomes known to a webmaster (or hosting service provider) it should immediately be disconnected from the Internet.

As a webmaster (hosting services provider) you play an integral role in guarding the integrity of site code and maintaining upgrade compliance. One neglectful action on your part – such as failure to acknowledge a website vulnerability can seriously effect all site visitors.  An iframe exploit may seem small and insignificant at first, until a payload is dumped and eventually herds hundreds, or even thousands of innocent victims into the bowels of a stealthy botnet.

As a webmaster (hosting service provider) when using social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook, you are also responsible for the health of your profile URL that links back to your website. If a social networking site filters your profile link, you should take the warning seriously.

Recently, I was astonished and alarmed by a website owner on Twitter.  She disguised her profile link with another domain that redirected visitors back to the initial infected domain.  She was able to trick Twitter filtering, but at what cost to website visitors?  Her reasoning for switching the URL was “yeah i thought maybe i could trick it but i guess not. i’ll have to remove the links for now.”  The new link was never removed from her profile, though her site was eventually cleaned up. How many people became infected during the interim trick?  Irresponsible actions, as noted above, are all too prevalent when it comes to taking social responsibility for compromised websites.

Are you smart enough to run a website?

Taking responsibility for Internet security is something that we all should be taking seriously. From home user levels to corporate user levels – there is no room for feigning technological stupidity.  If you are a small business owner and operating a company website, you need to become educated on how to properly secure and maintain your website.  If you are unable to take Internet security seriously, you will need to hire a professional.

Cyber-crooks are relentless in their pursuit of your money and “It’s all about the money,” according to Graham Cluley, senior technical consultant at Internet security firm Sophos. In the worst case scenario, your identity and your financial security can be severely compromised. –Source: Bill Mullins

Running a website is a huge responsibility and should not be taken lightly. Today, cybercrime rules the Internet highways. If you don’t know how to drive, park the car and get out now!

Being involved in computer security, I am amazed and frankly frustrated, at the lack of personal responsibly [SIC] exhibited by most typical computer users, and most importantly, the lack of commitment to acquiring the knowledge necessary to ensure personal safety on the Internet. In a word, becoming “educated”. –Source: Bill Mullins

The butterfly effect is here to stay.  Even the smallest of actions can severely impact all of us.  One malware link to a .cn domain could compromise one computer.  One computer then joins a botnet.  Next on the agenda — ten housand computers join a botnet.  Why?  Because the computers already house severe vulnerabilities.  As webmasters (hosting service providers) do not downplay your Internet security role as insignificant.

Steps that you can take to secure your website:

Kevin Roderick suggests Seven essential resources to help protect your website from technical attack:

1. Google’s Webmaster Tools
2. Google’s Safe Browsing Diagnostic Tool
3. Google’s Online Security Blog
4. Stop Badware’s Link Clearinghouse
5. Webmaster World
6. Matt Cutts’ Blog
7. Search Engine Land

Until next time — stay safe online!

There was new legislation introduced on Wednesday calling for a national cybersecurity advisor to report directly to President Obama.

“The legislation also calls for the creation of a Cybersecurity Advisory Panel composed of outside experts from industry, academia, and nonprofit groups that would advise the president, as well as creation of a public-private clearinghouse for cyber threat and vulnerability information sharing, establishment of measurable and auditable cybersecurity standards from the National Institute of Standards and Technology. It would also require that cybersecurity professionals be licensed and certified.”

Check out the rest of this story at CNET.

Until next time – stay tuned!