Internal Attacker Detected: Conclusion

Minutes later, one of the security techs met me at Lynn’s cube with a box that we quickly filled with the contents of her desk: files, CDs, DVDs, notedpads, books, etc. The other help desk analysts in adjacent cubes looked at us with silent questions on their faces.

I noticed that one of them was a new employee that had attended my security presentation in employee orientation last week, so he knew who I was. That meant rumors would spread quickly. While I never enjoyed walkouts, they reminded the staff that security incidents have consequences.

This is a multi-part series. See Internal Attacker Detected: Part 1, Internal Attacker Detected: Part 2, and Internal Attacker Detected: Part 3.

Others on my team had already imaged the old computer and had started imaging the new one across the network as soon as my meeting with Lynn began (by design, she was not told of the meeting beforehand). Both images would be sent off to the Forensics team.

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Internal Attacker Detected: Part 3

Tim said, “Mack, like you suggested, I connected to her new PC over the network and searched her hard drive for the hacker tools–they’re back, plus a few new ones. And her antivirus is turned off again.”

This is a multi-part series. See Internal Attacker Detected: Part 1 and Internal Attacker Detected: Part 2.

After discussing my action plan with the CIO, Legal, and Human Resources, I met with the contractor’s manager, Sue, and explained the situation. Both the hacking tools and turning off a security service were serious violations of security policy. I had recommended the person be walked out and told her that the CIO, Legal, and HR agreed.

Internal Attacker Detected: Part 2

Two days later, I walked up to the well organized desk of Tim, the malware tech that told me about the hacking tools that he’d found on a contractor’s PC.

“Tim, did you find any bear paw in the trap we set?”

This is a multi-part series. See Internal Attacker Detected: Part 1.

Tim turned around, and I could immediately tell he was not happy. His jaw was tight, his hair was clumped, and his blurry eyes told that he had not been to bed in the past 24 hours.

Internal Attacker Detected: Part 1

A while back when I worked in IT security, an internal attacker popped up on our radar…

I answered the phone and heard a tech from the anti-malware team say, “I think we have a problem, Mack. Got some time to come down and see what I found?”

Free CEH/Shon Harris Videos

Shon Harris is offering FREE Certified Ethical Hacking (CEH) videos for online viewing. According to Harris, all the videos together are over 25 hours long.

The videos are listed below and can be viewed at www.logicalsecurity.com/resources/resources_videos.html.

So what’s the catch? Make sure you read this entire post before you leap!

How to Stay Out of Jail

If you work in information security or IT audit (and I don’t mean IT SOX audit), I’d advise you to carry a “get-out-of-jail” (GOOJ) card at all times. In short, get permission before you do your dirty work.

Fun CPEs for CISSPs

Don Donzal, who created www.ethicalhacker.net and ChicagoCon (link now appears defunct), lists 10 ways for CISSPs to earn CPEs (Continuing Professional Education credits) and having fun doing it. Check out his entire article here. He wrote it in 2005, but it hasn’t aged much.

NOTE: I crossed through some of the links to now-defunct sites….remember, this was written in 2009….