[StBernard] HOW AWARE ARE YOU?

[Westley Annis]

HOW AWARE ARE YOU?
Of the Dangers of the 'Net   
11/06/07   
<http://www.fbi.gov/page2/nov07/cyberspeech110607.html> 
 
 
 
"Last April, Estonia suffered what has been called a 'cyber blockade.' Wave
after wave of data requests from computers around the world shut down banks
and emergency phone lines, gas stations and grocery stores, newspapers and
television stations, even the prime minister's office. Although the source
of this attack has not been confirmed, the effect was real, and left all of
us aware of the potential risk we face. How long before others around the
world begin to employ similar tactics?"

"If we lose the Internet, we do not simply lose the ability to e-mail or to
surf the web. We lose access to our data. We lose our connectivity. We lose
our intellectual property. We lose our security. What happens when the
so-called 'Invisible Man' locks us out of our own homes, our offices, and
our information?"

"[T]he threat is not limited to hackers on the outside. Insiders present a
significant problem. Contractors may take the appropriate security measures,
but what about those with whom they subcontract and their subs? And what of
those who take advantage of open access to research and development
facilities on campuses such as this?"

A few pointed questions, raised by Director Mueller during a major address
on cyber security at Penn State on Tuesday. Which raises another question:
given the growing presence of the web in our personal and professional
lives, how aware are you of the risks of attack via the Internet?

A few more realities discussed in the speech:

. The growing intersection of terror and the web. Take the case of Younis
Tsouli, the self-styled "Terrorist 007" who not only served as an al Qaeda
webmaster but also hacked into servers to get additional bandwidth, used
phishing schemes to steal credit card accounts and buy $3 million worth of
terrorist equipment, and created a website "that he hoped would become the
YouTube for terrorists" called "You bomb it." Could you fall for a scam or
run a server that could end up helping terrorists? 

. The rise of bots. Botnets are networks of computers taken over by
hackers-usually without their owners' knowledge. Once under their thumbs,
these networks can wreak all kinds of havoc, from shutting down a power grid
to flooding an emergency call center with millions of spam messages. 

. The "Invisible Man." According to the Director: "Hackers are using
sophisticated techniques to steal sensitive intelligence, scientific
research, and communications data. They are difficult to identify and track
because they move in and out of international systems at will, and they do
not leave broken glass behind. A member of our cyber team describes it as
having an invisible man in the room, standing over your shoulder, seeing and
hearing everything you do, watching every word you type. And you may never
know he is there.who he represents.or how much damage he has done." 

Another important question: what is being done to combat these threats?
Please read the speech for details on the FBI's efforts, including a
groundbreaking partnership in Pennsylvania called the "Cyber Fusion Center."
Not to mention our National Security Higher Education Advisory Board, our
private sector partnership called InfraGard, our Regional Computer Forensic
Labs, and our network of international offices. 

To learn how you can help yourself:
- Please see How to Protect Your Computer. 
<http://www.fbi.gov/cyberinvest/protect_online.htm>

- Please join InfraGard!
<http://www.fbi.gov/cgi-bin/outside.cgi?http://www.infragard.net>