Matthew Devost, president of Total Intelligence Solutions, a risk management firm based in Arlington, Va., said for federal law enforcement agencies, the intelligence benefit of leaving such sites operating is often greater than shutting them down.

“In some cases, it may be that companies and or the government is aware of these sites, but what they post there gives us intelligence that we’d rather have,” Devost said. “Sometimes there’s a general concern that if you shut down these sites, while they might move to somewhere else online where they start making it password protected or otherwise harder to get access to the content.” (Washington Post)

I was featured in this film. Uncertain if I will attend the New York event or not.

Update:  I will be at the NY event.  If you want to meet-up let me know. 

Enterprise application security solutions provider Fortify Software will present the world premiere of a new documentary, The New Face of Cybercrime in private screenings at three cities — San Francisco, New York, and London — this month. An expert panel discussion about cybercrime and a reception will follow each screening.

This film by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Frederic Golding highlights the impact cybercrime has on consumers and businesses.

When sensitive or private data gets into the wrong hands, the loss is tallied not only in billions of dollars, but in consumer trust as well. The New Face of Cybercrime showcases security experts, hackers, and executives discussing the evolving threats to information security and the need for security measures that are several steps ahead of these threats. Featured in the film are these experts: Matthew Devost, CEO, The Terrorism Research Center; James Routh, CISO, The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation; Lt. Col. Jeff Salyards, USAF, Director, Defense Computer Forensics Laboratory; Mike Ullman, Chairman and CEO, JC Penney Company Inc.

“Fortify Software commissioned this film because we, along with many other experts, believe that the threat of cybercrime has reached unprecedented levels,” said John M Jack, president and CEO of Fortify Software. “No one is safe. To defend your systems, you must know not only who might attack you now but also who might attack you in the future and how. We’re talking about a level of protection where every application itself will need to be impervious to attack, so the information behind it is protected.”

Following the screenings, panels of security experts will discuss what executives must know to protect their organizations’ most critical assets against the growing threat of cybercrime. These panels will include the following authorities: Marco Bavassano, Director, Telecom Italia; Mark Hughes - Director BT Goup, Security; Gary McGraw, CTO, Cigital - Author of Software Security; Roger Thornton, Founder & CTO of Fortify Software; Mike Evans, Security Manager, Visa.

The New Face of Cybercrime” will be screened at the following locations and dates: San Francisco, Metreon, Private Theater— January 17; New York, Tribeca Grand Hotel — January 24
London, Apollo West End—January 29.

And a not so decent write-up or our BlackHat Federal presentation. A few misconceptions that don’t track with the point we were trying to get across. However, this quote says a lot about the problem space. I hope that this attracts some attention and gets Tom Parker some support for the models he is working on.

“The inability to characterize is a vulnerability, and the ability to characterize is a deterrent,” because if you can characterize a threat, you can attribute it to an attacker, Devost said.

A decent write-up from my BlackHat presentation.

“Obviously, nation-states have greater capacity to finance attacks,” Devost said. “We need to ask ourselves, ‘Who are the threats,’ because they all look the same in the exploit.”

Effective risk management requires greater granularity in identifying our attackers, their motives and their capabilities, Devost said. 

The Washington Post is running a three part series on terrorist use of the Internet.  I was interviewed for this story as were several of my colleagues.  Not quite sure what I think of it yet, so I will reserve comment until the final two parts of the series are out. 

e-Qaeda (PART 1/3)

CNN ran a 7 minute segment on TRC’s Mirror Image training program.  Overall, I thought the piece was very well done, so congratulations to all involved and to the CNN crew for producing such a great piece from a week’s worth of footage.  I’ve posted the transcript below, but to do it justice, you really have to see it.

(more…)

Cory Reiss, The Ledger online
09/09/2003
 
WASHINGTON — When modern life halted for millions in the Northeast last month, people throughout the country asked if a blackout could strike them.

Members of Congress have a more frightening question: Could someone cause such havoc on purpose?

The blackout combined with unrelated but crippling computer viruses and worms has lawmakers connecting the dot-coms. They say the blackout provided a vivid example of the chaos that cyber-terrorism could inflict.
(more…)

Evan Wright, author of the excellent book "Generation Kill" participated in the TRC Mirror Image training program and wrote a feature article on it for the New York Magazine. 

Developed in 2002 by the Virginia-based consulting group Terrorism Research Center (TRC), the Mirror Image program is the first of its kind in the war on terror. It’s also one of the few counterterrorism courses designed for street cops, soldiers, and federal agents alike. “In this conflict, there’s a blurring of front lines,” explains Walter Purdy, a former Marine and vice-president of TRC. “Beat cops in American cities and U.S. soldiers in Fallujah could easily be up against people who share the same ideology, habits, culture, and tactics. Our goal is to immerse our students in the mind-set of that enemy.Full Story

Great article about a great friend…

“In a cramped office inside Los Angeles County’s emergency operations center, John P. Sullivan sits buried in the latest intelligence on terrorists around the world.

Should any ever attack Los Angeles, this soft-spoken sheriff’s sergeant will be indispensable to the response.
(more…)

This is an article that was done last year by the Alumni magazine for Saint Michael’s College. The article is available in PDF format. Download Devost-SMC.pdf