An increasing number of countries develop capabilities for cyber-espionage and sabotage. The sheer number of reported network compromises suggests that some of these countries view cyber-means as integral and well-established elements of their strategical toolbox. At the same time the relevance of such attacks for society and politics is also increasing. Digital means were used to influence the US presidential election in 2016, repeatedly led to power outages in Ukraine, and caused economic losses of hundreds of millions of dollars with a malfunctioning ransomware. In all these cases the question who was behind the attacks is not only relevant from a legal perspective, but also has a political and social dimension. Attribution is the process of tracking and identifying the actors behind these cyber-attacks. Often it is considered an art, not a science. This book systematically analyses how hackers operate, which mistakes they make, and which traces they leave behind. Using examples from real cases the author explains the analytic methods used to ascertain the origin of Advanced Persistent Threats.

The newest threat to security has been categorized as the Advanced Persistent Threat or APT. The APT bypasses most of an organization's current security devices, and is typically carried out by an organized group, such as a foreign nation state or rogue group with both the capability and the intent to persistently and effectively target a specific entity and wreak havoc. Most organizations do not understand how to deal with it and what is needed to protect their network from compromise. In Advanced Persistent Threat: Understanding the Danger and How to Protect your Organization Eric Cole discusses the critical information that readers need to know about APT and how to avoid being a victim. Advanced Persistent Threat is the first comprehensive manual that discusses how attackers are breaking into systems and what to do to protect and defend against these intrusions. - How and why organizations are being attacked - How to develop a "Risk based Approach to Security" - Tools for protecting data and preventing attacks - Critical information on how to respond and recover from an intrusion - The emerging threat to Cloud based networks

Master the tactics and tools of the advanced persistent threat hacker In this book, IT security expert Tyler Wrightson reveals the mindset, skills, and effective attack vectors needed to compromise any target of choice. Advanced Persistent Threat Hacking discusses the strategic issues that make all organizations vulnerable and provides noteworthy empirical evidence. You'll learn a proven APT Hacker Methodology for systematically targeting and infiltrating an organization and its IT systems. A unique, five-phased tactical approach to APT hacking is presented with real-world examples and hands-on techniques you can use immediately to execute very effective attacks. Review empirical data from actual attacks conducted byunsophisticated and elite APT hackers alike Learn the APT Hacker Methodology--a systematic approach designed to ensure success, avoid failures, and minimize the risk of being caught Perform in-depth reconnaissance to build a comprehensive understanding of the target Obtain non-technical data about the target, including open source, human, financial, and geographical intelligence Use social engineering to compromise a specific system, application, or workstation Identify and attack wireless networks and wireless client devices Spearphish with hardware-based Trojan devices Physically infiltrate target facilities to obtain access to assets and compromise digital lily pads

Advanced Persistent Security covers secure network design and implementation, including authentication, authorization, data and access integrity, network monitoring, and risk assessment. Using such recent high profile cases as Target, Sony, and Home Depot, the book explores information security risks, identifies the common threats organizations face, and presents tactics on how to prioritize the right countermeasures. The book discusses concepts such as malignant versus malicious threats, adversary mentality, motivation, the economics of cybercrime, the criminal infrastructure, dark webs, and the criminals organizations currently face. - Contains practical and cost-effective recommendations for proactive and reactive protective measures - Teaches users how to establish a viable threat intelligence program - Focuses on how social networks present a double-edged sword against security programs

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 15th IFIP TC 6/TC 11 International Conference on Communications and Multimedia Security, CMS 2014, held in Aveiro, Portugal, in September 2014. The 4 revised full papers presented together with 6 short papers, 3 extended abstracts describing the posters that were discussed at the conference, and 2 keynote talks were carefully reviewed and selected from 22 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on vulnerabilities and threats, identification and authentification, applied security.

Build a better defense against motivated, organized, professional attacks Advanced Penetration Testing: Hacking the World's Most Secure Networks takes hacking far beyond Kali linux and Metasploit to provide a more complex attack simulation. Featuring techniques not taught in any certification prep or covered by common defensive scanners, this book integrates social engineering, programming, and vulnerability exploits into a multidisciplinary approach for targeting and compromising high security environments. From discovering and creating attack vectors, and moving unseen through a target enterprise, to establishing command and exfiltrating data—even from organizations without a direct Internet connection—this guide contains the crucial techniques that provide a more accurate picture of your system's defense. Custom coding examples use VBA, Windows Scripting Host, C, Java, JavaScript, Flash, and more, with coverage of standard library applications and the use of scanning tools to bypass common defensive measures. Typical penetration testing consists of low-level hackers attacking a system with a list of known vulnerabilities, and defenders preventing those hacks using an equally well-known list of defensive scans. The professional hackers and nation states on the forefront of today's threats operate at a much more complex level—and this book shows you how to defend your high security network. Use targeted social engineering pretexts to create the initial compromise Leave a command and control structure in place for long-term access Escalate privilege and breach networks, operating systems, and trust structures Infiltrate further using harvested credentials while expanding control Today's threats are organized, professionally-run, and very much for-profit. Financial institutions, health care organizations, law enforcement, government agencies, and other high-value targets need to harden their IT infrastructure and human capital against targeted advanced attacks from motivated professionals. Advanced Penetration Testing goes beyond Kali linux and Metasploit and to provide you advanced pen testing for high security networks.

This open access book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 15th International Annual Conference on Cyber Security, CNCERT 2018, held in Beijing, China, in August 2018. The 14 full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 53 submissions. The papers cover the following topics: emergency response, mobile internet security, IoT security, cloud security, threat intelligence analysis, vulnerability, artificial intelligence security, IPv6 risk research, cybersecurity policy and regulation research, big data analysis and industrial security.