Reverse Deception: Organized Cyber Threat Counter-Exploitation

Reverse Deception

Organized Cyber Threat Counter-Exploitation

Sean Bodmer

Dr. Max Kilger

Gregory Carpenter

Jade Jones

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Reverse Deception: Organized Cyber Threat Counter-Exploitation

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ISBN: 978-0-07-177250-1
MHID: 0-07-177250-2

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We, as a team, would like to dedicate this book to Brad “The Nurse” Smith. May he heal in spirit and mind. And, of course, also to Angelo Bencivenga, the Secret Cyber Weapon of the Federal Government, who we all love to get advice from and give some level of grief to whenever we can. Without Angelo, we all would not have met!

I would like to thank the powers that be in this Universe for making my life full of chaos and stability.

—Sean M. Bodmer

To my beautiful and wonderfully understanding wife Christine, who has been so supportive throughout the years for my passion to better understand the relationship between people and technology. I also want to convey my respect and gratitude to the people who sacrifice bits and pieces of their lives so that others may live their lives in peace.

—Dr. Max Kilger

To my wonderful wife and children, for all their patience and understanding over the past few years; Cameron Hunt, for a wild and untamed ride—if we wrote down all the ideas, dear God (that’s the next book); Jeff Willhite, a true friend who instilled in me the right perspective of life; and Angelo Bencivenga, the only person in the US government with a “big picture” perspective distancing himself from those who pretend to keep pace.

—Gregory Carpenter

To my loving and supportive family, thanks for putting up with my crazy work schedule. Thanks also to my father, James Edward Jones, and to my undergraduate geography professor, Dr. Armando DaSilva, who both taught me to think strategically.

—Jade Jones

About the Authors

Sean M. Bodmer
, CISSP and CEH, is an active senior threat intelligence analyst at Damballa. He specializes in the analysis of signatures and behaviors used by the cyber criminal community. Sean focuses on learning tools, techniques, and procedures behind attacks and intrusions related to various organized persistent threats. Sean has worked in several information systems security roles for various firms and customers across the United States over the past 15 years. Most notably, he has spent several years performing black box penetration testing, exploit development, incident response, and intrusion and intruder analysis for Fortune 100 companies, the Department of Defense, and other federal agencies. Sean has shared numerous accounts of his findings at various industry conferences relating to the inner workings of advanced cyber threats. Sean has been hacking and developing exploits since before he hit puberty, and has made a career for himself by specializing in the impossible or improbable when it comes to performing analysis and attribution on the criminal underground.

Dr. Max Kilger
received his doctorate from Stanford University in Social Psychology in 1993. He has written and coauthored research articles and book chapters in the areas of influence in decision making, the interaction of people with technology, motivations of malicious online actors, the changing social structure of the computer hacking community, and the nature of emerging cyber threats. He is a founding and former board member of the Honeynet Project—a 10-year-old not-for-profit international information security organization that serves the public good. Max was also a member of the National Academy of Engineering’s Combating Terrorism Committee, which was charged with recommending counter-terrorism methodologies to the Congress and relevant federal agencies. He is a frequent national and international speaker to law enforcement, the intelligence community, and military commands, as well as information security forums.

Gregory Carpenter
, CISM, is a retired US Army officer with 27 years of service. He has served in the infantry, chemical, medical service, and intelligence corps throughout his career. Gregory has received numerous professional awards, including the prestigious National Security Agency Military Performer of the Year in 2007. He earned a B.S. from Colorado Christian University in 1993, and an M.S. from Seton Hall University in 2001. Currently, Gregory is employed by the Army Research Laboratory.

Jade Jones
received his commission as a US Navy Judge Advocate General Corps (JAG) Officer in 1994 and currently holds the rank of Commander in the Navy Reserve. His practice areas of expertise include information operations, intelligence, and space law. Jade holds a B.A. in Geography and Asian Studies from Towson University, and a J.D. from Boston College Law School. Jade is a civilian employee with the Department of Defense.

About the Technical Editor

Alex Eisen
is a computer scientist, information security analyst, tech editor, and associate professor. He researches parallels between evolutionary progression of “disruptive tech” and advancement of digital global culture and society. He has spoken at conferences, edited books, advised startups, and taught at UAT.edu. Now he hopes to be involved in creating integral edutainment media for Generations Z, Alpha, and on.

Contents

          
Foreword

          
Acknowledgments

          
Introduction

Chapter 1   State of the Advanced Cyber Threat

          
Have You Heard About the APT?

          
APT Defined

          
What Makes a Threat Advanced and Persistent?

          
Examples of Advanced and Persistent Threats

               
Moonlight Maze

               
Stakkato

               
Titan Rain

               
Stormworm

               
GhostNet

               
Byzantine Hades/Foothold/Candor/Raptor

               
Operation Aurora

               
Stuxnet

               
Russian Business Network

               
New Generation of Botnets and Operators

               
Operation Payback