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Security 2009 report

Kai — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:23:09 +0000

As promised, here is a report from the Security 2009 Conference that took place in Oslo in October.

The conference had focus on security issues related to the current economic situation, and how to deal with these issues. IMHO, the conference fell a bit too heavy on product vendors jerking off from the stage, although most of them did quite well at controlling their need to mission their own solutions to be the right one for all. As we all know, there is no "one-size-fits-all" when it comes to security. It all depends on the risk profile of the organization, and their security strategy to uphold their profile. I'll hold my horses for now, this post is a report, not a rant...

The day started out with mingling, breakfast and saying hello to the usual crowd that shows up at these things. And some new of course. As you may remember, I was still very much recovering from my car crash, and being the chair was a true challenge to me. I did not have that much wit about me this day, which probably only served to show me off more serious, and more cocky than my usual self.

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Except from the producers jerking off from stage, there were two sessions I liked much. The first one being Per Thorsheim (http://twitter.com/thorsheim) talking about passwords. His been studying the subject for almost a decade, and he has some interesting points. Expect an interview with him. At some point!

The second interesting session was Behavioral biometrics, by Dr. Patrick Bourse. His research is very interesting indeed, showing that using the type pattern of an individual, it is very easy and quick to determine if the one typing is the right person. So for identification purposes, his research is truly promising.

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I'd like to thank Renate Thorseid from the Data Protectorate for her insights on privacy issues, and I am certain there where participants who learned something new. In addition, Matias Cuba, from Fortinet, deserves a special notice for giving clear and valuable information without speaking of his products (neither did he talk negatively about any competitors). I used to work with Matias some years ago, and he is growing more professional by the day! Thumbs up, Matias!

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In addition to the speeches, there was a round table session where the participants shared their experience and questions.

All over, the Security 2009 event went pretty well IMO. I used the opportunity to talk about how the top level management and their actions are critical in any crisis.

Thanks for this opportunity to meet and network!

Transparency International says the finance crisis was due to corruption

Kai — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 07:40:03 +0000

Transparency International, the international watchdog against corruption, claims the global ressession came about due to corruption, according to this article.

“Fostering a culture of corporate integrity is essential to protect investment, increase commercial success and ensure the stability sought by poor and rich countries alike, particularly as we climb out of an historical crisis,” saidTransparency International Chair Huguette Labelle.

Why am I not surprised? We need to find efficient ways of controling and fighting corruption, as corruption are not only found in the 3rd world - we are all surrounded by it. Just consider - when was the last time you either gave or recieved an expensive gift to a client, or from a vendor? This happens all the time, and the size and type of the gifts are ever increasing.

I do not mind a christmass card, or even a small flower or perhaps even a bottle of wine. But when expensive trips, horses (yes, this actually happend in Norway), cars, houses, contracts and so forth are becoming the standard, we have moved far off the target.

What experience do you have with giving or recieving gifts? What is acceptable to you? Where do you draw the line?

Thanks to @canadianPI for the tip!

Security 2009 conference

Kai — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 09:14:14 +0000

I am spending the day chairing the Security 2009 event in Oslo, Norway.

I update my twitter account during the day: http://twitter.com/kairoer

I will do interviews etc over the next month or so - have to heal my hand first :)

Book review: Practical Intrusion Analysis

Kai — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 14:14:04 +0000

Book review: Practical Intrusion Analysis – Prevention and Detection for the Twenty-First Centrury, by Ryan Trost

This book is a great resource to learn and to expand your knowledge and experience in intrusion analysis. At first glance it seems to be very technical – and it is – while when your start reading it you realise that Trost want you to follow him on the journey from the first step. He does this by explaining in detail things you may already know. And you may feel like he treats you as a child at first. But fear not – he does this of a simple reason – he needs to make sure that you both are on the same level.

As the book progresses, Trost shows you how to analyse your network traffic at great details, using practical examples that you easily can replicate using your own equipement. And the level of understanding he engraves in your early in the book makes perfect sense later.

Another thing I enjoy much is his focus in intrusion analysis – without sole focus on network intrusion. He also covers RFID, biometrics, wireless and much other fun. I am not really getting is the big focus on Web Application Firewalls (WAF) devices. On the other hand, everything seems to be Web 2.0 these days, so it does have some relevance.

I like particularly well the geospatial intrusion detection section. I do not think it is relevant to everyone to be able to track the intrusion to China or Russia, but for some it certainly is. And understanding the global aspect of attacks is important, and being able to show the attack information on a map may proove very useful when communicating with the executives.

Over all, I am impressed by this book and highly reccomend it to anyone even remotedly interested in the topic of intrusion detection.

ISBN-13: 978-0-321-59180-7

Author: Ryan Trost

Publisher: Addison-Wesley Pearson Education

Get it on Amazon: Practical Intrusion Analysis: Prevention and Detection for the Twenty-First Century .

Follow up on the accident - with pics

Kai — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:29:20 +0000

I just made the first of a serial of posts covering the accident. It is posted over at my motivational blog.

I have included some images too, from the vehicle and myself. It is pretty rough stuff, you have been warned!

Almost died

Kai — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 22:21:12 +0000

Just a quick post to inform you that I am currently at a hospital, recovering from a sever car (truck actually) crash last week.

Allthough I almost did not make it, I am doing great now, and recovering quickly. So be warned that more cynic sarkasm and irony to be dished out from here in the near future!

Ps - thanks for all calls, flowers, wishes and everything - I really really appreciate it, and I had no clue that so many care so much for me. Keep smiling to strangers!

Weekend laugh!

Kai — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:36:03 +0000

Irish virus :) Friday fun!

Noteworthy LinkedIn Security groups

Kai — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 11:05:10 +0000

Staying up-to-date in this fast-paced word can be a challenge. To the resque are groups and communities online - like LinkedIn groups. I participate and moderate some groups. Here are a couple of groups on LinkedIn that I find value in:

NorSEC - a group for Nordic security professionals only.

Vulnerability scanning / Patch Management - specialized group

Information Security Community - the largest infosec group, many interesting topics and people here!

There are many other groups available too - just search for Security on LinkedIn, and find the groups that interest you!

Time to move on from WEP

Kai — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 09:02:10 +0000

I have pointed you to resources on how to hack WEP enabled wireless networks in the past. Now it is time to do so again, with a strong reccomendation that you immediately stop using WEP, and move on to WPA-PSK.

So if you are still on WEP, please make an appointment with yourself to change it. And please do so now.

Update: Speaking at Security 2009, Norway

Kai — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 07:26:20 +0000

As promised, I hereby post the update about the Security 2009 event where I will be speaking.

Date: October 1st
Venue: Grand Hotel, Oslo, Norway

More details and full program here!

See you there?