Cyber terrorism AFCOM , RSA Conference 2010

Data centers tackling cyber terrorism

Typical IT shop unprepared, AFCOM says By Jon Brodkin, Network World

The data center is receiving more public scrutiny than ever before, with IT managers facing a range of challenges from making systems run more efficiently to protecting computers from cyber terrorism, says AFCOM chief executive Jill Eckhaus

The 30-year-old organization for data center managers is holding its twice-yearly Data Center World show from March 7-11 in Nashville, Tenn., where IT folks will learn about the most pressing issues facing data centers today and share their own experiences.

Gov't builds secret database to fight cyber-terrorism

Cyber terrorism is one of the topics Eckhaus is looking forward to examining further. AFCOM’s recent survey of more than 400 data center pros found that only one-third have included cyber terrorism in disaster recovery plans, only one-quarter have addressed cyber terrorism in policies and procedures manuals, and only one-fifth provide cyber terrorism employee training. These low numbers were recorded despite the fact that 61% of data center managers said they recognize cyber terrorism as a threat they need to address.

No data center manager is likely to ignore security, but AFCOM officials say they need to recognize that cyber terror poses a more serious threat than a typical hacker.

“A hacker might be a student just looking for a challenge,” Eckhaus says. “Cyber terrorists want to destroy the United States. That’s the difference.”

AFCOM will host two sessions on cyber terrorism during the conference. Unfortunately, in a bad economy companies that already have security plans “tend to say what we have is good enough,” Eckhaus says. “They’re really at the very beginning stages.”

Even beyond security, public scrutiny of data centers seems to be increasing, as the 24/7 business world expects computer systems that never fail or slow down. Eckhaus says this is both good and bad for data center managers, because the public is recognizing the important work they do, but also demanding more.

“This is a really unique time, because for the first time in history the data center is in the public eye,” Eckhaus says. “People are starting to understand how vital data centers are. We could not do business as usual without data centers.”

Corporate management is demanding that data centers run more efficiently, both to save money on power costs and to appear environmentally friendly in the public eye, Echuas notes. Going green is important, in part because providing enough power and cooling to data centers is becoming more difficult, she says. But the IT industry is “saturating” data center managers with the green buzzword, she says.

“It’s a buzzword that’s been around for a few years, because the data center sucks up so much energy,” Eckhaus says. “Corporate management is really looking down at the data center now and saying ‘what are you going to do.’”

Even as data centers strive to reduce power consumption, they must deal with the reality that demand for information services is growing. Storage needs are booming, as is global Internet traffic and use of mobile Internet devices, says Brian Lillie, who is CIO of co-location provider Equinix and the keynote speaker at the Data Center World conference.

FBI Director Promises Privacy, Information About Attacks To Breach Victim Organizations

Robert Mueller tells attendees FBI 'cannot act' if businesses don't report cyberattacks

Mar 05, 2010 | 07:55 AM

By Kelly Jackson Higgins
DarkReading

SAN FRANCISCO -- RSA Conference 2010 -- Organizations are typically hesitant to disclose cyberattacks to the FBI, and their disclosure is "the exception, not the rule," FBI director Robert Mueller told attendees here today in a keynote address.

Mueller said the bureau understands organizations' concerns about privacy and image when it comes to deciding whether to report a cyberattack to the authorities, but promised the FBI would provide more information-sharing and protection of victim organizations' privacy.

"We do not want you to feel victimized a second time by an investigation. And we know that putting on raid jackets, courting the media, and shutting down your systems is not the best way to get the job done," he said. "We will minimize the disruption to your business. We will safeguard your privacy and your data. Where necessary, we will seek protective orders to preserve trade secrets and business confidentiality. And we will share with you what we can, as quickly as we can, about the means and methods of attack."

Mueller cited a recent partnership between the financial industry and the FBI to put together an intelligence report on threats in banking transactions. "We shared that report with more than 4,000 partners. Together we worked to limit the breadth and scope of this potential threat, and we closed the door to countless hackers," Mueller said. He did not provide any details on the threats or the report.

Meanwhile, the threat of cyberterrorism is "real and rapidly expanding," Mueller said. "To date, terrorists have not used the Internet to launch a full-scale cyberattack. But they have executed numerous denial-of-service attacks. And they have defaced numerous Websites, including Congress' Website following President Obama's State of the Union speech," he said, referring to the so-called Iranian Cyber Army hacking group.

"We in the FBI, with our partners in the intelligence community, believe the cyber terrorism threat is real, and it is rapidly expanding. Terrorists have shown a clear interest in pursuing hacking skills. And they will either train their own recruits or hire outsiders, with an eye toward combining physical attacks with cyberattacks."

Targeted attacks for intelligence and espionage are also a major threat, according to Mueller. He noted that intelligence-gathering efforts by hackers to grab "seemingly innocuous" data about a company can provide them a foot in the door into the company's network.

These targeted attacks have resulted in the loss and corruption of victims' data. "We are concerned with the integrity of your source code. If hackers made subtle, undetected changes to your code, they would have a permanent window into everything you do," he said.

The FBI and other law enforcement officials are currently reverse-engineering botnets with plans to knock them offline: Most recently, the collaborative effort resulted in the takedown of the Mariposa botnet.

Mueller said the FBI has special agents "embedded" with law enforcement in Romania, Estonia, and other countries to help coordinate cybercrime investigations. "Together we are making progress. Last October we worked with Egyptian authorities to dismantle a computer-intrusion and money-laundering scheme operating in the United States and Egypt," he said.