Woman And computer
Human And Computer

Recruiting: Threat Analyst @ Damballa

OK readers, I've got a roll open right now in the Damballa research team for a Threat Analyst.

If you think you know your Bot's from your APT's, and your script-kiddies from your cyber criminals, then it's time to take the plunge and join the coolest threat research team out there and make a real difference to Internet security.

Drop me an email if you're interested in the role...

-----------------

Job Position: Threat Analyst
Job Area: Research

Internet security is evolving at an increasingly rapid pace. As the thrust and parry of attack vectors and defensive tactics force technologies to advance, the biggest security threat now facing enterprise organizations lies with botnets. The Damballa Research team spearheads global threat research and botnet detection innovation.

Damballa�s dedicated research team is responsible for botnet threat analysis and detection innovation. From our Internet observation portals, and using the latest investigative technologies to intercept and capture samples, the research team studies the techniques employed by criminal botnet operators to command and control their zombie hordes � mapping their spread and evolution � and developing new technologies to both detect and thwart the threat.

As a Threat Analyst you would be part of the team responsible for providing the threat intelligence that powers the core technologies of Damballa�s products � working with massive threat intelligence collections and cutting-edge botnet detection technologies.

The rapid evolution of the threat means that, as a Threat Analyst, you will also need to be able to deep-dive in to the botnet masters lair � turning over the rocks they hide under and visiting the online portals they do their business in � and be capable of analyzing the evidence of their passing. A key to being successful in this role is the ability to provide internal departments and customers with comprehensive intelligence on newly uncovered botnets and other targeted threats � and to be able to communicate the threat in a clear and concise manner.

Collaborating with the marketing and engineering teams, the Threat Analyst will often need to craft scripts to automate the extraction of botnet intelligence and make it available to the company�s other technologies and its knowledgebase as well as responding to ad-hoc requests for malware analysis driven by business and client needs to determine characteristics, functionality, and/or recommend countermeasures.

The position may entail interaction with the media following the successful outcome of directed research or response activities.

Responsibilities:
� Intelligence gathering and updating of Damballa threat knowledgebases
� Responding to customer queries for deep-dive information on particular botnets and malware
� Independent threat analysis and data mining of new botnet instances
� Investigation of new botnet command and control tactics and subsequent enumeration of botnet operators
� Focused analysis of botnet outbreaks within enterprise and ISP networks
� Contribution to research and commercial papers describing the evolving botnet threat

Skills & Experience:

� Experience as a cyber-threat analyst, or similar technical consulting role
� Good understanding of TCP/IP networking and security
� Strong script building and automation skills
� Database query formulation and stored procedure manipulation
� Ability to troll underground Internet forums and criminal sites/portals for new botnet intelligence

Requirements:
� BS or MS in Computer Science, Engineering or Physical Sciences
� 3+ years of IT industry experience with 2+ years of Internet security experience
� Proficient in multiple compiled and scripting languages (Perl, Python, Ruby, Java, C, etc.)
� Proficient query design in relational databases (Postgres/pgsql preferred)
� Excellent formal communication and presentation skills
� Ability to read and translate multiple international languages a bonus

Worthless Digital Security Advice

Labels: ,

Some advice isn't worth the paper it's written on - more so if it happens to written in digital ink. Sure, security software tends to eat up a sizable chunk of your desktop's processing capabilities and can be downright annoying when the antivirus engine decides on an impromptu full-disk scan in the middle of the video editing you were doing... but sure;y we can do without advice like the following:


This is from CNNMoney and their story on how to "Speed up your sluggish computer".

Granted there are many sucky protection suites out there (and many more fake-antivirus products that criminals are peddling), but this particular advice entry is unhelpful and funny at the same time.

Firstly,this particular advice is ill informed. Sure, there are some overlaps in protection capabilities like anti-popup blockers and firewalls, but only on paper. They're complementary overlaps, as their capabilities to perform (and be managed) as pop-up blockers and firewalls tend to be quite different and increase overall. Defense in depth etc. Sure - like I said earlier - desktop protection is a dog on system resources.

Secondly, while I have nothing against ESET's Nod32 Antivirus product (I even use it on a couple of my computers at home - along with a handful of other av products), reference in this "guide" for speeding up sluggish computers smacks of a paid-for advertisement. Further depreciating the advice.

Third and final? "The Mac Fix" funnily enough is true - Mac users tend to not use security software. Like motorcycle riders swerving amongst rush hour traffic on the highway without a helmet, I'd class these Mac users as "temporary citizens" of the Internet.

Opera Mini 5 on the iPhone

Labels:

Off topic (does anyone actually give a shit about mobile IE?), but damn this looks sexy.



Opera Mini for iPhone was officially submitted to the Apple iPhone App store on March 23, 12:25 UTC.

How UML can clearly illustrate your fucked up process

I just had to share this one, if only for the convoluted diagram which shows endpoints that actually modify other endpoints, rather than ending there, at the bottom of the diagram. From IEBlog, How IE8 Determines Document Mode:

"This post describes how IE8 determines what Document Mode such as Quirks or Standards Modes to use for rendering websites. This topic is important for site developers and consumers.

It's related to the Compatibility View List that we recently updated. This list is down by over 1000 websites, from over 3100 to just over 2000, since IE8 released last March. As we work with site developers and standards bodies, we're excited to see the sites that need to be on the Compatibility View (CV) List continue to go down."
Make damn sure you click through to see the 1010x1552 pixel diagram, complete with doctype chart.

 
Internet