Dr. Markus Jakobsson is Principal Scientist at Palo Alto Research Center. He is a founder of the security startup RavenWhite, which addresses security problems associated with authentication, malware and click-fraud. He is also one of the founders of SecurityCartoon, an educational approach targeting typical Internet users. He is a firm believer in technology to address security problems, but believes that a holistic view that includes the end user and his/her behavior is crucial. Unexpected user behavior can thwart the best security measures, and any security measure must be designed with social engineering and human failure in mind. Dr. Jakobsson's recent books Phishing and Countermeasures (Wiley, 2006) and Crimeware: Understanding New Attacks and Defenses (Symantec Press, 2008) chart new territory in online security. He received his PhD from University of California at San Diego in 1997.
Enter to win a copy of Crimeware: Understanding New Attacks and Defenses By Markus Jakobsson, Zulfikar Ramzan, Published Apr 6, 2008 by Addison-Wesley Professional. Part of the Symantec Press series.
Why no news is bad news – at least when it comes to malware
Once upon a time, malware authors wrote code to infect thousands of machines for entertainment and intellectual stimulation. Today, it's all about the money, and the greatest threat may lie in the silence, making a far more dangerous landscape.
Google Tech talk on Password Reset
In a recent post, I described the problems with password reset, and how current password reset questions can be attacked. Watch my recent Google Tech talk on this subject...
What is worse than reusing passwords?
Think your password resets are secure? Think again. The city you grew up in and your mother's maiden name can be derived from public records. Facebook might unwittingly tell the name of your best friend. And, until quite recently, Ford with its 25% market share had a pretty good chance of being the brand of your first car!
Forty-one million stolen credit cards is just the beginning
Federal prosecutors have charged 11 people with stealing 41 million credit cards, obtained by wardriving. The criminals drove around and scanned wireless networks for vulnerabilities, then installed sniffers that stole credit card information. Was this kind of attack inevitable? I believe it was. And we have more coming.
Google knows who you are
Search engines and ISPs know who you are and where you’ve been. Phishers and advertisers do too. But can the average Joe learn this about you? Yes -- for good and bad.
Can you tell a good URL from a bad one?
Look at these three URLs: www.accountonline.com, www.democratic-party.us, www.wachovia.pin-update.com. Can you tell which (if any) correspond to legitimate service providers? Do you think the average Internet user can tell, too?
Better law enforcement … always good for us?
If law enforcement improves, we will all be safer. Right? Well actually, maybe not.
Free iPhones … then what?
Is free a good thing? Maybe not. Let's consider the impact on Internet security of heavily discounted smartphones. It could be quite a disaster.
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Crimeware: Understanding New Attacks and Defenses
By Markus Jakobsson, Zulfikar Ramzan
Published Apr 6, 2008 by Addison-Wesley Professional. Part of the Symantec Press series.
Enter now! | Official rules | Sample chapter
Securing VoIP Networks: Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Countermeasures
By Peter Thermos, Ari Takanen
Published Aug 1, 2007 by Addison-Wesley Professional.
Enter now! | Official rules | Sample chapter
