[2376] in Security FYI
[IS&T Security-FYI] SFYI Newsletter, April 4, 2011
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Monique Yeaton)
Mon Apr 4 15:29:15 2011
From: Monique Yeaton <myeaton@mit.edu>
To: "ist-security-fyi@mit.edu" <ist-security-fyi@mit.edu>
Date: Mon, 4 Apr 2011 15:27:45 -0400
Message-ID: <C9BF93F1.1425D%myeaton@exchange.mit.edu>
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In this issue:
1. The Cost of a Data Breach in the US
2. Spam Botnet Takedown
-------------------------------------------------
1. The Cost of a Data Breach in the US
-------------------------------------------------
A study conducted by the Ponemon Institute on behalf of Symantec (a securit=
y software company), shows that the average organizational cost of a data b=
reach increased to $7.2 million and cost US companies an average of $214 pe=
r compromised record, markedly higher when compared to $204 in 2009.
The study is based on the actual data breach experiences of 51 US companies=
from 15 different industry sectors. For the fifth year in a row, data brea=
ch costs have continued to rise (except, notably, in the Education sector, =
where costs fell from $203 per record in 2009 to $112 in 2010.)
The costs are applicable to organizations that experience large data breach=
es (between 1000 and 100,000 compromised records). Included in the business=
costs are expense outlays for detection, escalation, notification, and aft=
er-the-fact response.
The study also analyzes the impact of lost or diminished customer trust and=
confidence as measured by customer turnover rates. As could be expected, c=
ompanies who have larger numbers of records breached, pay more per record b=
ecause of the higher than normal turnover of customers.
Causes of data breaches: malicious or criminal attacks led to 31% of breach=
es, systems failures were around 27% and negligence around 41%.
You can learn more about the study or download a copy of the report here:
<http://www.symantec.com/about/news/resources/press_kits/detail.jsp?pkid=3D=
ponemon>
---------------------------------
2. Spam Botnet Takedown
---------------------------------
Global spam volumes dropped by a third following the takedown of the infamo=
us Rustock botnet last month, according to MessageLabs.
The takedown occurred on March 17, and junk mail decreased to around 33 bil=
lion emails a day, compared to an average of 52 billion a day the previous =
week.
However, other botnets have since stepped in to fill the spam void. Bagle h=
as already taken over from Rustock as the single biggest source of junk mai=
l.
Microsoft is attempting to hunt down the Rustock botnet controllers, by pos=
ting the date, time and location of an upcoming court hearing, where defend=
ants will have an opportunity to be heard, on their Web site and to one or =
more major Russian newspapers.
"We will have to send out a notice to the individual or group of individual=
s we believe is behind the bot," Richard Boscovich, senior attorney for Mic=
rosoft's Digital Crimes Unit, said. As Krebsonsecurity.com blogger Brian Kr=
ebs noted, "It will be interesting to see who, if anyone, responds to Micro=
soft notices, and whether the veil of anonymity will be lifted from the pse=
udonyms of botmasters, spammers and account holders."
Read the story in full here:
<http://krebsonsecurity.com/2011/03/microsoft-hunting-rustock-controllers/>
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
To read all current and archived articles online, visit the Security-FYI Bl=
og at <http://securityfyi.wordpress.com/>
Monique Yeaton
IT Security Awareness Consultant
MIT Information Services & Technology (IS&T)
(617) 253-2715
http://ist.mit.edu/security
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<html><head></head><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode:=
space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-si=
ze: 14px; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; "><div><div><div><p style=3D"ma=
rgin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-height: 17.0px">=
<br></p>
<p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica">In thi=
s issue:</p>
<p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-he=
ight: 17.0px"><br></p>
<p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica">1. The=
Cost of a Data Breach in the US</p>
<p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica">2. Spa=
m Botnet Takedown</p>
<p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-he=
ight: 17.0px"><br></p>
<p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-he=
ight: 17.0px"><br></p>
<p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica">------=
-------------------------------------------</p>
<p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica">1. The=
Cost of a Data Breach in the US</p>
<p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica">------=
-------------------------------------------</p>
<p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-he=
ight: 17.0px"><br></p>
<p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica">A stud=
y conducted by the Ponemon Institute on behalf of Symantec (a security soft=
ware company), shows that the average organizational cost of a data breach =
increased to $7.2 million and cost US companies an average of $214 per comp=
romised record, markedly higher when compared to $204 in 2009. </p>
<p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-he=
ight: 17.0px"><br></p>
<p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica">The st=
udy is based on the actual data breach experiences of 51 US companies from =
15 different industry sectors. For the fifth year in a row, data breach cos=
ts have continued to rise (except, notably, in the Education sector, where =
costs fell from $203 per record in 2009 to $112 in 2010.) </p>
<p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-he=
ight: 17.0px"><br></p>
<p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica">The co=
sts are applicable to organizations that experience large data breaches (be=
tween 1000 and 100,000 compromised records). Included in the business costs=
are expense outlays for detection, escalation, notification, and after-the=
-fact response. </p>
<p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-he=
ight: 17.0px"><br></p>
<p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica">The st=
udy also analyzes the impact of lost or diminished customer trust and confi=
dence as measured by customer turnover rates. As could be expected, compani=
es who have larger numbers of records breached, pay more per record because=
of the higher than normal turnover of customers.</p>
<p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-he=
ight: 17.0px"><br></p>
<p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica">Causes=
of data breaches: malicious or criminal attacks led to 31% of breaches, sy=
stems failures were around 27% and negligence around 41%. </p>
<p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-he=
ight: 17.0px"><br></p>
<p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica">You ca=
n learn more about the study or download a copy of the report here:</p>
<p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica"><ht=
tp://www.symantec.com/about/news/resources/press_kits/detail.jsp?pkid=3Dpon=
emon></p>
<p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-he=
ight: 17.0px"><br></p>
<p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-he=
ight: 17.0px"><br></p>
<p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica">------=
---------------------------</p>
<p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica">2. Spa=
m Botnet Takedown</p>
<p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica">------=
---------------------------</p>
<p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-he=
ight: 17.0px"><br></p>
<p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica">Global=
spam volumes dropped by a third following the takedown of the infamous Rus=
tock botnet last month, according to MessageLabs.</p>
<p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-he=
ight: 17.0px"><br></p>
<p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica">The ta=
kedown occurred on March 17, and junk mail decreased to around 33 billion e=
mails a day, compared to an average of 52 billion a day the previous week.<=
/p>
<p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-he=
ight: 17.0px"><br></p>
<p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica">Howeve=
r, other botnets have since stepped in to fill the spam void. Bagle has alr=
eady taken over from Rustock as the single biggest source of junk mail.</p>
<p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-he=
ight: 17.0px"><br></p>
<p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica">Micros=
oft is attempting to hunt down the Rustock botnet controllers, by posting t=
he date, time and location of an upcoming court hearing, where defendants w=
ill have an opportunity to be heard, on their Web site and to one or more m=
ajor Russian newspapers. </p>
<p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-he=
ight: 17.0px"><br></p>
<p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica">"We wi=
ll have to send out a notice to the individual or group of individuals we b=
elieve is behind the bot," Richard Boscovich, senior attorney for Microsoft=
's Digital Crimes Unit, said. As Krebsonsecurity.com blogger Brian Krebs no=
ted, "It will be interesting to see who, if anyone, responds to Microsoft n=
otices, and whether the veil of anonymity will be lifted from the pseudonym=
s of botmasters, spammers and account holders."</p>
<p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-he=
ight: 17.0px"><br></p>
<p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica">Read t=
he story in full here:</p>
<p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica"><ht=
tp://krebsonsecurity.com/2011/03/microsoft-hunting-rustock-controllers/>=
</p>
<p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-he=
ight: 17.0px"><br></p>
<p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-he=
ight: 17.0px"><br></p>
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<p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Arial">To read al=
l current and archived articles online, visit the Security-FYI Blog at <=
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