Information Systems Division and Technical Services Unit
Matthew Jett Hall Kevin WilliamsAssistant Director, ISD SAC, TSU
Digital Deadly Force
Narrative of a Digital Life Destroyed
26 Oct 2012
The Victim: Matt Honan
“In the space of one
hour, my entire
digital life was
destroyed.”
Who is Matt Honan
Tech Journalist
Highly cloud
dependent
Astute
Tech Savvy
Knows the rules of
the road
The Harm
Google account deleted.
Twitter account compromised, and used to broadcast racist and homophobic messages.
AppleID account was seized.
The Harm
Wiped from existence
iPhone MacBook Pro iPad Two years of baby pictures
Timeline: 3 Aug 12 @ 1633
“… according to Apple’s
tech support records,
someone called
AppleCare claiming to be
me.”
Apple issued the hacker a temporary password
Timeline: 3 Aug 12 @ 1650
“password reset
confirmation arrived in my
inbox. … the hackers ….
permanently reset my AppleID password.”
Timeline: 3 Aug 12 @ 1652
“Gmail password … password had changed.
Timeline: 3 Aug 12 @ 1700
“… they used iCloud’s
“Find My” tool to remotely wipe my iPhone.”
Timeline: 3 Aug 12 @ 1700
“my iPhone suddenly
powered down.”
“When I opened my
laptop … my Gmail
account information was
wrong.”
Timeline: 3 Aug 12 @ 1702
“they reset my Twitter password…”
Timeline: 3 Aug 12 @ 1705
“they remotely wiped my MacBook.…”
Timeline: 3 Aug 12 @ 1705
“they remotely wiped my
MacBook.…”
“… they deleted my Google account. “
Timeline: 3 Aug 12 @ 1710
“I placed the call to
AppleCare.”
Timeline: 3 Aug 12 @ 1712
“attackers posted a
message to my account
on Twitter taking credit for
the hack.”
Why Matt Honan
"I asked him why. Was I targeted
specifically? Was this just to get to
Gizmodo's Twitter account [that had been
linked to mine]?
No, Phobia said, they hadn't even been
aware that my account was linked to
Gizmodo's, that the Gizmodo linkage was
just gravy.
He said the hack was simply a grab for
my three-character Twitter handle.
That's all they wanted.
They just wanted to take it, and [mess it]
up, and watch it burn. It wasn't personal.”
Social Engineering
“the art of manipulating people into performing actions or divulging confidential information”
The Sequence of Social
1. Amazon2. Apple3. Google4. Twitter
Sara Palin 2008
• September 16, 2008• Yahoo! Mail account of
Sarah Palin • Cracked by “Rubico”• Social Engineering• From Date of Birth Info
on Wikipedia
TBI’s CIA
Confidentiality Integrity Availability
Identity
Non-repudiation
Access
Factors of Identification Something you know Something you have Something you are
Password and PIN
“Something you know”
“a secret word or string of characters that is used for authentication, to prove identity or gain access to a resource”
Password Fatigue
• Excessive amount of passwords
• Leads to careless password or pin construction
PIN Formulation
• Usually 4 digits• Don’t use common
PINs• Don’t use personal
information• SSN• Birthdate• Birth year
PIN Freq
#1 1234 10.713%
#2 1111 6.016%
#3 0000 1.881%
#4 1212 1.197%
#5 7777 0.745%
#6 1004 0.616%
#7 2000 0.613%
#8 4444 0.526%
#9 2222 0.516%
#10 6969 0.512%
Password Formulation
• Passwords must contain
characters from three of the
these categories:
• Password generator in KeePass• Upper Case Character• Lower Case Character• Base 10 Digit (0 through 9)• Non-alphanumeric characters:
• ~!@#$%^&*_-+=`|\(){}[]:;"'<>,.?/
• A`?KUJ'j
• 47k0O#qt
• 4'vn1iSA
• nwDSB/OL
• 5*vFXggx
• tF0ylI59
• \PvmYk^k
• $;T+qha2
• UnJJ:8c8
• bU4DuwUM
• bU1H&@56
• BeU;i$X;
• 4q+!kkgg
• $qDsrT35
• %:WbFlzk
• HRvqt9j9
• RcgR^cMt
• dM/`nx\R
Password Formulation
• Since these are tough
• Try a PassPhrase:
• SteveFound4ApplesAndAFlute@hischair• 6TacosAreDelicious@YourLocalTacoMart
• A`?KUJ'j
• 47k0O#qt
• 4'vn1iSA
• nwDSB/OL
• 5*vFXggx
• tF0ylI59
• \PvmYk^k
• $;T+qha2
• UnJJ:8c8
• bU4DuwUM
• bU1H&@56
• BeU;i$X;
• 4q+!kkgg
• $qDsrT35
• %:WbFlzk
• HRvqt9j9
• RcgR^cMt
• dM/`nx\R
Where to Store Passwords
• Password Vault
• In your mind!
Password Commandments
Thou shalt …1. construct a complex
password2. Use a password vault3. Use dual factor
authentication4. Protect thy mobile
devices
Password Commandments
Thou Shalt Not ….1. Share thy Password2. Use thy dog’s name3. Write passwords on
sticky notes4. Use common words5. Keep passwords in
word documents
Before you lose a device ….
Learn if the device has “find me” features
Encrypt critical data at rest Think carefully about what
goes on the device Don’t let unauthorized
personnel utilize your device Lock your device whenever
you step away
If you lose a device ….
Report it immediately
BAD NEWS DOES NOT AGE WELL! FASTER RESPONSE THE BETTER
Consumer in Control Apple: iCloud.com Microsoft Exchange Blackberry: No self service
Example: iCloud
If you lose a device ….
Locate it
If you lose a device ….
If you can’t retrieve it, wipe it!
Data Classification Concept
Impact to the TBI Mission High Medium Low
High Reputation and Credibility Exposing Personal Information Exposing Sensitive Operations Information
On cloud computing
It’s here It’s not going away
Windows 8 SkyDrive DropBox Google Drive Google Applications iCloud
On cloud computing
Guidance
No PII Nothing Mission Sensitive Experiment and learn Preserve CIA REALLY read terms of
service
References
“How Apple and Amazon Security Flaws Led to My Epic Hacking” Wired Magazine August 6, 2012
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/08/apple-amazon-mat-honan-hacking/
Flickr Baby Photo: http://goo.gl/q2hSO
Datagenetics.com PIN Anlaysis: http://goo.gl/bCGGW
Security Now Episode 364: Twit.tv
Security Now Episode 364: Transcript from grc.com
Apple iCloud How to: http://www.apple.com/icloud/setup/ios.html
Apple iCloud: icloud.com
Sara Palin Email Hack: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Palin_email_hack
Clipart: openclipart.org
Social Engineering: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_engineering_(security)
Password: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Password