why cybersecurity is rubbish

@alecmuffett www.greenlanesecurity.com

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@alecmuffett

@alecmuffettwww.alecmuffett.com

green lane securitywww.greenlanesecurity.com

www.greenlanesecurity.com

how to think clearlyabout (cyber) security


how to think clearly aboutsecurity


how to think clearly aboutcybersecurity


...a bit too polemical?


thesis:


1there is a word cybersecurity


2this word is both a metaphor

and a model for thinking about the challenges of information

and network security


3this model, with perhaps one exception, is unsuited to describe the challenges of

information and network security


4this model has been adopted bystate actors as key to discussion and/or strategic consideration

of information and network security


5strategy based upon this model

tends to be misconceived, expensive,and of an illiberal nature


6unless diluted with other perspectives,

this model provides a lever for greater state control over

information and network security that will harm the evolution of the field


end thesis


thesis defence


1cybersecurity: what does it mean?


a long time ago in a novel far far away...


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cyberspace


not cybernetic


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virtual reality,a real virtuality


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spinoff words


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cyber-prefix


cyberpunk


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cypher-punk ?

PGP!


cyber-everything!


cybercrime


cybercriminals


cybersex


cyberchildren“digital natives”


cyberbullying


cyberterrorists


cyberattacks


cyberwarfare


cyberweapons


cyberespionage


...and so forth


AN OBSERVATION


word prefixes ...


digital, virtual = interesting, virtuous


virtual reality


e-something = dull


e-mail


iSomething


iPrefer this logo


cyber = bad/profane?


are we meant or predisposedto dislike ‘cyber’ ?


“information superhighway”was always boring


pop(@stack);


2what model does it represent?


not cyber-space


but cyber-space


a near-tangible virtual world


described as a space


people meet in a space


battles are fought in a space


wars are waged in a space


humans understand space


underlying assumption is that cyberspace is sufficiently like realspace

and much the same rules can apply


but, alas...


3the model is a mostly-bad fit to reality?


cyberspace is not like realspace


example 1: theft


cyberspace theft is not commutative


theft in realspace•if I steal your phone

• you no longer have it• it is gone


theft in cyberspace•if I steal your data

• you still have it• unless I also destroy your copies

• assuming you haven’t backed-up your data

• you no longer have secrecy• not the same as “loss”


later debate:is intellectual property theftactually theft (ie: crime) ...


... or is it like copyright infringementand/or patent infringement

(ie: typically a tort)?


(ask a lawyer. pay him.)


example 2: cybersize


social media as a medium: Twitter


@AlecMuffett~ 1300 followers


@MailOnline~29,000 followers


@GuardianNews ~223,000 followers


Can a case for newspaper regulationto be applied to newspaper twitterers?


@StephenFry~3,120,000 followers


Why regulate newspapers & journalists on Twitter,

yet not regulate Stephen Fry?


On Twittereveryone is the same size

0 = no twitter account1 = twitter account


On Twittereveryone has equal capability

tweet, or not-tweet, that is the question


On Twittersome have much greater reachwhich is not the same thing as size


a maths/compsci analogy:


graph theory → euclidean geometry →

twitter


wp:

dire

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ph


a node/vertex/twitterer is a pointand is of zero dimension;

hence all twitterers are the same size


a line/edge/follow is thatwhich joins two nodes/twitterers


the degree of a twittereris the number of followers,

the number of people with whomyou communicate


the only metrics on twitter•volume

• number of tweets

•indegree• number of followers

•outdegree• number of people you follow


so which of these three metricsshould trigger state regulation

of your twitterfeed - regulation of what you may say?


if none, perhaps regulation shouldpertain to the author & his message

rather than the medium


if the medium is irrelevant and open,why discuss regulation of the medium

rather than of its users?


example 3: sovereignty


“Where are the boundaries ofBritish (or American, etc) Cyberspace?”


(we will return to this)


precissociety is still adjusting to the net


4what model has the state adopted?


2011 - 1984 = 27


if it is a place, it can be policed


if it is a theatre, war can be prosecuted


EXPERIMENT


http

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/cyb

er-t

hrea

ts/ Cyberspace lies at the heart of modern society; it impacts our personal

lives, our businesses and our essential services. Cyber security embraces both the public and the private sector and spans a broad range of issues related to national security, whether through terrorism, crime or industrial espionage.

E-crime, or cyber-crime, whether relating to theft, hacking or denial of service to vital systems, has become a fact of life. The risk of industrial cyber espionage, in which one company makes active attacks on another, through cyberspace, to acquire high value information is also very real. Cyber terrorism presents challenges for the future. We have to be prepared for terrorists seeking to take advantage of our increasing internet dependency to attack or disable key systems.

CPNI works with the Cabinet Office and lead Government departments and agencies to drive forward the UK's cyber security programme to counter these threats.


posit:internet → communications


so replace:cyberspace → telephoneworld

cyber → phone


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933 Telephoneworld lies at the heart of modern society; it impacts our

personal lives, our businesses and our essential services. Phone security embraces both the public and the private sector and spans a broad range of issues related to national security, whether through terrorism, crime or industrial espionage.

E-crime, or phone-crime, whether relating to theft, hacking or denial of service to vital systems, has become a fact of life. The risk of industrial phone espionage, in which one company makes active attacks on another, through Telephoneworld, to acquire high value information is also very real. Phone terrorism presents challenges for the future. We have to be prepared for terrorists seeking to take advantage of our increasing communications dependency to attack or disable key systems.

CPNI works with the Cabinet Office and lead Government departments and agencies to drive forward the UK's phone security programme to counter these threats.


The UK should dominate Telephoneworld Cyberspace!


If cyberspace is communication...


to control communication:•you must define it•...and/or...•you must inhibit it


to define communication•propaganda

• a bad word in government lingo• also marketing & public relations


to inhibit communication•censorship

• likewise a bad word


it’s safer for government to pretendthat cyberspace is a space

filled with bad people


metaphor drives perception


land → army


sea → navy


sky → air force


cyberspace → up for grabs


to achieve dominancethe internet must be widely perceived

as a space which can be policed,as a battleground in which war

may be prosecuted...


...but what are its boundaries?


“Where are the boundaries ofBritish (etc) Cyberspace?”


depends on what you mean by:“Boundary”

“British”


is British Cyberspace the union ofevery Briton’s ability to communicate?


...then Stephen Fry is very large indeed.


is cyberspace the boundary of storageof every and all Britons’ data?


...then British Cyberspace extends into GMail and Facebook servers in the USA.


is British Cyberspace the sum overdigital/cyberactivities of all Britons?


...then the State seeks to constrainlegal (or, non-criminal) activitiesand amend/remove civil rights.


Government is curiously unwillingto clarify this matter.


5“expensive, misconceived and illiberal”


key, critical, strategic quotes:


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The cost of cybercrime to the global economy is estimated at $1 trillion

[US General Keith] Alexander stated and malware is being introduced at a rate of

55,000 pieces per day, or one per second.


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The annual cost of cybercrime is about $388 billion, including money and time lost, said Brian Tillett, chief security

strategist at Symantec. That’s about $100 billion more than the global black market

trade in heroin, cocaine and marijuana combined, he said.


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Symantec Sums•$388bn =

• $114bn “cost” + • $274bn “lost time”


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In our most-likely scenario, we estimate the cost of cyber crime to the UK to be

£27bn per annum.


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Cyber criminals will cost the UK economy an estimated £1.9 billion in 2011, according to a Symantec report.


$1000bn vs: $388bn vs: $114bn?

£27bn vs: £1.9bn ?


wtf?


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“the £27bn report”


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The theft of Intellectual Property (IP) from business, which has the greatest economic impact of any type of cyber crime is estimated to be £9.2bn per annum. p18


This gave an overall figure for fiscal fraud by cyber criminals of £2.2bn. p19


Our total estimate for industrial espionage is £7.6bn p20


Overall, we estimate the most likely impact [of online theft is] £1.3bn per annum, with the best

and worst case estimates £1.0bn and £2.7bn respectively. p21


Cyber crime Economic impact

Identity theft £1.7bn

Online fraud £1.4bn

Scareware & fake AV £30m

p18


but...


“The proportion of IP actually stolen cannot at present be measured with any

degree of confidence”


“It is very hard to determinewhat proportion of industrial espionage

is due to cybercrime”


“Our assessments are necessarily based on assumptions and informed judgements

rather than specific examples of cybercrime, or from data of a classified

or commercially sensitive origin”


also, do you remember...


“malware is being introducedat a rate of 55,000 pieces per day”


Compare...


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You just have to look at some of the figures, in fact over 50%, just about 51% of the malicious

software threats that have been ever identified, were identified in 2009.

Theresa May, Today Programme, Oct 2010


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Symantec “Global Internet

Security Threat Report- Trends for 2009”


In 2009, Symantec created 2,895,802 new malicious code signatures (figure 10). This is a 71 percent increase over

2008, when 1,691,323 new malicious code signatures were added. Although the percentage increase in signatures added is less than the 139 percent increase from 2007 to 2008, the overall number of malicious code signatures by the end of

2009 grew to 5,724,106. This means that of all the malicious code signatures created by Symantec, 51

percent of that total was created in 2009. This is slightly less than 2008, when approximately 60 percent of all

signatures at the time were created.


“code signatures” up 51%therefore “malware” up 51% ?


it doesn’t work like that.


(“polymorphic” malware)


So: 55,000/day ?


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McAfee Threat Report:Fourth Quarter 2010


Malware Reaches Record Numbers

Malicious code, in its seemingly infinite forms and ever expanding targets, is the largest threat that McAfee Labs combats daily. We have seen its functionality increase every

year. We have seen its sophistication increase every year. We have seen the platforms it targets evolve every year with increasingly clever ways of stealing data. In 2010

McAfee Labs identified more than 20 million new pieces of malware.

Stop. We’ll repeat that figure.

More than 20 million new pieces of malware appearing last year means that we identify nearly 55,000 malware threats every day. That figure is up from 2009. That

figure is up from 2008. That figure is way up from 2007. Of the almost 55 million pieces of malware McAfee Labs has identified and protected

against, 36 percent of it was written in 2010!


politicians & generals are usingglossy marketing reports

to bolster strategy


government response ?


“£640m over 4 years”


OCSIAOffice of

Cyber Security andInformation Assurance


£640m•cyberinvestment breakdown

• operational capabilities 65% • critical infrastructure 20% • cybercrime 9% • reserve and baseline 5%


“...but the US is spending $9bn* on cybersecurity;

are we spending enough?”- Audience Member, BCS Meeting Cyber Challenges of 2012

* Actually closer to $11bn


Of the £640m

9% (£58m) goes to cybercrime

65% (£416m) goes to operational capabilities


maybe the proportions reflectthe actually perceived threats?


6harmful to evolution of network security


there is clearly some realityto cybersecurity


CNI: Critical National Infrastructure


CNI Events


1941: Battle of the Atlantic


1943: Dambusters


Gulf Wars: Iraq Power Stations


...pursuant to an invasion, orwith a kinetic component


The [Enemy] will crash our systemsand then bomb us.


Maybe-CNI Events•2007: Estonia

• no banks, services, food

•2009: Russia/Ukraine Gas• people freezing


Non-CNI Events•2011: Aurora/GMail

• espionage• who died?


Nonetheless there is clearly some risk of being blindsided


there is land-war


there is sea-war


there is air-war


so there is cyber-war,but it should not dominate all strategy


compare: air supremacy


You might ask:where’s the harm

in cyber/space/security philosophy?


If not to the exclusion of all others?


1) expansion of the state


What’s a politician more likely to tell the public?

1) “you’re on your own”2) “we’re sorting it out for you”


Who is better to be responsiblefor a family’s cybersecurity?

1) the family members2) state cyber-police


2) interference in evolution/education


karmic cycle•technologies change

• people complain

•problems arise• people complain

•problems get fixed• people complain


people always complain,but they use and learn.


3) tunnel vision


let me presentan alternative spending model


...it’s actually a terrible idea -but bear with me for a moment...


if we’re worried about viruses...


why not make anti-virus/anti-malware available on the NHS?


free at the point of use


distributed to all citizens


pick what is suitable for your needs


run “flu jab”-like information campaigns


no huge centralised IT project


a great idea,to the extent limited by

bureaucracy, goals and targets


ie: this specific idea would be doomed...


...and any Government projectto lead security would be likewise?


But if you could address security in a distributed manner...


then why instead spendall that taxpayer money centrally?


Perhaps cybersecurity isn’t actuallyabout protecting the public?


But that would mean it’s rubbish.


fin@alecmuffett

why cybersecurity is rubbish

Technology

cyber security

challenges of information

virtual reality

network securitythat

information superhighwaywas

word prefixes

green lane security

neartangible virtual