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Justice Security Operations Center (JSOC) “News You Can Use”

1. JSOC s End of Month Report The JSOC Monthly Wrap Up provides an end of month summary of JSOC cyber threat activity highlights VPR alerts CTAT briefings user awareness publications and blocked domains email address and IP addresses The report also contains an incident dashboard that breaks down incidents by category provides further analysis of Malicious Code incidents the Department s most identified threat category and includes a list of the most popular internet hosts visited by Department users To view the latest JSOC Monthly Wrap Up visit our website at http dojnet doj gov jmd irm itsecurity monthly report ph Computer User Tips Cyber Criminals Roll Out Fake Microsoft Patch Malware Campaigns Be on the look out for the following malware campaigns designed to emulate legitimate Microsoft MS updates If you encounter any of these updates at work record the URL and notify your IT Security staff as soon as possible Home users should only accept MS program updates through Microsoft s website at www microsoft com e Important Windows XP Vista Security Update This fake update is often sent via email with a fake Conficker removal tool that can often be identified by Conficker being misspelled as Conflicker e Outlook Re Configuration Campaign A fake Outlook Update executable file outlook_update exe is being posted to legitimate websites that have been compromised Outlook updates should only be per
2. You may have heard the term Advanced Persistent Threat or APT in the news usually referring to a determined group of hackers that continues to target computer users in an attempt to steal information over the long term Using methodical attack techniques employing targeted malicious e mail messages the attackers trick users into opening a malicious attachment or clicking a link that leads to a compromise of sensitive information Once inside an organization the attackers quietly move laterally among network resources elevating privileges and stealing information persisting potentially for years without detection ue most valuable found assets They figure that the faster they get in and treasure the more money and the less risk they face By contrast APT attackers are there to stay as long as they can The attackers aren t trying to steal everything at once Instead they exploit dozens to hundreds of computers logon accounts and email users searching for new data and ideas over an extended period of months and years Source http infoworld com d security central The Justice Security Operations Center reminds users to remain vigilant for suspicious messages keeping the following in mind e Attackers may send convincing messages appearing to come from a coworker employer or other reputable source to gain your trust e Be wary of
3. the use of shortened links to hide the actual destination URL as well as a browser warning that there might be a problem with the destination URL Contributing Source net security org vy CARDHOLDER FORM This document is intended for Department of Justice internal use only and is not to be distributed outside the Department Questions regarding this newsletter or requests for permission to redistribute should be directed to JSOC 202 357 0266 Visit Our Website What is the JSOC Newsletter About the JSOC Newsletter The Justice Security Operations Center JSOC News You Can Use Newsletter strives to protect readers against Internet cyber threats by keeping them up to date on the latest security issues vulnerabilities and computer user tips The threats we address affect you daily at work at home and virtually everywhere in between and we provide the information you need to know in terms you can understand If there is a specific topic you would like to see discussed in a future newsletter please email Jennifer Jones at jennifer jones3 usdoj gov Cyber Awareness Tip Safe Online Shopping software a anti spyware first anti virus firewall and software These are your defense against viruses etc Do business with reputable vendors Verify that the vendor is reputable and established before providing any personal or financial information Be wary of emails requesting information
4. 2009 mail if it has to do with your account or private information Microsoft fig inan tte ie Pasa ouch Be very suspicious of any emails you receive from strangers companies or government agencies that request personal financial or credit card information If you receive an email that directs you to a website requesting you to download or update a program do not accept the offer and close the web browser window Click here for instructions on how to report any malicious spam email you have received at work to your IT security staff or JSOC Contributing Sources SecurityFocus SecurityPark CNet ZDNet MSN Green Tip of the Month Turn Off Your Gaming Console A gaming console that is left on twenty four hours a day seven days a week will use as much electricity annually as two new refrigerators Green Living Tips This document is intended for DOJ employees and contractors and is not to be distributed outside the Department Questions regarding this Bulletin or requests for permission to redistribute should be directed to JSOC DOJCERT 202 307 5332 JSOC Justice Security Operations Center March 2009 Security Awareness Tips News You Can Use Social Networking Websites and Job Boards There continues to be a surge in malware viruses and botnets directed toward and residing on social networking and job board gt websites Malicious
5. Legitimate businesses will not solicit account or personal information through email Source US CERT Use VPR Alerts Security Advisories Monthly Wrap Up Do Green Tip of the Month Smarter Recycling Dos and Don ts e Don t crush cans This is no longer necessary for processing e Don t thoroughly clean every empty jar Machinery at the recycling center will clean jars sort recyclables Some recycling centers throw out recyclables that are not sorted Do recycle glossy paper centers now accept magazines Most Source bestgreenhometips com JSOC Justice Security Operations Center News You Can Use October 2010 Visit Our Website What is the JSOC Newsletter About the JSOC Newsletter The Justice Security Operations Center JSOC News You Can Use Newsletter strives to protect readers against Internet cyber threats by keeping them up to date on the latest security issues vulnerabilities and computer user tips The threats we address affect you daily at work at home and virtually everywhere in between and we provide the information you need to know in terms you can understand If there is a specific topic you would like to see discussed in a future newsletter please email Jennifer Jones at jennifer jones3 usdoj gov Security Awareness Tip MSIL Zeven Affects Internet Explorer Chrome and Firefox A new fake anti virus sc
6. Up visit our website at http dojnet doj gov jmd irm itsecurity monthly report php This document is intended for Department of Justice internal use only and is not to be distributed outside the Department Questions regarding this Bulletin or requests for permission to redistribute should be directed to JSOC DOJCERT 202 307 5332 News You Can Use Visit Our Website What is the JSOC Newsletter The Justice Security Operations Center News You Can Use Newsletter keeps readers up to date on the latest topics security vulnerabilities and computer user tips to help protect against cyber threats on the Internet These threats affect you everyday in every way at the office at home and in between This is information you need to know written in terms you can understand If you have any subjects or ideas you would like to see addressed in future newsletters please email Curtis Johnson at curtis w johnson usdoj gov Cyber Awareness Tip Protecting Your Data Use and maintain antivirus software and a firewall Regularly scan for spyware Keep software up to date Evaluate your software settings Avoid unused software programs e Create separate user accounts Establish computer use guidelines Use passwords and encrypt sensitive files Properly dispose of sensitive info Contributing Source US CERT gov be Acrobat JSOC VPR Alert M ritical Patches August 2009 JSOC VPR Alert Cisco Firewall Services Mod
7. a on the latest security issues vulnerabilities and computer user previously unknown zero day vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Explorer tips The thredis we address affect allowed hackers entry into two Gmail accounts but Google claims the access you daily at work at home and was limited to account information rather than actual email content Upon virtually everywhere in between and investigating further however Google discovered that hackers had we provide the information you need successfully gained entry into targeted Gmail accounts via phishing scams to know in terms you understand and malware on the users computers The attack was tentatively linked to If there is a specific topic you would China due to the presence of an obscure algorithm in the malware which like to see discussed in a future had only been published in Chinese and was virtually unknown outside of newsletter please email Jennifer China Jones at jennifer jones3 usdoj gov References in the malware to a file folder named Aurora earned the attack Cyber Awareness Tip the name Operation Aurora The incident has resulted in considerable 7 contention between Google and China with Google refusing to continue a scaly oa only mall i F m a er computer users an censoring certain search results on its Chinese search engine stating your personal information yet most these attacks and the surveillance people create passwords based on they unco
8. any unsolicited message that requests you open an attachment or click a link and attempt to confirm the authenticity of the message via phone e At home employ updated antivirus software and educate others who share your computer that malicious e mail messages can compromise your computer and remind them to view unfamiliar e mail messages with caution e Submit suspicious e mail messages for analysis to JSOC via the e mail address AIL SPAM j g v Source Infoworld com About the JSOC Newsletter The Justice Security Operations Center JSOC News You Can Use Newsletter strives to protect readers against Internet cyber threats by keeping them up to date on the latest security issues vulnerabilities and computer user tips The threats we address affect you daily at work at home and virtually everywhere in between and we provide the information you need to know in terms you can understand If there is a specific topic you would like to see discussed in a future newsletter please email Jennifer Jones at jennifer jones3 usdoj gov Cyber Awareness Tip Good Security Habit Lock Your Computer Lock your computer when you are away from it by pressing the Windows Key and L Even if you only step away from your computer for a few minutes it s enough time for someone else to destroy or corrupt your information Locking your computer prevents another person from being able to simply sit down at your computer a
9. at left See full size image 267 x 400 21k jpg Image may be subject to copyright Below is the image at a a tew Microsoft Internet Explorer Warning Your computer contains va Once the user clicks the fakealert a rogue antivirus with a name such as Total Security or Security Tool hides the desktop with its personalized wallpaper interferes with the user s ability to right click their mouse or use its scroll wheel prohibits applications from running including Internet Explorer and blames all of the problems on an infection within the machine The purpose of this elaborate Fake AV or scareware attack is to convince users to spend 50 to 90 on bogus antivirus software contributing to the millions of dollars in profits generated by this scam to date If you encounter a fakealert hit Alt F4 which will immediately kill the browser Select Cancel if a dialog box appears to avoid unintentionally downloading the malware and contact your Component s IT security staff right away Reference Webroot Threat Blog Tool This document is intended for Department of Justice internal use only and is not to be distributed outside the Department Questions regarding this Bulletin or requests for permission to redistribute should be directed to JSOC DOIJCERT 202 307 5332 News You Can Use Visit Our Website What is the JSOC Newsletter The Justice Security Operations Center JSO
10. coders have turned their attention to these o websites See USAJobs Advisory because of the wealth of information available and the relative ease at which members seem willing to share it If you are a member of a social networking or job board website change your password today and change it often Use a password that is at least 8 characters long with a combination of upper and lower case letters numbers and special characters Malicious Web Sites Encrypt Local Files A rush of new fake antivirus websites are being designed to emulate authentic sites due to the success they have had at tricking visitors into downloading their malicious content Some of these websites contain scareware programs that attempt to scare the visitor into installing their malware or virus These websites are normally identified by warning messages or pop ups that tell the visitor a software upgrade is needed or something bad is happening to the visitor s computer and offers their software as the solution Unfortunately this action results in installing the malware or virus the visitor was trying to avoid A few scareware sites have introduced a new feature into their malware encryption This new version attempts to encrypt and scramble files inside the visitor s my documents folder when installed Once the encryption process is complete the visitor must purchase an encryption key from the malicious site to access their files If you vis
11. program i e pay money Even if 207 Corer tooa a the user chooses not to purchase f tuaia a oer a l Koi Lennan the product the MSIL Zeven VPR Alerts ereareemememncnnnnnieninte sues ee malware is already on their PC and 3 mae will display reminders and warning messages stating that the computer is infected If the Security Advisories user does purchase the product they will be paying for an ineffective scanner and their Monthly Wrap Up credit card information will be in the hands of cyber criminals i Green Tip of the Month Contributing Source www blogs technet com b mmpc Switch out your disposable plastic hand soap containers for refillable hand soap pumps Most brands offer bulk soap refills and you will be saving both money and landfill space Source www bestgreenhometips com This document is intended for Department of Justice internal use only and is not to be distributed outside the Department Questions regarding this newsletter or requests for permission to redistribute should be directed to JSOC 202 307 5332 September 2010 JSOC Issues Two Alerts to DOJ Computer Users Computer Worm Attacks Federal Agencies A new computer worm attacked several federal agencies and Fortune 500 companies yesterday The malicious email messages contain the subject line Here You Have or Just For You and contain a link to a seemingly legitimate PDF file
12. storage services 1 f l News You Can Use Visit Our Website What is the JSOC Newsletter The Justice Security Operations Center News You Can Use Newsletter keeps readers up to date on the latest topics security vulnerabilities and computer user tips to help protect against cyber threats on the Internet These threats affect you everyday in every way at the office at home and in between This is information you need to know written in terms you can understand If you have any subjects or ideas you would like to see addressed in future newsletters please email Curtis Johnson at curtis w johnson usdoj gov Cyber Awareness Tip Using Caution with Email Attachments Take the following steps to protect yourself and others in your address book Be wary of unsolicited attachments even from people you know Save and scan any attachments before opening them Turn off the option to automatically download attachments Consider additional practices i e firewall Contributing Source US CERT gov security Security Advisory Mozilla JSOC Security Advisory Java JSOC Security Advisory OSX JSOC Top Ten Scams JSOC Green Tip of the Month Greening the Commute American workers spend an average of 47 hours per year commuting through rush hour traffic This adds up to 3 7 billion hours and 23 billion gallons of gas wasted in traffic each year We can ease this strain by carpooling tak
13. the virus protection definitions are up to date Do not use Peer to Peer P2P file sharing on the internet such as instant messaging Skype BitTorrent or eDonkey etc P2P is expressly forbidden throughout the Department unless a waiver is obtained from the Department s CIO or his designee in each Component Use only authorized thumb drives and diskettes only download files from known and reliable sources and use virus checking procedures prior to use urity Advisory RIM BlackBerry SW Update JSOC October VPR Alerts JSOC Green Tip of the Month Turn your computer off at night Shutting your computer off before going to bed each night will save an average of 90 worth of electricity per year The Daily Green JSOC Justice Security Operations Center September 2009 Security Awareness Tips Five Ways to Meet Compliance in a Virtual Environment Five steps for securing and locking down virtual environments and meeting compliance requirements 1 Platform hardening Configure the virtualization platform both the hypervisor and administrative layer with secure settings eliminate unused components and keep up to date on patches Configuration and Change Management Extend your current change and configuration management processes and tools to the virtual environment Administrative Access Control Server administrators should have control over virtual servers and network adm
14. understand If there is a spe formation In one such scam cific topic you would like to see dis the emails subject line cussed in a future newsletter please reads Is Gold Your Ticket To email us at dojcert usdoj gov A Golden Future and a FREE investor kit is offered to users who provide their contact information Got You invesisr Kt Now gt Cyber Awareness Tip Certain personalities are used in the image for this spam campaign including Glenn Beck A Google search reveals an interesting angle about Glenn Beck promoting gold in vestments It seems that the spammer did some research in order to know about the association before propagating this spam campaign Harnett www symantec com Cybersecurity Myth Once software is installed on your home computer you do not have to worry about it anymore Contributing sources www net security org www symantec com www nytimes com e Vendors may release updated ver sions of software to address prob lems or fix vulnerabilities You should install the updates on your home computer as soon as possible some software even offers the option to obtain updates automatically Source US Cert User Awareness Tips Thumb thing s Fishy Thumb Drive Safety 101 Removable devices such as thumb drives also known as USB sticks pose a unique chal lenge to Federal IT Security While they are conve
15. According to the FBI s Internet Crime Complaint Center IC3 address affect you daily at work at consumers have reported a recent sweepstakes scam that sends emails home and virtually everywhere in and letters with fraudulent checks bearing the logos of financial services companies Expect between and we provide the to see variations of these schemes in the coming year using text messages and phone information you need to know in calls terms you can understand If there is a specific topic you would like to see discussed in a future newsletter please email Jennifer Jones at jennifer jones3 usdoj gov Employment Schemes Both get rich quick and work from home schemes have become increasingly common exploiting those facing difficult financial circumstances Common warning flags in postings for possible scams include Inflated wages vague wording or generic job openings free training guaranteed placement no special skills or experience required P O Box or out of state address and job listings for government civil service and overseas positions Cyber Awareness Tip Cyber Security Myth Attackers only target people with money Social Networking Dangers Truth Anyone can become a victim of Social networking sites are consistently risky and threats are predicted to increase in 2011 identity theft Attackers look for the They provide an avenue of easy attack to users who ar
16. C News You Can Use Newsletter strives to protect readers against Internet cyber threats by keeping them up to date on the latest security issues vulnerabilities and computer user tips The threats we address affect you daily at work at home and virtually everywhere in between and we provide the information you need to know in terms you can understand If there is a specific topic you would like to see discussed in a future newsletter please email Jennifer Jones at jennifer jones3 usdoj gov Cyber Awareness Tip Losing a laptop or PDA means not only losing the machine itself but sometimes the information on it Follow the tips below to minimize damage e Password protect your computer or PDA Also when entering your password ensure that others are not able to view it by shoulder surfing Do not leave your device unattended Downplay your laptop or PDA avoid using it in public if possible e Back up your files Source US_CERT gov VPR Alerts Security Advisories Monthly Wrap Up Green Tip of the Month Ditch Dixie Cups Rather than using a Dixie cup each time you make a trip to the office water cooler bring your own cup and encourage colleagues to do the same it saves loads of paper The Daily Green JSOC News You Can Use Justice Security Operations Cente January 2010 Security Awareness Tip JSRA J connection to Department of Justice information resourc
17. If a user clicks on the link they will be redirected to a malicious website that will prompt them to download and install a screensaver scr file If they agree to install this file they will become infected with an email worm that will continue to propagate through their email contacts see Computer Worm definition above Computer Worm A software program that is designed to copy itself from one computer to another without human interaction Unlike a computer virus a worm can copy itself automatically Worms can replicate in great volume For example a worm can send out copies of itself to every contact in your e mail address book and then it can send itself to all of the contacts in your contact s e mail address books Microsoft com The Department of Justice received over 200 of these emails but the Justice Security Operations Center JSOC activated the OCIO Incident Response Action Team and blocks were instituted at the TIC Internet gateways Additionally Components were required to update all antivirus products in use which minimized our exposure to only six infected machines Even though a ee the Department is now protected sometimes the adversaries change the Kotoni email to look slightly different so they can get past defenses The Department asks that all users carefully watch their emails both at work and on their home machines Attackers Attempt to Access Department Systems Throu
18. In fact don t give out ANY kind of information personal or not to people you meet gaming Avoid falling for the old FarmVille Secrets scam You will either download a Trojan or expose your Facebook login info to criminals Source www gizmodo com VPR Alerts Security Advisories Monthly Wrap Up Green Tip of the Month Think Before You Print e Ask yourself could this be read or stored online instead Make it a policy to post employee manuals and similar materials online rather than distribute print copies They re easier to update that way too e Request to be removed mailing lists before you unwanted mail Source www sierraclub typepad com from recycle News You Can Use August 2010 Security Awareness Tip Increase in Social Networking Scams In its presentation to the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime Terrorism and Homeland Security last month the FBI reported a significant increase in the use of social networking accounts in Internet scams facebook Gordon Snow Assistant Director of the FBI s Cyber Division stated The surge in the use of social networking sites over the past two years has given cyber thieves and child predators new highly effective avenues to take advantage of unsuspecting users www networkworld com A couple common tactics used on social networking sites include e Data Mining in which cyber criminals extract bits of informat
19. afety An email attachment is a computer file that is sent along with an email Attachments are convenient but they can also carry viruses Follow the tips below to protect yourself e Be wary of unsolicited attachments even from people you know Keep software up to date in order to minimize your vulnerability Turn off the option to automatically download attachments Source www US CERT gov VPR Alerts Security Advisories Monthly Wrap Up Green Tip of the Month Go as Paperless as Possible e Keep copies of important emails files manuals and more on your computer e Review any documents online instead of printing them out e Send company updates through email instead of on paper The Daily Green JSOC News You Can Use Justice Security Operations Genter March 2010 Visit Our Website Security Awareness Tip What is the SSS ISOC Newsletter Operation Aurora About the JSOC Newsletter j na k N PEEN The Justice Security Operations Mid December 2009 hackers initiated a highly sophisticated attack on Center JSOC News You Can Use Google and more than twenty other companies with the goal of accessing Newsletter strives to protect source code and gathering information about dozens of U S Chinese and readers against Internet cyber European users who were advocates of human rights in China A threats by keeping them up to date combination of encryption stealth programming and exploitation of
20. age that may be an intrusion attempt or pose a threat to DOJ computer security please follow the instructions for reporting malicious email at JSOC s D dojnet doj 8901410424321 Saas 8901410424321 Sa 8901410424321 Sika 8901410424321 90Manm h fus army mil 8901410424321 Siih 8991410424321 9mm 8901410424321 Sa 8901410424321 Se 89014104243220R 8901410424322000S 89014104243220Rmmm 8901410424322000UEUE eg us army mil 8901410424331 35am 8901410424322 Limaki 8901410424322 8901410424322 1I5EESURE p f faa gov 8901410424322 IEEE 2901410424331 555000 8901410424331 Sas ieee fc gov 8901410424322 2901410424322 cas et us army mil mna cdarpa nil ee Gus army mil eee Gus army mil Gus 2 my i nee Gus army mil amum Geucom mil epee s army mil Settee Gus army mil pem Gus army mil p Gus army mil gee nasa gov o mm faa gov mp RU SGo j gov A m fcc OV lene mail house gov Contributing Sources www arstechnica com www gawker com http security goatse fr User Awareness Tip Protecting Your PC from Spyware and Adware Visit Our Website What is the JSOC Newsletter About the JSOC Newsletter The Justice Security Operations Center JSOC News You Can Use Newsletter strives to protect readers against Internet cyber threats by keeping them up to date on the latest security issues vulnerabilities and computer user tips The th
21. ages To preserve the hidden message information typically invisible to average users suspicious e mail messages must be sent to JSOC in a certain way To forward a message for analysis please follow the instructions available on JSOC website h This document is intended for Department of Justice internal use only and is not to be distributed outside the Department Questions regarding this newsletter or requests for permission to redistribute should be directed to JSOC 202 307 5332 News You Can Use Visit Our Website What is the JSOC Newsletter About the JSOC Newsletter The Justice Security Operations Center JSOC News You Can Use Newsletter strives to protect readers against Internet cyber threats by keeping them up to date on the latest security issues vulnerabilities and computer user tips The threats we address affect you daily at work at home and virtually everywhere in between and we provide the information you need to know in terms you can understand If there is a specific topic you would like to see discussed in a future newsletter please email Jennifer Jones at jennifer jones3 usdoj gov Cyber Awareness Tip Safe Online Gaming at Home Be careful when downloading free to play F2P clients on your home computer If the client software is malicious you could be putting your PC at risk Don t give out your login information to strangers
22. am in the form of a browser warning page has been spotted by the Microsoft Malware Protection Center The rogue dubbed MSIL Zeven has been spotted on various compromised websites and is able to detect whether Internet Explorer Chrome or Firefox is being used then generate a malware warning page very similar to those displayed by the respective browsers See phony Internet Explorer page below It is important to note that all the updates point to a copy of MSIL Zeven that promises to provide a new approach to windows detection but Internet Explorer Firefox and Chrome do not offer such a solution when a website is blocked Microsoft Malware Protection Center Additionally many of the pages have obvious grammar and spelling mistakes such as Get me our of here instead of out in the Firefox warning page Cyber Awareness Tip and Proven antivirus protection fin one click rather than in If you encounter such a Free iPhone Facebook Scam warning page hit Alt F4 on your keyboard which will immediately kill the browser Select Beware of iPhone related status Cancel if a dialog box appears to avoid unintentionally downloading the malware and updates from friends on Facebook contact your Component s IT security staff right away with elamis like Just testing Facebook for iPhone out P Re
23. aminated or not running properly Also called rogue antivirus and scareware fake antivirus is a dishonest attempt to cause a user to purchase antivirus registry cleaner or some other software that repairs problems or enhances performance Source pcmag com hijacking web browsing sessions repeatedly playing messages over the speakers E g Your computer is infected and generating popups Si 101 Thanks Dinner Stuffing Recipes Hints Tips Leam how easy it Is to make turkey stuffing for Thanksgiving dinner Traditional Stuffing Recipes My Great Grandmother s Stuffing Chestnut Stuffing busyCooks about com od howocook a stuffing101 ntm Caches Simla Mom s Turkey Stuffing Recipe Sii Recipes Classic Thanksgiving turkey stuffing recipe made with French bread cubes like they will add a fantastic dimension to this fairty traditional stuffing elise com recipes archives 000036moms _turkey_stuffing php Cached Thanksgiving and Turkey Recipes Side Dishes Desserts Appetizers Discover delicious and easy to prepare Thanksgiving recipes inciuding Thanksgiving Whole Thanksgiving Turkey with Miles Standish Stuffing and Gi wen foodnetwork com topics thanksgiving index htm Cached ww examiner com x 24122 HalgmAshbury Budget Living Examiner y2009m 1142 Best traditional Thanksgiving stuffing reci Cacbec Searches related to traditional thanksgiving stuffing recipe It is i
24. ce or perform a manual update Software that cannot be set to automatically perform updates should be updated manually on a monthly schedule This document is intended for Department of Justice internal use only and is not to be distributed outside the Department Questions regarding this Bulletin or requests for permission to redistribute should be directed to JSOC DOJCERT 202 307 5332 Visit Our Website What is the JSOC Newsletter The Justice Security Operations Center News You Can Use Newsletter keeps our readers up to date on the latest topics security vulnerabilities and computer user tips to help protect against cyber threats on the Internet These threats affect you everyday in every way at the office at home and in between This is information you need to know written in terms you can understand If you have any issues subjects or ideas you would like to see addressed in future newsletters please email Curtis Johnson at curtis w johnson usdoj gov Cyber Awareness Tip Social networking sites are delivering malware 10 times more effectively than email Kasperskey Lab s Malware Evolution 2008 report indicates that 10 of all malware delivered via social networking sites are successfully installed onto members computers Kasperkey Lab collected over 43 000 malware samples from social networking sites in 2008 while McAfee reported 800 new variants of the Koobface virus Contributi
25. ceived If a user clicks the Update Now or Upgrade box on the page their computer will be my free iPhone today so happy infected and the phony Win7 AV product will be installed It starts by conducting a fake lol If anyone else Wants one go scan indicating that it has found malicious files infections and the like While the scan hare link Users who click on the appears legitimate see image at link are asked if they want to left it does not actually inspect Allow the application to access the SECS computer and the their basic information Clicking report it generates is completely Allow enables the application to false bine Rage ine ne F i access users personal information everyt Ing IS ia gus a ace as well as to post on their wall Each mes not te ouer any na o click earns commission for the protection Gust like i al other scammers Impacted users should rogue f annas maran immediately delete references to Microsot Ma eel rotection the free iPhone from their wall and Center After the initial scan the remove the offending application user is informed that the program from Account Application Settings has detected various problems but Source www net security org secworld Sevotece toms cannot eradicate them unless they f i ee a Win7 AV od me LOE cater sed es upgrade to the full version of the Moav AY werd EE PEA
26. cted to JSOC DOJCERT 202 307 5332 Visit Our Website What is the JSOC Newsletter The Justice Security Operations Center News You Can Use Newsletter keeps readers up to date on the latest topics security vulnerabilities and computer user tips to help protect against cyber threats on the Internet These threats affect you everyday in every way at the office at home and in between This is information you need to know written in terms you can understand If you have any subjects or ideas you would like to see addressed in future newsletters please email Curtis Johnson at curtis w johnson usdoj gov Cyber Awareness Tip Malware Campaign Disguised as Swine Flu Messages This campaign sends e mail messages containing information regarding H1N1 vaccination programs purporting to be from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC The fake messages attempt to entice recipients to click a link to a malicious file Users who click on this link may become infected with malware Public reports indicate that the messages contain subjects including Governmental registration program on the H1N1 vaccination and Your personal vaccination profile Subject lines related to this malware campaign will likely change over time Click here for more information VPR Alerts Security Advisories Monthly Wrap Up Green Tip of the Month Don t Dump Donate The next time you upgrade somethin
27. cted to JSOC 202 357 0266 JSOC Justice Security Operations Center News You Can Use December 2010 Visit Our Website About the JSOC Newsletter Security Awareness Tips The Justice Security Operations Center JSOC News You Can Use Newsletter strives to protect readers against Internet cyber threats by keeping them up to date on the latest security issues vulnerabilities and computer user tips The threats we address affect you daily at work at home and virtually everywhere in between and we provide the information you need to know in terms you can understand If there is a specific topic you would like to see discussed in a future newsletter please email Jennifer Jones at jennifer jones3 usdoj gov Tis the Season to Get Scammed The hustle and bustle of the holidays with shoppers looking for great deals in a hurry provides an excellent opportunity for cyber criminals to strike Don t be fooled by the common scams below Free iPad Offers With Apple products being in high demand this season lots of phony offers for free iPads and other merchandise are circulating online Some users receive spam email messages that offer a free iPad with an online purchase Those who attempt to make a credit card purchase receive neither the product they supposedly paid for nor the free iPad they were promised and their account information is in the hands of cyber cr
28. e willing to click on every link they biggest reward for the least amount of receive Be sure to contact friends before clicking links videos etc to ensure they are effort so they typically target legitimate databases that store information about many people If your information happens to be in the m database it could be collected and Security Awareness Tips used for malicious purposes It is z x important to pay attention to your Information Security during International Travel credit information in order to minimize any potential damage Sources Dark Reading Net Security PC Tools All federal employees embarking on international travel whether work related or not should keep the following tips in mind Assume You re a Target Because You Probably Are Travelers need to know that in light of current worldwide political and economic instability the fact that they are American citizens and in particular U S government employees or Source www us cert gov contractors makes them a target for exploitation VPR Alerts Avoid Processing and Transmitting Sensitive Information Security Advisories i Travelers should assume that their transmissions are being intercepted and read anywhere Monthly Wrap Up networks are controlled by a foreign government Foreign network providers can disable a mobile device encryption and then turn it back on after information is interce
29. ect you everyday in every way at the office at home and in between This is information you need to know in terms you can understand If you have any issues subjects or ideas you would like to see addressed in future newsletters please email Curtis Johnson at curtis w johnson usdoj gov Cyber Awareness Tip Facebook s users are targeted by a virus named Koobface This virus spreads via a note from a friend that might say You re really funny in this video If clicked the link connects to a website which asks you to download an update to your Adobe Systems Flash player This link will attempt to install the Koobface on your computer Koobface modifies user profiles to redirect their visitors to malicious websites DOJ Dealing with Cyberbullies US CERT Obama McCain Lesson in Cyber Security Security Focus Green Tip of the Month Recycle Your Fluorescent Bulbs The Mercury from one fluorescent bulb can pollute 6 000 gallons of water beyond safe drinking levels
30. eeps readers up to date on the latest topics security vulnerabilities and computer user tips to help protect against cyber threats on the Internet These threats affect you everyday in every way at the office at home and in between This is information you need to know written in terms you can understand If you have any subjects or ideas you would like to see addressed in future newsletters please email Curtis Johnson at curtis w johnson usdoj gov Cyber Awareness Tip Twitter Users Targeted with First For Profit Antivirus Scam The first week of June introduced Twitter users to their first antivirus for profit scam promising a best video via a fake YouTube website This is the same antivirus scam that has been circulating on other social networking sites and through email The scam directs the user to a malicious site that installs the virus Contributing Source The Register MS Critical Patches June 2009 JSOC Choosing and Protecting Passwords US CERT Green Tip of the Month Phantom Load The EPA estimates consumers spend 100 00 a year on electricity used by electronics that are turned off or in stand by mode EPA recommends e Unplug power adapters battery chargers and other similar items e Use power strips so you can turn off electronics completely e Buy products that are highly rated by the federal Energy Star program The Daily Green JSOC Justice Secu
31. ent of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service claiming to come from the IRS Fraud Department Others state that taxpayers will receive money for filling out a customer satisfaction survey It is important to note that the IRS does not initiate taxpayer communications through e mail If you encounter an unsolicited tax related email from the IRS e Do not reply e Do not open any attachments e Do not click on any links Click here for a list of the top 12 IRS scams of 2010 Contributing Source www IRS gov This document is intended for Department of Justice internal use only and is not to be distributed outside the Department Questions regarding this newsletter or requests for permission to redistribute should be directed to ISOC 202 307 5332 Visit Our Website What is the JSOC Newsletter About the JSOC Newsletter The Justice Security Operations Center JSOC News You Can Use Newsletter strives to protect readers against Internet cyber threats by keeping them up to date on the latest security issues vulnerabilities and computer user tips The threats we address affect you daily at work at home and virtually everywhere in between and we provide the information you need to know in terms you can understand If there is a specific topic you would like to see discussed in a future newsletter please email Jennifer Jones at jennifer jones3 usdoj gov Cyber Awareness Tip Email Attachment S
32. er Thr ISOC Adobe Acrobat and Reader Vulnerability JSOC Green Tip of the Month Public Transportation A person riding public transportation can achieve an average annual savings of 8 481 based on today s gas prices and average parking costs APTA JSOC Justice Security Operations Genter News You Can Use February 2009 Security Awareness Tips Cyber Crime in 2009 Data capture passwords and account numbers will continue to be the target of malicious coders in 2009 While the Department of Justice is utilizing all resources to protect its users against these risks home users are expected to encounter a dramatic increase in fake email and malicious websites Industry also predicts mobile cell phone networks are the next target due to the advances popularity and the variety of ways smart phones are being used e Data Capture Malicious coders are constantly modifying the schemes they use to gather information from unsuspecting users Be careful when opening email attachments accepting free offers and surfing the internet There is someone out there trying to collect your information e Smart Phones Voice and touchtone phishing much like email and web phishing malware and cellular botnets are predicted to become a serious threat to the mobile network in 2009 Malicious code is being written to take advantage of the growing trend in mobile interactivity with companies that require social
33. es via the Internet and is SRA is a Virtual Private Network VPN which provides a secure and encrypted part of the DOJ Disaster Contingency Plan When utilizing the JSRA network users should follow best practices DOJ Security Order 2640 2F and DOJ General Rules of Behavior FY10 http 10 173 2 12 dojorders d0j2640 2f pdf http 10 173 2 12 dojorders doj2740 1a pdf http 10 173 2 12 jmd irm itsecuri ments general r fy10 pdf DOJ guidelines for JSRA users Do not connect personal computers to the JSRA Network Ensure the computer s software is fully patched and the virus protection definitions are up to date Do not use Peer to Peer P2P file sharing on the internet such as instant messaging Skype BitTorrent or eDonkey etc P2P is expressly forbidden throughout the Department unless a waiver is obtained from the Department s CIO or his designee in each Component Use only authorized thumb drives and diskettes only download files from known and reliable sources and employ virus checking tools prior to use Do not allow family members access to your government laptop Government laptops are only permitted to connect to the internet through the JSRA network E xem chon CE This document is intended for Department of Justice internal use only and is not to be distributed outside the Department Questions regarding this Bulletin or requests for permission to redistribute should be dire
34. formed through the MS website e Critical Outlook Update This third malware attack should be familiar to most users as it s delivered via an email attachment officexp KB910721 FullFile ENU exe Do not double click attachments especially exe files offering any type of software update Contributing Source ZDNet Adobe Implements Quarterly Security Patching Updates Adobe released their first quarterly patch that addresses 13 critical PDF vulnerabilities to Reader and Acrobat 9 and earlier versions of this software Adobe recommends users upgrade to the newly released 9 1 2 version as soon as possible If you are running an older version of Acrobat or Reader and can t upgrade visit JSOC s Website for alternate version upgrades The Department s IT security staff performs software updates to your work computer but check to make sure your home computer is set to perform automatic updates If not change this preference or perform a manual update Software that cannot be set to automatically perform updates should be updated manually on a monthly schedule This document is intended for Department of Justice internal use only and is not to be distributed outside the Department Questions regarding this Bulletin or requests for permission to redistribute should be directed to JSOC DOJCERT 202 307 5332 Visit Our Website What is the JSOC Newsletter The Justice Security Operations Center News You Can Use Newsletter k
35. g can no longer stand the sight of something hideous or simply need to downsize think donate instead of dump The Daily Green JSOC Justice Security Operations Center November 2009 Security Awareness Tips Hidden Dangers of the Web Social Networking Pro Con e Wide userbase provides attractive target for attackers e Enables quick efficient communication e Can unintentionally leak sensitive information e Network with friends coworkers friends of friends classmates the world Facebook Targeting amp Exploitation e Facebook has a search by company feature to allow networking with coworkers Over 500 profiles with DOJ listed as employer on Facebook facebook Home Profle Frends Inbox 4 Search by Company Company Department of Justoe from pecoie n Depar tment of Justice Person s Name Search for Coworkers e Allows adversaries access to your private life and information that can be used to target DOJ personnel e Your full name can be used to craft targeted e mail messages or for other nefarious purposes e Facebook disabled numerous fake profiles that included a link toa purported video but which instead displayed a fake antivirus alert Scam designed to get credit card information from victims for identity fraud purposes and install spyware e Mitigation Don t include place of employment on public profiles Drive by Downloads e Downloading malicio
36. gh Malicious E mail Messages Exemphon 7E The Justice Security Operations Center JSOC designed to give attackers remote access to Department systems Due to the recent increase and nature of these targeted intrusion attempts we urge users to be extra cautious when opening e mail messages at work and at home Typically users will receive a malicious message disguised as a legitimate e mail containing links or attachments often referring to U S government information reports conferences or meeting agendas If a user clicks the link or opens the attachment the attacker can gain full control of their workstation and information To reduce the risk of compromising your DOJ workstation be alert for unsolicited e mail messages and keep in mind the following traits common to malicious e mail messages e Subject matter related to recipient s work possibly containing actual U S Government information e A sense of urgency to convince the recipient to open an attachment or click a link within the message e Convincing content such as upcoming meeting agendas reports information on current events or policy issues e Seemingly legitimate sender government and commercial addresses including usdoj gov using legitimate signature and contact information e An attachment typically a pdf or zip file or link The Justice Security Operations Center would like to examine suspected malicious e mail mess
37. governmentattic org Rummaging in the government attic Description of document US Department of Justice DOJ Justice Security Operations Center JSOC News You Can Use Newsletters 2008 2011 Requested date 11 April 2011 Released date 20 May 2011 Posted date 11 July 2011 Date date range of documents Included are Dec 2008 Feb Sep amp Nov 2009 Jan Dec 2010 Jan Apr 2011 Source of document FOIA Contact Justice Management Division Department of Justice Room 1111 RFK 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington DC 20530 0001 Fax 202 616 6695 Email JMDFOIA usdoj gov The governmentattic org web site the site is noncommercial and free to the public The site and materials made available on the site such as this file are for reference only The governmentattic org web site and its principals have made every effort to make this information as complete and as accurate as possible however there may be mistakes and omissions both typographical and in content The governmentattic org web site and its principals shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to have been caused directly or indirectly by the information provided on the governmentattic org web site or in this file The public records published on the site were obtained from government agencies using proper legal channels Each document is identified as to the source A
38. hen forwarding suspected malicious e mail messages to JSOC for further analysis which are online at JSOC s DOJNet website http i email submittal pdf Please note that JSOC does not analyze or block spam or other nuisance messages unless they pose a threat to computer security If you would like to block spam nuisance or other non malicious e mail messages several options exist 1 Contact your component IT Helpdesk for information on the Proofpoint Mail Digest and end user mail filter settings When enabled by your Helpdesk this service provides end users with the ability to manage spam settings including blocking specific e mail addresses OR Contact your component IT helpdesk for information on how to block specific senders within your e mail application using built in tools e g Junk E mail filtering in Microsoft Outlook User Awareness Tip Cyber Attacks Center Around 2010 World Cup The FIFA World Cup 2010 like most events that receive heavy media coverage has provided cyber criminals the opportunity to attack unsuspecting computer users in various ways Using hacking techniques attackers have managed to have their malicious sites listed in the top Google search results As seen in the image below the top four results out of over 17 000 for a World Cup related query led to malicious websites Clicking on any of the top results causes a phony Windows Security Center notification to pop up a common Fake AntiV
39. iminals Others have encountered quizzes on Facebook and Twitter that promise a free iPad in exchange for answering a few questions To receive their final results individuals must enter their Free Apple iPad See Details cell phone number which automatically Cyber Awareness Tip http bit ly subscribes them to a cell phone scam that i UKnowUBroke mm chile PS3 charges their account 10 a week Malicious Power Surge Protection minutes age via API links and other counterfeit offers for iPads are Inclement winter weather is headed our way keep your home PC safe from power surges and outages by Help I ve Been Robbed Scam e Investing in a power strip that This scam appears in the form of phony distress messages from someone you know claiming protects against power surges they are out of town and in need of money immediately Do not fall prey to the message s many strips advertise compensation sense of urgency first call or email the supposedly stranded friend in order to verify their if they do not effectively protect claims Chances are they re fine and you ve encountered a scam your computer i Durin a lightnin storm or C a des phishing scams with offers of free ra Construction work that increases the k y x TU odds of power surges consider gift cards to steal users personal information and coN pn Ulan shutting your computer down and money The offers can appear as po
40. ing public transit biking walking or a creative combination thereof Consider car alternatives such as a hybrid or electric vehicle motorcycle scooter or using a car sharing service like Flexcar or Zipcar PlanetGreen including groups yahoo com groups google com and livejournal com and are using those accounts to host their spam content The use of these sites makes the spam appear to be legitimate thus enabling it to bypass commonly used blacklists AppRiver has tweaked its own defenses to detect the new spam attack and block it but traditional spam tolls that blacklist IP addresses or domains will not block the new attacks Contributing Source Dark Reading Online This document is intended for Department of Justice internal use only and is not to be distributed outside the Department Questions regarding this Bulletin or requests for permission to redistribute should be directed to JSOC DOJCERT 202 307 5332 News You Can Use July 2009 Security Awareness Incident Dashboards are now available to Components through JSOC s Remedy Web Portal Component specific Incident Dashboards available with a JSOC Remedy Web Portal account provide Components with an easy to understand graphical view into their incident ticket status The information displayed includes total incidents open incidents reported by category from the previous month and real time open and closed incident ticket information by categor
41. inistrators over virtual networks and these administrators need to be trained in virtualization software in order to avoid misconfiguration of systems Network Security and Segmentation Deploy virtual switches and virtual firewalls to segment virtual networks and use your physical network controls in the virtual networks as well as change management systems Be sure that machines handling protected data are isolated and deploy virtual IDS IPSes Audit Logging Monitor virtual infrastructure logs and correlate those logs across the physical infrastructure as well to get a full picture of vulnerabilities and risks Adapt automated tools and SIEM systems to integrate logs from both environments Contributing Source Dark Reading Computer User Tips Parental tips to keep children safe online Keep your computer in an open area Set rules and warn about dangers Keep lines of communication open Consider implementing parental controls Consider partitioning your computer into separate accounts Contributing Source US CERT Cyber Security Online Keeping Laptops from Getting Lost or Stolen Keep these tips in mind when you take your laptop out and about Treat your laptop like cash Keep it locked Keep it off the floor Use a non descript carrying case Keep your passwords elsewhere Password protect your system Backup important data before traveling Contributing Source StaySafeOnline info To view the latest JSOC Monthly Wrap
42. ion about victims and then use it to scam them A common example is a getting to know you quiz on a social networking site While the answers to these questions do not appear to be malicious on the surface they often mimic the same questions that are asked by financial institutions or e mail account providers when an individual has forgotten their password www networkworld com Scammers can thus gain information that will allow them to access the victim s email bank accounts etc Additionally collecting persona information is made even easier because many users often accept into their private sites people that they do not actually know or sometimes fail altogether to properly set privacy settings on their profile www networkworld com Friends of friends should not be able to view your birthday cell phone number or any other information that could be used to impersonate you to credit card companies credit unions etc e Data mining can be applied in Phishing in which cyber criminals attempt to acquire passwords account numbers and other sensitive information by pretending to be someone else often through personalized legitimate looking messages One example is a warning message that appears to be from your bank requesting you submit your account information for verification purposes note that most banks will not contact you via email to gather information A recent phishing scam that has plagued Facebook and other s
43. irected to JSOC DOJCERT 202 307 5332 Visit Our Website What is the JSOC Newsletter The Justice Security Operations Center News You Can Use Newsletter keeps readers up to date on the latest topics security vulnerabilities and computer user tips to help protect against cyber threats on the Internet These threats affect you everyday in every way at the office at home and in between This is information you need to know written in terms you can understand If you have any subjects or ideas you would like to see addressed in future newsletters please email Curtis Johnson at curtis w johnson usdoj gov Cyber Awareness Tip 640 000 New Fake Antivirus Variants Researchers are expecting 640 000 new variants of the Fake Antivirus Fake AV malware in the third quarter of 2009 This increase is due to the ease at which Fake AV campaigns can be designed and distributed when compared to banking Trojan attacks which require professional programmers Source Dark Reading 7 30 09 JSOC MS Critical Patches July 2009 JSOC Adobe Flash Patch 07 23 09 ISOC Oracle CPU Patch 07 17 09 Green Tip of the Month Select 2 Sided Printing The U S alone uses 4 million tons of copy paper annually about 27 pounds per person which accounts for 25 of all landfill waste Source The Daily Green News You Can Use Justice Security Operations Center June 2009 Security Awareness Tips
44. irus technique Users need to be cautious when conducting popular searches and immediately close their browsers if they receive a supposed antivirus alert For more information on Fake AV attacks see the February 2010 issue of News You Can Use Cyber criminals are also sending out emails with malicious PDFs claiming the attachments contain free World Cup tickets or a World Cup Travel Guide Users should use their better judgment when faced with offers that are unsolicited and or sound too good to be true and refrain from opening such attachments World CUP shies ticket Ogle Buscar enla Web B en aspafol Web E Mostrar opciones Resuttados 1 10 de ee e pulico net World Cup att Teate Traduci este pagina 2010 World Cup 2010 supatitieme Tickets amp News Alingnts 2 free alen service and be the first 1o buy ee Cup Tickets nevVagcyv php m world 20cup tickets En cach ssic com_ World Cup Tickets 2075 stagnating M os pausat cause con asawa Tickets amp News All rights reserved sir sic com gnfpf php world 20cup 20 gt ssayelnetworks com World Cup t World Cup 2010 wama Tickets News Ai nghts reserved simulation Celtics m Board Paea dai MOE January 7 2010 Postad in world relnetworks comvgiheg php world 20 constructon com World Cup s lt Tickets Traducir esta pagina ares away free tickets for Confederations Cup se atch between Spain and LS ames 12 h
45. it a website you think is malicious please report it to your IT security staff as soon as possible Contributing Source Washington Post Computer User Tips Website Passwords Two thirds of computer users use one or two passwords to access all their websites If you are one of these users do not allow your web browser to automatically save your passwords This practice allows anyone with physical or remote access to your computer access to your web site accounts If your browser supports an encrypted master password your saved passwords may be more secure but there are programs designed to break this encryption Contributing Source NY Times Secure Your Wireless Router at Home When installing a wireless network at home please take the proper steps to ensure it is secure Look in the manual for how to change the wireless ID also known as the SSID to something unique Turn on the Wi Fi Protect Access WPA or WPA2 for authentication enable Temporal Key Integrity Protocol TKIP for encryption and use Media Access Control MAC address filtering An unsecured wireless network allows other computer users to use your bandwidth for free and possibly use it for illegal activities If the police come looking a person with an unsecured network would have a difficult time proving the activity didn t come from one of their computers Contributing Source SANS This document is intended for DOJ employees and contractors and is not t
46. keeping Department information secure All Department personnel are asked to e Be cautious of messages phone calls or web pages requesting that you reset the PIN code used with your token Contact your component IT helpdesk if you receive an unexpected request to reset your PIN code ane e Check the URL address of web pages asking for login inform to ensure they are legitimate government web page ac z imitations that look official Cyber Awareness Tip Reasons to be particularly careful when opening email attachments e Email is easily circulated Forwarding email is so simple that viruses can quickly infect many machines e Email programs try to address all users needs Almost any type of file can be attached to an email message so attackers have more freedom with the types of viruses they can send e Email programs offer many user friendly features Some email Programs have the option to automatically download email attachments which immediately exposes your computer to any viruses within the attachments Source US Cert U S government e mail address oe at Please report suspicious messages to the Justice Security Operations Center JSOC by e mail DOJCERT usdoj gov or phone 866 US 4 CERT Users may continue normal use of systems keeping in mind the above requests to remain vigilant for attempts to obtain PIN codes JSOC wi
47. l Jennifer Jones at jennifer jones3 usdoj gov Cyber Awareness Tip Safe Internet Publishing Although people are typically wary of sharing personal information with strangers they meet on the street they may not hesitate to post that same information online Before posting information online remember to View the internet as a novel not a diary assume that people you have never met will view the information you are publishing Think ahead once you publish something online it cannot be taken back It is available to other people and to search engines and may never be completely removed Source US_CERT gov VPR Alerts Security Advisories Monthly Wrap Up Green Tip of the Month Reduce E Waste The world generates 20 to 50 million metric tons of e waste which makes up 2 percent of solid waste in the U S and is the fastest growing segment of U S garbage Be sure to take old electronics and computers to your local facility along with your usual recycling Source www pcmag com JSOC Justice Security Operations Center June 2010 Security Awareness Tip News You Can Use AT amp T Security Breach Impacts iPad Users Early in June just two months since the release of the Apple 3G iPad AT amp T was made aware of a breach that exposed the email addresses and associated AT amp T network authentication IDs known as ICC IDs of thousands of iPad owners many of whom are Federal employees A group of
48. ll distribute further information as it becomes available User Awareness Tip Information Security 101 Avoid Password Reuse In a recent study by the Security Group at the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory a comparison was conducted on two websites whose password information had been stolen The websites had overlapping customers based on email addresses and of the customers who were registered at both sites 76 percent used the same password on both accounts Utilizing the same or even very similar News Highlights passwords on multiple sites means that if one VPR Alerts account is compromised they all are Unfortunately due to this common insecure Security Advisories practice If a malicious hacker is able to get his or her hands on a user s password credentials for Monthly Wrap Up one domain said hacker has a good starting point for figuring out the user s password for 7 other sites Samson infoworld com Green Tip of the Month Waste Less Paper Whenever appropriate re use one sided documents from a scrap paper bin in the same area as your printer or copier Source Newdream org This issue is particularly relevant to Department of Justice users because if an individual uses the same password at DOJ and non work related sites they are not only jeopardizing their personal accounts but also putting the Departme
49. make this year s conference a success Please remember to fill out your attendee survey so that your feedback can help shape next year s program To request a specific topic be covered ina future conference please email Jennifer Jones at jennifer jones3 usdoj gov Additionally Components will have an opportunity to showcase their own security advances measures and programs at next year s conference Information Technology Security Staff ITSS will call for abstracts during the fourth quarter of the year and notify Components of their selection shortly thereafter Security Awareness Tip Google Image Search Targeted by Fake AV Attacks Anti Virus fakealerts phony warnings that appear to indicate a virus scan is running on your computer and then insist you purchase a product to remove the supposed infection can now list Google image search as prey to their attacks Until recently Fake AVs were primarily located on Trojan Horse applications however due to the success of this particular attack hackers have now migrated fakealerts to browsers As discussed in a Webroot com blog an image search for a television actress yielded phony image links leading to a supposed Microsoft Internet Explorer warning which stated that the user s system had been compromised the typical Fake AV baiting tactic Strangely the Google search pane remains at the top of the page while the fakealert runs in the lower section see image
50. mportant to examine any link before clicking it to make sure the URL is related to the search you conducted While this does not guarantee the site is safe it is a good preventative measure that can help you steer clear of malicious links The best solution however is to type the specific URL of your intended destination in the address bar rather than conducting broad searches By manually typing the URL in the address bar you can verify the information that your web browser uses to access the destination Web site To do so type the URL in the Address bar and then press ENTER If you encounter an anti virus pop up immediately close your browser to avoid unintentionally downloading the malware and contact your Component s IT security staff immediately Contributing Source pandasecurity com microsoft com Fake USAA Phishing E mails A recent phishing scam has used the name of the United States Automobile Association USAA to lure victims into handing over their credit card information Recipients of the email are asked to click a link to fill out a new version of USAA Confirmation Form Once they click the link they are redirected to a phishing page with a fake form see image at right requesting their online ID password name e mail USAA card number expiration date security code and PIN There are several warning signs indicating this is a scam however a small mistake in the wording of the message
51. n creating a password users should avoid common words proper names and randomly generated passwords such as GrT1kOPk6S which would be impossible to remember Try using a phrase that is familiar and easy to remember example IBowledA285 This password meets the Department s 12 character password requirements by using uppercase and lowercase letters numbers and symbols Contributing Source SANS Green Tip of the Month Donate or Recycle Old Cell Phones Cell phone upgrades cause consumers to throw away over 130 million working cell phones each year This document is intended for DOJ employees and contractors and is not to be distributed outside the Department Questions regarding this Bulletin or requests for permission to redistribute should be directed to JSOC DOJCERT 202 307 5332 JSOC Justice Security Operations Cente December 2008 Security Awareness Tips News You Can Use Malware Targets USB and Removable Media In recent months JSOC has identified a significant rise in the number of dangerous malware downloads targeting removable media devices This rise has been attributed to malicious coders writing malware focused on infecting USB and removable media storage devices to spread the virus quickly Thumb drives external hard drives CD DVD R W and flash media digital camera phones are targeted because they are portable and easily exchange information between computers When i
52. nd access all of your information Source US_CERT gov News Highlights This document is intended for Department of Justice internal use only and is not to be distributed outside the Department Questions regarding this newsletter or requests for permission to redistribute should be directed to JSOC 202 357 0266 VPR Al Advi Monthly Wrap Up Green Tip of the Month Green Lunch Ideas Bringing lunch to work in reusable containers is likely the greenest way to eat at work since ordering delivery and takeout usually leaves leftover packaging waste delivery join coworkers in placing a large order more efficient than many separate ones Also bring in a reusable plate utensils and napkins Source treehugger com If you do order JSOC Justice Security Operations Center January 2011 Visit Our Website User Awareness Tip About the JSOC Newsletter Cyber Security Resolutions for 2011 The Justice Security Operations Center i JSOC News You Can Use Cyber security experts predict a rise in economic and job market Newsletter strives to protect readers related scams in 2011 resolve to be extra vigilant in protecting against Internet cyber threats by yourself from cyber crime this year keeping them up to date on the latest security issues vulnerabilities and computer user tips The threats we Lottery and Sweepstakes Scams
53. nd are very well organized You can get uninstallers for older variants of their product and also trial versions for their newer products www securelist com Remember that scammers are constantly honing their attacks to ensure they victimize increasing numbers of computer users phone or online support does not prove a particular antivirus software is legitimate If you encounter an anti virus pop up immediately close your browser to avoid unintentionally downloading the malware and contact your Component s IT security staff immediately Contributing Source www securelist com This document is intended for Department of Justice internal use only and is not to be distributed outside the Department Questions regarding this newsletter or requests for permission to redistribute should be directed to JSOC 202 307 5332 News You Can Use Visit Our Website What is the JSOC Newsletter About the JSOC Newsletter The Justice Security Operations Center JSOC News You Can Use Newsletter strives to protect readers against Internet cyber threats by keeping them up to date on the latest security issues vulnerabilities and computer user tips The threats we address affect you daily at work at home and virtually everywhere in between and we provide the information you need to know in terms you can understand If there is a specific topic you would like to see discussed in a future newsletter please emai
54. nfected devices are connected to a computer they attempt to install Trojan software that runs in the background unnoticed by the user Steps you can take to help protect your home pc e Disable Auto Run It s important to disable Auto Run as this feature allows removable media to automatically start or install any software programmed to run when the device is inserted into a computer This allows the Trojan to spread throughout your computer and connected devices Please see the help instructions on your home computer to disable Auto Run e Install Firewall and Antivirus Software Windows XP and VISTA come with a firewall that protects against most intrusions please make sure it s enabled and updated on a weekly basis Norton and MacAfee along with many others also offer off the shelf choices for both firewall and antivirus protection solutions e Create a User Level Login without administrative privileges and use it as your main login account This helps reduce your risk of infection and denies full administrative access to your computer in the event your login credentials are compromised An Administrative Login should never be used when connecting to the internet Computer User Tips Avoid Malicious Code and Software Current web technology makes it possible to embed additional code inside a primary webpage Hackers are able to misuse this technology to carry out malicious activities such as redirecting the user
55. ng Source eWeek JSOC Fake Antivirus Information DOJ Why i cE ri Problem US CERT Green Tip of the Month Junk Mail Each year millions of trees and billions of gallons of water are used to create junk mail To be removed from the national mailing lists send your name address and signature to Mail Preference Service c o Direct Marketing Association P O Box 643 Carmel NY 10512 Source nationalzoo si edu News You Can Use Click Here To Visit Our Website April 2009 What is the JSOC Security Awareness Tips Newsletter Conficker Worm The new version of Conficker identified on April 9 2009 attempts to install new malicious code scareware and Waledac Downadup onto b infected computers This new version is especially dangerous as these r software additions are designed to scare and trick users into navigating to malicious websites that capture personal and financial information The Justice Security Operations Center News You Can Use Newsletter keeps our readers up to date on the latest topics security vulnerabilities and computer user tips to help protect against cyber threats on the Internet These threats affect you everyday in every way at the office at home and in between This is information you need to know written in terms you can understand Lempi
56. nient portable and great for storing files they are also easy to lose and are often used to spread malware The US CERT Computer Emergency Response Team recommends the following measures to protect Warning Spyware detected on your computer shi uss penis csi pie clear thumb drive data VPR Alerts eDo not plug an unknown USB drive into your com Security Advisories puter If you find a USB drive give it to the appro priate authorities a location s security personnel p o your organization s IT department etc Do not plug Monthly Wrap Up Green Tip of the Month it into your computer to view the contents or to try to identify the owner eTake advantage of security features Use passwords and encryption on your USB drive to protect your data and make sure that you have the information backed up in case Work from Home Working from home when possible as well as utilizing an Alternative Work Schedule AWS significantly reduces the energy and time spent commuting Video and phone conferencing and other work flow tools make this an easy effective alternative to traditional commuting your drive is lost Keep personal and business USB drives separate Do not use personal USB drives on computers owned by your organization and do not plug USB drives containing corporate information into your personal computer Contributing sources
57. nt s network at risk At the very least users should commit to never reuse their work related passwords for any of their personal accounts Contributing Sources Infoworld com This document is intended for Department of Justice internal use only and is not to be distributed outside the Department Questions regarding this newsletter or requests for permission to redistribute should be directed to JSOC 202 357 0266 February 2011 News You Can Use Visit Our Website 2011 DOJ Cybersecurity Conference Leveraging a Collaborative Defense The third annual DOJ Cybersecurity Conference was held February 8 9 with the theme Leveraging a Collaborative Defense This year s conference examined the changing threat picture and the new dynamics and challenges in defending DOJ networks It also emphasized the need to work together to strengthen the Department s networks and applications security posture while empowering its mission Thank you to all attendees particularly volunteers who helped to make this year s conference a success Please remember to fill out your attendee survey so that your feedback can help shape next year s program To request a specific topic be covered in a future conference please email Jennifer Jones at jennifer jones3 usdoj qov Security Awareness Tip What You Should Know About Advanced Persistent Threat APT
58. nuous monitoring will provide real time asset inventories and endpoint visibility to the Department through a centralized Management console DOJ Components OBDs and system have their own console to monitor and evaluate system Having an also owners will vulnerabilities to determine applicability within their environment accurate understanding of DOJ s security posture will enable us to assume greater risk levels when appropriate Additionally new FISMA reporting guidelines were released last week which require changing to automated data feeds and ELMS supports these new requirements Continuous monitoring technology will allow decision makers access to key information quickly and efficiently and streamline Department compliance reporting DOJ will now be able to fulfill data calls within hours rather than weeks or months while eliminating the uncertainties of self reporting User Awareness Tip Post Tax Day Email Scams April 15th has passed and many taxpayers are anxiously awaiting their returns Not surprisingly hackers are seizing the opportunity to scam as many users as possible by sending out fraudulent emails marked as notifications from the Internal Revenue Service IRS Many of these emails claim that taxpayers must submit financial information such as bank account and credit card numbers passwords and ATM PINs in order to receive their returns Some are intended to frighten taxpayers by fi IRS Departm
59. ny concerns about the contents of the site should be directed to the agency originating the document in question GovernmentAttic org is not responsible for the contents of documents published on the website Web site design Copyright 2007 governmentattic org U S Department of Justice Justice Management Division Washington D C 20530 MAY 2 0 2011 Re Freedom of Information Act Request No 2352497 I am responding on behalf of the Justice Management Division JMD to your Freedom of Information Act FOIA request dated April 11 2011 for copies of each News You Can Use newsletter published on DOJNet Because I deem you to be a non commercial requester you are entitled to the first 100 pages of documents and the first two hours of search time at no charge 28 C F R 16 11 d I am enclosing at no cost to you all the News You Can Use newsletters that have been published on DOJNet a total of 26 documents We are withholding portions of four newsletters those from September 2010 August 2010 January 2010 and April 2010 under FOIA Exemption 7 E which protects disclosure of law enforcement techniques and procedures 5 U S C 552 b 7 E If you are dissatisfied with my action an appeal may be made pursuant to 28 C F R 16 9 by writing to the Director Office of Information and Policy U S Department of Justice 1425 New York Avenue Suite 11050 Washington D C 20530 0001 within 60 days from the date of
60. o be distributed outside the Department Questions regarding this Bulletin or requests for permission to redistribute should be directed to JSOC DOJCERT 202 307 5332 Click Here To Visit Our Website What is the JSOC Newsletter The Justice Security Operations Center News You Can Use Newsletter keeps our readers up to date on the latest topics security vulnerabilities and computer user tips to help protect against cyber threats on the Internet These threats affect you everyday in every way at the office at home and in between This is information you need to know written in terms you can understand If you have any subjects or ideas you would like to see addressed in future newsletters please email Curtis Johnson at is w johnson u j gov Cyber Awareness Tip Fake Waledac Coupon Websites Couponizer com a legitimate site used to optimize and gather coupons is the latest target of the Waledac virus Fake Couponizer websites are now online that utilize IP geolocation databases to locate website visitors This solution is new for Waledac websites and allows coders to further trick the visitor by offering national and local coupons based on the visitor s location The Waledac virus which infects computer systems to collect email addresses is delivered as an email or Ecard that directs the recipient to a fake website that installs the virus when clicked by the visitor Adviso USAJobs Cyb
61. o fill out an enrollment form for the Verified by Visa or Mastercard SecureCode programs The phishing page states that Due to recent changes in FDIC Deposit Insurance Rules all our customers must be enrolled in the Verified by Visa or MasterCard SecureCode program depending on type of your check card Once the customer submits their information the data is used to register accounts with the verification services and perform fraudulent transactions With 15 US financial institutions affected and an estimated 1 in every 100 computers infected this has become a widespread problem If you encounter an unexpected Visa or Mastercard verification page it is recommended you close your browser and contact your bank regarding the issue Contributing Sources www v3 co u www scmagazineus com User Awareness Tip Fake AV Vendors Offering Live Support Fake Anti Virus software or Fake AV consists of phony alerts or warnings that typically pretend to scan a victim s computer then claim to find some form of malware and seek payment from the victim to remove the non existent problem As if this scam wasn t deceptive enough some fake AV developers are now offering live support to users in order to convince potential victims of the legitimacy of their products Research found that there was in fact a person not a bot responding to questions about the product and They are offering support by email chat and phone a
62. ocial networking sites is the Help I am stranded scam in which victims receive a message appearing to be from a friend claiming they have been robbed of their credit cards passport money and cell phone and are in immediate need of money While the simple solution to this scam is to call the supposedly stranded friend in order to verify their claims many users fall prey to the message s sense of urgency and send money Phishing scams can be found in messages links or videos appearing to be from friends within the site or e mails sent to users claiming to be from the social networking site itself With the growing number of social networking scams annual crime complaints have increased 667 8 between 2001 and 2009 it is important to utilize social networking sites privacy settings browse cautiously and contact the message sender before clicking anything Contributing Sources www networkworld com Image www gizmodo com User Awareness Tip Exemph on I E Warning DOJ Users Targeted in Parking Permit Phishing Scam A number of Department of Justice users received an e mail message disguised as a ame with an attachment G The attachment is not GEAG but instead redirects users to a site containing malicious software If you encounter a message of this nature DO NOT open the attachment and contact your Component s IT security staff immediately This document is intended for Department of Justice in
63. oj gov jmd irm itsecurity monthly report ph Computer User Tips Social Networking Site Twitter Offline Millions Frustrated and Lost The popular social networking site Twitter came under attack Thursday August 6 2009 and was out of service for the better half of the day Service was eventually restored by late that evening The site was completely inaccessible for all of its users and analysts believe the denial of service attack may have originated in Russia or Georgia Social networking site Facebook and search engine giant Google fended off similar attacks on Thursday as well At about 10 30 a m E S T millions of people worldwide received e mail messages containing links to Twitter and other sites When recipients clicked on the links those sites were overwhelmed with requests to access their servers causing massive network traffic that created the denial of service Contributing Source The New York Times Online Spammers Exploiting Free File Storage on Websites Automated account creation exploit lets spammers hide behind legitimate file storage services An unusual attack technique has enabled spammers to distribute more than 1 million messages an hour using legitimate free file storage services available on the Internet In a blog published earlier this week AppRiver a security services provider describes the unusual approach In a nutshell spammers have created an automated method for creating accounts in popular free file
64. ost cities for eeaem em fost cities for onstruction convhmaht php world 20cup plus 5 Sign up for our Traducir esta pagina O10 World Cup 2010 Dotickets En cach Tickets Traducir esta pagina tickets En cach tickets En cach Contributing Sources ESET Threat Blog NetworkWorld net This document is intended for Department of Justice internal use only and is not to be distributed outside the Department Questions regarding this newsletter or requests for permission to redistribute should be directed to JSOC 202 307 5332 News You Can Use Visit Our Website What is the JSOC Newsletter About the JSOC Newsletter The Justice Security Operations Center JSOC News You Can Use Newsletter strives to protect readers against Internet cyber threats by keeping them up to date on the latest security issues vulnerabilities and computer user tips The threats we address affect you daily at work at home and virtually everywhere in between and we provide the information you need to know in terms you can understand If there is a specific topic you would like to see discussed in a future newsletter please email Jennifer Jones at jennifer jones3 usdoj gov Cyber Awareness Tip Protecting Personal Information As long as you have a computer and connect it to a network you are vulnerable to someone or something else accessing or corrupting your information To minimize your
65. p ups emails unplugging it from all power banners on web pages and more The ruse may say sources something like The first 200 people to Like insert Source US_CERT gov well known retailer on Facebook will receive a 500 gift card Then to claim the prize you have to enter personal information or take a bunch of online quizzes The personal information is used for identity theft purposes and the quiz results are sold to marketers also common on social networking sites netting the crooks even more money a aa VPR Alerts Charity Scams Security Advisories With increased giving comes increased swindling When considering donating to a charity Monthly Wrap Up online remember to Ses e Carefully check the name of any charity Charity scams use names similar to the original charity in order to cause confusion and obtain your donations i e National Cancer Society scam instead of American Cancer Society legitimate e Check the email address of any message from a charity Charities sending out emails should have top level domains like org com or net and the email should come from this domain not a free provider like hotmail or gmail However as a general rule reputable charities don t spam and you won t receive an email from them directly without your prior inquiry Green Tip of the Month Green Holiday Decorating When decking your halls
66. pted Green Tip of the Month Power Down When Possible Travelers should turn their mobile devices off when not in use in order to Environmentally Conscious Travel limit the potential for compromise It is best to also remove the battery and i 3 SIM card and store them separately from the device When feasible make it a habit to take the train bus or subway during Steer Clear of Caf s business travel instead of a rental car Internet caf s are NOT a safe alternative to utilizing your own electronic If you must rent a car opt for hybrids devices The computers at many such establishments have malicious and other high mileage vehicles which software that can capture passwords bank account or credit card some rental agencies now offer information and the like Never use caf s for official business Better yet utilize videoconferencing and Be Responsive other technological solutions that can a te reduce the amount of employee travel In the case of a security incident know the proper method to report tampering when possible unauthorized use loss or theft of IT media to your Component s IT Security Staff Source Sierra Club Contributing Sources MacAfee GCN This document is intended for Department of Justice internal use only and is not to be distributed outside the Department Questions regarding this newsletter or requests for permission to redistribute should be dire
67. r first pet s name mother s maiden name street address first school etc to join register before the user can participate Disclosing of this kind of personal identifying information is very useful to identity thieves as it s the same type of information required by web email accounts legitimate websites and banking institutions Be careful with any personal information as it is very difficult and expensive to rebuild a digital identity once it has been compromised If you encounter this kind of request for personal information at work do not fill in the information note the URL and report it to your IT security staff as soon as possible Information solicitations received at home can be ignored by closing the browser window or navigating to a new website Computer User Tips Update and Patch Your System Software Often As soon as a security patch is announced malicious coders are hard at work writing code into their websites and email attacks to exploit information from your computer before they can be patched Coders have reduced the time it takes them to write code to exploit a new vulnerability from weeks or days to hours Microsoft automatic updates are performed every Tuesday in what is referred to as Patch Tuesday The Department s IT security staff performs these updates to your work computer but check to make your home computer is set to perform automatic Microsoft updates If not change this preferen
68. ra F E If you believe your home computer may be infected with Conficker there s an easy way to find out Conficker blocks access to websites that contain software that may interfere block or remove its installation Open your internet browser at home and try to visit the following websites www microsoft com www mcafee com or www symantec com If you are unable to reach these websites your computer may be infected Please click here to read USCERT s information on how to detect remove Conficker from your home computer Contributing Sources USCERT CNet Washington Post If you have any issues subjects or ideas you would like to see addressed in future newsletters please email Curtis Johnson at curtis w johnson usdoj gov Malicious Email Spam Spam accounts for over 97 of all email and is still a main delivery vehicle for malicious coders who propagate their malware botnets and viruses over the internet While there have been successful shutdowns of spam sending companies McColo s closure in Nov 2008 resulted in a 60 70 reduction in malicious mail and botnet delivery in the US during Nov and Dec 2008 there are others that have stepped in and already increased spam delivery rates above pre McColo levels Cyber Awareness Tip JSOC S NEW WEBPAGE ONLINE JSOC s new webpage on DOJNet contains all its cyber security alerts cyber briefings user awarene
69. reats we address affect you daily at work at home and virtually everywhere in between and we provide the information you need to know in terms you can understand If there is a specific topic you would like to see discussed in a future newsletter please email Jennifer Jones at jennifer jones3 usdoj gov Cyber Awareness Tip Removing Personal Information from Old Cell Phones Before disposing of an old cell phone it is important to ensure your personal information has been removed A recent study of 2 000 recycled cell phones found that 99 of them had personal data still stored in them including sensitive material like bank account information Before getting rid of your phone be sure to e Notify your cellular provider and terminate service on your phone Remove your SIM card the tiny card inside your phone which contains data stored in your phone e Erase all the history from your phone through a hard reset More information on performing each of these steps can be found in your phone s user manual Source www planetgreen discovery com Spyware and Adware are types of software that when installed on your computer may send you pop up ads redirect your browser to certain web sites or monitor the web sites that you visit The presence of spyware is typically hidden from the user but some indications that it is installed on your computer are VPR Alert Security Advisories Monthly Wrap Up e Endles
70. risk adhere to the following rules Lock your computer when you are away from it Disconnect from the Internet when you are not using your computer Check your computer s security settings to make sure they meet your needs Back up all of your data Source www US CERT gov VPR Alerts Security Advisories Monthly Wrap U Green Tip of the Month Top Three Office Pet Peeves Resulting in Increased Waste Mindless unnecessary printing Leaving lights on Lack of recycling bins Source the Daily Green JSOC Justice Security Operations Center News You Can Use April 2010 Security Awareness Tip DOJ Continuous Monitoring Initiative DOJ is in the process of moving to a model of continuous monitoring of assets vulnerabilities configuration changes and threats in order to fulfill operating requirements minimize risk exposure and improve computer incident response The Department s current risk management model focuses largely on snapshots provided by periodic assessments and audits This model is not only reactive but the operating environment is also ever changing resulting in security assessments that are quickly outdated and lack a real time evaluation of risk Due to this deficiency DOJ made the decision to implement Enterprise Lifecycle Management System ELMS BigFix This technology will provide situational awareness and greatly improve our current risk management methods Conti
71. rity Operations Cente News You Can Use May 2009 Security Awareness Tips Internet Surfing Dangers Cyber attacks originating from unsafe websites and email are becoming increasingly sophisticated and focused on everyday communication channels as more and more revenue is acquired Malicious coders are designing their websites to be exact replicas of legitimate websites and then advertising these sites via web ads and Internet searches Fake search engines and misspelled website domain traffic are big business especially in the financial and social networking market because visitors think they are on a real website and share their information without suspicion Users are at serious risk of encountering one of these phony websites if they spend time surfing and sharing information over the Internet The Department will begin implementing BlueCoat filters in accordance with DOJ order 2740 1A to help protect its networks against existing threats and non work related Internet usage Non work related Internet usage continues to be one of the largest threats to the Department s information security Remember network security is everyone s responsibility New Information Phishing Schemes Fake information gathering schemes based on popular topics themes and games are being created by identity thieves to entice users into entering personal information These types of groups or discussions often require the user to input thei
72. s pop up windows or Windows error messages e New unexpected toolbars in your web browser e Your browser s home page changed e Your computer suddenly seems very slow when opening programs or processing tasks sets SM a Green Tip of the Month Whether or not you suspect Spyware is installed on your computer it is wise to run anti virus software and to adjust the settings so that you are periodically reminded to run a full scan Green Packaging When shopping choose products with smarter packaging i e less packaging and use of eco friendly materials and write to let manufacturers know when you don t like their packaging Source the Daily Green Contributing Sources www US CERT gov This document is intended for Department of Justice internal use only and is not to be distributed outside the Department Questions regarding this newsletter or requests for permission to redistribute should be directed to JSOC 202 307 5332 JSOC Justice Security Operations Center May 2010 Security Awareness Tip DOJ SPAM Mailbox The Justice Security Operations Center JSOC provides the DOJMAIL SPAM mailbox to allow reporting of e mail messages that users suspect may be an intrusion attempt or a threat to computer security JSOC analyzes messages sent to this mailbox and develops mitigation and detection methods to help protect Department systems from intrusions There are specific instructions that need to be followed w
73. s web browser to websites that secretly download intrusive software A number of popular websites have been impacted by these attacks because the code is sophisticated and hidden from plain view Steps you can take to help protect your home pc e Upgrade to Microsoft s Internet Explorer 7 0 IE 7 IE7 includes many user friendly enhancements and new security features that help protect against malware intrusions e Regularly Update Computers and Applications Ensure Microsoft Update is scheduled to check weekly for product updates Applications that do not automatically perform weekly updates should be updated manually e Improve Your Password Security Increase your password length to a minimum of 12 characters that include upper and lower case letters and at least one number and special character A longer password provides significantly higher protection from unauthorized access This document is intended for DOJ employees and contractors and is not to be distributed outside the Department Questions regarding this newsletter or requests for permission to redistribute should be directed to JSOC DOJCERT 202 307 5332 Visit Our Website What is the JSOC Newsletter The Justice Security Operations Center News You Can Use Newsletter keeps our readers up to date on the latest topics security vulnerabilities and computer user tips to help protect them against cyber threats on the Internet These threats can aff
74. security numbers account numbers and passwords to verify identity High value targets will also include individuals that interact with financial institutions to transfer funds and stocks through mobile devices Contributing Source Emerging Cyber Threats Report for 2009 Georgia Tech Information Security Center Social Networking Risks Social networking is often used to find old friends create new friends and network with people of common interest This free exchange of information establishes a false sense of security as the user thinks only friends are viewing their posted information Malicious coders exploit this vulnerability by inviting contacts within the network to click on their page Once clicked the embedded code infects the visiting user s computer and directs it to collect personal information from the user the user s friends and user s groups on the network Fake Antivirus Software Updates Wreak Havoc across the Internet Malicious software disguised as a legitimate Antivirus Update is tricking users into downloading and installing its Trojan virus Recently there has been a significant increase in Fake Antivirus AV Trojan Horse software that is utilizing social engineering principles to fool unsuspecting users into compromising their own machines Do not upgrade your antivirus software through hyperlinks offered by unknown website or pop up windows These software updates are automatically provided by the DOJ IT
75. security researchers called Goatse Security SS at amp t whose motives are currently in question discovered the flaw and extracted 114 000 email addresses before spreading word of the problem Goatse Security has been accused of informing outside parties of the hole before AT amp T had patched it potentially allowing hackers to access more iPad users email addresses In its defense a Goatse Security representative stated that We did not contact AT amp T directly but we made sure that someone else tipped them off before spreading word of the hole They also stated that they were not paid for disclosing information to third parties AT amp T closed the hole shortly after being notified but an FBI investigation is currently underway to determine whether illegal activity was involved in the attainment of the email addresses According to an article from arstechnica com the worst consequences of this particular leak are most likely increased spam sent to or spoofed as coming from a particular e mail address However it s not entirely unreasonable to suspect that hackers might attempt to crack into some of the e mail accounts revealed which include officials from the FCC FAA NASA and the Army If you own an iPad there is a possibility that your email address has been made public through this breach and it is recommended that you remain particularly vigilant when checking email If you encounter a mess
76. service providers at work If you believe your antivirus software at home needs an update open the program from your desktop and select the button or link provided to perform a manual or live update JSOC White Paper Computer User Tip Click Here To Visit Our Website What is the JSOC Newsletter The Justice Security Operations Center News You Can Use Newsletter keeps our readers up to date on the latest topics security vulnerabilities and computer user tips to help protect against cyber threats on the Internet These threats affect you everyday in every way at the office at home and in between This is information you need to know written in terms you can understand If you have any issues subjects or ideas you would like to see addressed in future newsletters please email Curtis Johnson at curtis w johnson usdoj gov Cyber Threat Tip Fake Greeting Card emails are distributed to capture data and email addresses Internet scams charity fraud fake websites and unsolicited e mail will intensify around the Valentine holiday Exercise caution when visiting new websites or opening email offering free items gifts e cards Malware writers and spammers are designing increasingly convincing email and fake websites to fool visitors into accepting their viruses JSOC Cyber Threat Advisory ll Phon nd PDA Against Attack US CERT fendin A Trick for Remembering Long Passwords Whe
77. ss papers and newsletters Please click here to visit JSOC s webpage Incident Report Form e Malicious Email Submittal e Incident Response Plan IRP Information e Critical Vulnerability Alerts e Vulnerability Alerts e Cyber Threat Advisories e White Papers e News You Can Use Newsletter CTAT Cyber Daily Briefin e Fake Conficker Infection Alerts Scareware email campaigns are circulating that try to scare the recipient into accepting fake antivirus software by saying the recipient s computer is infected with Conficker If infected the computer will attempt to download the Waledac botnet and spread the virus to other computers e Stimulus Package Offers Malicious email is circulating with the IRS logo and pictures of President Obama that advertise available stimulus package money for cash strapped individuals These emails request personal credit card and other financial information to verify that the recipient is qualified for stimulus funds e Tax Return Solicitation Fake tax return emails are being sent that offer cash now in exchange for the recipient s tax return or charges for services to expedite a tax return These emails are designed to collect your Social Security number date of S birth mother s maiden name credit card information and the PIN for your Microsoft Releases 5 Critical Updates ATM card Tip The IRS never initiates contact with taxpayers via e on April 14
78. sure to turn off faucets completely ensuring that they don t drip A faucet leaking at a rate of only one drop per second can waste more than 25 liters of water a day that s about 10 000 liters a year Source www about com JSOC Justice Security Operations Center July 2010 Security Awareness Tip Zeus Botnet Incarnated to Exploit Credit Card Verification Services The Zeus botnet a Trojan horse that steals banking information social networking logins and email accounts was first seen in July 2007 and has been widespread since June 2009 Zeus is particularly difficult to identify because it is reconfigured more often than most malware due to its creators allowing other cybercriminals to license the rights to use the malware As a result there are many different gangs running their own licensed versions of Zeus and distributing them independently SC Magazine As you may recall Zeus resurfaced early this year as a series of emails targeting Federal employees The messages appeared to be from a reputable CIA figure and warned against a Russian phishing attack then encouraged recipients to install a Windows update to protect their computers The most recent incarnation of Zeus however poses as a credit card verification page Once downloaded the malware waits for the user to visit a bank website then emerges appearing to be associated with the bank and asks the victim t
79. ternal use only and is not to be distributed outside the Department Questions regarding this newsletter or requests for permission to redistribute should be directed to JSOC 202 307 5332 Visit Our Website What is the JSOC Newsletter About the JSOC Newsletter The Justice Security Operations Center JSOC News You Can Use Newsletter strives to protect readers against Internet cyber threats by keeping them up to date on the latest security issues vulnerabilities and computer user tips The threats we address affect you daily at work at home and virtually everywhere in between and we provide the information you need to know in terms you can understand If there is a specific topic you would like to see discussed in a future newsletter please email Jennifer Jones at jennifer jones3 usdoj gov Cyber Awareness Tip Keep Me Signed In Box e If you are not on your personal laptop or home computer DO NOT select the Keep me signed in box on websites Although your work computer may feel like it belongs to you a snooping co worker could easily open your browser and access your accounts if you stay signed in If you sign in to a particular site do not just navigate to another page or close the browser be sure to sign out as well Source www gizmodo com VPR Alerts Security Advisories Monthly Wrap Up Green Tip of the Month Water Conservation Be
80. this letter Both the letter and the envelope should be clearly marked Freedom of Information Act Appeal In the event you are dissatisfied with the results of any such appeal judicial review will thereafter be available in the district where the requester resides or has a principal place of business or in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia Sincerely n aP Barbara Bush Acting General Counsel Enclosure U S DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE q Sas SECURITY OPERATIONS CENTER News You Can Use April 2011 Visit Our Website Security Awareness Tips About the JSOC Newsletter Your Golden Ticket to Getting Scammed i The Justice Security Operations Center Beware of emails that promote investing in gold scammers are exploiting the recent ISOC News You Can Use Newsletter increase in gold s value a prevalent media topic Recent concerns about inflation and strives to protect readers against Inter other economic issues have net cyber threats by keeping them up caused some investors to to date on the latest security issues turn to gold as a safer invest eaten and computer user tips ment As a result security The threats we address affect you daily rae j at work at home and virtually every organizations have noticed ee r i l infi f E where in between and we provide the an influx of hoax emails that information you need to know in terms request users personal in you can
81. this season keep these green tips in mind e Reuse decorations from year to year to save money and prevent unnecessary waste Contributing Sources ftc gov newsroom mcafee com eldergadget com e Buy energy efficient lights such as LEDs and put them on a timer so they aren t glowing hours longer than necessary at Source earth911 com This document is intended for Department of Justice internal use only and is not to be distributed outside the Department Questions regarding this newsletter or requests for permission to redistribute should be directed to JSOC 202 357 0266 JSOC News You Can Use Justice Security Operations Center November 2010 Security Awareness Tips Thanksgiving Threats While planning parties printing out invitations and many people forget to be particularly careful browsing the Internet around the holidays Be aware that cybercriminals are utilizing search results for common holiday terms to attack finding new recipes unsuspecting users Internet searches for Turkey Thanksgiving Invitations and Printable cards often yield malicious search results that redirect users to fake antivirus sites Once downloaded the software will do a number of annoying things such as What is Fake Antivirus A fake antivirus is a warning message that pops up from a Web site and claims the user s computer is currently cont
82. ucial to apply patches as soon as Security Advisories possible JSOC releases VPRs for software patches resolving vulnerabilities Monthly Wrap Up with a CVSS base score of 7 0 or above as determined by the Nationa L Institute of Standards and Technology and sets patch implementation Green Tip of the Month precedence based on public exploitation of vulnerabilities if applicable Energy Efficient Lighting Contributing Sources The Official Google Blog Wired com Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light CFL or light emitting diode LED bulbs which give This document is intended for Department of Justice internal use only and is not to be off less heat than incandescents and distributed outside the Department last longer Questions regarding this Bulletin or requests for permission to redistribute should be directed to The Daily Green JSOC DOJCERT 202 307 5332 JSOC Justice Security Operations Center February 2010 DOJ Cyber Security Conference Recap The 2010 Department of Justice Cyber Security Conference was held February 2 3 proving our largest turnout yet This year s theme was Keep Our Information Secure and discussed new Department security initiatives emerging technologies and security capabilities piloted by DOJ Components as well as future direction of the Office of Management and Budget and the U S government Thank you to all attendees particularly volunteers who helped to
83. ule JSOC Green Tip of the Month Say No to Paper or Plastic You don t have to wait until grocery bags are banned Say no to plastic or paper ones now Instead bring your own reusable shopping bags Consider an entire set of reusable double handled hemp bags that work great for a large order and reusable organic cotton mesh bags for your fruit and vegetables Remember BYOB Bring Your Own Bags The Daily Green JSOC Justice Security Operations Center August 2009 Security Awareness Tips DOD Urges Less Network Anonymity More PKI Use Black Hat 2009 LAS VEGAS The age of network anonymity may be coming to a close according to a top defense official charged with cyber security The United States needs to be more agile in defending against attacks from cybercriminals who are constantly infiltrating domestic networks said Robert Lentz CISO at the U S Department of Defense during a keynote address to Black Hat USA 2009 attendees Lentz said the government continues its research into attack surfaces to produce an agile dynamic defense capable of not only detecting but being able to take a proactive role to prevent future attacks against government infrastructure before they happen It s all threaded in this area of driving anonymity out of network Lentz said Contributing Source Information Security Magazine Online To view the latest JSOC Monthly Wrap Up visit our website at http dojnet d
84. us software without the user s knowledge by exploiting a web based vulnerability e Can occur while visiting legitimate websites Facebook personals news search engines e Poses security risk to Department by giving attackers remote access to systems Mitigation Limit personal use of the Internet while connected to a DOJ system to minimize exposure Contributing Source JSOC CyberFest 2009 Emerging Threats Presentation This document is intended for Department of Justice internal use only and is not to be distributed outside the Department sa Questions regarding this Bulletin or requests for permission to redistribute should be directed to JSOC DOJCERT 202 307 5332 News You Can Use Visit Our Website What is the JSOC Newsletter The Justice Security Operations Center News You Can Use Newsletter keeps readers up to date on the latest topics security vulnerabilities and computer user tips to help protect against cyber threats on the Internet These threats affect you everyday in every way at the office at home and in between This is information you need to know written in terms you can understand If you have any subjects or ideas you would like to see addressed in future newsletters please email Curtis Johnson at is w johnson usdoj gov Cyber Awareness Tip DOJ guidelines for JSRA users Do not connect personal computers to the JSRA Network Ensure the computer s software is fully patched and
85. vered combined with personal information that could be x attempts over the last year to guessed or easily cracked by a Pe further limit free speech on the web hacker Follow these tips to create f r the most effective password in China including the persistent A blocking of websites such as Do not use a password based on Facebook Twitter YouTube Google Docs and Blogger had led us to personal or easily accessible conclude that we could no longer continue censoring our results on information Google cn The Official Google Blog On March 22nd Google announced on Do not use words that can be its blog that users visiting Google cn are now being redirected to found in a dictionary of any Google com hk where they will receive uncensored search results and language which will meaningfully increase access to information for people in China Use a combination of letters China maintains that its Internet safety policy is transparent and consistent numbers and special characters and resents the U S s accusation that it had any participation in the attack Source www US CERT gov Operation Aurora serves as a cogent reminder to the general public to remain diligent on patching Microsoft issued an out of band outside the normal schedule patch for Aurora on January 21 2010 but as word of the VPR Alerts Internet Explorer vulnerability spread hackers scrambled to exploit it before ose users were protected It is therefore cr
86. www us cert gov news cnet com Source www green unlimited com This document is intended for Department of Justice internal use only and is not to be distributed outside the Department Questions regarding this newsletter or requests for permission to redistribute should be directed to JSOC 202 357 0266 News You Can Use Justice Security Operations Cen March 2011 Visit Our Website Security Awareness Tips Warning Attackers May Attempt to Compromise Remote Access Tokens The Justice Security Operations Center JSOC News You Can Use Newsletter strives to protect readers against Internet cyber threats by keeping them up to date on the latest security issues vulnerabilities and computer user tips The threats we address affect you daily at work at home and virtually everywhere in between and we provide the information you need to know in terms you can understand If there is a specific topic you would like to see discussed in a future newsletter please email Jennifer Jones at jennifer jones3 usdoj gov A security breach at a vendor recently caused weaknesses in RSA SecurID tokens commonly used in remote access to Department systems As a result attackers may attempt to obtain users PIN codes to C access Department systems using RSA SecurID tokens By remaining alert for attempts to reset or obtain RSA SecurID token PIN codes users can assist in
87. y for the current month The Incident Dashboard is accessible by clicking the dashboard button at the top of the JSOC s Remedy Web Portal s navigation bar For more information about your Component specific Incident Dashboard contact Curtis W Johnson at curtis w johnson usdoj gov or visit our website Dashboard Button Total Open Tickets Component Name Listed Here em 10 Caneqonzinen M o1 Ueauthorized Accom O41rproper Usage E imrestigation ERO loa BO Block Lis Cmtagenzaton E 01 Unauthorize d Access Ob Maliciecs Cosa M O4 imprope Usage 30 m Ma imectigrtinn oe Dats Los Previous Month s Data Current Month s Data Computer User Tips Guidelines to follow when publishing information on the internet e Be careful what you post to the internet Make sure you are comfortable with anyone seeing the information you put online because people you don t know will find and share it with the people they know Realize that you can t take it back Once you post something online it is available to other people and search engines You can change or remove information after something has been posted but it is possible that someone has already seen the original version Source USCERT This document is intended for Department of Justice internal use only and is not to be distributed outside the Department Questions regarding this Bulletin or requests for permission to redistribute should be d

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