WannaCry news Over the last few days a WannaCry worm/ransomware attack has swept across the planet resulting in headlines. Forensics of the worm which spreads a ransomware payload is being meshed with political news. It’s likely that the key worm concepts came from stolen and leaked US [...]
In the current political focus it is not helpful to have another harangue from an opinion shaper. This blog includes just my personal experiences — and the role of computer forensics. Remember the ’70s? Seattle had become the bomb capital of the US. The government was the focus of much [...]
Last week a long-time client called to ask for quick cyber risk assessment. No threat of violence — but they wanted to know if their (very good) network security would effectively defend them against a known (very aggressive) cyber threat. An immediate opinion was needed. I was faced with the [...]
Software from Redmond, Washington always seems newsworthy. This software project was going well and beginning to get national attention. One day the focus turned inward, however. During a test of the project, the boss discovered that the new software was providing links to pornography on the [...]
The tough job in risk assessment is separating the goofiness of ordinary life from factors that might indicate potential violence. Assessment isn’t prediction — but both have similar uncertainties. In a world with lots of physical variables, each represented by a known stochastic [...]
Two former spooks met for a gourmet lunch on the side of an extinct volcano. Sounds interesting… and it was. I was with Patrick Wardle, Director of R&D for synack.com. His company has taken an effective new approach to discovering network vulnerabilities for their clients. We talked a bit [...]
Tomorrow is Memorial Day in the US. Just a few weeks ago Liberation Day, Bevrijdingsdag, was remembered in the Netherlands. They recognize the sacrifice of foreign soldiers who defeated the German occupiers in World War II. Near Maastricht, 8,301 American soldiers are buried. They fell in [...]
Stalkers, controlling spouses, creepy bosses and predators like tracking. The good things in our electronic environment can create problems for us… and opportunities for stalkers. Computer logins and email headers can disclose clues about location. Photos carry metadata that can include GPS [...]
It’s fashionable on web sites to describe successes. Sometimes other case outcomes are more memorable, however. Here are some of our experiences in a Redmond cyber intrusion, a Tacoma murder and a few other cases. Last year we were retained in a pro bono case by a Redmond nonprofit [...]
Typically professionals work in an environment that has thoughtful IT professionals safeguarding the network. In many cases the network health is audited to standards for medical, financial or government security. At home much of network security is left to the homeowner without much help from the [...]