GTISC | Georgia Tech Information Security Center

Your employees are the biggest threat to your data

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 14:14:17 -0400

"Expect emerging cyber threats in 2012 to include links to malicious websites appearing higher on search engines’ results, attacks against mobile Web applications and browsers and more stolen private data sold to legitimate businesses for marketing." [Read more about these threats] Sarah Mueller, Jacksonville Business Journal, 12-09-11

GTISC Board Member, Dmitri Alperovitch, Appointed to CounterTack's Board of Directors

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 16:22:13 -0400

CounterTack, the industry's first and only provider of in-progress cyber attack intelligence and response solutions, today announced the appointment of industry veterans Dmitri Alperovitch and Alex Doll to its Board of Directors. [Read more about Alperovitch's appointment and CounterTack] PR Newswire, 12-06-11

Cyber bill strong on info sharing, light on privacy protections

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 17:01:06 -0400

"The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011 (HR 3523) was introduced Nov. 30 by committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) and Ranking Member Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.) and would require the intelligence community to establish procedures for sharing classified cybersecurity intelligence with the private sector, and would provide incentives for private entities to share information with the government." William Jackson: Government Computer News, 12-01-11 and Redmondmag.com, 12-02-11

Programmer Raises Concerns About Phone-Monitoring Software

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:09:37 -0400

GTISCs Mustaque Ahamad was quoted in this New York Times' article about data-collection software embedded on cellphones. Brian X. Chen, New York Times, 12-01-11

Interactive SlideShow on Threats Reports

Tue, 27 Nov 2011 15:07:07 -0400

Click here to review the slideshow on 2012 Cyber Threats Reports. ITBusinessEdge

Sandia Labs: SOPA will 'negatively impact' U.S. cybersecurity

Mon, 19 Nov 2011 11:14:35 -0400

"Leonard Napolitano, Sandia's director of computer sciences and information systems, warned in a letter that the legislation is "unlikely to be effective" and will "negatively impact U.S. and global cybersecurity and Internet functionality."" Declan McCullah, CNET, 11/17/11

GTISC Helps FBI Bust One of the Largest Cyber Scams

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 10:08:32 -0400

"Six men, all in their 20s and early 30s, are under arrest in Estonia for what the United States attorney’s office in New York called “a massive and sophisticated Internet fraud scheme.” A Russian suspect in the case remains at large." Somini Segupta and Jenna Wortham, New York Times

GTISC and Cyber Threats Report Cited in WYFF News 5 Report

Fri, 09 Nov 2011 10:54:17 -0400

View the news report "Internet Attacks You Can Expect Next Year"

2012 Cyber Threats Report Cited in The Financial Times's article "Regulation: Lawmakers Asked to Step Into Digital Age"

Mon, 05 Nov 2011 11:18:02 -0400

"US cybersecurity experts say that tough regulations are needed to encourage companies to work harder to protect the data of their customers. However, they fear that government gridlock is allowing the issue to languish." Alan Rappeport, The Financial Times

GTISC alum, Dmitri Alperovitch Speaks to Council on Foreign Relations

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 10:46:22 -0400

View Alperovitch's video

Help BISMark win the FCC Open Internet Apps Competition!

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 10:26:03 -0400

BISMark is the Broadband Internet Service BenchMARK. It is a project led by Georgia Tech and the University of Napoli to develop an OpenWRT-based platform for performing measurements of ISP performance, as well as traffic inside the home. You can use BISMark to measure the performance of their ISP, visualize and monitor traffic patterns from your users and devices inside your home network, and manage your usage caps. [ VOTE ] or [ SIGN UP FOR A BISMark ROUTER ]

InformationWeek, in conjunction with DarkReading, releases a security report on "Small Businesses, Big Losses: How SMBs Can Fight Cybercrime"

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 10:19:14 -0400

06-22-11 [Download report]

Damballa FirstAlert Detects Cyber Threats Weeks Before the Malware is Ever Discovered

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 13:33:22 -0400

Damballa Labs, the research and cyber intelligence arm of Damballa Inc., today announced Damballa FirstAlert, a cyber threat early warning system that provides enterprise security teams with the earliest possible protection against cyber attacks. Business Wire, 06/20/11

Company commercializing GTISC Research" PinDrop Security

Thu, 26 May 2011 10:23:16 -0400

TAG and the Georgia Research Alliance hosted the finals for the 2011 GRA/TAG Business Launch Competition at IBM this week. Congratulations to this year's winner, PinDrop Security, who received a big check for $50,000 and more than $150,000 in suite-of-services. PinDrop joins winners from the past six years who have generated more than $20 million in post-competition investment.

GTISC faculty, Nick Feamster, and student, Vytautas Valancius, demonstrated new technology to give network traffic control to services running on cloud platforms like Amazon EC2 at the GENI engineering conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Fri, 20 May 2011 11:51:17 -0400

GTISC faculty, Nick Feamster, and student, Vytautas Valancius, demonstrated new technology to give network traffic control to services running on cloud platforms like Amazon EC2 at the GENI engineering conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Data Breach Impacts Millions

Tue, 5 Apr 2011 12:05:08 -0400

"New details in a potential security breach impacting millions of customers from all of these popular stores and companies...there are reports that the security breach is opening a window into what companies do with the e-mail addresses that you provide them... It's impossible to say how many people were affected, but an assistant professor at Georgia Tech's College of Computing science says the members may be in the millions and says if you received an e-mail, you should be on alert for targeting fishing scammers. They know, for example, that you've done business with, say, Walgreens or with Chase or Citicorps, and they can send a spam e-mail that appears to come from one of those organizations. You might be more vulnerable now because you recognize this as a trusted brand." CNN, 04-05-11

Banks, retailers warn customers of data breach

Tue, 5 Apr 2011 11:03:08 -0400

"Bob Moon: Do you do business with any of these companies: Capital One, Citibank, Marriott, the Home Shopping Network, Walgreens or TiVo? Check your inbox today, and there's likely to be an apology, along with a warning, that your email address may have been compromised … Julian says cyber theft is now a multi-billion dollar business. It's also very bad for business, says Georgia Tech's Nick Feamster. The breach could raise doubts about any online marketing campaign. Nick Feamster: Companies spend tens of billions of dollars trying to protect against this type of incident." Stacey Vanek-Smith, Marketplace, 04-04-11

Georgia Tech to pursue 'transparent Internet' with $1 million Google Focused Research Award

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 11:59:08 -0400

"What if Internet users could click a button and determine whether their service was being artificially slowed down? Or if the government were censoring their content? In the name of Internet transparency, a team of Georgia Tech researchers will use a $1 million Google Research Focused Award to provide Internet users around the world with just those kinds of tools." Michael Terrazas, 03-22-11

TIA, Georgia Institute of Technology Sign MOU to Collaborate on Smart Device Standards Development

Tue, 22 Jan 2011 11:57:39 -0400

The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) and Georgia Tech Applied Research Corporation (GTARC) announced today that they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to explore collaborative standards development opportunities of mutual interest involving research, testing, and outreach in the area of global information and communications infrastructure. Investor's Business Daily, 02-22-11

GTISC PhD grad and 2010 Summit Panelist, Colonel Greg Conti, research is covered in The New York Times' article, "Service Members Face New Threat: Identity Theft"

Tue, 12 Dec 2010 11:55:43 -0400

Matt Richtel, 12-06-10

View Images from GTISC Open House

Tue, 23 Nov 2010 11:54:16 -0400

GTISC Open House 08-31-10

Nick Feamster has been selected as this year's recipient of the ACM Sigcomm Rising Star Award

Tue, 16 Nov 2010 11:51:57 -0400

The award recognizes the research program that Nick has undertaken and his "outstanding research contributions to the field of communication networks during the early part of his career." 11-10-10

Technology said to thwart voice phishing scams

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 11:49:53 -0400

"Researchers at Georgia Tech say they have identified a digital fingerprint hidden within voice signals that can reveal fraud and thwart voice phishing scams." EE|Times, 10-25-10

NYU-Poly Contest Unearths Wealth of Cyber Security Research by Students

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 11:45:55 -0400

"Forty-six students, representing all the top university cyber security research groups, competed for the prestigious AT&T Award for Best Applied Security Research Paper in NYU-Poly's Seventh Annual CSAW challenges. To enter, every one already leapt a high academic bar; All were previously accepted by a scholarly conference or journal." PRNewswire, 10-21-10

Anti-censorship | Hidden truths: A new way of beating the web's censors

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 11:41:34 -0400

"A censor can block a message he mistrusts, even if he cannot read it, thus putting the onus on the recipient to justify both the message and the fact it is encrypted. A well-crafted steganographic message, though, will never come to the censors' attention in the first place. Which is the purpose of Collage, a system devised by Nick Feamster and his colleagues at the Georgia Institute of Technology." The Economist, 10-12-10

New Tool Blocks Downloads From Malicious Sites

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 11:39:38 -0400

"Science Daily Headlines reports that a new tool has been developed (funded by the National Science Foundation, US Army Research Office and US Office of Naval Research) to prevent 'drive-by downloads' whereby simply visiting a website, malware can be silently installed on a computer to steal a user's identity and other personal information, launch denial-of-service attacks, or participate in botnet activity. The software called Blade — short for Block All Drive-By Download Exploits — is browser-independent and designed to eliminate all drive-by malware installation threats by tracking how users interact with their browsers to distinguish downloads that received user authorization from those that do not." Hugh Pickens, Slashdot.com, 10-09-10

Online medical data open to attack

Thu, 07 Oct 2010 11:39:15 -0400

"If you think the latest security threats to social media sites like Twitter and LinkedIn are bad, just wait until attackers set their sights on your home, or your hospital. While hackers attacking your Facebook site may be annoying, it's not hazardous to your health the way an attack that infects the computer that controls your X-ray or MRI machine might be." Mustaque Ahamad and Paul Judge, AJC, 10-07-10

Download the 2011 GTISC Emerging Cyber Threats Report

Thu, 07 Oct 2010 10:50:17 -0400

Available on the GTISC website

2010 GTISC Security Summit

Thu, 07 Oct 2010 10:47:58 -0400

October 7, 2010, "Evolving Nature of Cyber Security Threats" 9:00am - 11:30am -- Ferst Center for the Arts

GTISC Distinguised Lecture: Yousef A. Khalidi

Mon, 04 Oct 2010 10:45:27 -0400

Distinguished Engineer Windows Azure, Microsoft Wednesday, October 6, 2010 Klaus Building, Room 1116 4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Title: Cloud Computing – Challenges and Opportunities

Cable Provider Issues Bad Bot Alerts

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 10:43:48 -0400

"Information Security Center at Georgia Tech estimates the number of bot-infected computers to be in the tens to hundreds of millions." Leslie Meredith, TechNewsDaily, 10-01-10

Comcast to Protect Customer’s Computers From Malware

Thu, 30 Sep 2010 10:40:42 -0400

"Comcast is expanding a test of a service that will monitor for signs of botnets, a particularly threatening form of malware that can invade its customer’s computers. It appears to be the first provider in the United States to do this." Roy Furchgott, New York Times, 09-30-10

Cyber-Terror: The New Nukes?

Mon, 27 Sep 2010 10:35:15 -0400

While security experts know what Stuxnet is designed to do, Conficker is still the reigning mystery of the cyberworld because no one knows why it’s there or what it’s going to do. Trevor Butterworth, The Daily Beast, 09-27-10

Georgia Tech and Mobile Active Defense Announce Innovation Alliance for Mobile Security

Mon, 27 Sep 2010 10:30:25 -0400

"Mobile Application Development (M.A.D.) Partners, LLC, and Georgia Tech Information Security Center (GTISC) have just completed their industry alliance partnership on mobile security research and the company will serve on the GTISC Industry Advisory Board." e-releases, 09-27-10

GTISC Professor, Nick Feamster, has been named one of the 2010 TR35 as selected by MIT’s Technology Review

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 10:29:16 -0400

Feamster's recognition is based on his work in network operations and security, particularly SNARE (Spatio-temporal Network-level Automated Reputation Engine), an email filter that detects spammers based on their sending behavior.

How to create a 'super password'

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 10:26:35 -0400

"Say goodbye to those wimpy, eight-letter passwords. The 12-character era of online security is upon us, according to a report published this week by the Georgia Institute of Technology. The researchers used clusters of graphics cards to crack eight-character passwords in less than two hours. But when the researchers applied that same processing power to 12-character passwords, they found it would take 17,134 years to make them snap." John D. Sutter, CNN, 08-20-10

News for anti-censorship tool, Collage, and press coverage from GTISC Assistant Professor Nick Feamster

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 10:23:52 -0400

Learn more about Collage: Defeating Censorship with User-Generated Content and read press articles about the tool.

Is cyberwar lawful?

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 10:20:41 -0400

"The answer is probably not -- at least an unprovoked attack -- based on extensive new legal research appearing in an upcoming issue of the British journal INFO. The research describes a 150-year-old series of Geneva Conventions relating to cyberwar. However, a precise answer to the question is impossible because no one has actually defined the term "cyberwar" and reaching broad agreement on a definition seems problematic at best." Column by Past GTISC Advisory Board Member, Tony Rutowski, ComputerWorld, 08/08/10

'Viruses Are Winning': Malware Threat Outpaces Antivirus Software

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 10:45:26 -0400

"For the last 20 years, hackers and antivirus software programmers have played a cat-and-mouse game over computer security. Whenever one side would innovate, the other would catch up. And for most of that time, the conflict remained a benign contest between tech savvy vandals looking for street cred and the professional programmers trained to counter them." Stuart Fox, TechNewsDaily, 08/02/10

GTISC Assistant Professor Nick Feamster, Sloan Fellow and Presidential Early Career Recipient, involved in "new weapon in Internet censorship arms race"

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 10:23:01 -0400

"Trying to get out in front of what they call a censorship arms race, a team of researchers has come up with technology that lets users exchange messages through heavily censored networks in countries such as China and North Korea in hidden channels via user-generated content sites such as Twitter or Flickr." Layer 8 by Michael Cooney, NetworkWorld, 07/09/10

CoC Dean Zvi Galil and GTISC Director, Mustaque Ahamad, is pleased to announce that Patrick Traynor is the recipient of the NSF Faculty Early Career Development Award

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 11:43:39 -0400

GTISC Professor, Patrick Traynor, received an NSF Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award. According to NSF, "This is the most prestigious awards in support of junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations." His proposal is titled, "CAREER: Protecting User Data on Lost, Stolen and Damaged Mobile Phones." 07-13-10

Kraken botnet re-emerges 318,000 nodes strong

Tue, 06 Jul 2010 10:41:42 -0400

"Kraken, a large and difficult-to-detect botnet that peaked in 2008 and was dismantled by early 2009, is back, and anti-virus solutions are struggling to detect it, according to researchers at Georgia Tech Information Security Center." Angela Moscaritolo, SC Magazine, 06-30-10

Notorious Kraken botnet rises from the ashes

Tue, 06 Jul 2010 10:36:38 -0400

"The Kraken botnet, believed by many to be the single biggest zombie network until it was dismantled last year, is staging a comeback that has claimed almost 320,000 PCs, a security researcher said. Since April, this son-of-Kraken botnet has infected an estimated 318,058 machines - about half as big as the original Kraken was at its height in the middle of 2008, according to Paul Royal, a research scientist at the Georgia Tech Information Security Center." Dan Goodin, The Register, 06-29-10

Kraken Botnet Making A Resurgence, Researcher Says

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 11:57:11 -0400

"The Kraken botnet — one of the Internet's largest and most difficult to detect in 2008 — is rearing its ugly head again. In fact, the old security nemesis — which was reported dismantled last year — has compromised more than 318,000 systems, nearly half of the 650,000-node size it achieved at its peak in 2008, according to Paul Royal, research scientist at the Georgia Tech Information Security Center (GTISC), a leading authority on botnet research." Tim Wilson, DarkReading, 06-24-10

Mariposa Botnet Creators May Not Face Imprisonment

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 11:55:56 -0400

"According to Luis Corrons (Technical Director at Panda Security), the culprits behind the notorious 'Mariposa botnet' are unlikely to be punished over the crimes they committed. Corrons in a joint action with the Spanish Guardia Civil, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other groups worked to spot and bring down Mariposa during December 2009, as reported by V3 on June 2, 2010." Spamfighter News, 06-11-10

Delegation Observes Challenges to Electronic Voting Technologies in Philippines

Tue, 18 May 2010 11:09:45 -0400

"The Carter Center deployed a limited observation mission to observe the use of voting technology to the Philippines’ May 10 election as part of its Democratic Election Standards project, which includes addressing the challenges of observing electronic voting technologies as a core component."

GTISC Announces Demo Day Winners

Tue, 04 May 2010 10:31:59 -0400

The visitors were impressed with the great work that is going on here at GTISC and the effort the students put into these demos is key in showcasing our research. And with great pleasure GTISC announces the winners of the GTISC Demo Day Competition: "PinDr0p" – Vijay A. Balasubramaniyan and Aamir Poonawalla and "Leveraging Forensic Tools for VM Introspection" – Bryan D. Payne and Brendan Dolan-Gavitt.

Insight on Mobile Phone Viruses and Other Malware

Tue, 04 May 2010 10:29:07 -0400

"In late 2008 the Georgia Tech Information Security Center predicted that malware directed at mobile phones would become the next major cyber threat. Experts say market fragmentation is the main reason a catastrophic threat has not (yet) materialized." Tech Guru, 04-29-10

Security Experts: Hackers Could Target Pacemakers

Tue, 05 Apr 2010 10:30:03 -0400

Professors Say FDA Should Step Up Security Measures on Medical Devices. - Lauren Cox, ABC News Medical Unit, 05-01-10 [Read more]

Innovative Smartphone Technology Streamlines Election Observation Process

Tue, 05 Apr 2010 10:29:02 -0400

"The Carter Center, long at the forefront of the election observation field, is working with students at Georgia Tech University to take the field forward again – using smartphone technology to streamline the observation process and compile the findings of observers in a fast, efficient, and transparent way." - Deborah Hakes, The Carter Center, 03-25-10 [Read the entire article]

Malware-infected memory cards affect up to 3,000 Vodafone HTC Magic Android smartphones

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 15:28:46 -0400

"Late last year, the Mariposa Working Group (comprised of Defence Intelligence, the Georgia Tech Information Security Center, Panda Security, and other international security experts and law enforcement agencies) worked together to bring down what is considered to be the largest botnet in history." Read more about how there may still be Mariposa-infected computers out there. - David Gonzales, Unwired View, 03-20-10

GTISC Professor Jon Giffin comments on threats posted online via social-networking sites

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:45:59 -0400

The Internet "makes it easier for unskilled vandals to hide behind anonymity," said Jon Giffin, an assistant professor of the School of Computer Science at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. "It's just the modern equivalent of someone calling in a bomb scare," Giffin said. The schools "have to take it seriously just in case it is an actual threat." - Patrick Condon, TwinCities.com, 03-11-10

Is chasing cybercrooks worth it?

Mon, 8 Mar 2010 16:35:29 -0400

"Mustaque Ahamad, director of the Georgia Tech Information Security Center, which helped track down the arrested men, said preventing viruses from infecting computers was the old model for fighting this type of Internet crime. Today, going after the "bad guys" is the better long-term option, he said." - John D. Sutter, CNN, 03-05-10

Another Botnet Gets Dismantled, But This Time With Arrests

Mon, 8 Mar 2010 16:34:31 -0400

"A team made up of law enforcement officials in Spain, the FBI, Panda Security, Defence Intelligence, and Georgia Tech cut off the so-called Mariposa botnet's command and control infrastructure in one day in December, ultimately leading to the arrest of the alleged head botmaster and two of his partners earlier this month by Spanish authorities." Information Week; Kelly Jackson Higgins, Dark Reading, 03-05-10 (From the March 1, 2010 issue)

Authorities bust 3 in infection of 13M computers

Wed, 3 Mar 2010 10:06:39 -0400

"Authorities have smashed one of the world's biggest networks of virus-infected computers, a data vacuum that stole credit cards and online banking credentials from as many as 12.7 million poisoned PCs."

Upcoming Event: GTISC Demo Day

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:59:09 -0400

GTISC Demo Day. Coming Soon. Spring 2010

GTISC Annual Report

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:56:53 -0400

GTISC is viewed as a leader in several key research areas in information security. In particular, the center has had a major impact recently in two areas: novel strategies for detecting emerging cyber security threats, and techniques for countering large-scale attacks. In the past year, results of research conducted at GTISC have been published in more than 60 papers. Multiple papers in highly competitive conferences, including several best-paper awards, point to the high quality of our research. Multiple papers from GTISC researchers have been presented at almost all of the major conferences in security, which clearly demonstrates the high quality of our research. To learn more about the GTISC areas of research and publications, download the GTISC annual report.

House Approves S&T Legislation to Improve Cybersecurity R&D by Overwhelming Majority

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 11:13:22 -0400

Professor Sy Goodman, Co-Director of GTISC was involved in S&T legislation.

Distance Learning Master of Science in Information Security Application Deadline Extended

Tue, 2 Feb 2010 10:44:16 -0400

The application deadline for the program – specifically for the Distance Learning option – has been extended to April 15, 2010. Applicants are encouraged to apply early, as the selection process will start in February.

Georgia Tech Creates New Online Master's Degree in Information Security

Tue, 2 Feb 2010 10:43:19 -0400

"The College of Computing today announced the creation of a new Master of Science in Information Security available online in a distance learning format, a flexible degree option for working information security professionals who want more than industry certification." 11/17/09

Researchers Work to Improve Mobile Device & Cellular Network Security

Tue, 2 Feb 2010 10:41:57 -0400

Patrick Traynor and Jonathon Giffin recently received a three-year $450,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to develop tools that improve the security of mobile devices and the telecommunications networks on which they operate. 11/10/09

New Recruitment Video Showcases The Master of Science in Information Security Program

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 09:54:12 -0400

"The MS in Information Security degree is a full- or part-time (day) program or via distance learning. It provides students with the theoretical understanding and skills they need to be leaders in the design, implementation, and evaluation of the concepts, techniques, methods, and policies for ensuring the security of information."

Dmitri Alperovitch interviewed by Fox News' Neil Cavuto about the FAA Computer Glitch and cyber security

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:24:22 -0400

GT researchers work to secure cellphones

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:32:25 -0400

"Two Georgia Tech professors have received a three-year $450,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to develop tools that improve the security of mobile devices and the networks on which they operate." Urvaksh Karkaria, Atlanta Business Chronicle, 11/10/09

Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/GTISC

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:17:35 -0400

Follow GTISC Events on Twitter at http://twitter.com/GTISC

Upcoming Event: Social Networking: Protecting your Online Identity - October 29, 2009, 8:30am - 11:00am – Klaus Atrium

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:15:58 -0400

Do you Facebook? Twitter? Flickr? Join our panel discussion to learn about the dangers of social networking and how to protect your online identity. Panelists will discuss the inherent dangers of social networking sites and tools, give insights on how to protect your online identity, and take questions from students on steps they can take to protect themselves online. Join us for the Social Networking: Protecting your Online Identity Panel Discussion, held on October 29, 2009 in Klaus Atrium, 8:30am - 11:00am. Moderator Chris Rouland and panelists Shelley Hildebrand (Senior Attorney, Georgia Tech Legal), Paul Judge (Vice President of Cloud Services and Chief Research Officer, Barracuda Networks), Dale Myers (System Support Specialist, OIT Georgia Tech), Ralph Mobley (Director Career Services, Georgia Tech), Kapil Singh (PhD Student, College of Commputing Georgia Tech)

Georgia Tech to Lead Fight Against Cell Phone Hackers

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 11:50:22 -0400

"As the computing power of mobile phones increases--and competition begins to winnow down the variety of operating systems--they will become more and more attractive to hackers. Now is the time to begin shoring up defenses, say assistant professors Jon Giffin and Patrick Traynor of Computer Science." Ben Mayer, 11Alive.com, 07/14/09

Cybersecurity Bottleneck: Few PhDs

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 10:03:38 -0400

As part of his June 10 testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives' Science and Technology Committee and Research and Science Education Subcommittee, Professor Sy Goodman, joint with Computer Science and the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, said one threat is a dearth of cybersecurity professors who can train tomorrow's security specialists. Eric Chabrow, GovInfoSecurity, 06/12/09

Goodman Warns of Cyber Threats in Hill Testimony

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 10:02:46 -0400

On June 10, Professor Sy Goodman, joint with the School of Computer Science and the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, briefed the U.S. House of Representatives' Science and Technology Committee and Research and Science Education Subcommittee during its hearing on "Cyber Security R&D." Georgia Tech College of Computing, Office of Communication, 06/10/09

Obama to Appoint Cybersecurity Czar

Mon, 8 Jun 2009 14:59:26 -0400

GTISC Director Mustaque Ahamad "was heartened by what the initiative could mean for his team. With more than 100 graduate students and 20 professors, the center is one of the nation’s biggest schools for cybersecurity research." Ellen Nakashima, The Washington Post, 05/30/09

4 Free Cellphone Apps to Help Manage Your Money

Mon, 8 Jun 2009 14:57:54 -0400

"Most apps act almost like a shortcut on your desktop PC, says Patrick Traynor of the Georgia Tech Information Security Center, which studies threats to..." Kelli B. Grant, Smartmoney.com, 05/27/09

Device Fingerprinting Defends Against Online Fraud

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 09:27:36 -0400

GTISC botnet statistics mentioned in this article on online fraud. Linda Musthaler, Network World, 04/20/09

Cell Phones Will Thrive in Africa, but Security Will Be A Problem

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 09:26:30 -0400

Sy Goodman spoke at the Marconi Society symposium. "As cell phones become more technologically advanced, they will become the top tech platform for the large majority of the world, according to Goodman." Larry Greenemeir, 60-Second Science Blog, 04/17/09

The Impact of the Conficker Virus

Tue, 7 Apr 2009 13:51:59 -0400

GTISC professor, Dr. Jon Giffin, gives insight on the Conficker worm on 11Alive.

Research Paper on Botnet-Based Scam Hosting wins Best Paper Award

Tue, 7 Apr 2009 10:19:14 -0400

"Dynamics of Online Scam Hosting Infrastructure", a paper by Maria Konte and Nick Feamster at Georgia Tech, and Jaeyeon Jung at Intel Research, that studies the infrastructure that scammers use to host phishing and scam attacks on the Internet has won the Best Paper award at Passive and Active Measurement Conference. The paper will be presented April 3, 2009 in Seoul, Korea.

The Internet Is Infected

Tue, 7 Apr 2009 10:17:21 -0400

"Tonight on 60 Minutes Lesley Stahl will be reporting on computer viruses and botntets that propagate on the Internet and infect PCs, which enable their creators to do all types of evil things via remote command and control." Lance Weatherby, Food of Good, 03/29/09

Fight Malware on the Phone

Tue, 3 Mar 2009 10:49:32 -0400

"As smartphones become more common, the threat of mobile malware is becoming real." Robert Vamosi, PC World, 02/26/09

Lumension Extends Data Protection for Mobile Devices

Tue, 3 Mar 2009 10:48:48 -0400

"To help enterprises effectively protect the confidentiality and security of their data on their endpoints and mobile devices, Lumension, Inc. announced it is extending data protection for Windows mobile devices." TMCnet.com, 02/24/09

New Symbian Mobile Malware in the Wild

Tue, 3 Mar 2009 10:47:08 -0400

"A new worm targeting mobile devices running Nokia's Symbian OS is spreading in China in a unique way: through malicious links contained in text messages." Angela Moscaritolo, SC magazine UK, 02/23/09

For A Poisoned Internet, No Quick Fix

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 10:04:33 -0400

Six months after revealing a crippling cybersecurity weakness, Dan Kaminsky says the world's systems remain largely unpatched. Researchers led by computer science Ph.D. student David Dagon have assembled a model, globally mapping out vulnerabilities and attacks that occurred between August 2008 and January 2009 because of a crippling cybersecurity weakness. Andy Greenberg, Forbes.com, 02/19/09

GTISC Industry Advisory Board member, Tony Rutkowski, was made the Rapporteur for Cybersecurity by the Plenary of the International Telecommunication Union - Telecommunications Standardization (ITU-T) Study Group 17 (Security) meeting at Geneva

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 10:10:03 -0400

Tony Rutkowski was made the Rapporteur for Cybersecurity by the Plenary of the International Telecommunication Union - Telecommunications Standardization (ITU-T) Study Group 17 (Security) meeting at Geneva. This venue is the principal global intergovernmental-industry body for collaboration on worldwide cybersecurity standards. Rapporteurs typically are appointed for four years to lead participants from governments and industry around the world in study, dialogue, and preparation of technical standards to meet cybersecurity needs, including liaison with other cybersecurity forums. The ubiquitous security standard for PKI, X.509, is a well-known example of the work. He will be the senior representative from the U.S. involved in this work, and assisted by Associate Rapporteur experts from Korea's national ETRI institute and Japan's National Institute of Information and Communications Technology. Tony is VeriSign's VP for regulatory affairs and standards, a member of the Georgia Tech Information Security Center (GTISC) Advisory Board, and a Distinguished Senior Research Fellow at the Center for International Strategy, Technology, and Policy (CISTP) at the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at Georgia Tech.

UPCOMING EVENT: GTISC Faculty/Student Open House

Tue, 6 Jan 2009 11:45:38 -0400

The GTISC Faculty/Student Open House will take place on Tuesday, January 13, 2009 in the Klaus Building, 3rd Floor GTISC Common area from noon-1:30pm

Global Initiatives to Secure Cyberspace: An Emerging Landscape

Tue, 6 Jan 2009 11:34:38 -0400

Recent MS InfoSec graduate Michael Portnoy, together with advisor Sy Goodman from the Center for International Strategy, Technology, and Policy (CISTP) and GTISC, published on December 04, 2008 a comprehensive research study on the emerging ecosystem of international, regional, and non-governmental organizations working to address the global issue of cyber security. Global Initiatives to Secure Cyberspace: An Emerging Landscape, a collaborative effort by students in both the College of Computing and the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, is now available for purchase online or in hardcover. A corresponding catalog database is also being maintained by the authors.

GTISC Faculty, Nick Feamster, Honored by the White House

Tue, 6 Jan 2009 11:32:16 -0400

Nick Feamster has been recognized as one of the nation’s top young scientists with a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). The ceremony was held December 19, 2008 at the White House. This Presidential Award is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on scientists and engineers beginning their careers. Georgia Tech News Release, 12/19/08

Capture the Flag Competition Photo Gallery Posted

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 11:38:38 -0400

View pictures from the Capture the Flag competition, December 5, 2008

GTISC report cited in The Chronicle of Higher Learning article "Top 10 Threats to Computer Systems Include Professors and Students"

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 11:36:26 -0400

"The Georgia Tech Information Security Center estimates that 15 percent of online computers worldwide are part of botnets: millions of computers infected with malicious code that lets attackers turn them into "zombies" for their own evil electronic deeds (botnets are often used to send spam). That's up from 10 percent a year ago." Jeff Young, The Chronicle of Higher Learning, 12/19/08, Section: Information Technology, Volume 55, Issue 17, Page A9

GTISC cited in New York Times' article "Thieves Winning Online War, Maybe Even in Your Computer"

Tue, 9 Dec 2008 10:39:18 -0400

John Markoff, NYTimes.com, 12/05/08

Seymour Goodman Published in NATO Book on Cyber Terrorism

Tue, 9 Dec 2008 10:20:18 -0400

Seymour E. Goodman, a joint professor in the School of Computer Science and the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, contributed an invited chapter to a NATO book that appeared in October. “Critical Information Infrastructure Protection” was included in Responses to Cyber Terrorism, part of the NATO Science for Peace and Security Series E: Human and Societal Dynamics, vol. 34. The book was published by IOS Press in Amsterdam.

GTISC professor quoted two in Forbes.com articles, Metadata: An Invisible CAPTCHA and Robots In Disguise

Tue, 9 Dec 2008 10:15:18 -0400

Andy Greenberg, Forbes.com, 11/25/08

GTISC's ongoing efforts in e-Democracy

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 16:32:51 -0400

As part of GTISC's ongoing efforts in the realm of e-Democracy (specifically in the area of trustworthy elections), we have a partnership with the Carter Center in the area of observation of electronic elections. This video describes an election observation console developed at Georgia Tech based on requirements from the Carter Center.

Emerging cyberthreats for 2009

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 15:55:53 -0400

By Linda Musthaler, Network World, 11/17/2008

New attack targeting Windows Mobile phones

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 15:54:22 -0400

"Attacks on Google's Android and Apple's iPhone have made headlines recently but now Windows Mobile phones are the latest target. The latest wave is a Windows CE/Mobile polymorphic "companion" virus, according to a McAfee Avert Labs blog post on Thursday." Angela Moscaritolo, SC Magazine, November 13, 2008

Watch the Video Demo of ALPACA: A Lightweight Platform for Analyzing Claim Acceptability

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 11:06:17 -0400

GTISC researchers are working on a platform/data interchange format, user interface, and prototype implementation called ALPACA. ALPACA is a distributed user-centric framework for organizing, simplifying, and viewing claims and their supporting evidence, with an emphasis on evaluating the credibility of claims based on individual users' previous assumptions. The initial efforts are focused on helping users understand the validity and provenance of claims made in online discussions.

SecureWorks' CTO to Participate on Panel at Georgia Institute of Technology's Security Summit

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 15:11:04 -0400

"Jon Ramsey, chief technology officer for SecureWorks, will serve as a panelist at Georgia Tech Information Security Center’s (GTISC) upcoming Security Summit on Wednesday, October 15th."

Paul Judge to Chair GTISC Advisory Board

Thu, 2 Oct 2008 16:59:15 -0400

"The GTISC Industry Advisory Board has tapped Purewire Inc. Chief Technology Officer Paul Judge as chairman." - Atlanta Business Chronicle

Upcoming Event: College of Computing Distinguished Lecture with Susan Herbst - Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 10:40:37 -0400

The College of Computing Distinguished Lecture featuring Susan Herbst will be held on Wednesday, September 24, 2008 at The Technology Square Research Building Auditorium, 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm. The title of the lecture is Media and American Democracy. In this lecture, Herbst will discuss the evolution of the mass media in the United States, with a focus on political communication and journalism. After a brief historical review of some key moments in media history, she will present some of the more influential scholarly theories of media effects on political discourse and behavior. She will also discuss the opportunities and challenges associated with the study of media, public opinion and politics with the emergence of the Internet.

Upcoming Event: GTISC - CISTP Distinguished Lecture with Dr. Steve Lukasik - Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 10:37:44 -0400

The GTISC - CISTP Distinguished Lecture featuring Dr. Steve Lukasik will be held on Wednesday, September 17, 2008 at the Charles A. Smithgall Student Services Building, 353 Ferst Drive, Auditorium – Room 117, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pmm. The title of the lecture is "Rainbow's Beginning: The Difficult Birth of Networking." Abstract: How the Internet came to be, with its myriad applications and implications for the future, is a story usually told in triumphant terms. The Licklider vision; the fervor of his disciples; the dedication of computer scientists and electrical engineers; the sweat of a small number of graduate students; the faith of the Advanced Research Projects Agency seeking to avoid technological surprise; and the apparently unbounded attraction of the ARPANET to its early participants carries with it a sense of its inevitable success in the marketplace of computer users. But networking was not quite the "slam dunk" that now-discredited phrase might imply. The path to the eventual success of networking was strewn with obstacles that had to be overcome. In the interest of supplementing the technical history by illuminating the points of resistance, one can perhaps more fully appreciate the survival of the infant.

Upcoming Event: GTISC/ACM Lecture with Dr. Barbara Simons - Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Fri, 5 Sep 2008 09:46:54 -0400

The GTISC/ACM Lecture featuring Dr. Barbara Simons will be held on Wednesday, September 10, 2008 at The Technology Square Research Building Auditorium, 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm. The title of the lecture is "Computerized Voting: Will you be able to vote? Will your vote be properly counted?"

Internet Security: Online security companies prosper in Atlanta

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:28:38 -0400

Read the Atlanta Journal-Constitution article on how the Atlanta area ranks with Silicon Valley and Isreal as one of the three hubs for start-up businesses

Upcoming Event: Fall 2008 GTISC Faculty/Student Open House

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 10:36:32 -0400

The Fall 2008 GTISC Faculty/Student Open House will take place on Friday, September 5, 2008 at 11:30 am – 1:30 pm in the GTISC Common Area - Klaus Advanced Computing Building

GTISC professor, Jonathon Giffin, goes "war driving" with CNN's Brooke Baldwin to show vulnerable wireless access points.

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 11:02:59 -0400

Jonathon Giffin and an assistant goes through the streets of Atlanta to show how easy hackers can gain access to private data. Watch the entire "How Hackers Target Wi-fi" video on cnn.com, CNN, August 8, 2008

Save the Date: Wednesday, October 15, 2008 - GTISC Emerging Cyber Security Threats Summit

Tue, 5 Aug 2008 16:44:03 -0400

Mark your calendars for the GTISC Emerging Cyber Security Threats Summit on Wednesday, October 15, 2008. Registration is open. Stay tuned for more details.

CoC Researcher, David Dagon, Warns of Major Internet Flaw

Tue, 5 Aug 2008 10:56:12 -0400

Computer Security Experts Hustle to Protect DNS Servers from Hackers: Computer Security Experts Hustle to Protect DNS Servers from Hackers by Ashley Phillips, ABC News, July 31, 2008

GTISC PhD Student Quoted in Wall Street Journal

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 13:30:18 -0400

GTISC PhD Student Quoted in Wall Street Journal by Lee Gomes, wsj.com, June 18, 2008

Chris Rouland, Chief Technology Officer of ISS, featured in "People in Business" AJC article

Mon, 9 Jun 2008 10:06:30 -0400

Web security firm born at Tech has its hands full keeping computers as free of viruses as possible.

GTISC professor, Nick Feamster, invited to present at the Brazilian Symposium on Computer Networks and Distrubuted Systems

Tue, 27 May 2008 11:20:22 -0400

Nick Feamster was invited to present a 3-hour tutorial at the 26th Brazilian Symposium on Computer Networks and Distributed Systems held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from May 26 - 30th, 2008

Careful with that Call

Tue, 13 May 2008 10:18:54 -0400

"It’s only a matter of time until IP telephony is hit by spam and malware, experts say" by William Jackson, Government Computer News, May 5, 2008

Q&A with Ling Liu at University of Illinois-Chicago Distinguished Lecture

Tue, 13 May 2008 10:17:02 -0400

Q&A with Ling Liu at University of Illinois-Chicago Distinguished Lecture by Ryan Mark, Medill Reports, April 30, 2008

EVENT: GTISC Demo Day - April 24, 2008

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 11:30:43 -0400

GTISC Demo Day at the Klaus Advanced Computing Building, 3rd Floor. Continental breakfast at 8:30am and Demo Presentations at 9:00am - 11:00am. RSVP online.

CoC Faculty Member Testifies Before Congressional Committee

Wed, 9 Apr 2008 16:17:41 -0400

Professor Seymour (Sy) Goodman testified April 1 before the House Armed Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities.

GTISC Professor Nick Feamster featured in Tecnology Review article, Defending Laptops from Zombie Attacks

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 11:28:17 -0400

Computing Assistant Professors Nick Feamster and Adam Kalai Win Sloan Fellowships

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 11:27:03 -0400

Two School of Computer Science faculty members, Nick Feamster in the Networking and Telecommunications Group and GTISC, and Adam Kalai in the Theory Group and ARC ThinkTank, have been awarded the prestigious Alfred P. Sloan fellowships for 2008.

Cisco Security Advisory Based on GTISC Research

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 11:25:02 -0400

Cisco article, February 13, 2008

Prototype software sniffs out, disrupts botnets

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 11:23:13 -0400

Researchers this week detailed a prototype system to identify and eradicate botnets in the wild. NetworkWorld Community Blog, February 15, 2008

Use of Rogue DNS Servers on Rise

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 11:37:57 -0400

Mendacious machines controlled by hackers that reroute Internet traffic from infected computers to fraudulent Web sites are increasingly being used to launch attacks, according to a paper published this week by researchers with the Georgia Institute of Technology and Google Inc. By Jordan Robertson, Associated Press, February 14, 2008

Phishing Attacks Could Be Undetectable

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 11:36:12 -0400

Companies and users are at serious risk from a loophole in the the Domain Name System (DNS) that could make financial scams such as phishing attacks practically undetectable, according to a study presented this week by researchers from Georgia Tech and Google. By Matthew Broersma, TechWorld, February 12, 2008

GTISC Faculty Comments on Encryption

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 11:32:06 -0400

GTISC Professor Jonathon Giffin comments on password and computer encryption. By Ashley Phillips and Scott Michels, ABC News.com, February 11, 2008

SANS Flags Browsers, Botnets as Top Security 'Menaces'

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 12:32:07 -0400

SANS Institute revealed its list of the top menaces facing IT in the coming year. By David Nagel, Campus Technology, January 17, 2008

GTISC Director Featured in Wall Street Journal Article, "Web Sites to Keep You On Budget"

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 11:13:17 -0400

GTISC Director Mustaque Ahamad gives safety advice on online money management tools. Wall Street Journal, January 13, 2008

Spring 2008 GTISC Information Security Seminar Guest Speakers Announced

Tue, 8 Jan 2008 12:10:06 -0400

George L. Herron, VP, Chief Scientist, McAfee; Paul Q. Judge, Judge Ventures; Edwin Marcial, SVP & CTO, IntercontinentalExchange; Jerry Perullo, Director of Information Security, IntercontinentalExchange; Chris Ray, 2nd VP Information Technology, Aflac; Robin Sundaram, VP of Information Security, ChoicePoint

Recent GTISC Professor Published Articles

Tue, 8 Jan 2008 11:58:35 -0400

"Toward a Safer and More Secure Cyberspace," "Identify and Mitigate the Risks of Global IT Outsourcing," and "Global Sourcing of IT Services and Information Security: Prudence Before Playing"

GTISC Researchers mentioned in Spam Research Projects

Tue, 4 Dec 2007 11:16:37 -0400

GTISC researchers listed as part of a dozen research projects underway that focus on new technology and techniques to stop spam. By Cara Garretson, Network World, November 20, 2007

New Free Full Text Book: Toward a Safer and More Secure Cyberspace

Tue, 4 Dec 2007 11:14:44 -0400

Sources/Authors: Seymour E. Goodman and Herbert S. Lin, Editors, Committee on Improving Cybersecurity Research in the United States, National Research Council (The National Academies Press)

Anthony Rutowski's presentation for GTISC Industry Leaders Series, "Next Gen Identity Management for Networks: Old Problems, New Challenges" posted on GTISC website

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 11:22:14 -0400

The lecture describes a significant initiative of almost non-stop global activity over the past year that brought together a diverse array of people and communities to explore and map the uncharted new universe of Identity Management.

10.16.07 - GTISC Industry Leaders Series Caleb Sima, CTO, SPI Dynamics - "Overview of Exploiting Web Applications"

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 11:10:48 -0400

GTISC Industry Leaders Series, 4:30 - 6:00 pm, Centergy Bldg, 5th floor, 75 5th Street, NW, Atlanta, GA 30308

Report: Hackers to Target Web 2.0, Mobile, RFID Technologies in '08

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 11:04:56 -0400

October 10, 2007 - The coming year will see hackers set their sights on users of Web 2.0, mobile and RFID technologies due to the vast potential for financial gain each represents, according to a cybersecurity think tank. CIO

Made for Hacking

Tue, 09 Oct 2007 10:58:12 -0400

October 3, 2007 - Vint Cerf, Google's chief Internet evangelist, says the Internet is insecure. Forbes

Hold the Dates! GTISC Industry Leaders Series

Wed, 3 Oct 2007 12:23:53 -0400

10.16.07 - GTISC Industry Leaders Series - Caleb Sima, CTO, SPI Dynamics

11.13.07 - GTISC Industry Leaders Series - Anthony Rutowski, VP for Regulatory Affairs, VeriSign, Inc.

Emerging Cyber Threats Report for 2008 Released

Tue, 2 Oct 2007 15:15:14 -0400

Based on GTISC research and advance interviews with the panelists, this report covers five emerging threats expected to increase and evolve in 2008: Web 2.0 and client-side attacks, Targeted messaging attacks, Botnets, Threats targeting mobile convergence, Threats to Radio Frequency Identification systems.

Fall 2007 Security Summit Webcast Posted

Tue, 2 Oct 2007 15:02:01 -0400

Webcast of Keynote Speaker Vinton Cerf of Google with Moderator Chris Rouland of IBM Internet Security Systems and Panelists Merrick Furst (Georgia Tech, College of Computing), Richard (Dickie) M. George (National Security Agency), George Heron (McAfee), Paul Judge (Secure Computing), Caleb Sima (Spi Dynamics), and Rowan Trollope (Symantec)

GTISC Names Advisory Board

Fri, 14 Sep 2007 11:12:33 -0400

GTISC has created a 19-member board of industry advisors to give GTISC advice and strategy as it grows as an academic research organization in information security.

GTISC Fall 2007 Security Summit

Tue, 4 Sep 2007 10:45:27 -0400

GTISC Fall 2007 Security Summit - Emerging Cyber Security Threats and Countermeasures - Tuesday, October 2, 2007 - Keynote Speaker: Vinton G. Cerf, VP & Chief Internet Evangelist, Google

Information Security Seminar

Wed, 22 Aug 2007 15:34:25 -0400

The GTISC Information Security Seminar is in full swing for the fall semester. The weekly seminar provides interested students and faculty with access to the latest security problems faced by industry and commerce as well as state-of-the-art solutions developed by researchers at Georgia Tech and other academic institutions.

First version of BotHunter is officially released now! July 30, 2007

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 16:07:45 -0400

SRI International and Georgia Tech Institute (under the Cyber-TA research project) are pleased to announce the first Internet distribution of BotHunter, version 0.9.3.

Stolen data now more marketable

Mon, 9 Jul 2007 16:00:39 -0400

Hackers today are cyber pros going for big bucks, not kids or vandals.