Officer Ward

Officer Ward
Cyber Defender & Detention Center Security Officer

Officer Ward believes that most people who disrespect the privelages of Cyberspace are more ignorant than criminal, and that most cyber criminals can be rehabilitated into faithful cyber citizens through education about the dangers of delinquency in Cyberspace.

Working closely with Commander Omni and the Cyber Defense Academy, Officer Ward hopes to secure Cyberspace for everyone.

Favorite Quote:

It is not only for what we do that we are held responsible, but also for what we do not do
- John Baptiste Moliere

Favorite Food:

Cupcakes

Interests:

Coaching softball, fishing, catching cyber criminals

February 23 2009

Cyber Criminals: Grey Hat Hackers

For a hacker who wants to come clean and turn away from crime, one option is to work for the people they used to harm by becoming a security consultant. These former hackers turned good guys are called Grey Hat Hackers.

In the past, they were Black Hat Hackers, who use their computer expertise to break into systems and steal information illegally, but now they are acting as White Hat Hackers, who specialize in testing the security of their clients' information systems. For a fee, they will attempt to hack into a company's network and then present the company with a report detailing the existing security holes and how those holes can be fixed.

The advantage of this is that they can use their skills for a good cause and help stop other cyber criminals. Keeping up with security and cyber criminals is a full-time job, and many companies can't afford to have someone completely dedicated to it. Grey Hat Hackers have real-world hacking experience and know more methods of infiltrating networks than most computer security professionals.

There's also a risk in employing Grey Hat Hackers. Since they used to be criminals there's always a question of trust, if they are truly trying to help or if it's just a trick. They might also lie about how vulnerable their client's security is and convince them to install a really complex system that only they know how to use. This way they make their clients completely dependant on them and then can charge them any amount of money they want.

posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyber Criminals

February 9 2009

Cyber Crimes: Web site Vandalism

Web site vandalism is the graffiti of Cyberspace and is when someone tampers with or damages another person's Web site. This can be done in a variety of ways:

  • Copying content from one site and putting it on another, sometimes in an altered form
  • Changing the content of another's Web site or the data stored on the site
  • Rigging a domain name to redirect to the wrong Web site
  • Blocking access to a site or Denial-of-Service attacks

Web site vandalism can also involve other cyber crimes like hacking, identity theft, and using someone's server without their knowledge to conduct criminal attacks, like sending spam and malware.

It is also very common on Web sites where users create the content, like Wikipedia. Wikipedia has anti-vandalism editors, who use tools and bots to check all edits to their content. They even have an entry dedicated to the incorrect edits and hoaxes people have posted on their site over the years.

The security vulnerabilities that allow people to vandalize Web sites are on the machine hosting the Web site, which most people do not have direct control of. To defend your site from Web site vandalism, keep a close watch on your content, especially if someone else has access to it, and make sure that the company that hosts your Web site has a good security policy and protective software in place.

posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyber Crimes

February 4 2009

Alan's Task

After all the activity of last year, the Cyber Defenders and I decided we needed to beef up the cyber criminal tracking and monitoring systems. It's a big undertaking, even with Sparky to help, so I decided to take on an assistant this semester.

I'm very pleased Alan applied for the position because of the time he spent with the Master Hacker last year. Commander Omni feels he can give us a unique perspective into the cyber criminals operation. We've got our work cut out for us, but we'll be working with some of the best Cyber Defenders in the field.

posted by Officer Ward
topic: Miscellaneous