Why unmasking hackers is harder than ever!

Venustus

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Dec 30, 2012
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Working out who is behind a cyber attack is one of the hardest parts of dealing with any security incident - and it's getting a lot harder.

While it might be all but impossible to bring hackers to justice, especially if they are in another country or even working for a foreign government, understanding who the attack is coming from is often the key to defending against it.
That's why organisations under attack have to care about identifying the intruders, says Mike Oppenheim, senior threat intelligence analyst at security company Mandiant, even if that identification never leads to an arrest.

"It's good for them to know who is targeting them, because it helps them in business decisions and it also helps them tailor their net defence," he says.


Fortunately for investigators, even the stealthiest of hackers will leave behind at least some traces that can be used to identify them.
In this way, a hacking attack is just like any other crime scene: investigators look for entry points, victims, and the fingerprints of the criminals - and try to work out who has the most to gain from the incident.
Who they target first, the tools they choose, and the language they use can all help investigators to slowly piece together a picture of who is responsible.

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