FBI and Homeland Security Offers Tips for Dealing with Cyber Attacks

According to a news release issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, cyber criminals can damage their victim's computer systems and data by changing or deleting files, wiping hard drives or erasing backups to hide some or all of their malicious activity and tradecraft.

By wiping, or "zeroing out," the hard disk, which overwrites good data with zeros or other characters, the criminals effectively erase or alter all existing data, making it very difficult to recover files. This sort of criminal activity makes it hard to determine whether criminals merely accessed the network, stole information, or altered network access and configuration files. Network restoration efforts and business damage assessments may also be hampered.

The FBI and the Dept. of Homeland Security encourage businesses and individuals to use mitigation strategies and best practices like:

• Implement a data back-up and recovery plan to maintain copies of sensitive or proprietary data in a separate and secure location. Backup copies of sensitive data should not be readily accessible from local networks.
• Regularly mirror and maintain an image of critical system files.
• Encrypt and secure sensitive information.
• Use strong passwords, implement a schedule for changing passwords frequently, and do not reuse passwords for multiple accounts.
• Enable network monitoring and logging where feasible.
• Be aware of social engineering tactics aimed at obtaining sensitive information.
• Securely eliminate sensitive files and data from hard drives when no longer needed or required.

US-CERT hosts a wide range of tips, best practices and threat information for business and home users.

If you have been a victim of cyber crime, please file a report with the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.IC3.gov.

Related Topics: Computers, Cyber Crime, Dhs, Fbi, Hackers, Homeland Security, hard drive, and spyware