Lulz Sec Targets Website Of Central Investigative Agency

By Author: eccuni
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In yet another security incident, cyber-attack group Lulz Sec, has reportedly targeted the website of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the premier intelligence agency of the United States (U.S). Visitors to the agency's website faced problems in accessing the site for some duration. The website offers loads of information economic, political, and geographic information related to many countries worldwide. IT Security professionals of the agency are investigating the attack. Cyber-attacks have become a regular phenomenon in the recent times. The cyber-attack group has been frequently targeting different government and corporate websites.

Lulz Sec recently made multiple attempts to intrude into the servers of the U.S Senate. However, a firewall prevented the attackers from gaining access to any proprietary information. The group has generated lot of attention through continuous spate of attacks. The group has also earned notoriety by publishing confidential information online. Frequent attacks have raised concerns of information security professionals of organizations, as any breach of personally identifiable information ...
... and business related data has adverse repercussions. Cybercriminals may misuse published confidential details for perpetrating fraud, impersonation, and unauthorized access to user accounts. Attackers may also use extracted information to launch spear phishing attacks, and extract more personal and business related information. Recently, Malaysian government increased surveillance of government websites after threat from another cyber-attack group 'Anonymous'.

Organizations must conduct regular in-depth security evaluation, identify and remediate security flaws before their exploitation by the cyber-attackers. Professionals qualified in masters of security science, and IT degree programs may help organizations in proper evaluation of security threats, and implementation of preventive mechanisms to secure the IT security apparatus.

Recently, Internet Security firm Symantec categorized the latest security threats into malware attacks, targeted attacks and those for generating publicity. Recent malware attacks attempted to leverage on political events, natural disasters, and celebrity related events to trick users into visiting malicious websites or purchasing fake anti-virus software and extracting confidential financial information. Attacks involving cyber weapons such as Stuxnet, and spear phishing attacks come under the second category. Recent target-based attacks include the attempts to compromise Gmail accounts. Security awareness training programs are crucial to update employees on the prevailing security environment. E-learning, online IT degree programs, and e-tutorials may enable employees to understand and implement best practices in IT security. Many of the recent incidents fall under the third category characterized by indiscriminate attempts to breach the security of government, business, and media networks. The frequent, sophisticated and diverse threats make it inevitable for IT professional to update their technical expertise. Online video training and online IT courses may facilitate professionals in acquiring requisite skill sets and enhancing their capabilities to deal with different forms of cyber security threats.

Often, organizations find it difficult to devote appropriate resources for IT security resulting in security flaws, misguided patches, and lack of proper monitoring. However, lax security procedures may cause security incidents leading to loss of productive business hours, financial loss, poor service quality and attract negative publicity. As such, organizations must treat IT security as a constant process rather than a one-time activity.