Posts tagged APT

APT is a geopolitical problem.
Eric Huber, sharing his perspective on the context within which APT attacks occur.

ericjhuber.com

We commonly see APT shift to using stolen credentials and no malware at all.
Greg Hoglund, describing an example of how APTs shift tactics by leaning away from backdoor tools towards relying on stolen user credentials.

fasthorizon.blogspot.com

Why I Make Fun of Advanced Persistent Threat (APT)

If you follow this blog, you may have noticed that I made fun of Advanced Persistent Threat on several occasions. I published APT haiku (thanks to all who contributed) and a series of APT cartoons. I established the Certified APT Nerd (CAPTN) professional credential with an exam. I also launched the APT Merchandise Store, where the most popular item is the “My APT Can Beat Up Your APT” t-shirt.

Why do I make fun of this serious topic? Because I care.

Many computer security incidents result from mass-scale attacks. Some incidents result from targeted attacks. A subset of targeted attacks, affecting relatively few organizations, is being called APT. (This is a form of malicious market segmentation.)

APT attackers are highly-skilled, determined and have a long-term perspective on their mission. As the result, it is difficult to detect and respond to such incidents, with the IR process spanning months or even years. Dealing with APT is expensive. The impact of the data loss resulting from an APT incident is costly, too.

The media’s attention to high-profile APT incidents has turned APT into a marketing buzzword. It is simply too convenient for security product and service vendors to use APT as part of sales and marketing efforts, even though the majority of these offerings don’t directly deal with APT.

I make fun of APT in the hopes that this will make it harder to use APT as a generic marketing buzzword or a boogeyman du jour. I also make fun of it because FUD-based marketing techniques, when taken to an extreme, can be quite humorous, and the job of an information security professional is too hard if it is always taken seriously.

And with that in mind, I present to you APT cartoon #6: APT Goes Mainstream on TV.

— Lenny Zeltser

APT cartoon #6: APT Goes Mainstream on TV The image was created using the Word Puzzle generator. For more Advanced Persistent Threat cartoons, see #1, #2, #3, #4,and #5.

APT cartoon #6: APT Goes Mainstream on TV

The image was created using the Word Puzzle generator.

For more Advanced Persistent Threat cartoons, see #1, #2, #3, #4,and #5.

The world’s first Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) Merchandise Store is now open for business!

You can now order APT-related t-shirts, buttons, mousepads and other items for all your APT needs.

The store’s merchandise carries insightful slogans such as:

And more! Buy now, while APT is still hot.

For more Advanced Persistent Threat goodness, see APT haiku, Certified APT Nerd (CAPTN) and APT cartoons.

‘Cause APT is too serious to be taken seriously.

— Lenny Zeltser

APT cartoon #5: Scientists. “If you think this is advanced, how do you expect to deal with APT?” Caption by Lenny Zeltser. Based on a drawing by sabine voigt. Got a better caption? For more Advanced Persistent Threat cartoons, see #1, #2, #3, #4 and #6.

APT cartoon #5: Scientists. “If you think this is advanced, how do you expect to deal with APT?”

Caption by Lenny Zeltser. Based on a drawing by sabine voigt. Got a better caption?

For more Advanced Persistent Threat cartoons, see #1, #2, #3, #4 and #6.

APT cartoon #4: Sad Elephant. “APT ate my homework.” Caption by Lenny Zeltser. Based on a drawing by Willee Cole. Got a better caption? For more Advanced Persistent Threat cartoons, see #1, #2, #3, #5 and #6.

APT cartoon #4: Sad Elephant. “APT ate my homework.”

Caption by Lenny Zeltser. Based on a drawing by Willee Cole. Got a better caption?

For more Advanced Persistent Threat cartoons, see #1, #2, #3, #5 and #6.

APT cartoon #3: Monster and Humans. “Having consumed all data in the world, APT turns on humans.” Caption by Lenny Zeltser. Based on a drawing by sabine voigt. Got a better caption? For more Advanced Persistent Threat cartoons, see #1, #2, #4, #5 and #6.

APT cartoon #3: Monster and Humans. “Having consumed all data in the world, APT turns on humans.”

Caption by Lenny Zeltser. Based on a drawing by sabine voigt. Got a better caption?

For more Advanced Persistent Threat cartoons, see #1, #2, #4, #5 and #6.

APT cartoon #2: Doctor and Patient. “I’m afraid it’s APT.” Caption by Lenny Zeltser. Based on a drawing by NLshop. Got a better caption? For more Advanced Persistent Threat cartoons, see #1, #3, #4, #5 and #6.

APT cartoon #2: Doctor and Patient. “I’m afraid it’s APT.”

Caption by Lenny Zeltser. Based on a drawing by NLshop. Got a better caption?

For more Advanced Persistent Threat cartoons, see #1, #3, #4, #5 and #6.

APT cartoon #1: Two Dogs. “They’ll just attribute this to APT.” Caption by Lenny Zeltser. Based on a drawing by hellotim. Got a better caption? For more Advanced Persistent Threat cartoons, see #2, #3, #4, #5 and #6.

APT cartoon #1: Two Dogs. “They’ll just attribute this to APT.”

Caption by Lenny Zeltser. Based on a drawing by hellotim. Got a better caption?

For more Advanced Persistent Threat cartoons, see #2, #3, #4, #5 and #6.