Staying One Step Ahead Of Criminal Hackers

In our efforts to stay one step ahead of the global criminal hacker cabal, my colleagues and I in the ethical hacker community try to approach our craft like our adversaries. To paraphrase Carl Spackler, we know that, in order to conquer the hacker, we have to learn to think like hackers. We’ve got to get inside the hacker’s pelt and crawl around. When you do that, you develop a begrudging respect for them.

In popular culture, however, criminal hackers can become mythologized, not unlike the way the bank robbers of old were. Despite their chosen professions, the likes of John Dillinger, Bonnie and Clyde, Baby Face Nelson and Ma Barker were sometimes regarded as modern-day Robin Hoods. They were the little guys taking on the rich and powerful with daring and panache. Even when caught, they’d often revel in the attention. When asked why he robbed banks, the infamous “Slick” Willie Sutton supposedly quipped, “Because that’s where the money is.”

That may have been true in the first half of the last century, but not anymore.

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Were You Attacked Today With Yesterday's Hacking Technique?

We’re all familiar with the idea of recycling as a means of reducing the waste stream. Most of us are in the habit of separating our paper, plastic, glass and metal trash from other garbage. What you may not know is that recycling is a major trend in the hacker community, too. Many of the data breaches that have struck in recent years were accomplished using software that has been around for a long time -- today’s hack, yesterday’s technique.

Tools that have been proven effective at fooling users and sneaking past network defenses are regularly reused by hackers. Whether the software was developed specifically for hacking or as a tool with a legitimate purpose that has been adapted for a less savory one, the hacker community has become expert at extracting value from what already exists. As with commercial software development, it takes time and money for hackers to write and test their code, and in order to maximize their profits, it makes sense to recycle what works. Often, these tried-and-true products are packaged and sold to others, furthering their potential to do harm.

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Fixating On Vulnerabilities Is A Vulnerability

You almost have to admire the hackers. Almost. Technology research firm Gartner (via Forbes) estimates that companies will spend $93 billion on cybersecurity technologies in 2018. Yet, according to a recent study by security firm Norton (via MIT Technology Review), the relentless efforts of the global hacking community still netted $172 billion in ill-gotten gains. There’s no indication that things will be any different this year. Why do the hackers continue to succeed? What must industry do to make hacking a less profitable venture for the adversary?

To better understand and answer these questions, it’s useful to examine the hackers’ successes and look for consistencies. But first, let’s define a word that is often misused or misunderstood in cybersecurity discussions: vulnerability.

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