Podcast Summary: "Incident Response (Noun) [Word Notes]" – Hacking Humans by N2K Networks

Release Date: December 17, 2024

Introduction to Incident Response

In the episode titled "Incident Response (Noun) [Word Notes]," hosted by Rick Howard on the Hacking Humans podcast by N2K Networks, the concept of incident response is meticulously explored. The discussion delves into the evolution of cybersecurity practices, emphasizing the critical role that coordinated efforts play in mitigating cyber threats. Incident response is defined not just as a reaction to cyber attacks but as a comprehensive strategy involving people, processes, and technology to effectively detect and manage security breaches.

Defining Incident Response

Rick Howard opens the conversation by clarifying the term "incident response."

"[...] incident as in data breach or cyber attack, and response as in a coordinated effort to react to an event. Definition: A collection of people, process, and technology that provides an organization the ability to detect and respond to cyber attacks."
— Rick Howard [00:51]

He underscores the importance of having standardized operating procedures to limit damage from future attacks, exemplifying this with a scenario where an organization enhances its incident response program post a data breach.

Historical Foundations of Incident Response

The Lawrence Berkeley Lab Incident and Dr. Clifford Stoll

The podcast takes listeners back to 1986 with one of the earliest documented cases of cyber espionage at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory (LBL). A mere 75-cent discrepancy in the Unix accounting system sparked an investigation by Dr. Clifford Stoll, leading to groundbreaking developments in incident response.

Dr. Clifford Stoll recounts his experience:

"Oh, yeah, it was 1986. I'm doing astronomy over in Berkeley, California, and one day I walk in and I notice the accounts are off. 275, 85. My accounting inside my UNIX machine is out of balance. [...] Somebody's coming in who has super user privilege. [...] Eventually, it took a year of tracing things back and finding that [...] he was stealing military stuff going on military installation."
— Dr. Clifford Stoll [03:59]

This incident, later detailed in his book The Cuckoo's Egg, is often credited with laying the groundwork for the incident response field, even though Dr. Stoll himself did not use the term.

The Morris Worm and the First Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Attack

Following closely on the heels of the LBL incident was the emergence of the Morris Worm in 1988, created by Robert Tappan Morris, a Cornell University graduate student. The worm was the first-ever Internet-distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack, which demonstrated how malicious software could incapacitate vast numbers of computers simultaneously.

Rick Howard elaborates on this event:

"Robert Tappan Morris was experimenting with the idea that a computer program could spread itself silently across the Internet. His experiment got away from him and, according to the FBI, within 24 hours Morris Worm had directly infected 6,000 of the 60,000 computers that were then connected to the Internet at the time, rendering them unusable and creating an Internet traffic jam for the remaining unaffected computers."
— Rick Howard [02:30]

The fallout from the Morris Worm incident was significant, prompting the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to sponsor Carnegie Mellon University in establishing the first Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Center (CERT/CC), formalizing the approach to handling global cyber events.

Establishment of Formal Incident Response Teams

The aftermath of these early cyber incidents highlighted the necessity for organized and proactive incident response mechanisms. The creation of CERT/CC marked a pivotal moment in cybersecurity, providing a structured framework for responding to and managing cyber threats on a global scale.

Rick Howard succinctly captures this progression:

"Between the Cuckoo's Egg and the Morris Worm, Incident Response was born."
— Rick Howard

This evolution from ad-hoc investigations to formalized response teams underscores the maturing landscape of cybersecurity and the increasing sophistication of cyber threats.

Insights and Lessons Learned

Throughout the episode, several key insights emerge:

1. The Importance of Early Detection and Response: The stories of Dr. Stoll and the Morris Worm emphasize that early detection is crucial in minimizing the impact of cyber incidents.

2. Evolution of Cyber Threats: What began as isolated incidents has evolved into complex, large-scale cyber attacks that require advanced and coordinated response strategies.

3. Formation of Dedicated Response Teams: The establishment of CERT/CC illustrates the necessity of having specialized teams equipped to handle the dynamic nature of cyber threats.

4. Human Element in Cybersecurity: The podcast highlights that cyber threats often involve human deception and ingenuity, reinforcing the need for comprehensive incident response plans that consider both technological and human factors.

Conclusion

The "Incident Response (Noun) [Word Notes]" episode of Hacking Humans provides a thorough exploration of the origins and significance of incident response in cybersecurity. By tracing back to seminal events like the Lawrence Berkeley Lab incident and the Morris Worm, the podcast underscores the indispensable role of coordinated response efforts in safeguarding digital infrastructures. For listeners seeking to understand the foundations and evolution of incident response, this episode offers valuable historical context and insightful analysis.

Notable Quotes

• Rick Howard [00:51]: "A collection of people, process and technology that provides an organization the ability to detect and respond to cyber attacks."

• Dr. Clifford Stoll [03:59]: "Somebody's coming in who has super user privilege. [...] Eventually, it took a year of tracing things back and finding that [...] he was stealing military stuff going on military installation."

• Rick Howard [02:30]: "Within 24 hours Morris Worm had directly infected 6,000 of the 60,000 computers... rendering them unusable and creating an Internet traffic jam."

Credits

• Written by: Nyla Genoi
• Executive Produced by: Peter Kilpe
• Edited by: John Petrick and Rick Howard
• Sound Design & Original Music: Elliot Peltzman

Thank you for listening to Hacking Humans by N2K Networks.