CERT peels back the layers on cyber threats

Technology

CERT peels back the layers on cyber threats

Federal Security Spotlight talks with Marita Fowler, section chief of the surface analysis group at U.S. CERT, about recent trends in cyber attacks. January 20,...

Federal News Network Staff

January 20, 2011 4:20 pm

< a min read

January 20, 2011 — Federal Security Spotlight this week checks in with Marita Fowler, section chief of the surface analysis group at the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team. CERT is part of the Homeland Security Department.

It collects information on cyber attacks and malware from a variety of federal and non-federal partners, and analyzes them to look for patterns from the dark side of cyber space.

One strong trend is the organized nature of those launching cyber attacks. Another is their financial motivation, whether stealing credit card numbers or intellectual property.

Fowler tells Federal News Radio, often there is no magic technological fix for cyber problems, just constant blocking and tackling plus attention to the basics.