10 Mar 2010

US publishes data security protocols

The US government has published details of its new cybersecurity strategy.

Shane Wright, IT director of eDigitalResearch, said the Comprehensive National Security Initiative has published details of its EINSTEIN 2 and 3 systems for monitoring and tackling cyber threats including botnets, malware and other damaging elements.

He commented: "In my view, planning of the network structure and its connectivity to the outside world is key, along with a plan for guarding these entry points."

Mr Wright noted network security is becoming increasingly important, as cybercriminals are stepping up their efforts to infect computers around the world.

According to Panda Security, with almost 13 million compromised computers, Mariposa is one of the largest botnets ever reported on record.

Panda noted Mariposa stole account information for social media sites and other online email services, usernames and passwords, banking credentials, and credit card data through infiltrating an estimated 12.7 million compromised personal, corporate, government and university IP addresses in more than 190 countries.