Spies in the Bits and Bytes : The Art of Cyber Threat Intelligence / Atif Ali and Baber Majid Bhatti.

Table Of Contents -- Cover -- Half Title -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Table of Contents -- Foreword -- Acknowledgment -- Aim -- Audience -- Special Acknowledgment -- Author Biographies -- Chapter 1: Unveiling the dark: Exploring cyber threats -- What are the global cyberthreats that are the most dangerous? -- Chapter 2: Cybercrime unmasked: A deep dive into the criminal mind -- The concept of crime -- Computed crime -- Digital and cybercrime -- Transnational organized cybercrime -- Criminological characteristics of criminal activity using virtual assets (cryptocurrencies) -- Most significant examples of cybersecurity breaches -- Advantages enjoyed by the cyberattackers -- Cyber victimology -- Computer security -- Concept of cyberwarfare -- Digital security concept as a system of social relations -- Summary -- Chapter 3: Masters of defense: Harnessing AI and machine learning for cybersecurity -- Introduction -- Machine learning -- Supervised machine learning -- Unsupervised machine learning -- Semi-supervised and reinforcement machine learning -- Behavioral patterns -- AI algorithms -- Cybersecurity AI applications -- Open-source tools related to AI -- Enhanced AI cybersecurity -- Summary -- Chapter 4: Blockchain revolution: Fortifying the digital frontier -- Introduction -- Blockchain technology -- Blockchain systems and cryptocurrencies -- Blockchain’s applications -- Attacks and threats -- Blockchain revolutions in cybersecurity -- Summary -- Chapter 5: Digital detectives: The art of incident investigation -- Scope of the problem -- Key artifacts -- An organization’s compromised system is investigated -- A hybrid cloud investigation of a compromised system -- Seek and find -- Conclusions -- Summary -- Chapter 6: Guardians of your data: Demystifying antivirus solutions -- What is antivirus software? -- Antivirus software: past and present -- Antivirus scanners, kernels, and products -- Antivirus features -- Basic features -- Advanced features -- Typical misconceptions about antivirus software -- Summary -- Chapter 7: Decoding digital malice: The world of malware analysis -- Introduction -- Malware -- Malicious software -- Malware investigation -- Deception methods -- Malware detection and analysis -- Virtualization to eliminate malware -- Summary -- Chapter 8: The cyberattack odyssey: Navigating the attack lifecycle -- Intelligence from outside sources -- Scanning -- Nmap -- Hydra THC -- Metasploit -- John the Ripper -- Aircrack-ng -- Nikto -- Kismet -- Wireshark -- Cain and Abel are two brothers -- Increase in accessibility and privilege -- Privilege escalation on the horizontal plane -- Vertical privilege escalation -- Leaks and dropping -- Financial security -- Obfuscation -- Worm -- Threat lifecycle management -- Summary -- Chapter 9: Breaching the wall: Uncovering system compromising techniques -- Trends in the modern world -- Cybercrime: top 20 countries (Figure 9.1) -- Extortion -- Data management -- Attacks on mobile devices -- Attacks on Internet of Things (IoT) devices -- Backdoors -- The cloud is being hacked -- Hacking commonplace devices -- Phishing -- Exploitation of vulnerabilities -- Zero-day pungency -- Source code analysis -- Fuzzing -- Zero-day exploit types -- Changing the behavior of a structured exception handler (SEH) -- Buffer overflow -- Attempting to destabilize the system -- The process of installing and using vulnerability scanner -- Using metasploit -- Deploying-payloads -- Windows/meterpreter/name of payload -- Compromising operating systems -- Compromising systems using Kon/Boot or Hiren’s boot CD -- Compromising systems using live CDs -- Systems compromised with preinstalled applications -- System compromise using Ophcrack -- Getting an unsecured remote system -- Cross-site scripting -- DDoS attacks -- Compromising web applications -- SQL injection -- Summary -- Chapter 10: Spycraft in the digital age: Intelligence and info gathering -- Digging through the garbage -- Intelligence from outside sources -- Social engineering -- Sites on social media -- Pretext -- Distraction maneuver -- Phishing -- Waterhole -- Travel apple -- Intelligence from within -- Scanning and analysis of traffic -- Quid pro quo -- Annexing -- Prismdump -- Tcpdump -- Nmap -- Wireshark -- Burp suite -- Cain and Abel -- Nessus -- Metasploit -- Aircrack-ng -- Wardriving -- Summary -- Chapter 11: Cyber hunt or be hunted: The art of credential hunting -- Details of access -- Strategies for compromising user access details -- Gaining access to the network -- Collecting credentials -- Evil user access props -- Full search -- Social engineering -- Other ways to hack access credentials -- Summary -- Chapter 12: The climb to control: Escalation of privileges unveiled -- Infiltration -- Vertical privilege escalation -- Horizontal privilege escalation -- How to avoid alerts -- Performing privilege escalation -- Unpatched OS -- Token manipulation for access -- Accessibility exploitation -- Application shimming -- Getting around user account control -- DLL lookups -- Injection of DLL -- Vulnerability analysis -- Daemons have been launched -- A real-world example of windows 8’s privilege escalation -- Summary -- Chapter 13: Eyes in the shadows: The power of cyber intelligence -- Cyber intelligence: an overview -- Free cyber intelligence devices -- Azure Security Center (AZC) -- Cyber intelligence companies: microsoft -- Use of cyber intelligence -- Summary -- Chapter 14: OSINT: Open-source intelligence -- Open-source intelligence? -- Dark web security intelligence companies -- Cybercrime-as-a-service -- Security intelligence and its challenges -- Increasing the return on investment for cyber weapons on the dark web -- Hacking-as-a-service -- Intelligence-gathering focus -- Stolen intellectual property -- For sale: exploits -- Campaigns for spam and phishing -- Vulnerabilities for sale -- Stolen financial data -- Threat intelligence on the dark web and its value -- Security intelligence’s challenges -- Monitoring tools for open-source intelligence -- Google dorks -- Recon-ng -- The harvester -- Maltego -- Shodan -- Data Gathering -- Direct conversations -- Market listings -- Chat rooms -- Advanced search queries -- The difficulties of collecting data from the dark web -- Summary -- Chapter 15: Swift response, solid defense: The computer incident response process -- The computer incident response process -- Justifications for having a computer incident response process in place -- Creation of a process for responding to computer incidents -- The lifecycle of a computer incident -- Best practices for managing computer security incidents -- Incidental deposit activities -- Real-life situation -- Conclusion -- In the cloud, responding to computer incidents -- Incorporate the cloud into the response process -- Summary -- Chapter 16: Strategies of the cyber-knights: Crafting countermeasures -- Cyber threats in the modern era -- Authentication and authorization of credentials -- Members of diverse teams -- A more effective security strategy -- Summary -- Chapter 17: Rising from the ashes: The cyber recovery process -- Plan for disaster recovery -- Process for disaster recovery -- Disaster recovery team formation -- Conducting a risk evaluation -- Prioritization of processes and operations -- Defining recovery strategies -- Data collection -- Create a plan for disaster recovery -- Testing -- Getting authorization -- Challenges -- Maintaining a plan -- Recovery without service interruption -- Contingency planning -- Emergency development policy -- Process of IT contingency planning -- Conducting a business impact analysis -- Essential IT resource identification -- Recovery strategies development -- Identifying preventive controls -- Backups -- Service -- Advanced recovery methods -- Technology implementation -- Summary -- Chapter 18: The guardian’s code: Crafting a secure security policy -- Security policy checks -- Instruction for the end user -- Security training -- Use of policy -- Recommendations for user safety on social media -- Allowlist of applications -- Strengthening defenses -- Monitoring compliance -- Summary -- Chapter 19: Hunting vulnerabilities: The art of vulnerability management -- Establishing a vulnerability management strategy -- Information management -- Resource inventory -- Risk assessment -- Scope -- Data collection -- Analysis of vulnerability -- Policies and procedures analysis -- Threat analysis -- Analysis of acceptable risks -- Vulnerability assessment -- Patch management -- Response planning -- Tools for vulnerability management -- Resource inventory tools -- LANDesk management suite -- Tools for risk assessment -- Tools for vulnerability assessment -- Tools for reporting -- Response planning tools -- Tools for information management -- Implementing vulnerability management -- Advanced management of vulnerability -- Implementation of nessus vulnerability management -- Summary -- Chapter 20: Unmasking the underworld: The secrets of the dark web -- Dark web definition -- What are the dark web, deep web, and surface web? -- The surface web or open web -- The dark web -- How dark web browsing is done -- Is it against the law to access the dark web? -- Is tor illegal to use? -- The deep web -- Malicious software -- Scams -- Government monitoring -- ProtectiNG end users from dark web exploitation -- How to safely use the dark web -- The battle for the dark web’s marketplaces -- Advantages of the dark web -- Disadvantages of the dark web -- Glossary -- Bibliography -- Index

In an era where digital security transcends mere convenience to become a pivotal aspect of our daily lives, Spies in the Bits and Bytes: The Art of Cyber Threat Intelligence by Dr. Atif and Dr. Baber emerges as a critical beacon of knowledge and understanding. This book delves into the shadowy world of cyber threats, unraveling the complex web of digital espionage, cybercrime, and the innovative defenses that stand between safety and digital chaos. Dr. Atif, leveraging his profound expertise in artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, offers not just an exploration but a comprehensive guide to navigating the tumultuous digital landscape. What sets this book apart is its unique blend of technical depth, real-world examples, and accessible writing, making the intricate world of cyber threats understandable and engaging for a broad audience. Key features of Spies in the Bits and Bytes include: In-depth Analysis of Cyber Threats: Unveiling the latest and most sophisticated cyber threats facing our world today. Cutting-Edge Defense Strategies: Exploring the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning in crafting dynamic cyber defenses. Real-World Case Studies: Providing engaging examples that illustrate the impact of cyber threats and the importance of robust cybersecurity measures. Accessible Insights: Demystifying complex cybersecurity concepts for readers of all backgrounds. Forward-Looking Perspectives: Offering insights into the future of cyber threats and the evolving landscape of cyber defense. This book is an essential resource for anyone keen on understanding the intricacies of cybersecurity and the critical role it plays in our interconnected society. From cybersecurity professionals, IT students, and corporate leaders to policy makers and general readers with an interest in the digital world, Spies in the Bits and Bytes serves as a comprehensive guide to the challenges and solutions in the realm of cyber threat intelligence, preparing its audience for the ongoing battle against digital adversaries.

Description based on print version record.

Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest, 2018. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest affiliated libraries.