Big Data & Cybersecurity

Dear readers,

Welcome to the new issue of eForensics Magazine! This month we take a closer look at Big Data and how it connects with cybersecurity. To that end, we feature Manuel Aragón Añino’s article, which will also serve as a peek into Obliv-c, and Denis Rothman’s piece, which aims to demystify deep learning for you. Sounds cool?

Apart from that in the issue you’ll find an interview with Theresa Payton,  two book reviews by the excellent Bob Monroe, write-up on CSOC potential with advanced analytics by Tom Mitchell, case study on using free software to detect image tampering by Doug Carner, two articles on malware analysis (one on banking malware, one on cryptocurrency malware). We close the magazine with something different - an analysis of how pop culture images get reused in various propaganda videos. The article goes into cultural analysis as well, but we hope you’ll find it interesting anyway.

As always, huge thank you to our authors, reviewers, and proofreader - without you our job would be impossible to do. And, of course, huge thanks to you, our readers - we do this all for you, and we do appreciate you are here.

Enjoy the issue!

Marta Strzelec
and the eForensics Mag Team

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Firm believer in sweat equity

Interview with Theresa Payton, interviewed by Paula Grochowska

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Detecting image tampering through science

by Doug Carner, DABRE/CPP/CCFE/CHS

Digital image files are vulnerable to tampering and corruption. Such changes can be difficult or impossible to detect through a visual inspection alone and, if unchallenged, the meaning and value of critical evidence could be open to interpretation. In response, industry software has become increasingly sensitive to detecting subtle manipulations. These solutions are available at all financials levels and, in this article, we will examine some of the best free resources.

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CSOC with Advanced Analytics

by Thomas M Mitchell

The premise of this document lays the foundation for the Cyber Security Operations Center (CSOC) and, within the standards of a meticulous process, enable the efficient build and management of the next generation CSOCs, also known as a Security Operation Center (SOC) with Advanced Analytics as the cornerstone of technology.

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Big Data & Cybersecurity: Aggregation of Confidential Data Sources for Computing Purposes

by Manuel Aragón Añino

Nowadays, “Big Data” has opened a huge world of possibilities. This computing power can be exploited for creating new cybersecurity systems. We’ve reached a world where systems can learn (by their self) how to build an architecture better than a human ever could imagine. But, new challenges have appeared with this. One of the most remarkable are those related to confidentiality. Here, Obliv-C can help us.

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Forensic Analysis of Cryptocurrency Mining Malware

by Roberto Alexandre Silva Monteiro, Daniel Alexandre K. Müller and Deivison Pinheiro Franco

Cryptocurrency became the sensation of the moment, having Bitcoin as its flagship. Efforts are made daily in every corner of the planet so that, with the least expense and with the best equipment, values can be obtained, whether in real money (physical, as the dollar) or in cryptocurrency as well. Among the efforts normally seen, there is a progressive increase in the use of illegal means to obtain profit in the network, such as the use of malware and sites that disseminate them, making use of already known techniques, such as phishing with a common goal: financial profit.

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Memory Banking Malware Forensic Analysis With Antivirus Bypass

by Roberto Alexandre Silva Monteiro, Daniel Alexandre K. Müller and Deivison Pinheiro Franco

When we talk about malware, we soon imagine the image of a virus "eating" the files of our computer and destroying any and all information that it can find. Not so: we know that there are several types of malware involved. The daily volume in the creation of malware and knowing that anti-virus software seeks, at all costs, to avoid losses by inoculating their executions, we see a day to-day constant struggle fought between these companies and the threats’ creators.

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REVIEW: Introduction to Networking v5.1 Companion Guide, by Rick Graziani & Allan Johnson

Reviewed by Bob Monroe

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REVIEW: Network Security Essential Applications and Standards, written by William Stallings

Reviewed by Bob Monroe

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Demystifying Deep Learning

by Denis Rothman

Many of you reading this article are expecting to discover a new technology to explore. However, computers that can learn have been around for decades. As we will see in “When did Deep Learning Start?”, Frank Rosenblatt’s 1957 perceptron remains a notable milestone in the machine learning era.

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Popular Culture and Hollywood Effects in Propaganda Videos

by Sefer Darıcı, Ebru Karadoğan İsmayıl

Increasingly parallel to the development of globalization and technology, the means of communication have also changed the propaganda strategies of terrorist organizations. ISIS, for example, publicizing their actions uses various communication tools, mostly digital. ISIS also uses popular cultural elements to convince the world that it has chosen the world as its target audience. In this study, which is designed with a qualitative model and used an interim single sentence pattern, six of the ISIS propaganda videos were selected by objective sampling method and contextual analysis was made. The following data were analyzed in comparison with a popular TV series (Person of Interest), movies (American Sniper, Unthinkable), digital games (Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto), and movie posters (The Expendables 2).

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