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Security Catalyst Show - Pop Culture Security Edition - July 2008

July 16, 2008 · by SecurityCatalyst

Whether responsible for security awareness training — or just interested in communicating more effectively, the PCS series is designed to bring insights that get people thinking differently about protecting information.

This month James Costello and I break down – in less than 20 minutes — how to use Pop Culture references and examples to explain two simple security concepts: trojan horse and social engineering.

Time is tight - so we work fast to get rid of the boring and plain ways to explain concepts and share the insights we use to connect with people and make a difference. Listen, learn and contribute!

Direct Link: TSC-20080716.mp3

Call for challenges

 Email us at: popculturesecurity **SHIFT2** securitycatalyst [dot] com

 Phone number is 206-350-8346

== Detailed Show Notes After the Break ==

(and by detailed, I mean… wow. Detailed - Thanks to James for pulling the links together!!)

On this episode

5 Critical Life Lessons your can Learn from Kung Fu Panda

http://www.dumblittleman.com/2008/07/5-critical-life-lessons-you-can-learn.html

 

The Trojan Horse

Examples:

Ocean’s Eleven - not the good one with Frank Sinatra, the remake with George Clooney

Example of a scene:

the container that supposedly contains diamonds sent to the vault that the acrobat is hiding inside.

 

Thomas Crown Affair (Pierce Bronson and the Hottie Rene Russo)

Examples of scene:

Early on in the film a statue of horse is delivered to the museum.  No one knows what to do with it so it gets set off to the side.  There are several people hiding inside who break out to break into the museum

 

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Scene:  Attacking the castle the French have taken control of - Trojan Rabbit

This is an example of how some really bad malware is written - the package gets delivered before the payload is really ready and trojan rabbit will get shot right back out of the castle

 

Social Engineering

 

Examples:

Wall Street

Example scenes:

a) talking with his buddy (James Spader), the attorney is initially reluctant to share any information, but Charlie Sheen’s character convinces him that everyone is doing it

b) posing as a janitor to gain information.  Who has access to your office when you are not there.

 

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Example of a scene:

Where Lancelot goes to the castle filled with women because of the Grail shaped light at the top

Also the women attempt to use sex to keep the knights at the castle

 

Fletch

 

Chevy Chase/Fletch uses social engineering to obtain the information he needs - he uses disguises, voices and fake ID’s to get what he wants

 

Would you participate in a live, call-in show?

If so, send us an email!!

 

Coming Up

August: Lessons learned from Burn Notice on the USA Network

This is available, free, as a streamed series. Plenty of clips. Anyone has access and appeals to a wide audience.

If nothing else, check out the interviews with Matt Nix. Brilliant writing!

 

September: Back to School Edition

Thinking about School of Rock and Back to School and maybe Summer School thrown in for giggles. Got ideas? Want to be part of the show?

 

Movie to watch this month for ideas

Social Engineering - Defcon last year - our friend Mike Murray presented The Science of Social Engineering: NLP, Hypnosis and the Science of Persuasion - available on Google Video here:  http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1210687204734530548&hl=en

(and no, he didn’t “persuade” us to include this. It was the Jackson he slipped us)

 

Call for challenges

 Email us at: popculturesecurity **SHIFT2** securitycatalyst [dot] com

 Phone number is 206-350-8346

 

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