Cyber-Incident Event Reports

For this week's class discussion, you will find a current news article describing a cyber security-related event. Don't just go for the big headline stories, but dig deeper and find lesser-known stories or stories that go behind the main headlines.

The goal of the discussion is to integrate what you studied in the text book with the additional reading materials I provide and the one you find. Do not post a simple summary of an article, but discuss explicitly how it is related to the course material this week. This may mean that the first article you find isn't suitable for this week's topic (remember, the first Google result isn't necessarily the right answer!). Go find another rather than awkwardly trying to make it work. Begin by providing an accurate summary of the main points of the article you choose. Then discuss its relevance and link to the discussion topic.

Specifically, think about how cyber-incidents are reported. Who does the reporting? Where does the information come from? Does the reporting provide information that other organizations can use to defend themselves? Are any proposals out there about information security information sharing that could make a difference?

Opinion is a natural element of these discussions – but they have to be informed and reasoned. An opinion has no value if there is a lack of support from evidence (such as facts or experience).

Discussion: Your initial post is only the first part of the discussion assignment. Your responses (at least two (2) are required) to other students' articles can be supportive or a rebuttal (but always constructive and respectful) backed up by statements and facts. You can add to the discussion by highlighting additional facts, finding new viewpoints and interpretations or demonstrating how the information can be applied.

Sources: Your sources should probably not be mainstream news sources, but instead industry publications, such as SC Magazine (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site., Network World (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site., etc. You can even consider using the articles and blog entries of respected individuals in the security community. Those would include Brian Krebs (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site., Bruce Schneier (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site., Mikko Hypponen (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site., etc. "Current" is defined as being less than 6 months old for the purposes of discussion board postings.