NUKSG – Northern UK Security Group

Venue: Victoria Hotel (pub), Great George St., Leeds, LS1 3DL
Date: 12 July 2010
Time: 18:30

Guest Speaker
Francisco Fonseca, CEO of AnubisNetworks
Francisco has 10 years of experience with email platforms. From 1999 until 2006 he worked for Vodafone implementing and managing many e-mail platforms that were used in corporate and ISP environments. He was recognized by Microsoft as Exchange MVP (Most Valuable Professional) in 2003, 2004 and 2005, has taught in the Universities of Nova and Moderna and he has a degree in Management and Informatics from the University of Minho, Portugal.

Speaker’s Talk
In this presentation we will share some facts related with spam in an informal, light hearted manner.
Topics covered:
- The economy of spam
- Why does spam exist
- Why email is not safe by default
- The impact and cost of spam
- The economy behind spam
- Phishing
- The evolution of spam

Please email nuksg-announce@nuksg.org to confirm your attendance, and we look forward to seeing you on the 12th.

Mike Porter
VP NUKSG

Thought it was worth letting you know that the Driver Auction received bids above our reserve. We have therefore accepted TWO addition team members, names will be released shortly.

The platinum sponsor position is still available. We will be opening the auction again shortly, however if you wish to make a significant bid, then do so now because we might just accept it!

NUKSG needs your support!!

Two great corporate level auctions are being offered by NUKSG to support our charity fund raising – bid before 7 June for

Platinum Sponsor – high value marketing opportunity
Team Member – get your own driver in our rally car

Read on to find out more about the rally and these two great auctions, and please take action today to help us secure corporate sponsorship to raise money for ChildLine – Cruelty to children must stop.

“Thundercrawl” in aid of ChildLine

This year NUKSG are taking part in the White Hat Rally to raise money for ChildLine. This charity event takes place over three days in late September, starting in Boulogne (France) and ending up in Venice (Italy). Although the route will take in some stunning scenery, there are many challenges along the way and cryptic clues to unravel. This gruelling drive kicks off with over 560 miles on the first day alone and, to add to the fun, we will be travelling in an “Old Banger”. All in the spirit of raising money for ChildLine.
Which is where you come in…

We are raising money in a number of ways and will be looking for personal donations, but right now we have two huge opportunities that you won’t want to miss. We are seeking a corporate Platinum sponsor and our last Team Member for the rally – both are separately up for auction via closed bids.

Corporate Platinum Sponsor Auction

As the Platinum sponsor you will have the biggest area of the vehicle on which to place your company name and logo. The team and crew will proudly wear your logo’d T-shirts, and promote your company at every media opportunity they encounter! You will be assured significant online coverage, with prominent placement on websites and all future NUKSG communication relating to the Rally. We will happily work with your marketing team to ensure you get the best from this event.

But it’s not just about PR……It’s about raising money to help vulnerable children….

Send your closed bid to Platinum@nuksg.org clearly stating your highest bid. A reserve price has been set on this auction, so aim high!

Team Member Auction

Travelling through some of the most stunning locations and awesome roads in Europe, this event guarantees a stimulating drive. But it’s not just about being behind the wheel…….you’ll need a sense of adventure, humour (and luck!) as you and our team attempt to complete our film-themed challenges.

The White Hat Rally is an organised motor rally that will give you a trip to remember. You will be shaken but not stirred as you visit some of the sites and experience the thrills that make up a true James Bond adventure. Based loosely (OK, very loosely) on the escapades of James in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, this rally will provide you with the chance to try out dodgy accents and enjoy a Vodka Martini or two.

The route will take us from France through Switzerland to Italy with our final destination being the fabulous city of Venice and the water-ways from the film “Casino Royale”. During the trip there will also be the chance to visit the famous revolving restaurant at Piz Gloria and enjoy the view across the mountains while driving on some of Europe’s finest (!) roads.

We’ll also be visiting several of the most famous film settings including Blofeld’s mountain lair from “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”, the Dam where Bond performs the world’s highest bungee jump in “Goldeneye”, and the mountain passes where Goldfinger is chased in the DB5.

But it’s not just about driving……Are you up for it…of course you are….remember “you only live twice” so come and join us for a trip to remember, and it’s not so much of an old banger, more a vehicle that Bond could have put to good use…

Send your closed bid to teammember@nuksg.org clearly stating your highest bid. A reserve price has been set on this auction, so aim high!

Both auctions will be conducted via a closed bidding system. All emails MUST be received before 23:59.59 BST on the 6th June 2010 and the winners will be announced on the 7th at the Manchester NUKSG meeting.
Please send an email with your best offer to Platinum@nuksg.org and/or teammember@nuksg.org
Further sponsorship opportunities will be offered in due course, i.e. Gold, Silver and Bronze, etc. and personal pledges will be possible online.

NUKSG thank you for your support.

We are pleased to announce that the next NUKSG meeting will take place as follows:

Venue: Waldorf Hotel (pub), 12 Gore Street, Manchester, M1 3AQ
Date: 07 June 2010
Time: 18:30

Guest Speaker
Keith Cottenden, Forensic Services Director, CY4OR
As Forensic Services Director at CY4OR, Keith is responsible for all forensic operations within the company. His exemplary career includes 22 years in the Royal Air Force Police, specialising as a Counter Intelligence and Information Technology Security investigator. He joined CY4OR in 2004 and has completed over 150 cases during this period. Keith has worked on behalf of law enforcement agencies, solicitors and corporate clients on a variety of UK based and international cases. Keith also regularly lectures on computer forensics and is a highly experienced and respected computer forensic expert witness. Keith has a postgraduate degree in Forensic Computing and is an EnCase Certified Examiner.

Speaker’s Talk
Keith will talk about the evolution of traditional computer forensics and how best practice will have to adapt to new technology. He will discuss the importance of preserving data in light of an incident involving digital evidence and the dos and don’ts of securing this evidence using your internal IT department. His presentation will promote forensic readiness planning and preserving a business’ reputation with an IT security awareness programme. Keith will use case studies to highlight key points and illustrate forensic practicalities.

Please email nuksg-announce@nuksg.org to confirm your attendance, and we look forward to seeing you on the 7th.

Mike Porter
VP NUKSG

We are pleased to announce our next NUKSG Manchester meeting.

Date: 19 April 2010 Time: 18:30 Venue: Victoria Hotel (pub), 28 Great George Street, Leeds, LS1 3DL

Bio

Sharon Conheady is a Director at First Defence Information Security in the UK where she specialises in social engineering. She has social engineered her way into dozens of organisations across the UK and abroad, including company offices, sports stadiums, government facilities and more. She has presented on social engineering at many security conferences including Deepsec, Recon, CONFidence, ISSE, ISF and SANS Secure Europe.

After inventing the Internet alongside Al Gore, Sharon moved on to the development of security protocols that were used to crack 128 bit encryption. She holds a degree in Computer Science from Trinity College Dublin and a MSc in Information Security from Westminster University.

Three times winner of the Nobel Prize, Sharon enjoys belly dancing and space travel. Talk Summary

Social engineering, where attackers use deception or impersonation to gain unauthorised access to sensitive resources from computer networks to buildings, is hitting the headlines more than ever. As computer security becomes more sophisticated, hackers are combining their technical expertise with social engineering skills to gain access to IT infrastructures and critical information. It can often be easier and quicker to target the end user than using technical hacking techniques. When you combine both social engineering and traditional hacking techniques, you have a very dangerous attack. Social engineering attacks can have disastrous consequences, both financially and reputationally. Organisations can have the best technical security controls in the world, from the most expensive firewall to the most sophisticated biometrics, but they will not protect against a social engineering attack. In any security programme people are the weakest link. Performing a social engineering test on an organisation gives a good indication of the effectiveness of current physical security controls and the staff’s level of security awareness. But once you have decided to perform a social engineering test, where do you start? How do you actually conduct a social engineering test? During my talk, I will discuss the practical aspects of performing a social engineering attack, providing plenty of war stories from my career as a social engineer. The key to preventing social engineering attacks from being successful lies in education and awareness. This talk will promote social engineering awareness amongst the audience and give an insight into the techniques and methods used by social engineers, whether as part of an ethical social engineering test or as a malicious social engineering attack.

If you see Sharon around your office, she kindly requests that you open the door to let her in.

To secure your place, please email nuksg-announce@nuksg.org

Due to current weather and forecast we have taken the decision to cancel the meeting on Monday 22nd Feb 2010 in Manchester. After receiving a number of messages we decided that the best option was to take this action.

Michael Brown.

We are pleased to announce our next NUKSG Manchester meeting.

Date : Monday 22nd Feb 2010 Time : 18.30 Place : Waldorf Hotel (pub), Gore St, Manchester)

Bio

Sharon Conheady is a Director at First Defence Information Security in the UK where she specialises in social engineering.  She has social engineered her way into dozens of organisations across the UK and abroad, including company offices, sports stadiums, government facilities and more.  She has presented on social engineering at many security conferences including Deepsec, Recon, CONFidence, ISSE, ISF and SANS Secure Europe.

After inventing the Internet alongside Al Gore, Sharon moved on to the development of security protocols that were used to crack 128 bit encryption.  She holds a degree in Computer Science from Trinity College Dublin and a MSc in Information Security from Westminster University.  Three times winner of the Nobel Prize, Sharon enjoys belly dancing and space travel.

Talk Summary

Social engineering, where attackers use deception or impersonation to gain unauthorised access to sensitive resources from computer networks to buildings, is hitting the headlines more than ever.  As computer security becomes more sophisticated, hackers are combining their technical expertise with social engineering skills to gain access to IT infrastructures and critical information.  It can often be easier and quicker to target the end user than using technical hacking techniques.  When you combine both social engineering and traditional hacking techniques, you have a very dangerous attack.

Social engineering attacks can have disastrous consequences, both financially and reputationally.  Organisations can have the best technical security controls in the world, from the most expensive firewall to the most sophisticated biometrics, but they will not protect against a social engineering attack.  In any security programme people are the weakest link.

Performing a social engineering test on an organisation gives a good indication of the effectiveness of current physical security controls and the staff’s level of security awareness.  But once you have decided to perform a social engineering test, where do you start?  How do you actually conduct a social engineering test?  During my talk, I will discuss the practical aspects of performing a social engineering attack, providing plenty of war stories from my career as a social engineer.

The key to preventing social engineering attacks from being successful lies in education and awareness.  This talk will promote social engineering awareness amongst the audience and give an insight into the techniques and methods used by social engineers, whether as part of an ethical social engineering test or as a malicious social engineering attack.

If you see Sharon around your office, she kindly requests that you open the door to let her in.

To secure your place, please email nuksg-announce@nuksg.org