Phil Graham on 13 Jul 2000 07:32:39 -0000


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[Nettime-bold] Fwd: [bioexchange] FW: CyberSleuth will identify entitiestargeting corporations



>Mailing-List: ListBot mailing list contact bioexchange-help@listbot.com
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>Reply-To: "The bio-exchange" <bioexchange@listbot.com>
>From: Naomi Sunderland <Naomis@Brisinst.org.au>
>To: "'bioexchange@listbot.com'" <bioexchange@listbot.com>
>Subject: [bioexchange] FW: CyberSleuth will identify entities targeting 
>corporations
>Date: Thu, 13 Jul 2000 14:03:57 +1000
>X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2650.21)
>
>The bio-exchange
>
>Check out the terminology used the article below on cybersleuthing services
>now available to help companies identify and "eliminate" on-line activists
>working against them. See in particular:
>
>victim
>threat assessment
>neutralizing
>perpetrators
>rogue websites
>"shuttering of a terrorist web site"
>"objective not only to stop spread of incorrect information but also to
>ensure that what has already spread is eliminated"
>
>What are we talking about here - online activism or nuclear fallout?!
>
>This is all quite disturbing. Question is, are we dealing with "warfare" or
>is it merely in the description? Or both?
>
>Naomi Sunderland
>
>Biotech Activists (biotech_activists@iatp.org)    Posted: 07/12/2000  By
>papadop@peak.org
>============================================================
>
>eWatch CyberSleuth
>http://www.ewatch.com/pop_sleuth.html
>
>Wednesday, July 12, 2000
>
>It is unfortunate that companies are being targeted by entities whose
>motives are fraudulent, deceptive or criminal.
>
>  eWatch CyberSleuth will attempt to identify the entity or entities behind
>the screen name(s) which have targeted your organization.
>
>  eWatch CyberSleuth includes a 30-day subscription to the eWatch All
>Coverage Bundle (except WebWatch) with the screen name(s) as the sole
>criteria.
>
>  eWatch CyberSleuth requires 7 to 10 days to complete from the date of
>submission and costs $4,995 per screen name. 48-hour turn around is
>available for an additional $1,995 per screen name. Results will vary and
>cannot be guaranteed. Customers will receive a dossier detailing all
>information gathered about the subject during the inquiry. Click here to
>order.
>
>COUNTERACTING ONLINE ANTI-CORPORATE ACTIVISM
>
>While the Internet is in fact a new medium, based on our five years of
>experience in helping companies monitor the Internet, most of the old
>rules with respect to how we respond and react still apply. The biggest
>differences are that our actions are more public, the audience is larger
>and we're running in real-time.
>
>There are six major motivations for online activism. The same response
>methodology cannot be used for all of them. It is critical to understand
>the motivation or motivations behind online attacks in order to employ the
>correct response mechanisms. The six motivations include:
>
>  Legitimate complaint.
>  Behavior influencing (Environmental group targeting an oil company, etc.)
>  Stock manipulation.
>  Revenge.
>  Mis- or dis-information.
>  Fraud and extortion.
>
>Troubleshooting dubious postings need to happen on four fronts (what we
>call these the four C's):
>
>  Classification
>  Containment
>  Communication
>  Counteraction
>
>  CLASSIFICATION
>
>  Before troubleshooting, decide if action is warranted. Let's face it,
>there is a lot of awful content on the Internet about even the best
>companies.
>  To take action on every occurrence is impractical. What are the
>key triggers that your company will use to prioritize and classify online
>threats?
>  In our experience, other companies have used these standards,
>among others, for online threat assessment:
>
>  Threats against the safety of employees.
>  Threats against property (physical and intellectual).
>  Decreasing sales.
>  Lowering stock price.
>  Affecting litigation.
>  Affecting negotiations (labor, acquisitions, etc.).
>
>CONTAINMENT
>
>  If the attack is prioritized for action, then containment is the next
>step. Containment is a two part endeavor focusing on (1.) Neutralizing the
>information appearing online, and; (2.) Identifying the perpetrators
>behind the postings, rogue website, hack, etc.
>
>  Neutralizing information posted online, if appropriate, is the removal of
>the offending messages from where ever they appear in cyberspace. This may
>mean something as simple as removing a posting from a web message board on
>Yahoo! to the shuttering of a terrorist web site.
>  The objective is to not only stop the spread of incorrect information,
>but ensure that what has already spread is also eliminated. Victims of
>verifiable libel and trademark infringement have a much easier time
>neutralizing Internet content in our experience.
>  Non-libelous content but nonetheless incorrect or offensive content is
>less likely to be removed by 3rd party search engines, ISPs, etc.
>
>  Identifying the perpetrators behind the action requires the kind of
>special expertise that we've assembled for out eWatch CyberSleuth product.
>  Internet attackers attempt to cover their tracks by erasing identifying
>personal information from their postings, using anonymous remailers to
>strip off network information, posting under assumed names, etc.
>  Identifying these perpetrators is done using a variety of methods such as
>following leads found in postings and web sites, working ISPs, involving
>law enforcement, conducting virtual stings, among other tactics.
>
>COMMUNICATION
>
>  Depending on the scope of the event, it may become necessary to
>communicate to our key audiences about an incident that is occurring
>online. Our key audiences may include our employees, vendors, customers,
>prospects, regulators, beat journalists, financial analysts and investors
>(retail and institutional).
>  The purpose of communicating with our key audiences is to signal that we
>are on top of the situation and have, or are working, to resolve it. When
>our key audiences are communicating in real-time, so must we. In certain
>situations, the lack of a response will be viewed as incompetence or
>worse, that there is in fact something to hide. As in other media,
>perception is reality.
>
>  On the Internet, there are many communication tools at our disposal. We
>can post back to the message boards where the original postings appeared
>to give our side of the story, provide clarification or debunk it. We can
>email directly those we think were affected by the incident. We can use
>our own web site -- or set up a temporary micro site -- to address the
>situation in detail.
>  Micro sites are useful for communicating a lot of information to a lot of
>people in a short period of time...especially journalists. For situations
>that are or have the potential to affect a large number people, companies
>are also using traditional media tools such as news releases and media
>relations that can reach outside the online world more effectively.
>
>  Regardless of the method used, the targeted company has to evaluate these
>tools with great caution. What may appear to a company as a serious
>incident may in fact not be to its key audiences.
>  By communicating even to a small audience we run the risk of creating a
>larger problem where one did not exist before. And on the Internet, it is
>easy for our adversaries to take our response out of context. Furthermore,
>when communicating with our adversaries directly, everything we send them
>will more than likely appear online. Depending on the situation, curt
>letters from corporate lawyers merely serve to bolster their claims.
>
>COUNTERACTION
>
>  Based on the information that is learned about the perpetrator(s), and
>given the seriousness of the offense, the appropriate countermeasures are
>taken.
>  These may include everything from simply exposing the individual online
>all the way to arrest. In some cases, the perpetrator is an employee of or
>contractor to the targeted company. In these cases, termination of
>employment is customary.
>
>  Counteraction may also include closing loop-holes in computer networks or
>developing new security procedures to prevent a recurrence.
>
>  For more information on eWatch CyberSleuth or to discuss a specific
>situation you may be facing, please email info@ewatch.com or call
>1-888-857-6842.
>
>======================
>
>*** NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material
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Opinions expressed in this email are my own unless otherwise stated.
Phil Graham
Lecturer (Communication)
Graduate School of Management
University of Queensland
617 3381 1083
www.geocities/pw.graham/
www.uq.edu.au/~uqpgraha
http://www.angelfire.com/ga3/philgraham/index.html
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