Cyber cops & security orgs: DIRTy, stupid and out of control

[InfoSec News <isn () c4i org>]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/55/24456.html

By Thomas C Greene in Washington
Posted: 18/03/2002 at 13:41 GMT

A number of what one would hope to call professional computer security
and cyber law-enforcement figures in England, Australia, South America
and Asia appear to have been duped by DIRT Trojan marketer Francis
Edward "Frank" Jones, according to documents obtained by The Register.

A second load of Codex Data Systems correspondence has been released,
including contract paperwork in various stages of maturity. We don't
know how much has been finally signed, sealed and delivered; but we
can infer that the people named below have at least contemplated
co-marketing deals with the hustler Jones. Many of them are in
high-profile positions of responsibility and trust in the areas of
computer security and law enforcement. It makes one wonder if anyone
in these fields can ever be trusted.

For background on the insidious Trojan Jones is misrepresenting as a
crime-fighting tool, and Jones' criminal background, see our previous
coverage here and here.

First up we have a proposal for marketing DIRT to government spooks,
industrial spies and private security firms in the United Kingdom with
Dr Kevin A. O'Brien, a Senior Policy Analyst with RAND Europe, and
Information Assurance Advisory Council (IAAC) Chief Operating Officer.

According to a document dated 24 September 1998, O'Brien was
"contemplating being involved in some or all aspects of [Codex's]
creation, development, production or sale of intellectual property,"  
in his capacity then as a representative of the Hussar International
Research Group, "a virtual organization of professional research
analysts based throughout the world. The prime research interests of
the Hussar Group are issues of contemporary international security, in
all of its aspects."

The group, which now appears to have been disbanded or absorbed by a
larger entity (in part by RAND, obviously), belonged to the Matrix
GDSN (Global Decision Support Network).

The Matrix describes itself as "an international network of specialist
organizations providing business intelligence, knowledge management,
risk assessment and technology evaluation services to future-oriented
organizations throughout the world. "Our global resources include
intelligence professionals, analysts, and systems designers with
collective capability that rivals many intelligence agencies."

As for IAAC, it describes itself as "a private sector led and
government supported forum that brings together corporate leaders
public policy makers law enforcement and the research community to
address the challenges of information infrastructure protection. IAAC
is developing policy recommendations for government and corporate
leaders at the highest levels."

Dr. O'Brien may be found at: 
RAND Europe (Cambridge) 
36 Regent Street 
Cambridge CB2 1PG 
United Kingdom 
tel: +44(0)1223-353329 
obrien () rand org 

Information Assurance Advisory Council 
36 Regent Street 
Cambridge CB2 1DB 
United Kingdom 
tel: +44 (0)1223 307711 

In Australia we have World Systems Resource (WSR), a discount (used)
enterprise computing vendor supplying equipment from HP, SUN, Cisco,
Compaq, IBM and EMC. A February, 2000 document indicates that the
company was seeking a non-exclusive deal as a DIRT reseller in the
Australian cyber-cop/securocrat market.

World Systems Resource is located at: 
Unit 8, 92a Mona Vale Road, Mona Vale, 
New South Wales 2103 Australia 
tel: (02) 9979 1455 

Covering all of South America in one stroke, we have Mr Ramon Ignacio
Izaguirre, who appears to have entertained a 17 March, 2002 agreement
to distribute the DIRT Trojan to cops and securocrats throughout the
land. Jones praises Izaguirre for his "expertise in marketing to the
government, law enforcement and military sector in Argentina and South
America," and offers him exclusive rights to market it throughout the
region.

Izaguirre also appears to operate a company called Segurama, which is
involved in security.

He may be found at: 
1624 Bdo. Irigoyen Street, 
Buenos Aires 1138, Argentina 
tel: 54-11 4300-7539 

And last, but not least, we have Mr Unho "Tiger" Choi in South Korea,
who appears to have entertained a 24 February 2001 deal to get the
DIRT circulating among eager government spooks and ambitious
industrial spies in his home country. He's also a trusted member of
the local CERT.

Choi is affiliated with the Korean CERT-CC Computer Emergency Response
Team Coordination Center, which, just as in the US and elsewhere, is
an arm of the government.

More properly, CERT-CC/Korea is run by the Korea Information Security
Agency (KISA), which in turn is run by the Ministry of Information and
Communication.

Our "Tiger" is also affiliated with KISA. And he seems to have his own
consulting business on the side as well. He skips about quite a lot,
but should be available for comment at one of these locations:

Unho "Tiger" Choi 
Network and Security Consulting, Inc. 
1329-4 Woonam Building, 15th Floor 
Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu 
Seoul, South Korea 
cell: 82-17-263-3433 

Korea Information Security Agency (KISA); 
Information Security Technology Division 
78, Karak dong, Songpa-Gu, 
Seoul 138-160, Korea 
tel: 82-2-4055-114 

CERTCC-KR 
Senior Members of Technical Staff, CERTCC-KR 
5F, Seocho-Donga Tower Bldg, 1321-6 Seocho Dong, Seocho-gu, 
Seoul,Korea,137-070 
tiger () certcc or kr 
tel: 82-2-3488-4122 
cell: 017-263-3433 

And lest we forget, our friend Jones may be found at: 
Codex Data Systems, Inc. 
143 Main Street 
Nanuet, New York 10954 
and/or 
167 Route 304 
Bardonia, New York 10954 
tel: 845-627-0011 
tel: 914-627-0011 



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