Firebrand Training News Desk

Follow the hackers’ every step

Firebrand Training White Paper brings footprinting techniques into the mainstream

October 03, 2007

Hackers can spend up to 90 per cent of an attack researching the network vulnerabilities, according to security experts at Firebrand Training, formally known as The Training Camp.

‘Footprinting’ an organisation involves a range of information-gathering techniques – from identifying active machines to rifling through rubbish. The practice can ensure a hack is quick, effective and virtually untraceable. The technique allows for the accumulation of data regarding a specific network environment and can revel system vulnerabilities and improve the ease with which they can be exploited.

The increase in footprinting is coupled with a boom in areas to exploit with the growth in Google searches, forums and software as a service. In response to the increasing number of network vulnerabilities, Accelerated Learning pioneer, Firebrand Training has launched a White Paper, ‘Footprinting’ – following in the hackers’ footsteps.

Produced by Firebrand Training’s CSO, Richard Millett, the paper explores key strategies in passive and active reconnaissance of network vulnerabilities – as well as more technical methods, such as port scanning, ping sweeps and traceroute.

Once the footprinting process is complete it should be possible to produce a network map of a target containing the following information:

· Host names
· IP addresses
· Open port numbers
· Operating systems
· The function of particular hosts

It is therefore critical that organisations start to understand the technique before they are caught out.

Executive quote

“For years, organisations have been trying to think like hackers to beat them at their own game,” said Richard Millett, CSO, Firebrand Training. “Footprinting a network can take months of careful observation and planning, while a strike can take just seconds,” he added. “Organisations need to make sure networks reveal as little information as possible to potential attackers. Essentially, even small lapses could prove fatal to the network’s security.”

About the company

Firebrand Training is challenging the way in which professional training is delivered.

Firebrand Training, formally known as The Training Camp, has pioneered Accelerated Learning courses for busy IT professionals. The organisation’s innovative approach to course delivery has led to its status as the Institute of IT Training’s “IT Training Company of the Year” for the past two years.

Students are totally immersed in the subject matter, receiving an average of 12 hours intense tuition per day at a residential training site. Subject experts implement a range of teaching methodologies designed to fit with how we best understand and retain information during different periods in the day. Accelerated Learning is an attractive proposition for contractors, whose time commands very high premiums, and employers who need to minimise staff absence. Firebrand Training has an above average pass rate of 85% - confounding critics’ claims that Accelerated Learning fails to produce results.

Firebrand Training was founded by Robert Chapman and Stefano Capaldo in Summer 2001 as The Training Camp. Stefano was a former student in the US and rated the company’s approach so highly that he decided to launch a programme of courses in the UK. The organisation has since been recognised by Microsoft as a Gold Partner for Learning Solutions (MCPLS) and over 12,000 students have been trained in the UK to date. The success of the company enabled the management team to relaunch as Firebrand Training, which is focused on delivering training courses specifically designed for a European market.

Firebrand Training offers a range of courses covering all major vendors such as Microsoft, Cisco, Oracle, Sun, and Novell, as well as specialist certifications in the areas of security, business intelligence, project and business process management.

To receive a copy of the White Paper, please contact: whitepapers@firebrandtraining.co.uk or call 0844 888 1655

(320 words)

Contact details

For press enquiries, please contact Jade Wilkinson at LEWIS:
Tel: +44 (0) 161 601 7740 Fax: + 44 (0) 161 601 7741
Email: jadew@lewispr.com Internet: http://www.lewispr.com

Technorati tags: Firebrand Training | network vulnerabilities | footprinting |

Bookmarklets: