Security
DDoS Attacks on the Rise
Whenever I hear some newbie blogger whine about “online bullying”, I just roll my eyes. Kids, it’s all fun and games until some skiddie takes you offline with a DDoS attack. As The New York Times points out, DDoS attacks are on the rise.
…such cyberweapons are now routinely used during political and military conflicts, as in Estonia in 2007 during a political fight with Russia, and in the Georgian-Russian war last summer. Such attacks are also being used in blackmail schemes and political conflicts, as well as for general malicious mischief.
A survey of 70 of the largest Internet operators in North America, South America, Europe and Asia found that malicious attacks were rising sharply and that the individual attacks were growing more powerful and sophisticated, according to the Worldwide Infrastructure Security Report. This report is produced annually by Arbor Networks, a company in Lexington, Mass., that provides tools for monitoring the performance of networks.
The report, which will be released Tuesday, shows that the largest attacks have grown steadily in size to over 40 gigabits, from less than half a megabit, over the last seven years. The largest network connections generally available today carry 10 gigabits of data, meaning that they can be overwhelmed by the most powerful attackers.
DDoS attacks comprise three percent of all the world’s Internet traffic. By comparison, all the world’s email comprises only 1.5%. Click here to continue reading “DDoS Attacks on the Rise”…
US Air Force Reopens Cyber Command
Here’s a chance for troubled skiddies to start a new life and put their skills to good use: join the Air Force Cyber Command.
Top Air Force leadership has decided to pursue forming Cyber Command to defend Defense Department networks and to launch cyberattacks against foes after putting the project on hold in August.
The service’s leadership, including Air Force Secretary Michael Donley and Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz, made the decision last week at the Corona senior leadership conference in Colorado Springs, Colo., to continue its effort to stand up the command, said Capt. Michael Andrews, an Air Force spokesman.
Andrews said the Air Force will provide more details on the Cyber Command later in October after discussions with Pentagon and congressional leadership.
Even weak, unsophisticated 0.8 Gbps DDoS attacks are already weapons of war. In fact, those were exactly the weapons deployed in the recent Georgia-Russia conflict. Given Air Force resources, the Cyber Command would probably be capable of far more sophisticated attacks, with far greater firepower. The Air Force could dominate the Web as effectively as it dominates the air.
If the Air Force does it right, the Cyber Command could bring digital warfare to a whole new level. This ain’t no Computer Science III, folks, and it sure as Hell will involve more than seven proxies. How fortunate, then, that one of the world’s top cyberdefense contractors is owned by a Philippine company, IPVG. Filipinos might know it by another name: E-games. 😉
