The New York Times points to a new report on online security that warns that Internet attackers are now amassing huge networks of hijacked computers capable of overwhelming large Web sites and
whole corporate networks. The tactic, known as distributed denial of service, has been used during recent political and military conflicts, including Estonia's 2007 political fight with Russia, and
the Georgia-Russia conflict that exploded this past summer.
The Worldwide Infrastructure Security Report, produced annually by Arbor Networks, found that DDOS attacks are becoming more
powerful and sophisticated. It finds that the largest attacks have grown in size to over 40 gigabits, from less than half a megabit, over the last seven years. By comparison, the report said that the
largest network connections generally carry around 10 gigabits of data.
"We're definitely seeing more targeted attacks toward e-commerce sites," said Danny McPherson, chief security
officer for Arbor Networks. "Most enterprises are connected to the Internet with a one-gigabit connection or less. Even a two-gigabit D.D.O.S. attack will take them offline."
Read the whole story at The New York Times »