Analysis & Opinions - Lawfare
Someone Is Learning How to Take Down the Internet
Over the past year or two, someone has been probing the defenses of the companies that run critical pieces of the Internet. These probes take the form of precisely calibrated attacks designed to determine exactly how well these companies can defend themselves, and what would be required to take them down. We don't know who is doing this, but it feels like a large a large nation state. China and Russia would be my first guesses.
First, a little background. If you want to take a network off the Internet, the easiest way to do it is with a distributed denial-of-service attack (DDoS). Like the name says, this is an attack designed to prevent legitimate users from getting to the site. There are subtleties, but basically it means blasting so much data at the site that it's overwhelmed....
Continue reading: https://www.lawfareblog.com/someone-learning-how-take-down-internet
For more information on this publication:
Belfer Communications Office
For Academic Citation:
Schneier, Bruce.“Someone Is Learning How to Take Down the Internet.” Lawfare, September 13, 2016.
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Over the past year or two, someone has been probing the defenses of the companies that run critical pieces of the Internet. These probes take the form of precisely calibrated attacks designed to determine exactly how well these companies can defend themselves, and what would be required to take them down. We don't know who is doing this, but it feels like a large a large nation state. China and Russia would be my first guesses.
First, a little background. If you want to take a network off the Internet, the easiest way to do it is with a distributed denial-of-service attack (DDoS). Like the name says, this is an attack designed to prevent legitimate users from getting to the site. There are subtleties, but basically it means blasting so much data at the site that it's overwhelmed....
Continue reading: https://www.lawfareblog.com/someone-learning-how-take-down-internet
- Recommended
- In the Spotlight
- Most Viewed
Recommended
Analysis & Opinions - The Hill
Funding the Removal of Huawei in Our Networks is Smart Investment
Book - MIT Press
Beyond 9/11: Homeland Security for the Twenty-First Century
Analysis & Opinions - Project Syndicate
After the Liberal International Order
In the Spotlight
Most Viewed
Policy Brief - Quarterly Journal: International Security
The Future of U.S. Nuclear Policy: The Case for No First Use
Discussion Paper - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School
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