Denial of Service Attack, Bot and Botnet essays

Denial of Service Attack, Bot and Botnet essays Technology gets sophisticated as the years go by and by the same token, mans knowledge about the use and exploitation of technology increases. The Internet is probably one of mankinds greatest technological advances that contributed not only to the improvement of business and industry but the well-being of individuals as well. But the Internet is not without its flaws because since this technology is made by man, man could defeat it likewise. Throughout the decades, reports have inundated the mass media regarding attacks on the Web and the Internet. These attacks range from a simple Trojan sent via the email, spamming, proliferation of adware and spyware to massive assaults with the use of denial of service attacks (DOS), bots and botnets. It is not unusual for a DOS attack to be accompanied by bots and botnets nowadays. In previous years, the traditional means of DOS attack is via syn flood and UDP flood on network protocols (Vamosi, 2008). The present day DOS attacks have evolved, computer networks are hijacked to form so-called botnets that spray random packets of data in huge streams over the Internet. The deluge of data is meant to bring down Web sites and entire corporate networks. (Markoff, 2008) The attending bots and botnets are shortened terms for software robots for the former while an army of bots sent on the offensive becomes known as botnets (Puri, 2003). These are software programs developed by nefarious individuals that perform various automated tasks such as Website hijacking, information gathering, infecting vulnerable computers and networks or sending voluminous packets that overwhelm the intended target. Bots and botnets are also known as Web agents (because they are under the direction of a contro l or controller), Web crawlers or spiders (because they crawl throughout cyberspace looking for a prey or victim). Another interesting aspect is the prelude to a DOS atta...