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Windows XP: Raw Socket Threat Assessment and DoS Concerns

Jun 25, 2001 •

Anthony Pell

1 min read

Topics Covered

security advisory threat analysis Denial of Service vulnerability report Windows XP raw socket

My recent column ridiculing security specialist Steve Gibson's claim that raw-socket functionality slated for Windows XP is a major threat attracted more flames than I can hope to post on this page. Briefly, Gibson predicts that the ability of XP's raw . . . My recent column ridiculing security specialist Steve Gibson's claim that raw-socket functionality slated for Windows XP is a major threat attracted more flames than I can hope to post on this page. Briefly, Gibson predicts that the ability of XP's raw sockets to send and forward spoofed packets will result in massive denial of service attacks which no one will be able to stop. I say he's loopy.

Most e-mail critics claimed that I'd missed Gibson's central point, which is that XP boxes will be used as "zombies" (as the half-tech press likes to call infected clients) to forward packets from a malicious operator, because I'd written:

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