Denial-of-Service Threat: Server Flaw in Resource Management

Known as a resource-deprivation attack, Internet data sent in a certain way could cause servers to crash under an artificial avalanche of data. Security consultant BindView Corp. has announced that a widespread flaw in the way that servers handle Internet traffic . . . Known as a resource-deprivation attack, Internet data sent in a certain way could cause servers to crash under an artificial avalanche of data. Security consultant BindView Corp. has announced that a widespread flaw in the way that servers handle Internet traffic could result in so-called denial-of-service attacks similar to the ones that plagued the Web last February.

The idea is nothing new: Send data to a server in a certain way so that the computer reserves memory and processor time for the connection -- and repeat many, many times. When the server runs out of memory or slows down to a crawl, certain functions will stop responding.

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