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: The link for this article located at The Register is no longer available. . Steve Gibson highlights the risks of Windows XP's raw socket capabilities in DoS attacks, but his analysis oversimplifies the complex threat landscape involved. Windows XP Threats, DoS Attack Analysis, Raw Socket Functionality, Steve Gibson Critique. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
Security specialist Steve Gibson has created quite a fracas with his increasingly vocal opposition to the raw-socket connectivity planned for Windows-XP, and upon which he bases predictions of impending chaos for the entire Internet, so he's decided to exploit the very threat he claims will make the Internet permanently unstable.. . .. Security specialist Steve Gibson has created quite a fracas with his increasingly vocal opposition to the raw-socket connectivity planned for Windows-XP, and upon which he bases predictions of impending chaos for the entire Internet, so he's decided to exploit the very threat he claims will make the Internet permanently unstable. The raw sockets which have Gibson so steamed enable a machine to send or capture data independent of the operating system -- quite handy if you're a software developer or an advanced hobbyist. And while it's true that this also enhances the packet-flooding capabilities of a Windows machine by making it easy to spoof packets, it's also true that this function is already included in most other operating systems, and can be added to an existing Win-9x, 'ME, or '2K machine quite easily with a library called WinPcap. All right, we'll allow that there'll be a few s'kiddies who might prefer to use their Win-XP boxes for such purposes. But they can already do so simply by installing Linux and doing a bit of reading. The link for this article located at The Register is no longer available. . Steve Gibson cautions that the raw socket capability in Windows XP might unleash havoc across the web.. Windows XP Exploit, Raw Socket Security, Internet Chaos, Security Threats. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
The software giant is accused of corporate hubris for issuing a flat denial that its raw socket support in Windows XP is a paradise for zombie hackers Microsoft's assurances that Windows XP will not make it easier for hackers to launch damaging Denial of Service (DoS) attacks across the Internet have been dismissed by the security expert who first alerted the company to the issue.. . .. The software giant is accused of corporate hubris for issuing a flat denial that its raw socket support in Windows XP is a paradise for zombie hackers Microsoft's assurances that Windows XP will not make it easier for hackers to launch damaging Denial of Service (DoS) attacks across the Internet have been dismissed by the security expert who first alerted the company to the issue. The US software giant released a statement last week in which it said Steve Gibson, president of Gibson Research Group, was incorrect to claim that the implementation of "raw sockets" in its Windows XP operating system was a serious mistake. According to Microsoft it will not be possible for a hacker to run malicious software such as Trojan horses on a machine running Windows XP, thanks to the company's "war on hostile code". This means, according to Microsoft, that an XP machine could not take part in a DoS attack. The link for this article located at ZDNet UK is no longer available. . The software giant is accused of corporate hubris for issuing a flat denial that its raw socket supp. software, giant, accused, corporate, hubris, issuing, denial, socket. . Anthony Pell
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