On Sat, 30 December 2000, Marshall Eubanks wrote:

List members might be interested in this zombie warning :

http://www.nipc.gov/warnings/advisories/2000/00-063.htm

as reported in http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,40905,00.html?tw=wn20001230

Real threat, or someone seeking funding ?

I like the holiday warnings because they often let me know about holidays I never knew existed. They sometimes read a bit like this day in revolutionary history. The problem is every day of the year is important to some group. However, a holiday DDOS attack is a bit of an oxymoron. If a tree falls in a forest.... If no one is using the service over the holiday weekend, is anyone denied? The "pearl harbor" sunday morning attack isn't the best model for DDOS. Rapid distribution of e-mail viruses implies lots of people reading e-mail. Fewer people read e-mail over the holiday weekend suggesting a slower spread of viruses. E-mail viruses spread the fastest during the workday. DDOS attacks are most devestating when network traffic is already near its peak. A truck jackknifed in the middle of rush hour affects a lot more people than an accident on sunday morning. DDOS isn't as effective when there is lots of spare capacity. Collecting zombie computers is mostly a matter of numbers. Since many of the probes are automated, they occur 24 hours a day 7 days a week without regard of holdays or weekends. Of course, that presumes there is some logic or reason for the attack.