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Old 01-02-2003, 06:10 PM   #1
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Internet attack is foreseen

01/02/2003

By DOUG BEDELL / The Dallas Morning News

The annual IDC predictions for technology for 2003 are a mixture of the obvious and ominous.

The consensus of the research firm's 700 analysts is that Wi-Fi, the technology using radio waves to connect wirelessly to the Internet, will still boom in 2003 and that e-mails will surge to more than 40 billion daily, sapping worker productivity. Nothing daring about those prognostications.

But these experts also warn that terrorists may physically attack the Internet's infrastructure. They say the Oct. 21 denial of service attack against the Net's 13 root servers was a dress rehearsal.

The October attack, the largest and most sophisticated against the Internet, caused minor delays at its peak last fall. It ended as suddenly as it began, leaving administrators few clues to its origins.

Some tracing indicates that the attack originated in the Middle East. IDC notes that Malaysian virus writer Vladimore "Melhacker" Chamlkovic has promised to release a megavirus on the Internet if Iraq is attacked.

And high-profile Muslim clerics with links to Osama bin Laden have openly boasted that they plan to attack computer networks supporting stock markets in New York, London and Tokyo (computerworld.com).

The IDC report says the next attack will bring the Net "down to its knees for a day or two."

Computer virus writer may be hard at work

Security experts suspect Mr. Chamlkovic is responsible for the potent Nedal (Laden spelled backwards) worm. According to Mr. Chamlkovic's Web site, the worm combines features of SirCam, Klez and Nimda, and will be called Scezda, an acronym made up of the three precursors.

The program may target security holes in Microsoft's Internet Explorer, which holds a 95 percent share of the browser market, experts say.

On another front, numerous Internet computers running the Apache Web server were infected with the Slapper worm during the October attacks.

Despite my best efforts at defense, two Apache servers on my network were taken over by Slapper and used in the October attack. This week, more attacks on my servers, now repaired, unsuccessfully tried the same exploit. Something is definitely going on.

Some security experts say constant vigilance by all Net users is the only way to prevent massive disruptions. Others, including security guru Bruce Schneirer of Counterpane Internet Security, say rampant, unsafe computing practices will force governments to take action – especially if a massive attack is launched.

Search engines reveal most-requested topics

Lycos and Google have released their profiles of the year's most popular Internet search terms, and some are surprising.

In the Lycos Web's Most Wanted list of the top 100 search terms for 2002 (uscorp.terralycos.com), the top item is "Dragon Ball," a Japanese animé cartoon that has spawned videos, games and all kinds of toys. Other top finishers include file-sharing applications, pop music and sports stars, video games, movies and TV shows.

On the other hand, Google breaks its Zeitgeist 2002 (www.google.com) into categories: the most popular queries, top bands, celebrities, women, men, etc. Leading its list of Top 20 Gaining Queries are the unlikely couple, Spiderman and Shakira. Top 20 Declining Queries include Nostradamus, Napster and World Trade Center.

Compiled from staff and wire reports

Online at: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcont...tch.58097.html
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