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Critical Internet flaw in hackers' hands

by on25 July 2008

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We are all doomed


An insecurity expert has warned that hackers have worked out what it is that everyone has been banging on about when they have been talking about a "critical" flaw that lets them control traffic on the Internet.

Until now only a top secret team of insecurity experts have known about the problem, which they developed a patch for two weeks ago. IOActive security specialist Dan Kaminsky, who founded the Domain Name System (DNS) vulnerability, said that now hackers have identified the attack, it was good night Vienna for those who had not installed the patch.

The vulnerability allows "cache poisoning" attacks that fiddle with data stored in memory caches. It means that hackers could route users wherever they want, no matter what is typed into a browser.

Kaminsky built a Web page, www.doxpara.com, where people can find out whether their computers have the DNS vulnerability. As of today, half the computers tested at the Website still needed to be patched.
Last modified on 26 July 2008
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