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Botnets are old-fashioned – P2P networks are behind of massive DDoS attacks

May 24th, 2007 by , Filed under: Botnets, Commentary, DDoS, Web

The new trend in organizing Distributed Denial of Service attacks are P2P networks.

This is the way how Netcraft describes the situation:

large numbers of client computers running P2P software are tricked into requesting a file from the intended target of the DDoS, allowing the attacker to use the P2P network to overwhelm the target site with traffic.

The Netcraft entry points to FL-based Prolexic Technologies alert too sharing more technical details and information about the number of clients and the traffic being generated.
A very nice catch, Rich Miller of Netcraft!

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  • sunshine

    It’s a botnet.

  • dany5

    not sure you can call it a botnet (sunshine, you’re the expert, telle me if i’m wrong).

    i always tend to see botnets as “maintained botnets”

    “the attacker doesnt have to communicate with the clients it subverts. instead, the attacker acts as a puppet master, instructing clients of large p2p file sharing hubs to disconnect from their p2p network and to connect to the victims website instead.”

    the funny part is that : if you call it botnet (then call it autonomous botnet), then i’d say the bot herder is in fact partly the maintainer of the p2p infrastructure.

    this could cause problems to the p2p community.

    regards,

    other advantage : not sure how you track down the initiator of the attack.

    that definitely opens up possibilities

  • http://networksecurity.typepad.com/ Juha-Matti

    I’m saying it is not a botnet, however.

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