Counter Hack Reloaded: A Step-by-Step Guide to Computer Attacks and Effective Defenses, Second Edition

9 Phase 3: Denial-of-Service Attacks

As we’ve seen in Chapter 7, Phase 3: Gaining Access Using Application and Operating System Attacks, and Chapter 8, Phase 3: Gaining Access Using Network Attacks, some attackers want to gain access to systems, using a variety of ingenious techniques to achieve their goal. Other attackers aren’t looking to gain access; they want to prevent access by legitimate users or stop critical system processes. To accomplish this objective, they utilize a variety of attack techniques to deny service. In a DoS attack, the bad guy might launch a massive flood against a victim machine, rendering it completely inaccessible to all legitimate users. Some DoS attacks are mere annoyances, as when a less-than-critical server is ...