In the wake of the recent Distributed Denial of Service attack on Whirlpool, Internode security manager Bruce Hore has claimed DDoS attacks against Aussies are more common than you might think, with one every three weeks – and gamers are identified as the main culprit.
Speaking with Computerworld, Hore said US-based gamers might resort to DDoS out of frustration after being bested online. “A World of Warcraft gamer might have pissed off someone who decides to take them offline with a DoS [attack] .”
“Someone with a large connection overseas can launch a DoS [attack]on someone with slower connection,” says John Lindsay, Carrier Relations Manager. “Sometimes they do it to show-off — just because they can. To say ‘my connection is bigger than yours’.”
After Internode and network provider Bulletproof quelled the brute force attack on Whirpool in a matter of hours, Hore said that Internode was better positioned to defend against the attacks, as it owns physical network links to Europe and the US.
As for defending yourself against the attacks, it’s recommended you don’t give out your IP address. But given the nature of a DDoS attack, which utilises multiple computers to take down a large service, it can be very hard for an individual to defend.
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