Hacker stuff---
Jhild wonders, "But the article left me a little confused as to whether the "rootshell.com" site was a resource to help solve these problems or a clearinghouse for hackers to pick up more good ideas. Whatever the case, Microsoft seems asleep at the switch."
I think that rootshell is some of each... it's definitely a useful resource for hackers, but argues, correctly, I believe, that if the information isn't public, then ONLY hackers will know it. I was able to look at the "bonk" and "boink" source code there, and understand exactly what the attack was. Presumably, the Microsoft developers are looking at this code right now preparing their fix.
The real hard problem for Microsoft is getting a fix ready to release. Comments on the rootshell site point out that Microsoft is a closed system, so you can't tell just how their TCP/IP stack works, and why the fix for "smurf" didn't correct "bonk" as well, as it did for Linux. But they also have a lot of users, and getting a fix out, whether just as a single "security patch" or as a ServicePack, isn't going to be that easy.
Dick |
