News that there is a flaw in the inner workings of the internet has led to widespread concern in the computer industry. The recently discovered flaw related to the internet's Domain Name System (DNS), the system which points your website name address to the correct numeric number for the computer system serving that site, e.g. www.google.co.uk redirects to 216.239.59.99.
Dan Kaminsky used the recent Black Hat conference in Las Vegas to announce the discovery of the new security flaw, although this was delayed by a few months to enable companies to insert fixes into their systems. It appears that there is a complicated way in which hackers can insert malicious software into the DNS arena and redirect requests for genuine websites to fake sites. As the DNS system is at the very centre of everything about the internet there are real concerns for the future security of the web.
While it would be foolish to play down these real risks, there are already fixes in many of the leading servers around the world to ensure total protection for those using and trading online. Ken Silva of Verisign (a group heavily involved in the administration of DNS and domain name suffixes) has been honest enough to confirm that any system has weaknesses and potential entry points for spyware, etc.
However, he claims that the industry has come together as never before on the latest security alert and worked together to install a mass of fixes around cyberspace as the fight with the hackers moves onto a different level. |
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