Denial of Service and Protection of Critical Infrastructure
ABSTRACT
Denial of service attacks generate massive volumes of illegitimate traffic and utilize system resources in a way that renders the system inoperable, thus denying access to authorised personnel. Denial of service attacks can be projected against systems controlling critical information infrastructure and have the potential to be an effective weapon in cyberwarfare. This paper explains the concept of a denial of service attack, discusses the different methods of achieving denial of service and looks at the impact this type of attack may have on critical infrastructure. Although there are no fail-safe ways to protect against denial of service attacks, several means of minimising damage to information systems are discussed.
AUTHORS
School of Information Systems, Curtin University
Australia
Helen Armstrong is a Senior Lecturer within the School of Information systems at Curtin University, Perth Western Australia. Helen’s work experience includes accounting, programming, systems analysis, project management, IS management, IS auditing, IT consulting and university lecturing. Her interests in the area of security include computer crime, network security, Internet security, information warfare, biometrics and security management. Helen’s doctoral studies related to the security of medical informatics. Helen is the international chair of the IFIP WG11.8 on Information Security Education.
Published In
Journal of Information Warfare
The definitive publication for the best and latest research and analysis on information warfare, information operations, and cyber crime. Available in traditional hard copy or online.
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