The most common kind of DoS attack is simply to send more traffic to a network address than the programmers who planned its data buffers anticipated someone might send. The attacker may be aware that the target system has a weakness that can be exploited or the attacker may simply try the attack in case it might work.

Here is some known attacks based on the buffer characteristics of a program or system:

• Sending e-mail messages that have attachments with 256-character file names to Netscape and Microsoft mail programs


• Sending oversized Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) packets (this is also known as the Packet Internet or Inter-Network Groper (ping) of death)


• Sending to a user of the Pine e-mail progam a message with a "From" address larger than 256 characters

 

Updated On: 04.05.03