Protect Your Servers from Software Attacks

Hackers have a nefarious technology — Permanent Denial of Service (PDoS) attacks — that can cripple your servers for good. Paul Rubens reports.

Stuxnet-style malware that attacks computer hardware could put your company out of business by physically destroying the servers, networking equipment and storage resources in your data center. Unlike Stuxnet, however, this type of malware is easy to create.

That’s the stark warning Itzik Kotler issued at the HackInTheBox hacker convention in Amsterdam last month. Kotler is the chief technology officer of the information security company Security Art.

Software attacks that stop the physical hardware from ever working again are known as Permanent Denial of Service (PDoS) attacks. The Stuxnet virus — which attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities — was so complex that many security companies concluded it must have been the work of one or more government agencies rather than individual hackers.

But that doesn’t mean all PDoS attacks have to be difficult to devise, according to Kotler. “Think about it — you can “brick” an iPhone or iPod accidentally when you try and jailbreak it,” he pointed out.

Read the rest about protecting your servers from software at ServerWatch.