Is the Internet at Risk of a Major DNS Attack?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the potential risk of a major DNS attack on the internet, with participants expressing skepticism about the likelihood and motivations behind such an event. The scope includes theoretical implications, social awareness of groups like Anonymous, and the technical vulnerabilities of internet infrastructure.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express skepticism about the likelihood of a large-scale DNS attack succeeding, suggesting that it is unlikely to result in any significant change.
  • There are questions regarding the motivations behind a potential attack, with some suggesting it could be for social awareness or to demonstrate vulnerabilities in internet infrastructure.
  • One participant notes that Anonymous may not support such an attack as it could be detrimental to society, contrasting it with the implications of legislation like SOPA.
  • Another viewpoint suggests that the announcement of the attack could serve as a warning about the internet's vulnerabilities and a call for better security measures.
  • Some participants speculate that the whole situation could be an April Fools' joke or a misunderstanding of the intentions behind the attack.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally do not reach a consensus on the likelihood of the attack occurring or the motivations behind it, with multiple competing views remaining throughout the discussion.

Contextual Notes

There are unresolved assumptions regarding the credibility of sources and the actual intentions of groups like Anonymous, as well as the technical feasibility of a large-scale DNS attack.

Bandit127
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I normally treat the "end of the world" stories in the media with a healthy dose of scepticism. I fully expect to wake up on 22-12-12, no problem for example. My own calendar runs out every year and I have to buy a new one...

However this story is being covered by SANS:
http://isc.sans.edu/diary/Tomorrow+the+world+will+end/12868

Depending on your own level of scepticism, you might just want to ping your favourite websites to get the IP address if you plan on checking the news, weather (etc) and posts on Physics Forums (74.86.200.109) tomorrow and the worst actually does happen.
 
Computer science news on Phys.org
What on Earth would be the reason for this?
 
Such a large scale attack being carried out like this is quite unlikely to succeed. I expect no change.

Evo said:
What on Earth would be the reason for this?

For the lulz
 
Anonymous is more socially aware than that. This would be worse for society than letting SOPA pass, so it would be contradictory for them to support it.
 
Pythagorean said:
Anonymous is more socially aware than that. This would be worse for society than letting SOPA pass, so it would be contradictory for them to support it.

To play devil's advocate for a moment, it's possible that they'd want to do this for exactly that reason. To give society a 'taste' of what it would be like if we let SOPA et al pass.

...Though, to be perfectly honest, I hope they have a little more sense than that. If it doesn't work (and let's be realistic, it most likely won't) people will point at Anonymous and say they're just a bunch of posers. If it *does* work, most people will only start hating them more. I know I will.
 
Someone linked this regarding the same topic elsewhere...
217521921_7GXmh-L-2.jpg
 
if anyone cares, 4chan happens to be down at the moment
 
one: April fools joke

two: Given the specifics of the plan were announced, if anything, I'd say it was more of a "Here's how the internet's infrastructure is potentially vulnerable, so secure it"
 

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