Xbox live gamers now have a new method of revenging against undefeatable opponents. Controlling the entire map with a battle rifle and a few grenades is no longer the best attack method you can use. The use of a Distributed Denial of Service attack is the new way to go. For those of you that still don't know, according to Wikipedia, Xbox Live is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation. SpyWareGuide.com reported a consistent increase in the number of users utilizing sniffing and DDoS botnets to boot players off the Xbox live network. The DDoS attack floods an opponent's channel with information that eventually renders it unusable. This in turn breaks the connection between the Xbox and the servers on the Xbox Live Network. In order to execute this DDoS attack the victims IP address is required. Once a user has connected their Xbox, he/she will sniff the traffic for an opponent. This method of sniffing can also be used to obtain IP addresses, but if this proves to be too difficult others might prefer to use social engineering techniques. Once a target is established, custom made tools are combined to create bots/zombies specifically designed to form a botnet that knocks a target out of any game he/she is currently on. Refer to: Spyware Guide.com for additional details. The interesting thing is that game traffic is generally UDP traffic which may make it easy to flood a home DSL or Cable line with traffic using a fairly small botnet. The problem arises with most DSL or Cable modems. In order to flood the Xbox console you first have to flood the modem, forcing you to use a bigger botnet. On average forty to sixty bots are recommended to execute an effective DDoS attack against the enemy Xbox gamer.. This type of cyber war has been underground for a while now but only recently has its popularity taken a bit of a leap. The control software required to execute an attack is free but there are those budding entrepreneurs that can't let an opportunity like this go and are therefore leasing out bots for about $2 each. For those Xbox gamers that might find this growing form of attack irritating, blaming Microsoft would not be a plausible idea because they can't really do anything about it. This is because the attack goes directly from a PC to the Xbox 360 console, bypassing the Xbox Live network. And to those that think of this as the best way to get back at strong opponents, you should consider the fact that somehow you are assisting hackers in expanding their networks. Reports indicating that the tools utilized to create the botnet contain a malware that can eventually turn your computer into a bot/zombie computer, have already been made. So, just to be safe, don't be a sore looser, it's just a game. Accept your defeat and leave the DDoS attacks to the real hackers. Resources: Botnets Beat Spartan Laser on Halo 3 Xbox live Sniffing |
Make Yahoo!7 your homepage and win a trip to the Quiksilver Pro. Find out more.
