Kali on My Mind

Smurf Attacks

This week while studying for Sec+ I learned about smurf attacks. A smurf attack is a type of DDoS attack where the attacker forces a specific I.P. address to send packets to another I.P. address in an attempt to overwhelm the network and either hinder it or completely shut it down.

In the case of a smurf attack there are really two victims. The target of the network traffic is under attack in the same way as any other DDoS attack. This increase in traffic on the network can cause all kinds of problems. But the network sending the traffic is under attack as well. Their network had to be breached at some point to be forced into starting the DDoS attack and now their networks resources are being used in an attack instead of for whatever they were originally allocated to.

These types of attacks are (yet again, in what is becoming a theme for this blog) all the more reason to increase the security of all our networks from malicious actors. By protecting ourselves, we also deny attackers the resources needed to conduct attacks against other targets. Increasing cyber security in the modern age doesn’t mean just increasing the protection around the most vulnerable resources or networks, or even just in our community or country.

In order to protect ourselves to the best of our ability we have to work together regardless of what industry we work in or nation we live in. This is a problem that does not stop at international borders and thrives when competition prevents cooperation. We increase our chances by working together and sharing knowledge as often as possible.