[Am-info] Re: Virus-like attack hits web traffic

[Mitch Stone]

Making a rash assumption, the ATMs are networked through centralized 
databases at the banks running on machines that were attacked, or rely 
on network servers that were crashed or rendered ineffective by a loss 
of bandwidth. Just a theory, based on no knowledge.

Either way, it's another object lesson on the mistake of relying too 
much on any one technology. In these days of security mania, one would 
think the government would be encouraging more diversity in these 
systems, the most reliable method for creating firebreaks against these 
attacks. But I'm sure that's too much to hope for in the current 
political environment.

On Sunday, January 26, 2003, at 08:33 PM, Eric M. Bennett wrote:

>> I'm not sure what you mean by "real world" consequences, but one of 
>> the "real politic" consequences is a Bush administration official 
>> siding with Microsoft by blaming the victims.
>
> Maybe that's a bad choice of wording on my part, but from what I can 
> tell these sorts of incidents don't usually have spill-over effects on 
> systems (like ATMs) that one assumes are not directly dependent on the 
> internet.  This one apparently did.
>
   -----------
   Mitch Stone
   mitch@accidentalexpert.com

   The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are
   always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts.
   --- Bertrand Russell