Cellphone networks are susceptible to denial of service attacks

Seems that cellular networks are susceptible to the same types of denial of service attacks that have plagued the
Internet. A paper published by Penn State says pushing 165 SMS messages per second is sufficient to congest both voice
and messaging traffic in all of Manhattan. While cellular companies say they have safeguards in place, researchers
contend that “all major cellular networks were vulnerable” and a skilled hacker with a single computer, a list of a
several thousand cellphone numbers from a common area, and broadband access could do the deed. Researchers even went so far as to prove (on a small
scale) their theories by “very carefully” testing with their own cellphones. Believe them or
not, it’s only a matter of time until the theory is tested on a massive scale now that the
detailed paper has been released on-line.


Read*|*Permalink*|*Email this*|*Linking*Blogs*|*Comments© 2005 Weblogs, Inc.
SPONSORED BY: Fable: The Lost Chapters. Now On PC. Enter a world where every choice changes your fate. Enhanced graphics, new journeys, good or evil-how will you choose to play?

http://cellphones.engadget.com/entry/1234000480061905/