IP: Current attacks

[Dave Farber <farber@cis.upenn.edu>]

>>Date: 12 Feb 00 11:22:51 -0800
>>From: "Donn Parker" <dparker@sric.sri.com>
>>To: Bernie Galler <galler@umich.edu>
>>
>>
>>Based on what I have read, nobody has seen the big picture and future of what
>>is occurring in the current denial of service attacks. We are entering 
>>the era of
>>automated crime. (See my book, Fighting Computer Crime, Wiley 1998 and 
>>article
>>on Automated Crime in Information Security Magazine, September 1999.) For
>>several years I have been warning about complete crimes from creation of 
>>virtual
>>perpetrators, selection of victims, execution,  irreversible conversion 
>>to gain, and
>>erasure of evidence all packaged in a single computer program. The 
>>program may
>>be designed and developed by technologists and distributed and used by 
>>anybody.
>>For the first time in human history it is now possible to possess crimes, not
>>just do them one up, just like it is now possible to possess business and
>>manufactering processes. This means that crimes can be endlessly 
>>distributed and improved
>>to achieve the perfect crime. The perpetrator may not know where he got the
>>crime, what the crime does, how it does it, or who or where the victim 
>>is. He may
>>only know that he has benefited in some way. The victim does not know who or
>>where the perpetrator is, what crime was committed, when it was 
>>committed, or how it
>>was done. He only knows that he lost something of value. The investigator has
>>no means of relating the known victim to any possible perpetrator and has no
>>evidence except that a loss occured. And it is not a crime to design, 
>>develop, or
>>distribute an automated crime. Only executing it against a specific victim
>>(victimless crimes excluded) would be a crime, but the perpetrator may 
>>not be aware
>>that he is a perpetrator.This defines a perfect crime.