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Hackers continue attack, FBI begins probe

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CIOL Bureau
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BANGALORE: Hackers continued to disrupt major Web sites for a third day as

the United States top law enforcement officials prepared to hold a briefing in

Washington on the brazen attacks that they appear powerless to stop.

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The disruptions shifted to top financial sites including E-Trade Group, and

Datek Online Holdings Corp, after hitting Yahoo, Buy.com,

eBay, Amazon.com and CNN. The sites have been bombarded with so many messages

and during the incidents they are unable to continue operations, although most

have managed to recover within a matter of hours. Shares of e-commerce companies

dropped as investors were trying to figure out the repercussions especially

people's confidence in trading and buying on line. The companies were themselves

are taking steps to protect their web sites. Besides attacking the sites, the

attackers slowed down traffic on parts of the Internet.

The FBI has been investigating the attacks, but declined to make any new

comment ahead of a briefing planned later in the day by top officials from the

agency, as well as officials from the commerce department and attorney general

Janet Reno's office. The hackers so far have avoided detection by moving from

one computer network to another to cover their tracks, and by immediately

erasing any data that might identify them, computer security expert said. The

intensity of the attacks suggested a co-ordinated effort by more than one

person, although replicated attacks or a plan carried out by a single individual

were not ruled out, experts said.

Web sites were able to shut down the attacks after relatively short periods

by filtering the messages sent from scores of computers. But the attacking

computers themselves were simply "zombie" units taken over by unknown

hackers. Authorities were called in to probe further to find the command centres

for the attacks, a legal move that usually requires court-approved search

warrants.

"The fact is, usually these people are caught when they make themselves

known. If they're doing it to show off, their pride will dictate that they come

forward and take credit, said Network Associates PGP Security director of

security research Jim Magdych. "If they're doing it to make some sort of

political statement, then we might hear in a few days from them with something

like ‘Ok, we've established I can do this with impunity, and here's what it's

going to take for me to stop’."

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