Huge DDOS attack ongoing

[Well-Prepared Witch]

Apparently this morning and still ongoing there's a huge DDOS attack on a major DNS provider.  While I'm sure you'll all read about it on the news, this paragraph from this article was chilling.

Over the past year or two, someone has been probing the defenses of the companies that run critical pieces of the Internet. These probes take the form of precisely calibrated attacks designed to determine exactly how well these companies can defend themselves, and what would be required to take them down. We don’t know who is doing this, but it feels like a large nation state. China or Russia would be my first guesses.

http://gizmodo.com/todays-brutal-ddos-attack-is-the-beginning-of-a-bleak-f-1788071976

[JohnyMac]

yupper. Did you know if your internet provider goes down, you can connect to the interwiz using your ham radio transceiver? Food for thought 

[gadget99]

Interesting how the fragility of our world is not highlighted until something goes wrong.

Then we see people loosing their minds.

[Jackalope]

The millennials are especially dependent upon the internet.  I try to avoid internet connected devices in my home, except my desktop and ipad.  I see refrigerators, thermostats and security systems all internet connected now.  I just don't see the benefit.  My philosophy is "keep it simple".  If yesterday's event was just a dry run, then there's going to be a lot of folks experiencing internet withdrawal.

[Kbop]

yep Jackalope, the KISS principle is tried and true.

- the more complex the support system the more vulnerable it is to breakdown or interruption.
on the same note, the interwebs is new technology and being used in new ways.  new tech is always buggy and hasn't had the kinks worked out.  forget this at your own peril.