Net Protocol Threat Overstated

Reports of a flawed communications protocol making the Internet vulnerable to collapse were overblown, according to the researcher credited with uncovering the security problem.

A flaw in the most widely used protocol for sending data over the Net–TCP, or the Transmission Control Protocol–was addressed by most large Internet service providers during the last two weeks and presents little danger to major networks, said Paul Watson, a security specialist for industry automation company Rockwell Automation. If left unfixed, the weakness could have allowed a knowledgeable attacker to shut down connections between certain hardware devices that route data over the Net.

“The actual threat to the Internet is really small right now,” Watson said on Wednesday. “You could have isolated attacks against small networks, but they would most likely be able to recover quickly.”

Read the full story at CNET News.com.