
SOMEONE is learning how to take down the internet - ghosh
http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21709286-recent-attacks-internet-could-be-prelude-far-worse-ones-crash-testing?fsrc=scn/tw/te/pe/ed/crashtesting
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probably_wrong
The article is confusing several data points into one:

    
    
      * Schneier's article[1] detailing what seem like "test attacks", to discover how to take the internet down,
    
      * The attack against Brian Krebs[2], using the Mirai botnet
    
      * The attack against Dyn[3], also using Mirai
    

The article implies that all three points are related into a single story. But
Schneier himself suggested that his report and the attack on Dyn are not
related, and that it was more of a coincidence [4]. Krebs suggested that Mirai
may have been released intentionally to hide the creators among a sea of
attacks [5].

Whoever is probing the internet is (probably) a state actor, while Mirai is
used by "regular" users. These are three separated events, and not a growing
campaign against the US elections.

[1]
[https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2016/09/someone_is_le...](https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2016/09/someone_is_lear.html)

[2] [https://krebsonsecurity.com/2016/09/krebsonsecurity-hit-
with...](https://krebsonsecurity.com/2016/09/krebsonsecurity-hit-with-record-
ddos/)

[3]
[https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2016/10/ddos_attacks_...](https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2016/10/ddos_attacks_ag.html)

[4]
[https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2016/10/ddos_attacks_...](https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2016/10/ddos_attacks_ag.html)

[5] [https://krebsonsecurity.com/2016/10/source-code-for-iot-
botn...](https://krebsonsecurity.com/2016/10/source-code-for-iot-botnet-mirai-
released/)

