Fragmentation Attack
Fragmentation attack is a technique used by hackers to launch an attack on computer systems. In this type of attack, the attacker sends fragmented IP packets to the targeted system with the intention of crashing the system or making it unavailable for use.
An IP packet is a unit of data that is transmitted across a network. A fragmented packet is one that has been divided into smaller pieces because it is too large to be transmitted in a single piece. When the targeted system receives these fragmented packets, it tries to reassemble them into the original packet but fails to do so because the packets are incomplete or missing important information.
This causes the system to use up its resources in trying to reassemble the packets, which results in a slow-down or eventual crash of the system. Fragmentation attacks can also be used to bypass firewalls and other security measures that are designed to prevent attacks from entering a network.
To protect against fragmentation attacks, it is important to ensure that network hardware and software are kept up-to-date with the latest security patches, and that firewalls and other security measures are properly configured to prevent unwanted traffic from entering the network. Additionally, implementing intrusion detection systems and regularly monitoring network traffic can help to detect and prevent fragmentation attacks before they cause significant damage.