Smurf-Attack
A Smurf Attack is a type of computer attack where a large number of internet packets are sent to a target computer. The aim of the attack is to flood the target computer with so many packets that it can no longer function properly. This can lead to the target computer crashing or becoming very slow.
The reason it is called a Smurf Attack is because it uses a technique called ICMP Echo Request. This is the same technique that is used by the Smurfs in the TV show to communicate with each other.
To carry out a Smurf Attack, the attacker first needs to find a group of computers that are vulnerable to the attack. These computers are known as “amplifiers”. The attacker then sends a large number of ICMP Echo Requests to the amplifiers, using the IP address of the target computer as the source address. This causes the amplifiers to send a large number of ICMP Echo Replies back to the target computer, overwhelming it with traffic.
To protect against a Smurf Attack, computer administrators can configure their network devices to block ICMP Echo Requests from outside their network. They can also configure their servers to limit the amount of traffic they receive from any one source. This makes it much harder for an attacker to carry out a Smurf Attack.