ERT Threat Alert: Olympic Security Update

Radware’s Emergency Response Team (ERT) releases a new threat alert regarding an upcoming DDoS attack targeting websites linked to the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Attacker Background

An event with the magnitude of the Summer Olympics is a likely target for many threats, including IT security attacks.  Radware Security researchers have found that the Olympic Games website is on the radar of hackers who published an HOIC booster script on pastebin. The time or sizes of potential attacks are unknown. Additionally, we’ve identified two companies’ URLs that were found on HOIC booster scripts in the last 24 hrs. Presumably, this means that two companies could be targeted for future attacks. Others may be targeted as well.

Attack Information

HOIC (High Orbit Ion Cannon) is an HTTP Flood attack tool, created by Anonymous, available as an easy-to-run Windows executable generating DDoS attacks. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that it offers customized booster scripts targeting victims’ website pages and subpages, therefore increasing the attacks’ intensity and lowering the odds that  attacks will be stopped.

HOIC is a relatively new tool which Group Anonymous leverages as a ‘weapon system’ of sorts. This tool allows Anonymous to change the ‘ordinance’ of the attack via a concept called “Boosters.” These Boosters are software scripts which can be uploaded into the HOIC tool to vary to the attack type and effectiveness.

Radware ERT Advice

Make sure your DoS and DDoS protection equipment is properly configured to block the HOIC attack tool and to protect your critical online services from a multi-vector attack on your network and applications.

Radware’s customers are encouraged to contact our support team and to receive immediate assistance from our ERT team. Other prospects and non-Radware customers can contact our ERT through a Radware representative.