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Netgear Routers DoS UWisc Time Server

Posted by michael on from the RISKs-fodder dept.

numatrix writes "For the last few months, hundreds of thousands of netgear routers being sold had hardcoded values in their firmware for ntp synchronization, causing a major denial of service to the University of Wisconsin's network before it was filtered and eventually tracked down. Highlights how not to code embedded devices." A really excellent write-up of the incident.

8 of 447 comments (clear)

  1. and now... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    slashdot has hard coded a link to the UWisc CS server, sending a DoS to them too

    oh, and fp.

  2. Obligatory Scooby Doo reference by OneIsNotPrime · · Score: 5, Funny

    And we would have gotten away too, if it weren't for those meddling kids!

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    WARNING:Slashdot karma not redeemable in the afterlife.

  3. I did that to myself once by eschasi · · Score: 5, Funny

    I did that to myself once. It was a piece of software that went to comp.sources.unix (or something similar) and was default-configured to send error mail to an alias that pointed to me. A patch was released very shortly afterwards.

  4. If they did it to my NTP server... by lightspawn · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'd just send the wrong time back to netgear routers. I bet they wouldn't try that again.

  5. Simple Fix by Boss,+Pointy+Haired · · Score: 5, Funny

    UWisc hard codes the date/time on their time time server to 2038-19-01 03:14:00.

    After 6 seconds, the netgear will crash and burn as a result of the Y2K38 problem and the requests will be no more.

  6. Re:It's not about just embedded devices... by tommck · · Score: 5, Funny
    Of course if the gravitational constant changes, we've got bigger problems than updating your high school programming assignments! :-)

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    ---- It puts the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again. It does this whenever it's told.
  7. Poor UWisc by EmagGeek · · Score: 5, Funny

    First the time server

    Then the e-mail server (from the helpdesk requests)

    Then the webserver (from /.)

    What next?

  8. Re:Our usage graph...You Jerks! by ClippyHater · · Score: 5, Funny

    Oh yeah?! Well, we just /.'d that one, too!

    Go ahead, give us another, I dare ya! :)