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Did Russian Hackers Crash Skype?

Posted by kdawson on from the flicking-a-domino dept.

An anonymous reader sends us to the www.xakep.ru forum where a poster claims that the worldwide Skype crash was caused by Russian hackers (in Russian). The claim is that they found a local buffer overflow vulnerability caused by sending a long string to the Skype authorization server. You can try Google's beta Russian-to-English translation, but the interesting part is the exploit code, and that's more readable in the original. The Washington Post reports that Skype has denied this rumor.

12 of 108 comments (clear)

  1. Re:In Soviet Russia... by r00b · · Score: 3, Funny

    In America you crash when using the phone.

  2. Re:The code snippet seems to be wrong by tftp · · Score: 5, Funny

    It actually executes, I tried the loop just now.

  3. Re:IN SOVIET RUSSIA by Arthur+Grumbine · · Score: 4, Funny

    And the long string was... "In Soviet Russia we are tired of all the mindless obligatory comments about the beloved Motherland."

    --
    Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure everything I just said is completely wrong.
  4. It's OK folks! by goldspider · · Score: 2, Funny

    They were just expressing their frustration with the expanding influence of capitalism. In the future, we should try to react to protests like this with a little understanding.

    --
    "Ask not what your country can do for you." --John F. Kennedy
  5. it was Yetis! by ILuvRamen · · Score: 1, Funny

    Sunspot activity caused yetis to go crazy and attack several servers and that did it. Seriously, I saw it on a blog written in Swedish so it must be true! Seriously, lots of Russians are egotistical liars, keep it real, people. There's one thing they're good at and that's making fake documentation for stuff.

    --
    Google's Super Secret Search Algorithm: SELECT @search_results FROM internet WHERE @search_results = 'good'
  6. Re:They hired DoS specialists against their own us by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Sorry, I won't be awake at 0100 UTC on that date. Maybe a different time?

  7. Another Soviet Russia comment by kylehase · · Score: 2, Funny

    In Soviet Russia we crash Skype. Wait... that doesn't seem right.

    --
    You want fun, go home and buy a monkey!
  8. Re:The code snippet seems to be wrong by svallarian · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's obviously a typo. Since it was Russian code, it was supposed to be xCCCP

    --
    I patented screwing your mom. But it got revoked for "prior art."
  9. Re:They hired DoS specialists against their own us by Smauler · · Score: 3, Funny

    I bet Slashdot wouldn't be prepared for all of its users connecting at the same time, either. But it needs not to. It is never going to happen (why should it?)

    I believe you are discounting the possibility of the actuality of Natalie Portman and Hot Grits.

  10. Re:Russians ? They don't have good education by LanceUppercut · · Score: 2, Funny

    LOL. "American school system". What is it, an oxymoron contest? :)

  11. Re:The code snippet seems to be wrong by Daimanta · · Score: 2, Funny

    It actually executes, I tried the loop just now.

    --
    Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power lost.
  12. Re:The code snippet seems to be wrong by ultranova · · Score: 2, Funny

    Well, this is very very very old Russian hacker tradition: introduce flaw in the crack/exploit to prevent it from being (ab)used by idiots.

    In Soviet Russia idiots abuse you !

    --

    Forget magic. Any technology distinguishable from divine power is insufficiently advanced.