The network performance issues are described in a series of Web site forum postings recently publicized within the security community. The poster, who uses the alias NT Canuck, said he created a tool, with the help of another developer, that can shut down entire networks.

However, security researchers at the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) Coordination Center downplayed the issue, saying that the program simply inundates a network with so much data that computers have problems functioning correctly.

"We don't see any specific vulnerability being discovered here," said Jason Rafail, an Internet security analyst at the center. He described the issue as "resource starvation," in which a computer cannot keep allocating memory or processor time to handle a vast quantity of network data. He confirmed that the issue is similar to an advisory the group published in 1996.

By Robert Lemos at CNET.

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