These are distributed denial of service attacks small enough to fly below the security radars of ISPs and law enforcement agencies, but potent enough to shut down cable or DSL modems connections. As evidenced by my inability to do anything about an attack on my connection (which I use to get my job done, but is shared with other family members for personal use), the perpetrators can wreak havoc without fear of reprisals.

Cable and DSL modem connections account for a growing contribution to the US economy. Just think of the telecommuters and small- to medium-size businesses that host through such connections and the number of e-commerce transactions that pass through them. To the extent that national security relies on the vitality of the economy, I consider the mDDoS a significant threat to our national security.

By David Berlind at ZDNet.

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