ETrade, ZDNN confirm hack attacks
- — 10 February, 2000 16:06
ETrade said its Web site remained functional throughout the incident, and said most traders were able to access their accounts and trade normally. By 7 a.m. PST, all customers were able to access the site normally, the company said. ETrade did not return a call seeking further comment.
ZDNet's tech news site could not be accessed at all during an attack that began at 7:10am PST today and lasted about two and a half hours, said spokeswoman Martha Papalia. The site was back up and running late this morning, she said.
The two Web sites join Yahoo , Amazon.com , eBay and Buy.com on a growing list of destinations affected by the attacks, which began yesterday morning with the problems at Buy.com. [See "UPDATE: eBay, Amazon, Buy.com Hit by Attacks," Feb 9]All of the incidents appear to have been "denial of service" attacks, in which a malicious party bombards a Web site with so much traffic that it grinds to a halt or crashes. The timing and the common nature of the attacks has led many to speculate that are part of a single, orchestrated effort, and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating.
Inevitably, the problems have also raised questions about the stability of the Internet and its ability to support the emerging wave of electronic commerce and services.
