NSW: Internet could shut down, wipe out computers: US watchdog

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NSW: Internet could shut down, wipe out computers: US watchdog

By Natasha Skrivankova

SYDNEY, Feb 15 AAP - Australia's computer systems are at risk of being completely wipedout by a serious flaw in the internet and networking infrastructure.

Authorities have yet to develop an action plan.

The United States computer network watchdog, the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT)yesterday issued its biggest warning ever - a 17-page document - that computer systemsworldwide could be shutdown, rebooted, erased and used to attack other systems.

It is the first time it has attempted to get ahead of hackers globally.

The Australian company that supplies Telstra and Optus has been working non-stop for30 hours, afraid of a major computer catastrophe, said Galvan Cheung of C10 Communications.

"This is a major security flaw that could bring down every computer connected to theInternet, every physical network device, all the machines," Mr Cheung said.

"A lot of people's equipment is vulnerable.

"This is a global alert that computers and the entire network could close down.

"They could be destroyed, they could be wiped out.

"Any person could control a device [through a router] and use it to launch furtherattacks," he said.

A Finnish university research team discovered the major flaw two days ago in the SNMP(Simple Network Management Protocol), the basis of the internet system developed 20 yearsago.

Researchers at Finland's Oulu discovered the flaw, CERT said.

SNMP is used by networks to find and communicate with users' computers and other devices.

The vulnerabilities, among other things, let a hacker intercept warning messages andthen use those messages to launch attacks on the target networks.

More than 100 Australian telecommunication companies, including Telstra, Optus, Microsoft,Cisco Systems and Nokiahave been working around the clock to address the problem, Mr Cheung said.

The NSW government, and about 15 private companies, were already experiencing problemswith their systems being shut down by remote control, he said.

He said 80 per cent of the internet is powered by Cisco Systems networking equipment- routers and switches - which had been made aware of the flaw in its systems.

"Almost all of Cisco's networks are faulty," he said.

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KEYWORD: NETWORK