[geeks] Using a mailing list for a DDOS attack

[Lionel Peterson]

>From: "Geoffrey S. Mendelson" <gsm at mendelson.com>
>Date: 2007/11/27 Tue AM 08:37:47 CST
>To: The Geeks List <geeks at sunhelp.org>
>Subject: Re: [geeks] Using a mailing list for a DDOS attack

>On Tue, Nov 27, 2007 at 08:30:21AM -0600, Lionel Peterson wrote:
>
>> Without call time coordination, it is just a small annoyance, since I
>> assume the 13,000 readers are scattered of multiple jurisdictions (their
>> calls go to different centers),a nd they will not all read the email at
>> the same time and try it immediately (of course, IMHO).
>
>It's not as wide spread as you think. I don't think it's appropriate
>to discuss details here, but this is an awfully small country.

Fine, but there are two issues raised in my note - geography and coordination. I appear to be wrong on the geography, but I still contend that unless they tried to coordinate the timing so the calls came in at a certain time I fail to see how harm could occur since, as you've said, it is unlikely that everyone would call (you guessed maybe 10%, a guess that sounds reasonable to me), but 1,300 calls over a 48 hour period doesn't sound *crushing* to me.

Then again, it would be an understatement to say that you have a different perspective on this than I, being several thousand miles apart...

Lionel