From: "Intelligence Unit" Subject: Fwd: News Alert - Sunday 6th July Disruptions - MacOS and Unix higher targets Sunday 6th July Disruptions - MacOS and Unix higher targets London, UK, 12:00 GMT 3 July 2003 - Online web site servers and eBusiness portals are likely to be targeted in large numbers on Sunday 6th July by cyber vandals as an international challenge to execute the maximum number of web defacements in six hours gets underway. The mi2g Intelligence Unit has learnt that system breaches on Sunday will yield a varying number of points to cyber vandals depending on the flavour of the operating system (OS): Microsoft Windows = 1 point; Linux, Unix and BSD = 2 points; AIX = 3 points; HP-Unix and MacOS = 5 points. This suggests that some hackers may specifically target Unix and MacOS systems to claim more points. The 5 points allocation should be of particular concern to MacOS and Unix system administrators. Since Unix and MacOS online servers have a lower market share they may have partially benefited from security through obscurity in the receNews Alert - Sunday 6th July Di.ems nt past. The number of overt attacks recorded by the mi2g SIPS database has been falling consistently since 24th June and remains at below 20% of average daily levels achieved in the previous 60 days. This suggests that most hackers are highly unlikely to execute actual breaches on 6th July. They are more likely to show their cards on Sunday having already broken into the systems and established back door entries over the past two weeks. "This bizarre and unwelcome hacker challenge on Sunday is unlikely to disrupt the Internet as a whole," said DK Matai, Executive Chairman, mi2g. "There may well be a range of ISPs and some prominent sites which come under heavy attack given that they would yield mass-defacement targets or big bragging rights. Our advice would remain one of being vigilant and checking for latest patches, shutting down any extraneous applications and services running on all online systems as well as changing critical passwords before Sunday." mi2g research from June 2003 reveals that the most hacked operating system from an overt digital attacks perspective remains Linux (76%) followed by Microsoft Windows (13%) and BSD (3%). The latest copy of the June intelligence briefing as well as back issues can be ordered from http://www.mi2g.net/cgi/mi2g/buy.php?code=sipsexec [ENDS]