
That is, these methods of authentication are entirely visible to the user.

The better portion of authentication routines known to the average user occur at the application level. That network could be located in the user’s home, his office, or, as in this case, the Internet. This encounter most often occurs while connecting to a network. To understand how this occurs, you must know a bit about authentication.Įvery user has encountered some form of authentication. It is the act of using one machine to impersonate another. It is therefore rare.Ī spoofing attack involves nothing more than forging one’s source address.

An individual or group of unknown intruders took over his computer for more than a day and electronically stole a large number of security programs he had developed. John Markoff, in his article that appeared in The New York Times titled “New Form of Attack on Computers Linked to Internet is Uncovered,” reported: The first known attack using the new technique took place on Christmas day against the computer of a well-known computer security expert at the San Diego Supercomputer Center. For example, a well publicized spoofing case occurred in December, 1994. IP spoofing is the most talked about and least understood method of gaining unauthorized entry to a computer system. There has never been more controversy about a cracking technique than the controversy surrounding IP spoofing.
