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Internet security flaw revealed

A flaw in the foundation of the internet that threatened to grant hackers a field day on the web prompted a flurry of activity among online security heavyweights keen on rectifying it.

The flaw, which was discovered months ago and kept secret, came into the public limelight following the release of a security patch on Tuesday July 9th after months of secret work.

Major software and hardware manufacturers poured their efforts into rectifying the glitch, which would have allowed hackers to redirect internet users to fake web pages and made it easy for phishing scamsters.

Securosis analyst Rich Mogul said: "It's a very fundamental issue with how the entire addressing scheme of the internet works.

"You'd have the internet, but it wouldn't be the internet you expect. [Hackers] would control everything."

Security researcher Dan Kaminsky of IOActive, who made the discovery, urged the public not to panic saying: "We have bought you as much time as possible to test and apply the patch."

He has set up a webpage - www.doxpara.com – where people can find out if their computers are vulnerable.

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