Fiber Optic Telecommunications Networks: Heartbleed Internet Security Flaw Used In Attack

James F. Booth

For more than 25 years, James Booth has provided consulting and legal services to telecommunications carriers and to enterprise companies that manage their own telecommunications networks. Since June of 2009 he has also served as General Counsel of Spread Networks, LLC, which is the industry leader in the construction and operation of low latency high speed networks. Before joining Spread he was General Counsel for OnFiber Communications, a competitive telecommunications provider, and was the sole attorney for Qwest Communications International in support of its construction of an 18,800 mile fiber optic network spanning the United States. Earlier he was lead counsel for U S WEST in its wireless and cable television ventures in the United States, Europe and Hong Kong.

Friday, April 18, 2014

Heartbleed Internet Security Flaw Used In Attack

Within 24 hours of the Heartbleed bug's disclosure last week, an attacker used it to break into a major corporation, security experts said Friday.

Using Heartbleed, the name for a flaw in security that is used in a wide range of web servers and Internet-connected devices, the attacker was able to break into an employee's encrypted virtual private network, or so-called VPN, session.

From there, the hacker or hackers used the Heartbleed bug about 1,000 times until successfully extracting information like passwords to get broader access to the victim's network, said researchers at Mandiant, a cybersecurity firm.

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/04/18/heartbleed-internet-security-flaw-used-in-attack/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0