Serious new worm targets Linux/Apache servers
InfoWorld | at | by Mike
A new worm with distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) capabilities and the ability to grant hackers backdoor access to remote systems is being actively propagated across the Internet, according to Internet Security Systems. The Slapper worm is a modified version of the earlier Scalper worm and targets systems running the Linux OS and the open-source Apache Web server. The worms exploits a previously disclosed flaw in the Secure Sockets Layer 2.0 (SSLv2) handshake process, ISS said in a security advisory Saturday.
According to ISS, the DDoS capabilities associated with this worm are very powerful and have already been used to attack and disable high-profile targets. Binary and source code versions of the worm are available and are being actively circulated, which may lead to the development of more powerful variants, ISS said.