Microsoft has officially responded to claims made by security consultant Steve Gibson that Windows XP threatens the stability of the Internet thanks to its inclusion on Unix sockets. These 'raw' sockets allow hackers to send thousands of spoof data packets from several PCs at once and launch unstoppable denial-of-service attacks against chosen Web sites. Since XP is likely to be picked up by millions of technically illiterate consumers, the threat of heavy and easy DDoS attacks is enormous, claimed Gibson.
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