Suit claims Web attack upset services for deaf

Miss-Delectable · 02-17-2006, 05:37 PM

http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_3518689

A Salt Lake City telecommunications company has filed suit alleging that cyber attackers launched a malicious campaign this month to disrupt services to thousands of deaf people.

Sorenson Communications Inc. contends that "Does 1-10" has inundated its Internet Protocol Relay Service - which allows deaf and hearing callers to talk to one another - with false requests for service. The flood of fake requests, called a "denial of service attack," prevents communications assistants from processing legitimate calls quickly, according to the lawsuit.

The company's legal action, filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court, asks for an order barring the defendants from interfering with its computers and network infrastructure and seeks unspecified actual and punitive damages. So far, the identities of the alleged attackers are unknown.

Michael Jordan, Sorenson IP relay manager, said the company addresses any attempt to disrupt service. "We filed the complaint to protect the interests of our users," he said Thursday.

Sorenson, founded in 2000, provides communication products and services designed for deaf and hard-of-hearing consumers. Its lawsuit contends the attacks have posed a threat to public health and safety because the system often is used to communicate with doctors, nurses, health care providers and emergency personnel.

Under the system, a deaf caller can initiate contact at the IP Relay Service Web site or through America Online's Instant Messenger. The caller provides a telephone number and a communications assistant makes the call. The assistant reads the messages to the hearing party and types out messages to the deaf person.

A hearing caller also can initiate a call by telephone. There is no charge to either party.

Instead, the federal government reimburses Sorenson and other companies for their operating costs. To qualify, providers must answer a certain percentage of calls - in Sorenson's case, 85 percent - within 10 seconds.

The "speed of answer" calculation is determined daily and a company that falls short of its percentage loses that day's reimbursement. Sorenson estimates its daily operating cost at more than $20,000.

The alleged harassment began about Feb. 7 and involves a "robot" script that sends information to Sorenson servers, causing communications assistants to respond to fake requests and increasing their average time to answer a request to 10 minutes.

On that first day of attack, the cyber attackers sent 129 requests for service in 34 minutes, Sorenson says. Later, the defendants initiated another 100 requests within eight minutes that included the message, "your mom is FAT."

The Federal Communications Commission estimates that IP Relay Service providers, including Sorenson, will supply 99,500,000 minutes of services in the 12-month period ending in July.

02-17-2006, 05:37 PM	#1 (permalink)
Miss-Delectable Capt Tony Nelson, Jeannie Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: No.1 Shopping Capital in Australia Posts: 8,442 Blog Entries: 3	Suit claims Web attack upset services for deaf http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_3518689 A Salt Lake City telecommunications company has filed suit alleging that cyber attackers launched a malicious campaign this month to disrupt services to thousands of deaf people. Sorenson Communications Inc. contends that "Does 1-10" has inundated its Internet Protocol Relay Service - which allows deaf and hearing callers to talk to one another - with false requests for service. The flood of fake requests, called a "denial of service attack," prevents communications assistants from processing legitimate calls quickly, according to the lawsuit. The company's legal action, filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court, asks for an order barring the defendants from interfering with its computers and network infrastructure and seeks unspecified actual and punitive damages. So far, the identities of the alleged attackers are unknown. Michael Jordan, Sorenson IP relay manager, said the company addresses any attempt to disrupt service. "We filed the complaint to protect the interests of our users," he said Thursday. Sorenson, founded in 2000, provides communication products and services designed for deaf and hard-of-hearing consumers. Its lawsuit contends the attacks have posed a threat to public health and safety because the system often is used to communicate with doctors, nurses, health care providers and emergency personnel. Under the system, a deaf caller can initiate contact at the IP Relay Service Web site or through America Online's Instant Messenger. The caller provides a telephone number and a communications assistant makes the call. The assistant reads the messages to the hearing party and types out messages to the deaf person. A hearing caller also can initiate a call by telephone. There is no charge to either party. Instead, the federal government reimburses Sorenson and other companies for their operating costs. To qualify, providers must answer a certain percentage of calls - in Sorenson's case, 85 percent - within 10 seconds. The "speed of answer" calculation is determined daily and a company that falls short of its percentage loses that day's reimbursement. Sorenson estimates its daily operating cost at more than $20,000. The alleged harassment began about Feb. 7 and involves a "robot" script that sends information to Sorenson servers, causing communications assistants to respond to fake requests and increasing their average time to answer a request to 10 minutes. On that first day of attack, the cyber attackers sent 129 requests for service in 34 minutes, Sorenson says. Later, the defendants initiated another 100 requests within eight minutes that included the message, "your mom is FAT." The Federal Communications Commission estimates that IP Relay Service providers, including Sorenson, will supply 99,500,000 minutes of services in the 12-month period ending in July. __________________

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