| Summary: | Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited === The Internet provides users with unparalleled access to a wide variety of open
source tools. Some of the tools may be used in conjunction with others or by themselves,
often with great disruptive effect on a target. The rapid pace of discovered vulnerabilities
in computer systems, along with the cooperation of expert programmers, has given users
access to tools that lower the "entry costs" for conducting sophisticated attacks. Internet
security is dependent upon reacting effectively to continually changing modes of attack,
and is therefore almost always a step behind, in an action-reaction process.
The availability of pre-tailored attack codes gives possible enemies an avenue to
attack the US anonymously, with only a small investment of resources. However,
attackers do still need both tools and the knowledge of how to use them to carry out most
attacks. Still, more knowledge of the proper utilization of open source tools is
progressively being coded into these open source tools, opening up the ability to conduct
attacks to a higher percentage of the Internet population
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