Put in simple terms, any machine attacked through the code signing hole could be completely compromised. More detail on the code signing hole and an attack applet called the Magic Coat is found in Chapter 5 . With so many machines running mission-critical applications, system modification attacks could lead to problems such as modified financial records in a database, which could in turn lead to financial loss and corporate bankruptcy. Modified medical records could result in fatally incorrect treatment. Care must be taken not to expose critical systems to new lines of attack.
Crackers flock to the latest and greatest vulnerabilities.
It is important that Java not become a cracking vehicle. It is important to emphasize that no system modification attacks using Java have been seen outside the lab. Attack applets designed to carry out system modification attacks are the subject of Chapter 5 . Invasion of Privacy A second general type of attack involves disclosing information about a user or host machine that should not be publicized. Some files are meant to be kept confidential.