These computer attack programs are freely available to anyone on the Internet. Besides being available, these attacks are becoming easier to use. A few years ago, one had to have Unix to run an attack and had to know how to compile source code. Attack scripts are easy to use and dangerous. It is vital that systems administrators understand the danger these attacks pose and how to protect their networks against them.
Computers can now guess passwords so quickly that many seemingly complex passwords can be guessed.
Programs that listen to network traffic. Often these programs have features to automatically extract usernames, passwords, or credit card information. In 1998, NIST categorized and analyzed 237 computer attacks that were published on the Internet out of an estimated 400 published attacks. Attacks that give remote users access to hosts are not rare. System administrators, with management concurrence or with professional assistance, should scan their own systems regularly before someone else does.