Since the site was switched on a month ago, Microsoft has found and fixed four bugs in how the server handles Internet information, White said. An attacker crashed the machine August 17, Microsoft said. The most serious computer crackers won't participate in such challenges because they don't want to show their hand, Klaus said. If a robber has a master key to break into every building in the world, he's not going to go to the FBI and demonstrate. Windows NT and 2000, as well as Unix and other operating systems, aren't particularly secure unless set up properly, Klaus said.
More dangerous today are the software applications that reside on top of the operating system.
E-commerce has raised a host of new problems because it involves many applications, Klaus said. Most hackers simply go around it by going through the application layer. Web server software, Davey said. Also on the test server, the attack caused the computer's CPU usage to jump to 100 percent. On the Microsoft site, the computer returned to normal once the access was shut down.