Smurfing

Smurfing can be initiated by a variety of programs that cause a vulnerable area of a network to become completely inoperable. This attack usually exploits vulnerable or known characteristics of IP (Internet Protocol) and ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol). Smurfing works by creating a network packet that seems to originate from another address, a technique also known as IP spoofing. This packet contains an ICMP ping message addressed to all IP addresses on a specific network - the broadcast address. The ping message will prompt an echo response that is sent back to the victimized IP address. When too many pings and echoes are sent, the network may eventually flood and become unusable for legitimate traffic. One common defense against smurfing is disabling the IP broadcast addressing function for each network router. This suggestion is well recommended as the lack of IP broadcast addressing will not effect network traffic since it is rarely used.