Question

Online business and shopping is in vogue. It has facilitated the purchase of books, electronics, and most anything available at your local shopping mall. Mason is a regular buyer of goods over the Internet. He has purchased a number of articles before, like watches and books, via the Internet.

This time he decides to purchase a notebook through the Internet. He browses the Web and finds a notebook that is offered by Xmachi Inc. He decides to place an order for the notebook on the Internet. The book arrives at his doorstep within two days.

On delivery, he notices that the notebook that he received was not the one that he had ordered. The notebook does not have the configuration that he had requested. It is a poorer configuration.

When contacted, the customer-care department gives a cold response. Vengeance is creeping into his mind. Finally, he decides to teach the notebook manufacturer a lesson. Being a network administrator of his firm, he knows exactly what he is supposed to do.

1. What will Mason do to defame the notebook manufacturer?
2. What information will Mason need to achieve his goal?

Answer 1

Ans(a): Mason will collect all the information by using various Web and standalone tools like DNSstuff.com, search engines, NeoTrace, and WHOIS services. Mason could launch various attacks on Xmachi’s network, including DoS attacks, by exploiting that information.

Ans(b): The information Mason needed to achieve his goals are:

• Domains and subdomains

• IP address and address range

• Contact details that included telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, and home addresses of some employees, including the network administrator

• Current technologies used by the company

• DNS information

• Firewalls details

Mason then had enough information to bring down the network of Xmachi Inc.