Eircom is closing in on cyber attackers
Wednesday July 15 2009
EIRCOM was on the trail of suspected computer hackers last night after many of its 500,000 internet customers were prevented from going online following a "deliberate targeting" of the company's network.
During a five-hour cyber attack on its internet provider, Eircom customers were unable to browse the web, were "timed out" on websites, or were redirected to incorrect sites before the service could be fully restored. Eircom said it was too early to consider calling in the gardai but it had informed the Department of Communications and the Communications Regulator and were keeping them updated on developments in their investigations.
The US Department of the Treasury and Secret Service experienced similar problems earlier this month when unusually high volumes of internet traffic were directed towards their sites in what was believed to have been a co-ordinated cyber attack.
"This was about access to the internet. It was not about getting on to the Eircom homepage and was not about somebody accessing our network or systems or data," a company spokesman said.
In a statement, Eircom said the disruption had been caused by an unusual and irregular volume of internet traffic directed onto its network which had caused "significant congestion".
As an investigation continued last night into the source of the disruption, the company said it did not know yet whether the attack was directed from inside or outside Ireland.
The company insisted its data and systems had not been compromised and that it had taken a number of steps, including software updates and hardware "interventions", to fully restore its internet service.
Between 6pm and 11.15pm on Monday, there was significant congestion for customers browsing the web.
The company said it experienced an "unprecedented level" of traffic directed towards its internet service provider -- equivalent to 10 times the normal levels of activity.
Restore
Similar problems emerged last week in what Gerry Culligan, Eircom's director of consumer market described as a "consistent attack over a period of time". "Our first job was to restore service as quickly as possible and it is now restored, We will endeavour to ensure that our customers enjoy uninterrupted access to the internet," he added.
Eircom said last night that eircom.net was fully operational. "Some customers may still have difficulties accessing certain websites. We advise that users re-type the website address into their browser."
Alternatively, customers can contact the Eircom support centre on 1890 260 260 from 8am.
- Fergus Black
