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Vandals attack, disable top Internet site

Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2000 | 11 a.m.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON -- Computer vandals overwhelmed the most popular site on the Internet, using a common type of electronic attack to render the flagship Yahoo! Web directory inaccessible for at least several hours.

Yahoo! Inc. spokeswoman Diane Hunt said the company was the victim of hackers flooding its equipment with repeated electronic requests. The vandals did not gain access inside its computers, she said.

The technique, called a denial of service attack, is similar to pranksters repeatedly dialing a company's telephone number to block all other incoming calls.

Monday's failure drew renewed attention to the risks facing the fledgling world of electronic commerce, where hackers can shut down even the largest online stores.

"It basically says nobody is safe, if Yahoo can be taken down with all the resources behind them," said Elias Levy, chief technology officer at San Mateo, Calif.-based SecurityFocus.Com.

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