"This was a denial-of-service attack," says TIME digital editor Joshua Quittner, "which means that the server gets so clogged with the false requests that it can't deal with legitimate inquiries. It's akin to calling someone and hanging up constantly so they can never get a real phone call." And while this relatively simple method of attack has been around for years, Quittner adds, the sheer breadth of the Yahoo assault could suggest a new, if belated, sophistication in the world of high-tech vandalism. The Yahoo case wasn't technically hacking, since the attack was carried out without the perpetrators' actually forcing their way into the Yahoo system.
"What's most surprising about the Yahoo case is that it hasn't happened before," says Quittner. Now that e-vandals have flexed their muscles in a very public forum, bringing the world's most popular web site to a grinding halt, it's safe to say there will be increasingly creative attempts to foil hackers altogether. That will be a very tough, if not impossible process, says Quittner. "Unfortunately, there's not a whole lot companies can do to prevent this kind of strike." Of course, this is the world of high tech, where explosive growth and insight are part of the daily grind, and where triumphant anti-hacker software could be just around the corner. Just as long as the hackers don't get to it first.