Distributed denial-of-service attacks like the one that recently hit internet infrastructure company Dyn are effective because internet service providers don’t have a legal framework to block apparently legitimate traffic overloads, experts say.
Robert Mayer, vice president of industry and state affairs at the U.S. Telecom Association, said telecommunications carriers were ready to engage with the Department of Homeland Security about possibly blocking suspect traffic. However, such defensive measures could pose a legal problem because providers don’t have liability protections and are obligated by law to continue service, he added during a panel discussion at the National Cybersecurity Institute on Nov. 8.
