2. Why should we care about Cisco IOS?

Cisco's Internetworking Operating System, or IOS, is the intelligence behind most of the networking devices on the Internet. Most computer users worry about their PCs being compromised by viruses and worms, but in the grand scheme of things on the Internet, these sorts of attacks are relatively unimportant. They make the user's individual life painful, but they don't generally have much impact on the rest of the network.

But routers are the glue that holds the Internet together - especially Cisco's gear, which is by far the most prevalent router hardware. A successful attack on Cisco routers can impact well, nearly everything.

Essentially, routers connect networks together. Just as there are multiple ways you can get to work, there are many ways a packet can cross the Internet. With the help of IOS, the main purpose of routers is to direct traffic across the Internet by deciding the path packets should take.

Lynn described a "Digital Pearl Harbor" scenario where a worm runs rampant across the Internet, breaking every router in its path. Without functioning routers, the Internet would cease to exist. To some, this scenario is a minor inconvenience that may prevent them from playing World of Warcraft. But for others, it could be a life and death situation. Important medical data such as prescription or other patient medical information may need to get to a hospital within minutes, and the Internet could be the only way.

Many Windows users are accustomed to regular patching and updating of their operating systems, but network administrators are understandably cautious about applying IOS patches without stringent acceptance testing. And in the face of a Digital Pearl Harbor attack, Cisco won't be able to distribute patches over the Internet. Lynn says, "How are you going to ship out patches when every router is dead?"