How I became the first person to describe the advent of a new class of computer network attack tools.

20 Years of DDoS: August 5, 1999

Something is happening, but what?

20 years ago today — August 5, 1999 — I rode my mountain bike across the University of Washington campus to work like every other workday. Early mornings in the summer in Seattle can be pretty nice. Sunny, a little cool with dew on the grass.

Before there were signs requiring that bike riders walk their bikes, I could cruise across campus, bunny-hopping the small 2–3 foot flights of stairs in the Quad, entering Red Square heading south, and — at just the right speed — take the two flights of ten steps each on the south-west corner Suzzallo Library in just over a second. My bike lock strapped on the handle-bars was the “only” sound: TAT!-TAT!-TAT!-TAT!-TAT!-TAT!-TAT!-TAT!-TAT!-TAT!-BAP!!…TAT!-TAT!-TAT!-TAT!-TAT!-TAT!-TAT!-TAT!-TAT!-TAT!-BAP!! (Adrenaline is a decent — low cost, despite the high risk — substitute for coffee!)

The steps off Red Square by Suzzallo Library (Left: rider’s view southbound down Rainier Vista with Mt. Rainier at sunset; Right: Looking north with Kane Hall on left, Suzzallo Library on right)

I had an office on the ground floor of Mary Gates Hall (which is just south of Suzzallo) along with the rest of the Computing and Communications (C&C) Client Services group, the people who answer help@ email questions from faculty, staff, and students (coincidentally…