On March 23 and 24, customers of SkyBest's Internet services experienced slowed service or a lack of access to the Internet. The cause of this slowdown and disruption to our Internet service was due to a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack. DDoS attacks are aimed squarely at ensuring that the service delivered by a computing infrastructure (or Internet Service Provider, such as SkyBest) is negatively affected in some way. Web sites and other services facilitated by the Internet can also be negatively affected. Our network was hindered by this type of attack. Fortunately, our network staff worked with other connecting companies to block the DDoS attack on the equipment that connects our customers to the Internet backbone.

These types of attacks are a common occurrence on the Internet. SkyBest is working diligently to track down the origination of the attack, deter future would-be attackers and further protect our network from future attacks that would disrupt Internet service.

When customers subscribe to High-Speed Broadband Internet services, we emphasize the importance of installing a firewall on the customer's computer to protect the customer as well as our network. It's imperative that our High-Speed Broadband Internet customers have properly-installed firewall protection now and in the future to help thwart future DDoS and other malicious attacks directed at our Internet service, or other Internet resources. These attacks often involve innocent customers who subscribe to High-Speed Broadband Internet services but who do not have the necessary firewall protection on their computers. The definition below references "zombies," which are those unprotected computers that are compromised to assist in these types of attacks.

What is a DDoS Attack?

A DDoS attack consists of two distinct phases. During the first phase, the perpetrator (or hacker) compromises computers scattered across the Internet and installs specialized software on these computers to aid in the attack. In the second phase, the compromised computers (referred to as zombies) are then instructed through intermediaries (called masters) to commence the attack. The cumulative effect of the zombie attack is to overwhelm the victim (or network) with massive amounts of traffic.

We apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused our customers, and we thank you for your patience as we worked to restore service. SkyBest is dedicated to providing quality and reliable Internet services. If you have questions about firewall protection or other ways to protect your Internet connection, please contact your local SkyLine/SkyBest Customer Service Center.