The attack works by pinging, or making an enquiry, to a DNS, or name server.

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Worst of all, the DNS (Domain Name Server) computers used by your ISP can be overwhelmed as they try to translate the names of all the websites subscribers want to visit (say, www.economist.com) into their actual internet addresses (216.35.68.215).

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Type in "Paypal.com, " for instance, and the DNS server owned by your broadband provider converts that name into the Internet Protocol address where the site is hosted.

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Few people realize how much information a DNS server sees can be seen by organizations that are part of the domain name system.

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