SQL Slammer

SQL Slammer is a 2003 <a href="/facts/Computer_worm/9qKR1Hx5">computer worm</a> that caused a <a href="/facts/Denial_of_service/6nkoK02J">denial of service</a> on some <a href="/facts/Internet/Xw1rVvJU">Internet</a> hosts and dramatically slowed general <a href="/facts/Internet_traffic/7LbX5bDq">Internet traffic</a>. It also crashed routers around the world, causing even more slowdowns. It spread rapidly, infecting most of its 75,000 victims within 10 minutes.
The program exploited a <a href="/facts/Buffer_overflow/uMFduL4B">buffer overflow</a> bug in Microsoft's <a href="/facts/Microsoft_SQL_Server/eCdt2JBL">SQL Server</a> and <a href="/facts/MSDE/npgRySUv">Desktop Engine</a> database products. Although the <a href="https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2002/ms02-039">MS02-039</a> (CVE-2002-0649) patch had been released six months earlier, many organizations had not yet applied it.
The most infected regions were Europe, North America, and Asia (including East Asia and India).

SQL Slammer open-in-new

SQL Slammer