This site is the archived OWASP Foundation Wiki and is no longer accepting Account Requests.
To view the new OWASP Foundation website, please visit https://owasp.org
Logic/time bomb
This is a threat agent. To view all threat agents, please go to Threat Agent Category page.
Last revision (mm/dd/yy): 12/20/2012
Description
A logic bomb is a piece of malicious code that executes when specific trigger conditions are met. A typical example would be a program that monitors a company's payroll system, and attacks the company if a specific employee is terminated. A time bomb is a type of logic bomb that uses a date and time as its trigger condition. They are differentiated from software "easter eggs" by their malicious nature.
Risk Factors
A logic bomb can affect any systems that were accessible to the attacker. Depending on the motivation of the attacker, the bomb itself could modify payroll systems, steal corporate databases, or crash critical infrastructure.
- Computer Viruses occasionally use logic bombs as their payloads. This allows the virus time to spread before alerting infected users with its attack.
- Internal developers or IT contractors are the typical threat agents capable of delivering logic bombs.
Examples
Medco Health Solutions
- A unix systems administrator recieved 30 months in federal prison for inserting a logic bomb in Medco Health Solutions servers. link
Fannie Mae
- An IT contractor for Fannie Mae inserted a time bomb to attack corporate servers. link
Siberian Pipeline Sabotage
- It is alleged (and disputed) that a 1982 explosion of a Soviet natural gas pipeline was caused by a logic bomb. link
Related Attacks
Related Vulnerabilities
TBD
