WastedTimes

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Home network hardware supplier D-Link has been accused of harming the net's ability to tell the time accurately.

Detective work has found that many D-Link routers, switches and wireless access points are bombarding some net time servers with huge amounts of data.

Time servers help many net functions run smoothly. For instance they have a role in deciding who made the last bid in eBay auctions.

D-Link is now taking action after protests from time server overseers.

The problems caused by D-Link hardware came to light thanks to Danish contractor Poul-Henning Kamp who runs Denmark's time server. Typically the time servers have links with atomic clocks to ensure they are as accurate as possible.

Mr Kamp said his time server started getting hit with a lot more traffic than usual in August 2005. Initially he thought it was a web attack as some viruses use web clocks to co-ordinate their activities.

However, digital detective work by Dr Richard Clayton from the security research lab at the University of Cambridge revealed that all the unexpected data was coming from D-Link hardware.

Source BBC News : h__p://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4906138.stm