That the internet is fragile is not a new idea. (Remember USENET? “Death of the Internet predicted. Film at 11”?)
Not surprisingly, Wendy Grossman long ago noted the discussion at CFP in 1998(!), and wrote it up as Buy ten backhoes, and Simson Garfinkel listed 50 Ways to Crash the Net.
Update: And how could I forget Staniford, Paxson & Weaver, How to 0wn the Internet in Your Spare Time (2002)?
