Good lord there's some utter tosh being spouted in this thread
IPv6 is in use and has been for a few years now, mainly on backbones. It provides additional security as well as a vastly extended address range over IPv4. Neither have anything whatsoever to do with viruses - which, incidently, are vanishingly rare these days. Most malware is based around trojans of one sort or another with the occasional worm thrown in for good measure.
Apple use a standard IP stack as do Microsoft - otherwise they wouldn't be able to communicate with other systems. Microsoft have a slightly different interpretation of the 7 layer OSI model, but it all amounts to the same thing anyway.
DOS is rare - nobody really has the exclusive bandwidth to perform this any more now that ADSL and cable is widespread. DDOS is the usual attack now and that uses botnets - so called 'zombie machines' usually infected when numpties visit dodgy porn sites
Most of the kids that attempt to hack are using tools freely available on the net and don't have a clue what they're doing with them to be honest - these are the so-called 'script kiddies'. Real hackers fall into three classes. 1. The security professionals - they test systems and look for flaws and vulnerabilities. 2. The skilled amateurs - they do much the same thing but don't do it under contract and terms of reference. Both of these groups develop and use the security tools and make them available to others. Finally, 3. The criminal hacker - they target corporations and businesses looking for XSS and SQL inject vulnerabilities and also write malware. A skilled hacker needs to be able to craft code as required to perform specific tasks and also needs an in depth understanding of how networks and hosts work and interface as well as the various communication protocols in use.
System hacks are rarely achieved by sniffing packets - most are achieved by targeting specialised malware at individuals with authority on a system.
Carry on folks
