Geopolitical Unrest Generates an Onslaught of DDoS Attacks, According to the Latest NETSCOUT Threat Intelligence Report
Hacktivist Groups Increase Activity Globally While a Rise in DNS Water Torture Contributed to more than 7 Million DDoS Attacks in the Second Half of 2023
Hacktivism Increases Ten-Fold
DDoS (Distributed Denial-of-Service) hacktivism transcended geographic borders during the past year, exemplifying a shift in the global security landscape. Groups like NoName057(016) and Anonymous Sudan, as well as lone hackers and small collectives, are increasingly using DDoS to target those ideologically opposed to them, for example:
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Peru experienced a30% increase in attacks tied to protests of former Peruvian President Fujimori’s release from prison on December 6. -
Poland experienced a surge in attacks at the end of 2023 associated with a regime change and statements reaffirming Poland’s support ofUkraine in theRussia -Ukraine conflict. -
Anonymous
Sudan attacked X (formerly Twitter) to influence Elon Musk regarding Starlink service inSudan , and it attacked Telegram for suspending its main channel.
NoName057(016), Anonymous Sudan, and Killnet have taken credit for DDoS attacks in
Water Torture Attacks Rise
Targeting critical systems at the heart of the Internet's control plane, DNS (Domain Name System) water torture attacks have been on the rise since the end of 2019. DNS query floods designed to overwhelm authoritative DNS servers experienced a massive
Gaming and Gambling Targeted
NETSCOUT findings point to gaming -- and the gambling associated with gaming – as a primary target for DDoS attacks. Threat actors are drawn to the sector’s substantial financial value and the goal of disrupting competitors, especially during online esports tournaments. Historically, 80
In addition, based on NETSCOUT’s observations of the DDoS threat landscape, approximately
“Global adversaries have become more sophisticated in the past year attacking websites and overloading servers to lockout customers and inflict digital chaos to influence geopolitical issues,” stated Richard Hummel, senior threat intelligence lead, NETSCOUT. “The relentless barrage of DDoS threats drives up costs and creates security fatigue for network operators. They cannot safeguard their digital assets without the proper advanced DDoS protection leveraging predictive, real-time threat intelligence.”
Multiple decades of experience working with the world’s largest service providers and enterprises give NETSCOUT far-reaching visibility into the global internet to discern the pulse of the digital world. Our capacity to monitor and respond to DDoS attacks is powered by our ATLAS platform, which enables us to analyze an impressive 500 terabits per second (Tbps) of network traffic.
Visit our interactive website for more information on NETSCOUT's DDoS Threat Intelligence Report. For real-time DDoS attack stats, map, and insights, visit NETSCOUT Cyber Threat Horizon.
About NETSCOUT
NETSCOUT SYSTEMS, INC. (NASDAQ: NTCT) protects the connected world from cyberattacks and performance and availability disruptions through the company’s unique visibility platform and solutions powered by its pioneering deep packet inspection at scale technology. NETSCOUT serves the world’s largest enterprises, service providers, and public sector organizations. Learn more at www.netscout.com or follow @NETSCOUT on LinkedIn, X, or Facebook.
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Editorial:
Chris Lucas
NETSCOUT Systems, Inc.
+1 978-614-4124
chris.lucas@netscout.com
Chris Shattuck
Finn Partners for NETSCOUT
+1 404 502 6755
NETSCOUT-US@FinnPartners.com
Source: NETSCOUT SYSTEMS, INC