DDoS Attacks ‘Keep Getting Stronger’

The ever-growing threat of Direct Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks has once again been highlighted by a report from security firm Kaspersky.

The company found that DDoS attacks are becoming longer and more thorough as criminals specifically target certain organisations known to have weaknesses in their systems.

This included one attack which lasted for an astonishing 320 hours, as although more than 90 percent of attacks lasted less than 24 hours, the number of attacks lasting over 150 hours also grew significantly.

Under attack

The report, which covers the three months in the third quarter of the year, shows that the majority (91.6 percent) of DDoS attacks are located in only ten countries around the world, although Kaspersky Lab has recorded DDoS attacks targeting servers in 79 countries total.

Kaspersky also found that DDoS attacks are more likely to originate from the same countries. China, USA and South Korea occupied top positions in both ratings of the most frequent attack sources and targets.

“Based on our observations and direct measurements, we cannot pinpoint one exact direction in which the underground business of DDoS attacks is moving. Instead, the threat appears to be growing everywhere,” commented Evgeny Vigovsky, head of Kaspersky DDoS protection, Kaspersky Lab.

“We have recorded highly complex attacks on banks, demanding a ransom, but we have also observed new, low-cost methods designed to put a company’s operations down for a significant amount of time. Attacks are growing in volume with most of them aiming to attack, disrupt and disappear, but the number of lengthy attacks, capable of bankrupting a large, unprotected business is also on the rise. These significant developments make it imperative for companies to take measures to prevent the very real threat and increased risk posed by DDoS attacks.”

Kaspersky’s study is the latest in a number of reports to warn about the dangers posed by DDoS attacks.

Research last month by Corero Network Security found that its customers had endured a 32 percent increase in DDoS attacks compared to the previous quarter – an average of 4.5 per day.

However its report found that most of the recorded DDoS attacks were smash and grab assaults that lasted less than 30 minutes, showing the sheer range of threats companies face today.

Are you a security pro? Try our quiz!