Key Insights
Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks are growing in number and complexity, with cyber criminals using them to overload networks and disrupt critical systems. As these attacks become more sophisticated, it’s important for both individuals and organizations to stay alert and prepared.
Who should read this?
- Organizations -Businesses who rely on online services, websites, and networks for their daily operations.
What are DDoS attacks?
A DDoS attack (Distributed Denial of Service) happens when a lot of different computers or devices work together to send a massive amount of traffic to a target system—like a website, a server, or even an app. This flood of traffic overwhelms the system, causing it to slow down or even crash, making it unavailable to anyone trying to use it.
Usually, we think DDoS attacks only target websites, but they can cause problems for much more than that. They can disrupt email systems, cloud services, apps, and even databases. In short, anything an organization relies on online can be affected. DDoS attacks are becoming more common and now affect organizations of all sizes, from large corporations to small businesses.
Examples of DDoS attacks include:
- Large-scale attacks targeting websites – Cyber criminals deploy a vast number of devices to flood websites with massive traffic, causing them to crash or become inaccessible.
- Targeting financial institutions – DDoS attacks overwhelm online banking systems, leading to service disruptions and frustrating customers.
- Cloud service providers – Cyber criminals may also target cloud platforms, causing service outages that impact thousands of businesses.
A recent Forbes report highlights the growth in the frequency and scale of DDoS attacks, with a record-breaking attack reaching 56 terabits per second (Tbps), underlining the growing impact of DDoS on businesses worldwide. If organizations take appropriate security measures, they can minimize the impact of these attacks or their potential to disrupt critical operations.
What’s the risk?
- Service downtime – DDoS attacks can bring down websites and services, leaving users unable to access them. This causes frustration and can lead to lost revenue.
- Financial costs – Since DDoS attack results in downtime, it significantly affects productivity leading to revenue losses as well as costs for service recovery. Businesses may also face legal repercussions for failing to provide their services adequately.
- Damage to reputation – Ongoing disruptions from DDoS attacks can harm an organization’s reputation, erode customer trust, and lead to loss of customers and revenue.
How to stay safe?
For organizations
- Evaluate systems and identify potential security risks-Get to know how your online services (like websites or apps) function and where they might break if attacked. Knowing which parts of your system are most important helps you prepare for possible issues.
- Make sure your system can handle more traffic-Your system should be able to handle more traffic if it needs to. This means ensuring that your website or app can quickly adjust to higher levels of visitors, especially if there is a sudden surge in traffic due to an attack.
- Set up protection before traffic reaches you-Work with your internet provider to make sure they can block harmful traffic before it reaches your systems. This acts as an extra layer of protection, reducing the impact on your website or services.
- Monitor network activity all the time-Keep an eye on your network at all times. Using tools that alert you to unusual traffic can help you notice a DDoS attack early and take action quickly before it becomes a bigger problem.
- Have a plan for what to do during an attack-Create a clear plan for how to handle a DDoS attack. Make sure everyone knows their role, including your IT team, partners, and managers. Test this plan periodically and update it when needed so everyone is ready.
