Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks are on the rise, with over a third (33 per cent) of organisations facing a DDoS attack in 2017 – compared to 17 per cent in 2016.
Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks are on the rise, with over a third (33 per cent) of organisations facing a DDoS attack in 2017 – compared to 17 per cent in 2016.Cybercriminals are increasingly using DDoS attacks as a way to gain access to valuable and lucrative corporate data, and not just to cripple a victim’s services. This rapid development in the cyberthreat landscape has meant that all businesses are potential DDoS attack targets – from very small businesses through to enterprises.
According to Kaspersky Lab’s Global IT Security Risks Survey 2017*, 50 per cent of businesses claim that the frequency and complexity of DDoS attacks targeting organisations like theirs is growing every year. Indeed, 33 per cent of organisations experienced an attack in 2017 – double the amount in 2016, demonstrating the importance of increased awareness and protection against DDoS attacks, which show no sign of slowing down.
Of those affected, 20 per cent were very small businesses, 33 per cent MBs and 41 per cent enterprises – demonstrate that all types and size of organisations are at risk. Although figures for this year show that companies are more likely to experience just one attack – in 2016, 82 per cent faced more than one DDoS attack, compared to 76 per cent this year – the consequences are no less severe, resulting in significant business disruption. 26 per cent of the organisations that have been hit by DDoS attacks reported a significant decrease in performance of services, and 14 per cent said there was a failure of transactions and processes on affected services.
As well causing immediate and visible operational issues, many companies also claim that DDoS attacks are being used to cover-up other types of incident – leading to severe financial and reputational damage. In the first half of 2017, over half of those respondents affected by a DDoS attack (53 per cent) claimed that it was used as a smokescreen. Half (50 per cent) reported that the attack hid a malware infection; 49 per cent said that it masked a data leak or theft; and 42 per cent said that the DDoS attack was used to cover up a network intrusion or hacking. Another 26 per cent of businesses reported that the attack was hiding financial theft.
“While DDoS attacks have been a threat for many years, it’s still important that businesses take DDoS attacks seriously as they are one of the most popular weapons in a cybercriminal’s arsenal. They can be just as damaging to a business as any other cybercrime, especially if used as part of a bigger targeted attack. The ramifications caused by these types of attacks can be far-reaching as they’re able to reach deep into a company’s internal systems. Organisations must understand that protection of the IT infrastructure requires a comprehensive approach and continuous monitoring, regardless of the company’s size or sphere of activity,” says Russ Madley, Head of VSMB & channel at Kaspersky Lab UK.
To help businesses defend themselves from DDoS attacks – regardless of attack origin – Kaspersky DDoS Protection provides a complete, integrated solution that includes everything a business needs to minimise the threat of DDoS attacks. The solution keeps businesses running smoothly by protecting them from the most sophisticated and high-volume attacks. Further information is available here.
*The IT Security Risks research is an annual survey conducted by Kaspersky Lab in conjunction with B2B International. In 2017 we asked more than 5,200 representatives of small, medium (50 to 999) and large (1000+) businesses from 29 countries about their views on IT security and the real incidents that they have had to deal with.
