DDoS attacks soar after long period of decline

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DDoS attacks are on the rise once again

Image credit: Shutterstock (Image credit: Shutterstock)

Last year it appeared that DDoS attacks were on the decline but new research from Kaspersky Lab has revealed   that the number of attacks actually increased significantly during the first quarter of 2019.

At the time, the cybersecurity firm's experts assumed that cybercriminals had shifted their attention to other attack methods such as cryptomining.

However, statistics for Q1 2019 contradict this trend and show that the number of DDoS attacks blocked by  Kaspersky Lab's DDoS Protection actually grew by a staggering 84 percent when compared to Q4 2018.

The reason the firm believes that DDoS attacks dropped in popularity is that several DDoS marketplaces were taken down. However, once new DDoS-for-Hire websites launched, the number of attacks grew exponentially as a result.

DDoS attacks

According to Kaspersky Lab, the most noticeable area of growth can be found in DDoS attacks that lasted for more than hour. These incidents doubled in quantity and their average length increased by 487 percent.

These statistics confirm its experts' hypothesis that hackers have improved their techniques and can now launch longer attacks which require more effort to organize.

Business development manager on the Kaspersky DDoS Protection team Alexey Kiselev explained how the DDoS attack market has evolved, saying:

“The DDoS attack market is changing. New DDoS services appear to have replaced ones shut down by law enforcement agencies. As organisations implement basic countermeasures, attackers target them with long-lasting attacks. It is difficult to say if the number of attacks will continue to grow, but their complexity is showing no signs of slowing down. We recommend that organisations prepare themselves effectively, in order to withstand sophisticated DDoS attacks.”

To prevent falling victim to a DDoS attack, Kaspersky Lab recommends that organizations ensure their web and IT resources can handle high traffic and that professional solutions are employed to counter these types of attacks.

  • Also check out the best DDoS protection to ensure your organization is prepared to fend off these attacks
Anthony Spadafora
Anthony Spadafora

After working with the TechRadar Pro team for the last several years, Anthony is now the security and networking editor at Tom’s Guide where he covers everything from data breaches and ransomware gangs to the best way to cover your whole home or business with Wi-Fi. When not writing, you can find him tinkering with PCs and game consoles, managing cables and upgrading his smart home.