The number of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks and targets rose in the first quarter of 2018, according to new research from Russian antivirus and cybersecurity solutions company Kaspersky Lab.Key finding from Kaspersky's "Q1 2018 DDoS Intelligence Report" included:
Furthermore, there was a "significant increase" in the total number and duration of DDoS attacks between the first quarters of 2017 and 2018, Kaspersky indicated. But if organizations understand the severity and frequency of DDoS attacks, they can take the necessary steps to reduce the risk of exposing their critical systems to DDoS attacks.
- DDoS attacks were registered in 79 countries, down from 84 countries during the prior quarter.
- The majority of DDoS attacks were launched against targets in China (59 percent), followed by the United States (18 percent) and South Korea (8 percent).
- The number of DDoS attacks peaked on Jan. 19 (666 attacks) and March 7 (687 attacks).
- The longest DDoS attack lasted 297 hours (more than 12 days).
- Wednesday (17 percent) was the most popular day for DDoS attacks, while Sunday (11 percent) was the calmest day for DDoS attacks.
