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:
- 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.
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.
How Can Organizations Address DDoS Attacks?
A multilayered online security approach allows organizations to ensure their infrastructure is protected against DDoS attacks, Kaspersky DDoS Protection Team Project Manager Alexey Kiselev said in a prepared statement. In addition, organizations must regularly patch security vulnerabilities for long-term DDoS attack protection.
MSSPs also can provide security event analytics and reporting, automatic mitigation and other services to help organizations bolster DDoS attack response and remediation.
Arbor Networks, the security division of Netscout, in June announced APS v5.11, a new version of its DDoS detection and mitigation platform. APS v5.11 enables MSSPs to offer multi-layer or hybrid DDoS managed services to their customers, according to a prepared statement.
Telecommunications and internet services provider GTT Communications in May launched a DDoS mitigation service as part of its managed security suite. The service uses the Corero SmartWall Threat Defense System to detect and deflect attack traffic.
Global DDoS Protection and Mitigation Services Market Projected to Grow
Expect the demand for DDoS protection and mitigation services to increase over the next few years.
The global DDoS protection and mitigation services market is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.1 percent between 2018 and 2023, according to market research firm MarketsandMarkets. This sector also could be worth approximately $4.1 billion by 2023.
