DDoS Attacks Skyrocket and Hacktivist Activity Surges Threatening Critical Global Infrastructure According to NETSCOUT’s 1H2024 Threat Intelligence Report
Hacktivists Escalate Sophisticated, Multi-Vector Assaults on Banking and Financial Services, Government, and Utilities
“Hacktivist activities continue to plague global organizations with more sophisticated and coordinated DDoS attacks against multiple targets simultaneously,” stated
Attack Sophistication Strains Networks Worldwide
DDoS attacks continue to evolve, using innovative technologies and approaches to disrupt networks. During the 1H2024, NETSCOUT observed several significant trends, including:
-
NoName057(16), a pro-
Russia hacktivist group, increased its focus on application-layer attacks, particularly HTTP/S GET and POST floods, leading to a 43% rise compared to 1H2023. - Bot-infected devices increased by 50% with the emergence of the Zergeca botnet -- and the continued evolution of the DDoSia botnet used by NoName057(16) -- which uses advanced technologies like DNS over HTTPS (DoH) for command-and-control (C2).
- Distributed botnet C2 infrastructure leveraging bots as control nodes, enabling more decentralized and resilient DDoS attack coordination.
These attacks have triggered widespread disruptions, affecting industries on a global scale. Service slowdowns or outages can cripple revenue streams, delay critical operations, hinder productivity, and significantly elevate organizational risks.
Attackers Targeting New Networks
NETSCOUT also found that the emergence of new networks and autonomous system numbers (ASNs) play a pivotal role in increased DDoS activity. Over 75% of newly established networks are involved with DDoS activities, both as targets or abused participants in furthering attacks on others, within the first 42 days of coming online, as adversaries launch attacks using resilient nuisance networks and bulletproof hosting providers. Organizations need to plan for DDoS protection when splitting off a portion of a network to a new ASN rather than assume automatic protections from upstream service providers.
NETSCOUT’s global internet visibility is backed by decades of experience working with the world’s largest service providers and enterprises. It collects, analyzes, prioritizes, and disseminates data on DDoS attacks from 216 countries and territories, 470 vertical industries, and over 14,000 ASNs. Powered by its ATLAS platform, the company gains insights from more than 500 terabits per second (Tbps) of internet peering network traffic.
Visit our interactive website for more information on NETSCOUT's DDoS Threat Intelligence Report. For real-time DDoS attack stats, map, and insights, visit NETSCOUT Cyber Threat Horizon.
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