DDoS attacks hit EMEA

Amid ongoing geopolitical unrest cybercriminals are ramping up their nefarious activities with the EMEA region is receiving the most Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks according to the latest Threat Intelligence Report from NETSCOUT (www.netscout.com).

The report highlights that threat actors launched approximately 7.9 million DDoS attacks globally in the first half of 2023, compared to just over 6 million for the same period in 2022.  This represents a 31% increase year-over-year and a staggering 44,000 DDoS attacks per day, with the EMEA region experiencing 2.4 million DDoS attacks – a 15% increase from the second half of 2022.

“During the first half of 2023, threat actors inundated EMEA with DDoS attacks.  There was a substantial increase in attack activity in the region, with cybercriminals launching both the largest and fastest attacks we observed in this period against countries in EMEA,” says Richard Hummel, Threat Intelligence Lead, NETSCOUT.

“EMEA-based businesses have already displayed their capabilities when it comes to blocking DDoS attacks.  This can be seen with organizations in the region blocking 37% of HTTP/S application-layer attacks.  In contrast to this, APAC only mitigated 1% of HTTP/S attacks.  Nevertheless, as the most targeted region globally, it is imperative for all organisations in EMEA to implement a powerful and effective cybersecurity strategy which is capable of mitigating DDoS attacks. This includes placing adaptive DDoS defences at every network edge to suppress attacks.”

“It’s also vital for businesses to regularly test their online infrastructure.  This ensures any adjustments made to applications or servers are incorporated into the wider DDoS mitigation system, protecting vital online infrastructural components.  Teaching employees about the basics of good cyber hygiene further strengthens institutions when it comes to defending themselves from emerging threats,” continues Hummel.

“With the threat posed by DDoS attacks continuing to grow, implementing these measures will ensure organisations in EMEA, and across the rest of the world, are adequately protected from DDoS attacks.”

More details about the threat landscape and regional attack trends can be found at www.netscout.com/threatreport