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DDos attacks mirror global tensions

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As distributed-denial-of-service (DDoS) attack volumes are increasing as a direct result of global tension according to research by NETSCOUT (www.netscout.com) with the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine seeing 66% of businesses change their cybersecurity strategies, with 82% of security professionals saying that they believe geopolitics and cybersecurity are intrinsically linked.

According to NETSCOUT’s 1H2022 Threat Intelligence Report, since Russia invaded Ukraine nearly a year ago, cyberattacks have become increasingly featured as part of threat actors’ attack methodology.

Likewise, as tensions rose between Taiwan, China, and Hong Kong in 1H2022, DDoS attacks against Taiwan took place with increasing frequency, in concert with related public events.  In addition, India experienced the second-highest number of DDoS attacks in APAC during 1H2022 after the country decided to abstain from both United Nations Security Council and General Assembly votes condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“DDoS attacks often represent forms of geopolitical protest, being deployed in an attempt to disrupt governments and vital organizations.  In all scenarios, DDoS attacks must move across multiple ISPs in order to reach their intended victim.  Even an attack which is successfully prevented will use up valuable resources on any ISP network it is able to reach.  As the majority of these attacks don’t just target a single victim, many organizations will be impacted when they take place – not least ISPs.  Therefore, it is imperative for organizations in regions experiencing geopolitical unrest to be well prepared in the event they’re targeted by a DDoS attack,” explains Richard Hummel, Threat Intelligence Lead, NETSCOUT.

“As geopolitical conflicts continue to rage on, organizations in countries experiencing these events should strongly consider installing a robust DDoS protection system, in order to stop DDoS attacks from crippling their online infrastructure.  For example, in a scenario where businesses with a sturdy DDoS mitigation system are on the receiving end of a DDoS attack, there is no need for them to be concerned about potential damage to their online infrastructure as the solution will be able to thwart attackers.”

“It is also crucial for businesses in affected nations to periodically test their online infrastructure.  By doing this, organizations ensure that alterations made to applications and services are protected by the DDoS defence strategy.  This is a must for enterprises during periods of sociopolitical unrest as regular testing ensures enterprises are aware of new DDoS attack methodologies and trends being developed by threat actors – which takes place with increased regularity amidst periods of geopolitical tensions,” continues Hummel.

“As the ongoing geopolitical conflicts demonstrate, DDoS attacks and socio-political events are intrinsically linked to one another, being utilized by cybercriminals as part of their weaponry.  Organizations in affected countries must do their utmost when it comes to sufficiently protecting themselves in the event they’re targeted by threat actors.”

For more information about DDoS attack trends relating to geopolitical tensions, see www.netscout.com/threatreport