DDOS Attacks Reach Record Numbers in Q2 2015

The State of the Internet report from Akamai has revealed an alarming statistic concerning the prevalence of DDOS attacks. Shockingly, there was a 7 percent increase compared to the last quarter and up 132 percent from the same time last year. More worryingly, Q2 2015 contained, 12 “mega attacks” which features a peak of 1,000 gigabits per second and 50 million packets per second. One example lasted a total of 13 hours at 240 Gbps whilst most attacks revolve around a time period of 2-3 hours.

Interestingly, the data pinpoints the main source of DDOS attacks to China followed by the USA. Attackers are prioritizing their focus on online gaming networks and trying to cause utter destruction. More specifically, 35 percent of DDOS victims experienced attacks whilst using a gaming network such as Xbox Live. John Summers, VP of the Cloud Security Business Unit at Akamai said,

“The threat posed by distributed denial of service (DDoS) and web application attacks continues to grow each quarter,”

“Malicious actors are continually changing the game by switching tactics, seeking out new vulnerabilities and even bringing back old techniques that were considered outdated.”

Any DDOS attack is difficult to contest with and they’re starting to become an epidemic. Some websites are hit for political reasons, and others appear to be from vindictive people wanting to leave their mark. Whatever the motive, DDOS attacks are on the rise and a major problem for internet users.

Thank you Digital Trends for providing us with this information.