(Image: Alexey Novikov via Adobe Stock)
Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks that take down online systems are nearly as old as the public Internet. But over the years, they have morphed and evolved into larger and more destructive forms — increasingly focused on monetization. Today, as organizations expand partnerships and supply chains — and with employees working from home due to the pandemic — the stakes are higher than ever.
"DDoS attacks have grown in sophistication as well as in bandwidth and throughput," says Roland Dobbins, principal engineer for network performance firm NetScout. "We see new DDoS vectors discovered or developed by more skilled attackers, more rapidly weaponized, incorporated into DDoS-for-hire services, and made accessible to anyone who can click a mouse and is intent on wreaking havoc."
However, the fundamental techniques used to deliver a DDoS attack haven't changed much, adds Carlos Morales, CTO at network analysis and cybersecurity firm Neustar.
"But how they are used and how well they can be customized to the victim certainly has," he says.
For example, dozens of Mirai variants have resulted in millions of Internet of Things (IoT) devices being compromised and used to generate botnets, along with mature booter and stressor services, he notes.
Yet, contrary to popular belief, today's DDoS attacks are neither particularly surgical nor precise. In many cases, the collateral impact is greater than the damage to the intended target.
"Shared Internet infrastructure, cloud resources, supporting ancillary infrastructure such as DNS servers, and bystander traffic are examples of resources that can be dis ..
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