Attacks using the technique known as distributed denial of service are making the news practically every day. The number of DDoS attacks increased by approx. 450% in 2022, which is 6.5 times greater than in 2021.
During the same time, the number of advanced DDoS attacks that are often targeted, also known as smart attacks, increased by approx. 35 % over the past few years, financial institutions have been the most common DDoS and DoS assault targets overall.
Does this imply that companies and organizations that are not involved in the banking and financial services sector are not at risk of being attacked by DDoS? In no way! Every company could be hit by a DDoS attack. Continue reading to know the reasons why each organization could be a target.
Weak security and DDoS prevention
Even though the technology is getting better, many companies still use old firewalls and signature-based traffic monitoring to protect against DDoS. Traditional security methods aren’t enough to protect against today’s complex threats. Even attacks that don’t last long can hurt money and reputation.
Small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) are just as much a target as significant corporations regarding attacks. As attacks on bigger companies make the news, SMEs often think they won’t be attacked. They don’t do much to protect against DDoS. DDoS attacks on SMEs are made in this easy-going way.
Making it easier to attack
The pandemic has pushed the government, non-profits, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to digitize. BYOT devices are used remotely from shared networks that aren’t always safe. The attack surface and DDoS risk of every organization are getting bigger. The problem worsens when companies don’t understand the crucial DDoS protection and instead use generic hosting, ISP, and cloud solutions.
DDoS attacks are simple and cheap
Most DDoS attacks in the past few years lasted less than 4 hours. Even though episodes are shorter, they are more intense, happen more often, and hurt more. Today, innovative, multi-vector and sophisticated DDoS attacks are easy to set up and don’t cost much owing to the following reasons:
- Innovations in technology
- Malware and botnets are easy to get
- Hacking and DDoS attacks as a service
So, attackers don’t have to work hard. DDoS attacks make money for the people who do them.
Competitors and employees who are unhappy can benefit
Websites that go down often (usually because of DDoS attacks) or have pages that have been changed lose their search engine rankings and reputation. To lose search engine rankings and reputations, DDoS is used by competitors and employees who aren’t happy with their jobs.
For Amusement
DDoS attacks may occur for no apparent reason. It’s a common misperception that every attack has a specific motive. But this isn’t the case at all. It does not matter how big or small the system or website is, many hackers experience an adrenaline rush when they successfully breach it.
Seeking Vengeance
Getting revenge is a frequent cause of DDoS attacks which can affect governments, businesses, or both. Attacks are not always used to express an opinion, but rather to target the enemy.
DDoS Hacktivism
As mentioned above, DDoS attacks don’t always involve data theft. Any opinion or demand can be strongly expressed using this technique. Online action can have a greater and quicker impact than participating in a protest or strike in person. DDoS is frequently used to express support or opposition to a particular cause. It could be about politics, but it could also be about a business or bank, an ethical issue, or an online game.
Politics agenda
The newest battleground is the Internet. DDoS attacks can also occur between nations or governments. Government websites may be the targets of DDoS attacks. Many people believe that governments or political parties frequently engage in DDoS attacks against one another, even though it is possible that non-political hackers hit the websites. This has been a good way to show political disagreement because most governments use the Internet to talk to each other and run their countries.
Unfriendly Competition
There is competition in the digital world as many businesses move their physical stores online.
Nearly half of the companies think their competitors used DDoS assaults to interrupt services. After all, if your competitors’ website is down, all the visitors will go to yours. Additionally, the reputation of your competitors’ brands is damaged, resulting in favorable associations with your business. How to stay secure?
Taking a proactive approach to security and enrolling an intelligent, controlled, and advanced DDoS protection solution is the most effective method to keep the organization secured from DDoS. One may avoid being a target of a distributed denial of service attack with the assistance of advanced solutions available in the market, which also improve the website’s speed and functionality.
