DDoS is the new smokescreen

Neustar is reporting that DDoS attacks are increasingly used as distractions while other more damaging attacks take place.  Neustar is a telecommunications and DNS service provider that surveys the marketplace on DDoS attacks.  In the 2014 DDoS Attacks and Impact Report (pdf), Neustar revealed the following survey results:

• In 2013, 60% of companies were DDoS-attacked, up from 35% in 2012
• 87% of DDoS-attacked companies were attacked multiple times
• 77% of attacks last less than one day
• Attacks between 1-5Gbps grew from 8% to over 20%
• 55% of DDoS targets were also victims of financial, data, or IP theft
• The number of DDoS attacks requiring more than 6 people to mitigate rose from 33% to 56%

DDoS attacks are trending toward shorter and more concentrated strikes, leading analysts to believe that the DDoS smoke screening is on the rise.  This concept is explained pretty well by Rodney Joffe, Neustar Senior VP and Senior Technologist:

“When there’s a tremendous storm, you run around your house making sure all the windows are closed and you’ve got the flashlights ready. You’re not worried about anything else. DDoS attacks are similar. They create an all-hands-on-deck mentality, which is understandable but sometimes dangerous.”

TLDR:  DDoS is a head fake.

Although the DDoS attack might just be a smokescreen, it can still cost the company millions of dollars in manpower, lost revenues, brand confidence, and more.

If you'd like to learn more about how Barracuda can protect you from DDoS attacks, check out these blog posts:

• Preparing to meet the new FFIEC directive to combat DDoS
• Six emerging botnet trends that you should be addressing
• Brute Force and business logic
• Cloud security still a concern

You can order a 30-day risk-free evaluation unit of the Barracuda Web Application Firewall, the Barracuda NG Firewall, and any of our other security solutions here.  And if you'd like to chat with us,  you can reach us through our website or on social.