Why certain companies are more heavily targeted by DDoS attacks

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In 2019, numerous companies were targeted by hackers using Dispersed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, with gaming and states security business Imperva being the most frequently targeted. DDoS attacks involve flooding a website with traffic from multiple sources in an attempt to overwhelm the web server, causing it to crash or shut down. While all companies are vulnerable to these attacks, certain industries and types of businesses are more heavily targeted. According to a recent report by Imperva, the gaming sector was the primary target of DDoS attacks last year.

Imperva’s annual Global DDoS Risk Landscape Report, released on Wednesday, examined the scale, frequency, and methods used by DDoS attackers. The report found that most DDoS attacks in 2019 were smaller in scale than in previous years, with around 25% lasting less than 10 minutes and only 5% lasting more than 24 hours. This could be attributed to the need for attackers to cause as much damage as possible before DDoS security measures could be implemented.

The size of DDoS attacks is typically measured by two factors: the forwarding rate, or the rate at which packets are delivered (measured in Millions of packets per second, or Mpps), and the total load on a network (measured in Gigabits per second, or Gbps). One attack in 2019 reached as high as 580 Mpps and 680 Gbps, while the majority were less than 50 Mpps and 50 Gbps. Imperva noted that the smaller attacks could be the result of for-hire DDoS services, which offer unlimited small attacks.

While the attacks were generally smaller in scale, they were also more persistent. Two-thirds of the targets were hit up to five times, and a quarter of them were attacked 10 or more times. This could be due to hackers targeting high-profile targets and using different methods to attempt to take them down. Despite the increasing frequency and sophistication of DDoS attacks, companies can take steps to protect themselves and their customers by implementing strong security measures and partnering with experienced security providers.

UDP (User Datagram Protocol) was the most common attack method in 2015, used in 36% of the evaluated attacks by Imperva. UDP is a popular choice among DDoS attackers due to its ease of spoofing and widespread use of DNS amplification attacks, which make use of vulnerabilities in domain system (DNS) servers. Beyond UDP, other typical attack vectors were SYN Flood, DNS Reaction, TCP, and NTP.

In the realm of cyber attacks, DDoS attacks are a popular method used to disrupt and take down websites. Large corporations are often targeted due to their high value and competitiveness in the market. Gaming companies, in particular, are highly susceptible to DDoS attacks, accounting for approximately 36% of all attacks in 2019. Similarly, companies in the computing and web sectors are also prime targets, making up another 36% of attacks. This is due to the high value of web service providers, web hosting, and domain companies. Websites hosting high-risk businesses, such as gaming companies and crypto-currency traders, are also at a heightened risk of attack.

Interestingly, the adult industry was the most targeted sector in 2019, with adult-oriented websites experiencing an average of 84 attacks between May and December. This averages out to around 10.5 attacks per website each month.

The reasons for targeting specific industries vary. In highly competitive markets, such as e-commerce, DDoS attacks can be used to gain a competitive edge by taking down a competitor’s website. In other instances, criminals may extort money from online businesses in exchange for keeping their websites online. Hacktivists often target political, media, or business websites to express their opposition to their actions. Lastly, cyber vandals, who may be disgruntled users or random criminals, often target gaming services or other high-profile targets for the sake of vandalism.

Addin
Addin
I am the Editor for Gaming Ideology. I love to play DOTA and many other games. I love to write about games and make others love gaming as much as I do.

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