During the 3rd quarter of 2015, Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks reached a new figure with a 180% increase compared to 3rd quarter of 2014, and 23% increase compared to 2015 2nd quarter.
Akaimai says, “Average peak of DDoS attacks’ volume, bandwidth and duration decreased despite the new record of attacks.” The study performed by Akamai found that the UK was the top country source of such attacks for the 3rd quarter, being at the top was due to the fact that other countries had fewer confirmed attacks. In 2015 2nd quarter, China was the number one source country for DDoS attacks with over 37%.
According to the study, online gaming is the number one target for such attacks since the 2nd quarter of 2014 and warned online gaming companies that they could be top targets again in the 3rd quarter of 2015. The study also says that, “A couple of the large console gaming networks were attacked extensively in December 2014 when online players were likely to be affected during the launch of new networked games in the holiday season” the study also states, “We will experience a similar pattern again at the end of 2015”.
Akamai predicts that DDoS will remain a popular choice for attackers by stating, “Next months will see a new record of DDoS attacks on Akamai’s network while attack methods will vary with time”. Akamai added, “The gaming industry will continue to receive heavy attacks since security vulnerabilities in this industry will continue to attract attackers”. The report also added, “Financial services will continue to be a top target for attackers to extract sensitive data.”
On November 2015, Australian and New Zealand financial institutions were the first victims to fall to DDoS attacks. Kaspersky claims that a cybercriminal group called DD4BC, which stands for “DDoS for Bitcoin”, is behind the DDoS attacks that targeted banks, media groups and gaming companies, the group also threatened to target customers’ websites unless a payoff is given.
Kaspersky also found that 66.6% of internet users showed worries about the financial fraud happening online, yet 11% of users do not use any security solutions to protect themselves, the vulnerability of online payment is forcing more consumers to abandon such service. The global head of fraud prevention at Kaspersky Lab, Ross Hogan, said, “Cyber attackers are always for the lookout for personal financial information, their goal is to make use of user details or sell them to gain profit, that’s why users are increasingly worried about the danger of online fraud.” He added, “Financial institutions such as banks need to apply solid security solutions in order for their customers to feel safe and confident when banking online. Meanwhile, customers shouldn’t let their fears get in the way of enjoying the convenience of online banking services.”
Having 66.6% of internet users showing concerns about online fraud, Kaspersky found previously that 14.2% of users lack security awareness by using one password for all online accounts. The principal security researcher of Kaspersky Lab, David Emm, said, “It is unfortunate to see many people with little understanding about internet threats and lack of seriousness in safeguarding their sensitive data, this gap will of course increase the risk of losing their sensitive data.” He added, “It is advised to use different strong passwords for online accounts in order to protect digital identity, applying an algorithm to create strong passwords can contribute in protecting online accounts from being hacked.”
For more tips about online security best practices, contact our IT Security Team to get all the help needed in order to stay protected from harmful DDoS attacks and cyber criminals.