Business Wire

MA-NETSCOUT-SYSTEMS

25.4.2024 12:06:33 CEST | Business Wire | Press release

Share
Geopolitical Unrest Generates an Onslaught of DDoS Attacks, According to the Latest NETSCOUT Threat Intelligence Report

NETSCOUT SYSTEMS, INC. (NASDAQ: NTCT) today released findings from its 2H2023 DDoS Threat Intelligence Report that dissects trends and attack methodologies adversaries use against service providers, enterprises, and end-users. The information cited in the report is gathered from NETSCOUT’s unparalleled internet visibility at a global scale, collecting, analyzing, prioritizing, and disseminating data on DDoS attacks from 214 countries and territories, 456 vertical industries, and more than 13,000 Autonomous System Numbers (ASNs). Driven by tech-savvy and politically motivated hacktivist groups and an increase in DNS water torture attacks, NETSCOUT observed more than 7 million DDoS attacks in the second half of 2023, representing a 15% increase from the first half.

Hacktivism Increases Ten-Fold

DDoS (Distributed Denial-of-Service) hacktivism transcended geographic borders during the past year, exemplifying a shift in the global security landscape. Groups like NoName057(016) and Anonymous Sudan, as well as lone hackers and small collectives, are increasingly using DDoS to target those ideologically opposed to them, for example:

  • Peru experienced a 30% increase in attacks tied to protests of former Peruvian President Fujimori’s release from prison on December 6.
  • Poland experienced a surge in attacks at the end of 2023 associated with a regime change and statements reaffirming Poland’s support of Ukraine in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
  • Anonymous Sudan attacked X (formerly Twitter) to influence Elon Musk regarding Starlink service in Sudan, and it attacked Telegram for suspending its main channel.

NoName057(016), Anonymous Sudan, and Killnet have taken credit for DDoS attacks in Ukraine, Russia, Israel, and Palestine targeting communications infrastructure, hospitals, and banks. Daily attacks from hacktivists increased more than ten-fold between the first and second halves of 2023. NoName057(016) topped the list of DDoS adversaries in 2023, targeting 780 websites across 35 countries.

Water Torture Attacks Rise

Targeting critical systems at the heart of the Internet's control plane, DNS (Domain Name System) water torture attacks have been on the rise since the end of 2019. DNS query floods designed to overwhelm authoritative DNS servers experienced a massive 553% increase from 1H2020 to 2H2023. Rather than targeting one website or server, adversaries go after entire systems, resulting in even more damage.

Gaming and Gambling Targeted

NETSCOUT findings point to gaming -- and the gambling associated with gaming – as a primary target for DDoS attacks. Threat actors are drawn to the sector’s substantial financial value and the goal of disrupting competitors, especially during online esports tournaments. Historically, 80-90% of all DDoS attacks are related to gaming and gambling. NETSCOUT assessed attacks on enterprises in these sectors, determining that more than 100,000 DDoS attacks were deployed against those in gaming, and over 20,500 were made against those tied to gambling in 2023.

In addition, based on NETSCOUT’s observations of the DDoS threat landscape, approximately 1% of DDoS attacks are suppressed from originating networks.

“Global adversaries have become more sophisticated in the past year attacking websites and overloading servers to lockout customers and inflict digital chaos to influence geopolitical issues,” stated Richard Hummel, senior threat intelligence lead, NETSCOUT. “The relentless barrage of DDoS threats drives up costs and creates security fatigue for network operators. They cannot safeguard their digital assets without the proper advanced DDoS protection leveraging predictive, real-time threat intelligence.”

Multiple decades of experience working with the world’s largest service providers and enterprises give NETSCOUT far-reaching visibility into the global internet to discern the pulse of the digital world. Our capacity to monitor and respond to DDoS attacks is powered by our ATLAS platform, which enables us to analyze an impressive 500 terabits per second (Tbps) of network traffic.

Visit our interactive website for more information on NETSCOUT's DDoS Threat Intelligence Report. For real-time DDoS attack stats, map, and insights, visit NETSCOUT Cyber Threat Horizon.

About NETSCOUT

NETSCOUT SYSTEMS, INC. (NASDAQ: NTCT) protects the connected world from cyberattacks and performance and availability disruptions through the company’s unique visibility platform and solutions powered by its pioneering deep packet inspection at scale technology. NETSCOUT serves the world’s largest enterprises, service providers, and public sector organizations. Learn more at www.netscout.com or follow @NETSCOUT on LinkedIn, X, or Facebook.

©2024 NETSCOUT SYSTEMS, INC. All rights reserved. NETSCOUT, the NETSCOUT logo, Guardians of the Connected World, Visibility Without Borders, Adaptive Service Intelligence, Arbor, ATLAS, Cyber Threat Horizon, InfiniStream, nGenius, nGeniusONE, Omnis, and TrueCall are registered trademarks or trademarks of NETSCOUT SYSTEMS, INC., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240425443965/en/

About Business Wire

Business Wire
Business Wire
101 California Street, 20th Floor
CA 94111 San Francisco

http://businesswire.com
DK

Subscribe to releases from Business Wire

Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Latest releases from Business Wire

INRIX Announces New Generation of AI Traffic Products: Helping to Improve Safety, Reduce Congestion, and Enhance Mobility Operations24.2.2026 16:49:00 CET | Press release

New generative AI capabilities, enhanced incident detection, and expanded customer deployments mark a major evolution of the INRIX Traffic product family INRIX, a global leader in transportation data and analytics, today announced a major expansion of its Trafficfamily of products, delivering innovativeAI-driven capabilities to help transportation agencies and logistics organizations move from reactive traffic management to proactive, safety-focused and efficient operations. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260224267928/en/ INRIX introduces expanded automation, generative AI capabilities, enhanced incident detection, and continuous analytics. Over twenty years ago, INRIX commercialized the first system to use GPS data to create real-time traffic information. In 2019, INRIX launched AI Traffic – the world's first traffic platform to leverage deep learning models and AI to improve the quality and analysis globall

Check Point and ControlPlane Partner to Help Enterprises Securely Scale AI and Accelerate Agentic Innovation24.2.2026 15:30:00 CET | Press release

ControlPlane, a specialist AI Security and DevSecOps consultancy, and Check Point Software Technologies Ltd., a pioneer and global leader in cyber security solutions, today announced a strategic collaboration to help enterprises securely adopt Large Language Models (LLMs) and agentic AI systems at scale. The partnership delivers a comprehensive, regulator-ready security framework designed to reduce risk, protect sensitive data, and enable organizations to move confidently from AI experimentation to production deployment. By combining Check Point’s AI-native threat prevention platform with ControlPlane’s deep expertise in cloud native architectures and DevSecOps, enterprises can operationalize AI securely without slowing innovation. As organizations advance AI initiatives beyond pilots, they face a growing “AI readiness gap.” Emerging threats such as prompt injection, unauthorized access, data leakage, and model misuse introduce risks that traditional security controls were not built to

Clinilabs Establishes EU Headquarters in Basel, Strengthening European Clinical Operations Under New Regional Leadership24.2.2026 15:00:00 CET | Press release

Clinilabs, a leading specialty contract research organization (CRO) focused on central nervous system (CNS) drug and device development, today announced the expansion of its European operations, including the establishment of its European Union headquarters at Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area, and the appointment of Dr. Anne-Marie Nagy as executive vice president and head of Clinilabs Europe. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260224669284/en/ Dr. Anne-Marie Nagy appointed as Executive Vice President and Head of Clinilabs Europe Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area is part of Switzerland’s national innovation network and located within the Basel region’s globally recognized life sciences cluster, bringing together biopharma companies, research institutions, and clinical innovation leaders. “Europe is a critical pillar of Clinilabs’ long-term growth strategy,” said Gary K. Zammit, Ph.D., president and chie

Yubico Unveils “YubiNation Partners”: A New Era of Global Channel Partnership to Secure Digital Identities in the Age of AI24.2.2026 15:00:00 CET | Press release

Yubico (NASDAQ STOCKHOLM: YUBICO), a modern cybersecurity company and creator of the most secure passkeys, today announced the launch of YubiNation Partners, a new global Channel program designed to unite a community of security experts. In the face of growing AI-driven cyber threats, the program enables partners to become trusted advisors and cultivate a safer digital world for their customers, making identities private and secure. As the average cost of a corporate security breach climbs to $4.4 million*, with phishing remaining a primary attack vector, the industry can no longer rely on passwords alone. In fact, a 2026 Total Economic Impact study from Forrester Consulting commissioned by Yubico, found that by replacing traditional multi-factor authentication (MFA) and one-time passwords (OTP) with YubiKeys, customers achieved a 265% return on investment (ROI). This effectively eliminated phishing and credential-theft risks, reducing an organization’s risk exposure to breach costs fr

Pure Lithium Receives Japanese Patent for “Vertically Integrated Lithium Metal Production and Lithium Battery Production”24.2.2026 15:00:00 CET | Press release

Pure Lithium Corporation, a disruptive lithium metal battery technology company, is pleased to announce that Japan has issued a notice of allowance, granting the company its foundational patent titled “Vertically Integrated Pure Lithium Metal Production and Lithium Battery Production” which was previously granted in the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This powerful and broad patent applies to co-locating the manufacturing of pure lithium metal anodes and lithium metal batteries. Our vertically integrated anode technology results in a high-purity lithium metal anode, contributing to exceptional battery performance. By vertically integrating lithium metal anode and battery production, not only do we capture margin at every stage of manufacturing, we eliminate costly transportation, handling, third-party markups and material degradation, dramatically reducing overall battery production costs. “I am honored that the Japanese patent office has recognized the importance and no

In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.

Visit our pressroom
World GlobeA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.HiddenA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.Eye