January 18, 2024 at 12:19PM
In late 2023, Bangladesh experienced a surge in distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, particularly targeted towards key industries and the national election. The attacks were aimed at disrupting communication channels and information flow, possibly to manipulate voter communication and compromise the credibility of the electoral process. The Smart Election app, used during the national elections, faced cyberattacks, possibly originating from Europe and Ukraine. The threat of DDoS attacks in global elections is expected to increase, utilizing new technologies to amplify their impact.
Based on the meeting notes, here are the key takeaways:
– There was a significant increase in distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack traffic leading up to the national elections in Bangladesh at the end of 2023. The attacks targeted crucial sectors, including telecommunications, media, and banking.
– Cloudflare provided exclusive data showing a 33% quarter-over-quarter jump in HTTP DDoS attack traffic in Bangladesh, with telecommunications being the primary target.
– The DDoS attacks appeared to have political motivations, aimed at disrupting communication channels, influencing public opinion, and potentially impacting voter communication and coordination.
– The Smart Election Management BD mobile app, which provides election-related information to Bangladeshi citizens, was targeted by cyberattacks during the elections. The traffic was claimed to have originated from Germany and Ukraine, although Cloudflare’s data suggests a globally distributed botnet may have been used.
– Cloudflare predicts that DDoS attacks will continue to be a threat to global elections and may evolve with the use of new technologies, amplifying the tactics used by nation-states and affiliated groups.
These takeaways provide a clear understanding of the DDoS threats and their potential impact on election processes, as well as the need for heightened cybersecurity measures in the context of global elections.