February 15, 2024 at 06:45AM
Geopolitical revenge now dominates DDoS attacks, with Israel becoming the 4th most targeted nation. StormWall’s data shows attacks against government, energy, and telecom sectors align with inflicting economic damage. Retail attacks may stem from over-aggressive competitors, while varying motives include criminal extortion and unfair competition. StormWall advises being prepared for evolving threat landscapes.
The meeting notes from the Q4 2023 review of global DDoS attacks conducted by StormWall identified several key takeaways:
1. Geopolitical factors have become the dominant driver of DDoS attacks, particularly evident in the dramatic increase in attacks against Israel following the Hamas raid and retaliatory actions by the Israeli military. This has positioned Israel as the fourth most DDoS attacked nation globally.
2. Government, telecommunications, finance, and energy sectors are the primary targets of DDoS attacks, pointing towards a motivation for inflicting economic damage and disturbance on targeted entities. Retail, though also a target, is considered an anomaly, potentially influenced by non-geopolitical factors such as aggressive competitors.
3. While it is often difficult to attribute individual actors behind DDoS attacks without their public claim of responsibility, the motivations behind these attacks appear to be primarily driven by geopolitical revenge, criminal extortion, and unfair competition.
4. Specific attention is drawn to the rapid rise of DDoS attacks against the energy sector and the use of various attack methods such as HTTP/HTTPS, TCP/UDP, DNS laundering, and mDNS attacks.
5. The entertainment industry is still subject to criminal extortion, while the retail, finance, and logistics sectors saw spikes in attacks during key shopping periods, potentially driven by competitors.
6. StormWall emphasizes the evolving threat landscape and the importance of proactive preparation for DDoS defense, encouraging organizations to prioritize setting up DDoS protection in advance.
These key points provide a clear understanding of the evolving nature and motivations behind DDoS attacks, as well as the sectors most at risk, and underscore the necessity for robust DDoS protection measures.