Hackers that launch DDoS (Distributed Denial-of-Service) attacks are getting smarter by the day.

They are increasingly focusing on the application layer. In DDoS attacks, the hackers attempt to deny access to the rightful customers impacting transactions.

They are also smarter in another way. They are launching more attacks during the weekends for obvious reasons.

“Investigation of botnet activity reveals that around 28 per cent of attacks happened on weekends, with the share of attacks on Sundays growing by two and a half percentage points — reaching 13 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2019,” cyber security firm Kaspersky has said.

In its report on DDoS attacks for the fourth quarter of 2019, it said that the increase in the attacks were higher because the fourth quarter was a period of retail warfare.

“We observe an increase in attacks from October to December every year,” it said.

Besides increase in the number of attacks, there was an increase in the average duration of the attack.

“Despite the significant growth in general, the season turned out to be quieter than expected,” Alexey Kiselev, Business Development Manager on the Kaspersky DDoS Protection team, said. Financial sector, too, was a major victim of DDoS attacks in the fourth quarter of 2019.

Good news for India is that it didn’t figure in the top-10 victims, with China, the US, Japan and Romania becoming worst hit.

Precautions

Kaspersky asks the organisations to conduct stress tests and web application audits periodically to identify the weaklinks in the infrastructure.

“Organisations should verify third-party agreements and contact information. This includes arrangements with an internet service provider, so that you can quickly reach it in case of an attack,” it said.

comment COMMENT NOW