Kaspersky experts have registered many attacks. The DDoS summer slump will be canceled in 2020: 217 percent more attacks in the second quarter.
According to the latest DDoS report from Kaspersky [1], this year there is a significant increase in the second quarter instead of the usual decline in DDoS attacks. The numbers have tripled compared to the same quarter of the previous year and are even higher than in the first quarter of 2020. Kaspersky experts suspect that this increase in malicious activity is due to the effects of COVID-19, as both cyber criminals and their targets rethink their summer plans had to.
In the second quarter of this year, Kaspersky DDoS Protection [2] detected and blocked 217 percent more attacks than in the same period last year. Compared to the first quarter of 2020, the number rose again slightly. The results are in great contradiction to the usual seasonal trends of the past few years. DDoS attacks usually peak at the beginning of each year - analogous to the high season for business activities. In late spring and summer, the numbers usually fall again. In 2019, there were 39 percent fewer DDoS attacks in the second quarter than in the first quarter. In 2018 it was 34 percent less. However, many people are currently spending their vacations at home or have canceled vacations that have already been planned. Kaspersky experts see this as the reason why the annual summer slump in terms of DDoS attacks does not materialize this year.
New trend: increasing attacks
This trend is also reflected in the number of commands that bots receive from command and control (C&C) servers and that are intercepted and evaluated by the Kaspersky DDoS Intelligence System. The average daily number of registered attacks in the second quarter rose by 30 percent compared to the previous quarter. The negative record was set on April 9 with almost 300 attacks (in the previous quarter the maximum was only 242 attacks).
“This year, people were not able to enjoy their vacations as usual as a result of COVID-19,” explains Alexey Kiselev, Business Development Manager at Kaspersky DDoS Protection Team. “This has resulted in more people than usual relying on online resources for personal and professional pursuits. This makes this summer a busy time for online businesses and information resources. As a result, there were an unexpected number of DDoS attacks, which, according to the current state of knowledge, will probably not abate either."
Kaspersky tips for businesses to protect themselves against DDoS attacks
- Applications based on Internet resources should be managed by dedicated specialists who know how to react to possible attacks. These should also be ready for use outside of normal working hours and on weekends.
- The agreements with third parties and their contact details should be checked regularly - including those of Internet service providers. This allows teams to quickly access the information they need in the event of an attack.
- Dedicated anti-DDoS solutions help companies protect themselves from DDoS attacks. Kaspersky DDoS Protection [2], for example, combines Kaspersky's expertise in combating cyber threats with developments in their own company.
More on this at Securelist Kaspersky.com
About Kaspersky Kaspersky is an international cybersecurity company founded in 1997. Kaspersky's in-depth threat intelligence and security expertise serve as the basis for innovative security solutions and services to protect companies, critical infrastructures, governments and private users worldwide. The company's comprehensive security portfolio includes leading endpoint protection as well as a range of specialized security solutions and services to defend against complex and evolving cyber threats. Kaspersky technologies protect over 400 million users and 250.000 corporate customers. More information about Kaspersky can be found at www.kaspersky.com/