NETSCOUT REPORTS DDOS ATTACKS TARGETING CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE PLAY A DOMINANT ROLE IN GEOPOLITICAL CONFLICTS

DDoS attacks are
precision-guided digital weapons as DDoS-for-hire services,
AI and powerful botnets drive onslaught of
attacks
Bengaluru, April 3, 2025 –NETSCOUT SYSTEMS, INC. (NASDAQ: NTCT)
today released its 2H2024
DDoS Threat Intelligence Report, revealing
how Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks have become a dominant means
of waging cyberwarfare linked to sociopolitical events such as elections, civil
protests, and policy disputes. The findings show how attackers exploit moments
of national vulnerability to amplify chaos and erode trust in institutions, as
they target the critical infrastructure of governments, commercial entities and
service providers.
Throughout the year, DDoS
attacks were intricately tied to social/political events, including Israel
experiencing a 2,844% surge tied to hostage rescues and political conflicts,
Georgia enduring a 1,489% increase during the lead-up to the passage of the “Russia
Bill,” Mexico having a 218% increase during national elections, and the United
Kingdom experiencing a 152% increase on the day the Labour Party resumed
session in Parliament.
“DDoS has emerged as the
go-to tool for cyberwarfare,” stated Richard Hummel, director, threat
intelligence, NETSCOUT. “NoName057(16) continues to be the leading actor for
politically motivated DDoS campaigns targeting governments, infrastructure, and
organizations. In 2024, they repeatedly targeted government services in the
United Kingdom, Belgium, and Spain.”
AI and Automation Drive Scale and Impact
DDoS-for-hire services
have become more powerful using AI for CAPTCHA bypassing, with about nine in
ten platforms now offering this capability. Additionally, many employ
automation to enable dynamic, multi-target campaigns and offer infrastructure
exploitation techniques such as carpet bombing, geo-spoofing, and IPv6 to
expand attack surfaces. Even the most novice operators can launch significant
DDoS attack campaigns causing substantial harm.
Botnets Playing a Bigger Role
Enterprise servers and
routers have been exploited to intensify attacks and make remediation more
challenging. Overall botnet populations declined by 5% but demonstrated strong
resiliency despite concerted takedown efforts. Law enforcement takedown efforts,
like Operation PowerOFF, continue to target DDoS-for-hire services but only
momentarily disrupt attack platforms as new platforms take their place. The
long-term impact is uncertain as attackers adapt and reconstitute their
networks, with no significant decline in global attack volume.
DDoS Attacks are Adaptive and Persistent
DDoS attacks are evolving
and adapting faster than ever, creating a challenge for defenders and those
entrusted with protecting critical infrastructure networks and service
availability. Enterprises, government organizations, and service providers are
all targets for DDoS attacks. Successful strategies must deploy proactive
intelligence-driven methodologies and automation to mitigate modern-day DDoS
attacks effectively. Staying ahead of new threats demands that organizations
outmaneuver an adversary that can force multiply its strength, speed,
intelligence, and persistence like nothing the world has ever seen.
Unparalleled Attack Visibility
NETSCOUT maps the DDoS
landscape through passive, active, and reactive vantage points, providing
unparalleled visibility into global attack trends. NETSCOUT protects two-thirds
of the routed IPv4 space, securing network edges that carried global peak traffic
of over 700 Tbps in 2H2024. It monitors tens of thousands of daily DDoS attacks
by tracking multiple botnets and DDoS-for-hire services that leverage millions
of abused or compromised devices.
Visit our website to learn more about NETSCOUT's DDoS Threat Intelligence
Report. For real-time DDoS attack stats 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 its 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.
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