Trustwave SpiderLabs Uncovers Unique Cybersecurity Risks in Today's Tech Landscape. Learn More

Trustwave SpiderLabs Uncovers Unique Cybersecurity Risks in Today's Tech Landscape. Learn More

Services
Capture
Managed Detection & Response

Eliminate active threats with 24/7 threat detection, investigation, and response.

twi-managed-portal-color
Co-Managed SOC (SIEM)

Maximize your SIEM investment, stop alert fatigue, and enhance your team with hybrid security operations support.

twi-briefcase-color-svg
Advisory & Diagnostics

Advance your cybersecurity program and get expert guidance where you need it most.

tw-laptop-data
Penetration Testing

Test your physical locations and IT infrastructure to shore up weaknesses before exploitation.

twi-database-color-svg
Database Security

Prevent unauthorized access and exceed compliance requirements.

twi-email-color-svg
Email Security

Stop email threats others miss and secure your organization against the #1 ransomware attack vector.

tw-officer
Digital Forensics & Incident Response

Prepare for the inevitable with 24/7 global breach response in-region and available on-site.

tw-network
Firewall & Technology Management

Mitigate risk of a cyberattack with 24/7 incident and health monitoring and the latest threat intelligence.

Solutions
BY TOPIC
Microsoft Exchange Server Attacks
Stay protected against emerging threats
Rapidly Secure New Environments
Security for rapid response situations
Securing the Cloud
Safely navigate and stay protected
Securing the IoT Landscape
Test, monitor and secure network objects
Why Trustwave
About Us
Awards and Accolades
Trustwave SpiderLabs Team
Trustwave Fusion Security Operations Platform
Trustwave Security Colony
Partners
Technology Alliance Partners
Key alliances who align and support our ecosystem of security offerings
Trustwave PartnerOne Program
Join forces with Trustwave to protect against the most advance cybersecurity threats

3 Big Reasons Why Cybercriminals Relish DDoS Attacks

When you think about cyberattacks and your business falling victim to one, chances are your mind wanders to a headline-making data breach that exposes legions of personal information about your customers.

It may be easy to overlook another type of attack that can wreak extensive havoc at your organization - and may signal that something even more damaging is underway.

Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, which flood your network with unwanted traffic, have become more frequent, powerful and commoditized over the past few years, so much so that the FBI is asking businesses to share details about these incidents so it can better understand how they are being launched and by whom.

You may consider DDoS attacks a mere nuisance, but they can disrupt your organization and grind your productivity and operations to a halt. And they're not going away. Why? Mainly because your adversaries extract too much value from them.

 

1) It nets them easy money.

Malicious hackers skilled in the art of disabling servers, usually with powerful botnets (which may consist of compromised IoT devices) at their disposal, can bring businesses to their knees - and then demand payment to call off the dogs. Gaming companies and media brands are trendy targets of these extortion-style attacks. Aware that the prospect of downtime is so undesirable for companies, craven crooks have even taken to sending blackmail letters merely threatening an attack, with no plans on actually following through.

 

2) It gives them a convenient smokescreen.

Cybercriminals like to create confusion - and they sometimes turn to DDoS attacks to distract and misdirect resource-deprived organizations from their primary goal: to pillage sensitive data. DDoS attacks are optimal subterfuge because they create noise and chaos that will attract the brunt of attention from your IT staff, leaving wide open the opportunity for your foes to simultaneously infiltrate your network and mask data exfiltration.

 

3) It can be the digital pretext for a physical attack.

Sometimes a DDoS attack is merely a means to an end. Earlier this week our SpiderLabs team revealed a web-based vulnerability in a popular brand of printers that could result in denial-of-service attacks. Our researchers theorized that attackers could launch the printer attack and show up at the target organization pretending to be the "technician" called to fix the problem. This impersonation could net them direct physical access to IT resources that they might never have been able to access remotely.

 

How to Defend Against Them

Given the trends, DDoS attacks are clearly difficult to stop. But there are efforts you can take to limit your exposure and minimize the harm they can cause. As always, defense-in-depth strategies that include performance baselining, risk assessments, perimeter protection, patching, vulnerability scanning, threat detection, and incident readiness and response can go a long way toward curbing the intensity and impact of these events.

DDoS mitigation services can also help handle high-volume, intense attacks, known as volumetric attacks. To gain more upstream protection, you can also talk to your internet service provider to ensure they are performing mitigation methods such as protocol filtering.

As an additional resource, Carnegie Mellon University's Software Engineering Institute offered useful suggestions, including the importance of shoring up network architecture by spreading out data centers, building in redundancy and avoiding single points of failure.

To learn how Trustwave can help, see our Managed Detection and Response services page.

Dan Kaplan in manager of online content at Trustwave.

Latest Trustwave Blogs

Unveiling the Latest Ransomware Threats Targeting the Casino and Entertainment Industry

Anyone who has visited a casino knows these organizations go to a great deal of expense and physical effort to ensure their patrons do not cheat. Still, there is a large group of actors who are...

Read More

Third-Party Risk: How MDR Offers Relief as Security Threats Abound

While third-party products and services are crucial to everyday business operations for almost any company, they also present significant security concerns, as high-profile attacks including...

Read More

Trustwave Takes Home Comparably Best Company Outlook for 2024 Award

Comparably, a leading workplace culture and compensation monitoring employee review platform selected Trustwave to receive its Best Company Outlook for 2024 Award. This award marks the seventh time...

Read More