This year’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month highlights the theme “Being Smarter than the Hacker” as businesses face mounting cyber risks.
Among the most pressing cyber risk concerns for businesses are distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, which have surged dramatically in frequency, magnitude, and complexity.
Data recorded by GTT indicates a troubling 25% increase in multi-vector DDoS attacks during the first half of 2024 compared to late 2023. This alarming trend underscores the need for business to adopt a DDoS security solution that can address these new challenges.
The evolving DDoS threat
DDoS attacks are not new but have evolved dramatically becoming more difficult to detect and defend against. The costs associated with DDoS attack prevention have also skyrocketed as cybercriminals now employ complex, multi-vector strategies that launch varied attack methods in rapid succession, making them harder to detect and thwart. This growing sophistication demands that organisations rethink their defences and prepare for next-generation threats, many of which will leverage AI for increased potency.
Artificial Intelligence’s role in the new DDoS landscape
AI plays a complex role in DDoS—both enhancing the sophistication of attacks and serving as a critical component in their defence. AI-powered systems can detect unusual traffic patterns in real time, enabling quick, automated responses. Yet, human oversight remains essential, as AI alone lacks the nuanced judgment of experienced cybersecurity professionals. A hybrid approach, combining AI’s speed with human expertise, is essential for a resilient DDoS defence strategy.
Adapting to new sophisticated threats
Cybercriminals are continually refining their methods to bypass traditional security measures. Modern DDoS tactics now involve advanced methods such as flooding, reflection, and state exhaustion, which can easily overwhelm traditional security measures. To counter these, organisations need comprehensive response strategies, including strong firewalls, load balancers, and continuous monitoring. Adopting a zero-trust framework—treating all traffic as potentially malicious and consistently verifying users—can further strengthen defences.
Advancements in DDoS Mitigation
With the growing threat landscape, automated DDoS protection systems are essential. These measures drastically reduce response times, allowing businesses to detect and mitigate threats in seconds rather than minutes.
Leading cyber security and networking providers have also increased the capacity of their scrubbing centres while planning further investments to ensure they can meet the growing demand for effective DDoS mitigation that could handle larger attacks.
Looking forward: Staying one step ahead
As we go through and beyond Cybersecurity Awareness Month, organisations should prepare for a DDoS threat landscape characterised by greater sophistication and complexity. The exponential growth of IoT-based botnets and the use of weaponised AI will only exacerbate the situation for network and security professionals.
Seeking additional support, companies increasingly see the value in partnering with a managed DDoS mitigation service provider to help implement comprehensive defence plans essential to protect against financial losses, uphold customer trust, and maintain a secure reputation.
Whether it’s inside or outside Cybersecurity Awareness Month, staying one step ahead of cyber criminals is non-negotiable. Prioritising a robust cybersecurity strategy will help businesses navigate an increasingly complex digital landscape. Part of this strategy must include ensuring operational resilience and protection against emerging DDoS threats.
About the Author
Erik Nordquist is Managed Security Product Director at GTT. GTT is a leading networking and security as a service provider for multinational organizations, simply and securely connecting people and machines to data and applications – anywhere in the world. We serve thousands of organizations, bringing together the right people, partners and technology to reduce the burden on IT teams and solve the most pressing networking and security challenges. Built on our top-ranked global Tier 1 network, GTT Envision is a single global technology platform to connect, orchestrate, virtualize and automate enterprise networks, enabling customers with consumable solutions to achieve business missions and meet ongoing demand when, where and how needed. Our portfolio includes SASE, SD-WAN, security, internet, voice and other connectivity options, complemented by a suite of professional services and exceptional sales and support teams in local markets around the globe. We partner with our customers to deliver Greater Technology Together.
