10 Oct NETSCOUT finds startling trends in cyber threats

NETSCOUT SYSTEMS, INC. released findings from its 1H2024 DDoS Threat Intelligence Report, which found a 43 per cent increase in the number of application-layer attacks and a 30 per cent increase in volumetric attacks.

Key industries, already facing frequent and intense multi-vector attacks, experienced a 55 per cent increase over the past four years.

“Hacktivist activities continue to plague global organisations with more sophisticated and coordinated DDoS attacks against multiple targets simultaneously,” said Richard Hummel, director, of threat intelligence, at NETSCOUT.

“As adversaries use more resilient, take-down-resistant networks, detection and mitigation are more challenging. This report gives network operations teams insights to fine-tune their strategies to stay ahead of these evolving threats.”

These attacks have triggered widespread disruptions, affecting industries on a global scale. Service slowdowns or outages can cripple revenue streams, delay critical operations, hinder productivity, and significantly elevate organisational risks.

The report also found the emergence of new networks and autonomous system numbers (ASNs) play a pivotal role in increased DDoS activity with over 75 per cent of newly established networks are involved with DDoS activities, both as targets or abused participants in furthering attacks on others.