5 Types of DDoS Attacks to Defend Against in 2016
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The ease of pulling off a rudimentary DDoS attack means that the hackers aren't always the usual suspects. For example, a recent survey from Kaspersky Labs found that 48 percent of companies who had experienced a DDoS attack believed their competition was responsible. While these statistics may be slightly inflated due to human paranoia, at least some of the attacks being reported fall into the category of B2B cyber crime.
Along with causing productivity declines that reduce the efficiency of a key competitor, companies perpetrating these attacks also aim to damage the target's reputation. While there are no direct monetary gains for the perpetrator, the indirect benefit of not having yourself associated with a cyber attack is enough to draw customers away from the competition.
Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks continue to be one of the most prevalent methods hackers use to disrupt businesses. Involving the use of multiple systems (personal computers, smartphones, etc.), DDoS attacks overload an organization's network by generating web traffic that can't be accommodated by the system's capacity limits.
Unlike with other forms of cyber attacks, DDoS attackers run the gamut in terms of their technical prowess. With DDoS services available for purchase online, even the least tech-savvy teenager with a credit card is capable of taking down company web assets for hours and even days.
Due to the diversity amongst those carrying out DDoS attacks, ranging from high-school kids to state-sponsored hackers, the purpose behind separate incidents can vary significantly. For example, while an experienced cyber criminal may use a DDoS attack for diversionary purposes, a disgruntled employee may carry out an attack just for the sake of causing chaos. In this slideshow, A10 Networks has mapped out some of the most common motives for these attacks and describes the tell-tale signs.
Related Topics : Unisys, Stimulus Package, Security Breaches, Symantec, Electronic Surveillance
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