A new study published by cyber giant Kaspersky has identified an unprecedented leap in the volume and duration of decentralized denial of service (DDos) attacks in the first quarter of 2022, presumably against the backdrop of the cyber war raging in Ukraine. The data show that most of the attacks are aimed at government bodies and banks.
Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks are designed to disrupt business and enterprise network resources and prevent them from functioning properly. Attacks become more dangerous if the hacked systems are in government or financial sectors, since when these services become unavailable the effect is horizontal so that an entire population can be harmed.
According to Kaspersky data, in the first quarter of 2022, starting at the end of February, the total number of DDoS attacks increased by 46% compared to the fourth quarter of 2021 – which recorded the all-time record of attacks detected by the company. This is a 4.5-fold increase compared to the corresponding quarter last year (1st quarter of 2021). The number of “smart” attacks, advanced and targeted, jumped by 81% compared to the previous record in the fourth quarter of 2021.
According to Kaspersky, the attacks in the first quarter of 2022 were not only carried out on a large scale, but were also innovative in nature. Examples include a site that mimics the popular puzzle game “2048” in order to increase DDoS attacks on Russian sites, and a call to build a volunteer-based IT army to assist in cyber attacks.
Alexander Gutnikov (Kaspersky Security Specialist: “In the first quarter of 2022 we witnessed an all-time record number of DDoS attacks. The upward trend is largely influenced by the geopolitical situation. Are usually made for immediate profit.
‘Some of the attacks we have observed have lasted for days and sometimes weeks, suggesting that they may have been carried out by hackers with ideological motives. When it comes to the organizations themselves, many were not prepared to the extent necessary to deal with such threats. “All of these factors teach us how dangerous and widespread DDoS attacks can be, and the need for organizations to prepare for such situations.”