DDoS attacks nearly doubled in Q4 2019. Sundays were the busiest days; Says Kaspersky

According to Kaspersky Q4 2019 DDoS (Distributed Service) attacks indicates the number of attacks to prevent the DDoS Protection Kaspersky Q4 2018 was only 56% of attacks observed Q4 2019.

Additional studies botnet activity revealed that about 28% of the attacks occurred on weekends, Friday attacks rose by two and a half percentage points – to reach 13%.

Q4 2019, there were several large-scale DDoS attacks, including those against financial institutions in South Africa, Singapore, and the Nordic countries. Cyberattacks also directed the Labor Party in the United Kingdom attempt to interfere with its digital systems, as well as against the established Minecraft servers at the Vatican.

This shows that the DDoS is still a common attack method among cybercriminals seeking financial gain or to drive ideological motives, so organizations should be prepared for such attacks and to understand how they evolve.

Kaspersky report highlights that the main trend in the fourth quarter of 2019 increased by botnet activity on Sundays. Although the growth rate may seem relatively small (two and a half percentage points) in the proportion of DDoS Attacks on this particular day of the week had otherwise been lowest, and consistent throughout the year (about 11% of attacks Q1 and Q3, Q2 and 10%). Q4 Thursday, the day turned out to be the least of DDoS activity.

There was also a significant increase in the so-called DDoS attacks, focusing on the application level and the person skilled in the malefactors (such as impacts, Q3 2019 was 73% of the Q4 2019). Such an increase was quite predictable because November to December is traditionally a popular time for online business and retail sales. However, Kaspersky experts do not recognize the spike on Black Friday or Christmas holiday sales days.

“Although a significant growth period, usually turned out to be a little quieter than expected. We suggest that we have not seen a storm of attacks on certain days as companies expand operations to commit to customers throughout the holiday season. So, there is no need for cybercriminals attack at the same time a particular event. However, attackers may still find a way to ruin your free time, because cybercrime is not an ordinary nine to five job, so it is important to ensure that DDoS prevention solutions can automatically protect your web property, “said Alexei Kiselev, Business Development Manager at Kaspersky DDoS Protection team.

Helps organizations protect themselves from DDoS attacks, Kaspersky recommends the following steps:

– carry out stress tests and internal Web applications caged employees or with the help outsourced to experts, to identify weak points in the company’s infrastructure

– Specify the experts are responsible for the maintenance of web resources activities. In order for them to handle, if the DDoS attacks and are ready to meet outside their regular working hours

– Make agreements and third-party contact information. This includes arrangements for an Internet service provider so you can quickly reach it in case of attack

-Implement professional solutions to protect your organization against attacks. For example, Kaspersky DDoS Protection combines Kaspersky’s extensive expertise in the fight against cyberthreats, and the company’s unique house development. The solution protects organizations against all types of DDoS attacks regardless of when they occur