Neustar outlines 2016 trends for cyber attacks

Source: Neustar website.

Neustar, a neutral provider of real-time information services, has published DDoS & Cyber Security Insights*, a report analysing distributed denial of services (DDoS) attack and mitigation data in 2016 collected through Neustar SiteProtect, a global DDoS mitigation network.

“With DDoS attacks predicted to become even more complex and ferocious in 2017, increasingly digital organisations within Asia-Pacific will be exposed to more frequent and severe cyber-attacks,” said Robin Schmitt, GM, APAC at Neustar.

Key findings include:

· More DDoS attacks – DDoS attack mitigations by Neustar increased 40% compared to the same period in 2015.

· The rise of multi-vector attacks – multi-vector attacks, which combine attack vectors to confuse defenders and supplement attack volume, increased 322% and accounted for 52% of the attacks mitigated by Neustar. UDP, TCP and ICMP** are the three most popular attack vectors. They were leveraged in more than half of attacks.

· DNS and DNSSEC*** vulnerabilities – DNS-based attacks increased 648% with many attackers leveraging DNSSEC amplification to generate massive volume. Previous Neustar research, DNSSEC: How Savvy DDoS Attackers Are Using Our Defenses Against Us, determined that the average DNSSEC amplification factor for a DNSSEC-signed zone was nearly 29 times greater than the initial query.

· IoT botnets as DDoS attack tools - damage from IoT botnets was realised in 2016, with Mirai as the IoT botnet  poster child. Mirai and similar types of malware compromise IoT device credentials to enroll IoT devices into botnets that can be remotely activated by malicious command and control servers. New developments include persistent device enrollment, which enables botnet operators to retain control of a device even after it is rebooted - rebooting would have previously removed a device from a botnet.

“In the world of DDoS defence, having the wrong solution or inadequate capabilities can be the difference between reading the news and making the news. Organisations in Asia Pacific need to invest in technologies and services that specifically combat such attacks or risk significant financial loss and reputational damage,” said Schmitt.

Interested?

Read the DDoS & Cyber Security Insights report

*DDoS & Cyber Security Insights analyses data collected through Neustar SiteProtect from January 1, 2016 through November 30, 2016.  

**Transmission Control Protocol (ICP) and User Datagram Protocol (UDP) are standards used for Internet communications, They work with Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP), a standard for network-related data. 

***The Domain Name System (DNS) is the way locations are mapped in the Internet while Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) offer some measure of data protection for the DNS.