Lumen research reveals latest DDoS stats, trends, predictions and costs
Almost 90% of Q4 DDoS attacks were potential “hit-and-run” attacks, probing attacks
DENVER, February 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Lumen Technologies® (NYSE: LUMN) today released its latest report detailing Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) activity for the fourth quarter and full year 2022. The report includes 2023 predictions, a breakdown of DDoS costs, and fourth and fourth quarter full-year data from the Lumen DDoS mitigation service.
Additional analytics provided by the Lumen Black Lotus Labs® Threat Intelligence Team feed their intelligence into Lumen’s Rapid Threat Defense – a proprietary countermeasure that automatically blocks attacks before they reach the customer’s network.
Data from Lumen’s DDoS mitigation service.
Read Lumen’s Q4 2022 DDoS Report and sign up for a live Q&A with Lumen security researchers who will discuss the findings Tuesday February 14, 2022at 9:30 a.m. CET.
“Enterprises’ digital interactions with partners and customers are accelerating, and that has led to both an increase in attacks and subsequent investments in DDoS and application-layer protection,” he said Andrew Dugan, Lumen’s Chief Technology Officer. “In addition to mitigating the largest DDoS attack to date in 2022, we observed hit-and-run style attacks along with complex campaigns targeting governments, civilian infrastructure and high-profile industries. We expect these trends to continue in 2023, underscoring the need for comprehensive web application and API security solutions.”
2023 DDoS Predictions
Researchers reviewed data from DDoS mitigation service Lumen to develop the following predictions for 2023:
- Attackers find new resources to use. Cyber criminals and defenders are constantly maneuvering to stay one step ahead. In 2022, attackers began using cloud-based, virtual services in unprecedented ways. We assume that in 2023 they will look for similar new attack methods.
- Expansion of the victim pool. Large organizations continue to ramp up their defenses, so we think attackers could start targeting small and medium-sized businesses. These organizations typically have less cyber defenses, but they still have critical data and applications that could attract criminals.
- The timing is intentional. While DDoS attacks have become ubiquitous on certain days like Cyber Monday, data from DDoS mitigation service Lumen shows that the most popular week for DDoS attacks in 2021 and 2022 were the days around 4th of July holiday in The United States. Lumen predicts attackers will coordinate attacks to coincide with holidays and culturally significant events in 2023.
The cost of a DDoS attack
The Q4 DDoS Report also includes a breakdown of the potential costs of a DDoS attack. The estimate is based on data entered into Lumen’s online DDoS Impact Calculator. Several factors influence the cost, so the researchers developed a generic use case based on the following assumptions:
- The simulated victim is a software and technology company with 2 billion dollars in annual sales.
- Online movement account for 500 million dollars of total sales.
- The company has a small IT team of two dedicated to fixing security issues.
- On average, security incidents result in 25 customer support calls per hour.
Results: This organization is expected to be attacked with 13 DDoS attacks per year, resulting in 19 hours of downtime per attack at a cost of nearly 21 million dollars.
Notable DDoS Statistics from the Q4 DDoS Report
Q4 2022
- Almost 90% of all DDoS attacks in Q4 were potentially hit and run. These attacks last 30 minutes at most, and threat actors often use them to examine a target’s defenses before launching a larger, sustained attack.
- Domain Name System (DNS) is an essential service and the number of DNS amplification attacks grew 73% quarter over quarter.
full year
- Lumen mitigated 22% more DDoS attacks in 2022 than in 2021.
- The largest attack lumen mitigated in 2022 was 1.06 Tbps. It occurred in Q2 2022 and was also the largest DDoS attack Lumen has mitigated to date.
Additional Resources
About Lumen Technologies
Lumen is guided by our belief that humanity is at its best when technology advances the way we live and work. With approximately 400,000 fiber miles and customers in more than 60 countries, we deliver the fastest, most secure platform for applications and data to help businesses, governments and communities create amazing experiences. Learn more about the Lumen network, edge cloud, security, communications and collaboration solutions, and our goal of powering human progress through technology at news.lumen.com/home, LinkedIn: /lumentechnologies, Twitter: @lumentechco , Facebook: /lumentechnologies, Instagram: @lumentechnologies and YouTube: /lumentechnologies. Lumen and Lumen Technologies are registered trademarks in the United States.
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