Secure and uninterrupted connectivity is the foundation for modern businesses. But when a business relies heavily on their online operations, this can make them a prime target for a cyber attack. With the rise of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, protecting your digital infrastructure is more important than ever.

DDoS attacks are one of the most common and disruptive types of cyber attacks. These attacks are becoming more frequent and harder to detect. It’s essential for all businesses to understand their risks and implement a strategy for responding to DDoS attacks.

Why are DDoS attacks a top security concern for businesses today? Here’s what every business should know about DDoS attacks and how to prevent these cyber attacks.

What is a DDoS attack?

A distributed denial-of-service attack is a type of cyber attack that attempts to overwhelm your websites and online services with malicious traffic sources. This flood of traffic then makes your applications and services unavailable to legitimate users.

DDoS attacks are so common because they’re easy to launch by anyone with a motive. Attacks can be launched for as low as a few dollars, and they require minimal technical knowledge. The average DDoS attack is short. According to the 2023 DDoS Threat Intelligence Report by global DDoS protection leader Corero, 75 percent of DDoS attacks last less than 10 minutes. However, the consequences are long-lasting and can directly threaten your operations, revenue, and reputation.

Emerging DDoS attack trends

While DDoS attacks have existed for decades, attack methods have evolved over the last few years. As the threat of DDoS attacks continues to grow, there are key trends that businesses in Canada should be aware of to stay on top of their cyber security.

Trend #1: Attacks are growing in intensity and frequency.

Because DDoS attacks are cheap and easy to launch, they have become an extremely common method of attack by cyber criminals. Carpet bomb attacks, also known as spread-spectrum or spray attacks, are one of the most rapidly growing types of DDoS attacks. From 2021 to 2022, there was a 300 percent increase in carpet bomb attacks.

Carpet bomb attacks distribute malicious attack traffic across a large destination IP address space in the victim’s network, rather than a single target. These attacks are particularly dangerous because they can evade detection and neutralize traditional mitigation techniques.

DDoS attacks of all kinds are also becoming more frequent. Businesses that have previously experienced a DDoS attack are likely to be targeted again. Corero’s DDoS Threat Intelligence Report notes a 27 percent likelihood of a repeat DDoS attack in the same week.

Trend #2: Attacks are becoming more sophisticated.

DDoS attacks become more complex every year, with attackers leveraging new techniques and methods. The three most common types of DDoS attacks are volumetric, protocol, and application layer attacks. Volumetric attacks, which are the most common of the three, consume bandwidth within the target network or service. Protocol attacks exploit weaknesses in the layer 3 and layer 4 protocol stack, while application layer attacks target specific aspects of an application or service.

It can be very difficult to detect and avoid DDoS attacks. They manipulate standard internet services like DNS to mask malicious traffic with legitimate traffic. The majority of attacks slip past traditional DDoS protection solutions, making it challenging for businesses to then identify the cause of a network outage.

Trend #3: Organizations of all sizes and sectors are being targeted.

Attackers are indiscriminate in their choice of targets. Businesses in Canada of any size and in any industry may become a victim of a DDoS attack.

There are certain businesses and organizations that have an increased risk level due to their critical and data-intensive operations. A DDoS protection strategy is important for every business; however, organizations in IT, finance, healthcare, education, and government are particularly at risk of cyber attacks. In 2023, several DDoS attacks in Canada targeted key sectors, including multiple levels within the Government of Canada, as well as financial and transportation organizations.

How DDoS attacks can impact your business

When attack traffic floods your network, it can halt every aspect of your operations, from your supply chain to your communications. A DDoS attack not only damages your employees’ productivity, but also your customers’ trust, your brand reputation, and, ultimately, your bottom line.

• Revenue loss: Depending on the severity of a DDoS attack, online services could go down anywhere from a few minutes to several weeks. Even brief service failures can paralyze your operations and lead to large financial losses. For smaller businesses, downtime costs around $427 per minute. For larger enterprises, downtime can cost as high as $9,000 per minute.
  
  
• Reputational damage: When your services are unavailable or if your customers’ data is compromised, customer trust and loyalty can quickly erode. Once your brand reputation is tarnished, it can be costly and time-consuming to rebuild, forcing you to divert resources away from other business development initiatives.
  
  
• Legal and compliance risks: Customer data and privacy is top of mind for most businesses. If sensitive customer data is involved in a DDoS attack, not only does it damage your reputation, but your business may also face contractual penalties, data breach fines, lawsuits, and sanctions.
  
  
• Mitigation costs: There are substantial expenses associated with containing a DDoS attack, including emergency IT services, incident response resources, and post-attack remediation efforts.

How to protect your business from DDoS attacks

With the rise in DDoS attacks, businesses need to take proactive measures to protect against these increasingly sophisticated attacks. A robust DDoS attack prevention and detection solution can help safeguard your systems.

DDoS attack protection tools typically detect malicious traffic and filter it out before it reaches your network or services. There are many different types of DDoS attack prevention methods available, from network-based defenses to cloud-based technologies. An effective solution will protect from DDoS attacks through continuously monitoring your network traffic, distinguishing legitimate traffic from potential threats, and blocking active DDoS attacks through various mitigation strategies.

Whether you are considering a DDoS protection solution for the first time or are looking for advanced protection, Hiboo Networks can help you get the exact defence you need.

Hiboo Sentry is a new advanced cloud-based DDoS protection solution from the National Capital Region’s first and only intelligent network provider. Sentry is powered by industry-leading technology and designed to seamlessly integrate with our Enterprise Internet services to help ensure your business stays secure and operational at all times.

Want to learn more about how Hiboo Sentry can protect your business? Contact a Hiboo expert today!