Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks leverage compromised devices to generate a flood of traffic, overwhelming online services and rendering them unresponsive. DDoS services are widely available on the internet, with research by Trend Micro finding that the small cost of US$150 can buy a DDoS attack for a week. (It also brings organised crime into your life – but that’s a different point!)

The latest statistics from Cisco reveal that the number of DDoS attacks grew by 172% in 2016. Combine this with an average DDoS attack size of 1.2Gbps, capable of taking most organisations offline, and there is real cause for concern among cyber security experts. It is hard to trace DDoS attacks to their proprietors, as the majority of devices used in attacks belong to innocent users.

Organisations must understand the risk and impact posed by DDoS attacks, and implement mitigation strategies that promote business continuity in the face of these attacks. Industry peers must share knowledge where appropriate, and keep government agencies adequately informed, to deter hackers from launching a DDoS attack.

Cisco expects that the number of DDoS attacks in the future will only get worse, with 3.1 million predicted attacks in 2021 globally.

Source: http://www.natlawreview.com/article/ddos-attacks-rise