According to DDoS mitigation firm Link11, DDoS attacks have fallen by 60% across Europe following the takedown of WebStresser, which Europol described as the largest DDoS-for-hire service on the market. It was taken down on April 24th when various … [Read more...] about DDoS Attacks in Europe Reduce by 60% Following Takedown of WebStresser
DDoS Case Studies
Anomaly-based DDoS Attack Detection, According to Tezpur University Researchers
Researchers in the Department of Computer Science & Engineering at Tezpur University, located in Assam, India published a long essay on Anomaly based DDoS Attack Detection in 2015 in the International Journal of Computer Applications. What … [Read more...] about Anomaly-based DDoS Attack Detection, According to Tezpur University Researchers
What was the PBot Botnet?
The PBot botnet was the most significant DDoS malware around in Q2 2017. Malicious actors employed decades-old PHP code to craft the largest attack that security firm Akamai observed in the second quarter of last year, according to its quarterly … [Read more...] about What was the PBot Botnet?
The Mysterious Hajime IoT Botnet Makes a Comeback
At the end of last month, the infosec Twitter community was aflame with talk about the return of the Hajime IoT botnet, seeking out unpatched MikroTik devices to commandeer. Suspicious scans for port 8291 first alerted security researchers to its … [Read more...] about The Mysterious Hajime IoT Botnet Makes a Comeback
Researchers Detect New Iot Botnet DDoS Attacks
According to new research by Recorded Future, Inc., a security company that specializes in machine-based threat intelligence, a new IoT botnet has been detected as the culprit behind a series of DDoS attacks on financial services companies earlier … [Read more...] about Researchers Detect New Iot Botnet DDoS Attacks
DD4BC, Its International Activities and Arrest
Earlier this year, Operation Pleaides, an international law enforcement effort, took down at least one main target in the cybercriminal group DD4BC (Distributed-Denial-of-Service for Bitcoin). A Europol January press release celebrated the “arrest … [Read more...] about DD4BC, Its International Activities and Arrest
What is Permanent Denial of Service (PDoS)?
A Permanent Denial of Service attack, or a PDoS attack, is denial-of-service via the intentional sabotage of hardware. Phlashing is one such method of PDoS. An attacker bricks a device or destroys firmware by uploading a corrupted BIOS to a device, … [Read more...] about What is Permanent Denial of Service (PDoS)?
Hackable IoT Cameras: DDoS Attacks are Just the Tip of the Iceberg
Hacking a CCTV camera is worryingly easy. Many such devices have poor security practices with default passwords and remote access enabled from installation. The bandwidth of vulnerable IP cameras can easily be put into service as part of a botnet … [Read more...] about Hackable IoT Cameras: DDoS Attacks are Just the Tip of the Iceberg
IP Cameras and the Four Botnets that Target Them
IP cameras are a common target for botnets. There is significant competition between different malware families. Each has its own unique set of features, but all aim to build defenses to block other malware from taking over their turf. Each piece of … [Read more...] about IP Cameras and the Four Botnets that Target Them
Netflix’s Self-DDoS Attack on Behalf of the Internet
In June 2016, Netflix researchers tried out a DDoS attack against itself. Security engineer Scott Behrens ran an infrastructure test on the streaming service as part of a presentation to coworkers. They watched Behrens take the site down; but instead … [Read more...] about Netflix’s Self-DDoS Attack on Behalf of the Internet
Massive Memcached DDoS Attacks Mark Largest Ever
Last week, code repository GitHub experienced the most powerful DDoS attack recorded to date at 1.35 Tbps. No botnet was required, and it used an increasingly popular DDoS method. GitHub’s site was only down for 10 minutes as it automatically … [Read more...] about Massive Memcached DDoS Attacks Mark Largest Ever
Mirai and Minecraft
When the three U.S. hackers, Paras Jha, Josiah White and Dalton Norman, pled guilty to creating the Mirai botnet last year, it became apparent from a Wired investigation that the three had created the botnet in the first place to create a competitive … [Read more...] about Mirai and Minecraft
The Mirai Copycats
On September 30, 2016, Mirai’s alleged author, nicknamed “Anna-senpai” (who we now know was Paras Jha from Farnwood, N.J.) released the Mirai source code on Hackforums, an infamous online hacking forum. Along with it, he wrote a post, announcing his … [Read more...] about The Mirai Copycats
The Demise of the Election Hacking Kelihos Botnet
Last April, the U.S. Justice Department was finally able to report that a suspect had been arrested in the Kelihos botnet case. Peter Yuryevich Levashov, a Russian citizen who allegedly ran the Kelihos botnet since at least 2010, was arrested in … [Read more...] about The Demise of the Election Hacking Kelihos Botnet
How Jack Chappell Avoided Jail Time for His Role in vDos
In July 2017, British man 19-year-old Jack Chappell was arrested by the U.K. police and charged with using the vDoS attack-for-hire service to launch attacks against various U.K. and U.K.-based companies, including the BBC, British Telecom, Virgin … [Read more...] about How Jack Chappell Avoided Jail Time for His Role in vDos