NETSCOUT SYSTEMS, INC. (NASDAQ: NTCT) has released its 2H2024 DDoS Threat Intelligence Report, showing how Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks have become a dominant method of conducting cyberwarfare tied to sociopolitical events such as elections, civil protests, and policy disputes. The findings highlight how adversaries exploit moments of national vulnerability to intensify chaos and erode public trust by targeting the critical infrastructure of governments, commercial enterprises, and service providers.
Politically Motivated Attacks: Global Examples
Throughout the year, DDoS attacks were closely linked to sociopolitical events, including:
- A 2,844% increase in attacks in Israel during hostage rescue operations and political conflict;
- A 1,489% surge in Georgia surrounding the passage of the “Russia Bill”;
- A 218% rise in Mexico during national elections;
- A 152% increase in the United Kingdom when the Labour Party resumed its parliamentary session.
Richard Hummel, director of threat intelligence at NETSCOUT, stated:
“DDoS has emerged as the go-to tool for cyberwarfare. NoName057(16) remains the leading actor behind politically motivated DDoS campaigns targeting governments, infrastructure, and organizations. In 2024, they repeatedly targeted government services in the UK, Belgium, and Spain.”
AI and Automation Fuel Scale and Impact
DDoS-for-hire services have grown more powerful with the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to bypass CAPTCHA — approximately 9 out of 10 platforms now offer this feature.
Additionally, many services employ automation to enable dynamic, multi-target campaigns and use infrastructure exploitation techniques such as:
- Carpet bombing attacks;
- Geo-spoofing to mask origin;
- Use of IPv6 to expand the attack surface.
Even inexperienced threat actors are now capable of launching large-scale DDoS campaigns with serious consequences.
Botnets Playing an Increasing Role
Enterprise servers and routers are being leveraged to amplify attacks and complicate mitigation. Although the global botnet population declined by 5%, these networks remain highly resilient despite law enforcement actions.
Efforts such as Operation PowerOFF temporarily disrupted DDoS-for-hire platforms, but new platforms rapidly replaced them. The long-term effects remain uncertain, as adversaries adapt and rebuild infrastructure, with no significant decline in global attack volume.
DDoS Attacks Are Adaptive and Persistent
DDoS attacks continue to evolve and adapt at an accelerating pace, posing significant challenges for defenders tasked with protecting critical infrastructure and maintaining service availability.
Enterprises, governments, and service providers are all frequent targets. Effective defense strategies must include proactive, intelligence-driven threat detection and automation to ensure rapid response and mitigation.
In this environment, organizations must outpace adversaries that can multiply their speed, strength, intelligence, and persistence to unprecedented levels.
Unparalleled Visibility into DDoS Activity
NETSCOUT maps the global DDoS threat landscape through passive, active, and reactive vantage points, providing unmatched visibility into evolving attack trends worldwide.
The company protects two-thirds of the routed IPv4 space, monitoring network edges that carried global peak traffic volumes of over 700 Tbps during 2H2024.
NETSCOUT tracks tens of thousands of DDoS attacks daily through botnet monitoring and observation of DDoS-for-hire platforms using millions of compromised or abused devices.
Why Buy NETSCOUT Solutions from NWU?
NWU is the official distributor of NETSCOUT in Ukraine, the South Caucasus, and Central Asia. Partnering with NWU ensures:
- Expert consulting and tailored solution selection based on your needs;
- Certified engineering support through every deployment stage;
- Localized technical assistance and professional training;
- Access to industry-leading technologies for network and infrastructure protection.
Contact NWU to build resilient protection for your organization against today’s most sophisticated cyber threats.
