A comprehensive analysis of DDoS attacks during Q3-Q4 2024 reveals significant changes in the cybersecurity landscape. The total number of DDoS attacks increased by 56% year-over-year, with the largest attack reaching an unprecedented 2 Tbps.

Key Developments:
– Financial services sector experienced a 117% increase in attacks
– Gaming industry remains the primary target, though its share decreased from 49% to 34%
– Attack durations shortened significantly, with the longest attack lasting only 5 hours
– Network-layer attacks dominated, with UDP floods accounting for 60% of incidents

Attack Patterns and Trends:
The rise in attacks is attributed to easier access to DDoS tools, vulnerable IoT devices, and geopolitical tensions. ACK flood attacks gained prominence, now representing 7% of total attacks. Short, high-intensity burst attacks have become the preferred method, designed to cause quick disruption while evading detection.

Geographic Impact:
Key attack sources include:
– United States
– Netherlands
– Brazil (emerging threat)
– China
– Indonesia

Industry Impact:
While gaming remains the most targeted sector, financial services saw the most dramatic increase in attacks, rising to 26% of total incidents. This shift reflects the sector’s attractiveness due to its critical online services and regulatory requirements.

The findings emphasize the growing need for robust, adaptive DDoS protection as attacks become more sophisticated and frequent. Organizations must implement proactive defense strategies to protect their digital infrastructure against these evolving threats.