DDoS attacks are a growing threat in the business world. Executives at some of the world’s largest enterprises agree that DDoS attacks are a major concern, and can have a huge impact on revenue. How many of these enterprises are taking proper precautions? What are they doing to mitigate their risk?
A recent report form Neustar provided some eye-opening insight into how enterprises are being affected by DDoS attacks, and what they’re doing to stop them in their tracks. Over 500 executives and senior professionals, over 70% of whose companies earn over $1B in revenue, took part in Neustar’s research.
So, let’s dig in to some of the findings.
- 40% of businesses say DDoS attacks are a growing threat to the organization.
- 85% of companies are hit multiple times
- 30% are attacked over 10 times each year
The implications of a DDoS attack can be costly, and it’s no wonder DDoS awareness is growing. So what are companies doing to prevent these attacks?
One third of the participants said they are using hybrid DDoS protection, including cloud services. Over 60% of these companies is currently using some form of traditional firewall, while half reported the use of DDoS mitigation services.
Not only are companies looking more towards hybrid protection (growing at 50% per year), they are also investing more in protecting their sensitive data. Over a third of respondents reported investing more in protecting against DDoS attacks alone. Surprisingly, a quarter of respondents recognized that DDoS attack prevention is a priority, yet admitted they aren’t currently investing more in prevention.
One main theme of the report is Hybrid DDoS prevention. This often entails using on-premise and cloud based attack mitigation; this may include traffic scrubbing and multi-layer protection. Bottom line, more and more organizations are turning to the cloud for purposes of security. With DDoS attacks on the rise, hybrid protection is key.
What is the big deal when it comes to DDoS attacks? Well, besides damaging brand trust with customers there could be big bucks at risk. While a number of respondents (about 18%) estimated losses at less than $25,000 an hour, about 22% reported potential losses could be between $100,000 and $1M an hour, depending on the size of the organization.
How does hybrid protection help? Attacks are detected quickly, meaning your organization can take action faster and respond to attacks swiftly. It also spreads your security over multiple sources, such as an on-premise or cloud based server. With a majority of these companies being attack more than once per year, it’s important to be able to respond to risks quickly without an actual loss of service.
Taking the proper precautions can save a lot of time, agony, and money when it comes to an attack. Companies of all sizes are experiencing attacks today, and investing more in security now will save you big headaches and possible losses down the line. If you’re not doing all you can now, there is still time, starting with a proper IT Security Assessment and subsequent security plan for your infrastructure. Knowing what your risks are and filling in the gaps is the first step to proper DDoS prevention.
*Stats and images from Neustar DDoS Attacks & Protection Report, April 2015