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According to a report by cybersecurity company Netscout, DDoS attacks are surpassing many traditional cyber threats, evolving from merely a tool to becoming "a dominant geopolitical weapon."

Netscout states that global DDoS attack activity in the second half of 2024 increased by 12.7% compared to the first half, totaling nearly 9 million attacks.

DDoS attacks involve sending a massive amount of internet traffic to a target server, service, or network, attempting to disrupt its normal traffic, rendering the target or its surrounding infrastructure unable to cope, leading to interruptions.

In Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region, the growth of DDoS attacks is most significant, increasing by approximately 30% and 20%, respectively.

The Netscout report indicates that there were 7.9 million DDoS attacks in the first half of 2024, with a total of 16.8 million attacks for the year, marking an increase of nearly 30% from the 13 million attacks recorded in 2023.

Researchers state that attackers are using this internet disruption tool to "exploit moments of national vulnerability, amplify chaos, and undermine public trust in institutions."

The report describes DDoS attacks as "precision-guided digital weapons" capable of disrupting infrastructure at critical moments, highlighting their application in socio-political conflicts, elections, protests, and policy disputes.

2024 Weekly DDoS Statistics. Source: Netscout

AI is Empowering DDoS Attacks

DDoS leasing services, including booter and stressor services, have become "more powerful than ever," researchers add, as cybercriminals leverage AI and automation technologies to bypass CAPTCHAs, with automation "evolving towards capabilities like behavioral mimicry and real-time attack adjustments."

Researchers conclude that DDoS attacks "no longer solely rely on raw bandwidth," adding that these attacks have become "adaptive, persistent, and deeply integrated into modern cyber and geopolitical conflicts." They also note, "The shift towards high-performance enterprise infrastructure, off-the-shelf reconnaissance technologies, AI-enhanced automation, and the expansion of DDoS leasing services means that attackers are evolving faster than ever before."

Ashley Stephenson, Chief Technology Officer of Corero Network Security, recently stated in an interview with Forbes that the role of DDoS attacks is evolving, adding, "By automating tasks that were once labor-intensive or required specialized skills, AI has lowered the barrier to entry for attackers."

In August of this year, a DDoS attack targeted Elon Musk's social media platform X, aiming to disrupt his interview with then-presidential candidate Trump.

In March, X was targeted again, with a large-scale cyber attack preventing some users from accessing the platform.

A hacker group linked to Russia, "Dark Storm," claimed responsibility for the DDoS attack on Musk's platform, asserting that the attack was not politically motivated.

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