Posted on: November 3, 2023, 07:48h.
Last updated on: November 3, 2023, 07:48h.
A recent report by Cloudflare suggests that gambling and betting operators should enhance their online security measures. The DDoS threat report for 2023 Q3 reveals a potential surge in denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks during November and December.
Cloudflare’s analysis shows that gambling and betting companies have experienced an increase in Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) DDoS attacks during Q3. These attacks specifically target servers for mobile applications, eCommerce websites, and API gateways within the gambling industry.
Recent research reveals a significant surge in HTTP DDoS attacks in the second half of the year, with a 15% increase compared to Q2. Q4 has already seen a 65% rise, indicating the potential for more attacks.
Cloudflare has successfully detected and countered a staggering 8.9 trillion HTTP DDoS requests during this quarter alone. This heightened activity suggests increased risk for gambling and betting operators.
Gaming Operators Should Be Cautious
According to Cloudflare, the gambling and gaming industry experienced the highest volume (5%) of HTTP DDoS attacks, surpassing the cryptocurrency sector.
Cloudflare points out that this figure is relative due to the constant traffic within the gambling and gaming segment.
However, gambling operators cannot afford to be complacent, as attacks continue to occur globally and new technologies make them easier to launch.
Botnets have become more advanced, resulting in a greater number of attacks. Cloudflare explains that they exploit cloud computing platforms to increase their strength, enabling 5,000 times more power per botnet node.
During a two-month attack in August, Cloudflare’s network was the primary target for botnet DDoS attacks, accounting for 19% of the total. Gaming companies closely followed with 18%.
US Leads as Attack Source
The study reveals that approximately 36% of Layer 3 and 4 (network layer and transport layer) DDoS attack traffic originated within the US during Q3. The IT sector and the Internet industry were the major targets for L3/4 DDoS attacks.
Germany ranked second with 8%, while the UK secured third place with nearly 5%.
Additionally, the investigation identified a prevalent trend of DNS-based DDoS attacks in the latter half of the year. DNS attacks accounted for 47% of all assaults, representing a significant increase of 44% compared to the past decade.
No Geographic Region is Safe
The data indicates that no geographic region is immune to DDoS attacks. In Africa, media production companies were the primary target, followed by financial and insurance companies, and gaming and gambling.
In Asia, DDoS attackers primarily targeted the cryptocurrency space, with gaming and gambling in second place.
In Europe, the gaming and gambling sector faced the highest number of attacks, followed by retail companies and computer software companies.
In Latin America, farming was the most targeted industry, comprising 53% of the total attacks. Gaming and gambling ranked second.
Retail became the main target in the Middle East, followed by computer software companies. Gaming and gambling remained a notable target in third place.
Only in North America and Oceania did gaming and gambling not appear among the top three targeted industries. Computer software companies and the telecom industry ranked high in both regions.