CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 15, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Akamai
Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM), the global leader in content
delivery network (CDN) services, today released its Third
Quarter, 2016 State of the Internet / Security Report. The
report, using data gathered from the Akamai Intelligent Platform,
provides analysis of the current cloud security and threat
landscape, including insight into two record‑setting DDoS attacks
caused by the Mirai botnet.
Download the latest State of the Internet / Security
Report for data, analysis, and graphics at
https://content.akamai.com/pg7426-pr-soti-report.html.
"Every couple of years the industry faces what could be
considered 'harbinger attacks', where the size and scope of a
security event are radically different than what has come before. I
believe the industry faced its latest 'harbinger' with the Mirai
botnet," explained Martin McKeay,
senior security advocate and senior editor, State of the
Internet/Security Report. "The Mirai botnet also made concrete
the industry's fear that Internet of Things (IoT) and other
Internet connected devices could be used for both web application
and DDoS attacks, illustrating the need for device manufacturers to
place a greater emphasis on security."
Highlights from Akamai's Third Quarter, 2016 State of the
Internet / Security Report include:
DDoS Attacks
- The two largest DDoS attacks this quarter, both leveraging the
Mirai botnet, were the biggest observed by Akamai to-date –
recorded at 623 Gbps and 555 Gbps.
- Compared to Q3 2015, total DDoS attacks increased 71 percent in
Q3 2016.
- During the third quarter, Akamai mitigated a total of 4,556
DDoS attacks, an eight percent decrease from Q2.
- There were 19 mega attacks mitigated in Q3 that peaked at more
than 100 Gbps, matching the Q1 2016 highpoint.
- Q3 2016 showed that NTP reflection attacks are apparently
becoming a less viable option for attackers. The average size of an
attack relying solely on NTP reflection is approximately 700 Mbps,
a significant drop from the June 2014
average of more than 40 Gbps.
Web Application Attacks
- Q3 2016 showed an 18 percent decrease in total web application
attacks from Q3 2015.
- In Q3 2016, web application attacks sourced from the United States decreased by 67 percent from
Q3 2015.
- Brazil, the top country of
origin for all web application attacks in Q2 2016, experienced a 79
percent decrease in attacks this quarter. The United States (20 percent) and
Netherlands (18 percent) were the
countries with the most web application attacks.
- Web application attack metrics measured around major sporting
events suggest malicious actors may take time off to watch their
favorite teams. For example, on the day that France played Portugal in the European soccer championship,
there was a 95 percent decrease in attacks sourcing from
Portugal (20 attacks) as opposed
to a day one month later (392 attacks). On the same day in
France, there were 50,597 attacks
as compared to 158,003 one month later – a 68 percent
difference.
Spotlight on Attack Vectors
- UDP fragments and DNS reflection attacks were the two most
common vectors in Q3, accounting for 44 percent of all vectors – an
increase of 4.5 percent from Q2.
- Application layer attacks drove just 1.66 percent of all DDoS
attacks, likely because of the level of technical knowledge needed
to execute them. Infrastructure layer attacks are much easier to
launch with point-and-click tools.
A complimentary copy of the Q3 2016 State of the Internet /
Security Report is available for download at
https://content.akamai.com/pg7426-pr-soti-report.html. Download
individual figures, including associated captions, at
http://akamai.me/2fT7Ppl.
For a detailed analysis on Mirai, please see section 2.4 of the
report.
About Akamai
As the global leader in Content Delivery
Network (CDN) services, Akamai makes the Internet fast, reliable
and secure for its customers. The company's advanced web
performance, mobile performance, cloud security and media delivery
solutions are revolutionizing how businesses optimize consumer,
enterprise and entertainment experiences for any device, anywhere.
To learn how Akamai solutions and its team of Internet experts are
helping businesses move faster forward, please visit www.akamai.com
or blogs.akamai.com, and follow @Akamai on Twitter.
Contacts:
|
Rob Morton
|
Tom Barth
|
Media
Relations
|
Investor
Relations
|
617-444-3641
|
617-274-7130
|
rmorton@akamai.com
|
tbarth@akamai.com
|
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SOURCE Akamai Technologies, Inc.