CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Newly released data
shows that web application attacks continued to rise significantly
in both the quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year timeframes,
according to the Third Quarter, 2017 State of the Internet /
Security Report released by Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:
AKAM). In addition, further evaluation of the Mirai botnet and
WireX malware attacks suggests that attackers may leverage IoT and
Android devices to build future botnet armies.
The report found that the number of web application attacks last
quarter (Q3 2017) increased 69% in total from the same timeframe
last year (Q3 2016). In the last quarter alone, web application
attacks rose 30% as compared to the second quarter of 2017. Over
the last year, a 217% increase in attacks sourcing from the U.S.
was seen, with an increase of 48% in the last quarter as compared
to the prior one.
SQL injection (SQLi) attacks continued to be heavily utilized by
attackers as a part of the significant rise of web application
attacks. This attack vector increased 62% since last year, and 19%
since last quarter. The significant increase in web application
attacks, particularly "injection" attacks like SQLi, should come as
no surprise as the latest version of the OWASP Top 10 2017 that
came out last week has "injection" (inclusive of SQLi) as the top
ranked vulnerability category. This new iteration is the first
major update to the OWASP Top 10 since 2013, when "injection" also
resided in the top spot.
Perhaps more alarming was the result of taking a closer look at
the Mirai botnet and encountering the introduction of WireX
malware. While smaller than its predecessor, the Mirai malware
strain, which uses Internet of Things (IoT) devices, was
responsible for the largest attack seen in Q3 at 109 Gbps. The
ongoing Mirai activity, coupled with the introduction of WireX,
which commandeers Android devices, highlights the vast potential
that exists for new sources of botnet armies.
"The lure of easy access to poorly-secured end nodes and
easily-available source code make it likely that Mirai-based
attacks won't be fading in the near future," said Martin McKeay, senior security advocate and
senior editor, State of the Internet / Security Report. "Our
experience suggests that an army of new potential attackers comes
online every day. Couple with that, the ubiquity of Android
software and the growth in the Internet of Things are amplifying
the risk/reward challenges that enterprises face to tremendous
levels."
Other highlights from Akamai's Third Quarter, 2017 State of
the Internet / Security Report include:
- The use of Fast Flux DNS by botnets is examined, demonstrating
why the use of rapidly changing DNS information helps attackers by
making it harder to track and disrupt botnets and malware.
- The number of DDoS attacks in Q3 increased by 8% quarter over
quarter, highlighted by a 13% increase in the average number of
attacks per target (36).
- Germany, despite not being
among the top five source countries for DDoS attack traffic in the
previous quarter, had the largest number of attack traffic source
IPs in Q3 – 58,746 – 22% of the global total.
- Egypt, last quarter's leader
for DDoS attack traffic (44,198) fell out of the top 5 in Q3.
- Australia suffered the third
most web application attacks (19,115,151) despite not even
registering in the top 10 in Q2.
With the holiday shopping season upon us, Akamai expects that
both the monetary and emotional aspects of attack dynamics will
strongly influence behavior in the fourth quarter. Criminals are
likely to leverage the fact that the final quarter of the year is
critical for merchants, making the merchants much more likely to
pay an extortion letter threatening an attack on Black Friday or
Cyber Monday than at many other times of year.
"As noted in the Attack Spotlight, the code base from Mirai is
still being used and is evolving," added McKeay. "In addition,
criminals are getting better at hiding their command and control
structures, using techniques like Fast Flux DNS. "It would not be
surprising if, during this holiday season, we see new attacks such
as those based on IoT devices or mobile platforms."
Through the SOTI/Security Report, as well as more
in-depth research reports, Akamai brings you cutting-edge insight
into the ever-changing landscape of attacks and attack tools —
delivering information to help you and your team protect your
organization.
A complimentary copy of the Q3 2017 State of the Internet /
Security Report is available for download at
akamai.com/stateoftheinternet-security. Download individual
figures, including associated captions here.
Methodology
The Akamai Third Quarter, 2017 State of
the Internet / Security Report combines attack data from across
Akamai's global infrastructure and represents the research of a
diverse set of teams throughout the company. The report provides
analysis of the current cloud security and threat landscape, as
well as insight into attack trends using data gathered from the
Akamai Intelligent Platform. The contributors to the State of the
Internet / Security Report include security professionals from
across Akamai, including the Security Intelligence Response Team
(SIRT), the Threat Research Unit, Information Security, and the
Custom Analytics group.
About Akamai
As the world's largest and most trusted
cloud delivery platform, Akamai makes it easier for its customers
to provide the best and most secure digital experiences on any
device, anytime, anywhere. Akamai's massively distributed
platform is unparalleled in scale with over 200,000 servers across
130 countries, giving customers superior performance and threat
protection. Akamai's portfolio of web and mobile performance,
cloud security, enterprise access, and video delivery
solutions are supported by exceptional customer service and
24/7 monitoring. To learn why the top financial institutions,
e-commerce leaders, media & entertainment providers, and
government organizations trust Akamai please
visit www.akamai.com, blogs.akamai.com, or @Akamai on
Twitter.
Contacts:
|
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Tim
Whitman
|
Tom Barth
|
Media
Relations
|
Investor
Relations
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617-444-3019
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617-274-7130
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twhitman@akamai.com
|
tbarth@akamai.com
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SOURCE Akamai Technologies, Inc.