From www.pcmag.com

Over 13,000 infected devices were harnessed for the largest DDoS attack on record, which targeted an internet service provider in East Asia.

According to web infrastructure provider Cloudflare, the Oct. 29 attack generated 5.6Tbps in traffic against the ISP, with the goal of overwhelming its servers and forcing them offline. However, Cloudflare detected and automatically thwarted the attack, requiring no “human intervention,” the company said in a Tuesday report.

DDoS graph

(Credit: Cloudflare)

DDoS graph

(Credit: Cloudflare)

Still, the 5.6Tbps incident underscores how DDoS attacks are occurring more frequently and with greater intensity. In September, Cloudflare reported a 3.8Tbps DDoS, or what was then the new record for the largest “volumetric” attack. Weeks later, the company detected a more powerful 4.2Tbps strike targeting a US service provider. In both instances, Cloudflare fended off the assaults.  

The company has sourced the attacks to various botnets, or armies of infected computers. In its newest report, Cloudflare traced the Oct. 29 DDoS to a botnet using a variant of Mirai malware to infect IoT devices. The resulting attack only lasted 80 seconds, but it could have been enough to take down internet services without Cloudflare’s DDoS protection. 

In 2024, Cloudflare blocked “around 21.3 million DDoS attacks, representing a 53% increase compared with 2023.” The number of DDoS attacks exceeding 1Tbps also grew 1,885% in Q4 from Q3. 

Recommended by Our Editors

“This rise in attack size renders capacity-limited cloud DDoS protection services or on-premise DDoS appliances obsolete,” the company said. In response, Cloudflare notes that its own network capacity has grown to 321Tbps, up from 35Tbps back in 2020, enabling it to provide robust DDoS protection services for its own customers.

SecurityWatch newsletter for our top privacy and security stories delivered right to your inbox.”,”first_published_at”:”2021-09-30T21:22:09.000000Z”,”published_at”:”2022-03-24T14:57:33.000000Z”,”last_published_at”:”2022-03-24T14:57:28.000000Z”,”created_at”:null,”updated_at”:”2022-03-24T14:57:33.000000Z”})” x-intersect.once=”window.trackGAImpressionEvents(“pcmag-on-site-newsletter-block”, “SecurityWatch”, $el)”>

Newsletter Icon

Like What You’re Reading?

Sign up for SecurityWatch newsletter for our top privacy and security stories delivered right to your inbox.

This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking the button, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.

Newsletter Pointer

About Michael Kan

Senior Reporter

Michael Kan

I’ve been working as a journalist for over 15 years—I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017.

Read Michael’s full bio

Read the latest from Michael Kan

[ For more curated tech news, check out the main news page here]

The post Botnet Unleashes Record-Breaking 5.6Tbps DDoS Attack first appeared on www.pcmag.com

New reasons to get excited everyday.



Get the latest tech news delivered right in your mailbox

You may also like

Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

More in Tech News