Carpet bomb DDoS attacks rise 300% finds Corero report

Corero Network Security, specialist in distributed denial of service (DDoS) protection solutions, has released its annual DDoS Threat Intelligence Report, revealing a 300% increase in carpet bomb DDoS attacks. Carpet bomb attacks, also known as spread-spectrum or spray attacks, distribute traffic across large IP address spaces, challenging standard victim-oriented detection and mitigation techniques.

The report, based on data from Corero customers worldwide, examines attack vectors, sizes, and attacker tools and techniques. It emphasizes the need for proactive DDoS protection due to the evolving threat landscape.

Key report findings include:

• 300% increase in carpet bomb attacks in 2022 compared to 2021. Legacy detection techniques often fail to accurately identify these attacks, leading to incomplete mitigation or false positives.

• Over seven times as many Mirai-like DDoS attacks in 2022 than in 2021. These botnet attacks are difficult to mitigate and can cause significant damage to businesses.

• Twice as many DDoS attacks targeting DNS (Domain Name System) services in 2022 than in 2020. This attack vector has grown in popularity as an easy way for attackers to disrupt communications to and from websites, internet-connected devices, and applications.

"We are continuing to see significant changes in the global DDoS attack landscape, with increased attack volume, frequency and variation,” said Ashley Stephenson, CTO, Corero Network Security. “The exponential rise of 'carpet bomb' attacks presents a triple threat as they evade, neutralize, or overload traditional DDoS protections."

Download the full "2023 DDOS Threat Intelligence Report" at https://go.corero.com/threat.