A record-breaking Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack unleashed 419 terabytes of malicious traffic over 24 hours.

This unprecedented event, which began at 8:05 UTC on July 15, 2024, targeted a financial services company in Israel, showcasing the evolving threat landscape of cyber warfare.

A Sustained Assault

The attack commenced with a small probing attempt, quickly escalating into a full-scale assault lasting nearly a day.

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Unlike typical DDoS attacks, which are often short-lived, this campaign sustained its intensity for hours, peaking at traffic levels between 300 and 798 gigabits per second (Gbps).

Although not the largest in peak traffic, it ranks as the sixth-largest attack ever mitigated by Akamai’s Prolexic platform.

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The attackers employed various techniques, including UDP flood, UDP fragmentation, DNS reflection, and PSH+ACK attacks.

This multi-vector approach indicates a sophisticated adversary capable of orchestrating complex cyber operations.

The Global Botnet Behind the Attack

The DDoS attack originated from a globally distributed botnet, targeting more than 278 IP addresses simultaneously.

This horizontal Layer 3 and Layer 4 attack was part of a larger wave of assaults on financial institutions in Israel, suggesting a deliberate and coordinated campaign.

The aggressor’s ability to sustain such a high-volume attack for an extended period marks them as a significant threat.

Cybersecurity experts are concerned about their potential to launch similar or even more potent attacks on other targets worldwide.

The Impact on Israel

According to Akamai’s threat intelligence, Israel has experienced an unprecedented number of DDoS attacks in 2024, with the financial services sector being a primary target. This cyberattack surge coincides with ongoing regional conflicts, further complicating the geopolitical landscape.

Despite the severity of the attack, Akamai’s Prolexic platform successfully mitigated the threat, preventing sustained downtime for the targeted financial institution.

This success underscores the importance of robust cybersecurity measures in defending against modern DDoS attacks.

Organizations relying solely on on-premises DDoS defense systems without cloud backup are at higher risk. Shared DDoS defense resources in multi-tenant environments may also be insufficient to withstand similar attacks.

Strengthening Cyber Defenses

To mitigate future risks, businesses are advised to:

1. Conduct thorough risk assessments of existing DDoS mitigation services.
2. Implement always-on DDoS security controls.
3. Extend security postures with edge-based network cloud firewalls.
4. Protect DNS infrastructure from DNS-focused attacks.
5. Develop comprehensive incident response plans.

The July 15 DDoS attack is a stark reminder of the evolving nature of cyber threats. As attackers grow more sophisticated, the need for advanced cybersecurity measures becomes increasingly critical.

Organizations worldwide must remain vigilant and proactive in strengthening their defenses to protect against the growing menace of DDoS attacks.

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