Corporate sabotage: It’s DDoS war, companies say

• 12% believe competitors are responsible and have paid for DDoS attacks
• 38% in business services industry believe competitors behind DDoS attacks

 
NEARLY half (48%) of companies surveyed in recent research from Kaspersky Lab and B2B International believe they know the identity and motivation of those behind recent Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks against them, with many naming competitors as key culprits.
 
Whilst criminals seeking to disrupt a company’s operations make up over a quarter (28%) of the suspects, a surprising one in eight (12%) companies believe that their competitors are responsible and have paid for DDoS attacks against them, making these cyberthreats even more harmful.
 
This suspicion increases even more for those in the business services industry, with over a third surveyed (38%) believing that their competitors were behind a DDoS attack, Kaspersky Lab said in a statement.
 
Other perpetrators cited by the respondents include criminals seeking to disrupt or distract while another attack took place (18%); criminals seeking to disrupt their services for a ransom (17%); political activists (11%); and governments or state powers (5%).
 
According to manufacturers (27%) and those in the telecoms industry (27%), the most popular motivation for the attacks was deemed to be a ransom.
 
READ ALSO: Threats targeting critical infrastructures: Frost
 
The report, Denial of Service: How Businesses Evaluate the Threat of DDoS Attacks (PDF), surveyed top managers and IT professionals in more than 5,500 companies in 26 countries around the world, Kaspersky Lab said.
 
They were asked questions on how they perceive the threat of potential DDoS attacks and what their typical losses have been from these attacks, in practice.
 
“DDoS attacks are no longer just about cybercriminals seeking to halt a company’s operations,” said Evgeny Vigovsky, head of Kaspersky DDoS Protection, Kaspersky Lab.
 
“Businesses are becoming suspicious of each other and there is a real concern that many companies, including small and medium-sized ones, are being affected by the underhanded tactics of their competitors, which are commissioning DDoS attacks directly against them, damaging their operations and reputation.
 
“No matter what industry you operate in, your organisation will have competitors, so it is wise to remain vigilant and fully understand the repercussions of a DDoS attack on your business in terms of the potential financial and reputational damage.
 
“It is wise not to pay a ransom or to fall victim to cybercriminals or competitors. Ensure that you have the appropriate security measures in place to help manage the increased risk posed to your business from DDoS attacks,” he added.
 
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