Telecommunications corporation Nokia recently released its 2023 Threat Intelligence Report. Covering everything from 4G and 5G security attacks to malware attacks, the report reveals a startling rise in botnet-driven distributed denial of service attacks (DDoS) utilizing IoT devices.
How DDoS is evolving
In March 2023, Nokia conducted research focusing on thousands of DDoS attacks that occurred in 2022 and 2023. The study had some surprising findings that contrasted with how DDoS attacks have typically operated over the last two decades. One key trend they noted was how botnets are now the primary source of DDoS traffic.
Previously, most DDos attacks used spoofed traffic using various techniques to hide the source of the traffic. Now, botnets account for over 90% of complex, multi-vector DDoS attacks. The report states that the expansion of botnets is likely due to the proliferation of IoT and cloud technology being used at work and home. Gone are the days when botnets mainly used computers and routers; now, they can utilize all kinds of unsecured commonplace digital devices, from surveillance systems to point-of-sale terminals.
Due to this expansion, there has been a marked increase in botnet-based DDoS attacks in 2023 already. In March 2023, Nokia found 500,000 and 1,000,000 instances of IoT hosts or cloud servers engaged in DDoS activity, compared to 200,000 in 2022.
The second key trend that emerged was how larger and more powerful botnets are no longer limited geographically and are now increasingly utilized in geopolitical conflicts. They have become an effective cyber weapon because of how effective DDoS attacks can be in disrupting communications service providers and other critical services and infrastructure. Nokia notes that this has been the case with the current conflict in Ukraine.
Other notable findings
The rise in botnets using IoT devices has led to increased attacks in mobile telecom networks. Nokia found that 60% of such telecoms attacks are linked to IoT bots scanning for vulnerable hosts to expand botnets. At the same time, more than 30% of communications service providers also revealed that they experienced upwards of eight breaches over the past year.
On the malware side of things, ad-click bots, crypto-miners, or banking trojans accounted for more than one-third of attacks Nokia detected. Meanwhile, residential malware rates are declining but are still higher than they were pre-pandemic.
The takeaway
Check out the report for more findings and recommendations on how to combat them. To successfully mitigate risks Hamdy Farid, Nokia’s SVP of cloud & network services and business applications, recommends developing “more robust 5G network security measures, including implementing telco-centric threat detection and response, and implementing robust security practices and awareness at all company levels.”
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