Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Attacks have been around since 1999; unfortunately, they still pose a threat today. Recent attacks on well-known targets have reminded us to remain vigilant to protect our systems.
DDoS attacks involve overwhelming a target with fake traffic, and they have often been considered an annoyance. These attacks are seen as less sophisticated because they require minimal technical skills, and services on the dark web allow individuals to purchase DDoS attacks for a few hundred dollars.
A few weeks ago, Microsoft experienced outages in its Outlook email and software suite due to a DDoS attack. Similarly, Diablo 4 and other Battle.net games were recently targeted and went offline for a significant period.
Blizzard, the company behind Diablo 4, acknowledged the attack and informed players via social media and in-game notifications. The attack lasted for some time, causing disruptions and frustration among players. Eventually, Blizzard announced that the DDoS attack had ended, but it remains unclear who was responsible for the attack and why it stopped.
DDoS attacks utilize networks of infected devices to overwhelm servers, and they can target individual users or extensive online services like Battle.net. The timing of the attack on the weekend suggests that the intention was to impact as many Battle.net users as possible.
In the case of Diablo 4, the game's always-online nature meant that players had limited options but to wait for the attack to subside. Unlike the earlier games in the series, Diablo 4 does not have an offline mode, so connection issues and DDoS attacks can significantly affect the gameplay experience.
While instances like these occur frequently, there are steps organizations can take to protect themselves from such attacks. Measures like network resiliency, increasing bandwidth, and migrating specific applications to the cloud can help mitigate the impact of DDoS attacks. If you want to safeguard your company's systems and prevent being in the headlines for the wrong reasons, consider contacting Soaring Eagle Data Solutions for a free consultation. Their experts can assist you in developing a comprehensive plan to enhance your security posture.
