The digital acceleration resulting from global pandemic lockdowns dramatically changed the threat situation for DDoS attacks. In Link11’s DDoS Report, the firm’s security experts summarize the new DDoS threats that companies were confronted with. More and broader attack surfaces attracted both high-volume and multi-vector attacks. In addition, DDoS attackers often extorted companies dependent on online services and availability.

Download the Link11 DDoS Report 2020 for in-depth data and insight on:

The European Court of Justice has declared the Privacy Shield agreement with the USA invalid. This means the previously common practice of exporting data is no longer legal in many cases. Transferring personal data to a country outside the EU is now only permitted if the destination country guarantees equivalent data protection to the EU GDPR. This requirement was not met by the USA or other insecure third countries, which is why the “EU Privacy Shield” was invalidated by the ECJ in the “Schrems II” case.

The white paper uses the example of IT security to analyse the impact of this decision on the deployment of non-EU service providers. Many companies use software solutions and “as-a-service” offerings from larger, more established providers from the USA to defend against cyberattacks or load handling via a Content Delivery Network (CDN). In this cooperation, personal data of suppliers or business partners, for example, may be stored on servers outside the EU.

Data protection officers and IT teams in companies must quickly find solutions to these data protection problems. There is a need for immediate action. If not, there is the threat of fines.

Online shopping is booming worldwide in times of COVID-19 lockdowns, and it looks like the upcoming Valentine’s Day will provide another sales boost. In times of #stayathome, many users searching for flowers, sweets, or jewelry seem to rely on online shopping even more than last year. The infographic shows what a billion-dollar market Valentine’s Day has become and the momentum with which online retail is growing.

The numbers also demonstrate it’s not just the e-commerce industry in full swing; cybercrime is also on the rise. There is a great danger for web shops, from DDoS attacks to malware to bad bots, as revenues can be lost or customers can become dissatisfied. Online store operators and their hosting providers should take the threat of cyber attacks seriously and implement preventive measures.

The gaming industry and e-commerce sectors are the most frequent targets of DDoS attacks. This is partly due to the fact that, today, even non-experts can launch an attack. By blocking other players from accessing the gaming platform or lowering connection speeds, attackers can gain a competitive advantage. In many games, quick response times are essential for the flow of the game and the players’ enjoyment – for example, in sports or first-person shooter games. Often, the attacker takes the entire game offline.

The infrastructure operators of large gaming providers are investing in DDoS protection solutions to handle load peaks caused by threats such as DDoS attacks. Information about server outages spreads quickly across social platforms. So do complaints about lags, disconnects, loading hangs, or maintenance windows.

Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, gamers have been spending significantly more time at their consoles or on other gaming devices. They expect their gaming network to always be available. Furthermore, not only the amount of time spent gaming, but also the amount of money spent on it has skyrocketed during the pandemic. The UK market, for example, is expected to grow by almost 13% in 2021, and experts predict a financial turnover of $6,148 million. Though the market is massive, gaming providers are still under great competitive pressure. A platform failure can lead to huge losses. Against this background, taking security precautions to prevent cyberattacks becomes even more important.

For any business that relies on company networks or provides online services, DDoS protection is a must. But what kind of DDoS security solution is right for you?

There are several aspects to consider when evaluating a mitigation provider, and IT teams often struggle to decide which one to purchase and how best to integrate it into their IT security architecture.

The DDoS Protection Buyer’s Guide can help. It provides a list of requirements to look for and questions to ask a potential DDoS protection vendor when evaluating or purchasing a mitigation solution.