Akamai Technologies, Inc., a global leader in content delivery network (CDN) services, has released its 2016 Third Quarter State of the Internet/Security Report. The data from the report were borne from the Akamai Intelligent Platform and it provides analysis of the current cloud security and global threat landscape.
“Every couple of years, the industry faces what could be considered ‘harbinger attacks,’ where the size and scope of a security event are radically different than what has come before. I believe the industry faced its latest ‘harbinger’ with the Mirai botnet,” explained Martin McKeay, senior security advocate and senior editor of the report. “The Mirai botnet also made concrete the industry’s fear that the Internet of Things and other internet connected devices could be used for both web application and DDoS attacks, illustrating the need for device manufacturers to place a greater emphasis on security.
History-wise, American election day traffic on the Akamai network in 2004 peaked at 21 Gbps. In 2009, the figure escalated to 1.1 Tbps. Showing no signs of stopping, the recent 2016 American presidential debate showed a record 4.4 Tbps.
Though smaller than the last figure, the two largest Mirai botnet DDoS attacks for the third quarter peaked at 623 Gbps and 555 Gbps. Additionally, last year’s total number of DDoS threats increased 71 percent, of which 4,556 were mitigated by Akamai’s defense system. Moreover, 19 of these mitigated attacks peaked at over 100 Gbps, matching the Q1 2016 record.
Meanwhile, the web application attack segment saw an 18 percent decrease YOY for the third quarter, suggesting a shift in the cyberattack paradigm.